Gryphon (Band)
Gryphon was a British progressive rock group with strong folk and medieval influences, which existed from 1972 to 1977 and reunited briefly in 2009.
History
Gryphon was founded in the early 1970s by multi-instrumentalist Richard Harvey and Brian Gulland bassoonist as a folk group. Following the arrival of guitarist Graeme Taylor and percussionist David Oberlé the band released between 1973 and 1976 five studio albums, with the musicians over time increasingly distant from their original acoustic medieval sound and increasingly incorporated elements of rock and jazz into their own compositions and let their unusual instruments (bassoon, Krummhorn, recorder ) extended by modern instruments of rock music ( electric guitar, synthesizer, percussion ).
1974 Gryphon composed the music for a theater production of Shakespeare's The Tempest, listed in the UK's Royal National Theatre, directed by Sir Peter Hall. From the soundtrack of the title track of their second album Midnight Mushrumps that they were allowed to present the first and only to date Rock Band at the National Theatre was established in July 1974. After the release of their third album, Red Queen To Gryphon Three Gryphon played in the fall of 1974 as the opening act for Yes during their U.S. tour.
After the dissolution of the band in 1977, 2009 saw a unique reunion concert at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall.
Collaboration with other artists
Gryphon accompanied Steve Howe in the instrumental piece, The Nature of the Sea on his first solo album Beginnings ( 1975).