Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour with Mariam Massaro

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

Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour with Mariam Massaro

Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour #475 is an hour of visionary improvisational acoustic music played by Mariam Massaro and Bob Sherwood of The Gaea Star Band.  Recorded live at Singing Brook Studio in Worthington, Massachusetts, with Mariam on vocals, Native flute, schruti box, Celtic harp, acoustic 12-string guitar and 4- and 8-string ukuleles, and Bob on piano and bongos.  Today’s first number is the deeply mystical, ethereal “Praise For The Rain” a lush tone poem as Mariam’s Celtic harp runs coalesce into Bob’s rich, evocative tapestry.  We bring in an extended flute and piano exposition for the second half featuring virtuosic playing from both Mariam and Bob.  Acoustic open-tuned !2-string forms the drone for “The Voice Of Creation”, a patient, slowly opening raga with a questing, deeply spiritual vocal from Mariam.  Mariam plays the open drone of the schruti box and Bob accompanies on percussion for the lush, subcontinental “Slip Through The Portal Of Light”.  A shift to piano leads to a mystical exploration that races through Western and Eastern modes to an extended flute coda.  “Oh Mother (Oh Madre)” is a glorious, chiming folk song made even more energized and rocking by Mariam’s dancing 8-string uke.  Today’s show concludes with evocative takes of Mariam’s “We Call In The Elements” and “Oh Holy Ground”, the first a driving, fundamental jam with fine vocals, the second a steady, prayerful minor blues ballad.   
Learn more about Mariam here: http://www.mariammassaro.com

Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour with Mariam Massaro

Today on Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour #474, The Gaea Star Band presents an hour of visionary acoustic improvisational music with Mariam Massaro on vocals, harmonica, Native flute, shruti box, Celtic harp, 4- and 8-string ukulele and acoustic guitar, Bob Sherwood on piano and Craig Harris on Native drums and congas.  Recorded live at Singing Brook Studio in Worthington, Massachusetts, today’s show begins with the languid, floating prayer “Unfolding”, a soft, mystical journey that slowly settles into a gentle groove supporting Mariam’s lovely melody and harmonica work.  “Freedom To Fly” is a lovely, acoustic-guitar driven folk song with a beautiful, simple melody from Mariam and “Stand Strong” is a lush raga underpinned by Mariam’s drone on the shruti box and imaginative, dynamic piano from Bob.  Mariam strums her chiming 5-string ukulele for the delightfully icy, evocative “Ice Crystals”, a celebration of winter with a gorgeous, hopeful melody from Mariam.  “Bubbling Up From Deep Within” returns today’s show to the mystical realm and features a wintry exposition from Mariam over her ukulele and Craig’s skipping, playful congas.  Today’s closer is the epic “Rail Train/Let The Music Guide You On And On”, a musical adventure liberally decorated with Mariam’s masterful native flute.
Learn more about Mariam here: http://www.mariammassaro.com

Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour with Mariam Massaro

Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour #473 is an hour of visionary acoustic improv music performed live by The Gaea Star Band with Mariam Massaro on vocals, Native flute, acoustic guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar, percussion and ukulele, Bob Sherwood on piano and Craig Harris on congas and Native drums.  Recorded on a cold early winter day in 2021 at Singing Brook Studio in Worthington, Massachusetts, today’s show begins with the relaxed, soft groove of “Oh, The Wind”, a whisper of a minor key ballad with a lovely, focused vocal from Mariam over the band’s unrushed backing.  Leading on from “Oh, The Wind” as something of a second movement, “I Awoke” is a beautiful, prayerful musing from Mariam scattered with beautiful Native flute passages over a hypnotic series of piano figures from Bob.  “The Floodgates Of Our Hearts” is a somber, whispering prayer given shape by Craig’s steady conga work and “Sing Down The Walls” is a classic song from Mariam’s “Gaea Star Crystal” album, here given a rich, emotional treatment with fine vocals and acoustic guitar from Mariam.  In honor of the tenth anniversary of the Gaea Star Goddess Show at Northampton’s Academy Of Music the band presents a tight rendition of “Isis” that hits all the right points as well as a virtuosic take of the beautiful Goddess song “Queen Of Heaven” with fine playing on all sides.  
Learn more about Mariam here: http://www.mariammassaro.com