voices of the earth
voices of the earth
"Voices of the Earth" consists of Bobby Seigetsu Avstreih
on shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute) and Rai Singh on
didgeridoo (Aboriginal eucalyptus log or New Mexican agave
stalk). Both the shakuhachi and the didj are naturally
hollow, and when the wind blows over them the earth herself
sings.
The repertoire and nature images of the ancient Japanese
music tradition known as Sui-Zen form the foundation for
their improvisations: the clear or breathy tones of the
shakuhachi dipping and soaring within the spacious drones
and fervent pulses of the didgeridoo.
Rai and Bobby will be joined by Shido, a master bass player
born and raised in Tokyo and now settled in Paradise
Valley, who, after years of success in jazz and rock, now
plays to reconnect with his own Zen and Shinto
contemplative traditions.
Bobby is also likely to weave in a few of the old
Appalachian mountain songs and perhaps some harmonica
phrasings, or rhythms on a Lebanese dumbek or an old
Jamaican beat-box, as the musicians prepare a feast of
cultures and musical traditions to celebrate "the wonder
of it all".
