Curved Air was a 1970s British rock group featuring a female lead singer, Sonja Kristina, and Darryl Way playing electric violin. That sensuous, seductive, drop-dead gorgeous voice — not to mention her way with words — is what got Sonja Kristina hired as singer for Curved Air in 1968. Just to make sure she had everyone’s attention, though, she wore an outfit that bowled everyone over.

"I thought Curved Air’s music was powerfully moody, and, as individuals, the band were intense and charismatic," says Kristina. "I auditioned in green corduroy flowing robes and green shades and played them a couple of my songs, including ‘Melinda More or Less.’ We got on well, and yes, I felt honored to have been chosen to sing with these very gifted young musicians. Also, I was happy to be able to contribute lyrics for them, since many of their tunes had no words."

Words often fail to adequately describe Curved Air’s potent progressive-rock wizardry — a transfixing, supernatural mix of acoustic folk, classical influences, jazz fusion, electronics and rock elements that fluctuates from dramatic and stormy to quietly intellectual and reflective. Blessed with a cast of virtuoso musicians, Curved Air’s origins can be traced back to 1968 and the Royal Academy of Music in London, England. There, friends Florian Pilkington-Miksa, a drummer, and Rob Martin, a bassist, met guitarist and keyboardist extraordinaire Francis Monkman, and commenced jamming. Not long after, Monkman met Royal College of Music student Darryl Way in a London music shop, and Way would introduce the group to pianist Nick Simon. Together, they formed the band Sisyphus, but Simon would depart, leaving Monkman to man keyboards and guitar. The defection also brought a name change, which referenced Terry Riley’s composition "A Rainbow in Curved Air."

One of the group’s early gigs involved serving as the pit band for the play "Who the Murderer Was." Meanwhile, singer Sonja Kristina was performing in the London production of "Hair." Looking for new challenges, Kristina was persuaded by her manager, the folk music impresario Roy Guest, to try out for Curved Air.

All these years later, Kristina and a couple of her Curved Air cohorts — Pilkington-Miksa and violinist Way — have reunited, recorded a new album, Reborn, and will be touring as well.
"I believe this project will remind audiences of the influences of the fertile, mystical ’60s as they enjoy watching Curved Air sharing the stage once more," says Kristina. Reborn comes 40 years after the formation of Curved Air, a band that transcended most of what passed for progressive-rock back then.

"Curved Air was a superb and extraordinary band unlike any other progressive-rock band before or since," says Kristina. "Darryl Way was one of the first musicians to play electric violin in a rock band. A flamboyant showman, he exploited the limits of the instrument by utilizing cutting-edge technology. Francis Monkman’s guitar playing is wild and expressive, and his lifelong fascination and skill with manipulating frequencies and creating eerie sonic worlds and atmospheres has always given Curved Air’s music an edge that is unique." It’s Kristina’s feeling that Reborn won’t tarnish that legacy one bit.

"Darryl and Francis’ classical training and hunger for fresh and extraordinary sounds and off-beat musical forms brought about the creation of truly classic masterpieces," says Kristina. "Our hope is that our music will be as refreshing to today’s generation as it was when first composed. Any new pieces conceived out of this time will reflect the quality and dynamic tension that can produce important new work."
Equaling Curved Air’s early- to mid-’70s output would be a quite a feat. With Kristina on board and its sound becoming more defined, Curved Air signed with Warner Bros. Between 1970 and 1976, Curved Air released seven albums, including its debut, Air Conditioning, which reached #8 on the British charts.

Interestingly enough, especially as far as collectors go, that album — which featured the single "It Happened Today" and "Vivaldi," a crowd favorite — was released in picture-disc form. "Picture discs were just being developed as a new style of packaging," recalls Kristina. "A pressing plant in Holland were the only manufacturers, and our representatives learned of this and pressed up a limited run of the Air Conditioning picture disc. It was the first in the U.K." Always on the cutting edge, be it packaging or something more musical in nature, Curved Air rose above circumstances — namely, waves of personnel turnover — that would have destroyed lesser acts to make quality records that never pandered to the lowest common denominator.

Martin was the first to depart in the spring of 1970. He was replaced by Ian Eyre, and Curved Air didn’t skip a beat, responding with the glowing single "Back Street Luv," which shot to #4 and wound up being the group’s biggest hit. "The music for ‘Back Street Luv’ was written by Darryl Way," says Kristina. "At the time, we all lived together in a flat in Hampstead. I based the song on a period in my teens when, at 15, I skipped school to spend time with a man I was attracted to who was 24. I spent those days learning hard lessons about men and sex and love."

Curved Air was about to experience hardship of its own. Despite the success of "Back Street Luv," Second Album failed to capitalize on its momentum, rising only to #11. In 1972, Curved Air birthed Phantasmagoria, a stunning work of complexity and artistry that contained Monkman’s epic "Phantasmagoria" suite. Again, however, despite a third straight Top 20 showing, sales were disappointing, and, within the band, creative tensions bubbled to the surface, causing the band to implode.

"The tensions were then the same as they are now," says Kristina. "Only then the individuals were less mature and were also exhausted from constant touring. Darryl and Francis were developing very different sensibilities with writing and production. An artistic balance was achieved by Darryl composing half the material and Francis the other — effectively one side of the album each. I also was pleased to record my song, "Melinda More or Less," on this album. I think the writing of both composers was very fertile at this time." Left to her own devices, with only bassist Mike Wedgwood still on board — he had replaced Eyre for Phantasmagoria — Kristina kept the band name and recruited a whole new cast of musicians, including teen wunderkinds Kirby Gregory (guitar) and Eddie Jobson (violin, synths), and Jim Russell (drums). "The transition was amicable," says Kristina. "Eddie Jobson and Kirby were only 17. Eddie was a brilliant violinist and keyboard player, and Kirby a true, rough-edged rock guitarist. Jim Russell was a solid rock drummer. The album we recorded was very strong, and the shows always matched the energy of the previous lineup and were very well received by the fans. The new players were introduced in a concert just before Darryl left the band. Both Eddie and Kirby used this opportunity as a springboard to very successful careers. "

Together, they released Air Cut in 1973, but they wouldn’t last. Reports were that a second album, Love Child, was shelved when this version of Curved Air broke up. Jobson replaced Brian Eno in Roxy Music, and Wedgwood emerged with Caravan. A year later, however, Curved Air’s original core reunited with new American bassist Phil Kohn, to tour, and the group’s 1974 live album received loads of critical acclaim. The Curved Air roster remained in a constant state of flux. Various incarnations would carry the torch, including one that included future Police drummer Stewart Copeland that made two last Curved Air retorts, the Midnight Wire and Airborne LPs. Copeland and Kristina would marry in 1982.

"Stewart Copeland was the brother of Miles Copeland, who managed and promoted the 1974 Curved Air reunion tour and the ensuing Live Album," says Kristina. "Stewart had just arrived in England after studying at Berkley University in California. He had been jamming with Darryl and was the tour manager for the reunion concert tour. My eyes met Stewart’s across the rehearsal room as Curved Air were gearing up for the 1974 tour. We stayed together from that moment for the next 16 years. When Darryl decided to continue Curved Air after that tour he asked Stewart to join on drums. Stewart’s playing was busy, exciting and powerful. He was very ambitious with immense powers of concentration."

Copeland or no Copeland, the Curved Air lineups that sprouted up after the original core broke up couldn’t hold a candle to the initial collective. Kristina would admit as much, though each unit had its own charms. Now, after sporadic reunions in the ’80s and ’90s, Curved Air appears ready for whatever the future holds. "As the vocalist, I love the drama and energy [of the compositions]," says Kristina. "The lyrics have a tale to tell in each song. I feel whilst performing like a conduit for energies greater than myself. Our music is more than entertainment. I feel that it can excite and exorcise and open doors to other