Steve Hackett – Live Magic At Trading Boundaries
As mentioned in pre-release press for Live Magic At Trading Boundaries, the latest offering from guitar luminary Steve Hackett, his performances at the intimate Sussex venue have become something of a tradition in recent years.
The Trading Boundaries shows also offer intimate contrast to the full band/ big sound of his Genesis Revisited & Classic Hackett tours; each is a stripped back, acoustic performance that allows for more delicate arrangements of Hackett and Genesis material.
Featuring recordings from various appearances at the venue, Steve Hackett can be heard in the talented company of his regular collaborators/ band members Roger King (keys), Rob Townsend (flute, saxophone), Amanda Lehmann (additional guitar, vocals) and his brother, John Hackett (flute).
The album opens with Steve Hackett playing solo acoustic across five vignette pieces.
The results are a delightful, could hear a pin drop ten minutes encompassing 'Improv' (a lovely Spanish guitar piece that would have sat comfortably on his Under a Mediterranean Sky album), the delicate intro to 'Blood On the Rooftops,' classically framed Bay Of Kings brace 'Barren Land' and 'Black Light,' and well-loved Hackett/ Genesis piece 'Horizons.'
The band then join Steve Hackett for a stripped back celebration of some of the guitarist's finest moments, including a smattering of Genesis and a beautifully dovetailing airing for two songs from Amanda Lehmann’s excellent 2021 solo album, Innocence And Illusion.
Following the folksy and airy 'Jacuzzi,' a short, flute led excerpt from 'Supper’s Ready' leads to further nods to classic era Genesis with, first, an acoustic guitar & piano led 'After The Ordeal' followed by 'Hairless Heart.'
The Lamb Lies latter is a highlight of the album, here extended from its two minutes On Broadway to a five minute piece that includes an improvised conclusion, where Steve Hackett follows Roger King’s spray of piano notes.
'Jazz On a Summer’s Night' has become such a staple of Steve Hackett’s unplugged shows (first played by Hackett and his brother John back in the eighties) that there would be a Public Inquiry if the evocative, bird-song flute and flamenco guitar piece didn’t feature here. A true highlight.
The intimacy of the Trading Boundaries show is heightened by 'Gnossienne No.1,' featuring the Hackett brothers and Roger King, followed by one of Steve Hackett’s finest guitar pieces, 'Walking Away From Rainbows,' augmented by Rob Townsend’s crying in sympathy saxophone.
The spotlight then shines on Roger King who delivers an excerpt from the 'Poulenc Organ Concerto,' backed by flute and guitar accentuations, before the east-Asian delights of 'The Red Flower Of Tai Chi Blossoms Everywhere' takes centre flutes & acoustic guitar stage.
There’s also a subtle eastern delicacy at play within 'Hands Of The Priestess,' from Hackett’s fan-revered debut solo album Voyage of The Acolyte.
Amanda Lehmann showcases her lovely voice and songwriting skills on two of her own numbers – 'Memory Lane' (a touching ballad inspired by Lehmann’s mother’s journey with, and through, dementia) and snappy, jazz-blues number 'Only Happens When It Rains,' which features Steve Hackett on blues harmonica.
The folksier arrangement applied to the jazzy pop-prog of 'Ace Of Wands' gives that particular Hackett fan favourite a different sonic texture; classical composition 'The Journey' then closes out the album, in much the same, beautifully played acoustic way it opened.
This recorded document of The Trading Boundaries shows is a beautifully arranged, stripped back reminder that Steve Hackett is as comfortable in acoustic and classical clothing as he is wearing his fuller-dressed prog attire. Live magic, indeed.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The Trading Boundaries shows also offer intimate contrast to the full band/ big sound of his Genesis Revisited & Classic Hackett tours; each is a stripped back, acoustic performance that allows for more delicate arrangements of Hackett and Genesis material.
Featuring recordings from various appearances at the venue, Steve Hackett can be heard in the talented company of his regular collaborators/ band members Roger King (keys), Rob Townsend (flute, saxophone), Amanda Lehmann (additional guitar, vocals) and his brother, John Hackett (flute).
The album opens with Steve Hackett playing solo acoustic across five vignette pieces.
The results are a delightful, could hear a pin drop ten minutes encompassing 'Improv' (a lovely Spanish guitar piece that would have sat comfortably on his Under a Mediterranean Sky album), the delicate intro to 'Blood On the Rooftops,' classically framed Bay Of Kings brace 'Barren Land' and 'Black Light,' and well-loved Hackett/ Genesis piece 'Horizons.'
The band then join Steve Hackett for a stripped back celebration of some of the guitarist's finest moments, including a smattering of Genesis and a beautifully dovetailing airing for two songs from Amanda Lehmann’s excellent 2021 solo album, Innocence And Illusion.
Following the folksy and airy 'Jacuzzi,' a short, flute led excerpt from 'Supper’s Ready' leads to further nods to classic era Genesis with, first, an acoustic guitar & piano led 'After The Ordeal' followed by 'Hairless Heart.'
The Lamb Lies latter is a highlight of the album, here extended from its two minutes On Broadway to a five minute piece that includes an improvised conclusion, where Steve Hackett follows Roger King’s spray of piano notes.
'Jazz On a Summer’s Night' has become such a staple of Steve Hackett’s unplugged shows (first played by Hackett and his brother John back in the eighties) that there would be a Public Inquiry if the evocative, bird-song flute and flamenco guitar piece didn’t feature here. A true highlight.
The intimacy of the Trading Boundaries show is heightened by 'Gnossienne No.1,' featuring the Hackett brothers and Roger King, followed by one of Steve Hackett’s finest guitar pieces, 'Walking Away From Rainbows,' augmented by Rob Townsend’s crying in sympathy saxophone.
The spotlight then shines on Roger King who delivers an excerpt from the 'Poulenc Organ Concerto,' backed by flute and guitar accentuations, before the east-Asian delights of 'The Red Flower Of Tai Chi Blossoms Everywhere' takes centre flutes & acoustic guitar stage.
There’s also a subtle eastern delicacy at play within 'Hands Of The Priestess,' from Hackett’s fan-revered debut solo album Voyage of The Acolyte.
Amanda Lehmann showcases her lovely voice and songwriting skills on two of her own numbers – 'Memory Lane' (a touching ballad inspired by Lehmann’s mother’s journey with, and through, dementia) and snappy, jazz-blues number 'Only Happens When It Rains,' which features Steve Hackett on blues harmonica.
The folksier arrangement applied to the jazzy pop-prog of 'Ace Of Wands' gives that particular Hackett fan favourite a different sonic texture; classical composition 'The Journey' then closes out the album, in much the same, beautifully played acoustic way it opened.
This recorded document of The Trading Boundaries shows is a beautifully arranged, stripped back reminder that Steve Hackett is as comfortable in acoustic and classical clothing as he is wearing his fuller-dressed prog attire. Live magic, indeed.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ