It took 7 years for the songs inside my head to reach the fingers of my hands and vocal cords and for my mind to unearth the stories and images that would eventually merge with the melodies in my head… plus many mistakes and revisions and to do lists and the help of kind supporters that would eventually result in THIS physical manifestation of Oracles that is sitting on the shelves of record stores worldwide waiting to find their owners! ☺️
As any self-respecting hippie (and Rudolf Steiner) will tell you, 7-year cycles are significant, marking an inner shift in consciousness.
Give a listen to these 7 songs and evolve playfully under the tree.
Wayne Shorter is a 10-time Grammy Award-winning jazz saxophonist, who expressed surprise when chosen for the honor. He has collaborated with several top musicians, including Herbie Hancock and Carlos Santana.
“I’m one of the few who stayed in the front trenches, stayed in the struggle to inspire people. Some people may have wanted to give me an award for effort. This award is cutting through all the politics and all of that,” Wayne Shorter adds. “I’ll stay in the trenches with the artists. I’m not getting all up at arms about somebody from the White House possibly being there.”
Shorter practices Nichiren Buddhism as taught in the organization Soka Gakkai International. Two years ago, Shorter joined fellow jazz giant and Buddhist Herbie Hancock in writing an open letter to young artists, that appeared in Lion’s Roar.
The Kennedy Center Honors will be held in Washington, D.C. on December 2nd, and broadcast on CBS on December 26th.
2) Eamon Project
Eamon includes an original graphic novel, a cosmic-heroic odyssey written by Wayne Shorter with help from screenwriter Monica Sly, and featuring art by Randy DuBurke, along with three discs of new music.
Art from the graphic novel ‘Emanon’ by Randy DuBurke.
Emanon is a physical-only release that will be available in two versions; a Standard Edition that packages 3x CDs with the graphic novel, and a Deluxe Edition that packages 3x 180-gram vinyl LPs and 3x CDs with the graphic novel enclosed in a beautiful hardcover slipcase.
Emanon will be released on August 24 and is available for preorder through Blue Note and Amazon.
Hydrogen Jukebox is a chamber opera, taken from a phrase coined by Ginsberg, from his poem Howl.
‘…listening to the crack of doom on the hydrogen jukebox…’
Of the project, Glass said:
“In 1988…I happened to run into Allen Ginsberg at St. Mark’s Bookshop in New York and asked him if he would perform with me. We were in the poetry section, and he grabbed his book from the shelf and pointed out Wichita Vortex Sutra. The poem, written in 1966, reflected the anti-war mood of the times, seemed highly appropriate for the occasion. As a result I composed a piano piece to accompany Allen’s reading, which took place at the Schubert Theater on Broadway.
The reading went so well they decided to collaborate by creating a full-length work. A small orchestra and six voices with text compiled from Ginsberg’s catalog of poetry.
According to Ginsberg, “Hydrogen Jukebox signifies a state of hypertrophic high-tech, a psychological state in which people are at the limit of their sensory input with civilization’s military jukebox, a loud industrial roar, or a music that begins to shake the bones and penetrate the nervous system as a hydrogen bomb may do someday, reminder of apocalypse.”
The crisis state of Syria and the pending talks with North Korea that fills our airwaves compels the music of our heart to find solace and meaning from this past work. My personal mission today is to listen to and comprehend Hydrogen Jukebox.
May the past genius of Ginsberg and Glass bring the soul peace.
Brian Eno announced he is releasing a CD box set, “Music for Installations,” on May 4, 2018. It features works he has composed since 1986 for mixed-media installations in galleries, airports, hospitals and other public spaces.
The set will be available as a six-CD box and on vinyl, with super deluxe editions of both versions containing a 64-page book that features rare exhibition images and a new essay by Eno.
One piece, “Kazakhstan,” for example, was written to accompany the artist Asif Khan’s 360-degree movie, “We Are Energy,” in the British Pavilion at the World Expo in Kazakhstan.
“Music For Installations is a collection of new, rare and previously unreleased music, all of which was recorded by Brian Eno for use in his installations,” reads the press release for the set. “He has emerged as the leading exponent of ‘generative’ music worldwide and is recognized as one of the foremost audio-visual installation artists of his time. Eno’s visual experiments with light and video have proved to be the fertile ground from which so much of his other work has grown and they cover an even longer span of time than his recordings, paralleling his musical output in recent decades.”
Laurie Anderson and Kronos Quartet’s Landfall will be released on Nonesuch Records on February 16, 2018. The piece, which was inspired by Anderson’s experience of Hurricane Sandy, is the first collaboration between the iconic storyteller/musician and the groundbreaking string quartet, who perform together on the recording. Landfall juxtaposes lush electronics and strings with Anderson’s powerful descriptions of loss, from water-logged pianos to disappearing animal species to Dutch karaoke bars.
The Washington Post calls it “riveting, gorgeous.” Pre-order to download a track now and get a limited-edition print autographed by Laurie Anderson.
Marking a significant moment for the multimedia artist and forefather of alternative rock, Michael Stipe will release a never-before-seen installation at Moogfest 2017. The installation will be a compilation of video footage he has shot over the years in New York City that explores desire and movement. Using Moog gear, Stipe will score the piece, marking his first solo composition ever. The installation will run continuously throughout the festival.
Stipe became involved thanks to festival’s exec producer Kai Riedl, a former member of experi-post-rock band Macha. It’s thanks to the Athens, Georgia connection, that Riedl and Stipe have been friends for 20-odd years.
“Over the last decade, Michael has expanded his futurist leaning and artistic output through various projects, many of these with imagery and film he’s shot himself,” says Riedl of Stipe’s involvement. “During this time, largely as a member of R.E.M., he has also worked often with Moog synths. This installation presents a unique opportunity to wed these two worlds in a multimedia experience and to expand on his explorations as a solo artist. Stipe has always had a futurist yet Southern leaning style and has had a rich history of creating in the South, so having Moogfest in the region of his hometown of Athens made it all the more appealing. In addition, Stipe has always been a voice for equality, new creative possibilities and futurist ideals—many of the same pillars of Moogfest.”
Here is a NY Times interview from last year that serves as a prediction to Michael Stipe’s return to live performance. He has joined his good friend, Patti Smith at several of her concerts including her birthday celebration on 12/30/16 at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago.
Piano Portraits is the 100th solo album from Rick Wakeman.
Painting pictures is how Rick describes his playing style and how he visualizes music, and this album paints a very vivid, lush landscape for the listener to explore.
1. Help
2. Stairway to Heaven
3. Life on Mars
4. I’m Not In Love
5. Wondrous Stories
6. Berceuse
7. Amazing Grace
8. Swan Lake
9. Morning Has Broken
10. Summertime
11. Space Oddity
12. Dance of the Damselflies
13. Clair de Lune
14. I Vow To Thee My Country
15. Eleanor Rigby
CD Release Date: 13/01/2017
Vinyl LP Release Date: 03/02/2017
The legendary 1925 Lon Chaney film is brought to life with a specially commissioned Rick Wakeman soundtrack. This is the first time this version of the film has been issued on DVD, as such the images have been fully restored and the sound track lovingly remastered.
The DVD also has several bonus features;
Rick Wakeman commentary
Christopher Lee introduction
Rick and the Phantom – featurette
Original trailer
The soundtrack double CD is the original Rick Wakeman unedited soundtrack and contains the original mixes of the songs which are different to what eventually appeared on his album “Phantom Power”.
Special Limited Edition box set containing:–
Single DVD
Double CD
Signed by Rick Wakeman and numbered certificate
2 x Reproduction Lon Chaney 10˝ x 8˝ photos
4 x A4 Reproduction “Lobby Cards Taken from the original artwork
There are additional items, merchandise and a special screening of the film available too!
NOTE Release Date 2nd of December for all items except the vinyl which will be delayed until February 2017 due to long manufacturing lead times and the screening which is planned for January 2017.
I am excited to hold in my hands an autographed CD edition of Rick Wakeman’s The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. I collect autographed CD covers and this is truly a gem for the collection.
It was sharing of you Rick Wakeman to allow us fans to help support your recording project on Pledge Music.
I can’t wait to have the symphony of sound wash over my senses.
Thank you Rick. I hope I get to hear you play a selection or two of this recording this fall on the Anderson, Rabin and Wakeman tour.
Marking a significant moment for the multimedia artist and forefather of alternative rock, Michael Stipe will release a never-before-seen installation at 
musicofourheart.blog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.