play a part, crowding out the
musical breathing room. This is
evident on the final official Project album, Gaudi, a concept album involving the life of famed
architect Antonio Gaudi. On
the song “Closer to Heaven,” in
the instrumental bridge, a saxophone part gives way to guitar
and pipe organ. Where there
might be an impulse to solo
atop the rhythm and to break
the mood, chords are held, cre-
ating a mood akin to church music. This is entirely appropriate
to the material, as Gaudi’s most
famous building, La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, is a cathedral.
Yet the temptation to fill every
inch of the sound-field is often
one musician’s struggle to overcome.
“Simplicity can be the key to
making it sound right,” Parsons
said. “I take the attitude that was
present with ‘Every Breath You
Watch a video for Standing On Higher Ground
New Jersey Stage
January 2015
pg 30