There’s not a lot more adventurously unpredictable artists than Robert Webb. Mostly known as a founding member of art-rock also-rans ENGLAND, whose recently released "The Concerts In Japan" carries on the ensemble’s legend, and logical contributor to such prominent collectives as SAMURAI OF PROG and a href=”https://dmme.net/tag/band-of-rain/”>BAND OF RAIN, the keyboard player has also been a songwriter of note, quite remarkably penning tunes for blues diva Jenny Darren, yet the veteran’s latest endeavor seems least expected of all. In a deliciously quirk turn of events, Webb went for reimagining an album titled “Epiqurium” originally recorded about four decades ago by another ivories master, Per Sundbom, and his Swedish group THE NEW GROVE PROJECT – playing everything from scratch, in the company of Scandinavian musicians, molding new arrangements and adding fresh melodic components.
“I was asked if I could re-interpret an album of keyboard music from the Eighties,” explains Robert Webb, looking forward to the album’s street date of June 1st. “This didn’t come out of the blue. The Swedish band, NEW GROVE PROJECT, had done two albums back then with Jode Leigh, ENGLAND’s drummer on ‘Garden Shed.’ I listened, and liked the ideas in the music; I was sure that the tracks sounded very rich harmonically and that they would work well with powerful orchestral textures. There were also some great opportunities for developing the Moog ideas. So I agreed to have a go! I worked on two tracks using software drumkit ideas and sent these as demos to the band’s producers. They felt that the project needed a real bass player. Lovely! Six months later they felt that it could do with real guitar. Brilliant! Then they wanted the software drums to be replaced by a real drummer. Amazing! All of a sudden we had a band! I must say that all the musicians involved have been great; they have all had tons of experience in bands, like me, and so the results are truly remarkable. It has been a joy to use my skill and experience to bring these instrumental compositions alive.”
Epiqurium
1. Epiqurium 1
2. Epiqurium 2
3. Epiqurium 3
4. Epiqurium 4
5. Epiqurium 5
6. Epiqurium 6
7. Epiqurium 7
