TRICK038
ANTHONY CURTIS Book of the key
Prog/Jazz/World
Released March 2005
ANTHONY CURTIS Book of the key
Prog/Jazz/World
Released March 2005
Release info/Press release
"Anthony's virtuosity is tremendous, he is new music."
- Guitar legend Pat Martino
Anthony Curtis is not for the faint of heart! One of the most adventurous musicians on the scene today, Curtis combines a fearless approach to music with a staggering instrumental technique that led the Washington Post to describe him as "One of the most advanced guitarists today", and the Billboard Guide to Progressive Music to call his previous release "the best album of 1997". His music is a polarizing firestorm of energy and emotion rooted equally in rock, free jazz and ancient mysticism.
The new release Book of the Key on Jester Records features some of the best musicians from around the globe and shows Anthony Curtis truly hitting his artistic stride.
Following two and a half years of living and performing throughout the Middle East, Anthony Curtis teamed up with producer/mixer Ronan Chris Murphy (King Crimson, Terry Bozzio, Steve Morse, Ulver) at Veneto West Studios in Los Angeles to begin the work that would become Book of the Key. Murphy and Curtis put together a wish list of players to collaborate on the album and as luck would have it, got their first pick for every instrument.
The core of the album is Curtis on guitar and oud, bassist / Chapman Stick player Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel, John Lennon, Buddy Rich) and Malaysian, East Indian drummer Lewis Pragasam, who in addition to being Southeast Asia's most in demand drummer is the leader of Asia Beat, a world music fusion project that has sold hundreds of thousands of albums worldwide. The group was filled out by Jeff Gauthier (Yusef Lateef, Alex Cline) on violin, Mike Kenneally (Zappa, Steve Vai) on Fender Rhodes and Ronan Chris Murphy on harmonium. A line up that music critic, Pete Pardo, described as "almost like the Second Coming of the Mahavishnu Orchestra."
Book of the Key is a sprawling 73 minute epic, a non stop rush of energy that mixes grooves from India and melodies from the Middle East in a barrage of complex harmony and power. From the slow molten beauty of "The Ruins" to the all out fury of the 23 minute title track, Book of the Key
features some of the most powerful playing ever heard by some of the worlds greatest musicians including some of the most exciting Chapman Stick work by Tony Levin since his work with King Crimson in the 80's . Curtis and Murphy set out to make an album featuring musicians with diverse backgrounds that all stand on their own as artists and could not only keep up with Anthony but also contribute to the writing and artistic direction of the album as well. The presence of such strong musicians did nothing to obscure Curtis' unique musical vision but pushed it to new heights and brought out the best in his collaborators.
Anthony Curtis possesses technique so unbelievable that one writer at Guitar Player magazine actually refused to review one of his early albums, as they did not believe a guitarist could actually perform the material without tape speed manipulation. Another writer at Guitar Player described Anthony as a guitarist that "plays with conviction an a rare technical command." Despite the fact that many consider Anthony to be the fastest guitarist in the world, it would be a mistake to confuse him with the crop of heavy metal shredders, his music and technique spring from a far different place. A mix of Western Pythagorean harmony and Sufi Ikhwan Al Safa theory blended with heavy doses of rock and jazz, his fusion of East and West is not merely a decorative element but a deep rooted passion based on years of study. The Middle East newspaper Gulf Times said "He can be instrumental in seeing some of the indigenous music of the Middle East have wider acceptance in the West." In addition to his work as a musician, Curtis is a published author that has researched and written extensively on the Yoga of Light and Sound and teaches Yoga of Sound seminars throughout the world.
Book of the Key is destined to be one of the most exciting releases of 2005.
www.anthonycurtis.net
www.venetowest.com (Ronan Chris Murphy)
www.tonylevin.com
www.mikekeneally.com
www.jeffgauthier.com
"Anthony's virtuosity is tremendous, he is new music."
- Guitar legend Pat Martino
Anthony Curtis is not for the faint of heart! One of the most adventurous musicians on the scene today, Curtis combines a fearless approach to music with a staggering instrumental technique that led the Washington Post to describe him as "One of the most advanced guitarists today", and the Billboard Guide to Progressive Music to call his previous release "the best album of 1997". His music is a polarizing firestorm of energy and emotion rooted equally in rock, free jazz and ancient mysticism.
The new release Book of the Key on Jester Records features some of the best musicians from around the globe and shows Anthony Curtis truly hitting his artistic stride.
Following two and a half years of living and performing throughout the Middle East, Anthony Curtis teamed up with producer/mixer Ronan Chris Murphy (King Crimson, Terry Bozzio, Steve Morse, Ulver) at Veneto West Studios in Los Angeles to begin the work that would become Book of the Key. Murphy and Curtis put together a wish list of players to collaborate on the album and as luck would have it, got their first pick for every instrument.
The core of the album is Curtis on guitar and oud, bassist / Chapman Stick player Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel, John Lennon, Buddy Rich) and Malaysian, East Indian drummer Lewis Pragasam, who in addition to being Southeast Asia's most in demand drummer is the leader of Asia Beat, a world music fusion project that has sold hundreds of thousands of albums worldwide. The group was filled out by Jeff Gauthier (Yusef Lateef, Alex Cline) on violin, Mike Kenneally (Zappa, Steve Vai) on Fender Rhodes and Ronan Chris Murphy on harmonium. A line up that music critic, Pete Pardo, described as "almost like the Second Coming of the Mahavishnu Orchestra."
Book of the Key is a sprawling 73 minute epic, a non stop rush of energy that mixes grooves from India and melodies from the Middle East in a barrage of complex harmony and power. From the slow molten beauty of "The Ruins" to the all out fury of the 23 minute title track, Book of the Key
features some of the most powerful playing ever heard by some of the worlds greatest musicians including some of the most exciting Chapman Stick work by Tony Levin since his work with King Crimson in the 80's . Curtis and Murphy set out to make an album featuring musicians with diverse backgrounds that all stand on their own as artists and could not only keep up with Anthony but also contribute to the writing and artistic direction of the album as well. The presence of such strong musicians did nothing to obscure Curtis' unique musical vision but pushed it to new heights and brought out the best in his collaborators.
Anthony Curtis possesses technique so unbelievable that one writer at Guitar Player magazine actually refused to review one of his early albums, as they did not believe a guitarist could actually perform the material without tape speed manipulation. Another writer at Guitar Player described Anthony as a guitarist that "plays with conviction an a rare technical command." Despite the fact that many consider Anthony to be the fastest guitarist in the world, it would be a mistake to confuse him with the crop of heavy metal shredders, his music and technique spring from a far different place. A mix of Western Pythagorean harmony and Sufi Ikhwan Al Safa theory blended with heavy doses of rock and jazz, his fusion of East and West is not merely a decorative element but a deep rooted passion based on years of study. The Middle East newspaper Gulf Times said "He can be instrumental in seeing some of the indigenous music of the Middle East have wider acceptance in the West." In addition to his work as a musician, Curtis is a published author that has researched and written extensively on the Yoga of Light and Sound and teaches Yoga of Sound seminars throughout the world.
Book of the Key is destined to be one of the most exciting releases of 2005.
www.anthonycurtis.net
www.venetowest.com (Ronan Chris Murphy)
www.tonylevin.com
www.mikekeneally.com
www.jeffgauthier.com
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