Patrick Philippe Moraz (born 24 June 1948) is a Swiss musician, film composer and songwriter, best known for his tenures as keyboardist in the rock bands Yes and The Moody Blues.
Born into a musical family, Moraz learned music at a young age and studied at the Lausanne Conservatory. He began a music career in the 1960s as a jazz musician, performing with his quartet and quintet, groups that performed across Europe and won several awards. He formed the short-lived progressive rock group Mainhorse in 1969, and began work scoring films.
In 1974, he formed another band, Refugee, and recorded one album before he joined Yes later the same year. Moraz was a member of Yes until 1976, and during this time he also started a solo career, beginning with the 1976 album The Story of I.
Moraz was a member of The Moody Blues from 1978 to 1991. Since then, he has worked on various solo projects.
The Story of I is the first solo album by former Yes keyboard player Patrick Moraz, released in June 1976.
After the success of Relayer, Yes next made a decision that each member would make a solo album. The Story of I is the first solo album by Patrick Moraz. By the time the album was released, Moraz was still touring with Yes but he was let go by the band in late 1976 after Rick Wakeman was booked on a session musician basis during the Going for the One recording sessions in Switzerland.
The album is based around a romantic story of a massive tower in the middle of a jungle. The tower lures people from all over the world to go inside it. Inside the tower, people are able to experience their wildest desires and fantasies.
The only rule is that the people inside the tower may not fall in love with each other. However two people inside do so and decide to escape since the tower acts also as a prison which inhabitants are slaves of their own desires.
The album consists of fourteen tracks related to the story. The album, particularly the percussion section, is strongly influenced by Brazilian music. Much of the Latin percussion was recorded in Rio de Janeiro over two days in August 1975 and dubbed on to the tracks. The album uses pitch-bend controls on the synth/organ notes. The Story of I was chosen as the album of the year by Keyboard Magazine..
Former Yes and Moody Blues keyboardist Patrick Moraz mixes numerous Latin and rock rhythms together via his lively synth work, resulting in a full-flavored, energetic album. Not typical sounding to say the least, there are hints of funk and marimba, Caribbean and South American styles, and even flamenco, all guided by Moraz’s whirlwind keyboard playing. Inspired by the Brazilian ballet, each song dances with piquancy and flow, never repeating the same rhythms or sounds while at the same time introducing a wide variety of percussion instruments. Andy Newmark’s drums add dimension to the fiery patterns conjured up on “Dancing Now” and “Incantations,” raising the musical temperature of both tracks. Delightful additions of marimbaphone, cello, gongs, tam-tams, and even castagnets jump in and out of all the songs, fusing both a modern and a primitive sound together. Images of the south seas hover atop Moraz’s wandering rhythms, as he sounds unconfined behind the synthesizer. The French vocals sung by Veronique Mueller in a few of the album’s songs only add to the illustriousness, as does Moraz’s vibrant singing. The Story of I is a refreshing twist from this progressive craftsman and can sincerely be appreciated by all audiences. (by Mike DeGagne)
Personnel:
Vivienne McAuliffe (vocals)
Jean de Antoni (guitar)
Jeff Berlin (bass)
Ray Gomez (guitar)
John McBurnie (vocals)
Patrick Moraz (keyboards, synthesizer, marimbaphone, percussion)
Alphonse Mouzon -(drums on 01. – 07.)
Andy Newmark (drumson 08. – 14.)
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The Percussionists of Rio de Janeiro
Tracklist:
01. Impact 3.31
02. Warmer Hands 3.31
03. The Storm 0.52
04. Cachaça (Baião) 4.08
05. Intermezzo 2.50
06. Indoors 3,44
07. Best Years Of Our Lives 4.00
08. Descent 1.44
09. Incantation (Procession) (includes a brief piece of a field recording of Amazon Indian music) 1.51
10. Dancing Now 4.39
11. Impressions (The Dream) 2.49
12. Like A Child in Disguise 4.06
13. Rise And Fall 5.35
14. Symphony In The Space 2.57
All songs written by Patrick Moraz & John McBurnie (McBurnie’s input is mostly limited to the lyrics in English).
More from Patrick Moraz:
The official website:
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