Music & More
by Mark Maxwell Abushady • New York City

CDs

Mandala – Circle of Chant
Terry Oldfield & Soraya
www.newearthrecords.com
“Calming” is the word for this pleasant, gentle offering. The play list includes settings of the Gayatri and Om Shanti chants. Talented composer Terry Oldfield has created some lovely settings, and plays various flutes, percussion and keyboards, while spiritual/shamanic teacher/yoga practitioner Soraya plays harmonium, tempura and percussion, with both supplying the chant vocals. A translation of each chant is given in the liner notes.

Quiet Earth
Kamal
www.newearthrecords.com
Quiet Earth is ambient music in all the best senses of that term. With so many submissions in that category, truly, only the best stand out. Dreamy and hypnotic, this offering thrilled me. I found it reminiscent of Brian Eno and Harold Budd’s work. Not surprisingly, the liner notes include a nod to Brian Eno, and other composers whom Kamal acknowledges as inspirational to him. While certainly useful for healing work and meditation, the music will engender a stillness and peace in and of itself.

OM guitar – Acoustic Meditation Music
Steven McNamara
www.soundstrue.com
Heavily influenced by Indian classical music, OM guitar presents a unique and interesting use of the guitar. This tried and true instrument is lifted from its many genres and seems quite comfortable “singing” in a new voice. Most notably on the cut “May Fortune Smile,” which pairs a hypnotically wandering melody with rhythmic slaps upon the body of the guitar; the whole piece consisting only of sounds made by the guitar strings and body. A refreshingly unique and pleasing offering.

Circling From Above
Jon Diaz
www.jondiaz.com
Here is a fascinating, eclectic mix of pieces drawing upon modalities from different cultures and countries. Composer and guitarist Jon Diaz plays with great skill, and creates an album which moves from classical to rock to jazz to latin to middle-eastern to Indian, and on. Joined at times by various strings, percussion, wailing vocals, and world instruments, Circling From Above has a striking inventiveness and appeal about it.

Lullaby For My Favorite Insomniac
Ahn Trio
www.ahntrio.com
You gotta love the title! Being one myself, I looked forward to playing this. The title track is but one in a varied program which includes Rodger’s & Hart’s “My Funny Valentine” (which starts off as an odd tango; very interesting arrangement), “This is Not America” (David Bowie/Pat Metheny/Jurgen Dahmen), and a host of lesser known but equally compelling titles, some very “new age,” others quite classical in feel. The beautiful Trio is Lucia Ahn (piano), Maria Ahn (cello), and Angella Ahn (violin). The album is well, but not overly, produced and, far from what the title suggests, will reward an attentive listener with subtleties and unusual arrangements. “Heart Asks Pleasure First” is one of many notable cuts. An excellent offering.

Films

The Happiness Prescription: The Secret to Experiencing a Joyful Life
Deepak Chopra
Gaiam
www.chopra.com
I admit to being a bit of a skeptic. In this case, while I liked my initial exposure to Mr. Chopra’s writings, after a time, I wondered at how “commercial” he seemed to have become, as book after book, a multitude of products, etc. appeared everywhere, along with lots of press. Happily, my opinion has shifted, as I was blown away by the scope of this offering, and the wonderful integration of spiritual, religious, psychological and medical disciplines Mr. Chopra offers.
The film is a taped lecture; a program which appeared on PBS. Made up of three segments: “What is Happiness?” “The Eight-Fold Path” and “Ten Keys to Happiness,” Mr. Chopra demonstrates his laudable talent for communicating spiritual principles with ease and clarity. I found myself actively note-taking, beyond my notes for this review, as he discussed the “molecules of emotion,” happiness, well-being, the nature of reality, consciousness, imagination, materialism, oneness, cognitive therapy, existential suffering, and more, all with humor and wisdom. Mr. Chopra’s material draws heavily upon Buddhist teachings, contextualizing them in many ways; from contemporary tales to scientific studies. As a bonus, the lecture was capped with the best post-lecture question and answer session I’ve ever heard – questions of universal interest and terrific, in-depth answers.
This program is offered as a two DVD set. The second DVD has a recap of the principles, along with a body awareness exercise, a mantra exercise, and a host of mini-meditation exercises based on the Ten Keys to Happiness. Happily and highly recommended.

Mark Maxwell Abushady is an actor, singer, designer and photographer based in New York City.