Home Articles posted by Ekreader (Page 25)

Archives:The Music Safari explores the Tunisian Prog Rock of Myrath!

Originally posted at Me, Myself,Music and Mysteries -May 2013 In Tunisia, Myrath (means Legacy or Legend), in the progressive rock world it means great prog-rock with a Tunisian flavor! Myrath was founded in 2001, by a then 13-year-old guitarist Malek Ben Arbia. The band changed musicians over the next several years and played mostly cover songs and gravitated towards progressive rock. In 2005 MYRATH released their first self-produced album  Double Face. In 2005 Malek Ben Arbia the band’s founder and guitarist traveled to Nancy – France and enrolled in the famous Guitar school, Music Academy International (M.A.I.) After graduating, Ben…

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Progressive Metal from Philly’s Tungsten – The Reservoir

The Safari did not really travel far today folks, just across the Delaware River to the Port Richmond area of Philadelphia, the city that the new progressive metal band Tungsten calls home! Their debut album The Reservoir was released today, Jan 14th. Tungsten is a progressive metal band whose signature sound according to their biography at their website is.  ….dark, innovative, and creative, but still bursting at the seams with classic metal attitude that makes you want to pump your fist in the air. Drawing on influences both timeless (Iron Maiden, Rush, Pink Floyd) and modern (Opeth, Mastodon),  The  band…

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Archives: Classical Prog Rock from Italy’s Three Monks – Neogothic Progressive Toccatas!

Originally posted Oct 20, 2013 @ Me,Myself,Music and Mysteries So early this evening after the Eagles loss to the hated Cowboys I listened to Three Monks a prog rock band with a different sound. Their forte is music that has arisen from organist/composer Paolo Lazzeri’s,study of romantic classical music, both symphonic and for solo organ…… Pause and switch gears – my evil wife posted this ecard on my Facebook Anyone who reads this blog knows that I am always totally focused on the task at hand and never, ever get distracted! Now where is my banana,and what was I writing about!!…

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This Day in Music – Jan 10, 1978 – Happy Birthday, Jazz Pianist Kekko Fornarelli!!

So on this date in 1978….I was married for three years and was a year  away from the start of several turbulent years, and jazz pianist Kekko Fornarelli was born……from Wikipedia: Kekko Fornarelli is a pianist and a composer. He was born in Bari, Italy in 1978. He began learning classical piano at the age of three, first through private tuition and later at the Conservatorio Piccinni in Bari. Fornarelli’s interest in jazz music began at the age of 18. From there on, he has immersed himself in jazz, which has led him to travel worldwide. He has recorded three albums, Circular Thought in 2005, A French Man in…

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This Day in Music Jan 9, 1970 – Alex Staropoli keyboardist for Rhapsody of Fire is born!!

So on this date in 1970, while I was in my senior year in high school, Alex Staropoli,the keyboardist for the Italian symphonic  prog rock band Rhapsody Of Fire was born! While I am not familiar with Alex on an individual basis, I have listened to Rhapsody of Fire/s latest release Dark Wings of Steel and enjoyed it particularly the keyboards!!   Some background from ProgArchives:   The Italian power metal band incorporate classical and baroque sounds into their music, a combination which proves to be very powerful. Each album fits into one ever-expanding storyline, “The Chronicles of Algalord”, comparable to…

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Evening Distractions lead to Oliver Wakeman and Steve Howe and some great jazz guitar!!

So I came home tonight from being outside all day doing a percolation test in Howell Township, all ready to write about the albums that I listened to on the way to, and from the site, and then…… I was researching the album  Ravens & Lullabies from Gordon Giltrap and Oliver Wakeman. As part of the research,  I went to Oliver’s page on Spotify and found a great album The 3 Ages of Magick-  wait Oliver Wakeman and Steve Howe?? The light bulb goes off over the dim old man’s head…….and at AllMusic I read this about the album…… It seems…

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The Safari finds The Netherlands’… instrumental prog/fusion metal band Exivious!

So this afternoon the soundtrack of the work was the 2013 release from Exivious –  Liminal. When I first spotted the album on the iPhone at the beginning of the afternoon, I didn’t even remember downloading it to the phone let alone where I saw the album in the first place!! I had a vague memory of the album being on the ProgArchives’ list of Top 2013 Albums, but I wasn’t sure, then the music started and I was sure that I saw the album at ProgArchives!   The album is in fact on the list well hidden down at number 86,…

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The Safari explores Estonian Music and finds Metsatöll!!

So today so far has been a strange musical day. It started when I was thinking about Estonia! Ok so why was I thinking about Estonia? The  reason was that yesterday was the birthday of Ingrid Hagel who according to All About Jazz is an: Estonian violinist and singer, currently living in Copenhagen/Denmark. An instrumentalist, as well a vocalist, Ingrid Hagel expresses her musical ideas through her original compositions. Her themes and melodic violin solos are full of vigorous energy and are talking the language of the heart and her life in different cultures. …..Ingrid is currently searching for a…

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The Music Safari meets the Dutch Crossover Prog band Tumbletown!

Over the last week or so I’ve listened to the debut album from a band named Tumbletown Done with Coldness  and enjoying it more with each listen. Of course this leads to the ubiquitous question: Who are these guys and where in the world  do they hail from?  The answer to  the who is Han Uil and Aldo Adema, two skilled producers, guitarists and composers and the where is the Netherlands. Uil and Adema both were members of the band Egdon Heath and its continuation Seven Day Hunt. Uil also played with the band Antares and has released some solo works. Seven Day…

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This Day in Music – Jan 1, 1923 – The Great Milt Jackson was born!!

Today among all out celebrations of the start of a New Year we also celebrate the birthday of one of my favorites jazz artists vibraphonist Milt Jackson.  (January 1, 1923 – October 9, 1999) From All About Jazz…..we read that Milt Jackson was….. born Jan. 1, 1923, in Detroit, Jackson’s musical beginnings were in the neighborhood gospel churches as a pianist, guitarist, violinist percussionist and singer. He took up the vibraphone in high school. He moved to New York, played with Earl Hines and in 1945, joined Dizzy Gillespie’s big band rhythm section, which also included pianist John Lewis, bassist Ray…

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