Gerard Jippin

This album is another example of great japanese prog rock created by mature musicians.The ELP influence is quite obvious through the grandiose and bombastic style of the keyboards of Egawa.Things do not stop here.There is an evident hard-rocking sound mostly created by the guitars,as well as some neo prog touches here and there…

The Japanese progressive rock trio GERARD is one of the most well known names in this genre from Japan. The band is lead by the keyboard player Toshio Egawa (ex. EARTHSHAKER, NOVELA, SCHEHERAZADE). Toshio is the main reason why GERARD have so many similarities to EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER. His virtuous keyboard playing brings ELP to mind and the band is a trio, just like ELP. What differs these to bands though, is that GERARD is heavier, almost towards hard rock now and then…

All the music of Gerard is around the stunning keyboard wizard Toshio Ega - his work on hammond, korg and mellotron make envy every key player of of this planet. The music is mainly influence by ELP but with a good cantity of bombastic symphonic arrangements and neo prog moods. Anyway this album is not their best but enjoyble in places, i think the title track Irony of fate is the best here, features nice and smooth piano intro and than an absolute madness on keys, moog. The lyrics are in japanese so for the listners is a minus in Gerard's music…

“Playing the viola means making it sing – making myself sing” declares Gérard Caussé, who makes this instrument, with its special voice – deep, nostalgic and melancholy – sing like no one else does. This box set, which brings together an incredibly wide repertoire, bears witness to the remarkable career that has made Caussé a viola legend. The French violist Gérard Caussé is a world renowned maestro of his instrument. Internationally acclaimed, he performs as soloist, chamber musician and with orchestra. A professor of the viola class at the Conservatoire de Paris, Caussé has helped to enrich the viola repertoire by inspiring contemporary composers: Henri Dutilleux, Wolfgang Rihm, Betsy Jolas… among others. 2018 marks Caussé’s 70th birthday. This box highlights the wide range of the viola repertoire he recorded from 1979 to 2010 surrounded by first class artists.

After a very symphonic sophomore album, this Japanese band was leaning much more on the neo side of prog with this "Irony And Fate"…

No, GERARD is not only a French-flavoured first name ! It's also the name chosen by the Japanese keyboards wizard Toshio EGAWA (NOVELA, SHEHERAZADE, EARTHSHAKER…), at the time he created his own band at the beginning of the Eighties. The beginnings of the band were marked by an elegant and elaborated symphonic music relying on the Progressive rock played by YES, GENESIS and friends during the previous decade…