When asked if he will ever play with the band Yes again, Rick Wakeman answers with a resounding, “No.” This one simple word is a huge statement coming from the man whose roots go back to the band’s 1971 classic album Fragile. Rick has made it known that he does not agree with the recent decision his former band mates made when they sought out a replacement for Yes vocalist Jon Anderson on YouTube during a time when Anderson was physically unable to perform. “What Chris [Squire], Alan [White] and Steve [Howe] do is their business and it is for them to decide what they do in the same way that I make my own decisions as to what I want to do,” Wakeman continues, “All I will say is that I did have dreams as to how I saw Yes in it’s twilight years but those dreams are now passed and totally unachievable, so life moves on.” When asked if he is angry or hurt by his band mate’s behavior Wakeman simply says, “I’ve moved on.”

Wakeman and Anderson did indeed move on and have released an album titled The Living Tree. When the inquiry is raised that perhaps the two reunited out of spite against Yes, Wakeman unequivocally states, “Absolutely not. Jon and I enjoy writing together and we have been on a parallel musical route and journey for some years now. It was really the most natural thing to do. We didn’t simply do it because we could. We did it because we felt we had something together musically that was worthwhile; that’s the principal we work on.”

The album was created with each musician in different locations. They would trade computerized music files back and forth, Anderson not sure what he would hear musically and Wakeman not sure what lyrics Jon would add to his piece. Rick admits he enjoyed this process very much, “That was one of the exciting things for me as I couldn’t wait to get the music back to find out what it had said to Jon.”

Creating music in this manner was quite different than jamming out in a rehearsal room. Wakeman believes his close bond with Anderson was key to compositional success, “Jon and I know each other unbelievably well; we know our individual strengths and weaknesses. When I was initially putting the music together I was thinking solely of Jon, his voice, his lyrical style, and I tried to give him music that would inspire him to bring the best out of himself, lyrically and thematically.” At the end of the day, Wakeman is pleased with what they accomplished, “I genuinely think the Living Tree contains some of the most meaningful lyrics Jon has ever written.”

The theme to The Living Tree is spiritual in nature. While Anderson has long spoke publicly about is beliefs, Wakeman has remained much less of an outspoken activist. This project allows him to open up about that side of his life, “We both believe in a supreme power and for me, with my Christian beliefs, that is God. I believe that all religions and beliefs actually point to the same God but I know a lot of people don’t subscribe to that,” Wakeman continues, “Personally, that doesn’t worry me. What’s important is what is in the heart and soul of an individual. Jon is very spiritual and has learned how to use this energy for positive means. I feel that when our spiritual energies combined then the end result if very special.”

Wakeman was faced with the task of having to get inside Jon Anderson’s mind in order to give The Living Tree congruency both lyrically and musically. “I just thought of Jon, his voice, his beliefs and his spirituality. If the music was inspiring me on that level then I would sent it to Jon.” Not all musical ideas were used, however, as Wakeman confesses, “A lot of music was ditched because I knew it didn’t have that connection. Likewise, a couple of the pieces I sent to Jon came back as he said he was struggling to get inside them so we simply set them to one side.”　

When it worked it was worth the effort. “House of Freedom” is one of the standout tracks on the album. Wakemen reflects on hearing Anderson’s contribution to the song for the first time, “I remember being very fired up when that piece first came back to me with the demo lyrics and themes on it. I remember sitting back in my chair in the studio with a broad grin on my face,” Wakeman continues, “Jon never ceases to surprise me and I’d like to think that I have the same effect sometimes with the musical side of things. Jon has a unique way of viewing the world and it’s stupidity and self-destruct button. He manages to bring this out, lyrically, in a very commanding way.”

Yes fans have been supportive of the musical duo and it stands to reason that they would be as both Wakeman and Anderson are two of the dominant personalities in the band’s history. Because of this, when touring in support of The Living Tree, Wakeman and Anderson created new renditions of some of their favorite Yes classics. “We played some Yes songs on tour and some of these were recorded and will come out as part of a live album later in the year. The recordings are tremendous and full of energy.”

Wakeman, considered by most Prog Rock fanatics to be the best keyboardist in the history of the genre, stops short of outstretching his arm to pat himself on the back when asked if he is indeed the best, “When you’re dealing with individuals you can’t have best, second best or Top 10. How do you compare an attacking footballer with a defensive one and say who’s best? How can one great author be better than another great author? I think all you can do is try to be the best that you can be and that’s what I have always done.”

Whether it is with Anderson on The Living Tree, Yes or even David Bowie (Wakeman played on the classic song “Space Oddity”, “I still remember that session in 1969. I got a flat fee of £9 and no royalty”) or Cat Stevens (Rick arranged the piano for the song “Morning Has Broken” of which he admits, “It was a wonderful experience and another £9) Wakeman always gives his best. His musical accomplishments are too many to list so instead of ending this interview by asking him the usual question about what song is his best work, I asked Rick instead about his worst musical moment, “You never set out to make a bad record so I’d like to think that neither Yes nor myself has a worst.”