New album out May 30, 2025 on Sounds Familiar — release concert June 14 at synthCube, Waltham, MA
What happens when a pioneering klezmer clarinetist and a veteran of Boston’s ‘80s synth-rock scene join forces? You get All the Light of Our Sphere—an immersive, electro-acoustic odyssey of sound, story, and emotional resonance. Due out May 30, 2025 on the Sounds Familiar label, the new album by clarinetist Glenn Dickson and synthesist Bob Familiar is a bold fusion of melodic improvisation, layered textures, and harmonic evolution. An album release concert will take place Saturday, June 14 at 8 p.m. at synthCube, 167 Prospect St., Unit 1, Waltham, MA.
Blending the acoustic expressiveness of clarinet with the sculpted timbres of analog and digital synthesis, All the Light of Our Sphere is rich in both intimacy and scale. Each track was recorded live—no overdubs, no beat tracks, no MIDI grids—resulting in a dynamic, organic listening experience where narrative arcs unfold and motifs transform in real time.
The project began after Dickson and Familiar met while performing separate sets at an electronic music night in 2024. Though coming from different musical worlds—Dickson a leader in avant-klezmer with Naftule’s Dream, and Familiar a mainstay of Boston’s synth underground—both artists found common ground in their approach to motif development, tonal modulation, and immersive structure.
The album rejects the static drone typical of much ambient music in favor of evolving textures, layered loops, and melodic arcs. Dickson brings to the collaboration looping and electronic manipulation of his clarinet—techniques familiar from his acclaimed 2022 ambient solo album Wider than the Sky. Familiar contributes sounds from the expressive Osmose keyboard, the shimmering Rhodes piano, and a suite of modern processors and loop stations to construct deeply human digital landscapes.
From the somber build of opener "When Fortune Laid the Trojans Low" to the radiant, ecstatic closer "And Even Yours is Mine," the album navigates light and shadow, dissonance and resolution. Highlights include:
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"Words Set Free from Doubt" – soaring clarinet over ecclesiastical synths
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"Just One Inch in a Hundred Years" – a meditative journey of layered harmony
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"Sweet Seed from Bitter Fruit" – pastoral, blissful, and hauntingly melodic
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"Pretending She Was Someone Else" – exotic modalism meets harmonic unease
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"When the Mist Thins" – a rhythmic, melodic clearing of atmospheric fog
With glowing tones, evolving improvisations, and a narrative sense of flow, All the Light of Our Sphere offers a transportive listening experience. As George Harris (Jazz Weekly) wrote of Dickson’s prior work, “A kind of mix of Eno and Eastern Europe takes place, combining sound-scapes and vocal-like passions.”
About the Artists
Glenn Dickson is widely recognized as a master clarinetist and composer, known for his work with Naftule’s Dream, Shirim, and Hypnotic Clambake. He has recorded for labels including Tzadik, Innova, Rykodisc, and Newport Classic, and has performed at major jazz festivals across North America and Europe. He studied microtonality and improvisation with Joe Maneri and has collaborated with Maurice Sendak and NPR’s Ellen Kushner. His solo ambient debut Wider than the Sky earned critical praise in 2022.
Bob Familiar is a Boston-based synthesist and composer with deep roots in rock and electronic music. Formerly of The Dark, November Group, and Death in Venice, he’s released 22 albums of ambient and electronic work inspired by literary and philosophical themes. He’s co-founder of the Ambient Arcana podcast, executive board member of the New England Synthesizer Community, and a regular contributor to the New England Synthesizer Festival. His performances feature expressive improvisation, live looping, and richly designed sonic landscapes.
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