Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour with Mariam Massaro

This week on Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour #548 The Gaea Star Band presents an hour of visionary acoustic improvisational music featuring Mariam Massaro on vocals, ukulele, dulcimer, Native flute, Celtic harp and acoustic guitar, Bob Sherwood on piano and Craig Harris on congas and Native drums as well as today’s special guest Paul Ramone on his beautiful vintage Hoener electric bass.  Recorded live at Singing Brook Studio in Worthington, Massachusetts in October of 2023, today’s show begins with the powerful, energized “Mandalas Of Many Designs”, a varied and propulsive waltz-time jam featuring tight ensemble playing and an inspiring lyric from Mariam.  The piece winds out with a beautiful extended conversation between Mariam’s voice and her dancing Native flute before yielding to a tight, passionate take on “I Was Wondering” from the “Smooth Sailin’ Love Songs” album.  The band stays with Mariam’s 2014 album for the driving “Burning Ember” rendered here with a tight rhythm section and busy, bluesy piano from Bob in duet with Mariam’s fine vocal.  “Gypsy” from Mariam’s children’s record is a clever, jazzy gypsy calypso the receives a drum-tight, funky treatment from the band with Mariam’s mysterious, enigmatic vocal presiding.  A quick shift medleys the band into “Distant Star”, a beautiful, hypnotic song that in turn yields to the equally inscrutable, beautiful “This Is The Way” from 2021’s “Release” with the band firing at its’apex around Mariam’s fiery ukulele.  “Gather Together” is a sparse, open, reverent performance built on Craig and Paul’s deep heartbeat and we close today with the gorgeous raga “All Life Unfolds”, a lush, varied folk song with the band building layers around Mariam’s pagan dulcimer drone.

Learn more about Mariam here: http://www.mariammassaro.com

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