The energy we create is not only a connection on stage. It is a circle that connects the musicians on-stage to the audience as well. That energy returns after being processed by the audience back to the stage, for the musicians to take in and and build upon, then returning back to the listeners, creating a elevated focused cyclical energy around the creative musical moment we share.” (Pianist, Marc Cary)
Our communities outside of musical experience today are also extensions of circles, connected by moments and influences that inspire us. Their sources offer to quench our thirst for knowledge. We are drawn to the source of these influences; they call to us from within ourselves. These influences and their sources, ultimately, help define us.
We are in a place now where we often forget to acknowledge, or are indifferent to these influences. But if we reflect on and convey our history, and our influences on each other, we can get closer to these sources and learn how they have evolved us as a connected people. We can find and follow the circle’s path.
The goals and results of this focused cyclical energy can, unfortunately, also be terrifying in their potential for hatred and destruction. The Cree Indian activist-poet-musician Buffy Saint-Marie sings, “Blame the angels, blame the fates, blame the Jews or your sister Kate. Teach your children who to hate, and the big wheel turns around and around.” (Little Wheel Spin and Spin). If we can accept that this moment does not exist in a vacuum, then we realize that our place today is built on the connections to our past. For good or bad, the history and the connections are written, and now we must evolve from this point forward.
To truly appreciate ourselves we must learn our history, so we can positively affect and contribute towards our collective evolution. Today we often lose sight of these connections and our own history, but as creative minds, we must acknowledge our sources and help the circle of evolution circle back with an elevated and enlightened perspective. Or else, we are giving less than the best of ourselves.
1. Little Wheel Spin and Spin 05:17
2. Taiwa 05:33
3. Innocence in Harlem 06:48
4. Come Take Everything (Intro) 03:37
5. Come Take Everything 06:44
6. Two Faces of the Moon 06:25
7. Tyagaraja Dreams in Brooklyn 07:07
8. With Blessings 08:44
9. Crows at Sunset (Intro) 02:19
10. Crows at Sunset 06:16
11. Run For the Red Fort 03:41
12. Prog-Raag Bhimpalasi 11:21
Marc Cary - Wurlitzer, Synthesizer, FX
Jay Gandhi - Bansuri Flute
Arun Ramamurthy - Violin
Marika Hughes - Cello
Trina Basu - Violin
Rashaan Carter - Bass, FX
Guest:
Neel Murgai - Sitar (Tracks 5, 7, 11, 12)
Brandee Younger - Harp (Tracks 1, 2)
Pawan Benjamin - (Tracks 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12)
Morley Kamen - Vocal (Track 1)
