''Fresh Aire'' is the first album by

new-age New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars conside ...

musical group

Mannheim Steamroller Mannheim Steamroller is an American neoclassical new-age music ensemble founded and directed by percussionist/composer Chip Davis in 1974. The group is known primarily for its ''Fresh Aire'' series of albums, which blend classical music with ele ...

. It was originally released in 1975.

Background

The record 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.) Besides the eponymous seventh tune, several of the track names are played on musical terms denoting the form of that song. The title track "Fresh Aire" is an

air The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

, "Saras Band" is a

sarabande The sarabande (from es, zarabanda) is a dance in triple metre, or the music written for such a dance. History The Sarabande evolved from a Spanish dance with Arab influences, danced by a lively double line of couples with castanets. A dance cal ...

, and "Pass the Keg (Lia)" is a

passacaglia The passacaglia (; ) is a musical form that originated in early seventeenth-century Spain and is still used today by composers. It is usually of a serious character and is often based on a bass-ostinato and written in triple metre. Origin The ter ...

. Composer Chip Davis refers to his music as "18th century rock and roll."

Track listing

All songs written and arranged by

Chip Davis Louis F. "Chip" Davis Jr. (born September 5, 1947 in Hamler, Ohio) is the founder and leader of the music group Mannheim Steamroller. Davis composed the music for several C. W. McCall albums, including the hit 1975 song "Convoy (song), Convoy". H ...

. #"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

– drums, percussion,

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*Eric Hansen – bass *

Jackson Berkey Jackson Berkey (born May 24, 1942) is an American composer, pianist and singer, best known for his work with Mannheim Steamroller, which he co-founded with Chip Davis in 1974. Early life and education Berkey was born in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. ...

– keyboards *Don Sears – synthesizer programming, string arrangements *Bill Buntain – trombone on "Pass the Keg" *Denny Schneider – trumpet on "Pass the Keg" *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 on "Sonata", "Fresh Aire", and "Mist"

Production

*Produced By Chip Davis & Don Sears *Recorded & Engineered By Jeff Schiller, Don Sears & Ron Ubel

References

External links

"Fresh Aire" at discogs
{{Authority control 1975 debut albums 1 American Gramaphone albums