within
benjy wertheimer & david michael
celtic harp & esraj duets
with michael mandrell guitar & heather wertheimer vocal
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Short Samples calling lotus within angel's breath radiance the veil nectar namaste The Artists: David Michael: Celtic harp and zither |
Take a peaceful journey within. The expressive voice of the esraj intertwines with the majestic Celtic harp and celestial strings of zither and guitar. This music is intended for meditation, yoga, bodywork and simply being.
Benjy and David have been creating music together for decades. Musical synergy allowed the duo to enter a blissful meditative state. The result is found in this beautiful collection of improvisational pieces designed to guide you to the space within. Michael Mandrell joins them, playing guitar on most pieces while Heather Wertheimer provides some ethereal vocals and tamboura.
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| BENJY WERTHEIMER  |
An award-winning musician, composer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist equally accomplished on tabla, congas, percussion, esraj, guitar, and keyboards, Benjy Wertheimer has toured and recorded with such artists as Krishna Das, Deva Premal and Miten, Jai Uttal, Walter Becker of Steely Dan, virtuoso guitarist Michael Mandrell, and renowned bamboo flute master G. S. Sachdev. He has also opened for such well-known artists as Carlos Santana, Paul Winter, and Narada Michael Walden. Benjy is a founding member of the internationally acclaimed world fusion ensemble, Ancient Future. | |||||||
| Beginning his musical studies at age 5, starting with piano and later violin and flamenco guitar, Benjy received training in Keyboard Improvisation at the University of Colorado and in Composition and Ethnomusicology at the University of Washington. In addition, he has studied Indian classical music for over 25 years with some of the greatest masters of that tradition including Alla Rakha, Zakir Hussain, Ali Akbar Khan and Z. M. Dagar, and was, along with the Grateful Dead's Mickey Hart, a contributing composer and member of the Zakir Hussain Rhythm Experience. |
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DAVID MICHAEL |
Celtic harpist David Michael specializes in original, romantic world-fusion music and improvisation. He grew up in Seattle and has been playing stringed instruments for over 50 years, starting with cello. In 1983, he realized he'd been "trying to make a guitar sound like a harp" for many years ... and finally decided to get a harp ... which quickly became his forte. He usually is found performing solo, as a duo with flutist Randy Mead, with his wife Dari, or collaborating in various ensembles, such as the Celtistani Consort with Michael Mandrell and Benjy Weretheimer. |
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A multi-instrumentalist, David is also proficient on guitar, viola-da-gamba, zither, psaltery, bouzouki and more. David spent most of the '80s in the San Francisco bay area, collaborating with numerous ethnic music masters and his studio recording work came into focus there. His first CD, with flutist Randy Mead, Petals in the Stream, was released in 1986 in Japan by Nippon Phonogram and he has recorded for many other domestic and foreign labels since then. He now has 18 CDs of his original music published on his own Purnima label and has been a guest artist for numerous other labels. His music has been featured extensively on PRI's 'Echoes' program, NPR, cable and network television and videos internationally. Since 1990, Port Townsend, Washington has been his base of operations. He became something of an institution for his impromptu concerts aboard Washington State Ferries, performing free concerts to over 50,000 passengers a year for 17 years. |
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| First Review:
"... This new release once again showcases David's prodigious talent on Celtic harp and zither. He plays with uncanny grace and a peaceful passion that leaves the listener soothed and enchanted. Benjy Wertheimer plays the esraj, ( a 19-stringed bowed instrument from India with a sound reminiscent of the sitar) , as well as the frame drum. My old friend Michael Mandrell contributes his luminous acoustic
guitar on several tracks, along with e-bow guitar on the title track.
Heather Wertheimer adds vocals on the title track and plays tamboura on
two more. Within, the exquisite, sublime result, is nothing less than an improvisational
masterpiece.
Though the entire album is superb, I especially love the title track, the lush radiance of "Angel's Breath" and the quietly evocative "Namaste." Created to complement massage, meditation and slow form yoga, is a veritable feast for the tender heart in us all. Imagine Celtic and Indian music woven into an exotic tapestry of sweet harmony and ambient, New Age bliss. Such is the joy that awaits the listener who dives deeply Within. Steve Ryals http://www.drunkwithwonder.com"
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Heather Wertheimer is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist who draws on her special love of both music and yoga to lead devotional chanting for yoga workshops and spiritual gatherings. |
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| Heather has toured in the U.S. and abroad with her husband Benjy, Steve Gorn, Manose, and Deva Premal and Miten. Heather's debut CD with Shantala, "Church of Sky," was named one of the top ten albums of 2004 by New Age Retailer and has aired on radio stations nationwide. Heather's soaring vocals are fresh, original, and profoundly moving. | ||||||||
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Michael and Benjy have recorded two CDs together: Notes from Celtistan, a rollicking milestone in World Fusion music, and Anjali, created as a yoga meditation companion ... an evocative devotional CD used widely in yoga classes internationally. Featured often on “Echoes” and many other radio shows as well, Michael’s music has found an audience with an ear for the creative side of the new world fusion genre. |
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