For lovers of the bansuri (bamboo flute), here are ambient sounds to chill out, calm the kids, soothe the cat and . dream on.

6 MP3 Songs
NEW AGE: Ambient, WORLD: World Fusion



Details:
GARBANZO: Dream On

There is something enchanting about the sound of the reed - especially the bamboo or cane flute. So many cultures have fashioned flutes from bamboo - some like the shakuhachi and the nay are breathy, at times almost harsh. Others like the bansuri are warm and mellow, but all have their unique charm. They all seem to possess some haunting beauty - a longing for a quiet place where the breeze blows gently through the grass as the sun slides behind the mountain.

It is in the mountains of Britiish Columbia, where I live, that I created "Dream On". It features the bansuri combined with other instrumentation to create a serene ambience. The bansuri I favour is the North Indian classical version. It has an elegant simplicity - a length of cane with one breath hole and seven finger holes.

Yesterday someone stopped me in the street and told me "my two year old goes to sleep every night to the sound of your music - it's so soothing - it has become a favourite in our house." Not that it was ever specifically intended for children - perhaps it just allows space for the mind -
perfect for meditation, yoga and relaxation.

"Dream On" is not a CD of traditional Indian music, but it does draw inspiration from that source. I am an eternal student of jazz and world music, not just Indian but also Arabic, African, Cuban, Brazilian and others. I used to be an anthropologist, doing fieldwork in North-East Brazil, studying the Afro-Brazilian spirit possession cults known as candomblé. Later, for many years, I made my living as a clown/fool and storyteller, bringing museums to life with masks, mythologies and music. Garbanzo was my name at that time. Often I would lead the adults and children through the hallowed halls with the sound of my bansuri, like a bizarre pied piper, allowing them to enter other worlds and ... dream on.