ED MACAN

The Hermetic Science of an Alchemist of the Music

 

Few times in the history of the rock a I generate it has been so insulted as the progressive one. And in very few opportunities the origins of a style were so dark and their musical proposal so eclectic. A book published in 1997 in United States has shocked to the atmosphere of the Progressive Rock and of the rock in general. The musician, composer, educational and writer Ed Macan he has written the one that has become the fundamental book to understand this musical movement: "Rocking the Classics: English Progressive Rock and the Counterculture", published by the Oxford University Press. The same Keith Emerson said of him: "Edward Macan it has been the sufficiently valiant thing to write the book quintaesencial in a represented surprisingly little musical way, and it was hour".

The book became a relating one forced to understand the history quickly of the I generate. With their deep analysis so much musical as sociological, being able to give a renovated critical respect to the Progressive Rock. And at the same time it meant the road for which many were interested in knowing the thought more deeply, the ideals and, especially, this significant artist's progressive called North American music Edward Macan whose expressive vehicle takes Hermetic Science mysterious name.

A History In Three Chapters

 

Chapter One: "Hermetic Science"

This is the first album of their group Hermetic Science, a trio of true coalition, that bases their arrangements on two really uncommon instruments in the field of the progressive one: the vibraphone and the marimba. Only Pierre Moerlen (*) he had carried out disks next to Gong in which this sound was the main main character. Macan who also interprets keyboards, piano, glockenspiel and tubular bells, it achieved a fascinating album that renovates the contemporary sonic possibilities of the progressive one.
Accompanied by Andy Durham and Donald Sweeney in bass, and for Michele Morris and Joe Nagy in percussion, the disk offers five topics composed by the same one Macan, more the classic of Curved Air "Cheetah" (of "Phantasmagoria"), "Infinity Space" excellent and strange version", of Emerson and Palmer (of "Tarkus"), and "Mars, the Bringer of War" of the work "The Planets", of Gustav Holst (that accidentally also recreated for Emerson, Lake & Powell).
Macan's I believe this way an intriguing auditory world, ideal for lovers of the tendencies of jazz vanguard and the progressive rock. It is interesting to observe as an intellectual, a deep critic of this music it proposes their own vision.
Next, some reflections in charge of the same Ed Macan that they will be good to understand with more depth their thought.

"If the progressive rock should stay I live beyond our generation (those that we were born among 1946 - 1964), more young people should discover and to participate in this music. With this goal in mind, Hermetic Science members except myself are musicians of the highest level of diverse abilities, either the College of Redwoods in Eureka, California (where I teach) or the Humboldt State University near Arcata, California. However, when listening to them, you would never say that they are students! They play as true professionals, and they grant a great enthusiasm and passion to the music that many professionals would find difficult to equal. Personally I would like to listen something of progressive music that involves instrumental alignments that are not the classic format keyboards / guitar / bass / drums. Hermetic Science is an intent of incorporating two instruments that, with the possible exception of Pierre Moerlen's Gong, they had never been used as main main characters in the progressive music: the vibraphone and the marimba. I used these instruments in a radically new way. I developed a technique that emphasizes the total independence of the two hands, and it allows me to play very rich textures in shades. Contrary to you interpret them of the vibraphone of the jazz who face the instrument as if it was a trumpet, I take it as if it was an organ Hammond or a guitar of 12 strings. For this reason Hermetic Science uses a trio format. Our goal is that the marimbas and the vibraphone provide the widest possible textures, and then to grant more space to the bass so that it works as a second I orchestrate leader (they listen to "Esau's Burden" and especially "Fanfare for the House of Panorama".

I got tired of listening new groups that prefer to copy Yes, Genesis, ELP or even Marillion, IQ or Pendragon, before to explore new roads. For that reason we have tried to incorporate elements that are no longer so common in the contemporary progressive rock: space jazz ("Fire Over Thule"), minimalism, Middle East styles and essences of the religious music of the Rebirth (to listen the fugue of "Trisagion"). however, the listener will recognize elements of the progressive one of the ' 70, especially ELP and parallelisms with progressive groups of camera like Univers Zero or Art Zoyd".

Hermetic Science aesthetic matter doesn't leave places without taking care, involving in the tapas of its disks elements related to the creation of images and complementary forms of its music. Each work maintains an own identity, full of symbolisms that characterize its personal ideological universe. On this theme, Ed Macan comments the following thing:
"The art of the books mixes Celtic reasons, of the Book of Kells, with Islamic reasons. I chose these images because I think that the Celtic and Islamic art, with their intricate designs of lines, they seem to evoke a type of sacred geometry that fits well with the emphasis of the music in hermetic topics and with the Christian mysticism."

Chapter Two: "Prophecies"

The following comment (Carlos Salatino wrote in the Nº 26 of the magazine "Mellotron") it was carried out without having listened before anything of the one he interprets neither of the present it works. It is almost an experiment, an exercise in real time where you leave the impressions that "Prophecies" suggests scoring as he goes arising its music in the air (we could say, like figure in some disks, not edits or overdubs...").

First impression: "Jacobs Ladder" starts up with a certain air to the "Bolero" of Rabel that then veers to a spirit with reminiscences of the Spanish music. Only vibraphone, bass and drums. But does an unexpected address change make derive the theme confessedly to a climate stranger for the listeners of the progressive one (Mike Oldfield, Gong?). ¿The reason? Surely the appearance of the melody interpreted in recorder and sustained by String Ensemble mattress that remits to certain disks of principles of the seventy. But and their music?

Second impression: "Intrigue in the House of Panorama" it is almost music for spies' of the sixty series. But another time, the austere instrumentation moves away to the theme of the fleshed cynicism with which John Zorn, for example, it usually seasons its musical experiments arisen from the "music optics for espionage series". To this height it is necessary to wonder how eleven minutes of a progressive disk where the dominant instruments are single vibraphone have already passed almost, marimba, recorders, string ensemble (in minimum dose), bass and drums.

Third impression: "Prophecies" is a suite in six movements. "Barbarians at the Gate", its first part, begins with a powerful and insistent riff (it doesn't fit doubt that it represents the barbarians in the whole sense that this word was painted musically along the history). The attractive thing, once again, is that that beginning and the development of the theme are carried out with the same instrumentation of the precedent themes. "Hope Against Hope" is a dialogue among recorder and bass, until makes irruption the one it assembles of strings. Starting from that moment, the voice singer takes it the bass, while the keyboard and the drums support in subtle form, giving colours to the different harmonic passages until the appearance of the synthesizer (Micro Moog!) that begins to share the protagonism with the bass in the development of the melody. To this height of listens to it, and while the recorder appears to conclude the theme again, can some conclusions already be reached, but... Appear "Last Stand", and once again the vibraphone, the bass and the drums, do they start up with a theme of a great dynamics, with courts, rhythm changes and everything that that remits us to the purest style in the progressive rock (with some discreet and subtle jazz touches). But ¿where are all the keyboards, the bass with effects and those powerful drums in first first plane of the progressive one? "Lament": a piano Steinway deposits us in a theme with an impressionist beginning where Debussy and Rabel arise in some passages.

Last "Prelude", "Fugue" (In Memorian Glenn Gould, 1932/1982 -who it was one of the most virtuous and perhaps controversial performers of classic and contemporary music in piano of the last century -) he goes growing from a counterpoint with the simplicity of the "Mikrokosmos" of Bartok, until finishing in a crescendo in which sinks the bass and the drums. A Hammond of clean and gentile sound introduces us in "Leviathan and Behemoth", a theme of almost ten minutes where different sections dynamics almost become to this theme a paragon of arrangements camaristics in charge of the same austere instrumentation that at the same time goes enriching to the theme in itself. "State of Grace", the last part of the suite, possesses characteristic similar to the previous theme. But, also, reminiscences of the whole work appear in him, giving a brilliant closing to a musical piece of forty and one minutes that are few, if we keep in mind that they were forty and one minutes where the quality of the music, added to an intelligent instrumentation and a superb interpretation, they made the real time pass to a pleasant dimension. Conclusion: The progressive rock, and especially the symphonic one suffered (for well and for bad) of certain musical "arrogance". The single fact of possessing in a keyboard sounds of orchestras, coming many musicians of a classic learning and the possibility from carrying out works of great duration made that some of their cultors thought that "that" made it was an eternal guarantee to be as the big musicians' of the history heirs. But the progressive rock was not so much (neither so little). as well as many groups and interpret they achieved with that (and in spite of) grandiloquence to capture works of great value and that they are deservedly remembered with the step of the time, the style in itself succumbed when biting its own line. With Hermetic Science, Macan it demonstrates like with few elements and with intelligence, it can be carried out a work that escapes to the classic concept of the progressive rock. The first sensation that appears neither well it appears the music for the speakers it is the one of to be remitted to the musical memory and to find some relating one. Is it there where Dave Brubeck's names arise, Jacques Loussier, Astor Piazzolla (¿why not?), and, without doubts, The Modern Jazz Quartet. Why this involuntary association? Because these musicians are relating of that music made with wisdom, good approach and quality. In fact, The Modern Jazz Quartet was the creators of the call camera jazz. Perhaps, Macan it is generating the progressive style of camera, what can open a fascinating panorama for a music that doesn't resign to get lost and that he can, through this new road that opens up, to find a road that can rise to this style to a superior category in the creative aspect. In this sense, Macan's took the first and decisive step.

(To round an impeccable work, as bonus track, Macan's offers us it magnifies live recorded version in 1992 and it stops alone piano of "Tarkus" of Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Without on recordings neither edition of any type, something said in some previous paragraph is demonstrated: the works that really have value are those that last and those that can offer different types of readings).

Chapter Three: "In Route"

With the recent edition of "En Route", Hermetic Science opened a totally new chapter in its musical development structuring compositions expertly where they are plentiful you magnify textures, piercing harmonies, and surprising poli rhythms. In this stage the music is heavier and it lasts; for moments of an almost Gothic, but more richly orchestrated and more electronic darkness. With an impressive dynamic range.

And this is the result of the union of Macan with multi-instrumentalist Jason Hoopes (bass, guitar, sitar, piano), a youth and exciting progressive composer, next to Joe Nagy's contribution, a formidable drummer that returns to the band after a four year-old absence.

The thematic of this third album published during the year 2001, they are the novels "Against the Grain", "La-Bas" and "En Route", of writer J.K.Huysmans (1848-1907) who, like in a cycle of chronic, he writes about the death of the human spirit.

When saying of Ed Macan, the narrative of J.K.Huysmans "details nervous impressions and momentary sensations of the conscience fascinatingly". Disturbing aspects thematic present along the whole work of this musician.

A sense of continuity that in "En Route" it is manifested musically from the initial theme: an impressive version remix of "Mars: The Bringer of War" of Gustav Holst, evoking "Hermetic Science" final apoteotic, their album premiere, but overcoming that great moment thoroughly.

Who already know the proposal of the group they will be of congratulations, those powerful percussions and the brilliant work of the acoustic piano that are Hermetic Science distinctive sounds, they are present here in abundant dose. But "En Route" it is also a great album of keyboards, fact that one manifests through the superlative work of Macan executing organ Hammond, ARP String Ensemble, Micromoog, electric piano Fender Rhodes, digital organ of tubes, and electronic clavichord, without forgetting the recorders, 10 string lyre, instruments that constitute a fundamental part in anyone of their albums.

We can say without fear to make a mistake that Ed Macan is a creator that is carrying out an important list in resurging of the progressive one in the nineties, being at the present time one of the big multi-instrumental numbers, and also that "En Route" it represents its biggest achievement, inclusive superior to the monumental "Prophecies" (its second CD).

Probably, let us be speaking at this time from a disk call to become a real classic of their time.

Notes:

(*) Pierre Moerlen's Gong

Gong maybe is one of the singularest bands inside the contemporary musical scene. Its peculiar way of making music catapults them to the fame (inside the progressive context, evidently) and today there even is not a clear consent about its style. This way, the music of Gong can be classified as sound Canterbury, experimentation, space rock or simply not

they enter inside any label. Not alone their music is peculiar but rather it was also it the form of its members' life. Which lived (and they composed) in commune. You always highlights to Daevid Allen like the brain and main leader of the band. However, Allen decided once to abandon Gong to develop but its career like soloist, the French percusionist Pierre Moerlen who took the reins of its theoretical leader's orphan band were.

It has been spoken very little of the stage driven by Pierre Moerlen, since all the fans of Gong has always highlighted disks of the cycle Allen ("You" is very surely its disk but acclaimed), however a work like "Downwind", of the stage driven by Pierre Moerlen, are a I magnify disk, with very fine passages and of a singular artistic and aesthetic value.

Contribute:

Nucleus
Magazine "Mellotron"
Jordi Boix Diarte

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