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THE PSYCHEDELIC ENSEMBLE OFFICIAL SITE CONTACT
The physical CD includes a 12-page booklet with original artwork by Sam Del Russi. (11 tracks; Total playing time 63:42)
$11.99
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TOP 10-2011 No. 2- Sea
of Tranquility (Jon Neudorf) TOP 10-2011 No. 3- Sea
of Tranquility (Gert Holshuf) Top
10-2011 No. 9-Prog Afterglow
Netherlands
Top 100 2011 Global Progressive Rock Poll  Thanks again to Sunhillow
and progstreaming.com. Does anyone recognize how
lucky we are to have The Psychedelic Ensemble in
our lives? Three top notch albums in three
years--and all conceived, composed, performed,
and produced by one guy! Has there ever been a
solo composer/performer who has produced music
of this quality? And people: This Is The Best of
all the Psychedelic Ensemble releases. It is
utterly astounding! Time after time I am blown
away by the emotion, the virtuosic
performances--on many instruments--and the
incredible clarity and engineering of this
production. There are many times on this album
that I am hearing an instrument solo, duelled by
another, then a third! a FOURTH! even a fifth
instrument gets into the act-- all playing top
notch riffs, talking to each other through the
fire of their instruments. Astounding! Amazing!
God! I hate these reviews and the inability to
get my excitement and enthusasm across. This,
not "Shattered ..." or "Visions" or "Grace for
..." or "Ghosts" or SKE may be the Album of the
Year!! Certainly the year's Best Album That
Nobody's Ever Heard! There is no keyboard player
on the planet that can compare to this guy's
power and versatility.
The album opens with a cacophony of beautiful world sounds: bells, sitars, church organ, fuzz guitars and so much more, before it kicks into a great rocker with such a fullness of sound. "Overture: Into the Night" (9/10) is such a 'complete' well-thought out, well- constructed song (much like many of the BIG BIG TRAIN compositions of recent years)--which sets the stage for a whole album of absolutely TOP QUALITY music. The 5:54 mark gives the first real introduction to the ride you're in for: amazing soli, multiple instruments dueling (in this case like STEVE HOWE and RICK WAKEMAN in their finest hours). The instrumental "The Quest" (9/10) begins with a STARCASTLE/ROBIN TROWER sound until the main themes are played simultaneously buy guitars and multiple keyboards. Love the 'bubble bass' sounding not unlike fretless master PERCY JONES. He even gets a solo (an awesome one at that!) at the 2:40-3:10 span. Return to STARCASTLE/YES sound. Awesome energy! "The Secrets of your Mind" (9/10) opens with a bit slower pace but with exciting 'bubble' JACO PASTORIUS-like bass patterns. Vocals are rather high and etheric--somehow similar to JAMES TAYLOR--with some really well-constructed intricate harmonies. The long solo section has more laid back and layered approach to multiple instrumental soli--electric and acoustic guitars, electric and acoustic keyboards, GENIUS! Absolute genius!! Next is the mind-bending church organ song, "The Benefaction of the Nobal Wizard" (10/10). This was my first experience while listening to this album of goosebump and awe. It starts simply, unassumingly. Then, suddenly a full organ chord is added. Then second had and bass pedals. The effect is humbling, truly humbling. Not unlike Wakeman's intro to Yes' "Awaken" combined with the the traditional Yes intro, Stravinsky's "Firebird Suite"--but with more emotion. "Listen to Me" (9/10) brings us back to Earth--but at fairly high speed--and with some incredible keyboard and guitar work--the level of instrumental performance has just been turned up to 11! Vocals are the ONLY weak point here--and they aren't bad! The all-too-brief "Stones to Flowers" (10/10) brings us back to the BEATLES/MAMAS & THE PAPAS 60s before gently fading into a dreamy BBT-like vocal collage. "Magicking" (10/10) presents a beautiful, sensitive, virtuosic acoustic guitar duet. Somewhat reminiscent of "Mood for a Day" but moreso of Brother Ape's gorgeous BILL EVANS-like "In a Rare Moment" from 2010's In A Rare Moment of Insight. "The Riddle" (10/10) puts speed and multi-instrumental soli back in our faces in a BIG way! My favorite song on the album, it is full of such hauntingly beautiful melodies--every vocal, instrument's sound, instrumental solo is of such high adrenaline pumping value that I don't think even JAN AKKERMAN could do it better! Once in a rare eon you wish there was a rating number higher than 10! This is it; my 11/10 for 2011/12! Amazing song. I listened to it over and over--had such joy trying to imagine playing all of the soli, imagining the level of extreme genius that could compose and perform at such a high level. He simply cannot be human! Then--GET THIS--"The Riddle" is followed by a truly rare and amazing song of deft skillmanship: The bass performance on "Dream and Premonition" (10/10) is jaw-dropping in a JACO PASTORIUS way. A song if you heard you would not soon forget! The vocal harmonies and guitar and flutes on the JETHRO TULL-like "Strange Days" (9/10) is wonderful. Not unlike 2010's CICCADA release, like getting a fresh dose of great TULL! The album's closer, the 11-minute epic "The End of Days: Epilogue" (9/10) is interesting for its emotional Richie Havens-like lead vocalist, high paced frenetic drumming (à la BROTHER APE), and of course, amazing interplay of what seems like an infinite number of keyboards and guitar. Great BIG BIG TRAIN feel to it. A TIMELESS MASTERPIECE. (No arguments accepted.) GET IT! NOW!!  5 of 5W. A. Fisher (January 2012)  The Psychedelic Ensemble is
really the work of one musician who prefers to remain
anonymous. The band's first album The Art of Madness
was released in 2009 followed by The Myth of Dying
in 2010. You can find both of those fine albums
reviewed on this site. This brings us to 2011 and
their brand new release The Dream of the Magic Jongleur and
what an excellent album it is. As with the artist's
previous work The
Dream of the Magic Jongleur is a concept
piece. The story is about a travelling musician
(referred to as the Jongleur) on a quest to acquire
'magic music' (is that not what we are all after?).
The album is beautifully packaged and the artwork of
Sam Del Russi is superb and does a nice job linking
the album's concept with his magnificent pictures.
Starting with the majestic "Overture – Into the Night" the album is off to a wonderful beginning. Eerie effects, bells, flute and organ lead to Middle Eastern guitar stylings and some dramatic organ work. It doesn't take long for the song to hit its full groove and bares some resemblance to classic Genesis. The lead and harmony vocals, like the music, are very good and fit the song nicely. The keyboards play a prominent roll and the solos are well crafted and never over indulgent. All the pieces of the musical puzzle are here and every note has a purpose. Next is "The Quest", again with a prominent keyboard intro and a nice guitar solo. The song travels through retro progressive rock hitting its stride before a softer nuance unfolds. The guitar and bass is excellent. In "The Secrets of Your Mind" keyboards again reign supreme although the acoustic guitar is quite lovely. The dreamy vocals and multi layered harmonies is another definite highlight. In the organ drenched "The Benefaction of the Noble Wizard" there is an ELP feel and the playing has goose bump moments written all over it. This all-organ extravaganza builds dramatically leaving no doubt this is a progressive rock album through and through. The gentle yet busy "Listen to Me" features more excellent keys, nice drum fills and biting electric guitar nicely contrasted with more calming acoustic sounds. The short "Stones to Flowers" and "Magicking" flow together beautifully as both offer gorgeous melodies and sweet acoustic guitar that can be quite intricate, especially in the latter. More highlights include the classically inspired "Dream and Premonition" where gentle guitar sweeps across the soundscape becoming more intense as the song unfolds making this my personal favourite. The album ends with "End of Days – Epilogue" and as the bells chime and the keys build leading to heavier guitar rhythms, organ and exceptional synth/keyboard solos, one realizes just how a good an album this is. Like a fine wine, The Psychedelic Ensemble gets better and better with age as The Dream of the Magic Jongleur is their best and most thought provoking work yet. A pure diamond in the rough and one of the best releases of 2011, bar none. 5 of 5Jon Neudorf (January 2012) 2011
brings the third effort of one man band
The Psychedelic Ensemble. Like the first
two album The Art of Madness and The
Myth of Dying, The Dream Of The Magic
Jongleur is of conceptual nature. This
time we'll crawl into the mind of a
young searching musician, for the
storyline depicted as the magic
jongleur. As surprised as I was after I
listened to album no.1 is as stunned I
am now. We are three albums on our way
from this band and still the music is
growing stronger each album better than
the last. Yes you've read it. This is
the finest of the three albums by The
Psychedelic Ensemble.
The album is more keyboard driven than the previous albums, more a sound in a modern jacket like the music produced by Yes, Genesis, ELP and the likes in the '70's. Just listen to a track like the "Benefaction of the Noble Wizard", this complete song is like wizardry, keyboard wizardry that is. It is an absolute stunning piece of work, the classical sound of the organ and keys playing . . . I am short of words. Need I go on? Quite simply all the music on the album speaks and tells the tale of the Jongleur in search for his answers. Did he in the end get them? I can't tell, but if I were able to hand out 6 stars, I would.
5 of 5Gert Hulshof (January 2012) The Netherlands  First off,
who is this guy and why does he want to remain
anonymous? The Dream of the Magic Jongleur
seriously took me by surprise and knocked my
socks off. Apparently this anonymous bard plays
just about everything on the album, and it’s all
amazing. Ultra spacey synths everywhere,
brilliant layers of vocal harmonies and
intertwining keyboard and guitar leads and
melodies make this album a fantastic listen.
What we basically get here is an amazing blend
of jazz fusion (reminds me very much of Return
to Forever’s first album) with northern European
folk overtones joined together by hyper-spacey
symphonic prog arrangements. All the notes and
chord shifts count on this record. The leads are
fantastic, the tone is gorgeous and the runs are
fun and expressive. On songs such as the
Overture, you get this great vocal like dialogue
going on between keyboards and guitar leads, in
a Borg Sex kind of way (for the Satriani fans
out there). The vocals are fantastic (somehow
recalling a bit of Jethro Tull?), making you
enjoy the entire composition rather than
skipping straight to the keyboard solos. For all
the comparisons to other bands, I didn’t feel
like the album was a rip off in the least bit.
This is just fantastic symphonic prog. Period.
5 of 5Matt Di Giordano (February 2012)  We did not really
have to wait long for the third act to arrive.
What has changed? As before, the ensemble consists
of only one man who still prefers to remain
anonymous, so he is referred to below simply as
TPE. He has again - apart from minimal exceptions
- recorded everything alone. He is backed by a
musical pal on violin on one track and on "Strange
Days" help comes from another colleague as a
backing vocalist (with an impressive rock voice).
Compared with its predecessors, the overall direction has been changed slightly. The strong debut settles in the psychedelic area - some early reminiscences Floyd included - then came the second album with Gentle Giant-like passages added. On album number 3 the pan to a pure symphonic prog is now fully complete. There are no more blues excursions, but instead he devotes himself entirely to classic art rock. And in this context are certainly Yes influences, as some arrangements are reminiscent of that prog-dynamo. The structure is reminiscent of Fragile, because The Dream of the Magic Jongleur has - like the classic Yes - some solo tracks. So it is with The Benefaction of the Noble Wizard, which is a fantastic organ solo track played by TPE that recalls a mixture of Wakeman's "Jane Seymour" from "Six Wives" classic and Tomas Bodin's wonderful "Daddy in the Clouds" from his solo debut. But also a great track featuring solo acoustic guitar is present (Magicking), which demonstrates both the dexterity as well as compositional skill of TPE. "Dream and Premonition" in turn makes features very strong bass, which characterizes this title decisively. This did not require a guest bassists; this was also recorded by TPE himself. The drums are not programmed, but is - in an electronic drum set - the way of TPE. In "The Riddle" TPE plays one very fine part on the recorder, and continues with the guest violinist perfectly staged. This variant shows very nicely the melodic, tender side of TPE, of which will hopefully hear more. To complete the overall still positive picture, the psychedelic ensemble can also contribute an excellent voice for the recordings, which is not spectacular, but very pleasant and used quite variably, which perfectly fits into the overall musical picture, and which sometimes reminds one of the deeper layers of Ian Anderson. And the great thing: the vocal melodies are great, they complement the instrumental excursions in an absolutely coherent way. Some of them are actually quite catchy and settle in the ears. And you guessed it: of course this [the vocals] is also TPE himself! The typical style and brand of psychedelic ensemble is heard again: the nimble, shimmering synthesizer runs, where I can see immediately TPE. It has its own note, and determines, among other things, the recognition of this "band". When I mentioned that it shares similarities with YES (e.g., "And You and I" or "The Fish"), a form of copying is not meant, but an atmosphere that is reminiscent of known songs. TPE has found his own unique style that speaks for itself, and no form of cloning is necessary. Of course, it is very impressive that such a work was actually recorded almost single-handedly, which is possibly a bonus point unconsciously in this evaluation. But quite independent of whether a solo artist or a band is responsible for this work, this is simply a great album. With The Dream of the Magic Jongleur , TPE confidently meets almost 100% with my taste and superior performance. This is no mere display of dexterity, but a coherent prog masterpiece! The underlying concept was proposed by a friend who recommended a concept album around the theme of "dreams." In the booklet, this idea is presented in the form of quatrains (written by TPE), accompanied by drawings of the visual artist Sam Del Russi. I am very interested to see how TPE will go further. The "band", I trust, will have a few surprises in the future.  Jürgen Meurer (January 2012) The bass is incredible on this album and really glistens with creativity on 'The Quest'. Each track sounds different, the vocals are pleasant and there are even shades of quasi-Neo on tracks such as 'The Secrets of Your Mind'. The harmonies are terrific and the music is organic, and creative at all times. 'The Benefaction Of The Noble Wizard' begins with piercing cathedral church organ, reminding me of one Wakeman. Even the melody is like Wakeman. One can imagine a royal procession making their way down the aisle. The pipe organ is joined by bass pedals, and "rollerball" atmospheres. Hmmm, church was never like this. 'Listen To Me' has a guitar intro, striking after the church organ. A very nice funkadelic rhythm locks in with spacey keyboards, and glorious Happy organ sounds. The vocals return, interesting lyrics; "gather ye round, hear ye what I found, my magic is on display to all, I've got a tale to sing to you, now listen to me." The lead break is great. The tale continues of a Wizard of dreams where it is said the dragon dwells. The flute sound and lute is as medieval as Gryphon. The keyboard runs are stellar on this, a definitive highlight. 'Stones To Flowers' is a short thing sounding like the 60s are back. A throwback to the flower power scene. 'Magicking' is a wonderful twin acoustic virtuosic guitar solo. The harmonics are beautiful, so good to hear at the end of the day as night falls. 'The Riddle' is an 8 minute labyrinthine journey into mystical musicianship. The keyboard runs are frenetic, the vocals are multi tracked and beautifully harmoinised, the percussion is deliriously sporadic and the soloing is incredible. The synergy of dynamic tension and release, instruments competing and warring against wild time sigs, is masterful. This is a quintessential highlight not to be missed. 'Dream And Premonition' brings things into a dreamy soundscape, a bass solo over an ambient keyboard pad. It builds into some awesome dramatic blasts and bass guitar heaven. One of the best basslines I have heard. 'Strange Days' is quite strange, acoustic chord progression and a flute sounding like Ian Anderson dropped by or a chat. The vocals are even a bit like Anderson; "strange days indeed, am I lost in a dream, these are strange days it seems, like the darkest of dreams." There is an angular guitar over a keyboard solo and gorgeous flute embellishments. The lead break is good but mixed a little low. I love that shimmering Hammond though. Then a louder guitar break and keyboard run chimes in. It is a relaxing journey and definitely well worth listening. 'End Of Days-Epilogue' is an 11 minute romp to finish this incredible album. It begins with esoteric effects, a bell chimes, a grand lead guitar is heard, reminds me of Pink Floyd but it is very regal pop rock. The heaviest riff crunches in with lighning fast key runs answering. I love that off kilter time sig and heaviness. The music is so dense it needs to breathe and so the sig is fractured with a new sig, speedy percussion and steady vocals; "the sea is churning blowing over me, the stars are burning blazing down on me, and it seems like end of days." The next key run is very techno and way of the scale. As good as Jordan Rudess running over his continuum. The musicianship is exemplary. I am glad I heard this and it was a prime example of a one man genius, a vision and virtuosic skill doing what he loves; creating a compelling album of glorious prog. Some parts could be improved, and more musicians would augment the overall feel, maybe some guests vocalists, but this is excellent psych prog by any standards.
of 5Scott Tuffnell (January 2012)  The Psychedelic Ensemble is a
welcomed guest and heard here on ProgLog Afterglow.
The first two albums, The Art of Madness (2009) and
The Myth of Dying (2010), drew top marks from the
editors. The third work of this still unknown artist,
The Dream of the Magic Jongleur, is just as good.
Again this is a concept album. This time the story is based on 'dreams' and it is not surprising because the composer says his musical ideas often emerge in this mystical way. He quotes Cicero in his De Re Publica who wrote "It happens often that the things about which we have been thinking and speaking bring about something in our sleep." This I can not deny. All instruments are played by the multi-instrumentalist, a single contribution in a falsetto voice and fiddle by musicians not to be named . . . Again, there is this is a sweeping virtuoso symphonic album with special keys and synths in particular playing a major role. The compositions have a nice build and have strong melodies and generally refer to the time of Camel and Yes's The Yes Album and occasionally to The Alan Parsons Project, typically without sounding retro. . . Absolute monumental in the existing eleven tracks album is The Secrets of Your Mind, which is not just a catchy theme that sticks in your right brain but also peerless synth solos and keyboards. And the strong "The Riddle" is impressive with a great 'fiddle'. Oh, and that applies to the whole album: High quality, up-tempo pieces and somewhat restless balanced with subdued passages, and thus a strong use of dynamics. The Psychedelic Ensemble has been well established. Three strong symphonic albums including The Dream of the Magic Jongleur, a big contender for the inevitable end of 2011 list. It will cut this year. Beautiful 'artwork' too, by the way! of 5Harry De Vries (December 2011) The Netherlands  With the musicians third concept
album, the anonymous multi-instrumentalist behind The
Psychedelic Ensemble distilled magical sounds from his
dreams. This album is much more accessible than The
Art of Madness and The Myth of Dying. The 63-minute
journey is less arduous. Besides exciting soundscapes
it offers more songs since this time more room
is given for the vocal parts. The opener,
Overture-Into the Night, provides the basic mood
of the album--gloomy, mid-tempo, plausible melodies
with numerous retro-prog citations and distinct
melodies. Often Emerson, Lake and Palmer seems to be
heard with analog synthesis, sometimes classical (The
Quest), and sometimes even sacred (The Benefaction of
the Noble Wizard). The Secrets of Your Mind is
convincing with its complex vocal arrangement. And
Listen To Me reminds one of the vocal and rhythmic
style of Yes. There are also classical guitars as in
PFM, a virtuoso multiple bass solo as well as Tull and
Magma influences. What more does a retro progger want?
Top Track: Strange Days of 10Eclipse Magazine (January 2012) Translated by Marianne Herrmann Germany I was fortunate
enough to get a physical copy of this album from
the man who is the creator of THE PSYCHEDELIC
ENSEMBLE.I can't tell you his name because he has
chosen to remain anonymous,but i have talked to
him.He told me that with his music he tries to
retain the spirit of classic prog while
introducing those classical and fusion influences
that he has studied over the years.I have to say
that this is a classy release with lots of info in
the liner notes with lyrics and a discussion about
the album's concept.Also there are some beautiful
pictures which are related to the story.I've made
it no secret that i'm not really into concept
albums but this is one i can get lost in.As far as
the music goes my only complaint is that the
synths are very dominant at times.I love spacey
synths but these are more in the style of Rick
Wakeman showing what he can do.A minor complaint
and one that is about my tastes only.I actually
feel the same way about the synths in "Romantic
Warrior" by RETURN TO FOREVER.Not bad company
right ? The compositions here though have left me
shaking my head in appreciation.This isn't what i
was expecting at all.This isn't what i'd call
Neo,in fact i thought of YES more than any other
band.A lot of these tracks blend into one another
as well. "Overture-Into The Night" opens with
church bells and atmosphere before it kicks in
around 1 1/2 minutes.Vocals follow then
synths.Atmosphere and vocals then lead before a
beat and lots of synths take over.Atmosphere and
church bells end it.Great start ! It blends into
"The Quest" which opens with the church bells
still ringing from the previous track before
synths come in swirling as we get some bombast.The
guitar makes some noise in a good way and the
drums seem to be all over the place.It settles
late with atmosphere and blends into "The Secrets
Of Your Mind".Vocals lead with a beat and synths
before a minute.Church bells ring briefly after 2
minutes then we get some guitar.Vocals are back
before 5 minutes. "The Benefaction Of The Noble
Wizard" reminds me of Wakeman as the organ leads
throughout. "Listen To Me" opens with guitar
before drums and synths kick in along with
bass.Vocals join in and it eventually blends into
"Stones To Flowers" where it settles down with
vocals and picked guitar. "Magicking" is led by
intricate guitar then we get "The Riddle" where we
hear some fiddle along with synths and more.I like
this one a lot. "Dream And Premonition" has some
powerful atmosphere and it turns experimental and
dark before kicking in somewhat.Great stuff !
"Strange Days" is another killer tune.Strummed
guitar,flute and vocals lead early.Very
cool.Synths after 3 minutes.Drums,organ and guitar
follow and check out the passionate backing female
vocals. "End Of Days-Epilogue" ends it and what a
way to finish ! This is my favourite track and the
longest at almost 11 minutes.It's raining as the
thunder booms.Church bells and atmosphere follow.A
heavy soundscape takes over before 2 minutes.So
good.Vocals and more later.The synths rip it up 4
minutes in.Lots of synths as it brightens late.
This is one of the more interesting albums i've
listened to this year and a solid 4 stars.
of 5John Davies |
| The
Dream of the Magic Jongleur is a concept album that follows a
traveling musician, the Jongleur, through his quest in
dreams to obtain magic music. The concept is
presented in the 12-page CD booklet in a collection of
rhymed quatrains and original art that coordinates
with the songs and lyrics. A 63-minute journey
in 11 tracks, The Dream of the
Magic Jongleur is sure to captivate progressive rock
enthusiasts. Below is the poem, The
Dream of the Magic Jongleur, and the coordinated album art by Sam
Del
Russi. |
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