Solo flautist, guitarist, singer and composer John Hackett is best known for his superb flute-playing with his brother Steve Hackett, the former Genesis guitarist, and the ambient group Symbiosis. The atmospheric recordings on "Air & Grace" showcase some of his best work from nine albums with Symbiosis and include examples of both their zen and spacious soundscapes and some gently melodic relaxation pieces penned by John and the group. Here expertly playing concert, alto, bass and bamboo flutes - and guitars on his compositions "Freefall" and "Pastures Green" - John is joined on this compilation by Clive Williamson (keyboards, autoharp, marimba, frame drums, percussion, whistling and - on "The Heron and the Sandpiper" - Indian Bansuri flute) and guitarist Richard Bolton. Air & Grace by John Hackett & Symbiosis SYMCD2015 (P) 2017 Symbiosis Music Ltd. ABOUT SYMBIOSIS: Creating sounds that are either calming and refreshing or thought-provoking and atmospheric, British-based group Symbiosis blend the natural timbres of flutes and acoustic guitar with beautiful ambient soundscapes to create atmospheric and visionary music which is perfect for gentle relaxation. The group began by writing instrumental music and theme tunes for BBC radio and TV programmes and went on to establish their own range of highly successful relaxation music albums in the UK, which are now sold globally through iTunes and cdbaby. Their best-known albums are "Touching the Clouds" (acclaimed for its proven therapeutic use) and "Amber and Jade", both providing a continuous flow of music which creates an ideal backdrop for holistic therapies such as aromatherapy, massage and reflexology, or for unwinding at home, at work, or whilst travelling. Core members of the group are flautist John Hackett (renowned in his own right for his UK solo albums and worldwide for his recordings and live performances with brother Steve Hackett); jazz and folk-influenced guitarist Richard Bolton; and founder-member Clive Williamson, who plays keyboards and percussion and whose years of experience as a Studio Manager and Producer at the BBC have helped to give Symbiosis its unique flavour. Guest musicians include Ashley Drees (cittern, mandolin, percussion); Sarah Devonald (oboe & cor anglais); Rupert Flindt (fretless bass); actor and musician Maloviere (violin, tsimbala); Ian Ritchie (soprano sax); Emily Sinclair (flute and voice) and Michèle Dress (percussion). 'This is heavenly music!' (Denise Linn) Symbiosis often include natural sounds in their compositions and in 1997, the group released their first pure sound effects album: "AOTEAROA - Nature Sounds of New Zealand". These uniquely relaxing recordings from the ‘Land of the Long White Cloud’ feature the beautiful calls of birds like the Tui, Bellbird and Kaka, as well as the sounds of Pacific shores, gentle rain, distant thunder, calming bush atmospheres, hot springs and even some bubbling mud! The album is now one of their best sellers on iTunes and has been heard on many soundtracks including the BBC mini-series The Lost World (2001). The 20th Anniversary deluxe "Extended Edition" of AOTEAROA is now available on cdbaby, featuring several new tracks and a playing time of 77 mins. The latest musical work from Symbiosis is a rhythmic global fusion drawing influences and sounds from many cultures called Dancing in Your Dreams. Discography: Tears of the Moon (1988/2001); Song of the Peach Tree Spring (1988/1998); Touching the Clouds (1992/5); Lake of Dreams (1994); Autumn Days (1995/2007); Amber & Jade (1996); AOTEAROA - Nature Sounds of New Zealand (1997/2017); Sea of Light (1999); The Comfort Zone (2002); Dancing in your Dreams (2005); The Beauty Within (Single, 2017); Air & Grace (2017) – Coming to cdbaby and streaming services worldwide and all available on iTunes. For more information please visit the Symbiosis Music website. ABOUT JOHN HACKETT: Composer and flautist John Hackett comes from both classical and rock backgrounds, working as soloist and orchestral player with classical ensembles, and with rock guitarist Steve Hackett. Playing with Symbiosis has been an interesting change for him: 'I have learned an enormous amount from working with the other musicians in Symbiosis,' John says. 'Coming from a mainly classical background myself, I was so impressed by the ability they all have to improvise and allow the music to find its own course. It's hard to pin a label on what we produce, which I think shows its originality. Elements of classical, folk, jazz and world music freely intermingle in a kaleidoscopic fusion of sound.' 'At the centre is Clive (Williamson), who as well as being a talented multi-instrumentalist, is a genius with sound technology (he is one of the few people who know how to record a flute well!) He uses the recording studio as an instrument in its own right. Surely this must be the way forward. When we improvise as a group or in pairs, things seem to happen in a way that none of us would have predicted. Often we'll be listening back and I'll say, "Did I really play that?" All the great composers such as Bach and Mozart were fabulous improvisers - it's a skill which is at the heart of creativity and is sadly neglected in conventional classical training. Even if someone is not attempting to improvise at a professional level, it can be a valuable way of expressing and dealing with emotion, and can therefore be very therapeutic for both performer and audience alike.' He began by learning guitar until aged 15, after hearing Ian McDonald playing with rock band King Crimson, he took up the flute. He collaborated with his brother on his early albums, "Voyage of the Acolyte" and "Please Don’t Touch" before leaving Sheffield University to work with Steve, who had just left Genesis. This led to further recordings and tours of the UK, USA and Europe with John playing flute, guitar and bass pedals. Meanwhile he continued studying flute with Edward Beckett, and later David Butt, and joined the English Flute Quartet for concerts in the UK, including the Purcell Room. As a composer of flute music for relaxation, he has recorded several albums with the ambient group Symbiosis which led to commissions for several theme tunes and incidental music for BBC arts, documentary and language programmes. He has also recorded a number of solo and duo albums, mostly for flute. In 2000, "Sketches of Satie for flute and guitar" by John & Steve Hackett was released by Camino Records and chosen by Nick Bailey of Classic FM as his album of the month. This was followed by "Velvet Afternoon" for flute and piano with Sally Goodworth, an album of John’s own compositions inspired by the music of Satie and others. 2005 saw a change of direction, with John releasing a rock album of his own songs (with lyrics by Nick Clabburn). "Checking Out of London" which was given 5 stars in Record Collector magazine. A band was formed to promote Checking Out Of London, with Nick Magnus (keyboards), Tony Patterson (vocals), Andy Gray (guitar), Andy Hyam (bass) and Neil Marshall (drums). An experimental flute/dance album, "Red Planet Rhythm" with Moodi Drury was then followed by another album of John’s compositions for flute and guitar, "Prelude to Summer", which featured guitarists Steve Hackett and Chris Glassfield. In 2011 he released "Moonspinner" with more original flute and guitar pieces. In 2015, "Another Life", the follow-up to Checking Out of London (again with lyrics by Nick Clabburn), was released on the Esoteric Antenna label (Cherry Red). To support the release a trio was formed with John (guitars, keys, vocals), Nick Fletcher (lead guitar) and Duncan Parsons (percussion, vocals), which was soon expanded to a full band with the addition of Jeremy Richardson (bass, guitars, vocals) and Duncan moving to full drum kit. The band started public performances as the John Hackett Band in 2016, with both a live album and studio album planned for 2017. He has toured extensively with the Steve Hackett Acoustic Trio, including concerts in USA, Japan and Europe. In recent years he has given several concerts with international organist Marco Lo Muscio in both the UK and Italy, playing a unique blend of classical and progressive music. Together with Carlo Matteucci they form part of "Playing the History", alongside David Jackson, Giorgio Gabriel and Pino Magliani. He performs regularly in a duo with classical guitar virtuoso Nick Fletcher with whom he has recorded two albums: "Overnight Snow" and "Hills of Andalucia". (Hacktrax records in the UK) John Hackett is one of the few flautists in the world to play a vertical flute. For more information visit the Hacktrax website.