Meditation in Motion
Life Cycles creates a relaxing yet stimulating listening experience. Musical instruments, styles and cultures from around the world are smoothly blended into a rich but lighthearted panorama of contemporary rhythms and ancient tonalities.
Instruments from around the world create textures and timbres in a style I call Electronic Impressionism. Sounds from different cultures blend into a thematic journey from birth, through the growth of reason and understanding, the accumulation of knowledge, the spiritual awakening, and the triumphant return home to celebrate the victory and share the wisdom.
This album has been recorded entirely from instrument sample libraries. No live instruments and no microphones were used in the creation of this work. While some of the performances are ethnic examples by the musicians who created the samples, most are played in real time on keyboard by the composer/improviser/interpreter. The one exception is the final piece, Mr. Toad. This is a tabla and djembe jugalbandi, or duet. The solos are constructed from existing solo fragments overlaid on a background lhera, or ostinato line.
An extended intro of a form I call "American Alap" is followed by a dream of soaring over a steam-powered carousel
A native bansuri melody introduces the story of a young boy's quest for spiritual awakening
Navaho word for harmonizing with one's surroundings, "going with the flow." A youth choir introduces the evolving, multifacted theme.
The Tibetan Rag Dun horn and Chinese Zheng open this tribal celibration welcoming the young women of the village into adulthood.
The Wisdom of generations forms the essence of a two-headed old man who shuffles along while one head smiles and laughs and the other warns and scowls.
Wind Dancer, driving but ethereal, this is movement with purpose, process with rhythm.
A Chinese Temple Flute and Angklung duet precedes a dynamic, percussive rendering of the main themes.
Having sucessfully unlocked the knowledge hidden in his dreams, the young boy, now a man, returns home.
From the Tlingit. A group of Eastern instruments leads to a rhythmic contrapuntal dance of joy and love.
"Everything is one," a phrase from the Nuu-chah-nulth peoples of Vancouver and Vancouver Island.
Hulusi and Angklung play off each other to open heaven's gate. Guzhen and piano expand on the theme of redemption.
Based on Raga Todi, this is a triumphant tabla and djembe jugalbandi, or duet, giving closure to the cycle and allowing the beginning of the next.
