David Gilmour has assembled a brilliant band of world renowned musicians, who will join him to play the sell-out 25 date ‘On An Island’ tour. The tour, David’s first since the record-breaking 1994 Pink Floyd Division Bell tour, starts in Europe in March, goes to North America in April and returns to the UK at the end of May. ‘On An Island’, the wonderful new album, is released on 6 March 2006.
The musicians in David Gilmour’s band are:
Phil Manzanera - Roxy Music guitarist and co-producer of ‘On An Island’
Richard Wright - Pink Floyd’s keyboard player
Guy Pratt - bass player with Pink Floyd and Roxy Music
Jon Carin - keyboards and longtime player with Pink Floyd
Steve DiStanislao - drums, recently played with Crosby & Nash
The concert set-list is still to be decided but is likely to combine David’s favourite Pink Floyd tracks with tracks from ‘On An Island’.
David Gilmour’s third album ‘On An Island’ is due to be released worldwide on March 6th, 2006.
Produced by David, with Phil Manzanera and Chris Thomas, the album features orchestrations by renowned Polish composer Zbigniew Preisner.
David’s unique vocal and instrumental talents are to the fore, but ‘On An Island’ also features many very special guests: David Crosby and Graham Nash sing harmonies, Robert Wyatt plays cornet and percussion, Caroline Dale contributes on cello, Guy Pratt on bass and Alasdair Molloy on glass harmonica. Pink Floyd’s Richard Wright guests on Hammond organ and vocals.
Of the album’s ten tracks, all music is written by David Gilmour, with lyrics by writer Polly Samson, (they collaborated on lyrics on two songs), while three tracks are purely instrumental, with David’s expressive guitar to the fore. ‘On An Island’ sees David’s full range of instrumental ability, including his performances on piano, bass guitar, percussion, bass harmonica, Hammond organ and his recording debut on the saxophone. Other contributors include Jools Holland, Phil Manzanera, Georgie Fame, Andy Newmark, B. J. Cole, Chris Stainton, Willie Wilson and Rado ‘Bob’ Klose on guitar.
David has commented “It's my best and most personal work. Making it with my musician friends has been a positive experience on so many levels.”
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ON AN ISLAND
The new album from David Gilmour
Release date: 6 March 2006
EMI Records
On An Island is the third David Gilmour album and his first studio recording since Pink Floyd??s 1994 multi-platinum The Division Bell. From the first moments of the sound collage that begins On An Island, you know it's a special experience that not only bears comparison with the best of Pink Floyd, but also confirms their lead guitarist and singer as an outstanding solo artist. Here he reveals a personal vision and a breadth of styles – folk, jazz, orchestral and rock – brought together as a unified piece by his lyrical guitar playing and instantly recognisable voice.
With orchestrations by the renowned Polish composer Zbigniew Preisner and a luminous production (assisted by Roxy Music's Phil Manzanera), there is virtuosity a plenty. Crosby and Nash sing harmonies, Robert Wyatt plays the
cornet, Caroline Dale the cello and Alasdair Molloy the glass harmonica. Pink Floyd's Richard Wright guests on Hammond organ, while Gilmour sweeps and soars with his often soul-piercing guitar and vocals. Yet the album never
becomes grandiose. At its heart, it remains a reflective piece, not least because of the lyrics.
Although Gilmour takes some writing credits, most go to writer Polly Samson, continuing a collaborative partnership that began with The Division Bell. The songs tell of shared experiences that evoke a breadth of moods, from the
hauntingly beautiful title track On An Island (with a guitar performance set to enter the Gilmour canon of classics) to the meditative The Blue and A Pocketful of Stones, as well as the heavier rock and blues numbers Take A Breath and This Heaven. In the spirit of intimacy, this album sees Gilmour's debut on the saxophone, as well as contributions by contemporaries from his pre-Floyd days.
On An Island is a collection of songs and instrumentals that had its genus in the critically acclaimed 2002 London Festival Hall concerts. Gilmour has stepped out of his super-group to discover he's still at his peak - and he's rightly pleased. It's my best and most personal work, he says. "Making it with my musician friends has been a positive experience on so many levels." And touring it this spring can only take him to a new high.
The ten tracks on the album, which has been produced by David Gilmour, Phil Manzanera and Chris Thomas, are:
Castellorizon
On An Island
The Blue
Take a Breath
Red Sky at Night
This Heaven
Then I Close My Eyes
Smile
A Pocketful of Stones
Where We Start
Additional performers on the album include David Crosby, Graham Nash, Richard Wright, Robert Wyatt, Phil Manzanera, Jools Holland, Georgie Fame, Caroline
Dale, Guy Pratt, Willie Wilson, and, from Pink Floyd's earliest incarnation, Rado "Bob" Klose.
The ON AN ISLAND tour starts in Europe in March, goes to USA in April and returns to the UK at the end of May, with concerts in Manchester, Glasgow and London.