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souio View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Rachel Flowers: Female Keith Emerson
    Posted: May 08 2011 at 00:03
I keep searching PA and I can't believe no one has posted about her yet!
Rachel Flowers is a 17 year old girl who happens to be a *giant* fan of Keith Emerson. So much so that she is able to play everything he has ever composed.

http://www.youtube.com/user/12stringbabe

Her technique, style and musicianship are amazing!

I should also mention that she's blind!

Edit - a few videos to get you started

Tarkus on Organ - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1ZytVKtfuY
Hoedown - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEYsvJBNu7Q
Karn Evil 9  Second Impression - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wEYJaL_Lhs

The fact that someone so talented has only 370 subscribers and yet people who go on there and talk in annoying voices for an hour straight have over 100,000 empties me inside Unhappy


Edited by souio - May 08 2011 at 08:56
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richardh View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 08 2011 at 03:36
Originally posted by souio souio wrote:

I keep searching PA and I can't believe no one has posted about her yet!
Rachel Flowers is a 17 year old girl who happens to be a *giant* fan of Keith Emerson. So much so that she is able to play everything he has ever composed.

http://www.youtube.com/user/12stringbabe

Her technique, style and musicianship are amazing! It's a great shame that she only has less than 400 subscribers.

I should also mention that she's blind!
Thanks for that. I was completely unaware of her (but no longerBig smile)
 
 
can't seem to embed her videos for some reason
 
anyway the link above has per playing Tarkus (all of it!!) on piano
 
Quite brilliantClap


Edited by richardh - May 08 2011 at 03:43
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 14 2011 at 15:26
I hate to bump my own thread, but she really does deserve much, much more recognition!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 14 2011 at 15:37

The new Eliane Elias ?

and she also plays the flute !
"Magma was the very first gothic rock band" (Didier Lockwood)
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 15 2011 at 02:25
Some more brilliance from Rachel. ELP fans have to check her out - I've never heard anyone who can interpret Keith Emerson's music as amazingly as this.








"And now...on the drums...Mick Underwooooooooood!!!"

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 26 2011 at 08:29
Rachel is one of today's most underrated modern pianist. She also plays jazz with immense skill and maturity. Even though she already played top level at 16, she has improved greatly this year! I sincerely hope she'll get all the credits and success she deserves.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 14 2012 at 17:43
Of all the emotions I felt as I watched Rachel's performance for the first time, the most prominent and surprising one was that of... relief. What? Not amazement or elation, you b*****d!? Well, yes of course, but it'll take a minute to explain.

Pause for a moment and consider how, or better yet why this incredible performance even exists. How... or why... does a teenage girl become infatuated with our beloved 40-year-old prog musical styles, while virtually everyone else has never heard of it, forgotten about it or written it off, and bought-in to the commercial rock/pop and techno dub-crap out there?

So here we have a young, and very talented girl who has never really experienced the prog movement. A girl who has just barely begun to understand life as an adult. Of all the musical styles out there - classical, jazz, pop, etc., and for whatever reasons, she has immersed herself in prog to express her musical talent, notably the work of Keith Emerson. And she seems to really understand his compositions, and has demonstrated that she can create Emerson-like improvisations. And it seems to just flow out of her, the way it happened with Emerson in those magical years.

And that's like seeing the sun rise for the first time in decades. Rachel has not only correctly interpreted that tortured musical genius that is Emo's legend, she plays with such energy, virtuosity and playfulness, that it leaves me... awestruck, speechless,  welling with tears. And relieved. My faith in the younger generation has been at least partly rekindled. I've discovered a new musical idol, and she's a teenage girl. Who would have thunk?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 13 2015 at 20:41
Well, I see that the last time anyone posted about Rachel was two years ago. I came here with the idea of starting a fan appreciation thread for her. Since this thread has had minimal participation, and since Rachel has teased us now with some original compositions, it seems more exposure for her on this board is warranted. She is an amazing talent...!

First, check out "in the Moment", to date her most fully developed composition:

http://soundcloud.com/rachelflowers-1/in-the-moment

 I think that based on this piece alone, she almost merits consideration for being listed at progarchives. Also, at Soundclouds there is another composition called "Other voices" which is quite different but also nice. At this point, the only other original work I've heard is as background music used in the making of this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo4G-TkDVeI

listen closely starting at about the 1:30 mark - this is Rachels own work, and it continues through a vocal number while various scenes of her filmed in California flash by. I'm blown away by her work! It is complex and exhilarating, just like the covers of the old prog masters - Keith Emerson, Zappa, King Crimson, Gentle Giant that she performs flawlessly in other vids at youtube.

And so it has become my preoccupation for the past few days since I discovered Rachel to contemplate the depth of her talent. My sense is that she only began composing recently (she is now 21), or at least was mainly only interested in doing prog covers while still in her teens. But I could be wrong - maybe she is just holding out on us. Taylor Swift penned hundreds of songs while in the 12-16 age bracket. Unfortunately for us proggers, Rachel did not appear to do the same. No, multimillion dollar recording contract are not her thing, nor is luring eligible male suiters. After all, Rachel is totally blind, and appears to have autistic tendencies as well, such as swaying back and forth. It appears she is also a little speech impaired. All of this is remarkable and when you listen to "In the Moment", keep this in mind - you are hearing the brave young voice of a superbly talented musician who just can't keep it all contained, speech impediment be damned. She sings hauntingly in a plain voice. And in that voice is revealed a young woman of normal curiosities and passions, all superimposed on a jazzy arrangement that is light years beyond what a woman her age should be capable of doing. Prog covers - she's a proven talent. Jazz standards - she can cover them beautifully on both flute and piano. And now - the supreme test: Can she ALSO write? Well, the answer is emphatically YES! And not only yes, but in a style that would make any jazz or prog enthusiast beam with pride. Musical savants unfortunately are often drawn to styles that are outdated or even cheesy. They effortlessly copy and playback music that no one actually really wants to hear. But not Rachel! My hope for this genius is that after spending her teen years absorbing some of the most challenging and musically complex prog and jazz out there, she will now spread her butterfly wings and create stunning original work inspired and shaped by the gods of prog's past. 

And finally, to quote the previous poster, I have indeed "discovered a new musical idol, and she's a teenage girl (give or take a few years now). And I also welled up with tears. Its too early to tell if she is the messiah, but I do sense somehow that a messenger has been sent to us here on earth by a prog or jazz loving god. I know I'm waxing poetic and overstating things a bit, but I always get this way when new music inspires me...:)

And that god just might be Frank Zappa - talk about beaming with pride. I can see Frank smiling now....

aldri7


Edited by aldri7 - March 13 2015 at 20:43
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 26 2016 at 19:57
Just found out about Rachel Flowers from a friend...Wow!  She is amazing considering she is blind since early childhood.  In the YouTube clip below, Keith Emerson has let her try out some new modifications on his modular-moog before he did.  There is a brief 2 minute intro by Keith before you see her play.
 
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