CARL Palmer and his power trio (Paul Bielatowicz, guitar and Stuart Clayton, bass) proved to an ecstatic audience on Saturday night why many people – this writer included – consider him to be the greatest living drummer on the planet.
The band’s blistering set, which drew heavily from Palmer’s passion for classical music, also included titles more familiar to those who followed the remarkable progression of Emerson, Lake & Palmer.
Palmer is a complete master of his art. Gene Krupa was before my time, but I saw Buddy Rich in London and he would have been smiling down on the barely sweating Palmer with envy. Carl’s young bandmates are no slouches, either: Bielatowicz delivered an amazing version of ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’ and Clayton illuminated the theatre with an extraordinary bass solo – playing the instrument as though it were a six-string guitar.
Carl Palmer’s presence, centre stage, is riveting. He has always believed that a trio is the ideal formation for virtuoso musicians on two grounds: each player has to excel because there is nowhere to hide, and the uneven number of players always produces an inherent creative tension.
Palmer’s track record is provenance of his beliefs; the Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Atomic Rooster and ELP were all trios. Before an audience he is an incredible showman, belying the fact that in private he is a self-effacing, quiet man who leads a life which is the total antithesis of the rock star stereotype.
Carl Palmer has close ties to Cyprus. He has owned an apartment on the island for the past ten years and spends as much time here as he can. He is presently putting the finishing touches to a new album with Asia, with whom he will tour next year. More work with the trio is also planned, together with a farewell ELP concert in London next summer.
If not obsessive, he is certainly a perfectionist. Approaching his 60th birthday, Palmer’s only concession to the advancing years is to reduce his 2.5 hour practice sessions from six to five days a week.
His dream is to one day combine the awesome power of his trio with the talents of the Cyprus State Orchestra. He believes local musicians possess the youth, flair and versatility which would successfully combine with his own band to produce an explosive evening of rock/classical fusion.
If Carl Palmer can persuade Cyprus officialdom to cut through whatever red tape might stand in his way, I shall be first in the queue for tickets.
David Symonds is CEO of 91.4 Coast FM, Limassol
