Glass logo Jeff Sherman, Jerry Cook, Greg Sherman in Port Townsend

Jeff Sherman Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Alembic Small Standard Series I & Thorn Custom Inlay Bass Guitars, Fender-Rhodes Piano, Korg O1W, StudioLogic Bass Pedal MIDI-Controller, Korg KAOS KP2 MIDI Controller Pad, Natural & Modified Sound Samples, Vocals

Jerry Cook Drums, Tunable Concert Timpani, Moog Drums, Mini-Moog synthesizer, Percussion, Gong, Electronic Drums, Roto-Toms, Drum Samples

Greg Sherman Acoustic & Electric Pianos, Hohner Clavinet, ARP, Nord and Oberheim Synthesizers, Mellotron, Hammond Organ & Custom Electronics, Roland A-90, Korg O1Ws

 

Glass began in the late 1960s as a Port Townsend-based rock band named The Outcasts, playing covers and the occasional original piece. On September 6, 1968 they attended a Jimi Hendrix concert at the Seattle Center Coliseum where the British band The Soft Machine was the opening act. They were transfixed by The Soft Machine, a guitar-less power trio. Shortly thereafter they changed their name to Glass and began playing originals exclusively. Moving to Olympia, Washington in 1971 to attend The Evergreen State College, they quickly became favorites on-campus for their spirited performances. Numerous live performances in and around Olympia, Seattle, Tacoma, Bellingham, Port Townsend, and other Pacific Northwest venues (including the first-ever live broadcast concert on KAOS-FM) gave them considerable local attention and accolades. Professional studio recordings were made in 1975, which they then shopped around to various record labels at home and abroad in an attempt to land a recording contract.

Unfortunately the mid-1970s was not a good time for rehearsal-intensive progressive rock. The music industry was being taken over by punk rock and disco to the point where even well-established rock acts were being dropped from their labels. Despite their well-honed local reputation, Glass found themselves unable to attract a recording contract.

Disappointed and disillusioned, the band officially called it quits in late 1976 rather than compromise their vision.

Twenty years passed. By the mid-1990s a full-scale progressive rock revival was brewing, thanks to the Internet and the new economics of CD releases. Glass began contemplating a reunion and started testing the waters by contacting old fans and making new business contacts. In 1999 band rehearsals began, proving the magic was still there. Old tapes were dusted off and prepared for an archival release. The record label Relentless Pursuit was set up to release Glass music and solo recordings by the band members. After considerable digital cleanup and editing, a 2-CD set of recordings from 1973-1977 was released, entitled No Stranger To The Skies. Following the resounding success of that release a third volume was released the following year. Several concerts were arranged and performed, not only in the Pacific Northwest but also in Mexico (BajaProg Festival in 2002 and 2004), ProgWest Festival (Claremont CA, 2001), and Progman Cometh Festival (Seattle 2002 and 2003).

The acclaim that their live performances garnered attracted the attention of French independent progressive rock label Musea Records, who in 2004 offered to re-release No Stranger To The Skies and give it worldwide distribution. Simultaneously the Sherman brothers were brimming with ideas for new music, and began writing and rehearsing brand new material for their "first all-original album in 27 years." This album, Illuminations (with cover photo by soundman Erik Poulsen) was released by Musea in 2005 to great reviews. Bringing the music full circle, it features guest appearances by some of the cream of the British progressive rock movement, including Hugh Hopper, (ex-Soft Machine), Richard Sinclair and Phil Miller.

In October 2007 Glass embarked on their first-ever European tour to support their newly released live recording on Musea, Glass Live At Progman Cometh.

Glass returned to the recording studio in 2008 and 2009 to finish their 4th album for Musea entitled Spectrum Principle. It was released worldwide on October 15, 2010. Produced largely by drummer Jerry Cook, it is a departure from their last studio album Illuminations.

In April 2011 Glass returned to their hometown of Port Townsend, Washington, to record a "live in-the-studio" album. They booked the old Arcadia Barn, where they had recorded thirty-eight years earlier, now renovated and called "The Palindrome." Produced by bassist Jeff Sherman, the album was recorded in Zen style—the band did not undergo the usual months of pre-recording preparations but instead came together in the barn and played whatever ideas came to mind. They were also given permission to record inside The First Presbyterian Church of Port Townsend on their magnificent 1849 Whalley-Genung pipe organ. These recordings were recorded directly to two-track analog master tapes, mastered by Michael King (author of Wrong Movements: A Robert Wyatt Biography), and released in 2014 on Musea Records as Palindrome.

Glass' latest, Emergence, released to critical reviews.

Watch the slideshow from the Colorado Sessions.

Emergence Cover Art

GlassEmergence

Musea FGBG 4994 $15 + $3 shipping

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Glass's fourth post-Reformation studio album brings in a few new elements—tenor sax on one track, vocals on another—but the basic ‘Glass sound’ of the trio of tightly-interwoven bass, drums and keyboards (Rhodes, organ & Mellotron) remains forefront. This time there are no 20-minute epics about star clusters or mythological heroes; the tracks here all clock in at under 5 minutes (except the 7:26 closer) and stick to exploring the boundaries defined within the opening moments of each song.

Over the two-year gestation of this release—which for Glass, is rather quick—the boys honed and polished their signature sound and play it with the confidence of a band that has been together for 46 years. This is not ‘flash-in-the-pan’ music, not today's flavor-of-the-month. This a mature distillation of everything these three unique musicians have fought to achieve over a lifetime.

Palindrome cover art

GlassPalindrome

Musea FGBG 4935 $15 + $3 shipping

Palindrome (2014) marks a return to a vintage live sound. Produced by Glass bassist Jeff Sherman, the album was recorded in the band's hometown in the space the band recorded in back in the mid-Seventies (Arcadia). It was recorded mostly live to two-track analog tape, using vintage analog instruments. In addition, three of the tracks were augmented by the incomparable sound of the 1889 Whalley Genung pipe organ which resides in the Port Townsend Presbyterian Church (Washington State). The vision here was to be as free of preconceptions as possible—for the three Glass members to produce a true Zen recording. The music here embodies all the classic music elements: great melodies, complex time signatures and musical experimentation that still sound fresh even in this over-hyped digital era. Fans of Glass' earlier, more jazz-influenced improvisational work should be doubly pleased by Palindrome.

View the Palindrome slideshow.

A lovely CD.
- Robert Wyatt

Palindrome sounds like no other album out there, not just in the progressive rock genre, but in any genre of music.
- Aural Innovations

What a cool record. It's so chilled out and moves through so many interesting spaces but never feels like bombast. Love it.
- Elaine DiFalco (Thinking Plague)

This is as close to "live in the studio" as you can get, as close to pure clear undistilled Glass as you can find.
- Bob Carlberg

It might take several spins to adjust your ears, as this CD sounds like nothing else on the market. The effort will be richly rewarded however with a glimpse of the musical vision of the world's most distinct symphonic progressive trio.
- Prog Archives

Spectrum Principle cover art

GlassSpectrum Principle

Musea FGBG 4854 $15 + $3 shipping

Spectrum Principle (2010) finds the band breaking new ground in the direction of the electronic soundscapes and sound collages introduced on Illuminations. Loosely defined as a concept-album, Spectrum Principle offers a unique view into the worlds of particle physics, quantum theory, human abstract thought, and the possibility of alternate universes as seen through the unique perspective of Glass drummer and album producer Jerry Cook. All band members contribute equally to the writing and there's something here for all fans of Progressive rock music: the Canterbury School-influenced jazz-rock songs the band helped pioneer in the Seventies (complex time signatures, vintage Hammond Organ, Mellotron, Fender Rhodes, and Mini-Moogs abound), classic European symphonic Progressive rock, acoustic music, and much more.

Intelligent instrumental music that is not afraid to push a few boundaries along the way and an album that only enhances their already fine back catalogue.
- Dutch Progressive Rock Page

This is probably one of the most important albums I’ve ever had to review.
- Prognaut

Spectrum Principle is another masterpiece from Glass, and one which clearly shows that they really have no interest in resting on their laurels...
- Ryan Sparks, Sea of Tranquility

Ryan Sparks Best of 2010, ranked Number 1
- Sea of Tranquility

Spectrum Principle pushes the envelope, sounding at once like both a logical continuation of Glass's trademarked sound and a radical new expansion of possibilities.
- Bob Carlberg

...try out Spectrum Principle for some jazzy yet slightly off-kilter progressive goodness.
- New Gibraltar Encyclopedia of Progressive Rock

Live at Progman Cometh cover art

GlassLive At Progman Cometh

Musea FGBG 4736 $15 + $3 shipping

Live At Progman Cometh presents two Glass performances from 2002 and 2003 at Seattle's Moore Theater, plus one bonus-track (No Stranger To The Skies) recorded at BajaProg in 2002. There are five instrumental compositions for more than 70 minutes of music. Sounds promising, doesn't it ? This is an opportunity to hear Glass playing on stage with such luminaries as Elton Dean, Hugh Hopper, Richard Sinclair, and the brothers Bill & Paul Kopecky. Mostly unreleased, the titles mix the legacy of Progressive rock, symphonic music, and Canterbury School in a unique blend of raw live energy and inspired performance. A timeless masterpiece!

This disc is an excellent musical document of the fascinating story of Glass, the little prog band that could, and did become a force to reckon with.
- Aural Innovations

Live At Progman Cometh is a truly stunning display of intelligent, well crafted music. This is Glass in their natural element, onstage interacting and feeding off of each other, carving out new sonic landscapes as they go along. This is a true delight from beginning to end.
- Sea of Tranquility

A worthy addition to the band’s discography, this release is equally a worthy addition to my personal collection of discs, and comes recommended to all those who appreciate both symphonic Art-Rock and Jazz-Fusion.
- Progressor

Oh, and you don't have to take my word as to the quality of the music on this disc. Ask the ex-members of Soft Machine or Hatfield and the North if you should take a moment to listen to the music of Glass.
- Progressive World

I’ll stop with the superlatives now and simply say that this is an excellent instrumental progressive-rock album. I won’t even add the adjective “live,” although it adds to the fun of the disc to realize that these performances were captured in front of an audience, because the tightness of the band makes the setting largely irrelevant to the listener.
- Dutch Progressive Rock Page

Illuminations cover art

GlassIlluminations

Musea FGBG 4594 $15 + $3 shipping

Illuminations (2005) is a real studio album indeed, showcasing a different side of Glass. If the music is still as majestic and impressive as it has been, it also displays evidences of a true maturity. Soloing is kept to a minimum in favour of huge instrumental sections that belie the arrangements complexity. Let's also note that the track Isle Of Dyslexia has been recorded with the help of Hugh Hopper (Soft Machine), as Gaia features Hatfield and the North's creative duet: Richard Sinclair & Phil Miller. Here's a new masterpiece that has to be part of every Progressive rock discography!

...the whole disc flows so easily from one track to another and what really impressed me was the way the band was able to create and paint such a large canvas of sound, using both the electronic and acoustic instruments to near perfection.
- Sea of Tranquilty

Glass proves that even after a 25-year absence from the studio, they are still a creative and vital force worth reckoning with on the progressive rock scene. Here's hoping we continue to hear much more from them in the future.
- Aural Innovations

...Illuminations is a fine piece of work, recommended to fans of progressive rock in general and highly recommended to fans of seventies progressive rock.
- Dutch Progressive Rock Page

This is a very special disc, an album out of its time, a timeless package perhaps. I'll ... give this album my highest recommendation.
- Progressive Land

The music is beautiful, complex, but presented with facility; it doesn’t sound complicated. I’m predicting this album is going to go far and bring the band quite forward to the publics attention.
- Guitar Noise

Considering the distinct originality of the band's sound, I can count Illuminations a good album overall...
- Progressor

Overall, Illuminations is a very good album, with lots of '70's musical mannerisms and 00's production quality.
- New Gibraltar Encyclopedia of Progressive Rock

No Stranger To The Sky cover art

GlassNo Stranger To The Skies

Both the Musea and original Relentless Pursuit pressings are out of print. Individually burned copies are available, but without the poster / liner notes from the original releases. Contact Jeff for more information.

Musea FGBG 4516 $22 + $3 shipping

Back in the Seventies, the brothers Greg & Jeff Sherman had a musical project called Glass. Unfortunately, nobody wanted to sign them, even when they decided to leave for the homeland of Progressive rock: Great Britain! Which is amazing of itself: the talent in this American band is quite obvious! Not only are they great musicians, but they are also great songwriters. Twenty-five years later, our two partners in crime decided to repatriate long recorded musical pieces and release them as a double-CD titled No Stranger To The Skies, partly recorded live and partly in the studio. The result is one superb album, reissued in the year 2004 by the Musea label. A mix of orchestral Progressive rock and jazz-rock fusion, this unique piece of work is a real delight for the fans of Mellotron and Fender Rhodes electric piano! The whole sounds as fresh as it had been recorded today...

Quite simply, Glass' archival release is one of the best examples of American progressive rock I've ever heard.
- Sea of Tranquility

Highly recommended, without any reservations.
- Progressor

...I thoroughly enjoyed this instrumental voyage back to the glory days of Progressive Rock, when keyboards were kings (this disc is saturated in moogs, mellotron and more).
- Dutch Progressive Rock Page

Always moving in unexpected directions, the album keeps you intrigued and asking for more.
- Guitar Noise

All in all, an excellent debut ... too bad it's taken so long to see the light of day!
- New Gibraltar Encyclopedia of Progressive Rock

No Stranger To The Sky cover art

GlassNo Stranger To The Skies Vol. III

Musea $15 + $3 shipping

On the third volume of No Stranger to the Skies, the boys feature more of their archival sessions (mostly live recordings from 1972-1977) which show a more energetic side of Glass. Heck, there's even a rare vocal track of a young (17 year old) Jeff Sherman which sounds great in my opinion.

I can't strongly recommend Glass enough...
- Prognaut