Carl Palmer’s ElP legacy

Live

A fitting tribute to Palmer’s own heritage.

Here the last man standing from ELP, Carl Palmer, visits the trio’s rich catalogue, in the process putting his own twist on the music while never straying too far from the original arrangements.

A CD/DVD release, the former comes from a 2014 show in Buffalo, New York, with a majestic rendering of Tarkus and a stirring delivery of Mars, The God Of War/21st Century Schizoid Man (Palmer here nodding to Greg Lake’s King Crimson days) particularly expressive.

The DVD comes from a Miami show two year ago, which was dedicated to Keith Emerson. Joined by guests Steve Hackett, Mark Stein (Vanilla Fudge) and David Frangioni, the highlights are breathtaking visits to Pictures At An Exhibition and Fanfare For The Common Man, the latter including a sonorous drum solo.

Overall a powerful package.