"Flower Power" is a 2 CD set of epic proportions. CD 1 basically runs as 1 long track which contains some of The Flower Kings' most diverse and powerful pieces ever recorded! Epic track, "Garden Of Dreams" runs 59 mins in length and builds in emotion and intensity until the most beautiful, symphonic climax in unleashed upon the listener. This long track moves so cleverly in atmospheres, moods and emotions that the listener will not be tired throughout at all (a real trick to pull off for such a long track!). "Flower Power" contains lots of real The Flower Kings classic progressive rock moments which will please all prog heads out there in prog land.
While there have been other items dubbed "final sessions," these tracks issued on Inner City Records – originally done for the Festival label – are truly Elmo Hope's parting-shot recordings, done in 1966 before his death in May of 1967. With bassist John Ore and either drummer Clifford Jarvis in the main or Philly Joe Jones on one cut, Hope's incredible virtuosity and individuality were with him right to the end. A disciple of Bud Powell with a touch of Thelonious Monk mixed in, Hope was definitely their equivalent as he matured and grew, with Herbie Nichols and Phineas Newborn as potential rival peer talents.
Masabumi Kikuchi is not the kind of jazz pianist who just strikes the keys to produce a sound. He has a Zen-like approach to the instrument by making it an extension of himself, and thus both constructs and hears the music produced as a different form factor. There are and were other contemporary pianists such as Bill Evans, Denny Zeitlin and the late Canadian classical pianist Glenn Gould, musicians who perhaps may fit into this category, but Kikuchi was a one of a kind artist.
The last of Ace's three compilations devoted to Fulson's Kent product basically combines his late-'60s Now! album with his 1978 Lovemaker album, adding three unissued cuts and a 1972 single. Now! was actually comprised largely of 1967-1968 singles, and it's this material, which takes up the first half of the CD, that holds up best. It's loosey goosey late-'60s blues/soul crossover with a sassy attitude and adroit combinations of stinging blues guitar, strutting vocals, soulful horns, and organ, never heard better than on the opening "I'm a Drifter." Actually the Now! cuts sound better in this grouping than much of his slightly earlier '60s Kent stuff, because they're not as unduly repetitious, though they're filled out with cover versions of familiar tunes like "Funky Broadway," "Let's Go Get Stoned," and "Everyday I Have the Blues"…
Edison's Children is a side project by Pete Trewavas of Marillion fame and Eric Blackwood. Edison’s Children was formed back in 2006 during a Marillion tour when, in the lead up to a sound check, problems led to Eric Blackwood (musician, photographer, author and special FX props technician) being asked to play Steve Rothery’s guitar while the problem was looked into. Pete Trewavas, Marillion bassist, appeared and joined Eric on keyboards (Pete being an excellent guitarist and keyboards player) and thus the foundation for Edison’s Children was formed. Working together as Edison’s Children was not the easiest, as Pete was also a member of Transatlantic, but ultimately, the debut album did see the light of day…
Following the release of 2021's ambitious studio album "The Absolute Universe", progressive-rock supergroup Transatlantic present "The Final Flight: Live At L'Olympia". A document of the bands triumphant show in Paris, the last night of their tour in support of their most recent studio album, it sees Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy, Roine Stolt & Pete Trewavas (along with Ted Leonard) performing the entirety of "The Absolute Universe (The Ultimate Version)", before returning to the stage to perform some of their extensive back catalogue. A night as special as they come, this document presents the band at their most majestic.
Following the release of their latest studio album Versions Of The Truth in September 2020, the band were preparing to start the album’s live campaign, when like so many other artists their plans were put on hold by the continuing global pandemic.