For those not in the know, in middle of 2019, Leonardo Pavkovic of MoonJune Music was constructing plans for a whirlwind Asian tour in the early part of 2020 of Stick Men.

The band – comprised of the legendary King Crimson veteran battery of Tony Levin (Chapman stick) and Pat Mastelotto (drums, acoustic and electronic percussion), and the budding uber-genius composer and touch guitarist, Markus Reuter – was excited about the prospects, as the tour would include four nights in China, where they had never previously performed.

Little did "Mr. MoonJune" (Leonardo Pavkovic) or any of the band members realize the fate which would soon befall the tour. Firstly, in November 2019, the Hong Kong promoter was forced to postpone the show, due to the growing political unrest which engulfed the city.

Then, in early February 2020, Blue Note China cancelled the scheduled shows in Beijing and Shanghai due to the rapidly spreading Covid-19 pandemic – further complicating matters of both finance and travel logistics.

And a lucrative Asian tour was reduced to a four-night blitzkreig of Japan: Blue Note Nagoya (1 show), Billboard Live Osaka (1 night, 2 shows), and Billboard Live Tokyo (2 nights, 2 shows).

But the challenges weren't over: after flight plans were rerouted, the tour entourage arrived in Nagoya, on February 26th; slated for a day of relax after long flights and a short ‘rehearsal’ and discussion about the music to be performed, but when they arrived at the venue for load-in, rehearsal and soundcheck, the afternoon of the first show, Leonardo received a call from a Billboard Live Osaka representative.

It was with extreme disappointment that he informed the band of the news that that night's show would their only performance: Japan's national government had declared a state of emergency, and all public venues were to be closed indefinitely, commencing the following day (February 29th).

Once again, it was time to reroute flights and majorly adjust. Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto and Robert Frazza decided to fly back to the USA on March 1st from Tokyo, while Markus Reuter and Gary Husband decided to stay in the Japanese capital for another 3 days – encouraged by Pavkovic, who wished to further document the events and occasion through recording a duo album of the two maestros.

There was a sense among the three that the world as we know it was on the cusp of profound changes – ones which would profoundly alter life, going forward.

On a tour where it seemed "Murphy's Law" had reared its ugly head, both this album and the subsequently recorded 'Music Of Our Times' – an emotional, evocative, magnum opus duet, channeled through messengers Reuter and Husband – were brought to life.

Seeing first release, the Husband/Reuter duet has already received glowing reviews from scores of critics and listeners, alike, across the globe.

Perhaps reflecting the impassioned sentiments of both the cancelled tour and the impending crisis facing humanity, the music reflected the pensive fervor of the moment in a poignant, deeply honest and personal manner.

And so from the ashes, so to speak, and this Stick Men album – the aptly named OWARI (which translates from Japanese to English as "The End") – is in much the same vein as the roads/flights taken and untaken to where they are today re: a timeless document.

Although Stick Men is one of those groups who record each and every live show, the group knew that this lone performance was destined for an album pressing.

Not just because of the volatile, devolving nature of the tour which fell apart; nor, the financial hara-kiri destined to be part of the imploded tour's legacy.

1. 'Hajime (Peace)' (5:19)
2. 'Hide the Trees' (6:44)
3. 'Cusp' (4:52)
4. 'Larks‘ Tongues in Aspic, Part II' (6:22)
5. 'Schattenhaft' (4:28)
6. 'Crack in the Sky' (5:33)
7. 'Owari' (5:36)
8. 'Prog Noir' (6:16)
9. 'Swimming in T' (9:02)
10. 'Level 5' (6:46)
11. 'The End of the Tour' [Bonus Track] (16:06)

From the opening notes of the simply stunning 'Hajime', there is an ethereal majesty which immediately comes to the fore, and that is backed seamlessly by the aural magnificence of 'Hide the Trees,' the flirtatious 'Cusp,' and then the first of their two King Crimson covers, the gently thunderous 'Larks‘ Tongues in Aspic, Part II.'

Back in the day, most all "live" albums were recorded from separate mic's and such on and around the stage, capturing the snap, crackle and pop of said same live performance. But boy, has all that "live" art rendering come a long way today.

For, and with the capability to record a multitrack of the show directly from the soundboard, you simply wouldn't even know this was a "live" performance, given that it is so crisply and ornately performed and captured.

With the album marking the first public performance of Stick Men and Gary Husband working together, and with only a few hours of rehearsal at the soundcheck and some verbal discussion about the music day before the show, Husband sounds more like a veteran group member, rather than a player who sat in with the band for the first time at the day of the show!

Up next is the funky bass lines and drum-led wonderment of my own personal favorite here, 'Schattenhaft' which in turn is backed by the textural 'Crack in the Sky,' the uber melodic title track 'Owari,' and then comes another stand out cut, Husband's cleverly reharmonization/reimaging of 'Prog Noir' (which takes a modern-day prog classic, and one of Stick Men's rare non-instrumentals, down a imaginatively alternative path.

The album then rounds out with the profoundly Renaissance-imbued delights of 'Swimming in T,' their other King Crimson rendition 'Level 5,' and closes on the 16 minute bonus track, 'The End of the Tour.'

In closing, every song on OWARI is its own shimmering gem; its multi-faceted nature exposed and brought center stage through the harmonic depths Husband's keyboard work explores.

This is supreme progressive fare, showing casing four artists at the heights of their respective creative brilliance.

Tony Levin: Chapman Stick, voice
Pat Mastelotto: Acoustic and electronic drums & percussion
Markus Reuter: Touch Guitars® AU8, soundscapes
Gary Husband: Keyboards

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