The Whole Music Experience

Kala Ramnath and Rupak Kulkarni The Divine Wheel Sense World Music Indian classical violinist Kala Ramnath is no stranger to my ears. I have heard several of her delightful recordings and I am especially fond of her jugalbandi recordings. On one of her latest recordings, The Divine Wheel , she teams up with bansuri flute player Rupak Kulkarni. Recorded live at the Saptak Festival in India, the musicians perform Raag Jog and Raag Des . Most of the tracks are short enough for radio play with the exception of the longest track, Vilambit Gat in Ektaal which runs 23 minutes. Kulkarni's bansuri flute compliments Ramnath's violin and these two players take their listeners to transcendental heights. The live recording adds to the excitement. Listeners of this disc might wish they enjoyed front row seats at that festival performance. I have tried to listen to this CD at bedtime, but find it too active. It is definitely a daytime listening experience for me and one that captur...

courtesy of Ixtlan Recording Consortium Kevin Locke Earth Gift Ixtlan Recording Consortium Lakota flutist, storyteller and dancer Tokaheya Inajin (Kevin Locke), has tirelessly promoted culture and music to both adults and children throughout the years. His newest recording, Earth Gift offers a profound connection to this great planet through the songs of the Lakota. The recording shows Locke paying homage to the earth, to his ancestors, animal spirits, and collector of Native American songs, Frances Densmore. Producer and musician Tom Wasinger (Joanne Shenandoah & Mary Youngblood), offers his expertise on this disc. Besides producing Earth Gift , he also played cymbalom, percussion, udu and zither, not to mention instruments made directly from the natural world. Locke (rattles, vocals and flute), joins up with Doug Good Feather (lead vocals and drum), Gracie RedShirt Tyon (accompaniment vocals) and Wasinger. The end result is a recording that connects heaven and earth th...