For Immediate Release

UK Prog Legends Curved Air “The Rarities Series Box Set” Available September 20, 2024

Spirit of Unicorn Music are pleased to announce the release of “The Rarities Series Box Set” from Curved Air, which will be released on 20th September, 2024.

This 6 CD box set brings together all the CD’s previously released in the Rarities series but which have been out of print for some considerable time.  The package also includes a booklet featuring brand new sleeve notes, written by PROG magazine’s editor, Jerry Ewing.  Ewing has interviewed the band’s enigmatic and beguiling lead singer, Sonja Kristina, viewed by many as the first lady of prog;  providing a new, fresh perspective on these recordings.

Curved Air formed in 1970 and brought together the influences of rock, folk and classical music into their work, developing a fascinating and ground-breaking progression fusion sound.   They went on to become a seminal band within the British progressive rock movement who have endured the test of time and still perform live to this day.

The box set includes:

Tapestry of Propositions: An hour-long version of “Propositions”, recorded live at 14 different locations during 2013/14.

Curved Space: previously released as Francis Monkman’s “Jam” but now featuring 2 unreleased bonus tracks.

Infinity: featuring all new 2016 studio recordings.

The Second British Rock Meeting 1972: Features the only known recording of this line-up improvising. The last track is an extended jam on their hit, Vivaldi, and lasts over 30 minutes.

Live Under The Bridge: Featuring a performance of the legendary “Air Conditioning”, in its entirety.

Set to be an exciting Summer for Curved Air, July will see an acoustic line-up of the band fly to the USA and Canada  for a string of 21 live shows, as part of the Heat Of The Moment Tour alongside other progressive music greats, Asia, Focus and Martin Turner – ex Wishbone Ash.

The album is available to pre-order here: https://burningshed.com/store/spirit-of-unicorn-music_store

TRACK LISTING

DISC ONE: TAPESTRY OF PROPOSITIONS
Propositions
Norway Improv
St Albans Improv
Hull Improv
Edinburgh Improv
Kinross Improv
Wimbourne Improv
Wolverhampton Improv
London Improv
Milton Keynes Improv
Eastney Improv
Ilminster Improv
St Ives Improv
Poole Improv
Shoreham Improv
Norway Improv (Reprise)
Propositions (Reprise)

DISC TWO: CURVED SPACE
Towards Tomorrow
Sea Of Tranquillity
Baghdad Café / Return to Cavalry / Towards Infinity
Sol Y Sombra
Harp Riff
Free Tibet
Blue Yonder Blues
Playin’ Away
Rose

DISC THREE: INFINITY
Elevation
Labyrinth
Expansions
Aphelion
Megalith
Celestial Dance

DISC FOUR: The Second British Rock Meeting 1972
No-Guitar Blues
Everdance / Cheetah / Vivaldi
Phantasmagoria
Melinda (More or Less)
Over And Over
The Germersheim Jam / Vivaldi (Reprise)

DISC FIVE: Live At Under the Bridge – The 45th Anniversary Concert
Atmospheric Prelude
Spider
Young Mother
Stay Human
Time Games
Melinda (More or Less)
Images & Signs
Interplay
Marie Antoinette
Metamorphosis

DISC SIX: Live At Under the Bridge – The 45th Anniversary Concert
Introduction To Air Conditioning
Rob One
It Happened Today
Screw
Hide And Seek
Situations
Blind Man
Stretch
Propositions/Under The Bridge Improv
Vivaldi
Backstreet Luv
Everdance

Heat Of The Moment 2024 Tour Dates:

Wednesday, July 3: Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield, CT
Thursday, July 4: Fallsview Casino, Niagara Falls, ON
Saturday, July 6: Chevalier Theatre, Medford, MA
Sunday, July 7: The Paramount, Huntington, NY
Tuesday, July 9: Bergen Performing Arts Center, Englewood, NJ
Wednesday, July 10: Count Basie Center, Red Bank, NJ
Friday, July 12: Tropicana Showroom, Atlantic City, NJ
Saturday, July 13: Wind Creek Event Center, Bethlehem, PA
Sunday, July 14: American Music Theatre, Lancaster, PA
Tuesday, July 16: Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium, Spartanburg, SC
Wednesday, July 17: Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
Thursday, July 18: Columbia County Performing Arts Center, Evans, GA
Saturday, July 20: Hard Rock Live, Orlando, FL
Sunday, July 21: Pompano Beach Amphitheater, Pompano Beach, FL
Monday, July 22: Seminole Hard Rock, Tampa, FL
Wednesday, July 24: North Charleston PAC, North Charleston, SC
Thursday, July 25: Macon City Auditorium, Macon, GA
Friday, July 26: Saenger Theatre, Mobile, AL
Sunday, July 28: VBC Mark Smith Concert Hall, Huntsville, AL
Tuesday, July 30: The Arcada Theatre, St Charles, IL
Wednesday, July 31: The Pabst Theater, Milwaukee, WI

Official website: https://www.curvedair.com/

For more information, please contact:
Sarah Ewing at TASK Agency, for Spirit Of Unicorn Music
sarah@taskagency.co.uk

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158 (USA), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

For Immediate Release

Curved Air Announce Plans For New Projects and the Band’s 50th Anniversary Year in 2020

Curved Air was formed in 1970 and ever present original member Sonja Kristina will be continuing to lead the band into the band’s 50th Anniversary year with a range of projects and a world tour.

The band will be recording a new studio album in 2020, along with contributing to the release of a 50th Anniversary Compilation which will include newly recorded tracks, featuring former and current members of the band, recording together in various combinations.

Curved Air will be touring the Americas, Japan, Europe and also appearing on Cruise to the Edge in 2020.

The 50th Anniversary year line-up has also been solidified with Curved Air welcoming back Kirby Gregory to the line-up after a break of 3 years. Kirby was originally in the heyday era line-up which recorded Air Cut in 1973. He returned to the band playing guitar for the recording of the very successful North Star album. Kirby was professionally committed to other projects from the end of 2015 until now, and he is looking forward to embarking on the 50th Anniversary World Tour in 2020.

The current line-up was completed when, after much searching, the band found and welcomed Grzegorz “Greg” Gadziomski to the line-up. Greg is a classically trained Violin player who likes to play in many genres but prefers Progressive Rock/Fusion as a particular passion. The band would like to acknowledge and thank Paul Sax who has decided to retire from touring after a lifelong career. Paul was a member of Curved Air from 2009 and the band wish him much happiness and peace in his retirement.

The accomplishments of the previous line-up and former members were recently showcased with the release of two titles on the band’s own Curved Air Records via Cherry Red: “The Curved Air Family Album” and “Live at Under the Bridge”.

“The Curved Air Family Album” features 26 tracks including rare and unreleased band and solo recordings, including by current and former members which Sonja Kristina described as “How appropriate that many Curved Air members past and present have contributed to a special collection called The Curved Air Family Album for our 50th year. I’m excited about this – it’s so great to hear all the unique sounds, surprising collaborations, eclectic songs and haunting instrumentals including from Francis Monkman, Darryl Way, Stewart Copeland, Kirby Gregory and Robert Norton – they all make for a very enjoyable double album.”

Amazon CD: https://geni.us/CAfamily
iTunes: https://geni.us/CAfamilyiTune
Google Play: https://geni.us/CAfamilyG
Spotify: https://geni.us/CAfamilySpotify

“Live at Under the Bridge” captures the band live playing Air Conditioning in its entirety, with special guests Darryl Way and Ian Eyre, as well as tracks from North Star and other Greatest Hits. Of this release, Sonja Kristina said “The 45th Anniversary of the release of Air Conditioning was a triumph of performance, musicianship, presentation and appreciative reception. Original and current members on stage together – what joy! Robert Norton’s pristine production perfectly captures the sound and energy of our night of celebration.”

Amazon CD: https://geni.us/CAbridge
iTunes: https://geni.us/CAbridgeiTunes
Google Play: https://geni.us/CAbridgeG
Spotify: https://geni.us/CAbridgeSpotify

Curved Air is:
Sonja Kristina
Kirby Gregory
Chris Harris
Robert Norton
Andy Tween
Grzegorz “Greg” Gadziomski

Photo by Howard Rankin

Curved Air is managed by Daniel Earnshaw at QEDG Management daniel@qedg.co.uk

Curved Air Official Website: www.curvedair.com
Curved Air Official Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/CurvedAir
Curved Air Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/curvedair1
Curved Air Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/curvedair/

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

For Immediate Release

Curved Air Announces Third Volume of its Ongoing Rarities Series With The Second British Rock Meeting 1972 – OUT NOW!

London – Legendary Prog band Curved Air is pleased to announce the third volume of its ongoing rarities series with The Second British Rock Meeting 1972 – OUT NOW!

The sound quality is of an astonishing fidelity for a live recording from the early 1970s and features the only known recordings of the band improvising!

The last track is an extended jam and a version of the band’s hit “Vivaldi” – lasting well over 30 minutes!

The band had just released its Phantasmagoria album at the time and the line-up was:
Sonja Kristina
Darryl Way
Francis Monkman
Florian Pilkington-Miksa
Mike Wedgwood

The booklet features a written introduction by Francis Monkman, who mastered the audio and curated the release personally, along with two essays written by attendees at the festival and previously unseen pictures.

Francis recalls the concert: “Listening to the recording, I was at first puzzled that we’d decided to start the set with Everdance, especially as I had some kind of hazy memory of waiting in the dank pre-dawn gloom, trying to persuade my fingers to work in preparation for our customary opening with It Happened Today. But the uncertainty of the initial holding pattern rhythm, together with Sonja’s plaintive “what shall we do?” triggered the realisation that we had arrived on stage and plugged in, only to find that the guitar was for some now-long-forgotten reason not working. So we had to decide quickly once it became clear it wasn’t going to be fixed in a hurry. And what you hear is the upshot…”

These recordings capture a unique set from the band’s heyday, their only recorded improvisations and all in unbelievable sound quality for a festival in the early 70s!

1. No-Guitar Blues (3:33)
2. Everdance / Cheetah / Vivaldi (7:40)
3. Phantasmagoria (3:34)
4. Melinda (More or Less) (3:11)
5. Over And Above (11:32)
6. The Germersheim Jam / Vivaldi (31:47)

To Purchase:
Amazon CD: http://geni.us/CRVERS003
iTunes: http://geni.us/CRVERS003dig

Official website: www.curvedair.com
Official Facebook: www.facebook.com/CurvedAir

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158 (USA), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

For Immediate Release

Curved Air Rarities Series Vol. 2 “Curved Space & Infinity” Now Available!

London, UK – “Curved Space & Infinity”, the second volume of the CURVED AIR RARITIES SERIES, is now available! These TWO separate albums, packaged together are a must for fans of the legendary Prog band and instrumental improvisational music!

This instrumental double CD set is the only Curved Air release not to feature lead singer Sonja Kristina, but has been released with her full support and blessing.

The line-up on “Curved Space”, which was previously released as Francis Monkman’s “Jam” but now features two previously unreleased bonus tracks, includes Francis Monkman (guitar), Florian Pilkington-Miksa (drums) and Rob Martin (bass).

Francis Monkman commented “I’m pleased that the ‘Jam CD’ has been transmuted into a Curved Space release. An entirely collaborative effort, I was never keen for it to be released in the guise of a solo album, but there seemed to be no viable alternative at the time. Listening to it now, it seems to me to sound as fresh as ever – indeed it was an ideal for some bands in the 1960’s to come as close as possible to jamming all the time, precisely because the process of raw discovery holds elements that simply cannot be reproduced when material has been subjected to rehearsal (usually after dissection into some kind of song format).”

The line-up on “Infinity”, which are all NEW 2016 STUDIO RECORDINGS includes Florian Pilkington-Miksa (drums), Kirby Gregory (guitar) and Robert Norton (keys).

Robert Norton said of Infinity “At times we found it hard to believe these compositions were created entirely in the moment and were genuinely surprised and inspired by what emerged from them. The name Infinity encapsulates the spirit of freedom with which the three of us approached the making of this album and the limitless possibilities of creating music in the moment.”

Track listing:
DISC ONE: CURVED SPACE
1. TOWARDS TOMORROW
2. SEA OF TRANQUILLITY
3. BAGHDAD CAFÉ / RETURN TO CALVARY / TOWARDS INFINITY
4. SOL Y SOMBRA
5. HARP RIFF
6. FREE TIBET
7. BLUE YONDER BLUES
8. PLAYIN’ AWAY
9. ROSE

DISC TWO: INFINITY
1. ELEVATION
2. LABYRINTH
3. EXPANSIONS
4. APHELION
5. MEGALITH
6. CELESTIAL DANCE

To purchase Curved Air’s “Curved Space & Infinity”: http://geni.us/CRVERS002

Official Website: http://www.curvedair.com

Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CurvedAir

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

For Immediate Release

UK Prog Legends Curved Air Release First Volume In Rarities Series “Tapestry Of Propositions” –
OUT NOW!

London, UK – TAPESTRY OF PROPOSITIONS is the first volume of the CURVED AIR RARITIES SERIES! This live album is an HOUR LONG version of the Curved Air song “Propositions” with over a dozen of the improvisations which usually follow now presented together.

Says founding member and lead vocalist Sonja Kristina, “Curved Air has been performing ‘Propositions’ for more than 40 years. The main body of the piece is freeform and every night the band performs a different variation in the moment. This CD is a combination of inspired creation that captures Curved Air flying over the edge.”

This album is a must for fans of the band and improvisational music!

The line-up on this recording is:
Sonja Kristina (lead vocals – tracks 1 and 17 only)
Florian Pilkington-Miksa (drums)
Kirby Gregory (guitar)
Chris Harris (bass)
Robert Norton (keys)
Paul Sax (violin)

Curved Air’s “Tapestry Of Propositions” has been painstakingly compiled and produced by Robert Norton.

Released August 5, 2016.

To purchase:
Amazon: http://geni.us/gCiW
iTunes: http://geni.us/x5yiQNr

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158 (USA), glassonyonpr@gmail.com