A ‘five-member’ ensemble, the International Blazin’ Quartet is led by Bosnian born and Paris, France, based drummer, composer, arranger and educator Srdjan Ivanovic. Blazin’ Quartet and their special guest maestro flutist Magic Malik, delivers on their 4th studio album “Sleeping Beauty“, a very profound, organic, timeless and articulate sound. Nine tracks of unpredictable, potent, refreshingly divorced from the sonic status quo while exceedingly brilliant creative mettle are offered, awaiting for the attentive listener’s pleasure.
Seldom does such an ensemble jazz cast weave so seamlessly, yet play with such heartfelt emotion, conviction and, at times, abandon. With an inherent, extraordinary chemistry on display, moments of the most rare, exquisite beauty materialize while ascending to the fore. A delightful, resounding lack of pretense, combined with abounding imagination and sparkling, upper-echelon performances, contributes to an album that’s as fresh and ingenious as ensemble jazz gets, from every facet.
Praised by Downbeat Magazine as “a band that twists and tweaks conventions”Blazin’ Quartet has been pushing the boundaries of improvised, ethnographies and electronic jazz since it’s creation in Amsterdam in 2008.
The multi-national Blazin’ Quartet features Andreas Polyzogopoulos (Greece; trumpet), Federico Casagrande (Italy; guitar), Mihail Ivanov (Bulgaria; double bass), Srdjan Ivanovic (Bosnia & Herzegovina; drums, keyboards, compositions, arrangements), and special guest Magic Malik (Ivory Coast; flute).
This is a very special MoonJune releases for the label’s honcho Leonardo Pavkovic, the 4th artists from countries once part of his native Yugoslavia, after Dusan Jevtovic (Serbia), Vasil Hadzimanov (Serbia/Macedonia) and Vasko Atanasovski (Slovenia). Srdjan was born in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Leonardo was born in Jajce, a historic town, which was once upon a time, the first capital of the Kingdom of Bosnia, in 14th century.
My life has consisted of many moves, changing countries, neighbourhoods and appartements, more often than I wanted to. I’ve come to realise that what has meant home for me is music, and in particular the music I hear in my head. This music is personal but if you wanted to categorize it I guess you would say that it’s rooted in the Balkans (as in the mix of strong cultures of the east and the west, not just as in ‘’party brass band music’’) and is expressed through Jazz, and Jazz for me means freedom and expression, that’s what I fell in love with, the freedom and expression that be-bop brought and that flourished into many different sounding music creations.
Blazin’ Quartet has transformed over time in many ways, as the 3 previous albums and this new one might tell you. After moving to Paris I wanted to reinvent the band, find musicians that would bring something new but yet stay true to the innovative, ad- venturous spirit of the music we previously made. The musicians were chosen to fit this music and the ideas I had but also the music was chosen to fit these great musicians. They are all masters of their instruments and very strong personalities and I wanted to give as much of that as possible, within my own musical vision.
I also distilled my previous ideas about making an album and went for a photographic approach to music on tape – capturing a vibe, not looking for a perfect take. I was inspired by the idea of sleeping beauty, that only the awakened mind sees. To put it in another way – I never fully understood why a diamond is so much more valuable than the so many beautiful stones that you find on any beach. Anyway, with this album I wanted to deliver music that I felt was right, without giving in to preconceptions of what a ‘’jazz’’ album should be and let the musicians on it shine in their best light. I was really happy that an unexpected trumpet solo by Andreas – later turned duo when I overdubbed the keyboards – was a track that I loved and kept. Or that an unplanned guitar solo, by Federico, would end up on the album. On the tunes with Magic Malik, Rue des Balkans and Guchi (another unplanned event at the recording session, a tune from Jalkan Bazz, one of our previous albums) we again went for the vibe and the journey.
The title track, Sleeping Beauty is inspired by my wife Catherine. It’s not a typical decision to start an album with a ballad and to have a drum-trumpet free-jazz battle instead of a solo but I think that it actually makes sense. The birds in the intro and outro were recorded at our lockdown location, at dawn for the intro and at night fall for the outro. I was lucky enough to spend the lockdown in the coun- tryside, near Sancerre in France, and more than ever before spend three months in isolation and close contact with nature.
In the last years I have been listening so much to Ennio Morricone that I had to do something about that. I’m a big fan of melody – which I think is the king of music – and Ennio Morricone was a king of melody! The Man With the Harmonica is a very well known tune of his and I think we managed to stay true to it, without changing much, and at the same time transform it into some- thing almost unrecognisable. So, although the music didn’t really change, the vibe is not anymore the vibe of the duel between Charles Bronson and Henry Fonda in ‘’Once Upon a Time in the West’’ but instead it’s ‘’ours’’, I guess something more on the mediterranean side. The other tune ‘’A l’aube du cinquième jour’ is a tune that just with the melody takes you on a journey, proving my earlier point about melody! Again, we didn’t change much but gave it our own rendition that I think makes it very personal.
I met illustrator Severine Scaglia at the playground as a friend-parent and again, I thought that that’s a place as good as any to discover a great artist. I admired her collages for both their aesthetics and their message which illustrated so well her subjects. I think that this cover illustrates closely this music, a collage of very simple elements that through the illustrator’s vision awaken in the composition as a whole.
Finally, this album is a realization of my people who believed in it, my countryman Leonardo Pavkovic of MoonJune Records, and the team at Le Coolectif, as well as press agent Valerie Mauge, and booker Sabrina Ouyang, who are helping bring it to you. As much as we can do, we need people to help us bring forward what we do.
When initially asked to talk about this new album, my first thought was to say that beauty ‘’sleeps’’ in everything but when I think again I would rather say that everything is beautiful but we are ‘’asleep’’ and don’t experience it. But, sometimes, somebody creates something that touches us, wakes us up, and for a moment we see everything shining in it’s true light. I hope this recording does that to you.
In a stunning, full-color book, author Anthony Garone details a 22-year journey of transformation in mastering the intricate complexity of “Fracture” – described by composer Robert Fripp as “impossible to play.”“Anthony Garone’s ‘Failure to Fracture’ is a success story.” – Robert Fripp
When progressive rock band King Crimson released “Starless and Bible Black” in 1974, very few recognized the astonishing virtuosity captured in the album’s 11-minute instrumental capstone, “Fracture.” Three minutes into the piece, guitarist Robert Fripp begins a quiet, non-stop barrage of notes called a “moto perpetuo” an Italian term for “perpetual motion.” Fripp’s moto perpetuo requires intense right-hand string-skipping, and picking capabilities only a handful of guitarists around the world possess.
Musician Anthony Garone was challenged by his father to learn “Fracture” in 1998. As a 16-year-old who practiced guitar six or more hours every day, he could not understand why he could play other technical pieces of music, but not “Fracture.” Over the years, he published blog posts and videos about his efforts. Garone kept working in isolated frustration until he enrolled in a week-long guitar instruction course led by Fripp in rural Mexico in 2015. That week was transformative.
It was in Mexico that Garone learned the mechanics of Fripp’s very unique right-hand technique. To properly play “Fracture,” Garone had to re-learn how to play guitar, sit, stand, and breathe. It would also require meditation and a new way of using his body.
Following many months of back-to-the-basics guitar practice, Garone re-trained himself to play guitar, playing a single open string for two hours a day across several weeks. In 2016, he was finally able to play small pieces of “Fracture” without any pain or frustration. He documented his progress on his Make Weird Music YouTube channel in a series called “Failure to Fracture.” The videos garnered hundreds of thousands of views and praise from Fripp himself, who wrote “Fracture is impossible to play, cf. Anthony Garone.”
“Failure to Fracture” captures Garone’s transformative 22-year journey. The story begins with his time as a teenager developing a friendship with guitar hero Steve Vai in 1996. It ends with video performances of both “Fracture” and the even more difficult “sequel” composition, “FraKctured,” written and performed in Fripp’s own New Standard Tuning. It is a book about achieving the impossible, overcoming one’s limitations, and retraining the mind and body.
In March 2021, Fripp stated on YouTube: “Anthony Garone is a man who has just written a book about to be published on ‘Failure to Fracture.’ Anthony has spent 22 years failing to play ‘Fracture.’ Actually, he’s done a pretty good job. Anthony’s failure is so well-achieved in my book, it’s a success.”
More praise from fellow Crims and chums:
“The best story of the long path of craftsmanship I have come across.” – Trey Gunn, former member of King Crimson
“This book is a game changer. It delivers a detailed insight into a ‘secret’ world that is hardly ever being discussed in popular culture.” – Markus Reuter
“The insight in this book goes beyond simply learning to play an impossible song… it provides a roadmap for how to live your best life.” – Gabriel Riccio
Guitarist, author and composer Anthony Garone pens a compelling story of transformational failure after failure followed by a final victory: the ultimate performance of one of progressive rock’s most challenging and complex songs.
There are many ways to support Power of Prog from donating money via PayPal on the home page, telling your friends about the site, or purchasing one of these snazzy new t-shirts for just $20 free shipping included.
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Featuring peak Aristocratic live performances from just before
live music’s extended hiatus began
The rowdy and rollicking instrumental rock/fusion power trio The Aristocrats (guitarist Guthrie Govan, bassist Bryan Beller and drummer Marco Minnemann) loudly and proudly showcase their renowned electric onstage chemistry on FREEZE! Live In Europe 2020, which will drop on May 7, 2021. Pre-orders are available now at various outlets listed below.
Featuring performances from across Spain in February 2020, just weeks before live music went on extended hiatus, the album leans heavily on debut live-recorded renditions of material from their most recent album, the critically acclaimed You Know What…? [BOING, 2019] which debuted at #2 on the Billboard Jazz Charts (U.S.)
“FREEZE!documents a particularly memorable period for the band so I think it’s really fortunate that we were able to capture this musical ‘snapshot’”, says Govan. “After months of relentless gigging, the material from our latest studio recording had started to feel really natural for us and yet… somehow, there was still an unmistakable element of excitement and musical risk-taking on stage every night when we played those songs.”
It also contains an epic version of the band’s classic “Get It Like That”, with a drum solo by Minnemann specially dedicated to Rush’s Neil Peart, who passed while the band was on tour.
“Growing together as a band also means knowing, focusing and perfecting the details of our musical presentations” explains Minnemann. “On tour, we sometimes become our worst critics and maybe one out of ten gigs fully pleases the band as a collective. But I believe that sort of ‘quality control’ is necessary and trying to give 110% every night is the least we can do for us and especially our fans. I have to admit that I at first was reluctant listening to the recordings, almost fearful about how many mistakes I would find. However, with a little bit of distance and fresh ears, I was actually more than pleased finding out that this ‘hand-picked’ selection of Aristocratic tunes I believe showcases the band as a very well-toured, oiled and locked machine, with not only love and attention to detail, but also playfulness and fun. Furthermore, Neil Peart sadly passed away during our European leg …. I played my heart out for him every single night.”
Bassist Beller summarizes the vibe thusly: “Like Guthrie and Marco said, by February 2020 we were deep into the ‘You Know What…?’ touring cycle, almost up to 100 shows. We were greased up and ready to go, every night. But we had no way of knowing as we plowed through Spain that these would be some of the last shows we’d play for a while. So it’s special on several levels for us to be able to share this frozen moment in time, which is what a live album truly is. It’s a statement of what we were bringing to stages every night in the heat of a world tour; it’s something for our fans who may not have caught this tour to experience and hopefully enjoy at home; and, ideally, it’s also something to keep the flame burning for when we can get back out there and let loose onstage once again. Because that’s what we do best.”
Track Listing
1. D Grade F*ck Movie Jam 2. Spanish Eddie 3. When We All Come Together 4. The Ballad Of Bonnie And Clyde 5. Get It Like That (Dedicated To Neil Peart) 6. Last Orders
FREEZE! Live In Europe 2020 is available for pre-order now in all purchase formats and will be available starting May 7 on CD and digital download, with streaming services to follow in subsequent weeks. Hi-res digitaldownloads of FREEZE! are available exclusively at the band’s brand new Bandcamp store, along with CD-or-better quality digital downloads of the band’s entire back catalog for the very first time. Also, a limited-run double-vinyl version of FREEZE! will be available through Diggers Factory.
All pre-orders of FREEZE! will include an instant download of the song “Spanish Eddie”.
All studio and live releases by The Aristocrats can be purchased at:
26th March 2021: Downes Braide Association (DBA) release the 2LP White Vinyl of their fourth studio album Halcyon Hymns today.
Buy Halcyon Hymns (all formats) here: https://downesbraide.co.uk/ Geoff Downes says: “The vinyl release of “Halcyon Hymns” really is the icing on the cake for Chris & I. We have had an amazing amount of positivity from all quarters, and the incredible response to the album has been way beyond our greatest expectations. Now, to see the album in all its white vinyl glory, with the wonderful Roger Dean artwork really takes it a step beyond and makes it extra special for us. We’re sure you will appreciate our sincere endeavours and hard work to present you with what we hope will be a real keepsake for you all. Many thanks for your continued support.”
Chris Braide adds: “Geoff and I really feel that our music was made for vinyl and Roger Dean’s stunning art is at its optimum when printed as a 12-inch LP sleeve. We also know that our wonderful and dedicated fans would love to see “Halcyon Hymns” presented in this format so this if for them too!”
Chris Braide (vocals, piano, keyboards, guitar, programming) and Geoff Downes (piano, keyboards, programming) are joined on Halcyon Hymns by Ash Soan on drums and Andy Hodge (bass). Additional guests are Dave Bainbridge, Barney Ashton-Bullock, Marc Almond, Tim Weller, Joe Catcheside, David Longdon, Elijah and Sascha Braide.
Halcyon Hymns is the fifth DBA collaboration and follows their three previous critically acclaimed studio albums Pictures of You (2012), Suburban Ghosts (2015) and Skyscraper Souls (2017). The duo has also released Live In England (2019) recorded at their first ever concert at Trading Boundaries, East Sussex, in 2018.
About Downes Braide Association Downes Braide Association was formed as a studio-based project by Geoff Downes and Chris Braide and has already produced three acclaimed studio albums: Pictures Of You (2012), Suburban Ghosts (2015) and Skyscraper Souls (2017) together with a live album Live In England (2019). The project draws on Downes’ and Braide’s rich musical heritage to create a delightfully accessible brand of progressive rock.
British singer-songwriter-pianist Chris Braide has recently returned to UK shores after many years based in California. He enjoys enormous success writing and producing music for film scores, advertising campaigns and working closely with artists including Sia – he co-wrote Music from her new album, Toni Braxton, Lana Del Rey, Marc Almond, Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, Paloma Faith, Britney Spears, David Guetta, Chris also co-wrote the music with Hans Zimmer and Sia for Seven Worlds One Planet – David Attenborough series. He has won an Ivor Novello Award and was nominated for a Grammy.
Keyboard wizard Geoff Downes was thrust into the limelight with the worldwide success of Video Killed The Radio Star in 1979. The single topped the charts chart in 16 countries for The Buggles duo of Geoff and Trevor Horn (vocals, bass guitar). They briefly joined prog legends YES before Downes became a founder member of the supergroup Asia with YES guitarist Steve Howe, ELP drummer Carl Palmer and the late John Wetton (vocals, bass guitar).
The Wetton-Downes composition Heat Of The Moment became a world-wide hit in 1982 heralding many years of success for Asia with their FM radio-friendly brand of rock. Downes later returned to YES in 2012 and remains with the band alongside Steve Howe.
26th March 2021: KANSAS, America’s legendary progressive rock band has released the track Point Of Know Return (Live 2019-20), taken from their upcoming, new live album Point of Know Return Live & Beyond out 28th May. The song was recorded on April 4, 2019 at the Balboa Theater in San Diego, CA.
This is the first live album since 2017 for the band that has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and is famous for classic hits such as ‘Carry On Wayward Son’ and ‘Dust in the Wind,’ to progressive epics like ‘Song for America.’
Point of Know Return Live & Beyond is co-produced by Phil Ehart and Richard Williams, and is recorded and mixed by Chad Singer. The album features 22 songs selected from 12 shows recorded in 2019 and 2020 during KANSAS’s Point of Know Return Anniversary Tour. The setlist includes classic hits, deep cuts, and culminates with the band’s sextuple-platinum album, Point of Know Return, performed in its entirety.
Following the success of the band’s Leftoverture Anniversary Tour, KANSAS followed that tour up with the even more popular Point of Know Return Anniversary Tour. The overwhelming success of that tour, and the previous live album, Leftoverture Live & Beyond, led the band, along with Inside Out Music, to release selected songs from the tour as a live album.
“We knew we wanted to release a live album of the Point of Know Return Anniversary Tour. Being unable to tour for more than a year has given us the opportunity to work on Point of Know Return Live & Beyond and release it for our fans who are missing live concerts as much as we are,” said KANSAS drummer and album co-producer, Phil Ehart. “When we discussed who would mix the album, we thought the best possible person would be the guy who mixes the band live every night and recorded the shows on the road. Nobody knows better how KANSAS sounds live than our front of house engineer, Chad Singer!”
“This live album sounds great,” adds KANSAS guitarist and album co-producer, Richard Williams. “We wanted to make sure this album captures and represents how KANSAS sounds live in concert. Point of Know Return Live & Beyond does just that.”
Along with original KANSAS band members Phil Ehart on drums and Richard Williams on lead guitar, Point of Know Return Live & Beyond, features Tom Brislin on keyboards and vocals, Billy Greer on bass and vocals, Ronnie Platt on lead vocals and keyboards, David Ragsdale on violin and vocals, and Zak Rizvi on guitar and vocals.
Point of Know Return Live & Beyond, will be released May 28, 2021, on Inside Out Music and is distributed by The Orchard. The album will be available as a double CD digipak, triple 180-gram vinyl + 2 CD box-set, and digitally on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, iTunes, and other fine digital retailers.
Point of Know Return Live & Beyond
Track Listing:
1.) Cold Grey Morning
2.) Two Cents Worth
3.) The Wall
4.) Song for America
5.) Summer
6.) Musicatto
7.) Taking in the View
8.) Miracles Out of Nowhere
9.) Point of Know Return
10.) Paradox
11.) The Spider
12.) Portrait (He Knew)
13.) Closet Chronicles
14.) Lightning’s Hand
15.) Dust in the Wind
16.) Sparks of the Tempest
17.) Nobody’s Home
18.) Hopelessly Human
19.) Carry On Wayward Son
20.) People of the South Wind
21.) Refugee
22.) Lonely Wind
When touring resumes, KANSAS will continue rescheduled Point of Know Return Anniversary Tour dates as well as KANSAS Classics tour dates. More information on the tour, including specific Point of Know Return Anniversary Tour dates, can be found at www.kansasband.com. The band recently announced that their European Point of Know Return Anniversary Tour dates had been rescheduled to 2022. The full list of dates can be found below:
11 October 2022 – Amsterdam, Netherlands: Carre Theater
12 October 2022 – Hamburg, Germany: Docks
14 October 2022 – Helsinki, Finland: Culture House
15 October 2022 – Tampere, Finland: Tamperetalo
17 October 2022 – Stockholm, Sweden: Cirkus
18 October 2022 – Oslo, Norway: Sentrum Scene
20 October 2022 – Berlin, Germany: Tempodrom
22 October 2022 – Bochum, Germany: Ruhrcongress Center
23 October 2022 – Brussels, Belgium: Cirque Royale
25 October 2022 – Paris, France: Olympia Theater
28 October 2022 – Frankfurt, Germany: Jahrhunderthalle
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