The Echoes Living Room Concerts volume 7

Other Echoes LRC Discs

1. Shaman's Dream
"Offerings"

In the Los Angeles living room of founder Craig Kohland, Shaman's Dream gathered with co-founder Chuck Jonkey playing samples of his Balinese gamelan, and Kohland on world percussion. They're joined by bansuri flute player Dominic Breau, percussionists Jim McGrath and Gilbert Levy and keyboardist Tollak Ollestad. "Offerings" originally appeared on their latest CD, Prana (Shaman's Dream Music).

2. Philip Aaberg
"Marias River Breakdown"

Philip Aaberg came to renown for his solo piano recordings on the Windham Hill label. We recorded him in a friend's living room in the Sunset neighborhood of San Francisco, where he gave a performance that took us right to his childhood home in Montana. "Marias River Breakdown" was originally recorded on High Plains (Windham Hill) and recently re-recorded on Live from Montana (Sweetgrass Music).

3. Robert Rich
"Steel Harmonics"

Robert Rich came to the Echoes living room where he set up his synthesizers, keyboards, computers and the lead voice for this piece, the lap steel guitar. "Steel Harmonics" was originally recorded on Humidity (Hypnos). Robert Rich's latest CD is Bestiary (Release Records).

4. Solas
"Maybe In A Prayer"

Solas is the critically acclaimed Celtic group led by Seamus Egan. This yearning Celtic air was written by their fiddle player, Winifred Horan. Besides Egan on guitar and Horan on fiddle, Solas is guitarist Donal Clancy, Mick McAuley on accordion and Chico Huff playing bass. Singer Diedre Scanlon and drummer Steve Holloway sat out this track. "Maybe In A Prayer" is on their latest CD, The Edge of Silence (Shanachie).

5. Suzanne Ciani
"Terra Mesa"

Suzanne Ciani is a 30 year veteran of New Age music with recordings both electronic and acoustic. She's recorded this song in a synthesizer version on History of My Heart (Private Music) and a solo piano version on Pianissimo II (Seventh Wave). Listen closely and you might hear the waves washing ashore just outside the window of her Marin County living room, where we recorded this performance. Her latest CD is a collection called Meditations (Seventh Wave).

6. David Cullen
"Coming Home"

David Cullen had the first track on the first Windham Hill Guitar Sampler. Since then he's recorded several solo CDs. This performance comes from David's Living Room Concert for Thanksgiving in 2001. He's joined by virtuoso electric bassist Michael Manring and One Alternative oboist, Jill Haley. "Coming Home" originally appeared on Indigo Blue (Solid Air). David's latest CD is a duet recording with Jill called Exploding Colors (Solid Air).

7. Lisa Lynne
"Winter Moon"

In a marriage of Celtic and Persian music, harpist Lisa Lynne was joined in her Los Angeles home by the Lian Ensemble, a group of Iranian exiles playing traditional middle eastern instruments. The Lian Ensemble is Mahshid Mirzadeh on santoor, Houman Pourmehdi on daf, Pirayeh Pourafar on tar, and Shahran Mirjallali playing the oud . Stephanie Fife is the cellist. "Winter Moon" originally appeared on Lisa's latest CD, Maiden's Prayer (New Earth).

8. Lumin
"Stiga"

In the Oakland Hills living room of oud and yali tambor player Jeffery Stott, Lumin transports you to a world where Bulgarian chants, middle eastern strings and global percussive grooves converge. Stott, drum programmer Michael Emenau and singer Irina Mikhailova center the group and are joined by tabla and dumbek player Paulo Baldi, violinist Ari Langer and Shea Comfort on duduk. The original version of "Stiga" is on their latest CD, Hadra (World Class).

9. Wave World
"The Mountain"

Wave World is a Dutch synthesizer group working in post-spacemusic sound designs, incorporating the Theremin and an electronic wind instrument. Wave World's Gert van Santen and Harry Kessels landed in the Echoes living room where they performed this piece live. "The Mountain" was originally recorded on Structures (Quantum).

10. Ancient Future
"Socha Socha"

Ancient Future, one of the original architects of world fusion, has been together for a quarter century. In the living room of founder and guitarist Matthew Montfort, we caught the latest incarnation of the group, which includes sitarist Habib Khan, tabla player Emam, and keyboardist Doug McKeehon. The original recording of "Socha Socha" is on their latest CD, Planet Passion (ancientfuture.com).

11. Richard Searles
"Bryn y Ellyllon"

Since the early 1980s, classical guitarist Richard Searles has been orchestrating music that mixes equal parts of Renaissance Faire, Tolkienesque fantasy and chamber music design. In his living room outside of Los Angeles, Richard Searles put together a trio with harpsichordist Patricia Mabee and Ron Wagner on tabla and percussion. The original recording of "Bryn y Ellyllon" is on his latest CD, The Green Man (Earthdance).

12. Yo-Yo Ma &
The Silk Road Ensemble
"Chi Passa Per' sta Strada"

Acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma creates a global chamber orchestra, re-inventing compositions from the Renaissance and creating new works for the 21st century. At National Public Radio's Studio 4A, Ma gathered a nine piece ensemble that included Siamak Aghaei (santoor), Colin Jacobson (violin), Shane Shanahan (percussion), Yang Wei (Pipa), Xu Ke (erhu), Siamak Jahangiri (ney), Joseph Gramley (percussion), Mark Suter (percussion) and Joel Fan (percussion). "Chi Passa Per’ sta Strada" was originally from their latest CD, Silk Road Journeys