Keyboard Legend Extraordinaire Patrick
Moraz, Former Member of YES and the Moody Blues, To Release New Album
“MAP” (Moraz Alban Project) With Outstanding Drummer
Greg Alban!
Greg Alban!
Los Angeles CA- Patrick
Moraz and Greg Alban proudly announce the release of their new CD “MAP”.
Says Patrick, “The
concept and the meaning of “MAP” is first and foremost the 'MORAZ ALBAN
PROJECT'! Some time ago, Greg Alban, a very good friend of mine and a great
drummer whom I have known now for more than 30 years asked me if I would like
to start composing and arranging some music that he could play the drums on,
with me. He wanted to record a whole album together and eventually of course,
release it.”
So Moraz began
composing and arranging the music for “MAP” in his studio in Florida, the
project then moved to California, where it was further developed and
recorded. This new music is a collection of instrumental pieces that range
in style and spirit of World-Fusion, Rock and Jazz.
Greg Alban, originally
from Columbus, Ohio, attended Ohio University and moved to Los Angeles in 1974
to pursue a career in music. Greg has studied with some of the great drummers
and teachers such as Richard Wilson, Joe Morello and Joe Porcaro. Patrick Moraz
first heard Greg Alban play drums when he was head of his own band ICE. They
were performing at the famous and since shuttered Red Onion in Marina Del Rey,
CA. Impressed with the playing skills of Alban and fellow band member John
Avila, Moraz asked them to perform on his album, “Timecode”. Greg Alban who has
worked with such artists such as “The Miracles”, Denny Laine (Wings) and
Mike Pinera (Blues Image and Iron Butterfly) explains: “Patrick and I have been
very good friends for a long time and I’m still always being surprised by the
depth of his knowledge, not just about music but everything! He’s a creative
genius and I’m honored to be working with him.”
Swiss born Patrick
Moraz, is best known as an official member and keyboardist for the progressive rock
bands “Yes” from 1974 to the end of 1976 and “The Moody Blues” from 1978 to
1991. He was classically trained at the Conservatory of Lausanne, but having a
keen interest in jazz and world rhythms he decided early on to pursue composing
and playing in these genres of music as well. This led to Patrick and his own
trio and quartet, opening for major jazz artists and famous rock bands
throughout Europe in the mid-sixties. He then formed the group “Mainhorse” with
Jean Ristori in 1968 and released a self-titled album on Polydor. Then, after a
long tour of Japan and the Far-East as musical director of a Brazilian Ballet
Company, he came back and moved to England in the early Seventies to form
“Refugee” with Lee Jackson and Brian Davison, both previously of “The
Nice”. They produced one album titled “Refugee” which to date is still revered
as one of Prog-Rock’s monumental works known for Moraz’s highly inspired
compositions and keyboard virtuosity.
Moraz rose to
prominence in 1974 as a new member and keyboardist of “Yes”. He co-composed
along with Yes’s” band members and played on the album “Relayer”, which led to
what was to be “Yes’s” most successful ever world tour, playing to crowds which
numbered from 25,000 to 120,00 at JFK stadium during the bi-centennial year of
1976. In 1975-1976 all the then- members of “Yes” released solo albums.
In the interim Moraz had moved to Brazil and composed the music for the “I” aka
“The Story of I” which incorporated 16 Brazilian percussionists, making it an
important staple of “world music”. “I” was Moraz’s first solo album and in 1976
it was voted the #1 Album of the Year by “Keyboard Magazine”. After his
departure from “Yes” Patrick recorded his second album “Out In The Sun” on the
“famous” Charisma Record Label, and moved officially to Brazil.
In the last part of
1977 and the first part of 1978, time was devoted exclusively for composing and
recording for the production of his 3rd solo Album, simply titled “Patrick
Moraz”, in the company of the percussionists of Rio-de-Janeiro and Djalma
Correa, who, several years later, was referred by Patrick to Peter Gabriel for
his Album “SO”.
Moving back to Europe
via an appearance at the famous “Montreux Jazz Festival” in Switzerland, and
upon their request, Patrick began touring with ”The Moody Blues” on their
“Octave” tour in 1978, replacing their former keyboardist Mike Pinder. The two
world Tours, ending in 1979 proved extremely successful!
In 1980, having played
and recorded on the new album “Long Distance Voyager” he was asked to become a
member of the band. Subsequently, in 1981, “Long Distance Voyager” reached #1
on the US charts and proved to be one of their highest grossing albums to
date. He continued touring and recording with “The Moody Blues” until 1991
and played on the four subsequent albums : “The Present”, “The Other Side of
Life”, “Sur la Mer” and partially on “Keys of the Kingdom”. Moraz is also
credited as composer and co-writer of the song “The Spirit”, which appeared on
the 1986 album “The Other Side of Life”.
During recording and
touring breaks with the “Moodies”, Patrick had continued to compose, play and
record his solo albums “Future Memories 1” “Future Memories II”, (both “Live on
TV”), “Human Interface”, and “Timecode”. He also collaborated, (in 1979),
with the renowned Romanian panpipe flutist, Simeon Stanciu, (a.k.a. Syrinx),
for their album “Coexistence”. From 1983 to 1985, Patrick Moraz and Bill
Bruford, former member and drummer for Yes, decide to form a duet and tour
under the name “Moraz-Bruford”. They recorded two albums, “Music For Piano and
Drums” and “Flags” and managed to do three very successful worldwide Tours.
In 1991 having been
with “The Moody Blues” for thirteen years, Moraz embarked on a solo career. To
date he has composed and played acoustic piano on three solo CD’s, “Windows of
Time”, “Resonance” and “ESP” all of which have been critically acclaimed and
extremely well received.
In 1995, exactly 20
years ago, Patrick Moraz performed throughout the USA on his C.H.A.T. tour
(Coming Home America Tour). The tour was unique in that it was one of the
first, if not the very first to be booked entirely over the
Internet. Moraz played solo on acoustic Grand Pianos to audiences that
numbered as small as two people to hundreds of people, taking place in eclectic
venues which ranged from single homes, to large estates, corporate
headquarters, churches, theaters, concert halls and museums. One of the
concerts was filmed and recorded for a DVD and CD in Princeton N.J. and is
titled “P.M. in Princeton”. The C.H.A.T. tour proved to be a huge success and
an experience that Moraz says, “He will always hold very dear to his heart”.
In 2009 he released
“Change of Space”, and in 2011 Moraz released the electronic keyboard CD “Moraz
Live/Abbey Road” which features Patrick playing live electronic
keyboards as well as a live acoustic piano improvisation. There was also
a piano-compilation CD titled “Pianissimoraz”, featuring a new and unreleased
piece : The “one-&-only take” of the instant composition “Pure Love”.
And now much to the
excitement of music fans worldwide, Patrick Moraz and Greg Alban are releasing
their first album “MAP” in June 2015!
The album features
amazing bass player John Avila, former member of “Oingo Bongo”, who also plays
bass on “MAP”. The other great players featured on “MAP” are Lenny Castro on
percussion, who has worked with such artists as “The Rolling Stones”, “Elton
John”, “Eric Clapton” and many others. Renown and awesome bass player, Matt
Malley, founder and former member of “The Counting Crows”, expertly plays
Indian Slide Guitar on “MAP’. Swiss virtuoso bass player Patrick Perrier and
heavyweight multi-instrumentalist on tenor saxophone Dave VanSuch, both perform
on “MAP” as well.
PATRICK MORAZ
ON THE RAY SHASHO SHOW
POSTED ON YOU TUBE 09/14/2015
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