Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour with Mariam Massaro

Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour with Mariam Massaro

Gaea Star Crystal Radio #483 Part Two is a series of visionary improvised songs and pieces played live by the Gaea Star Band with Mariam Massaro on vocals, Native flute, schruti box, ukuleles and percussion, Bob Sherwood on piano and Craig Harris on congas.  Recorded at Singing Brook Studio in Worthington, Massachusetts in early March of 2022, today’s show begins with the striking, powerful “All Hail”, a spiritually rich and deeply evocative song with a fine vocal from Mariam.  “I Am Alive” is a Native meditation dedicated to the people of Ukraine and “Keep On”/”Free To Be” grow from the extended coda, flowering into gorgeous movements of their own.  “Underneath The Clouds” is a bluesy ode to a blustery day with a mesmerizing ragtime piano part from Bob.  We finish today with a take of Mariam’s beautiful “Into The Mystery” an evocative song from the “For The Children” album.
Learn more about Mariam here: http://www.mariammassaro.com

Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour with Mariam Massaro

Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour #483 is an hour of inspired, visionary acoustic improvisational music played live by the Gaea Star Band with Mariam Massaro on vocals, harmonica, Native flute, shruti box, banjo, acoustic guitar and ukulele, Bob Sherwood on piano and Craig Harris on Native drums and congas.  Recorded at Singing Brook Studio in Worthington, Massachusetts in early March of 2022, today’s show begins with the bouncing, folky “Prayers For The Families”, a gesture of support for Ukraine with inspired lyrics and rustic banjo chords from Mariam.  “It’s Coming Down” is a late winter meditation with driving congas from Craig and an imaginative harmonic framework set up between Mariam’s ukulele and Bob’s question piano and “Ribbons Of Love” is a native meditation decorated with beautiful Native flute passages from Mariam as it grows and develops into a powerful, prayerful raga.  “Silver Lining” is a fine minor ballad to the moon built upon Mariam’s guitar chords and Craig’s foundational conga groove and “Vision Of Peace” is an expansive, peaceful prayer of release with a lush vocal from Mariam.  “Down By The River” is a fine folk song led by Mariam’s ukulele and a foundational piano figure from Bob and we complete today’s hour with the deeply spiritual, mystical raga “The Portal Of Awakening”, a celebration of eastern harmonic modes built on Mariam’s shruti box and lyrics that honor the divine.
Learn more about Mariam here: http://www.mariammassaro.com

Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour with Mariam Massaro

Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour #482 is an hour of visionary acoustic improvisational music played live by The Gaea Star Band with Mariam Massaro on vocals, Native flute, acoustic guitar and ukulele, Bob Sherwood on piano and Craig Harris on drums.  Recorded in late February 2022 at Singing Brook Studio in Worthington, Massachusetts, today’s show begins with the somber, elegiac “There’s Only One Way” a tribute to the people of Ukraine that weaves around a powerful, repetitive piano motif with lyrical Native flute touches from Mariam and powerful drums from Craig.  “Gather Together” and “Freedom” follow, two of Mariam’s finer folk songs given powerful treatments by the band.  “Flowers Of Delight” is another gorgeous song from Mariam, this one from last year’s “Release” album and the band plays it in an imaginative waltz format, giving this elegant song an even more refined setting.  “Wind On The Water” is a mysterious, whispering piece with a slightly haunted piano motif and beautiful, lyrical native flute from Mariam.  “Perhaps” is a delightful blues barrelhouse song from Mariam featuring her chiming 8-string ukulele, a skipping conga groove from Craig and Bob’s Ray Charles piano with a prominent, hypnotic left hand.  “Perhaps” is a vast, wide-open folk song with a bittersweet, wishful lyric from Mariam and masterful gospel piano from Bob.  We conclude today with the mystical, evocative “I Am Here Now” another spacious, evocative peace that Mariam drapes in her unmistakable native flute work.
Learn more about Mariam here: http://www.mariammassaro.com

Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour with Mariam Massaro

Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour #481 is an hour of visionary improvisational music recorded live by the Gaea Star Band with Mariam Massaro on Native flute, vocals, acoustic guitar, shruti box and ukulele, Bob Sherwood on piano and Craig Harris on congas and Native drums.  Recorded live at Singing Brook Studio in Worthington, Massachusetts in February of 2022, today’s show begins with a fine, somberly romantic take of Mariam’s beautiful “Open Every Day” and a sprightly, playful version of her song “Make The Best”.  “We Are All Alive To Remember” is a gorgeous, triumphant drone piece presented with great drama and built around the drone of Mariam’s shruti box and Native flute, eventually sliding into the second movement “This Moment”.  “Changes” is a dynamic piece built upon Mariam’s dancing ukulele and imaginative, ever-shifting piano from Bob and “Just Transform To Release It All” is a dramatic minor key visionary ballad underpinned by Mariam’s driving acoustic guitar and Craig’s energized congas.  “In The Pocket” is another acoustic guitar based song featuring a fine, searching vocal from Mariam and powerful Indian-influenced piano from Bob and we finish today’s show with a tight, driving take of Mariam’s “Gypsy”, a Jazzy, eastern European song from the “For The Children” album.
Learn more about Mariam here: http://www.mariammassaro.com

Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour with Mariam Massaro

Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour #480 is an hour of visionary acoustic improv music performed live by The Gaea Star Band with Mariam Massaro on vocals, Native flute, acoustic guitar and ukulele, Bob Sherwood on piano and Craig Harris on congas and Native drums.  Recorded at Singing Brook Studio in Worthington, Massachusetts on Valentine’s Day 2022 and begins with he rollicking “Happy With You” a classic number from Mariam’s “Smooth Sailin’ Love Songs” album.  “Going Far Away” is a skipping, upbeat and pleasantly blustery folk song with an unmistakable chord progression and “If We Believe” is a gorgeous, expansive ballad decorated with Mariam’s unmistakable Native flute.  We return to Mariam’s love song album for a run of Valentine songs, the rainy country R&B of “Waiting For You”, the gorgeous, tight “Burning Ember” and a fine, flowing take of the wonderful “I Was Wondering”.  “If You Believe” follows the classic Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour formula, starting with a pulsing, Native vibe featuring flute fanfares from Mariam and slides slowly through classical and gospel iterations.  “I’m Illuminated By The Glory” concludes today’s show with an expansive, harmonically wide-ranging tone poem featuring sophisticated progressions from Bob on piano and fine vocals and Native flute from Mariam.
Learn more about Mariam here: http://www.mariammassaro.com

Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour with Mariam Massaro

Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour #479 comes in two parts, the second of which we present today.  Recorded live in February 2022 at Singing Brook Studio in Worthington, Massachusetts, today’s song cycle features Mariam Massaro on vocals, Native flute, acoustic guitar and 4- and 8-string ukuleles, Bob Sherwood on piano and Craig Harris on Native drums and congas.  We begin with a languid and deeply felt take on Mariam’s “Spirit Of Fire”, a prayer of reverence to Earth’s elements before easing into another Mariam song, the powerful environmental anthem “Restore”.  Moving into visionary improv, the band develops the beautiful, peaceful “Crystalline Rainbows”, a gorgeous, drifting piece with an inspired lyric and vocal from Mariam above her chiming acoustic guitar.  “Rise Above” is a fine folk song featuring down-home, lyrical blues harmonica from Mariam and “Honoring” is a skipping, light-hearted island song defined by Mariam’s rich 8-string ukulele and Craig’s steady conga work.  We finish today with a deeply mystical 2-song cycle, “Break The Ice/Let It Drift”, an unusual and strangely beautiful construction that celebrates complex tonality while Mariam weaves a compelling winter story with an effortless melody and complete presence.
Learn more about Mariam here: http://www.mariammassaro.com

Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour with Mariam Massaro

Gaea Star Crystal Radio #479 is an hour of visionary improvised music from the Gaea Star Band with Mariam Massaro on vocals, acoustic guitar, ukulele, Native flute and dulcimer, Bob Sherwood on piano and Craig Harris on congas and Native drums.  Recorded live in late January 2022 at Singing Brook Studio in Worthington, Massachusetts, today's show begins with a jazzy Native flute workout before settling into a dynamic version of Mariam's lovely "Sail On".  Next up is the evocative "Out Of The Darkness", a bittersweet piece that derives a certain melancholy from a decidedly Eastern European mode and harmonic scheme.  Rising from the miasmatic ending is another piece, "Seasons Come and Seasons Go", a rolling, reverent nature prayer that picks up steam with Mariam's compelling poetry.  "Silent Majesty" is another mystical, hypnotic piece characterized by a distinctive harmonic setup that cedes a very attractive stage to Mariam's drifting vocal.  As tends to happen when Mariam plugs in her dulcimer and lays down a driving, rhythmically upbeat drone, "The Snow Queen She Came" is a driving, kinetic piece of fast folk with inspired piano and a fine rhythm track from Craig.  Several iterations, each with its own distinct character spool out from the original harmonic framework, are born from the basic concept and "The Snow Queen She Came" becomes a series of compelling, rocking, unfolding chapters.
Learn more about Mariam here: http://www.mariammassaro.com

Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour with Mariam Massaro

Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour #478 is an hour of visionary acoustic improv music recorded live in January 2022 by The Gaea Star Band with Mariam Massaro on vocals, acoustic 6- and 12-string guitars, Native flute, 8-string ukulele and shruti box, Bob Sherwood on piano and Craig Harris on congas and Native drums.  Recorded at Singing Brook Studio in Worthington, Massachusetts, today’s show begins with the drifting, hypnotic “Yay For This Brand-New Day”, a gorgeous ballad with a fine vocal from Mariam.  “Spiral Rock Formation” is a Native groove that begins with plaintive flute fanfares from Mariam and settles into a hypnotic tone poem built around an aching circular piano figure from Bob and “This Is The Moment” is a mystical raga built around Mariam’s open-tuned acoustic 12-string Martin guitar.  “Gather In Love” is a lilting, beautiful air built on a steady rhythm meditation from Craig and Bob as Mariam paints vibrant word images through speech and song.  “I Want To Let It All Go” shifts into a driving, open folk groove as Mariam picks up her 8-string uke and we finish today’s show with two of Mariam’s classics, the driving Hawaiian number “Pele” and the mysterious, gorgeous, cosmic love ballad “Twin Flame”.
Learn more about Mariam here: http://www.mariammassaro.com

Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour with Mariam Massaro

Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour #477 is an hour of improvised visionary acoustic music played by the Gaea Star Band with Mariam Massaro on vocals, Native flute, acoustic guitar and 4- and 8-string ukuleles, Bob Sherwood on piano and bass guitar and Craig Harris on congas and Native drums.  The show is recorded live at Singing Brook Studio in Worthington, Massachusetts at the end of December 2021 and begins with the gorgeous “Oh The Silvery Moon”, a prayer for the world with a funk vibe with the group overdubbing bass guitar, Native drums and more vocals and flute from Mariam to achieve a deep and danceable track.  “Oh The Rain” begins as a Native groove with lyrical native flute from Mariam and grows into a lush, psychedelic trance piece and Mariam picks up her ukulele to give “Roses By My Bedside” a bouncing groove that Bob wraps in various harmonic contexts.  “The Golden Ray” wraps the listener in mystical fascination with warping, swirling echoes and a trance-like vocal from Mariam.  “Rushing River” forms around a ukulele drone groove into a deep and evocative rocker and then fades away as a minimalist musical figure supporting Mariam’s prayer-like vocal.  “Sweet Passion” features Mariam on her chiming 8-string ukulele as she sings a powerful, open, direct love song to life and vistas of native flute circle above swirls and waves of piano to form the lush, impressionistic “Slowing Down To What Matters”, a gospel song with a powerful rhythm section accompanying a powerful vocal from Mariam.
Learn more about Mariam here: http://www.mariammassaro.com

Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour with Mariam Massaro

Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour #476 was recorded live at Singing Brook Studio in Worthington, Massachusetts in December 2021 and is an hour of imaginary, visionary, otherworldly improvised acoustic music by The Gaea Star Band with Mariam Massaro on vocals, acoustic guitar, sitar, shruti box, Native flute and ukulele, Bob Sherwood on piano and Craig Harris on congas and Native drums.  Today’s series of songs and tone poems begins with the kinetic, energized “It’s Never Too Late”, an inspiring song with powerful acoustic guitar and vocals from Mariam.  “Dancing On The Wings Of Light” begins with a compelling Native evocation and slowly builds into waves of lyrical Native flute, minimalist jazz piano and low heartbeat drums.  “Strong Winds” is a delicate, gorgeous and skipping song with a picturesque lyric from Mariam, and “May I Be The Reflection” is a lush, somber ballad with an aching, dancing vocal and chiming acoustic guitar.  Mariam sits at her sitar for the ragas “Lotus Queen” and “Sri Padma Lakshmi”, two expansive, open pieces that find Mariam playing various combinations of sitar, native flute and shruti box to accompany her mystical lyrics.
Learn more about Mariam here: http://www.mariammassaro.com