The Whole Music Experience

Soaring Music & Ancient Keys I first encountered Sound Healer/Researcher/Musician Jill Mattson when she joined my Musical Healers group on Linked In.  Since joining the group, Jill has contributed a wealth of information to the group while also sharing her vast array of recordings, books, and sound healing tools via her website and videos. This is actually a truncated version of the full interview transcript with Jill.  I encourage you to visit her website (listed at the bottom) and check out her e-books along with other materials.  Jill's work is provocative, bold, and insightful.  You'll never think of sound and music the same way again.  Whole Music Exp: How did you become interested in ancient musical practices? Jill Mattson: I have been a musician since I was five, so the love of music was a natural thing. Later, I wrote an autobiography of God, thinking I would understand the Bible from God’s point of view; how enlightening is that? Q...

World / Jazz   Maracatu New York   Baque Do Brooklyn   Nation Beat Music   There’s nothing quite as enticing as Brazilian poly rhythms married to New Orleans jazz and that’s the best way to describe Maracatu New York’s CD Baque Do Brooklyn .   This soulful stew of Afro-Latin grooves gets the heart pumping and the feet dancing.   The music feels like a samba parade entered the room followed by a Mardi-Gras band.   The opener, Roda Baiana sounds pure carnival with New Orleans brass kicking into full gear.   With Samba Lê Lê Brazil beats and vocals meet New Orleans brass and we feel Yoruba gods hanging around.   American percussionist Scott Kettner and his crew of horn players, drummers, and vocalists introduce listeners to the delicious world of drum jam sessions such as on Parada with its power samba drums.   We’re off to the Bayou on Voo Doom with Mark Marshall on slide-guitar.   And we h...

Photo by Patricia Herlevi, Bellingham, WA Since my previous post on relaxing with classical music has attracted attention, let's experiment with the opposite--that is let's add vitality to our step and energize our bodies.  Psycho-acoustic experts tell us to charge the nervous system with high-tones and to increase the beats per minute to above 80 beats per minute (not that I ever know how many beats per minute music is).  However, by increasing the tempo, we raise our heartbeat rate, and increase the overall tempo in our bodies, thus giving us more energy. We don't want to get our adrenaline rushing or create fight or flight in our bodies since this isn't healthy.  So I'm not asking you to increase the volume of music, play booming bass and drums or blast yourself with screeching electric guitar.  But then I doubt any of you were planning on doing that since you already know what's healthy for you and what causes you tension and unease. I'm going to...

Face it, many of us are feeling like we're a high wire act these days so staying balanced and grounded feels challenging.  When we feel stress, tension, or too much chaos in the world we need to take time out and retreat either into silence or with relaxing classical music. You could even listen to new age or other types of music, but I choose classical music specifically because we know the key of each piece.  Also with classical music, you can bet that the second movement of a concerto or even a symphony will slow down and provide a respite, but more so with the concertos.  I feel that chamber music provides the most relaxation since the brain doesn't go into overdrive keeping up with several musical themes.  Solo instruments provide the most relaxation, especially instruments playing low tones--the low end of the piano, a prominent bass ostinato, cello, bassoon, etc... I'm providing you with a list of composers, compositions and 2nd movements (or whole piece...

World   Ses Co Xenio Destrozado   (With a Broken Spirit) Folmusica Never judge a CD by its cover.   When I first laid eyes on the cover for Galician folk musician Ses (Maria Xose Silvar)’s sophomore album With a Broken Spirit , I thought I would be greeted by hard rock music.   Thankfully, the CD features delightful Spanish folk music and no hard rock. While Ses provides a few old-style rock and roll songs towards the end of the CD, clearly her forte is the folkloric material that resembles Mexican rancheras at times, regional Galician at other times, and she sneaked in a Cuban rumba, Canto aquí, canto na Habana , and a tango, Rebelarse ā conciencia (beautifully performed). Ses (a nickname given to her by her family) has a good ear for jaunty melodies and an expressive voice that wraps around strings on the tango, guitars, bass, percussion and folkloric instruments on other tracks.   A simple arrangement of acoustic guitar, voice and...