Keith Emerson Band – The Three Fates Project
Ear Music
www.ear-music.net

Rating: B+

Three Fates is the latest offering from Keith Emerson of ELP fame. The music features ELP’s greatest hits, as well as new compositions, all performed with new orchestral accompaniment.

Emerson is very proud of the new work, “Although I have been involved with orchestras and also jazz, blues and rock since the sixties, without doubt I consider this to be the most important album since the ELP days.”

Joining Emerson on this musical journey are guitarist Marc Bonilla, orchestra conductor Terje Mikkelsen and the Munich Radio Orchestra. The album, released on October 30, 2012, is unique, as it takes the music Keith Emerson made with Emerson, Lake & Palmer, which brought classical music to rock and roll, and turns the tables. Now, it is classic music’s turn to bring rock and roll into their genre. Mikkelsen and Bonilla lead the way as they mix incredibly complex rock guitar solos with an orchestra not afraid to rock out, yet at the same time remain well within the boundaries of orchestral music.

This is a very unique offering and one that prog fans will line up to purchase. The grandest piece of music is “Tarkus-Concertante” which clocks in at over twenty minutes in length. ELP fans will be very interested in “Fanfare for the Common Man Pt. 1 and Pt. 2” as well. The four original tunes do not disappoint either, as they were forged with this special melding of musical styles in mind.

The complete track list is listed below:

The Endless Enigma Suite Pt. 1
The Endless Enigma Suite Pt. 2
American Matador
After All Of This
Walking Distance
Tarkus – Concertante
Malambo
The Mourning Sun
Abaddon's Bolero
Fanfare For The Common Man Pt. 1
Fanfare For The Common Man Pt. 2

By Jeb Wright