Thursday, December 08, 2011

TIPPETT'S RITUAL DANCES

One of my favourite pieces of music of all time: Michael Tippett's 'Ritual Dances' from the 1953 opera The Midsummer Marriage. I'm delighted it has found its way onto YouTube. 

YES IMPROV FROM 1970

I've only just come across this intriguing little clip of a live Yes instrumental improvisation from 41 years ago - with Bill Bruford on drums (well, cymbals), Chris Squire (bass), Jon Anderson (tambourine) and pleasingly left-field performances from Tony Kaye on organ and a barely visible Steve Howe on guitar. This was probably a segue into the band's fine cover of Stephen Stills' haunting 'Everydays' (Time And A Word). The recording is superb in quality, captured somewhere in Germany, and is sadly the only footage of its kind available. It is also post Peter Banks - thus Howe's presence.

[Removed for copyright reasons - sorry…]