Over 3 years is a respectable stint for any Yes keyboardist

Oliver Wakeman is playing his last few shows with Yes. He is to be replaced by Geoff Downes, presumably as soon as the current Rite of Spring tour ends.

Yes has always had a high rate of keyboardist turnover. Tony Kaye lasted just over 3 years initially. His replacement was of course Oliver's dad, but Rick lasted less time, leaving after 2 years and 8 months. Next came Patrick Moraz for an even shorter spell: 2 years, 1 month.

Rick was back, but only for just over 3 years, before the shortest spell of the keyboardists we usually count, Geoff Downes, at a bit under a year.

Tony Kaye then returned... or rather joined Cinema, which became Yes. He seems to have been in the band for around a year before leaving, being replaced by Eddie Jobson for a few months, and then returning. Kaye was then continuously in Yes for by far the longest period of any keyboardist, another 11 years.

Counting ABWH as well, Rick had his longest spell in Yes of around 4 years from the beginnings of ABWH to the end of the Union tour. Given there were plans for him to be involved in Talk, maybe we should count that as longer. After Kaye's departure, Rick again returned, but this time quite briefly, about 1.5 years. Igor Khoroshev lasted about 3 years. Rick's latest stint in the band was for 2 years, 2 months.

Compared to these previous Yes keyboardists, Oliver has done pretty well. He's been in the band about three and a third years, although the cancellation of the 2008 tour meant his earlier months weren't very busy. (Even if you count only from the beginning of rehearsals for the In the Present tour, Oliver is still on 2 years, 5 months.)

Oliver's period in the band is longer than all but one of his father's; longer than Kaye's first time round; longer than Downes, Moraz, Khoroshev or Jobson. Any Yes keyboardist who gets to 3 years should probably be looking over their shoulder(!); only Tony Kaye has done substantially better.

What marks Oliver out, however, is the possibility that he won't appear on any studio material. While we now know Downes is the main keyboardist on Fly from Here, it's unclear whether any of Oliver's work will be used.

Switching keyboardists while making an album is familiar territory for Yes. Rick first came in when the band were working towards Fragile. Moraz began the Going for the One sessions, only for Rick to return. We've even had one Yes album before capturing a transition: Billy Sherwood plays most of the keys on Open Your Eyes. Igor Khoroshev was then recruited and appears on a few of the tracks.

If Oliver isn't on Fly from Here, however, the only precedent for someone touring as a member of the band but not seeing a studio release is Tony O'Reilly's few months as drummer in 1968.

The other lessons here are that Downes perhaps deserves another go at the job more than most ex-keyboardists, given how brief his first time was, and most Yes keyboardists get to come back at some point! In the mean time, here's good luck to Oliver for his career after Yes.

Anderson Wakeman Rabin cancelled

For reasons as yet unknown, I understand that the Anderson Wakeman Rabin project has been abandoned.

There has been an air of competition between this project and the current Yes line-up, echoing the ABWH/YesWest rivalry at the end of the 1980s. It's now clear that the original plan back at the beginning of 2010 was for Anderson Bruford Wakeman Rabin... at least, that was Anderson and Wakeman's plan; it doesn't appear that Bruford ever actually agreed to it. Four ex-Yesmen together was a tantalising prospect and, against a Yes with only three longstanding Yesmen (Howe/Squire/White) plus some newer members, an ABWR project would have had a strong claim to the mantle of being the 'real Yes'. ABWR would have had the majority of the band from Fragile and Close to the Edge, and as many of the band members from other key albums like 90125 and The Yes Album. Even when it became clear that Bruford was not involved, AWR was still an impressive line-up against HSW, as I argued in an earlier blog post.

But the project is now over; meanwhile, HSW have recruited two more former Yesmen for their team, with Trevor Horn producing and co-writing the new album, Fly from Here, and Geoff Downes playing on the album and possibly more. As far as I know, Anderson and Wakeman are still working together, with further touring and a live album planned for this year. Yet that means the 2011 project with the second most Yesmen involved is John Wetton's new solo album, Raised in Captivity, produced and co-written by Billy Sherwood, with guest appearances by Tony Kaye and Geoff Downes, as well as brief Yes member Eddie Jobson, Robert Fripp, Steve Hackett, new UK guitarist Alex Machacek and former King Crimson lyricist Richard Palmer-James.

[5 April update: Well, there have now been denials from R. Wakeman himself and another source close to the trio that the project is dead. So, I am uncertain what is happening now! More as I get it...]

DPRP poll

I always like to see DPRP's poll of the best prog rock of the year. Their 2010 results are now out: see here. But I wondered how Yes-related acts did in this broader field.

Favourite Album: Won by Spock's Beard's X, the best Yes-related performance was Mystery's One Among the Living (with Benoît David, plus Oliver Wakeman guesting) at #18. Steve Hackett's Out of the Tunnel's Mouth (with Chris Squire guesting) was just behind at #20. Asia's Omega was at #26. The Living Tree was at #44. Then we have to jump to #132 and Yoso's Elements. Lower albums get less than 5 votes each, so I haven't trawled through the rest of the list.

Favourite DVD: Won by Transatlantic's "An Evening With Transatlantic: Whirld Tour 2010", but Asia's "Spirit Of The Night: Live In Cambridge 2009" managed #19.

Favourite Track: Won by Spock's Beard's "Jaws of Heaven". Mystery's "Through Different Eyes" was 34th equal. Steve Hackett's "Fire on the Moon" (with Squire) was 43rd equal.

Favourite Art: Won by Unitopia's Artificial. Asia's Omega came 19th equal.

Favourite Concert: Won by Transatlantic at Tilburg. Nothing Yes-related got more than one vote.

Biggest Disappointment: Won by Mike Portnoy's departure from Dream Theater. The Living Tree came 11th equal here, while Anderson not returning to Yes was 16th equal (although that's on a mere 4 votes).

Favourite Newcomer: Won by UK band Haken. Mars Hollow came 7th, and Billy Sherwood is producing their second album. Yoso came 16th equal.

Biggest Happening: Also won by Portnoy's departure from Dream Theater! The announcement of Yes's new album made 16th equal (on 3 votes).

Favourite Guitarist: Won by Steve Hackett for Out of the Tunnel's Mouth. Jeff Beck for Emotion & Commotion (exec. producer: Trevor Horn) was 13th equal. Steve Howe picked up a couple of votes only.

Favourite Keyboardist: Won by Ryo Okumoto for Spock's Beard's X. Downes (for Omega) and R. Wakeman (for The Living Tree) were tied at #17.

Favourite Vocalist: Won by Daniel Gildenlow for Pain of Salvation's Road Salt One. Benoît David (for One Among the Living) was 11th equal. Jon Anderson shared 25th equal (for The Living Tree) with John Wetton (for Omega).

Favourite Drummer: Won by Nick D'Virgilio for Spock's Beard's X. Carl Palmer was 12th equal (for Omega).

Favourite Bassist: Won by Dave Meros for, guess what, Spock's Beard's X. John Wetton was at #9 (for Omega). Tony Levin was 13th equal (for Stick Men's Soup).

So, overall, and perhaps surprising some Yes fans, David and One Among the Living pretty much beating Anderson and The Living Tree! And a reasonable performance by Asia and Hackett's Out of the Tunnel's Mouth.

Plotting out the Yes year

If you can pull yourself away from the global news from Japan and Libya, the Yes news is coming thick and fast. The new, expanded & remastered ABWH from Gonzo is now available, and the current band are on tour, with the rest of the year beginning to become clear.

[Edit: And the latest Chris Squire interview confirms Downes will be the main keyboardist on Fly from Here.]

Now-4 Apr: Rite of Spring tour continues.

Apr: Finish the new Yes album, Fly from Here: recording appears to have been completed, although final overdubs wouldn't be a surprise and there's then the mixing, mastering etc.

28 Apr-26 May: Asia tour North, South and Central America. This may leave Squire with time to move forward the Squackett release. White is at a charity show on 30 Apr, and there is his mystery project with Tony Levin and possibly David Torn to fit in somewhere.

28-30 May: Two Yes shows, with Asia opening, in Mexico. Recently announced and still something of a puzzle. Will there be further Yes touring around these two shows? Will these shows debut Fly from Here material? What do these shows tell us about the ongoing uncertainty and rumours as to Downes' involvement on the new album and the possibility of his replacing O. Wakeman?

Jun: Unclear... but presumably some promotional activity for the new album.

Jul: Approximate release date for Fly from Here. Trevor Rabin's long-awaited new solo album is also due in the summer, as is an Anderson Wakeman Project 360 tour live release.

Jul/Aug: Yes North American tour with Styx.

Sep/Oct: Unclear, but one report suggested a South American tour by Yes around Sep. There's probably a Japan tour at some point, but whether in this period or later (early 2012?), we don't know. CIRCA: tour Europe. Howe has a solo release planned for Sep. Anderson & Wakeman may be playing Canada, and possibly the US and Europe, around Oct.

Nov/Dec: Yes European tour.

Dec: Asia possibly re-group to start work on their next album.

2012: I'm guessing now, but Asia will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of Asia, so another solo album and a new round of touring presumably. Howe has hinted at spending more time on solo projects in 2012. However, continued touring by Yes also seems likely.

It's not clear when the Anderson Wakeman Rabin project might get going. Could be this year, could be 2012.

What a difference a day makes

Hosni Mubarak has resigned, and such an event is clearly more important than anything that happens in the world of prog! But you will forgive if this blog focuses on today's other events...

UK have re-formed: John Wetton and Eddie Jobson are joined by Jobson's UKZ mates Alex Machacek on guitar and Marco Minnemann on drums. Two Japanese dates are being advertised, but presumably there will be a fuller tour. In one sense, this is hugely unexpected: we've been waiting thirty years (lol) for a UK reunion. Then again, given we had almost the same band when Wetton joined U-Z for three Polish shows in Poland in 2009 (now captured on Ultimate Zero Tour - Live), and given Jobson's recently guested on Wetton's new solo album, it's hardly surprising at all to hear this news. Still, I'm looking forward to it immensely and hope we get European dates.

Wetton's been recording his solo album with Billy Sherwood in LA. Anyone following Geoff Downes' tweets will have seen he's been in LA too, attending the NAMM show and also guesting on Wetton's album. Of course, Yes have also been recording in LA, produced by Trevor Horn. Surely Downes must have popped by to visit!

Well, yes, he did... and more. It's now emerged that Downes has been recording with Yes for their new album. (Downes is now back in the UK, and Yes are still working on the album.) So, what does this mean? A guest appearance? A reunion of the Drama band on "We Can Fly from Here", already thought to feature Horn on vocals? Or something more?

pianocircus play Skin & Wire

Last night, we saw a one-off show by piano sextet pianocircus (David Appleton, Paul Cassidy, Kate Halsall, Dawn Hardwick, Semra Kurutaç and James T Young) at King's Place, the relatively new arts venue behind King's Cross station. The first half of the show was pieces by Colin Riley, including two taken from Skin & Wire: pianocircus featuring Bill Bruford play the music of Colin Riley. Bruford was in attendance, three seats to my right in fact, but not performing. I'd estimate the total audience at a bit over 100.

The evening opened with "Squiggle Zipper", a jarring, discordant piece from Skin & Wire and, I felt, the weakest performance of the evening. The timbral variation provided by the drums and more on the album version work better for me than the piano/synth-only version here. Visuals throughout the first half were supplied by William Simpson and Simon McCorry, with "Squiggle Zipper" being accompanied by an effective abstract grid flashing blue and white with the music. "Ebb Cast", the second Skin & Wire piece, followed and was much more successful. An evocative mood piece, it went beautifully with Simpson/McCorry's soothing yet bizarre 'tentacled' cows video. This showed cows slowly grazing in the early morning, or perhaps late evening, yet the video was heavily processed. In particular, there were multiple echoes of every movement, so as a cow lifted its head, a succession of superimposed cow heads went through the same action. As the cows ambled past, this gave the impression of a mass of tentacles flowing below.

Ending the first half was the world premiere of Riley's "Double Trio". For this piece, two pianocircus members played grand pianos, each with another member standing and reaching into the piano's innards. The remaining two were mostly on synths. The first movement saw the standing performers drumming away on the piano's bass strings, this percussive element working well against the keyboard play for a dynamic opening. In the second movement, the standing performers instead banged on the struts of the piano soundboards, which gave a change in sound compared to the first movement, but they struggled to achieve sufficient volume. The last movement was slower, with a range of manipulations of the piano strings, holding them to shorten the vibrating length when played, or plucking them directly. The visuals were lightly processed views, generally looking straight down into the piano. An interesting piece overall, visually exciting, but I felt we'd had a weaker second movement.

Part two of the evening saw the ensemble in its more familiar arrangement, six synths-as-pianos in a circle, facing inwards. The programme was drawn from Graham Fitkin's post-minimalist works of 1989-90. These fast, dynamic, interlocking piano pieces are what pianocircus are perhaps best known for. Well-performed, exciting and sometimes almost trance-like; a much enjoyed second set.

What will 2011 bring?

Yes's calendar for the year is becoming clear. They're currently working on the new album, with a release in the second quarter expected (German magazine Eclipsed is saying April). After finishing the album, there's time off for other projects, including Asia touring in April/May, before Yes repeat their recent pattern of a summer North American tour with another act – Styx is reported to be the partner this year. [3 Feb: YesWorld have just announced some March dates for the US, so looks like Yes are squeezing an extra leg before Asia tour.]

Touring in South America may follow, before already confirmed Europe dates in the winter. Towards the end of the year, Asia may gather for studio sessions further to their next album being released in 2012, the 30th anniversary of the band's debut album.

But the current Yes line-up aren't the only game in town. Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman and Trevor Rabin are working on a band project, which Wakeman says will happen this year, although Anderson recently said it would be this or next year. So, will 2011 be like 1989 all over, with two rival bands in competition? Unlike 1989, we may even have rival albums within months of each other, and rival tours at the same time. Fandom has already been polarised by the schism in Yes and Anderson's and R. Wakeman's continued absence. Will the online arguments heat up, or will the discussions calm down when there's actual output from both sides to compare? Some are already looking to the Anderson Wakeman Rabin project as the rightful Yes, and they stack up well against Squire, White and Howe:

Anderson v. Squire: Squire has been on every album released under the Yes name, but he wasn't on ABWH. Anderson has been on every album save Drama, but as the frontman and the main composer/lyricist, that could be round 1 to AWR.

Wakeman v. White: White has been on many more Yes albums than the in-again-out-again Wakeman, and he's contributed more to the songwriting, yet Wakeman is perhaps the best-known Yes member. Round 2 to AWR as well?

Rabin v. Howe: Rabin's three and a bit albums + "Owner of a Lonely Heart" against Howe's thirteen and a bit albums + "Roundabout"? Round 3 to HSW.

The current Yes do also have another former Yesman on board with Trevor Horn producing + Roger Dean doing the art + control of the name, but then Anderson Wakeman Rabin have yet to finalise the rest of their band. For me, the possible Achilles heel for Anderson Wakeman Rabin is that the three of them were never together in Yes (barring on the Union tour), which curtails the nostalgia factor. Anderson has hinted at a set list focusing on the YesWest period, but how does Wakeman being along fit in with that? (See previous blog post.)

To complicate matters further, Anderson and Wakeman as just a duo are also touring in 2011, while Anderson and Rabin (without Wakeman) appear to have done some film score work together.

And if the current Yes and Anderson/Wakeman/Rabin isn't enough for you, there's already a third 2011 project featuring three Yesmen. This is John Wetton's forthcoming new solo album, Raised in Captivity, produced, co-written and co-performed by Billy Sherwood, with guest appearances by Geoff Downes, Tony Kaye, very brief Yes member Eddie Jobson and others, including Steve Hackett. Expect release in the first half of the year.

Speaking of Hackett, another much anticipated release for 2011 is his album with Chris Squire. Now complete, we await release details, but again first half of the year seems likely. The album is already generating a buzz among those who have heard it.

Billy Sherwood, as ever, remains busy with plenty of other projects. A new CIRCA: album is expected, and he's been progressing with his own next solo album. A duo tour with Tony Kaye of Japan for April has been announced. New US prog band Mars Hollow made something of a splash with their debut album in 2010, produced by Ronan Chris Murphy, and they return in 2011 with a second album produced by Sherwood.

Other potential highlights of the year? We're still waiting for the Trevor Horn/The Producers concept album and for Trevor Rabin's new solo album. Jon Anderson's latest, Survival and Other Stories, is expected to get general release after having been available only on the Anderson Wakeman Project 360 tour in 2010. Rick Wakeman has floated possible projects with Keith Emerson and with Jon Lord, making his a busy year.

And there's still a few more Yesmen team-ups on the cards, with Geoff Downes and Trevor Horn back writing together and intriguing reports of a David Torn/Tony Levin/Alan White project (Alan there stepping into Bill Bruford's shoes).

What are you looking forward to most this year? Leave a comment below!