Steve Hackett: a gennaio il nuovo album acustico, tutti i dettagli
Comunicato stampa (Inside Out Music Italy):
Steve Hackett ha sfruttato il periodo di lockdown assieme al suo collaboratore di lunga data Roger King per portarci in uno straordinario viaggio musicale intorno al Mediterraneo, dipingendo vivide immagini di paesaggi mozzafiato e celebrando le diverse culture della regione. Qui Hackett dimostra la sua padronanza con la chitarra classica attraverso questa esotica avventura spesso supportata da abbaglianti arrangiamenti orchestrali.
Il commento dell’artista:
“Nel corso degli anni ho sempre avuto un occhio di riguardo per l’acustico e molte idee. È il momento giusto per pubblicare quest’album. Un momento per contemplare i luoghi che abbiamo visitato con la musica creata dal mio immaginario.
Spero che in questo periodo di isolamento l’album vi faccia viaggiare con la mente, magari accompagnato da un buon bicchiere di vino.”Di seguito artwork e tracklist:
1. Mdina – The Walled City (Steve Hackett / Roger King)
2. Adriatic Blue (Steve Hackett)
3. Sirocco (Steve Hackett / Jo Hackett / Roger King)
4. Joie de Vivre (Steve Hackett / Jo Hackett)
5. The Memory of Myth (Steve Hackett / Jo Hackett / Roger King
6. Scarlatti Sonata (Domenico Scarlatti)
7. Casa del Fauno (Steve Hackett / Roger King)
8. The Dervish and the Djin (Steve Hackett / Jo Hackett / Roger King)
9. Lorato (Steve Hackett)
10. Andalusian Heart (Steve Hackett / Jo Hackett / Roger King)
11. The Call of the Sea (Steve Hackett)In “Under A Mediterranean Sky” possiamo trovare Steve Hackett suonare chitarra classica e acustica e 12 corde, charango e l’oud iracheno mentre le tastiere, la parte di programmazione e gli arrangiamenti orchestrali sono opera di Roger King. Di seguito gli ospiti speciali:
John Hackett e Rob Townsend ai flauti (Casa del Fauno);
Malik Mansurov al tar, Arsen Petrosyan al duduk e Rob Townsend al sax (The Dervish And The Djin);
Christine Townsend al violino (The Memory of Myth and The Call Of The Sea).Tutti i brani sono stati prodotti dallo stesso Hackett e Roger King, registrati e mixati sempre da King presso i Siren Studios.
Our journey around the Med begins on the island of Malta, in Mdina – The Walled City. It’s imposing strength is portrayed by Roger King’s dramatic orchestration while Hackett’s guitar weaves through the atmospheric streets describing the creativity, love and strength that held Malta together between all the waves of conflict.
With Hackett’s delicate guitar work, Adriatic Blue paints an enchanting view of stunning scenery as tall cliffs of forested mountains plunge into the deep blue sea along the Croatian coastline. Sirocco is altogether more atmospheric, inspired by the winds playing through the imposing structures of Egypt.
The lively Joie de Vivre expresses the unique sense of joy the French have through their wine, food and folk music, with paintings reflecting family gatherings, spectacular vistas and the vibrant colours of their cities. The art of dreaming is embodied in their sensual love of life.
“At first hand, I’ve marvelled at the mystical whirling Dervishes,” says Hackett. Along with otherworldly beings such as the Djin (Genie) they sprang from Persia’s dreaming past. The Dervish And The Djin captures the extraordinary atmosphere of this most exotic of civilisations with the help of Hackett’s touring band regular – Rob Townsend’s soprano sax, the tar of Malik Mansurov (from Azerbaijan) and Armenian Arsen Petrosyan’s duduk. “Of course, those countries are virtually at war with each other,” Hackett adds, “and there has been something like a thousand casualties (at the time of writing) on both sides. Again, it’s a case of music being able to do things that politicians fail to do – something constructive.”
The Memory of Myth embodies the deep and rich history of Greece and features the violin of Christine Townsend (no relation) while Lorato – ‘love’ in the language of the African Tswana tribe – is a pretty folk tune. Love is the force that heals and links all disparate peoples of the Mediterranean.
Hackett and his wife Jo were enchanted by the little Faun statue in the House of the Faun, Pompeii. “The villas there seemed to come back to life as we walked through those wonderful atriums and gardens,” inspiring Casa del Fauno and featuring the light and airy flute of Hackett’s brother John and Rob Townsend on flute.
The only non-original piece is Domenico Scarlatti’s Sonata. This embodies the Baroque music of Italy, a sensitive interpretation embellished with cross-string trills, a technique introduced to Hackett by the fine classical guitarist, the late Theo Cheng.
Hackett also expresses his admiration for the flamenco guitarists of Andalucía who are celebrated on Andalusian Heart. “One of the flamenco guitarists was showing me the extraordinary things they are able to do,” Hackett explains. “Seeing the gypsies playing and dancing in caves there, you get the feeling that these people are dancing for their lives.”
Our journey comes to an end with The Call Of The Sea, a gentle and peaceful reflection of the vast body of water that unites the many civilizations both ancient and modern.
“I had a great time doing this album, seeing it take shape, and I’m very pleased with the outcome. I’m very proud of it,” says Hackett. “The nylon guitar has a very individual sound but, within the compass of what the nylon-strung guitar can do, there are a lot of different tones. You can do the full-on attack, the kind of salvo that you expect from the flamenco players but, at the same time, it can also be very gentle, gentle as a harp. It’s shades of black and white. It’s also exciting to play alongside instruments from around the world, as well as a wide range of orchestral sounds.”
About Steve Hackett:
Steve Hackett joined Genesis at the beginning of 1971 and gained an international reputation as the guitarist in the band’s classic line-up alongside Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins. Steve’s intricate guitar work was a key element of Genesis’ albums from Nursery Cryme (1971) to Wind And Wuthering (1977) including the classic Selling England By The Pound.
After leaving Genesis at the end of 1977, Steve’s solo career, which now spans more than 30 albums, has demonstrated his extraordinary versatility with both electric and acoustic guitar. Steve is renowned as both an immensely talented and innovative rock musician and a virtuoso classical guitarist and composer and this was recognised in 2010 when he was inducted into the Rock Hall Of Fame. He has also worked alongside Steve Howe of YES in the supergroup GTR.
Steve’s compositions take influences from many genres, including jazz, classical and blues. For his later studio works The Night Siren (2017) and At The Edge Of Light (2019) Steve has explored the influences of world music. Recent tours have seen Steve celebrate his time with Genesis including a spectacular 2018 tour in which Steve realised a long-held ambition to perform the works of Genesis live with his band and an orchestra. He recently released Selling England by the Pound & Spectral Mornings: Live at Hammersmith, a live recording of his hugely successful 2019 tour that saw him celebrating that Genesis classic, as well as the 40th anniversary of one of his most-loved solo albums.STEVE HACKETT online:
www.hackettsongs.com
www.facebook.com/pages/Steve-Hackett/123101228589
www.twitter.com/HackettOfficial
http://hackettsongs.com/tour.html
