 Album featuring Steve Howe (Yes) and his late son Virgil, who died days after it was completed
Format: CD / Cat No: 88985486092 / Released: 17/11/2017
Track Listing: Nexus / Hidden Planet / Leaving Aurura / Nick's Star / Night Hawk / Moon Rising / Passing Titan / Dawn Mission / Astral Plane / Infinite Space / Freefall
More information: Following the sudden death of Virgil Howe, drummer for the British power trio Little Barrie, his father and collaborator Steve Howe, guitarist for the prog-rock band Yes, is releasing an album that the two musicians completed shortly before his son's death. It's called Nexus.
Virgil died on 11 September 2017, of "tragic, unexpected causes" at the age of 41. He was scheduled to kick off a UK tour with Little Barrie just a couple of days later. The band canceled their tour, as did Yes, calling off the remainder of their Yestival Tour.
Steve Howe: "Virgil and I had only recently completed recording Nexus, which contains eleven of his tunes to which I added a guitar to suit each one. We delivered it to InsideOutMusic in August for release on 17th November. We started to work together in 2016 by selecting about nine tunes from his ‘stockpile’ of piano based music that he’d periodically sent Jan & I each time he’d written and recorded a new idea," Steve Howe said in a release. "I began adding guitars to them, then I’d play them to Virgil. He’d then surprise me by bringing up other channels of instrumentation which I’d never heard. The tunes went from straightforward ‘duets’ to something bigger & better, more of a complete picture than a mere shape. “Free Fall” & “Nick’s Star” were added from earlier sessions, the latter being his tribute to the passing of his best friend Nick Hirsch."
"Nexus explores a completely different side of Virgil’s ability, as a writer & keyboard player – ‘in his own right,'" Steve Howe continued. "His talents were multi-diverse, so sitting at a keyboard & computer or in the middle of his drum kit, at all his regular DJ-ing gigs or on the radio, he always gave his best. We hope that the music just completed will stand as a fitting tribute to his life and legacy.”
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