"The classical music of Northern India has had a pro-found influence on me ever since I heard Ravi Shankar in concert (in Boston circa 1971). I was also fortunate to have had a great Sitar teacher, Ram Chakravarty of Benares. That said, I always felt hesitant about using this music in any other context; I felt that it would be somehow disrespectful or sacrilegious to present Indian music in a Western setting or to alter it in any way.
Although there are many musical works out there that are experimental in the East/West fusion realm (including several works by Ravi Shankar himself), it was hearing Ali Akbar Khan’s Garden of Dreams that finally changed my thinking. In fact, Akbar Khan’s piece sounded like a “permission” by one of India’s all-time great musicians for this hallowed music to be allowed a “Western treatment” with harmony, Western instruments, and musicians such as Jai Uttal, all partaking in a wonderful musical feast. A new doorway opened, through which I eagerly entered
This album is one such journey into this New World." –Stevin McNamara
TRACK LIST
1. Aubade
2. Searching the Inner Sky
3. May Fortune Smile
4.Heartsong Celebration