Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour with Mariam Massaro: #651

Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour #651 is an hour of inspired, dynamic, visionary acoustic improvised music from The Gaea Star Band with Mariam Massaro on vocals, Native flute, acoustic guitar, shruti box, Tibetan bowl, Celtic harp, nylon string guitar, mandolin and ukulele, Bob Sherwood on piano and Craig Harris on Native drum and congas. Recorded live at Singing Brook Studio in Worthington, Massachusetts during the Winter Solstice week of 2025, today’s show begins with the beautiful, peaceful “Celebrating The Light Returning”, a stately folk ballad with a reverent, powerful lyric from Mariam. “Oh The Wind” is a sprightly, energized reel featuring detailed piano, fiery congas, tight, rhythmic ukulele and a timeless melody from Mariam and “When We Sit In The Stillness” is a hushed, shaded raga underpinned by droning shruti box and fundamental Native drum.supporting a fine vocal punctuated with solemn, powerful Native flute passages. Alternating lushly modern and jazz sections are defined by untethered, exploratory piano from Bob. Mariam’s ringing Tibetan bowl takes center stage with its rich Eb drone for the hallucinogenic “Rays Of Light”, a powerful, radically re-imagined song by Mariam. “Becoming Ancient Ones” is a catchy, melodic folk song led by Mariam on her nylon string guitar and featuring a fine vocal and “Oh To The Pines” is a light, energized, mandolin-driven gospel folk song with a fine, wide-ranging vocal and lightly shuffling congas. Mariam strums her acoustic guitar dreamily for the midnight tale “Temanjia”, a magical mini-opera built on a thrumming Native drum pulse with a deeply evocative, narrative vocal from Mariam and we finish today’s hour with Mariam’s peaceful lullaby “Night Is Near”, featuring another fine vocal from Mariam and tight, incisive backing from the ensemble.   Learn more about Mariam here: http://www.mariammassaro.com