Special Providence

Welcome to The Closet Concert Arena fellow progheads; as usual the door is always open!  After staying home to celebrate birthday #242 for the homeland last week, I thought it a good time to log some frequent flyer miles.  This week the search for all things prog brought me to Hungary, a country I need to visit more often based on the music I have been listening to these past seven days.  The Concert Closet was filled to capacity with the sounds of Special Providence, a four man instrumental band covering a lot of acreage in the prog garden..so off we go...

Special Providence refers to themselves as "Progjazzrockmetalturbochill" and one of the EU's best known instrumental quartets.  With five albums spanning more than a decade, Special Providence is one of those bands that has manged to fly low "under the radar" here in the US.  However;  this is the search for all things prog, I live for the hunt, and my radar screen has been blipping for a while...let's get right to it...

First serving on the platter is "Irrelevant Connotations" from their October 2017 release "Will."  The whole progjazzrockmetalturbochill mystery is solved with this song...top notes are a hodgepodge of Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Dream Theater, Al DiMeola, and Camel--just to name a few.  If it is possible to be absolutely unique in a real stand-alone way, Special Providence found it by taking all their favorite bands and placing them in a Waring blender.  The pallet is completely splotched with colors running down, over, through, and across each other.  Meanwhile somebody pushed all the buttons on the mood elevator and hopped out to watch...

Next up is "Kiss From a Glacier," found on the band's 2015 release "Essence of Change."  As the curtain is drawn back you feel as though Robert Fripp has commandeered the controls...some quick Frippertronics followed up with a jolt of Frank Zappa during his "Hot Rats" days.  Special Providence has taken extreme liberties in the prog garden by mixing, blending, and creating almost at will.  The canvas has been pelted bullet-like with paint balls that leave a rainbow colored bruise...

Liner Notes...calling Budapest, Hungary home, Special Providence is comprised of Zsolt Kaltenecker on keyboards, Marton Kertesz on guitar, Attila Fehervari on bass, and Adam Marko on drums.  Noticeably absent is a lead (or backing) vocalist; Special Providence makes prog magic sans voice.  The band released their first of five albums in 2007 and have since opened for Haken, Spock's Beard, Dream Theater, Steve Hackett, and Beardfish.  While that's one way to get your name out there--it don't mean nothing without talent to back it up, and these guys back it up with talent to spare...

Special Providence has played jazz fests and prog fests all around the globe, and you can find out more about what makes them unique and purchase any or all of their albums at Special Providence and SP bandcamp.  You can also follow the band on Facebook
SP Facebook and Twitter @SpecialProvid.

Final spin this week is a song called "End of Childhood" from the band's 2007 debut "Space Cafe."  Tension wrapped in jazz piano greets the listeners as laser first hits disc, and the mood gently settles into Eddie Jobson territory.  Special Providence are wonderful storytellers--which truly is an art when done without words. They squeeze real emotions from every note their instruments emit...think Flim & The BB's with a bit of an edge--and a dark side...

I chose "Distant Knowledge" from the "Will" album as your carbo load this week...lots of energy on this cut, and a canvas splayed with a sampling of what the band dabbles in.  A melange of a blend of a multi-genre walk through the prog garden you might say...

Zsolt went a little off the rails with his keyboards and the rest of the band followed him down the rabbit hole.  Special Providence is the date that shows up in a suit and tie only to take you to a mosh pit--so you are wise to be prepared for anything and everything.  Adam does raise the ante a bit with his drum work, and by the time you reach the end your mind is still wrapping itself around all that just happened.  Enjoy the ride and just wait for it...over and over...   
               
                   

Once again fellow progheads we have timed out...run the course...finished the week.  The 2018 prog garden is producing a bumper crop at a record pace; Special Providence is the result of the nurturing the garden provides.  The search for all things prog continues to dig deep for treasures like this...one of the joys of the journey.

Special Providence waltzes the prog garden the way honey badgers roam open terrain, going anywhere and everywhere.  Of course, Special Providence won't disembowel you--but they will send your mind into progjazzrockmetalturbochill euphoria...

So the journey continues...until next time...