Music for Meditation, Reflection or Therapy, Day or Night: an Interview With the Nightdancers
If you ask someone why he or she likes a band, artist or genre, the usual answer is either, “they’re awesome,” “they rock” or “it’s fun stuff.” People tend to say, the music is simply for entertainment. And as for musicians, including the reason they play music either do “The Call” or the ego-driven need to stand in front of an audience. But why do we need have music? Is it, as Shakespeare said, “to soothe the savage beast?” It’s not like it’s life or death. Or do you? For Gera Clark and John Sarantos, which is performing on a Native American flutes as the Night Dancers, music, the deep. Mr. Santos started with the simple desire to express themselves musically, but discovered that, from the Native American Flute by nature, take on drawer features, including the New Age “meditation” music. Ms. Clark’s journey to music began with an urgent need something like a lifeline at a critical time. She explains: “After a prolonged illness, I started my life back together… During his visit to discover this spiritual path, I am Native American flute.” In this age of art-as-diversion, or lifestyle accessory, is it is a wonderfully pleasant surprise to be reminded of the fact that, as Clark and Santos in the interview below shows, the music is a powerful and healing force. [Mark Kirby] What kind of music was played at home with you when you were growing up? [Gera Clark] My mother played classical music on the piano as an escape from her life as a housewife urban increase of four children. When I started school, my mother went back to work and I noticed a dramatic increase in their appetite for opera. My father considered himself as Bing Crosby and I would catch him now and then trying to learn the cha-cha. Creep In the meantime, my sister would be in rock and roll. We wanted to write music together in the style of Carol King. We have also heard some of the records with my relatives, one of which Seamus Ennis, my uncle, the great uilleann pipes (Irish played a kind of bagpipe). [John Sarantos] In my early years, my mother would play classical and operatic music when I was in school, but played very little music while I was home, except for Christmas. [Mark Kirby] What kind of music you have studied before the Native American flute? [Gera Clark] As a child, my mother would bribe me with soda to take piano lessons because she wanted me as a child prodigy. When I travel to a position on your own, I picked up the flute, which I carried with me for three years. [John Sarantos] I’ve tried learning the drums from a junior high school music teacher, but he told me I had no rhythm and would not work with me. Inspired by a visit to a Jethro Tull concert and flute by Ian Anderson, I have tried was the transverse flute, but said through my flute teacher that I was tone deaf and would not work with me. I tried to sing, but I was told that I was tone deaf by three major Los Angeles voice coach and they would not work with me. I tried guitar and banjo, but it was difficult, but strings, since I could not sing, play with me together. Then I discovered the Native American flute. [Mark Kirby] How do you begin to play Native American music in general, the flute in particular? [Gera Clark] came after the death of my husband, and a rapid recovery of marriage and divorce, a lengthy illness, I started my life back together. I began the search for beauty. While on this spiritual path, I discovered the Native American flute. One day I found myself more than one hundred miles west of New York stood in front of a Tibetan Buddhist temple, when I suddenly heard the most beautiful sound. Following the powerful, yet haunting sound, I discovered it emanates from a Native American flute, by Ed Callshim (Ponca) Sioux. After this experience, playing a flute, I finally made my own in the National Museum of the American Indian in New York. Later, awakened when traveling to Niagara Falls connect with my teacher, Amy Lee (Iroquois), a deep longing, with my previous travels in the Southwest was in touch. On one trip, I found myself exploring the canyons along the Rio Grande. Finally, I was led into the mountains and the Taos Pueblo, where I heard that haunting sound drifting through the air. I followed it to its source, a little adobe. Look inside, I met a kind and talented man who I play on the native flute encouraged. This gentleman, unknown to me at the time, is one of the finest Native American flute players in the world, John Rainer, Jr. (Taos / Creek). Leaving New Mexico has been strengthened in faith led me, via the American Indian Community House in New York, Franc Menusan (Muskogee Creek). He was my mentor a lot of patience for several years. On my birthday, I flew out to an R. Carlos Nakai (Navajo / Ute) concert with the San Francisco Symphony, where I learned about the renaissance of Native American Flute workshop in Montana. I came back to New York and booked myself a flight to Montana, where I was, the John Sarantos met, and our musical partnership was born. [John Sarantos] My mother who was 84 years old at the time, took me to the music of Peter Kater and R. Carlos Nakai duo. Mr. Cat, who is of German descent, played the piano, and Mr. Nakai, the native flute. I discovered that I also like the sound of the native flute. I went to a cat and Nakai concert in Chicago, where Nakai mentioned a week-long workshop at the Feathered Pipe Ranch in Helena, Montana. I had the choice of the payment of $ 1,200 for the flute workshop taught by Mr. Nakai and its partners and flute-maker, Ken Light paid, or to Japan for two weeks, all expenses of the school where I teach has been. I chose Montana. [Mark Kirby] What lead you to this kind of meditative music playing? [John Sarantos] not we think of it as only meditative music. We have worked hard to keep himself from falling into the cliches of the musical style on our CD. Although many people use our record for meditation, use them for healing and relaxation. Several people who have cancer told me that they find peace when listening to “Montana Crossings. [Gera Clark]” In fact, after John had his cancer surgery have in the past year we decided that 10% of the gross revenues of Montana Crossings’ would be used to buy flutes for cancer patients. So far, we have the cancer flute circles and individuals in New York City, Chicago, Lansing, Michigan, and Jefferson City, Oregon. Flutes donated [Mark Kirby] Are Native American flutes more like shakuhachi flute or flutes in terms of technology? [John Sarantos] Neither. The shakuhachi is three months just to get a note. The transverse play requires many hours to learn only the basic scale. The native flute is one of the easiest instruments to play. I taught elementary children playing native flute, and they have started playing songs in about five minutes or less. [Mark Kirby] Describe the flutes you in terms of size, number of holes, the type of wood, etc.. [Gera Clark] We use flutes between four to six holes and four to five centimeters feet. [John Sarantos] Traditionally, most flutes were made of soft wood, for example, cedars and pines. But when the Europeans came, they brought with them the tools that make it easier to build flutes of sterner stuff, even some flutes were made from old barrels. [Gera Clark today], flute makers make flutes from all types of forests of cedars, to the nut made of iron wood, flutes, also one of the hardest woods: ebony. [John Sarantos] We also have a wide assortment of flutes sound from the Aztec and Mayan cultures of master flute-maker Xavier Quijas Xyotol based. [Mark Kirby] What are you in the name of Night Dancers for your musical duo? [Gera Clark] One day John and I talked and discovered that both of us to walk around our individual houses in the middle of the night without lights. We came with the name Night Walkers. [John Sarantos] However, most people thought we were talking with, that the name sounded too much like vampires or ladies of the evening. [Gera Clark] After discussing a variety of names, we came to Night Dancers. [Mark Kirby] When did you decided to capture ‘Montana Crossings’? [Gera Clark] John and I have played together for about two years. John would travel from Milwaukee during the holidays, and we were playing for our friend Bob Hegler, the encourages us to keep playing together. We enjoyed playing so much that we used to spend hours playing through the speakers cell phones, when John was still living in Milwaukee. When we began implementing in New York, local venues, would ask the people if we had a CD could do acquire them. After about a year to live performances, we felt that we had created a variety of songs that we wanted to share with others. [Mark Kirby] Why did you choose to Avatar Studios in New York City Entry ? [John Sarantos] I am writing to record ratings for International Native American Flute magazine for about ten years and could be had to say when an artist uses a computer at home all the way up to a professional recording studio. If we wanted to put our time, effort and money into a recording studio, we wanted to do the best it could sound. I asked some people if they are a recording studio in New York City. Avatar Studios could recommend one of three studios lists several people. [Gera Clark] We were also very happy recommended that Tino Passante of Avatar, Jim Anderson, our sound engineer. Jim understood the sound we were striving to obtain, and succeeded in gathering the noise. [Mark Kirby] What is the title of the songs you play are linked? Are This book shows you what you want music to awaken? [Gera Clark] The titles are out of the inspiration behind the music. [John Sarantos] I hope that each person has their own emotional reaction to the music, each in their own way . [Mark Kirby] What kinds of events or venues you play? [Gera Clark] One of our goals is to disseminate the beauty of the flute to others, whether they play our music for others to listen to [], or to share our knowledge about how to play the flute. [John Sarantos] HereFor, we play in a variety of places for all sorts of events. You could possibly be viewed at: http://www. dancer night music. com and http: / / www . myspace. com / music night dancer