Fresh Aire
Encyclopedia
Fresh Aire was the first album released by new age
musical group Mannheim Steamroller
. The album was originally released in 1975. It is also the title of one track on the album. It was followed by seven additional albums in the Fresh Aire series. Each of the first four Fresh Aire albums is based on a season; Fresh Aire's theme is Spring. (There is some evidence that this theme may have been imposed upon the album after the fact, as the rest of the series progressed, since the liner notes for this album clearly link each of the 12 tracks to the 12 months of the year.)
Several of the track names are plays on musical terms denoting the form of that song. The title track "Fresh Aire" is an air
, "Saras Band" is a sarabande
, and perhaps most cleverly, "Pass the Keg (Lia)" is a passacaglia
.
New Age music
New Age music is music of various styles intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often...
musical group Mannheim Steamroller
Mannheim Steamroller
Mannheim Steamroller is an American music group founded by Chip Davis and Jackson Berkey, known primarily for its modern recordings of Christmas music. The group has sold 28 million albums in the U.S. alone.-Beginnings:...
. The album was originally released in 1975. It is also the title of one track on the album. It was followed by seven additional albums in the Fresh Aire series. Each of the first four Fresh Aire albums is based on a season; Fresh Aire's theme is Spring. (There is some evidence that this theme may have been imposed upon the album after the fact, as the rest of the series progressed, since the liner notes for this album clearly link each of the 12 tracks to the 12 months of the year.)
Several of the track names are plays on musical terms denoting the form of that song. The title track "Fresh Aire" is an air
Air (music)
Air , a variant of the musical song form, is the name of various song-like vocal or instrumental compositions.-English lute ayres:...
, "Saras Band" is a sarabande
Sarabande
In music, the sarabande is a dance in triple metre. The second and third beats of each measure are often tied, giving the dance a distinctive rhythm of quarter notes and eighth notes in alternation...
, and perhaps most cleverly, "Pass the Keg (Lia)" is a passacaglia
Passacaglia
The passacaglia is a musical form that originated in early seventeenth-century Spain and is still used by contemporary composers. It is usually of a serious character and is often, but not always, based on a bass-ostinato and written in triple metre....
.
Track listing
- All Songs Written & Arranged By Chip Davis.
- "Prelude" – 1:33
- "Chocolate Fudge" – 2:54
- "Interlude I" – 2:55
- "Sonata" – 2:32
- "Interlude II" – 2:33
- "Saras Band" – 3:37
- "Fresh Aire" – 5:30
- "Rondo" – 2:36
- "Interlude III" – 2:36
- "Pass the Keg (Lia)" – 2:33
- "Interlude IV" – 2:11
- "Mist" – 1:47
Personnel
- Chip Davis – drums, percussion, toys
- Eric Hansen – bass
- Jackson Berkey – keyboards
- Don Sears – synthesizer programming, string arrangements
- Bill Buntain – trombone
- Denny Schneider – trumpet
- Mortimer Alpert, Dorothy Brown, Hugh Brown, Miriam Duffelmeyer, Ginny Eldred, Lucinda Gladics, James Hammond, Jean Hassel, Joe Landes, Karl Lyon, Bob Malec, Beth McCollum, Virginia Moriarty, Dorothy Redina, Joe Rosenstein, Merton Shatzkin, Alex Sokol, Jess Stern, Larry Sutton, Paul Todd – strings
Production
- Produced By Chip Davis & Don Sears
- Recorded & Engineered By Jeff Schiller, Don Sears & Ron Ubel