Fresh Aire

by Mannheim Steamroller

Overview

A harbinger of the new age movement, Mannheim Steamroller's debut is a unique mix of light classical piano music, progressive rock, and medieval songs. Composer Chip Davis breaks the album into 12 semi-classical structures (sonatas, interludes, even a disguised passacaglia) that match up to the seasons, rendering Fresh Aire a concept album about nature and life. Most of the music is played by Jackson Berkey, dubbing piano, harpsichord, and synthesizers atop one another with a minimal rhythm section from Davis and Eric Hansen. At its spaciest, Fresh Aire sounds like Keith Emerson or Camel; when the band's in a medieval mood, Gentle Giant (notably "Talybont") comes to mind. Audiophiles took a real shine to Mannheim Steamroller, both for the superior album packaging and the clean sound (if memory serves, American Gramaphone used to charge on the high side for their LPs). As CD technology was introduced, the Fresh Aire series was reissued and became a popular demo for its inoffensive high-mindedness as much as its dynamic range. While sections of Fresh Aire are very pretty, the frequent interludes cost the album its momentum (and are a full half of the months really sad?). When Mannheim Steamroller cuts loose -- as on "Rondo," "Chocolate Fudge," and "Saras Band" -- they're a hoot. The solo piano passages are all right, but listeners would do better to turn to budding ambient composers (Brian Eno), electronic acts (Tangerine Dream), and the original masters (Claude Debussy, Sergei Rachmaninoff) themselves. Then again, a mix of medieval prog and mawkish piano melodies might be just what you're looking for. ~ Dave Connolly

Product Details

Release Date:	10/04/2024
Label:	American Gramaphone
UPC:	0012805501118

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Mannheim Steamroller   Primary Artist
Charles Davis   Recorder,Drums
Chip Davis   Recorder,Drums
Jackson Berkey   Keyboards
Eric Hansen   Bass
Don Sears   Synthesizer
Hugh Brown   Strings
Paul Todd   Strings
Joe Rosenstein   Strings
Joe Landes   Strings
Bill Buntain   Trombone
Bob Malec   Strings
Jean Hassel   Strings
Merton Shatzkin   Strings
Denny Schneider   Trumpet
Dorothy Brown   Strings
Virginia Moriarity   Strings
Beth McCollum   Strings
Alex Sokol   Strings
Jess Stern   Strings
Ginni Eldred   Strings
Dorothy Rendina   Strings
James Hammond   Strings
Karl Lyon   Strings
Mortimer Alpert   Strings
Miriam Duffelmeyer   Strings
Lucinda Gladics   Strings
Larry Sutton   Strings

Technical Credits

Chip Davis   Composer,Producer,Arranger
Carol Davis   Art Direction
Don Sears   Engineer,Producer,Programming
Ron Ubel   Engineer
William Fries   Poetry
Jeff Schiller   Engineer
Charles Davis   Producer