Musical storytelling from the heart of the Peace Jungle.

17 MP3 Songs
FOLK: Gentle, SPOKEN WORD: Poetry



Details:
From the liner notes:

My name is Hassaun Ali Jones-Bey but I call myself Boundless Gratitude because my African ancestors throughout the world have often found themselves in circumstances where it was unreasonable or even impossible to âgive thanks and praisesâ in their traditional ways. So my people have learned to give thanks in countless ways, and I refer to my spiritual heritage as âthanksgiving without bordersâ or âboundless gratitudeâ. That spiritual heritage is my religion, my tribe and the heart of my music.

With a few notable exceptions, all of the songs on this CD are original compositions that were either originally written or rewritten substantially during a period that began during the 2005 Thanksgiving Holiday and ended on December 31, 2006. One of those exceptions, Thank You God (the first track), was written several years earlier, and was included in a musical story, in which it was sung by âBoundless Gratitude.â I didnât start using the name for myself, however, until shortly before the 2005 Thanksgiving Holiday.

During the Islamic month of Ramadan in that same year, I dreamt of a close friend who had passed away years earlier. He was leading countless black children in song and other music making that seemed too beautiful for me to join, even though they invited me to do so. Toward the end of the dream, my friend asked me what I had learned in more than half a century of life that I could pass on to the next generation. I awoke in the process of responding: Boundless Gratitude. So this CD is dedicated to the memory of that friend, Adib Sabree Abdul-Musawwir.

Thanks and praises also for the irrepressible spirit of Richard Pryor. The story of his life and work inspired track 6 and led me into a whole new area of musical growth in order to play it, which in turn led to the many rewrites that appear on this CD. Thanks and praises also for the indomitable spirit of Yusuf Bey, whose passing inspired track 4, in part because many people used to ask if he was my father due to the similarity in our names.

Thanks and praises also for my father, mother, siblings, ancestors and elders, wives (current and former), inlaws and outllaws, extended family, children and grandchildren. Special thanks and praises for Bem and Mara who asked me to compose music and lyricize scriptures for their wedding (tracks 8 and 15). Very special thanks and praises for Jaden, who blessed the recording of this CD with a spirit of eternal playfulness as well as vocal accompaniment on several tracks, and celebrated his second birthday on 12/31/06.

Thanks and praises also for the many musicians, poets, storytellers, artists and other creative sisters and brothers (MAB) who have inspired and encouraged, and who still inspire and encourage, me to keep at it.

Thanks and praises for TaSin Yasmin Sabir (http://www.tasinsabir.com) for the vibrant action photo on the front cover.

Thanks and praises for Jeanette Butler (http://www.photoartbyjb.com) for the glowingly peaceful photo on the back cover.

âBlessings are like air. Gratitude is like breathing...â
--Boundless Gratitude