InsideOut MusicFounding Yes frontman Jon Anderson has teamed up with veteran Swedish prog-rock guitarist Roine Stolt to create a new album titled Invention of Knowledge, which has just been released on CD. The album features four long-form pieces reminiscent of some of Yes’ classic 1970s material.
Anderson tells ABC Radio that Invention of Knowledge is “a special album in my life,” and reveals that the project came together via a long-distance exchange of ideas.
“We talked over the phone, we Skyped each other and talked about music,” explains the 71-year-old singer. “So, I sent him some songs and ideas that I’d been working on musically and he did an incredible job producing it.”
Anderson says the album celebrates “the great inventions that are coming through very, very fast,” giving as an example “new style of rocket ships” that use magnetic force rather than a combustion engine.
Asked how he would describe the music he created for the album, Anderson says he considers it “Yes music,” even though he’s no longer a member of the band.
“It’s in my DNA to create long-form, interesting, mystical, spiritual, exciting [music],” he tells ABC Radio. “Just being positive, you know?…I’m just very ‘positeeve.'”
Anderson’s collaboration with Stolt came about after both men took part in the 2014 Progressive Nation at Sea Cruise, during which Jon joined Roine’s group Transatlantic for a set of Yes material that the singer describes as “kind of exhausting but wonderful.” After agreeing to do the project, Stolt recruited some fellow Swedish musicians to play on the album, as well as American keyboardist Tom Brislin, who briefly toured with Yes during the early 2000s.
Anderson tells ABC Radio that he envisions organizing some multimedia live performances of Invention of Knowledge, but no definite plans have been made for them.
For more information about Anderson/Stolt’s Invention of Knowledge album, visit InsideOutMusic.com.
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