Jon Anderson:

The Voice Of Prog Rock Fashions Himself A Journeyman Folkie

By John Voket

RIDGEFIELD — The progressive classic rock outfit Yes may be known for international hits like “Roundabout,” “Owner of a Lonely Heart” and “All Good People,” but fans also know the band has consistently delivered over-the-top concert production, light shows, and bombastic live performances.

Since Yes hit the big time in the early 1970s, they were also a band that enjoyed all the trappings rock stars of the era were entitled to — from tour jets and limousines to fancy hotel suites and an entourage of doting assistants.

But following his recent departure as the band’s trademark singer, Jon Anderson has devolved into something of a journeyman folkie, tossing an acoustic guitar into the back of his car and hitting the road with his wife, Jane, and distancing himself from that lavish lifestyle.

“Been there, done that,” Anderson quipped when questioned about the diverse transition his career has taken in recent years. He spoke to The Newtown Bee this week ahead of a stop at The Ridgefield Playhouse this Sunday, August 29.

Anderson talked about recently watching the film Hail, Hail Rock & Roll, which focused on Chuck Berry who much preferred tossing his guitar into the back of a convertible and zooming out into the country, booking his own gigs, and enjoying the fortunes wherever the road might take him. And he is currently enjoying the same experience, coincidentally kicking off his latest solo tour at The Guthrie Theater, named in honor of that most famous folk singer.

In between he’s played at the Milwaukee Zoo, and in obscure communities like Ferndale, Mich., and Millvale, Penn., where residents would never see a band as prestigious as Yes gracing their intimate stages. And Anderson says he’s loving it as much as the fans.

“I’ve got my wife, a guitar and that’s it,” he said. “It’s more relaxing. We have time off ... drive around, see the country, see the cities, and me and my wife are just so happy together. That’s the main thing.”

Anderson told The Newtown Bee he has overcome the health issues that preceded his departure from Yes. He said he has also moved on creatively, crafting new solo material with an international cast of collaborators from Holland, France, Australia, New Zealand, China and Romania, all of whom he never met, except for back-and-forth communications via the Internet.

That current project includes what he described as a Yes-like opus that is currently about 20 minutes in length. Since that new and current inspiration rivals the side-long epic numbers on classic Yes albums like Close to the Edge and Tales from Topographic Oceans, Anderson said he isn’t ready to break that one out on his current tour.

“You don’t play them until you have an audience that is very open and receptive to you trying them out,” he said. “This 20-minute piece is sort of in classic Yes style and structure. I’m writing the music and lyrics and everything. But it’s interesting because I have it in my DNA to write Yes music, and it’s going to be so beautiful. I’m very excited about the future of my songwriting.”

But instead of shelving the song for lack of a band, Anderson tapped more than a half-dozen students or former students from the Long Island School of Rock to provide the backing instruments. He also hired a choir to add to the celestial quality of the piece.

The former Yes frontman said his nearly decade-long affiliation with the School of Rock and its students kept him in contact with the same type of youthful energy and creativity he had himself as a fledgling artist coming up in the music business of the late 1960s and early ‘70s in the UK.

Besides his new solo project, which Anderson said could be available as early as the end of the year, he is also finishing up a new project with his friend and former bandmate Rick Wakeman. He said a small UK tour with himself and the celebrated keyboard player is in the offing this fall, and if both remain in good health, they plan to come to the US in 2011.

Anderson, however, promised a sampling of some new material sprinkled in with a generous dose of the familiar for fans of both his solo work, his collaboration with the Italian new age artist Vangelis, and of course plenty of his contributions to the Yes catalog when he pulls into Ridgefield this weekend.

Tickets to see Jon Anderson, and all the other shows scheduled for the fall and winter, are available at www.RidgefieldPlayhouse.com