Articles by John Kelman
John Kelman's Best Releases of 2019
by John Kelman
Well, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome continues to be a challenge, as it has been since mid-2014. 2019 represents, in fact, the worst year when it comes to the actual number of articles written. Still, I've been finding an increasingly satisfying niche in the arena of in-depth, detailed and extensive/exhaustive (exhausting, for you as much as I!!) articles. So, while it appears that I've published fewer articles in 2019, when it comes to word count....well, I've not actually done the math but ...
read moreThe Later Years: 1987-2019
by John Kelman
On January 10, 1994, Pink Floyd announced its upcoming North American tour in support of what would be its second studio album following the 1984 departure of bassist and band co-founder Roger Waters, The Division Bell (Columbia/EMI), a little more than two months before its release on March 28 of the same year. The first of two 196 foot-long, 67-foot high, 7,000 pound (without the helium) painted airships made a record-breaking, three-week trip from North Carolina to Los Angeles, with ...
read moreUnburied Treasure
by John Kelman
Of all the so-called progressive rock bands that emerged in the late '60s/early '70s, Gentle Giant has, perhaps, been the most misunderstood, and the one which failed to reach the same deserved commercial heights of its creatively innovative brethren, like King Crimson, Yes, Genesis and Pink Floyd. Of the bigger names from that time, only Van der Graaf Generator could be considered in the same breath when it comes to missed commercial success opportunities, and even that group has fared ...
read moreIn the Court of King Crimson: An Observation Over 50 Years
by John Kelman
In the Court of King Crimson: An Observation Over 50 YearsSid Smith616 PagesISBN: 978-1916153004Panegyric Publishing2019 When it was first released in 2001, British scribe Sid Smith's In the Court of King Crimson (Helter Skelter Publishing) filled a major need for a band that was, at that time, touring in its double duo format, responsible for the some of the music reissued, earlier this year, in the Heaven & Earth: Live And In The ...
read moreNorwegian Road Trip, Part 4: Oslo and an Interview with Jan Erik Kongshaug
by John Kelman
Author's Note: Jan Erik Kongshaug, owner and recording engineer at Rainbow Studios, Oslo, passed away on November 5, 2019. Beyond his best-known work on hundreds of recordings for the lauded ECM Records label in collaboration with label head/producer Manfred Eicher, Kongshaug's studio and engineering, mixing and mastering work has garnered significant international acclaim. Still, Rainbow continues to be the first choice for a great many other non-ECM recordings by Scandinavian artists including Jan Gunnar Hof, Karin Krog, Lars Danielsson, and ...
read moreKing Crimson: In the Court of the Crimson King (50th Anniversary)
by John Kelman
The passage of time is often defined by both forward motion and a growing collection of memories past; it's also measured by significant milestones that are either realized at the time or in subsequent years. At a recent Royal/Celebration Package event prior to King Crimson's Théâtre St-Denis performance in Montréal, Canada, guitarist and only remaining group co-founder, Robert Fripp, asked the question that he's queried more than once, in various forums: “Can music change the world?" While the ...
read moreMarc Copland: And I Love Her
by John Kelman
There was a time when Marc Copland was releasing multiple albums every year, sometimes as many as three or four, like in 2009, when the veteran pianist (who began his musical life as a saxophonist) released his second solo piano album, Alone (Pirouet); an intimate duo date with veteran bassist Gary Peacock, Insight (Sketch); and the final entry in Copland's New York Trio triptych of piano trio recordings, Night Whispers (Pirouet). Times have changed, and while releases under ...
read moreKing Crimson at Budweiser Stage & Théâtre St-Denis
by John Kelman
King Crimson 2019 Celebration Tour Budweiser Stage, Toronto, Canada Théâtre St-Denis, Montréal, Canada September 14 & 17, 2019 After covering six shows including two 2014 dates in San Francisco, another two 2015 shows in Montréal, and single, back-to-back 2017 performances in Montréal and Toronto, perhaps the biggest question is: Why return to Toronto and Montréal in 2019 for two live concerts during King Crimson's 50th Anniversary, globe-trotting, 2019 Celebration Tour that will, ...
read moreSteve Khan: Patchwork
by John Kelman
Amongst the many myths out there about music-making—especially in jazz, where the improvisation quotient is often so high—is that composing may, indeed, be work, but doesn't require the kind of relentless attention to detail that far more truthfully defines how many artists write and arrange their music. These days, one need only look to music by artists including Pat Metheny, Antonio Sanchez and Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah to find music conceived with intimate and painstaking detail while, at the same ...
read moreWoodstock—Back to the Garden: 50th Anniversary Experience
by John Kelman
First things first. For all but the most committed of fans, knowledge of what transpired, how it transpired and when it transpired at the now-legendary 1969 Woodstock Music & Arts Fair has, despite a variety of initial, 25th and 40th Anniversary audio and video releases, been severely limited. As engaging, entertaining and well-constructed as these various snapshots have been of the event dubbed “Three Days of Peace and Music," the variety of releases to date have ranged from absolute truth ...
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