DREAM THEATER Keyboardist's Mother Dies At 86

Keyboardist Jordan Rudess of progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER has released the following statement:

"It's with great sadness that I share the news that my mom, Rita Rudess, has passed away at the age of 86. She dedicated so much of her life to
taking care of my musical spirit. Driving me back and forth to Juilliard and both encouraging and enjoying my talent. Her passing was not a
surprise as she was quite ill for a while. I'll miss her very much."

DREAM THEATER's European headlining tour is scheduled to kick off this coming Monday, January 23 at the Ice Hall in Helsinki, Finland.

Jordan Rudess' video message from tour rehearsals in Finland — recorded on January 21, 2012 prior to the announcement of his mother's passing — can be seen
below.

Rudess, 55, has been the full-time keyboardist for DREAM THEATER since the recording of 1999's "Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory". He has recorded six other studio albums with the group: 2002's "Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence", 2003's "Train Of Thought", 2005's "Octavarium", 2007's "Systematic Chaos", 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings" and 2011's "A Dramatic Turn Of Events". In addition, he has appeared on the live albums "Live Scenes From New York", "Live At Budokan", "Score" and "Chaos In Motion".

DREAM THEATER is among the nominees for the 54th annual Grammy Awards, which will be held on Sunday, February 12 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

ProgPower Europe, In Memory Of Mikko Laine

From the folks at Progpower Europe

As you probably all know, Mikko Laine, gitarist of Sole Remedy from Finland, died in a terrible accident right after the last day of ProgPower Europe 2011. To say a final goodbye to Mikko, we invite you this Saturday October 29 at the basement of JC Sjiwa, Baarlo, The Netherlands. We think it will be good to come together one more time to share all our feelings about the disastrous accident. We will play the full Apoptosis album and a couple of new songs already recorded by the band together with Mikko. You also will be able to sign a condoleance book and a condoleance card that we will send to Mikko’s family. This way you will be able to personally say goodby to Mikko. And we will present a commemorative stone, that will get a permanent place outside Sjiwa, close to where the accident happened. This way Mikko will be with us forever.


The basement of Sjiwa will open at 20.00 hrs, coffee and thee will be served for free, but the bar is also already open at 20.00 hrs. Around 21.30 hrs we will present the commemorative stone. Right after this we will play the Apoptosis album in its full length and most likely play a few new songs the band recently recorded. The basement of Sjiwa will be open until 02.00 hrs. The address of Sjiwa is Hoogstraat 1a, 5991XC, Baarlo (L), The Netherlands.


For those of you who are not able to attend or who live to far away, please sign the online condoleance. We will print all condoleances and together with the condoleance book we will send everything to Mikko’s family. Go to www.progpower.eu to sign the online condoleance.

Early november we send a newsletter about ProgPower Europe 2012, we have decided to continue but first want to say a final goodbye to Mikko.

Greetings,
ProgPower Europe
http://www.progpower.eu/

Former THRESHOLD Singer ANDREW 'MAC' MCDERMOTT Dies

Andrew "Mac" McDermott, the former lead singer of U.K. progressive metallers THRESHOLD, reportedly passed away in England yesterday (Wednesday, August 3). A condolences page has been launched at this location.

McDermott had "serious health problems" in the months leading up to his death,
according to a June 2011 statement from the German melodic metal band POWERWORLD, with whom McDermott recorded the 2010 album "Human Parasite".

"I'm very sad about our big loss," POWERWORLD bassist Ilker Ersin stated about his former bandmate's passing. "I can't find the right words in this moment."

McDermott performed in clubs in England and tried to establish a band there in
his early years before he moved to Germany to join the band SARGANT FURY. After three albums, the band dissolved and in 1998 McDermott joined THRESHOLD as lead singer, replacing Damian Wilson.

Shortly after the release of THRESHOLD's 2007 album "Dead Reckoning", McDermott left the band, resulting in Wilson's return to the group.

McDermott's most recent musical project was SWAMP FREAKS, which "took some of the cool 'n' heavy from the '70s [FREE, LED ZEPPELIN, BLACK SABBATH] and mashed it up with some '90s anarchy [PEARL JAM, NIRVANA, ALICE IN CHAINS] threw in some RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS and a sprinkle of punk rock," according to the band's Facebook page.

Alberto Bonomi of D.F.A. Dies Tragically at Age 48

R.I.P.: Alberto Bonomi of D.F.A. Dies Tragically at Age 48


Posted June 27, 2011

My dear personal friend, Alberto "Il Maestro" Bonomi, the highly-respected and much-loved keyboardist for the legendary Italian prog band, D.F.A., died tragically in his home town of Verona, in an automobile accident yesterday (Sunday, June 26th). He was 48.

Bino was a fabulous musician and composer, and a wonderful, gracious person. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Our condolences go out to his family and friends during this most difficult time.

Alberto Bonomi

Born: September 13, 1963
Died: June 26, 2011

ANGER AS ART Frontman On GARY MOORE's Death: 'This Hits Me As Hard As RONNIE DIO's Passing'

ANGER AS ART/ABATTOIR frontman Steve Gaines has issued the following statement regarding the death of legendary guitarist Gary Moore:

"Super Bowl Sunday, and I find this news.... simply terrible. This hits me as hard as Ronnie Dio's passing.

"About ten years ago, I was starting to make the jump from bass to guitar... and was lacking some inspiration. While working on some PAGAN WAR MACHINE recordings, I was shown some live video of Gary Moore, and quite simply it changed my life. Instead of the shreddy, arpeggio swepping whammy bar guys that dominate the thrash scene, here was a guy who played bluesy hard rock — who could hold a note for what seemed like forever ('Parisienne Walkways') that would bring tears to your eyes. From there I discovered his whole career... blues, prog, whatever, he did it better than most.

"It is not a stretch to say that if not for Gary Moore, that first ANGER AS ART album never would have been done. Unashamedly I admit to ripping off his technique for that whole record.

"Gary, I hope Phil [Lynott, late THIN LIZZY legend] was there to greet you. You guys have some time now... Go find Cozy [Powell], and we expect that you have a few records worth of material for us by the time we join you.

"Rest in peace, Gazza!"

Mick Karn Passes Away At Age 52

From The Toronto Sun:
Japan bassist Mick Karn has lost his battle with cancer at his home in London. He was 52.

Karn, real name Andonis Michaelides, announced he had been diagnosed with the disease at the beginning of June, telling fans on his website that the security and well-being of his wife and young son are now his top priority.

A statement posted on his website on Tuesday confirmed Karn "was surrounded by his family and friends" at the time of his death.

Born in Cyprus, Karn was a big part of the U.K.'s new wave movement in the early 1980s. As well as becoming a member of Japan, he also worked with Gary Numan and Kate Bush and founded Dalis Car in the mid-1980s with Bauhaus frontman Peter Murphy.

He moved back to London from his native Cyprus last year following the diagnosis he was terminally ill and fans launched several appeals via his website Mickkarn.net to help cover medical costs and offer financial support to his family.

Live Aid hero and Ultravox frontman Midge Ure was in the throes of hosting a charity concert in support of Karn when the bassist died.

Ure told the BBC last year, "When it comes to a situation like Mick's - who is in dire straits - he needs help, financial help and emotional help. I have had a lot of contact from people I haven't spoken to in a long time; we are looking at availabilities for various venues. It's a long, slow process, so we need to nail the venue and date.

"You are going to have most of Japan there doing stuff, certainly Steve (Jansen) and Richard (Barbieri) will be there, and people that Mick has worked with over the years. He has huge respect. He is one of the good guys; that's what's shocking to everybody. I think the interest in this will be huge.

"I think Mick's influenced everybody. Until I heard Japan, I had never heard a bass guitar played like that; it was almost like playing a lead instrument, incredibly percussive and melodic, something that inspired me."

In a statement released on Tuesday, Duran Duran bassist John Taylor called Karn, "one of the great visual and sound stylists of the late 70s/early 80s".

Woolly Wolstenholme Commits Suicide

From Barclay James Harvest:

It is with great sadness that John Lees' Barclay James Harvest announces the passing of Woolly Wolstenholme. In recent weeks Woolly's mental health had taken a turn for the worse and sadly he took his own life on Monday 13th December 2010. As you can imagine, John, Craig, Jez and Kevin and everyone associated with the band are stunned that a shining light of Barclay James Harvest is no longer with us. In this difficult time our thoughts are with Woolly's partner, Sue. We would ask all of Woolly's fans to remember his incredible contribution to popular music and his unique presence on stage.

http://www.woollywolstenholme.co.uk/

Captain Beefheart Passes Away At Age 69

FROM ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/captain-beefheart-dead-at-age-69-20101217

By Maura Johnston
December 17, 2010 4:57 PM EDT
Don Van Vliet, who became a rock legend as Captain Beefheart, died today from complications from multiple sclerosis in California. His passing was announced by the New York-based Michael Werner Gallery, which represented his work as a painter.

His Trout Mask Replica was Number 58 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In a 1969 review, Lester Bangs called Trout "a total success, a brilliant, stunning enlargement and clarification of his art."

"Don Van Vliet was a complex and influential figure in the visual and performing arts," the gallery said in a statement. "He is perhaps best known as the incomparable Captain Beefheart who, together with his Magic Band, rose to prominence in the 1960s with a totally unique style of blues-inspired, experimental rock & roll. This would ultimately secure Van Vliet's place in music history as one of the most original recording artists of his time. After two decades in the spotlight as an avant-garde composer and performer, Van Vliet retired from performing to devote himself wholeheartedly to painting and drawing. Like his music, Van Vliet's lush paintings are the product of a truly rare and unique vision."

Van Vliet grew up in Glendale California. In high school he met Frank Zappa, and in 1959 he dropped out of a junior college to work with him on film and musical projects. By 1964 Zappa left for Los Angeles to form the Mothers of Invention, and Van Vliet formed Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band. A&M records signed the group, but after early blues-rock singles (including a cover of "Diddy Wah Diddy") went nowhere, a crushed Van Vliet parted ways with the label.

Van Vliet teamed up with Ry Cooder for Captain Beefheart's first LP, Safe as Milk, but the disc attracted few fans outside of a small cult. That cult grew slightly with the release of 1968's Strictly Personal, but it wasn't until Frank Zappa signed Van Vliet to Straight Records that Beefheart's full creativity flowered. Without the limits imposed by a traditional label, Van Vliet began creating his masterpiece.

The double album Trout Mask Replica was written in an intense eight-and-a-half-hour session at the piano. In a 1970 Rolling Stone cover story, Van Vliet described the process. "Well, I'd never played piano before and I had to figure out the fingering," he said. "I don't spend a lot of time thinking. It just comes through me." The album redrew the boundaries of popular music, combining avant-garde jazz, R&B, poetry and garage rock in a fantastically surreal way. "It is a masterpiece," RS wrote in 1970. "It will probably be many years before American audiences catch up to things that happen on this totally amazing record."

Those words proved to be prophetic. Captain Beefheart continued to release records through the 1970s, though none aptured the acclaim of Trout Mask Replica. Van Vliet retired from music after 1982's Ice Cream Cow and began a new career as a painter. For the past three decades he was a rock and roll recluse, though unlike Sly Stone and Syd Barrett he continued to communicate with his audience through his artwork.

Van Vliet leaves behind a wife, Jan. The two were married for more than 40 years.

Andy Greene contributed to this article.

Tomasz Dziubiński Of MetalMind Records Passes Away

From http://metalmind.com.pl


It is with utmost regret that we must inform you that, after his long struggle with a severe sickness, our Managing Director Tomasz Dziubiński passed away on the 16th of December.

He bound his life with rock and metal music already in the early 80’s, working as a journalist and, later, as a manager and an energetic organizer of the music scene. In 1989, he founded the company Metal Mind Productions and, in 1990, he started publishing the magazine Metal Hammer – a magazine whose editor in chief he remained to this day.

To the very end he remained true to music. He looked forward to the release of the new Rush and Pendragon albums and he still believed in the reunion of Black Sabbath in its original lineup...

His plans regarding the concerts and releases in the forthcoming years shall be carried out by the board and the staff of Metal Mind Productions.

Morris Pert Passes At The Age Of 63

Composer/percussionist who worked with Yamash'ta and explored power of myth
Born: 9 September, 1947, in Arbroath.

Died: 27 April, 2010, in Balchrick, aged 63.

MORRIS Pert was born in Arbroath, Angus, in 1947. He graduated with a BMus from Edinburgh University in 1969, and, with an Andrew Fraser scholarship, went on to study composition and percussion at the Royal Academy in London, where he was a pupil of Alan Bush.

He was also an associate of Trinity College London in piano teaching. While at the academy, he won several composition prizes including the 1970 Royal Philharmonic Award for his first orchestral work Xumbu-Ata. A two-year period working with the famous Japanese percussionist Stomu Yamash'ta followed, with performances, recordings and musical collaborations in several European music festivals and in Yamash'ta's own Red Buddha Theatre.

This led Pert to form his own experimental music group, Suntreader, which performed and recorded much of his own and his colleagues' music.

In the 1970s, Pert was one of the most prominent composers of his generation, receiving regular BBC commissions for large-scale orchestral works, including his first and second symphonies. At the same time, he was one of the foremost percussionists in the world of popular rock music.

His serious works draw their inspiration from an eclectic range of sources, but especially from ancient mythology, astronomy and oriental culture.

He wrote three symphonies. The first, The Rising of the Moon, premiered in Tokyo under Hiroyuko Iwaki in 1981; the second, The Beltane Rites, was commissioned and performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, and the third, The Ancient Kindred, was premiered by the Munich Opera Orchestra under Eberhard Schoener on German television in 1980.

Ancient Rites for choir and strings was commissioned and performed in Glasgow by the John Currie Singers. Pert's music has been broadcast on several occasions on BBC Radio 3 and abroad.

Works recorded on the Chantry Record Label include Chromosphere for five players and tape, Luminos for basset horn and piano, Eoastrion for E flat clarinet and tape, The Ultimate Decay for tape and a BBC commission, The Book of Love for percussion and tape. He wrote incidental music for Frank Dunlop's Young Vic production of Macbeth and the Oxford Playhouse production of The Tempest.

Pert worked for 18 years as a session musician in the major London recording studios, having recorded with (among many others) Paul McCartney, Andrew Lloyd-Webber, John Williams, Kate Bush, Mike Oldfield, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins and the jazz-rock band Brand X.

He also did arrangements for the Classic Rock series of records by the London Symphony Orchestra. In 1977, Pert was voted No 4 jazz and rock percussionist in the world by America's Billboard magazine. He received five gold albums, an American award for a hit song and a nomination by the National Academy of Recording Arts in Washington for his performances on record.

Among his works are an electronic ballet score, Continuum, for the London Contemporary Dance Theatre at Sadlers Wells; Voyage in Space, 20 short piano pieces; The Ancient Pattern for chamber ensemble, a McEwen commission from Glasgow University and, more recently, incidental music for Eden Court Theatre's production of Peter Pan in Inverness and Aurora – a work for taped electronics.

Pert spent his last years living and working in his own small studio in Balchrick, Sutherland concentrating on composition and electronic recording techniques.

Much of his music was inspired by the symbolism and the mystery surrounding the Picts and by his interest in the philosophical implications of the sciences of astronomy, cosmology and astrophysics.

He recently completed Chromosphere, his fifth CD for release.

Swedish Keyboard Legend Bo Hansson Passes Away At 67

Legendary Swedish organist and composer Bo Hansson has passed away at the age of 67. Hansson worked with Janne "Loffe" Karlsson in the duo Hansson & Karlsson in the late 1960s.

Hannson & Karlsson were signed by Polydor, playing progressive Hammond organ based music and releasing three albums between 1967 and 1969. They became immensely popular in their home country and Europe, and even reached the ear of Jimi Hendrix, who took time out from his tour to jam with the duo, along with George Clemons on drums and Georg Wadenius on guitar, at the Klub Filips in Stockholm in late 1967. Hendrix went on to record a Hansson song, "Tax Free". The music can be defined as instrumental jazz-rock and psychedelia and the band setting was limited to the drums and organ, without vocals.

Hansson is probably best known for his musical interpretation of Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings", entitled 'Music Inspired by Lord Of The Rings. Released on Charisma Records after gaining a cult following in Britain due to import copies filtering over from Sweden, the album was his biggest success, reaching the Top 20 on the UK Album Charts in 1972.

Due to his pioneering work with both Hansson & Karlsson and his solo excursions into space rock, in recent years Hannson received the status of a living legend in his native Sweden.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1VibSgVRbo&feature=player_embedded

News Bytes For January 2010

• Aaron Bell of Degree Absolute has announced that the guitar and bass tracks for the upcoming album are finished. They were recorded earlier this month at Robert Lang Studios in Seattle. Neil Kernon was at the helm again. Their self titled album finished in the #41 position in the GlobalProgressive Rock Network's Top 100 of 2006
• Jason Varga's Endless Boundaries, the jam band program that precedes the Gagliarchives and touches into the world of progressive rock, has won the Home Grown Music's Jamcaster of the year program! www.homegrownmusic.net
• Moody Blues producer Tony Clarke has passed away. His production standards were well respected and still to this day are impressive even by today's standards. He leaves a great body of work. The Moody Blues website has not made any note regarding his passing on 1/4/10.
• British progrockers Flash have reformed with original members, Ray Bennett and Colin Carter, and are currently in rehearsals. Here's a video clip from their first session 12/16/09...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Jhbb7OI0o8 The band has also posted a couple of new tracks on youtube...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSYjnvsiZ0s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xIEJHRcwVs
• Per Rush's Facebook and website: "There will be a new album released this year. Hopefully by June, and there most likely will be a summer tour. If there is we will post dates and places. Thanks."
• Andy Goldner of Exmagma has released a new video from his latest offering `Infinity` at www.anthologyrecordings.com where downloads of the Andy Goldner `Infinity` album and all exmagma albums are available.
• Cuneiform Recording artists Gutbucket will tour Europe till February 3rd. Here is their website: http://www.gutweb.com/
• Scottish neo-progressive rock band Pallas have assembled at The Mill Recording Studio for the start of recording the new album, XXV
• Saturday, January 16th, British band DeeExpus received “Best New Band of 2009” at the Classic Rock Society’s Band of the Year Awards

John Heyworth Of Cressida Passes Away

From The Cressida Facebook:

Sad news. John Heyworth was found dead yesterday morning. More news as our son, Iain MacAonghais-Heyworth, checks with the police today in the town near Portland, Oregon where John lived. We really don't know anything yet. John was so excited about all the renewed interest in Cressida; we're very happy he knew about ...this group on Facebook. Iain McLennon, who is in this group along with my son and I, might also pass along the information. He's a dear friend of the family. We like to think that John has joined that wonderful band that includes his old friends George Harrison, John Lennon, Maurice Gibb, etc., etc., etc.His music will live on. Our son Iain is also a talented musician.

Steeleye Span Founder Tim Hart Dead From Lung Cancer

by Paul Cashmere - December 27 2009


Steeleye Span founder Tim Hart has died at the age of 61 from lung cancer.


Hart was diagnosed 12 months ago in December 2008 and told the cancer was inoperable.

Tim Hart formed his first band Rattfinks while he was still at St Albans High School. The school also generated another famous band, The Zombies.

In 1970, Hart formed Steeleye Span with Maddy Prior. The group regularly toured the United States and Australia.

Hart’s first solo album came in 1979. Prior contributed vocals to the record.

In 1988, Hart’s health declined and he gave up music to become a writer and photographer.

He was persuaded to perform again in 1995 for the charity War Child. He was part of a five hour performance that featured almost every previous member of Steeleye Span.

In 2008, he once again reunited with Prior for a one-off performance for BBC’s Electric Proms.

Tim Hart died in the early morning of December 24, 2009.

http://www.undercover.com.au/

Eric Woolfson Dies At 64

FROM UK TELEGRAPH:

Eric Woolfson, who has died aged 64, helped to create the best-selling Seventies rock concept band The Alan Parsons Project (APP) which released 10 albums and sold some 45 million copies.

Never a conventional band, the APP was designed to make records in the way that Kubrick or Hitchcock made films, with production values rather than star names always paramount. Woolfson and Alan Parsons himself were the permanent core partnership, with countless guest musicians coming and going during recording sessions – the APP never played live.
The multi-talented Woolfson was lead singer, songwriter and lyricist, executive producer and pianist, but – with a modesty not often found in the industry – was adamant the band should not bear his name.
It was therefore named after its co-founder who, as a recording engineer with experience of working with the Beatles and Pink Floyd, took more of a backroom role on the mixing desk. Tracks from their albums became hits in their own right, including Time and Eye in the Sky.
The pair sometimes disagreed about what material to record, and eventually split up in 1990 when Woolfson moved into writing for the musical stage. His debut production Freudiana was a hit, but plans to tour the show became mired in a lawsuit between Woolfson and the producer Brian Brolly, who had helped him develop the project. Woolfson lost.
The show, inspired by the works of Sigmund Freud, which his wife, Hazel, had been studying for a psychology course, showed off Woolfson's ability to absorb the most complex of ideas or melodies and convert them into something comprehensible and popular. Remarkably, he made his mark as a composer without ever being able to write music.
In the 1980s Woolfson was a leading supporter of the Social Democratic Party. His first offer of assistance was made in a letter from his solicitor to Shirley Williams, stating an unnamed client would like to offer financial support if this would be useful; it was welcomed and he became one of the party's trustees.
Through his support for the SDP, Woolfson became a personal friend of Dr David Owen and his wife, and when the party split in 1987 over whether to merge with the Liberals Woolfson sided with Dr (now Lord) Owen, becoming, with David (now Lord) Sainsbury, a trustee of the continuing SDP. After it was wound up in 1990 he took no further part in politics.
Eric Woolfson was born into a Jewish family in Glasgow on March 18 1945. Inspired by a musical uncle, he taught himself the piano and after a short, unsuccessful spell in chartered accountancy, drifted to London.
Eventually finding work as a session pianist with musicians including Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones (who went on to form Led Zeppelin), Woolfson engineered a meeting with the Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham. Having been kept waiting for four hours, Woolfson played one of his own songs to Oldham who stood up, screamed "You're a f****** genius" and signed him to a publishing deal on the spot. Artists such as Marianne Faithfull and Frank Ifield recorded his work, and one of his songs, Baby Make It Soon, became the B-side of Chris Farlowe's chart-topping single Out of Time (1966).
Woolfson briefly joined Herman's Hermits as guest pianist and worked as an independent record producer with Dave Berry, the Equals, and the Tremeloes, before turning to artist management. His first two clients were the singer Carl Douglas, who had found chart success with Kung Fu Fighting, and Alan Parsons, whom he had met during a session at EMI's Abbey Road studios.
With Parsons, Woolfson formed The Alan Parsons Project, and resurrected an earlier idea to make an album inspired by the work of Edgar Allan Poe, of whom he was a lifelong admirer. The band's first album, Tales of Mystery and Imagination: Edgar Allan Poe, was released in 1976.
Despite its lumbering title, it was to prove the couple's masterwork. It took a year to produce, drew on the musical talents of a cast of hundreds, and was followed by nine more albums.
Four years after Freudiana premiered in Vienna in 1990, Woolfson released Gaudi, about the Spanish architect. For his third musical, Gambler, Woolfson drew on his experiences of living in Monte Carlo in the late 1970s. It did particularly well in Korea, where it won several Tony awards.
His 2007 musical Dancing Shadows, inspired by a Korean play, was also premiered in Asia, and his last production Poe was staged in Berlin earlier this year. Some of the classic APP albums, digitally remastered and expanded, have recently been re-released.
Eric Woolfson, who died on December 1, is survived by his wife and their two daughters.

News Bytes For November 2009

• Roger Waters has decided, at least as of now, to do The Wall and bring it on tour in 2010-2011 . Word is as of now, that 8 cities may host it, but per the source, it could change.

• On November 10th, Greg Lake will launch is new website at the link of http://www.greglake.com Greg will also have a live chat SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15th AT 5PM Eastern Time.
• Umphrey's McGee has released "Cover It!", a double disc set of Umphrey's McGee covers from the last few years, featuring music from Pink Floyd, Genesis, Steely Dan and many others.

• The band Quarkspace has just released a FREE download documenting a Quarkspace live show from the Summer of 2000 in Worcester MA. You can download it at http://quarkspace.com/Worcester.aspx
• Univers Zero is due to release a new album titled "Clivages"
• Florida progressive band Cynic is currently working on a new EP that will include reinterpretations of 4 songs off Traced in Air (The Space for This, Evolutionary Sleeper, Integral Birth, King of Those Who Know), and 1 totally new song.
• Seattle band Moraine were announced to kick off day 2 of NEARfest 2010 on the Gagliarchives 11/7/09
• Progressive Ears celebrates its 10th year as a mecca for progressive rock lovers online around the world.
• Pendragon have been confirmed for Rosfest 2010
• Pim Koopman, drummer of Kayak unexpectedly passed Monday morning, November 23, 2009, at the age of 56. GPRN sends it condolences. For more information, their site is at http://www.kayakonline.nl/e_news.html
• Michelle Moog was recently featured on the Matrix Synth blog to spotlight her father's creation, the Moog Voyager: http://matrixsynth.blogspot.com/2009/11/image-of-michelle-moog-koussa-of-bob.html
• Australian band Unitopia is to perform at ROSFest 2010
  
  

Bassit Jeff Clyne Passes At Age 72

Jeff Clyne was a self-taught musician, although he spent some short periods studying with orchestral players. In 1955, he became a military bandsman in the 3rd Hussars for his National Service. During that period, he played in London with Tony Crombie's Rockets and with Stan Tracey. In 1958, he joined the Jazz Couriers, a group co-led by Tubby Hayes and Ronnie Scott. He continued to work with Hayes' various groups for about ten years. In the early 60's, Clyne also worked with such avant-garde groups as the Spontaneous Music Ensemble and Amalgam, led by John Stevens and Trevor Watts. In 1965, he was a member of the Stan Tracey quartet, which recorded the classic album Under Milk Wood. In the late 1960's, he worked with Gordon Beck (playing on his influential Experiments With Pops album alongside John McLaughlin and Tony Oxley in December 1967) and Tony Kinsey.

In 1969, he took up bass guitar, joining Nucleus at its beginning and staying until 1971. The group won first prize at the Newport Jazz Festival the same year, and at the Village Gate in New York. He also gigged with Keith Tippett's acclaimed sextet alongside Elton Dean, Mark Charig and Nick Evans. In 1972 he was a founding member of Gary Boyle's Isotope, playing on the band's first album and gigging around England. He joined Gilgamesh in 1975 in time for the recording sessions of the band's eponymous album. In 1976, with singer Pepi Lemer and former Isotope acolyte Brian Miller on keyboards, he formed Turning Point, a fusion band for which he composed much of the music and which recorded two acclaimed albums, Creatures Of The Night and Silent Promise. The band broke up after an Arts Council sponsored UK tour in October 1980 for which an augmented line-up (including Neil Ardley and Allan Holdsworth) performed mostly new material that sadly remains undocumented on record.

He has accompanied singers Blossom Dearie, Marion Montgomery, Annie Ross and Norma Winstone, and worked with many US musicians, including Lucky Thompson, Zoot Sims, Phil Woods, Jim Hall, Lockjaw Davis, Taj Farlow, and with the Belgian, Toots Thielemans. He has been active in education of several years and is currently co-director of the Wavendon Summer Jazz Course, and also on the faculty of both the Guildhall School of Music and the Royal Academy of Music jazz courses. In 1987, he recorded the acclaimed Twice Upon A Time album with ex-Gilgamesh guitarist Phil Lee. In 1990, he toured the UK as part of Gordon Beck's trio, with John Marshall on drums. He still plays jazz gigs regularly with various groups, often with drummer Trevor Tomkins. In 2003, he resumed his partnership with John Marshall in John Etheridge's quartet.
Jeff Clyne died on November 16th 2009, of a heart attack.

Greg Amov Of Systems Theory Passes At Age 59

From the Music...What Else Blog:
it is with regret, but also relief, that I pass on that Systems Theory band-member, long-time Multi-Value/dbms programmer and computer teacher Greg Amov died last night after a hard few months battling cancer for the second time. Some of you may recall that he had esophageal cancer three years ago. Eventually it came back, became systemic, and it was the cancer that had spread to his brain that took him away from us.Amidst the turmoil and sorrow of his death, I'd like to say that it was very peaceful and quiet at his end, which was a relief after all the physical struggle of the last few weeks. It was clear to everyone around him during the afternoon that it would be sometime Tuesday, so his family convened to be with him. His wife was at his side when the final breath was taken.I do not yet know exactly what sort of memorial there will be, or when / where it will be held. But something appropriate to Greg's life and beliefs will be organized soon. I will pass on that information when I have it.Thanks to all that contacted the family through me and through Systems Theory to express hope, support, sympathy, wishes for a speeding passing, etc. That various branches of the progressive music community, and those that he worked with closely on recent programming projects, had been in touch with me meant a great a deal to Greg. Hundreds of emails, text messages and comments were posted to various forums in his final weeks, and that he was so well-regarded and admired means a great deal to me personally as his best friend of 32 years.In the midst of the sadness of his passing, let me add a bright note. Last night I got access to Greg's pair of music computers (named "Fripp" and "Eno" after two stellar musicians he admired). Everything that I could have hoped to find musically was there -- the masters for his two OOP CDs were there, plus several unreleased completed projects, some long-forgotten projects, and new tunes earmarked for both solo, Systems Theory and ViolinCyndee. So there will be new music under his name in the next year or so, as well as the re-release of wonderful "The Dark Within The Dark" (2001) and "Gecko Highway" (2005) albums.Gregory Michael Amov, b. Nov 6th 1959, d. Nov 3rd 2009, RIP.

Guitar, Studio Wizard Les Paul Dies At 94

(CNN) -- Les Paul, whose innovations with the electric guitar and studio technology made him one of the most important figures in recorded music, has died, according to a statement from his publicists. Paul was 94.

Paul died in White Plains, New York, from complications of severe pneumonia, according to the statement.
Paul was a guitar and electronics mastermind whose creations -- such as multitrack recording, tape delay and the solid-body guitar that bears his name, the Gibson Les Paul -- helped give rise to modern popular music, including rock 'n' roll. No slouch on the guitar himself, he continued playing at clubs into his 90s despite being hampered by arthritis.
"If you only have two fingers [to work with], you have to think, how will you play that chord?" he told CNN.com in a 2002 phone interview. "So you think of how to replace that chord with several notes, and it gives the illusion of sounding like a chord." Guitarists mourned the loss Thursday.
"Les Paul was truly a 'one of a kind.' We owe many of his inventions that made the rock 'n roll sound of today to him, and he was the founding father of modern music," B.B. King said in a statement. "This is a huge loss to the music community and the world. I am honored to have known him."
Joe Satriani said in a statement: "Les Paul set a standard for musicianship and innovation that remains unsurpassed. He was the original guitar hero and the kindest of souls. Last October I joined him onstage at the Iridium club in [New York], and he was still shredding. He was and still is an inspiration to us all.

"In a statement, Slash said, "Les Paul was a shining example of how full one's life can be; he was so vibrant and full of positive energy."

Lester William Polfuss was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on June 9, 1915. Even as a child he showed an aptitude for tinkering, taking apart electric appliances to see what made them tick.

"I had to build it, make it and perfect it," Paul said in 2002. He was nicknamed the "Wizard of Waukesha."

In the 1930s and '40s, he played with the bandleader Fred Waring and several big band singers, including Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and the Andrews Sisters, as well as with his own Les Paul Trio. In the early 1950s, he had a handful of huge hits with his then-wife, Mary Ford, such as "How High the Moon" and "Vaya Con Dios."
His guitar style, heavily influenced by jazzman Django Reinhardt, featured lightning-quick runs and double-time rhythms. In 1948, after being involved in a severe car accident, he asked the doctor to set his arm permanently in a guitar-playing position.
Paul also credited Crosby for teaching him about timing, phrasing and preparation.
Crosby "didn't say it, he did it -- one time only. Unless he blew the lyrics, he did one take."
Paul never stopped tinkering with electronics, and after Crosby gave him an early audiotape recorder, Paul went to work changing it. It eventually led to multitrack recording; on Paul and Ford's hits, he plays many of the guitar parts, and Ford harmonizes with herself. Multitrack recording is now the industry standard.
But Paul likely will be best remembered for the Gibson Les Paul, a variation on the solid-body guitar he built in the early 1940s -- "The Log" -- and offered to the guitar company.
"For 10 years, I was a laugh," he told CNN in an interview. "[But I] kept pounding at them and pounding at them saying hey, here's where it's at. Here's where tomorrow, this is it. You can drown out anybody with it. And you can make all these different sounds that you can't do with a regular guitar."
Gibson, spurred by rival Fender, finally took Paul up on his offer and introduced the model in 1952. It has since become the go-to guitar for such performers as Jimmy Page.
"The world has lost a truly innovative and exceptional human being today. I cannot imagine life without Les Paul," said Henry Juszkiewicz, chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar, in a statement. "He would walk into a room and put a smile on anyone's face. His musical charm was extraordinary and his techniques unmatched anywhere in the world."
Paul is enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Inventors Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is survived by three sons, a daughter, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Until recently he had a standing gig at New York's Iridium Jazz Club, where he would play with a who's who of famed musicians.

He admired the places guitarists and engineers took his inventions, but he said there was nothing to replace good, old-fashioned elbow grease and soul.
"I learned a long time ago that one note can go a long way if it's the right one," he said in 2002, "and it will probably whip the guy with 20 notes."

Steve Gore Of Rascal Reporters Suddenly Passes

We have just learned that Steve Gore of Rascal Reporters has suddenly passed away.

RIP Steve Gore