Let’s explore today’s contemporary World Music Goddesses, from the Persian flairs of Azam Ali to the Indian devotional chanting of Donna De Lory. Looking for some new rhythms in your life? Let these lovely ladies take you for a ride on the wings of song. We’ve chosen and presented the best of the best in a wide variety of today’s world music.
We love World Music at the Astrarium because it is a wonderful way to bring world cultures both ancient and modern right into your home. Whether it’s traditional instruments and beats, devotional poetry and chanting, or new music inspired by the days of old, there’s something here for everyone. Read on and consider purchasing an album or two from these talented musicians! It helps us (find out how!) and supports some of our favorite artists!
Layne Redmond – Concert Performance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sW62ZqB21A
“Layne Redmond can still hear the faint feminine rhythms of the ancient Mediterranean world – a time filled with women frame drummers celebrating their goddesses…The frame drum is reincarnated as an instrument of power in Redmond’s hands thanks to her deft technique, ear for nuance and passion.”
-Kyle Gann, Village Voice
To get started, lets tune into the rhythms and beats of Layne Redmond, known as “Priestess of the Drum”. Layne has done a remarkable thing for the world of music in bringing the frame drum back into the spotlight. This small hand-held drum was once widely used across the ancient Mediterranean world, from Mesopotamia to Greece and Anatolia.
Her book When the Drummers Were Women: A Spiritual History of Rhythm is the culmination of her research into these ancient times, when women wielded the drum as an instrument of spiritual power and transcendence. The book also covers the advent of Christianity, which silenced women as well as their traditional music. It’s about time we brought back these sacred rhythms and the spiritual power of women, and Redmond has been doing just that since the 1980s. She’s truly a Goddess of World Music.
You’ll often hear us discussing rhythm and music across this site as a doorway into the transcendent. Our Universe is constantly in motion, a symphony of patterns and movement. Music and dance are a wonderful way to tap into that energy, to find our place in the endless motion of life. From Sufi Whirling Dervishes to African Tribal Dance and many cultures in between, music and drumming have always held a special place in reaching spiritual transcendence. Sound like a good time? You can start by checking out some of Layne Redmond’s fantastic CDs. We also recommend looking up a local Drum & Dance, to have the experience first hand. Enjoy!
Like what you hear? Our favorite Layne Redmond CD is Chanting the Chakras, which invokes the 50 Sanskrit syllables that awaken the Chakras, set to entrancing drum rhythms. Beautiful!
We also highly recommend Invoking the Muse and Trance Union. Check out Layne’s Website!
Anoushka Shankar – Rise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5J7XaXXmPw
“This [album] is not just sitar, it’s a lot more than that. There are many many musicians in this album. And more than anything it’s special to me because it is all my compositions. I really grew a lot recording this album because I just felt so much more creative during the process of it.”
–Anoushka Shankar
Anoushka Shankar, daughter of Ravi Shankar is a sitar player and musical composer specializing in Indian classical music. Having studied exclusively with her father for many years, Anoushka’s first albums Anoushka and Anourag are fantastic solo sitar compilations. As described in the above video, Anoushka’s 2005 release Rise takes us into new musical territory, blending the sitar and other Indian classical styles with a variety of vocals and instruments from around the world. We thought this behind the scenes video, which includes clips from several songs, might interest you, as it provides a deeper look into the musical diversity of this lovely album.
The album begins with the rather haunting “Prayer in Passing”, the energetic “Red Sun”, and the intense “Mahadeva”, a track devoted to the particularly destructive form of Lord Shiva, one of the Hindu holy trinity. The lyrics are from a four-line song Anoushka’s father wrote for her when she was young. While Red Sun and Mahadeva are incredibly upbeat, much of the rest of the album is very quiet and meditative, blending the subtle notes of the sitar with piano and other instruments from around the world, including didgeridoo, South American vocal percussion, and bass guitar. “Sinister Grains” combines some of these elements with Hindi vocals and an electronic undercurrent to produce a very interesting musical fusion.
We also really enjoy Anoushka’s latest CD Breathing Under Water, which she created with electronic music artist Karsh Kale. The first track “Burn” sets the tone for the album, a very interesting mix between electronic rhythms, classical sitar, and haunting vocals. The rest of the tracks follow suit, and even invite some guest singers including Sting and Anoushka’s very own half-sister Norah Jones. It’s an enjoyable CD and represents even more musical exploration on Anoushka’s part.
Like what you hear? Check out Anoushka’s latest CD Breathing Under Water, or Rise as featured in the above video.
Jenny Wilhelms – Suvetar
Suvetar, fine matron
Arise to see the seeds
Raise the matron’s corn
So that we may be spared pain
Manutar, matron of the Earth
Lift up the shoots from the ground
New shoots from the stumps
So that we may be spared pain
–Suvetar (translated from Finnish)
Jenny Wilhelms of the Finnish/Swedish band Gjallarhorn brings us this beautiful vision of Suvetar, Goddess of Spring. The video depicts several forms of this Goddess, in an interesting relationship between human and divine. The song is also quite beautiful, slowly building in the same way the harvest slowly grows toward fruition. The song then breaks down in a dance of didgeridoo, drums, and other instruments. It is a celebration of life and the life-giving forces of the Earth and the Goddess, and quite a beautiful one at that. Read the full translation from Finnish to better understand the lyrics.
Jenny’s vocals and skills on the fiddle are fantastic. She’s also learned the medieval ballads of Scandinavia, Icelandic rímur chanting and Finnish runo-chanting. Gjallarhorn’s music includes this wide array of Finnish, Swedish, and Nordic traditions across each of their four albums.
The rest of Sjofn is a playful mix of various Nordic instruments and sounds. Didgeridoo is often used as a deep base sound, while other instruments and vocals are layered on top. The album is named after the Nordic Goddess Sjofn, who awakens love and passion between people, according to the CD. Bonfires were lit in the days of old to honor her as well as other fertility Goddesses revered in the area.
We also really enjoy Gjallarhorn’s latest CD Rimfaxe, which is a departure into new territory. While still influenced by Nordic sounds and traditions, Gjallarhorn explores many new sounds in this album. We especially enjoy Kokkovirsi (Bonfire Song), a fast-paced track that feels like a ride through the forest, and Sylvklar (Silverbright) which further highlights Jenny’s vocals among a wide range of instruments.
Azam Ali – Beni Beni
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7fDj1o3TGQ
“What intrigues me most about the human voice is its ability to make all things transparent through its power of transformation. The voice is not just a conduit for words. For me it is like an abstract dream in which everything makes perfect sense.”
-Azam Ali
Azam Ali is a talented singer, composer, and world music performer born in Iran and raised in India. Her eclectic musical styles range from traditional Persian music and Sufi poetry to Electronic, Western, and Indian. Azam brings these traditions to life in a totally new way, creating what her band Niyaz calls “World Music for the 21st Century”. If you like what you hear so far, get ready, as there are many ways to experience her entrancing music and vocals. We’ll discuss Azam’s solo work, as well as her albums recorded in duo Vas and more recent trio Niyaz, who brought us the above track “Beni Beni”. In total, she’s recorded more than 8 CDs, and has also been involved in many collaborative projects, including film soundtracks. Azam is truly a multi-talented and versatile World Music Goddess.
Niyaz means “yearning” in both Persian and Urdu, and the band is composed of Azam Ali, her husband Loga Ramin Torkian, and DJ/Producer Carmen Rizzo. “Beni Beni” comes from the band’s sophomore album Nine Heavens, and was adapted from a Sufi poem and a traditional Turkish folk song. Many of Niyaz’s songs are adapted from Sufi poetry, which can be interpreted either as love songs or devotional prose honoring God. Two of the songs on Nine Heavens were inspired by the 13th century mystic and poet Amir Khosrau Dehlavi, whose “Song of Nine Heavens” served as the inspiration for the album title. Incidentally, Amir Khosrau was also the creator of Qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional chant made popular in recent years by master Qawwal Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. The album also features the meditative track “Iman”, a lullaby named after Azam and Loga’s young son, which is a restful moment in the middle of the danceable rhythms and electronic beats that make up the rest of it’s nine tracks. A second disk includes these eight rhythmic tracks recorded acoustically, making for a totally different yet still quite enjoyable musical experience.
“Don’t kill my dog, nor my rabbit, nor my deer, nor my pheasants, nor my pigeons, nor my eagles,
For the clutch of the eagle reminds me of the clutch of my lover, oh yes.”
-The Hunt, Niyaz
Niyaz’s first album Niyaz is also very much worth a look. From the haunting depths of Ghazal to the intense beats of Dilruba, this collection of tracks has it all. We especially enjoy The Hunt, a moving song adapted from a poem describing a dialog between two hunters. One hunter suggests they travel to the field, the mountain, the garden, and the well, respectively throughout the song. Each has a different animal they might hunt, but the second hunter is reminded each time of his beloved, and can’t bear to kill the animals. The song has a rhythmic quality to it, with each verse adding a new layer. Sufi poetry often reminds us of the divinity and oneness of all beings. The hunter’s ability to see his beloved in the the dream of the rabbit, the grace of the deer, the clutch of the eagle etc. brings deep meaning to this delightfully danceable tune. Many thanks to Lathophobic Aphasia for the translation of the lyrics.
Azam’s solo work is just as enchanting. Her album Elysium for the Brave includes several songs in English, yet the music and rhythms are still very much derived from Persian influences. Opening with the hypnotic Endless Reverie, Azam takes us deep into a mysterious new realm. This theme continues with the next track, Spring Arrives, which features pulsing beats, a very danceable rhythm, and of course Azam’s lyrical voice in Farsi. The whole album is beautiful and well worth a look. We also recommend her earlier album Portals of Grace, which features musical styles and languages from all over the world, in both vocal and instrumental tracks. This album truly demonstrates the diversity of Azam’s musical skill.
Lastly, we also recommend any of the four albums of Vas, which Azam created with drummer Greg Ellis. This duo explored many of the same musical themes as Niyaz, yet with a softer tone and fewer danceable tracks. The sound is wonderful, using a variety of styles and instruments to create a kind of world music reminiscent of Dead Can Dance but previously unexplored. Vas released four albums during their time together, including In the Garden of Souls, Feast of Silence, Sunyata and Offerings.
Azam Ali is truly a Goddess of World Music, bringing Sufi poetry and traditional Persian sounds to the world music stage in truly revolutionary ways. We look forward to seeing what she creates next!
Like what you hear? We highly recommend Niyaz’s latest CD Nine Heavens featuring the above track “Beni Beni” and many other wonderful songs.
Loreena McKennitt – The Mystic’s Dream
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_-LeB3mILA
A clouded dream on an earthly night
Hangs upon the crescent moon
A voiceless song in an ageless light
Sings at the coming dawn
Birds in flight are calling there
where the heart moves the stones
there that my heart is longing for
All for, for the love of you
-The Mystic’s Dream
Let’s rewind the timepiece to the days of old, to the days of mystical visions, enchanting voices, and mysterious magic. Loreena McKennitt has been entrancing the world with her beautiful music for more than 25 years. Though she is best known as a Celtic world music performer, Loreena also blends elements from Mediterranean and Middle Eastern traditions. Her lyrics and vocals are simply mesmerizing, and when accompanied by her harp and the various instruments in her band, the sound is truly exquisite. This opening sequence from her live show Nights from the Alhambra will give you a good sense of what her music is like.
This concert is truly symbolic of her work in world music, blending many styles and traditions in order to share them with the world. She is largely responsible for making world music and especially Celtic music more popular in America, and since then her offerings have expanded considerably. We saw Loreena live once in Rhode Island and in between songs she shared a small glimpse of her artistic vision. She spoke of traveling to these exotic lands and learning of their history and culture, and of her passion of bringing them to life through her music. Each album is an exploration into a particular part of the world, as well as its history and music. Nights from the Alhambra includes many highlights from her 8 studio albums, and she also has quite a few live albums. Want to hear more of the highlights? We recommend Huron Beltane Fire Dance for bringing back vivid Pagan memories and a fantastic violin solo, her hit single The Mummer’s Dance, and Santiago, a rather intense song with another wonderful violin solo. That violinist is truly amazing. We saw him live and the entire audience was captivated by an extended solo.
An Ancient Muse is one of Loreena’s most recent CDs, and it represents a voyage into exciting new territory. Isn’t the album cover enchantingly beautiful? Step inside the tent and allow Loreena to take you on an adventure. The liner notes explain that this CD was inspired by a journey along the Silk Road. Yet again Loreena’s inspiration comes from an ancient meeting/traveling place of a variety of cultures.
Beginning with the haunting “Incantation” similar to some of her previous albums, we enter “The Gates of Istanbul”, a slow and rhythmic vision of the Renaissance days of ancient Turkey. Then we embark again heading towards a “Caravanserai“, a resting place for weary travelers along the road. The beautiful track “Kecharitomene” feels very much like a journey along ancient roads, slowly building over the course of the song. Later in the CD we reach “Sacred Shabbat”, a melody coming from the Judaic tradition that Loreena heard in whispers across many cultures. She found it interesting that a melody could travel so far that its origins may have been lost completely. The album ends with “Never-Ending Road (Amhrán Duit)” which returns us to more Celtic sounds, and lyrics inspired by mystical poetry delving into the human relationship with the divine.
The Book of Secrets is perhaps Loreena’s most popular CD, having been released in 1997 with the popular track “The Mummer’s Dance“. The song was featured in the movie Ever After starring Drew Barrymore, which added to it’s popularity, peaking at #3 on the Adult Top 40 that year. This is when dear Loreena came to our attention, all those years ago. The album also contains Loreena’s adaptation of the classic poem “The Highwayman” which is one of our favorite tracks. Another must-listen is “Marco Polo“, an instrumental track that seeks to take you on a voyage. The Book of Secrets is truly a beautiful album and well worth a look!
Like what you hear? We highly recommend Loreena’s latest CD Mediterranean Odyssey as it is a live compilation of her best and most beautiful works across two themed CDs.
