THE EARTH IS IN CONCERT this very moment. When was the last time you opened your mind and heart to her subtle rhythms of song? Every canyon, every clifftop, every grassy hillside and empty valley echo a sound. Life is a living concert for those that are not limited to hearing with their ears. Each element, every species, the sky, the moon, the planets and stars, all generate an astoundingly beautiful collective symphony.

When was the last time you listened to your life through your skin? We're built for sensory experience, and yet so many of us fail to take our senses out of context and apply them in new ways. Have you ever tasted fresh corn on the cob through your fingers? Or looked at the Earth through your toes? We often make comments about feeling something within our "heart of hearts", but how about listening through the ears within our ears? Have you ever sat in meditation just listening to the sound of your own biology? Do you recognize it as a frequency of celebration? Do you whistle while you work?

It is known that many common animal sounds are actually songs in celebration of life. We have a tendency to think birdsong, or the crowing of the rooster at dawn, or perhaps the language of dolphins and whales to be the extent of this phenomena, but there's so much more to it than this. Many animals offer a unique song to creation each day and yet most go unnoticed by us.

Many of us are animal lovers and have pets. I have two dogs which I call "my masters". I don't know about yours but mine are very vocal with song. They sigh, they trumpet, they yawn aloud, they chirp different sets and levels of barks when they wish to communicate danger than when they wish to engage me in their play. They're incredibly gifted at communicating in song.

There are many songful moments that take place in all our lives, and yet so many go unnoticed. The purpose of my final article this month is really nothing more than to just offer a reminder to "listen"... as there is so much magic in life that passes us by and goes unexplored.

One of my personal favorite song celebrations in the animal kingdom is that of the legendary Gibbons. Gibbons are one of the smallest species in the ape family, tailless and yet they live high in the trees of southeastern Asia. Every morning just before sunrise they ascend to the top of the tree branches and begin to trill their highest note possible. Literally trembling in ecstatic union with the arrival of dawn's first light, their song's beauty is neverending. The experience is clearly a celebration, perhaps spiritually orgasmic for them, one might deduce by their passionate expression. Though most interesting, perhaps, is that the moment the sunlight begins to warm them, to clothe them, there is a sudden de-crescendo while they instinctively fall into a state of grace with the light.

When was the last time you enjoyed nature at night? When was the last time you drove to the edge of the sea and enjoyed the massage of the waters upon earth's shore? When was the last time you laid your chest upon the heart of a loved one and explored the beat of their living drum? What about laying your head upon the earth and listened to her magma core churn beneath you? How many of you actually hear the universal shifts in frequency that take place routinely as we move through astrological events?

Life is a living chorus of tones. Don't let it pass by without hearing the roses as they explode from stem to blossom. Don't let it pass by without hearing the trees yawn, stretch, and surrender every last leaf. There is a lovesong in you just waiting to be released. Engage life.

May I wish you great joy and thank you for supporting our many wonderful recording artists in this column. I leave you with three selections this month, all of which have something uniquely gorgeous to share.

Beloved Self,
Aven

ChakraDance
Jonathan Goldman


This is dance music with a purpose! Designed to resonate and balance the energy centers of the body it is extremely therapeutic and transformative. This is without a doubt one of the most exciting pieces of music to emerge this year, one that I sense will bridge many cultures and bring psychoacoustic sound to many new young minds.

If you are unaware who the multitalented Jonathan Goldman is, now is your chance to find out. For more than 20 years he's diligently studied, researched and experimented with different tones, chants and frequencies that affect our chakras. He has crafted some of my most cherished "healing meditations", written books on healing sounds and shifting frequencies, but ChakraDance takes his combined talent, knowledge of chanting and healing resonance to a entirely new level, the dance floor!

From the first cut I was enthralled, unable to sit still, my body involuntarily went into motion, marking time with the ancient cycles of life. This is multidimensional recording if ever I've experienced it. I particularly loved the overlays of occasional spoken word by both male and female voices. There's an etheric presence when it's all combined, yet it's not overly done. The narration segments are guiding, yet not demanding. They're more suggesting and provocative, allowing the listener to access her/his own gateway. You've got to hear this.

The CD begins with the base chakra and in roughly seven total, eight-minute recordings, ascends the human body to its crown. Offering a shower of percussive light to cleanse the subtle body, there is a definitive series of physical graduations that are transduced within the heart.

By now most everyone is familiar with the ancient story of the Greek Oracle who directed that the Olympic games be created to end global war? Well it might be said that Jonathan's music was created in the same light, bringing us all together on the dancefloor. May you enjoy!

To purchase ChakraDance click here.
To find out more about Jonathan click here.

Heaven Sent
Jessie Allen Cooper & Buddy Kithara

Originally a 1984 debut album, Heaven Sent, offers a dinstinctive contemporary environment, weaving sounds of nature with saxophone and kalimba. This is a very special recording for several reasons, but primarily in how it was conceived.

As the story goes, in the mid 1970's Jessie stumbled upon Buddy after a jam session. During an impromptu conversation they discovered that not only had they been born the say day, same year, but also in the same city and state, Everett, Washington. They were, in fact, astrological twins with many things in common.

Soon after, they began writing songs together and booked a studio to create their first recording. Sadly the engineer cancelled at the last minute, but this event didn't stop them from their attaining their goal. That evening, in a one-hour time period, having set up their instruments in a four-storey cement hallway, in a stream of consciousness improvisation, the music of Heaven Sent was created and simultaneously recorded. This is that recording.

I find this music to be pure and moving, uplifting, sensual in places, even to the point of exotic with many of its divinely inspired kalimba rhythms. It's raw and quite timeless as a result. Had I not known its original release date, I'd have never guessed it was twenty years ago.

This is a current favorite of mine for the long summer afternoons with family, cooking outdoors or sitting in silence. I hope you enjoy the continued freshness of it as I have. It has its own breeze. Clearly it is a musical composition that stands the test of time.

Listen to MP3 audio samples of Heaven Sent or if you wish to purchase this CD please click here.

Samurai Collection
Pacific Moon: Various Artists

Japanese flute and Asian drumming are the forté of this wonderful CD. With rich landscapes and a variety of composers it is the perfect introduction piece for one desiring to explore new culture or celebrate their own.

The titles are wonderfully chosen, conveying the simplest yet most poignant of images that are more than sustained by the mastercrafted beauty within each song. There is a continuous flow, a powerful transfer of epic images as one moves through each individual soundscape.

Loaded with wonderful accents each piece is polished to perfection and will leave you feeling as though you've had a wholistic experience. While some clearly have a western influence many are very traditional. I am honored to share this recording with you, among so many that Pacific Moon has shared with us. And yes, to my knowledge they are still including the free incense in their jewel box cases. Much love, A.

Listen to audio samples of The Samurai Collection or if you wish to purchase this CD please click here.

© Avenescent, 2004

Editor's Note: This is the final installment of the Sound On column. We would like to recreate it in the next few months and are seeking a new contributor/reviewer. If you have a desire to write and you enjoy reviewing music, we would love to hear from you. Please contact us here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Avenescent Thomas is a freelance artist, photographer, masseur, reiki master and spiritual transformationalist native to southern California. He enjoys all forms of music, having grown up playing several instruments and singing for several musical groups. He loves working with sound, people, cameras, computers, glass, natural sculpture, exploring zen, non-dualism and every fiber of nature. Prior to being a healer he was a social worker for the state of Washington. He can be contacted here and welcomes correspondence.