Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour with Mariam Massaro: #580

Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour #580 is a lush, relaxed midsummer reverie of improvised, visionary acoustic music played by The Gaea Star Band with Mariam Massaro on vocals, Native flute, acoustic steel- and nylon-string guitars, ukulele and mandolin, Bob Sherwood on piano and Craig Harris on Native drum and congas.  Recorded live on an early July day in 2024 at Singing Brook Studio in Worthington, Massachusetts, today's show begins with the languid "Layers Upon Layers", a sparse, staid piece with a lovely vocal from Mariam above a relaxed rhythm section and "Celebrate Our Differences" is another languid, easeful piece led by Mariam',s ukulele and a fine, inspiring lyric from Mariam.  "Singing In The Wind" is a mysterious forest song with gorgeous Native flute and evocative, repeating piano themes from Bob and "Standing Ones Of Peace" is a prayer to the forest from Mariam's "Vision Quest" album led by Mariam's chiming mandolin, driving congas from Craig and Bob's blues piano figurations.  Eastern modes and scales define the mystical tone poem "Beneath The Arbor Of Flowers", a gorgeous, unhurried abstract with a fine vocal from Mariam that rises in tempo and energy into a beautiful pagan dance and "Goddess, Goddess" from the "Release" album is presented as a simple, pretty piece that floats elegantly in a two-chord framework with a gorgeous vocal from Mariam.  "Queen Of Love" from the "Gaea Star Goddesses" album and "Thunderbeings" from the "Vision Quest" album are both presented authoritatively, the former a deeply romantic flamenco, the latter a Native anthem to the old growth trees of the forest.  "Shamiyaya" is an upbeat island song, the lead single from Mariam's "Release" album and we close today's show with the beautiful lullabye "Night Is Near" from the "Vision Quest" album.

Learn more about Mariam here: http://www.mariammassaro.com