Soaking In Music

Whales have always been a strong symbol for me. They are the slow, strong, intuitive adventurers of the unconscious. They are steady and speak in song. When I was in Hawaii a few months ago, I woke up at 4 a.m. to the sound of whales singing only about fifty feet from where I slept. It was amazing.

This past week I’ve been soaking in music. I don’t have a bathtub right now at my place, so I’ve been relaxing, submerged in sound waves. Although I can't breathe underwater, music sure makes me feel like I can.  I started the week out with The Creole Choir Of Cuba, a stunning group of creative voices. Vocally, they are dynamic and gutsy, offering a wild harmonic and rich rhythmic celebration for the listener’s ear. I traveled to Cuba a few years ago and was amazed at the rich music everywhere I turned. Mid-week I found myself floating in Pierre Bensusan, a French guitarist/songwriter who for me represents authenticity and poetry moving in musical form. Bensusan is so Bensusan, if you know what I mean. I can’t really compare him to anyone. This is when I know a voice has found itself...when it is so undeniably original that it reaches in and touches me with an authentic resonance and I can’t bare to compare it to anyone, because it deserves to exist alone. I dipped into a bit of Fela Kuti, Lennon, and Sia as well. Musically, this week has been about as diverse as they come. Read more...

Sitting at the piano yesterday, I found myself reflecting on why I keep returning to the practice of getting vocal - the engaged expression of voice, song, poetry. What is it that pulls me back over and over again to the piano, and to the practice of songwriting? I think expressing my life force through music ignites a pioneering spirit in me that I value deeply. When I sing and song write I feel a rush of energy that can be compared to feeling ageless, timeless, boundless, and invincible. Being on the open dirt road of a song, with a million little roads shooting off it in every direction, is thrilling. I don’t sing out of obligation. I don’t do it because I think I should. I sing because it makes me feel fully alive. To me, the process of “finding the voice” is a moving metaphor for the larger concept and endeavor of expressing our uniqueness and creativity out loud. Life is a short song in itself. I am a fan of finding what fully engages me AND also what fills me with a feeling of possibility and freedom. 

Take a moment and think about a few people in your life who fill you with this kind of energy. Who and what makes you feel most alive? How about a few artists/musicians? I’d love you to share the music that you’ve been listening to this week in the comments section. Continue soaking and submerging in that which sets your soul singin. -A