Voice ofthe Ancestors
Grayhawk's
visionary and ambitious album, Voice of
the Ancestors, serves as a triumphant conclusion to his Shamanic Trilogy
(began with Shaman Journey and
continued with Blissful Magic – Spiral of
the Celtic Mysteries). Actually, labeling this album as "ambitious"
is an understatement what with its various global influences and its being
anchored by an assortment of events occurring over a span of 11 years,
beginning with the tragic death of his son, Christopher Emmet Gibney who passed
away 3 weeks shy of his 3rd birthday, and also including the events of 9/11 and
travels to Asia in 2015. All of these elements come to play as both indirect
and direct influences for the mesmerizing and deeply spiritual music contained
on Voice of the Ancestors. The album
itself, while having distinct world beat flavors, also features motifs from the
new age and ambient genres as well. More than a few tracks feature some kind of
vocals (e.g. "Peace Prayer" features vocalists singing/chanting in
English, Hebrew, Arabic and Farsi).
Besides
Grayhawk's keyboards and synthesizer work (across a variety of interfaces), a
plethora of highly talented musicians (some well-known to me, others proving to
be a discovery) contribute on an assortment of instruments. Those folks include
Hai Phuong on dan bau (a single-stringed Vietnamese instrument), Wouter
Kellerman on flutes, Amy Shulman on concert harp, Brad Dutz on percussion,
Windwalker Dorn on Native flute, Vito Gregoli on ambient guitar, Jill Haley on
English horn and oboe, Karen Olson on viola, and Kirsten Vogelsang on cello.
Vocals were handled by Randy Crenshaw, Windwalker Dorn, Darlene Koldenhoven, Ofir
Engel (Hebrew and Arabic) and Bahman Mojallal (Farsi).
When
evaluating an album like Voice of the
Ancestors, so broad in its scope and so personal to its creator, it’s
difficult to find adequate words to properly describe the music in both literal
terms and emotional impact (the latter, of course, being entirely subjective).
However, it’s hard to not feel impacted by the intent of the album’s message
(primarily, seeking a pathway to peace for our planet) as well as the beautiful
musical treatments which carry that message.
The
opening "Transcendent Soul" is dedicated to Grayhawk's now deceased
son and it may be the most beautiful piece here, graced with Shulman's delicate
harp and Kellerman's flute playing, as well as violin and viola (Vogelsang and
Olson) against a serene backdrop of subtle bells and ambient textures. The
track is classic new age music as if lifted from the golden age of the genre.
Track 2, "The Banteay Srei Temple" marks the emergence of world
influences and the song has a marked Asian flavor throughout, as Shulman's harp
is counterpointed by Phuong's dan bau, as well as digital erhu by Grayhawk. The
mood is somber, restrained, and draped with a blend of mystery and beauty. "Guardians
of Goddess Thien Hau" subtly evolves the musical motifs and themes from
the preceding track, doubling down on the air of mystery. The title track
begins with a quiet slow-tempo beat and airy melody, the rhythm imparting a
subdued air of sensuality. Flutes waft in the air over vocalizations from
Crenshaw and Windwalker. Traces of the ethno-tribal genre are discernible here
and Gregoli's ambient guitar and Dutz's percussion contribute a lot to the
song. After the short "Peace Prayer A Capella" (which sounds like a
church hymn – meant in the best possible sense), the album's focal point, both thematically
speaking and from the standpoint of it being the longest track, "Peace
Prayer" brings Grayhawk's vision of a quest for world peace to fruition,
featuring vocals sung in English, Hebrew, Arabic and Farsi. The longest track
on the album (10:08) features a mid-tempo percussion beat and has less of an
Asian flavor and hews closer to a blend of world chant and new age influences.
After the opening English choir vocals, the non-English solo vocals are heard
(Hebrew, followed by Farsi, and then Arabic, performed by the vocalists referenced
earlier in this review). The blend of music and vocals is gorgeously mixed and utterly
mesmerizing in its effect.
The album
closes with the 8 minute "Ambient Meditation" and a radio-edit of
"Peace Prayer." The former, an instrumental (although with some
"ethereal" vocalizations from Crenshaw) is, per the liner notes, a
free-form improvisation based on the album's assorted musical themes, but I
hear it more as a coalescing of the world influences spread throughout the
recording. At times, Windwalker's Native flute is pronounced, as well as Dutz's
percussion and Gregoli's ambient guitar, and as a result, this cut has a more
pervasive world fusion feel to it.
Voice of the Ancestors is one of those recordings that serves
to define an artist's oeuvre, and in this case, it captures Grayhawk's passion
and commitment to making the world a much more peaceful place, as well as
displaying his affinity for, and love of, other cultures and other peoples of
this planet. It's a sumptuously recorded work and beautifully engineered in
every aspect (mixing was by Steve Shepherd and the album was mastered by Robert
Vosgien at Capitol Studios Mastering). Each artist brings their "A"
game to the finished product, united by Grayhawk's almost unreal attention to
detail. This is an album that deserves to be heard and appreciated by people
all over the planet.
Voice of the Ancestors is available at iTunes and CDBaby
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