In music : Jon Anderson featuring the Band Geeks - Perpetual Change


 We Hear A Sound and Altering Our Returning


The two old men at the back of the theatre were curious. What would the young guns make of their music?

-------------------------

For years, Jon has been deconstructing or reimagining the work with which he has made his name. Not unlike many people holed up in 2020/21, he decided on a different tack: let's go back to the source, play the '70s music with a bunch of guys who have the musical intellect to find the original music and give it new life. 

By find, I mean find the spirit of the music as it was designed, as William Bruford used to say. As we are talking drums, Andy Ascolese strikes me as someone who understands Bill's space and brevity better than anyone bar Dylan Howe, whilst sounding, not playing, like a rock drummer. He also has a ton of energy. But there are moments where, in the blink of an eye, he is an orchestral percussionist. Nothing, and then a statement of the tune, rhythmically, or a brief clatter around the kit. As Bill would say admiral restraint.  

On Close To The Edge he gets the syncopation of those two verse songs in a way no one else ever has. That stop-start feel and ride is pure 1972.  He also pilots the introduction rather than hammers his way through it. When the big organ solo comes in the final movement, he is equally up to the challenge of propelling it forward. 

Listening to Yours Is No Disgrace or Perpetual Change I find myself thinking of the Buddy Rich Big Band meets Iron Butterfly with CSN vocals. The performances are cinematic and theatrical, but when the exposed vocals come in, they are very moving. The ride out of the wordless vocals on Perpetual Change is a beautiful example of the Association colliding with Iron Butterfly, and I love Jon's improvised shout over the top. 

The keys on the Yes Album material are mixed higher and have more personality than the original; when the guitar emerges, it is featured with a different dynamic than the original. On Gates of Delirium, the guitar being 'all over everything' is replaced with a more subtle team player feel, and some of the organ work and chord reinforcement is stronger than the original. The rotating organ sound under the verses is a fine example of a revival, making the music more integrated and nuanced, playing something that was not fully developed on the recording. Indeed, Gates of Delirium feels less frantic and on the edge of collapse and a more cohesive grand musical statement.

Jon's voice is a force of nature, and whilst And You and I and Awaken come across as a bit more routine and careful, you can enjoy the extraordinary renaissance his voice has undergone. 

Jon clearly has a lot of confidence in the vocal capabilities of this lineup because in the ensemble moments, you can hear him having fun and games; that comes from being confident in the forces around him. 

Richie wrestles Heart of the Sunrise away from Chris and makes it his own. He is such a charismatic player as well as a great Baritone. I would love to have been a fly on the wall if these two had met. 

He should also be thanked for his role as tour manager and making this happen so the elderly gentleman could just walk on stage, wave and sing. and do so beautifully. 

________________

The old man puts his glass down, stands to applaud and turns to his companion. "They're good, I enjoyed that." He responds. "Yeah, a bit of pushing the envelope, too."



  

 

   





 

Comments

Post a Comment

GOODREADS REVIEWS

Popular posts from this blog

Alan White - Lights Out

  Alan White When Chris Welch commented on Bill Bruford leaving Yes in the summer of 1972 he said it was like Rolls quitting Royce.    Over the years since then all the talk has been about how complex Yes's music was by then and what a mammoth task it was for Alan to come in and learn all that stuff in a few days which he did in time for Dallas. That was only a small part of the story the reality was the way Bill and Chris worked was entirely atypical.  To break into that required a complete rethink for the entire band. Chris towards the end, on the fortieth anniversary of the Yes Album acknowledged that. Rick in late '72 found the change unsettling. It was as if the foundations of a building had been completely remodelled and the upper floors didn't sit properly afterwards.  When you sat in the Wembley Arena in 1977 and listened to Alan count in Starship Trooper you knew the journey had been ...
Read more

Levin Torn White

How do you end up with such a sense of corporate achievement when they did not even sit in the same room to make the music? Well the answer to that is clearly the director of operations Mr Schorr who piloted the three passengers so deftly and empathetically to the ultimate destination. However I suspect therein lays the key to why each player is able to deliver up such idiosyncratic and full performances. To continue the analogy Schoor flew them by an interesting route he even allowed them to choose the way there. Listening late at night to this pillow full of dark emphasises the music’s earthiness and sharp urban unsentimental feel but it is never miserable or dull. The sense of enquiry is positive and uplifting rather than panic stricken or over clever and I think Alan’s contribution which is warm and soulful is crucial in this area. He maybe pushing the envelope but the playing is routed in his natural modesty.  Tony is a one man bass orchestra and his contribution gives the...
Read more

Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks -True

Image
There are really just two questions for me, Is the organiser back?  Has he opened the door and entered the House of Castellano, or merely thrown some fairy dust over it?  The Organiser In 1980, when the tectonic plates of Yes shifted, shaking the very foundations that had driven them to such incredible heights, the roots of the earthquake lay with Jon. He had decided he was no longer "the organiser" but a songwriter, who wanted to make more spontaneous music.  In 2023, he returned to an idea he had pursued on two previous occasions: to re-establish himself at the forefront of Yes's most demanding music, the music that has become known as the main sequence. So, he dialled B for Band Geeks.  They and Jon delighted everyone on their tour last spring, receiving standing ovations wherever they went. The idea then begins to spin around in Jon's mind about another possibility; new music with the young Turks who played the classics with such elan, energy, flair and skill....
Read more