Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour with Mariam Massaro: #616

Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour #616 is an hour of creative, visionary improvised music played by The Gaea Star Band with Mariam Massaro on vocals, Native flute, harmonica, Celtic harp, 4- and 8-string ukulele and acoustic guitar, Bob Sherwood on piano and Craig Harris on congas and Native drum. Recorded live at Singing Brook Studio in Worthington, Massachusetts in mid-April of 2025, today’s show begins with the somber, meditative “Let’s Go Down Deep” that features dramatic piano and a lovely duet between Mariam’s soaring vocal and Native flute. “One Door Closes” is a pretty, upbeat folk song led by Mariam’s dancing vocal and chiming 8-string ukulele that seeks to make sense of the country’s current climate in a hopeful and uplifting way and Mariam gently strums her whispering acoustic guitar for the gorgeous, widescreen “Let’s Unravel”, an expansive ballad with languid piano and steady congas. The dramatic, powerful “May We Walk Along The River” features another fine, soaring vocal and driving work from the ensemble and “Full Moon Part Two”, an iconic piece featured on the Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour’s “Best Of” compilation from 2013 is a mysterious moon song with a mystical lyric from Mariam and Gershwinesque piano figurations from Bob. The sprawling, anthemic “Sing At Sunrise” grows out of clouds of Mariam’s Celtic harp and sweeping piano into a jazzy, abstract exploration supported by Craig’s foundational heartbeat Native drum and a blues-adjacent piano structure from Bob supporting Mariam’s fine vocal and harmonica work and we complete today’s show with the skipping, bittersweet “May We All Just Relax”, a pretty folk song with chiming 8-string ukulele setting the stage for Mariam’s wise and inspiring lyric.

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