There is new evidence that our world’s youngest and brightest are redefining their spiritual lives according to new and exciting research conducted by the Minneapolis-based Search Institute. The Search Institute's Center for Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence recently conducted a vast survey, believed to be the first of its kind, and uncovered some surprising finds. Some 55 percent of youths and young adults (ages 12 to 25) indicated they are more spiritual now than two years ago. But, surprisingly, nearly one-third of those responding don't trust organized religion. Most youth surveyed believe there is a spiritual dimension to life, and about one-third of youth surveyed see themselves as "very" or "pretty" spiritual.

The survey included 6,853 youth and young adults throughout the world who, when asked if they don’t feel spiritual in places of worship, where do they? Their responses, "Spending time in nature,” (top answer) and "Listening to or playing music," (number 2). “Attending religious services" was ninth on the list of the top 12 most-frequent answers.

Nature. I wonder if we “adults” are wise enough to grasp the implications of this youthful response where nature is concerned. Sure, what can be seen and felt in nature empirically holds spiritual significance, but how does what can be seen compare with what can be heard in nature? Nature is a realm of the purist and most honest music to be heard. As Emerson said, "Nature makes no noise. The howling storms, the rustling leaf, the pattering rain, are no disturbance; there is an essential and unexplored harmony in them... Every sound is music now... Each tree is a harp which resounds all night-though some have but a few leaves left to flutter & hum."

If we were to model our houses of worship and our religious and spiritual rituals on nature’s “unexplored harmony” instead of man-made dogma, allowing for only unfiltered light to shine on us all, what would the implications be and would our young people find refuge again, instead of doubt and hypocrisy? Our very brightest and best don’t trust what we’ve created, what we’ve insisted is sacrosanct and love-bound. What if we listened to our younger minds and allowed them to witness to us and embrace with them the natural elements of light and love?

Music. Are we, who are setting the agendas of our spiritual institutions, willing to finally listen to our young people? Listen to them and their music- not our music, but theirs? What are we saying to those young musicians and music lovers when we tell them certain music is or isn’t acceptable? What gives us the right to deny them music’s inherently spiritual nature just because we may find it not to our liking or not acceptable to what we’ve been told is some standard? We’ve shut ourselves off from our youth and music’s very sacredness itself through sheer audacity and a forgotten halcyon bravado from long ago (our own youths, maybe?) that’s long needed a jolt of veracity and which can put a jump back into the frailest of steps- if we simply give up our insistence that we know what’s best.

If we were to fashion our celebrations of enthusiasm (the word enthusiasm originates from the two words, "enthios" and "iasm", which translates to "the God within") and be reminded that “the kingdom is within” not without, how would our music be different and how would our spirituality be made richer? We are afraid to celebrate ourselves and “God within” because of all we’ve been taught through the ages by religious intuitions. Isn’t it time for music itself to be an institution in which we all can come, face to face again with the truth?

Our young people are leading the way, showing us the way, and we would be served wisely to listen to them, nurture them and what they have to say and sing instead of continuing to bury our heads in the sand or think we’re really making a difference with our, “yes, but….” approach to religious and spiritual instruction. How long will we ignore studies such as the one conducted by The Search Institute with overwhelming evidence we’re abandoning our children and young adults by ignoring their desires and appeals for meetings of the heart, not minds.

This should be a call to every musician and music lover joining us here at RockOm and at other such groups and associations exploring the bonds between music and spirituality to look again at the roles we play and the obligations owed to those we influence. We shouldn’t shrink from what our young people are asking from us and of us. They ask to hear what we have to offer and for us to hear them, and all the gifts they, too, have to share. Perhaps in listening more deeply and with more sincerity we can all grow in concert, both young and old, into a field where age, color and creed disappear altogether.

By Tom Crenshaw, tom@rockom.net

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Our commitment to serve others through music took us to San Francisco in September of 2008 to cover the Seva Foundation’s 30^th Anniversary Benefit Concert where Seva co-founders Larry Brilliant and Wavy Gravy joined musicians Ruthie Foster, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, Crosby and Nash, Los Lobos, Hot Tuna and others to celebrate 30 years of music helping serve Seva and the Seva Foundation’s doctors, nurses, social workers, caregivers, staff and volunteers serving others worldwide.

While in the Bay area we had the extraordinary privilege to wander the streets of San Anselmo with tabla Master Zakir Hussain and then sit with him in the offices of Moment! Records as he shared his story of musical instruction at his father’s side, traveling to America and performing during the 60’s with a who’s who of rock musicians in the Bay area, and his time spent with John McLaughlin and Mickey Hart in the bands Shakti, Remember Shakti and the Global Drum Project. Zakir Hussain spoke with us about classical Indian music, Shiva’s dance of destruction and the sound of the universe unfolding as well as his experiences with musicians Bela Fleck, Yo Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, George Harrison, The Grateful Dead, David Crosby and Steven Stills, Grace Slick, Mickey Hart, Santana, Babatunde Olantunji, Airto Moreira and Hamza Al-Din. What a privilege to spend time in Zakir’s presence, learn from all he had to teach us, and then be able to share this with you.

While in the Bay area we were also invited into the home of drummer Gabriel Harris of Rhythm Village to explore his experiences in Africa, his instruction under the great Babatunde Olantunji  and his time spent instructing others through drumming circles. Gabriel shared his thoughts on group musical experiences and his hope that soon, everyone who desires to do so will be able to share their gifts of music with the world via the internet (Gabriel’s interview will be coming up at RockOm in the very near future).

If that weren’t enough, RockOm had the unique opportunity while in the area to sit with New-age musician Steven Halpern. Steven Halpern is known as one of the fathers of New Age music through his bestselling album Chakra Suite. Steven invited us into his home where we spent time exploring the origins of his music, his thoughts on Eastern mysticism, “rockin’ to the Om” and the various techniques used in healing through music. Steven has been recognized by Keyboard magazine as "one of the 30 most influential keyboard artists of the past 50 years." He has influenced two generations of recording artists and music therapists, and has performed and recorded with a who’s who of well-known musicians including Paul Horn, Paul McCandless, Babatunde Olatunji, Al DiMeola, Larry Coryell, Rick Derringer and Georgia Kelly. Steven Halpern’s feature will also be up at RockOm in the very near future.

In our piece, Social Change and the Power of Music we had the highest honor to bring you words from Ram Dass on the Seva Foundation’s early beginnings, as well as the power of music for social change. Again, from half-way around the world we connected with Ram Dass in order to share with you the awesome power of music. Ram Dass has been very inspirational to us here at RockOm. You might even say Ram Dass is greatly responsible for RockOm’s very existence as his work and words helped shape our notions of the sacred years ago to the path and work we are presently engaged in.

The Blind Boys of Alabama’s Ricky McKinnie spoke with us recently about the four-time Grammy Award winning quartet’s rich history in gospel music. The Blind Boys are nominated for a fifth Grammy Award for their latest album, Down In New Orleans. Ricky McKinnie’s thoughts on sacred music are about as powerful as they come. “When it comes down to music, there’s always something that can be done. There are no boundaries when it comes down to music. We have to realize that God is. God is everything. God is hope.”

Our time spent with the bands Emery and Hawthorne Heights (Hawthorne Heights feature will be up the second week in January) was an exceptional experience in that RockOm was able to connect with a more contemporary, youthful group of musicians whose hearts and music are in the right place. Linking up with these two ensembles opened up avenues for us to explore and share how music of a more forceful and sometimes misunderstood nature harbors its own, unique sacredness and reminds us to "never judge a book by its cover."

RockOm produced its first music compilation project, The Offering - A RockOm Compilation, Vol. 1. The project is a musical ride through the lands of spiritual rock, metaphysical pop, ethereal world music and conscious jazz. These twelve tracks from featured artists at RockOm.net ("the crossroads of music and spirituality") were woven together to tell a narrative of consciousness turning inward, meeting what's within and journeying back out. The artists and songs on this compilation span a wide array of diverse styles and genres, yet hold a common thread as each proclaims a spiritual truth or essence, drawing the listener to that which is deeper than surface-level.

In addition to the twelve album tracks, The Offering also includes seven bonus tracks including additional cuts by the artists, a track from RockOm's president Trevor Harden, a spoken word piece and a guided exercise. A portion of the proceeds from The Offering will go to support the Seva Foundation (www.seva.org).

For all of us at RockOm, and we hope for you as well, the past year has been quite a musical odyssey filled with adventure, inviolability and a most special tutoring beyond our wildest imagination. It is our experience that music, by its very nature, is spiritual. There isn’t any litmus tests melody and harmony must pass to be regarded as sacred or divine. Music, regardless of origin or creed constitutes something magical and profound if it only takes us out of our normal, day to day existence. If it lifts us, lifts our spirits just a little higher than before, or draws our awareness inward for reflection, for remembrance or tranquility then hasn’t it performed a most profound miracle? What does that say for the role of the musician in today's ever shrinking world? Might we be wielding something incredibly more powerful than ever imagined and perhaps help liberate others, if only for mere moments, perhaps even a lifetime by letting our music flow? What more can we ask from music and our role musicians than this?

Thank you for being here, now - with us. We look forward to the months ahead and for another most amazing and mystical year filled with the indescribable essence of music.

By Tom Crenshaw, tom@rockom.net

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Happy New Year! What an exciting, prosperous and rockin’ 2009 we’re affirming it will be for you and yours as well as for RockOm. We’ve many electrifying features and interviews in store for the year ahead as well as an unveiling of RockOm-Phase II, where you will be able to create your own, unique profile and upload your original music and songs to share with others and the world.

For certain, RockOm is looking forward and moving in a fresh and imaginative direction to serve you, our users with the highest of intentions. Music matters and songs can make a difference. We believe music still has the power to change individuals and therefore the world in ways not yet witnessed. Our desire is for you, as a musician or as a music lover, to connect with others around the world creating an integral ensemble of positive change through sharing, learning more about and expanding the gift of music.

Looking back to January 2008 at RockOm’s inception it’s hard to imagine; we literally must pinch ourselves to believe how RockOm has been welcomed in such a short time and how doors have opened on our dream to be a platform for exploring the bonds between music and spirituality.

We remember our very first request for an interview with multi-Grammy Award winner Ricky Skaggs. The fine folks at Skaggs Family Records answered us immediately with a resounding, “Why sure!” Mr. Skaggs proved to be a true Kentucky gentleman and warmly welcomed RockOm backstage after a two-hour, sold out concert where he opened his heart in speaking about the power of music.

Abigail Washburn of The Sparrow Quartet may be a young, tiny musician, but her wisdom runs “old-school” and her presence is larger than life, especially when she sings and plays her banjo. Being able to sit with Abigail and discuss her thoughts on how music can transcend barriers and cultures, her work with musicians in China and then to follow up with her later about her experience performing in Beijing during the 2008 Summer Olympic games were quite prominent and revealing moments.

Roy Wooten, or Futureman as he’s better known from his performing with Bela Fleck and The Flecktones, really rocked our world before a concert in May. Futerman shared with us in lightening speed descriptions of the notion of spirals and spiraling, the Pythagorean theory, Rodin’s concept of numbers and order as well as his take on The Big Bang and The Big O!

One can’t say enough about Krishna Das and his influence on sacred music. Having Krishna Das speak with us about the blues, the Rolling Stones and kirtan, and his time spent with Neem Karoli Baba was revealing. Krishna Das took time out to help simplify what can be a complicating concept to grasp - our notions of holy music and how song and chant are such powerful vehicles in connecting us with the divine.

Sister Hazel’s Ken Block made us laugh and reminded us to not take life too seriously with the description of Sister Hazel's diverse influence and projects such as the development of Inner-Peace Corp (spiritual diversity uniting), Operation Swan Dive (parachuting out of planes for charity causes!), and Rock The Boat (how many bands can one fit on a cruise ship?). Ken Block, like us all, will grow older, but he’ll still be smiling and laughing when he’s 80 and probably still making great music with Sister Hazel!

We were fortunate enough to spend some time with Vanguard Recording Artist Trevor Hall on three different occasions. Trevor shared with us his firmly held conviction about how "everything is meditation" as well as his vivid description of his time spent in India. Trevor also spoke about his love of music and how songs flow through him as well as how the Almighty influences his life in profound and beautifully musical ways.

2008 Grammy Nominee Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya was kind enough to speak with us from half-way around the world in India and then again before a concert where he was debuting “Song of Life,” a piece he performed along with master guitarists Derek Trucks, Jerry Douglas, Bob Brozman. Best wishes to Debashish this February with the Grammys!

The passionate and ever-giving Christine Stevens from UpBeat Drum Circles inspired us with her knowledge of and devotion to sacred drumming and imparted exciting scientific data documenting how drumming and music changes our being, from the inside out. Christine’s commitment and service to the people of Iraq moves us deeply. She has twice been to Iraq to help heal and inspire war-torn women and children through the Ashti Drum Project. While in Iraq Christine and her team served children with their music through Kurdistan Save the Children, as well as Iraqi women at two shelters in Suliyamania. Thanks, Christine, for your service in Iraq and for being our friend.

The legendary Ms. Odetta took time out to speak with us just before she left this world in November. It is a moment we will never forget. How fortunate we all are for her being, for her voice and for her songs. I’ll never forget how she quelled my nerves before our interview by saying, “Honey, you just talk to me like I’m your grand-momma.” God bless Ms. Odetta for blessing us all with her voice. We are better human beings having known her song.

The time we spent with Don Campbell, author of the New York Times Best-selling book The Mozart Effect was a learning experience to say the least. Don Campbell, the author of 22 books, has been a leader in music’s transformational powers for 30 years. His journey in the spirituality of sound as an interfaith minister includes a degree in church music and choral conducting, and as director of the Institute for Music, Health, and Education, he has taken students to Tibet, Russia, France, Jerusalem, Bali, and England to explore the powers of chant, tone, and sacred music. Don is a walking encyclopedia of musical knowledge and his vast experiences teaching others around the world taught us so very much.

Over The Rhine’s Linford Detweiler spoke with us about the band's newest release, The Trumpet Child, and the biblical imagery and whimsical political musings within. In the band’s bio there’s a quote which reads, "Every song has to be good, every record has to be great, every concert has to have some spiritual significance, something we can't quantify and something bigger than all of us." Over The Rhine impressed us with their humbleness and devotion to serving others through music.

Johnette Napolitano, formerly of Concrete Blond, shared how she’s reconciled the past with the present and how she’s using her music and her art to shape today and the future in a direction that’s liberating and more sacred for her. Johnette’s recent poetry, lyrics and art speak volumes above her past accomplishments and we look forward to witnessing her grow as an artist.

By Tom Crenshaw, tom@rockom.net

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Want to trigger a spiritual experience or simply become a less selfish person? Get lost in meditation, prayer or even a good song, MU researchers say. Doing so, they’ve found, deactivates the part of the brain programmed to focus on your self.

Brick Johnstone, a University of Missouri neurophysiologist, released a study early this month that linked decreased activity in the right parietal lobe of the brain to spiritual experiences. That particular area of the brain, found in the upper back portion, controls a person’s ability to recognize themselves, their abilities and their relationship to their environment.

Johnstone studied individuals with brain injuries and discovered that people with trauma to the right parietal lobe reported higher levels of spiritual experiences.The finding is important, he said, because it means people can learn to become selfless by decreasing activity in that part of the brain through meditation or prayer.

But one doesn’t have to be religious to experience it; even getting lost in a good song can take a person’s attention away from the sense of self, said Dan Cohen, an MU professor of religious studies and anthropologist. "Losing your sense of self is a human experience that happens in various degrees," Cohen said. "If you’re listening to music, your favorite song on the radio, you lose yourself and suddenly it’s over. You lost your sense of self for a moment as you’ve merged yourself into the music. It’s a joyful and pleasant experience."

Johnstone stressed that the study isn’t intended to minimize spirituality as simply a brain function. "Just because the brain is shutting down, allowing you to be more selfless, that doesn’t take away from the spiritual experience you feel," he said. "There’s something incredibly wonderful about the universe people feel connected to; for monotheistic religions, that’s God, or for other religions it’s nirvana or the universe, for lack of better term."

And there’s no evidence that spirituality can be linked to just one area of the brain, Cohen said. The brain is too complex and individualized to try to compartmentalize or oversimplify its functions, he said. "You have to be careful to not say, ‘Oh, that explains it,’ " he said. "That’s dangerous."

Johstone’s findings align with other studies that have shown Buddhist meditators and Franciscan nuns experience the same neuropsychological functions during religious experiences. Locally, Cohen has found that individuals from various religious denominations benefit mentally not because of religious rituals but because they feel support and love from their respective congregations. Cohen and Johnstone are now studying spirituality among individuals who have suffered a stroke or have cancer or other health problems.

The research "can be used to garner greater mental health and to make minds work better, longer and stay healthier," Cohen said. "Brain health is becoming increasingly recognized as an important part of a good life, a satisfying life."

By JANESE HEAVIN
Originally posted at the ColumbiaTribune.com here. Reposted with permission.

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by Cabin

Visit Cabin at...

MySpace
Machine Records (purchasing)

Cabin is a melodic rock band from Louisville, KY led by founding member Noah Hewitt-Ball. Cabin wastes little time setting the tone on their newest EP (Machine Records) entitled I Was Here. Their emotional and hauntingly beautiful track, "Cover Your Eyes" is a dramatic and spiritual journey, imploring a greater power for answers to some age-old questions. This soulful, touching plea (ripe with sweeping strings and evocative piano) does resolve some of those questions but, like real life, leaves many of them unanswered.

Featured Track: "Cover Your Eyes"

Lyric Excerpt:
With God as my witness, like nobody's business,

you know that I've tried
and somehow I'll never be sure
But I'll keep asking why
Because you can't hide from the world by covering your eyes

Click to Play

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Compared to Life (if the familiar dyad even makes sense), Death is famously dispassionate. Death doesn't care when, or why, or how, or who. Death can not care, because caring is the job of the living. And so choice has precious little to do with death, which is why we clutch at whatever choices we do have about our final moments. We usually don't have the luxury of the death we would prefer, and so we do insignificant and desperate things like making living wills and funeral playlists, pre-emptive strikes at the infinite unyielding unconcern of nonexistence.

Some cultures don't consider suicide to be as tasteless as ours does (thanatophobic and euphemistic, we have a long history of plucking out our own offending eyes without mourning our lost sight). Here and now, we can do little to decide the terms of our passage without distressing the ones we love.

We can, however, write declarations of love that stamp a seal of determination on our last breath. Tenderly capturing his request to die in the presence of his beloved, Elbow frontman Guy Garvey penned an exemplar of such quietly raging hopeful confessions: the organ ballad, "Switching Off." Painting precious, half-iambic metaphors of his last night's fading lights from the perch of candid youth, Garvey imagines a distant and peaceful shutdown - and his partner's place beside him, amidst the creeping noise and the crumbling synchrony.

Elbow - "Switching Off"

Last of the men in hats hops off the coil
And a final scene unfolds inside
Deep in the rain of sparks behind his brow
Is a part replayed from a perfect day
Teaching her how to whistle like a boy
In love's first blush

Is this making sense?
What am I trying to say?
Early evening June, this room and a radio play
This I need to save
I choose my final thoughts today
Switching off with you

All the clocks give in, and the traffic fades
And the insects like...like a neon choir
The instant fizz, connection made
And the curtains sigh in time with you

You're the only sense the world has ever made
Early evening June, this room and radio play
This I need to save
I choose my final scene today
Switching off...

Ran to ground, ran to ground for a while there
But I came off pretty well, I came off pretty well...

You're the only sense the world has ever made
This I need to save
A simple trinket locked away
I choose my final scene today
Switching off with you

This song is one of the truest love letters I've ever heard, daisies growing from a double grave, holding hands to die of old age, because "You're the only sense the world has ever made." Whatever happens between now and then, God save this feeling, this certainty and adoration, togetherness and memory, this "simple trinket locked away," until I can look back and smile at its accurate prediction.

We may not get to choose how we die, but we can hope against hope that we die in someone's arms. We can't carry anything across that threshold, but we can carry our cares right up to its silver edge. We can adorn our lives with these solemn vows, giving worth to each living moment. We can prove that death is in fact meaningful, because it is by death that we determine what is valuable. Romance as I know it is a skull with rose window eyes, burgeoning even as it breaks. And so there is nothing more romantic than telling someone you want them there when you die.

"Switching Off" is a perfect portrait of recognizing what matters. It is the beauty of yearning listening as it strains against fadeout. It'd be a strange song to play at my funeral - bringing the particulars of my death into sharp focus, where wishes may not hold against facts - but I would put it on my funeral playlist anyway, because it so gracefully captures for me the timeless splendor of love. Because we may not get to choose, but we can always hope to choose. And after years of arguing for the concrete value of choice, I am only now beginning to understand the diaphonous, glistening value of hope.

Previous articles in this series:

PART I: The Soundtrack To Your Funeral, I: Playing DJ To The Bereaved
PART II: The Soundtrack To Your Funeral, II: Putting Death in a Box
PART III: The Soundtrack To Your Funeral, III: Do It For The World
PART IV: The Soundtrack To Your Funeral, IV: Cake's Four Noble Truths
PART V: The Soundtrack To Your Funeral, V: Our Forgotten Vow
PART VI: The Soundtrack To Your Funeral, VI: Takin' Life So Serious

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Michael Garfield is intent on demonstrating that everything is equally art, science, and spiritual practice - to revive cultural and individual investment in the renaissance thinking that finds equal value in thinking and feeling, description and experience. Working as a scientific illustrator and essayist by day, and a live electronic musician and performance painter by night, Michael divides his attentions between exploring and celebrating the vast complex vibratory spectacle that is our musical universe. His work has been featured at integralnaked.org, realitysandwich.com, and paullonely.com, and in Cause & Effect Magazine, iMAGE Magazine, and H+. Links to his painting gallery, live and studio recordings, and visionary music blog can be found at myspace.com/michaelgarfield.

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by Pastor Jim Girdlestone

The creative arts and their expression have always been a crossroads where spirituality and religiosity clash.

Christmas Eve, 1818 at the church of St. Nicholas in Oberndorf, Austria was probably anything but a ‘silent night, holy night’ in many quarters. As the legend goes, Father Joseph Mohr and organist Franz Gruber put the classic Christmas lyric for Silent Night together with a melody to meet the need for music for the holiday celebration after the church organ malfunctioned and could not be repaired in time for services. According to the traditional account, the original rendition of the now beloved hymn was performed at the Christmas Eve Mass to the accompaniment of Gruber’s guitar and ‘made a deep impact’ on the parishioners.

Closer to the less romanticized truth – as any pastor may attest – is the version of the story that reports that half the congregation probably left the church in protest over the abrupt change in musical styles, and the other half blamed Father Mohr for irresponsibly neglecting the repair of the treasured organ. That Silent Night so long ago was probably filled with more than a few self-righteous cries from church-goers so entrenched in tradition that this musical hiccup was proof positive that ‘God’s Spirit has departed the church’!

Sound cynical? Maybe, but surveys of the church always indicate that we trend behind culture in embracing creative change by 15 to 20 years, that most churches are stuck in traditions and styles that make no sense to spiritually hungry people who have no church affiliation or background, and that – particularly when it comes to expression through the creative arts – as one observer in a recent poll commented: (Christians) “are judgmental, arrogant…they never bother figuring out what other people actually think. They just like to hear themselves talk about their own opinions.”

Enough. Are you an artist – musician, indie film maker, poet or writer, graphic/visual artist or performer - who’s found that a typical church environment isn’t the easiest place to find avenue for creative expression? Are you looking for a place to be an artist that happens to be a Christian, rather than simply being a ‘Christian artist’?

Are you a person who’s unconvinced and uncommitted to the Christian faith but open to shedding the idea of distorted religious experience in favor of finding personal faith discovered through a process of getting to know creative people of faith in a comfortable and agenda-free environment?

If so, join us this Christmas season for a fresh take on a classic idea – maybe our Creator is totally into creativity and maybe, just maybe…He’s outside the box this year – including the traditional Christmas box!

For more information, contact PastorJimCPC@hughes.net or visit our website at www.centrepointe.org.

This article was originally posted here. Reposted with permission.

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The holidays are upon us!

From all of us at RockOm, we wanted to simply say Happy Holidays. Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or Christmas (or something else!), may the season be bright, may it bring you closer to Truth and throughout this time may you, as we often say on the RockOm podcast, live a beautiful melody and inspire harmony all around you.

We're grateful for each of you and send our thoughts and prayers to you and yours. May there indeed be "peace on earth, goodwill toward men." Many blessings!

Introduction by Tom Crenshaw, tom@rockom.net

For most westerners, the names Ravi and Anoushka Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, Zakir Hussain and even George Harrison come to mind when popular or classical Indian music is mentioned. Each of these artists are pioneers in introducing and popularizing Indian music in the west.  And for each of these artists I've mentioned there are scores more who are just as popular, just as influential in bringing Hindustani music to the world and who are entirely worthy of note. Vocalist Pandit Jasraj is one such artist.

Born in Hissar, India in 1930 Pandit Jasraj inherited his father’s musical abilities and was initiated into music by his father before he was four years old. Jasraj was celebrated early in his career for his tabla abilities, but it is his vocal mastery which distinguishes him from his peers and for which he is most celebrated. Pandit Jasraj is gifted with a three and a half octave range and his unique style of vocalization called Jugalbandhi (entwined twins), which is a essentially a duet style of vocalization and singing between either another voice or a musical instrument and is styled on the ancient system of moorchanas (between a male and a female vocalist, each singing in their respective scales and different ragas at the same time). Moorchana is derived from the word moorch, referring to a fainted condition, but here relates to harmonies that lie in an unconscious or sleeping state in the subconscious until “awakened and sung, when they begin to radiate spiritual bliss.”

Pandit Jasraj has performed and collaborated with a wide array of noted musicians worldwide, received numerous awards and recognitions and has recorded many critically acclaimed albums in his illustrious career. He has even founded an institution of higher learning, the Pandit Jasraj Institute for Music Research, Artistry and Appreciation with classes in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

RockOm is pleased to offer our readers a very recent and inspiring interview with Pandit Jasraj conducted by Swati Sharma from The New Indian Express and reposted here at RockOm with express permission for your enjoyment.

“Whenever one sings a note correctly, you automatically feel the spiritual equivalent of a samãdhi. And after several such notes, you are indeed in a Samãdhi, a state of deep meditation.” Pandit Jasraj

Spirituality Is Music

by Swati Sharma, Expressbuzz.com source

It was raining gently outside as I sat sipping a hot cup of tea, when I heard his familiar voice, drawing closer from a distance. Aap ki seva mein haazir hoon (lyrics from "Thanda Thanda Paani," [Ice, Ice, Baby by Vanilla Ice] as recorded by the iconic Indian rapper Baba Sehgal) a smiling Pandit Jasraj, dressed in an understated cream silk dhoti kurta (traditional Indian style of dress), extended his greetings. "Thank you for coming," he said warmly as he settled comfortably in a plastic chair. Even as the smile dissolved in his serene face, the doyen (senior master) of the Mewati Gharana, closed his eyes for a brief while before opening up: “When I close my eyes, I connect with God with or without music.’’ In a voice so soft, almost like a hymn, Pandit Jasraj continued, “there has never been a moment of doubt (in God) in my life. HE plays the most important role in our lives.’’ Withdrawing into himself, he appeared to be speaking to himself: “I always invite HIM to be with me and accept my dedication. It’s not a performance, music is a form of worship. It’s all about surrendering oneself to HIM.’’ Mai swaron se ishwar ko saadhne ki chesta karta hoon (I try to reach God through my music.)

It was obvious I was sitting next to a deeply spiritual man, who believes not only in the transformational power of sound but also in its origins in the all pervading consciousness. “We do not write, do not read and do not plan music,’’ he stressed after a long pause, “we establish a relation to God through it.’’ Going down the memory lane, he correlates his experiences and realizations.

“Some power, some force has guided my whole life and actions. I know HE has blessed me with my art. If God wants to shower HIS blessings upon a person, HE makes him appreciate music. But if God is further happier with a person, HE makes him a musician,’’ he remarked deeply conscious of his own good fortune.

Talking about his inspiration, he pointed out, “there are so many things that can inspire’’ and narrated one: “Some 40 years ago, I was about to perform in Sholapur, at a small godown that passed off as a venue. Among the rather nondescript motley crowd that seemed least interested in my singing, I spotted an old man shabbily dressed coming inside most irreverently. His behaviour annoyed me and I closed my eyes and carried on. As I faltered at one point missing a matra (beat), I immediately gathered myself and made up for it, coming back to the same with such aplomb that I could not help heaving a secret sigh of relief. Just as I did so, I heard a lone voice in the audience praising my feat with a loud 'wah!' As I looked around for that solitary listener who had echoed my thoughts and communed with me so perfectly, I found it was this same old man. Thereafter, he went off leaving me distraught, for my eyes were constantly searching him. Towards the end, however, he reappeared and from then on, it seemed to me I was singing for him alone. As my concert ended, he came to me, placed his hands on my head and said, 'Aaj tumne tumhare pitaji ki yaad dilaa di (your song carries me back in my memory.)'"

Lord Krishna once said to Panditji in a dream: "Jasraj, you must sing. Sing for me. Your prayers reach me faster on the wings of your music!" Krishna can be addressed as a companion, as God, friend or even lover. Maybe that is why He is the muse of artists. He is always present in my mind.’’ A devout Krishna bhakt (devotee), Jasraj revealed that he imagines the form of Krishna while singing. “He symbolizes romanticism as well as bhakti. His name itself inspires peace. Do I need to say more? ’’

"When I was six-years-old, every night I used to get dreams frequently in which I die and my atma (self) climbs up and sits on a zarokha (big wooden frame). In my dream my family cries, but I laugh. I also see my elder brother and my guru, Pandit Maniram crying. I come down and try to tell my elder brother, 'see Bhaiyya, I’m alive.'’’ The maestro talked of his brother and guru with deep love and reverence. "Even in my dreams I can’t hurt my elder brother,’’ he said. Moving from the personal to the professional part of his life, he noted the spiritual underpinnings of Indian Music. “Bharatiya sangeet mein bhagwan ka darshan hota hai. Sangeet (doubt or suspect) and bhakti cannot be separated - one cannot exist without the other.’’ As much is evident in his music. Is he worried that classical music is fast losing support in the country? A pretty common question but one that elicited an amazing answer from Pandit Jasraj. “We are not bothered about numbers. Even one connoisseur is enough!” he shot back.

But pointed out, that youngsters are increasingly taking to classical music.“The young are getting back to the old tradition, listening to real music; be it classical, ghazal (ancient poetic form), and so on. Once they start enjoying the fragrance of music they will get involved. The effect of music is such.’’ he explained with evident optimism. He rejected the perception that the younger generation was not keen on classical music and said a good part of his audience is comprised of young boys and girls.

So, is there hope yet? "Yes," he said emphatically. "Despite the decline of the gharana system (school or house of music) and the pressure to look for better careers, there are a few brilliant young musicians who have proved themselves worthy of inheriting the mantle of the greats, even if many of them do not come from illustrious dynasties," he explained. Star progeny like Mukul Shivputra (Kumar Gandharva’s son), Ashish Khan (Ustad Ali Akbar Khan’s son), Anoushka Shankar, Aman and Ayaan Ali have met more than their match in vocalists like Veena SahasrabuddheSahasrabuddhe and Shruti Shadolikar.  Sitar players Shahid Parvez and Purvayan Chatterjee and sarod player Parthosarathi inspire hope that Hindustani classical music can get back its past glory.

Finally, his take on Hyderabad (capital city of th Indian state of Andhra Pradesh). “This city is my teerth sthaan (holy place) and here I come every year to perform,’’ he said.

The individual is always more important than the medium, and the music of a genius like Panditji will always be new and fresh. So, listen to him while he is here.

Jai Ho! (his way of wishing)

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As I've said before, the soundtrack to your funeral is as personal a playlist as you'll ever make. Assuming you have the luxury of deciding what to play to your mourning crowd (and assuming that you have the luxury of a mourning crowd), the funeral playlist is your final opportunity to give a life-affirming message that helps people deal with their grief and conveys the sum of your wisdom in a personal voice.

If it's not clear already, I take this responsibility very seriously. But then, I take everything very seriously. I was born under a Capricorn Sun (on 8 January, same day as Elvis Presley, David Bowie, and Stephen Hawking), and have recently come to appreciate the full significance of this: Capricorn is ruled by Saturn (aka Kronos), the god-devouring Lord of Time and the home planet for intense gravity of both metaphorical and literal varieties. Capricorns are saturnine, heavy, pragmatic, associated with bones and the skeleton, earthiness and history.

And so it comes as only a little surprise that I became a paleontologist, only to shift my attentions to the study of time itself. Little surprise that I was so deeply drawn to Boulder, Colorado, where I now live in the shade at the foothills of the Flatirons and play in a band called Ethereal Underground. Little surprise that I paint bones and eruptions, that I've abandoned the notion of delusion in favor of "practical versus unpractical realities," and spend so much time thinking about the unconscious as if it were geological strata.

Little surprise that many people can't tell when I'm joking, and that I can't tell when they are joking, either. I experience my own feminine compassion as an expanse of drought-cracked and fire-tempered clay, stoic and willing to soak up the spilt blood of human suffering in an ancient, patient embrace. Even my jubilance comes wrapped in rough gauze, a romantic appreciation of the grinning skull, a stealing of each moment's blooming flesh from the bare jaws of transience. Historically, astrological Saturn presides over the 1st House (incarnation) and the 8th House (death): gravity and graves, you know.

And therein lies the incentive for me to make sure that one song in particular is not left out of my funeral playlist, Ash Grunwald's "Serious."

Ash Grunwald - "Serious"

Now, sometimes I act like a fool
With those dark clouds and worries inside
When we live small lives that are way too short
And don't need no reason why

We've gotta stop takin' life so serious
Stop takin' life so serious
Stop takin' life so serious
You don't even know what you have

Sometimes I worry about the future
Are we ever going to find our way?
I don't even realize that we're living in the Good Old Days

I told you, stop takin' life so serious
You don't even know what you have

And your mind can get stuck just like Ararat*
Dangled carrot of desire in your head
Now your heart feels just like a bowling ball
Have you listened to a word I said?

I told you, stop takin' life so serious
Stop takin' life so serious
Stop takin' life so serious
You don't even know what you have

(*I'm not entirely sure that this is what he says, but it makes sense.)

I refuse to accept the assertion that we can only appreciate what we have when it's gone. I have in vivid memory a thousand moments of lightness that pull me out of my well again and again, reminding me that this is just as much "it" as anything else.

If I really do have an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those who survive me, I hope it's by lightening their hearts. I hope it's by shaking them with the urgency and intensity of my good humor, shaking them out of their time-wasting sad sack nonsense into a larger perspective that floats in the vastness of our world and cannot help but respond to it with play.

And what better way than with a riotous uptempo slide guitar song growled out by a man named Ash? There's something in this about fighting fire with fire, the irony of such a bouyant message coming in the form of such a stern declaration. It appeals to my saturnine self, striving for something sillier. It speaks to my inner fool. It jumps on the bed until I bolt upright laughing, half indignant and half hilarious with surprise.

And it rocks. Which pleases me, of course, being an Earth sign and all.

Previous articles in this series:

PART I: The Soundtrack To Your Funeral, I: Playing DJ To The Bereaved
PART II: The Soundtrack To Your Funeral, II: Putting Death in a Box
PART III: The Soundtrack To Your Funeral, III: Do It For The World
PART IV: The Soundtrack To Your Funeral, IV: Cake's Four Noble Truths
PART V: The Soundtrack To Your Funeral, V: Our Forgotten Vow

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Michael Garfield is intent on demonstrating that everything is equally art, science, and spiritual practice - to revive cultural and individual investment in the renaissance thinking that finds equal value in thinking and feeling, description and experience. Working as a scientific illustrator and essayist by day, and a live electronic musician and performance painter by night, Michael divides his attentions between exploring and celebrating the vast complex vibratory spectacle that is our musical universe. His work has been featured at integralnaked.org, realitysandwich.com, and paullonely.com, and in Cause & Effect Magazine, iMAGE Magazine, and H+. Links to his painting gallery, live and studio recordings, and visionary music blog can be found at myspace.com/michaelgarfield.

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