The Guildmaster – The Knight and the Ghost
During this holiday season, it is the perfect time to take a step back, in time, to when things moved slower and music and art were very important aspects of our daily lives. Story-telling and fables of the past were bold and elegant. The Guildmaster, release The Knight and the Ghost, on November 10, 2020, is the perfect album release; in a year when we need all the distractions possible to remind us of the beauty and elegance of the world around us.
The cast of musicians for this multinational ensemble is important and extensive. Rafael Pacha, wrote much of the story and music for this epic creation. He plays, classical, acoustic and electric guitars, recorder baroque flutes, keyboards, Venezuelan cuatro, psaltery, bouzouki, mandolin, viola da gamba, darbuka, bodhran, low & high whistles, tenor banjo, zither, metallophone, long neck satz, and peñaparda style drum. Ton Scherpenzeel, from Kayak and Camel, plays keyboards. Marco Bernard, from The Samurai of Prog, plays Shuker basses: and Kimmo Pörsti, from The Samurai of Prog, Paidarion, and Mist Season, plays drums & percussion.
The Knight and the Ghost, also includes the extensive talents of: Martti Törnwall, on violin; Esa Lehtinen, on flute; Chris Perry, on fiddle; Alessandro Di Benedetti, on keyboards; Camilla Rinaldi, on vocals; Ariane Valdivié, on vocals; Rubén Álvarez, on electric guitar; and Manoel Macía, on baroque guitar.
But the powerful talent does not end there. Ed Unitsky is back, as the chief artist, creating a wonderful illustrated world to accompany this beautiful and epic music. His art graces the CD cover, gatefold inside, and lyrical songbook, with the professional capacity he brings to all his work. He is often, “The Fifth Beatle”, on the many musical projects he illustrates.
The music on this CD, The Knight and the Ghost, will take you back to the gilded age of knights and kings. Queens and natural surroundings, shrouded in mystery and legend are back to enchant. Close your eyes and dream you are there.
Every song on this album takes you back in time and is a wonderful elixir to our current pandemic plagued world. My favorite songs were: “Puppet Dance”, the wonderful violin and flute of “Saaristo”, “The Knight and the Ghost”, with its beautiful female vocals and acoustic guitar, “Stranded by the Coast”, with its deep, poetic piano keys, flutes, and baroque guitar, “The Search”, “Camino De Luz”, “The Fairy Pole”, “The Sun Rises Again”, and of course, “The Secret Garden”.
Please take a break from our limited and solitary existence, during this pandemic and indulge yourself in the pleasures of wonderful music from the past. The panoramic world that unfolds from closed eyes will help you endure our present condition, with flare. Every song is a gem, and you will be gratefully gifted with the purchase of this treasure.
Track List
01. Puppet Dance (01:45)
02. Saaristo (05:59)
03. The Hare (03:04)
04. The Knight and the Ghost (09:14)
05. Stranded by the Coast (05:31)
06. Sixes and Five (01:41)
07. The Search (07:35)
08. Camino de Luz (05:33)
09. Noughts and Crosses (02:27)
10. The Fairy Pole (03:46)
11. Ghost Dance/Race with the Spirits (06:18)
12. The Sun Rises Again (05:51)
13. Secret Garden (02:58)