Prosad on Sitar; Xavier Rudd on Yidaki

I recently had the great pleasure to be part of a recording session for Xavier Rudd’s new album, “Spirit Bird”

From Xavier’s Facebook Page:

“ONE day to join many peoples together in musical harmony and blissful unity to sing and share a vibration that will be felt world wide. MUSIC ~ a universal language that connects us all… truly a powerful medicine! Chi Miigwetch (thank you) to everyone who shared their beautiful voice and powerful, positive energy!”

It was an amazing and powerful day.  We were there with the Ohni:kara Singers from the Mohawk First Nation near the Niagara Region.  Actually, Ohnia:kara is a Mohawk word describing “the neck between two bodies of water” – the origin of the English word Niagara.

The day was a coming together of people from many cultures and Nations.  There was a unofficial Pow Wow and afterward we recorded vocals for Xavier’s new album, “Spirit Bird”.  It is hard to describe the atmosphere that day unless you were there, but here are a few words to start with:

“Powerful”, “Harmonious”, “Love”, “Healing”, “Indigenous”, “Earth”, “Centered”, “Moving”, “Transformation”, “Family”, “Oneness”, “One Love, One Mob”, “Stories”, “Connected”…

I could go on, but this gives you a good idea of what the vibe was.  I found Xavier to be a man on a mission. His purpose is to defend aboriginal rights, protect mother earth and bring people together with music.  I have great respect for someone who uses music as a tool to share happiness, healing and spread a worthwhile message as I am trying to do the same with my own music!

The day began with Xavier sharing the story of the Spirit Bird (the inspiration for the album title) and singing a moving song for us about the struggle and hardship that Aboriginal people have endured.  Afterward, we recorded vocals on two songs for Xavier’s new album and then had time to listen to the Ohnia:kara singers recording their powerful voices and drumming.

Check Out the Ohnia:kara Singers:

Phil Davis, one of the singers explained to me (this is my understanding of what he shared) that in the Mohawk language, there is no word for drum.  The word for drum is “heartbeat” and it represents the heartbeat of Mother Earth.  I have great respect for our First Nation People in Canada and all around the world.  They were the stewards of the earth for at least Fifty Thousand years (likely longer) and lived in harmony,  sustainability and balance.  In just a few hundred years, our Western Culture has brought the Earth to the brink of destruction.  If we are to continue to grow and survive, we must learn from each other.  We must learn from the aboriginal Elders how to live in harmony with our Mother – the Earth that gives us life.  We must blend the old ways with the modern ways and discover new methods of being – new ways of living in balance with each other and the planet.

This amazing day was full of cross-cultural exchange, music and the “one love” vibration.  This is what music and community is meant to be.

Here is a short slide show from the day:

After the recording there was food, jamming and and general good vibes.

I brought my sitar that day to play a bit for Xavier.  After hearing me, he picked up a Yidaki (didgeridoo) and we had an amazing jam session.  The Ohni:kara singers were drumming and the energy in the room was electric.  It was such an awesome moment.  My respect to Xavier Rudd, Phil Davis, Penny J. Bowers, Steven Baranyai and all the other Mohawk Singers.  Also, thanks to Rosie for organizing the day!

I look forward to jamming again soon, and hearing the new album!

Hello friends and fans,

I am happy to say that the blog is up and running again.   After an amazing 5 months overseas, I am back in Toronto and enjoying performing all over the city during this awesome summer!

I have new friends all over the world and many stories to tell from India, Australia and New Zealand.

In the coming weeks I will be posting more stories and videos from my trip.

For now I will leave you with something new and something old.

Something new:

Above is a photo of myself and Gary Diggins performing our trademarked blend of World Music for a guided Yoga class.

We played sitar, hang, didgeridoo, guitar, ngoni, bansuri, kalimba, drums and more… It was like an unplugged “Café Del Mar” -a journey around the world… to places like Africa, India and Australia.  More events like this will be coming in the near future.   Thanks to Dave Boire for taking the great photo!

Below is a photo from my trip to India – a young boy selling a pendant of Ganesh in the market.  This was in Hrishikesh – the “Yoga Capital of the World” and the place where the Beatles visited the Maharishi in the 1960’s; a visit which inspired many songs from the white album.  It was an amazing odyssey to say the least!

See you next week!!

All the best,

Prosad

Prosad’s new Meditation CD is officially available online!  Perfect for Yoga and Meditation; relax and sooth your mind and body with “Infinite Ocean”.

Download Album: Infinite Ocean ($15.00 or $7 per track)
Buy CD: Infinite Ocean ($19.95)

The music on this CD contains three meditative journeys that will sooth and transport the listener to a relaxed state of being.

Each track is 23 minutes in length.

The first track features ocean sounds, enchanting Indian flute and a powerful mantra from the Upanishads. This mantra (Poornamadah) was revealed by the sages who understood that sound and vibration have the proven ability to bring tranquility and strength to the heart and mind.

The Second track is instrumental and features the beautiful bamboo flute.

The third track is nature’s perfection: the soothing sound of ocean waves.

The ocean waves, ancient chanting, soul-stirring flute and deep ethereal drones will transport you into a peaceful and relaxing state, where the mind is free and the spirit is calm.

This music is perfect for yoga, meditation, relaxation and as an aid to achieving deep and restful sleep.

The Meaning:

Poornamadah:

Om Poornamadah Poornamidung
Poornaat Poornam-Udachyate
Poornasya Poornamaadaaya
Poornamevaa-Vashishyate

That is Infinite:

That is infinite. This is infinite.
From that infinite arises this infinite.
And that infinite remains infinite.

- Isha Upanishad (and Brihadaranyaka Upanishad)
- Translation by Tulshi Sen, from Ancient Secrets of Success

“The wave on the ocean and the ocean itself are one.
The spark has all the power to become the same blaze as the fire that generates it
So the infinite source of all life has implanted itself in the heart of human consciousness
Just waiting to be awakened” – Prosad – inspired by the teachings of Tulshi Sen.

Download Album: Infinite Ocean ($15.00 or $7 per track)
Buy CD: Infinite Ocean ($19.95)

A few weeks back, my show at the Buddha Groove was filmed live for BPM TV (an all-dance cable TV network (www.bpmtv.com).  Here is a second excerpt from the half hour segment.  The song is called “Victory”.   Thanks to Declan O’Driscoll, Craig Halliday, Jacob Dickie (who made the beats for this one), BPM TV and Buddha Groove – Cheers!

A few weeks back, my show at the Buddha Groove was filmed live for BPM TV (an all-dance cable TV network (www.bpmtv.com).  Here is one excerpt from the half hour segment.  The song is called “Tribal Funk”.   Thanks to Declan O’Driscoll, Craig Halliday, BPM TV and Buddha Groove – I love this video!  Cheers.

On Tuesday I was interviewed on www.thatchannel.com.  It was a lot of fun!  Topics included Indian music, Western music, Meditation music, the science of tuning, the history of the sitar, didgeridoo and bansuri as well as musical demonstrations of all of the above.  Total view time is approximately 28 min.  Thanks to Hugh Reilly, Natalie, and all the crew at ThatChannel. Enjoy!

Prosad Interview at ThatChannel.com from Prosad Music on Vimeo.

When I was in New Zealand last year I met a great surfer named Luke Darby.  He lives right on Piha beach with awesome flatmates Matt and Dana.  You can see the waves right from their balcony and if they are breaking just right you can be in the surf in about 30 sec.  The day I arrived happened to be one of the best days of the summer!  Luke also happens to be an aspiring film maker and he got some great footage that day and created an amazing video using my song, “I Am Free”.  I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.  It was an epic day of surfing that I won’t soon forget.  Here is Luke’s website: http://www.zepher.co.nz