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(((O))) Feature: Francis Monkman 1949-2023

“Yesterday, you know it never really happened
Tomorrow you not it never really had
You, you’re only what you think you might be
I am only what you think I am.”

The opening lines of the song ‘It Happened Today’ from Curved Air’s debut album Air Conditioning, originally released in 1970 on the Warner Bros. label, still strikes a punch many years later. With Sonja’s haunting vocal lines, intensive piano and arpeggiated guitar work from Francis Monkman, and a swelling finale from Darryl Way, it will make you understand why this band were so far ahead of this time.

Francis passed away on May 12th this year at the age of 73. He has left an incredible legacy behind. And it also proved that he’s more than just a member of Curved Air, who has been championed by artists like Lee Dorrian, founder of Rise Above Records, and did a cover of their songs with his band Cathedral at the time, doing ‘You Know‘.

He also described the band in Classic Rock Magazine, as “a real band attitude and zest for life; this is a band that you want

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Francis Monkman (born in Hampstead, North London on 9 June 1949; died 12 May 2023) was an English rock, classical and film score composer remembered as a founding member of both the progressive rock band Curved Air and the classical/rock fusion band Sky. His film score compositions included the soundtrack to the British film, "The Long Good Friday".

Monkman was a student at Westminster School where he studied organ and harpsichord, later studying at the Royal College of Music, winning the Raymond Rusel prize for virtuosity on the harpsichord and becoming a member of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. In the late 1960s he co-founded the rock band Curved Air, and in 1977 collaborated with Brian Eno in the project 801.

In the 1980s he resumed classical performances and recordings, plus, together with guitarist and composer John Williams, formed the classical/rock fusion band Sky.

During his time with Sky, Monkman continued to release solo recordings which mingled original composition with film and television soundtracks and library music. His 1978 album Energism

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Exposé Online

Curved Air — Curved Space & Infinity
(Curved Air Records CRV RS 002, 2016, 2CD)Francis Monkman — A Harpsichord Sampler
(Voiceprint VP242, 2003, CD)Robert Wyatt — Solar Fires Burn for You
(Cuneiform Rune 175, 2003, CD)Francis Monkman — 21st Century Blues
(Voiceprint VP244CD, 2001, CD)Various Artists — Supernatural Fairy Tales
(Rhino Records R2 72451, 1996, 5CD)Francis Monkman — Jam
(Voiceprint VP258CD, 1991, CD)Francis Monkman — Dweller on the Threshold
(Voiceprint VP246CD, 1981/2007, CD)Darryl Way — Concerto for Electric Violin
(Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 2167, 1978/2009, CD)Phil Manzanera — K-Scope
(E.G. Records EGCD 37, 1978/1990, CD)Kate Bush — Lionheart
(EMI EMA 787, 1978, LP)Phil Manzanera / 801 — Listen Now
(Virgin EXPCD17, 1977/2000, CD)801 — 801 Live
(E.G. Records EGLP 26, 1976, LP)Curved Air — Live at the BBC
(Band of Joy BOJCD 014 , 1976/1995, CD)Curved Air — Live
(Esoteric Recordi

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