Bill Leyden

Celestial Medicine Album Art

Traveling to the sacred sites of the Yucatán changed me. It seemed to unlock a dormant and unrequited artistic and musical urge that has not yet been quenched. It was the first time that I had heard medicine men use the term ‘celestial’ when talking about one’s quest to lead a balanced life.

I was curious about the ‘secrets of the Maya,’ but nobody that I met was talking very much. But nonetheless there is magic in the Yucatán, albeit invisible and unspoken. Sometimes it returns to me when I play the Native American flute. The same thing happened when I was creating this album. As a result, you will see references in Spanish as well as to sacred sites in the Americas.

Something different about this album: I was about half way through the recordings when I went to the closet a pulled out a Fender Stratocaster that I had not played in many years. I went immediately to the studio and started to record. Look for it peppered throughout the orchestrated songs on the album and featured on Gone But Not Forgotten.

Tracks:
1. Celestial Medicine
2. Pillars of Light
3. Invisible Knights
4. Dragon’s Tail
5. Slide Rock
6. Wolf Moon
7. Celtic Thunder
8. Echoes from Altair
9. Gone But Not Forgotten
10. Spent Wishes
11. Lasuntay Lullaby
12. Un Par de Estrellas
13. Suspiros de Salkantay
14. Cascade
15. Monomyth
16. Retrospect

I used the Native American style flutes made by the following craftsmen:

John Stillwell
Stephen Deruby
Geoffrey Ellis
J.P. Gomez
NZT Designs

and the following Guitars:

Epiphone 335
Fender Stratocaster, “Fat Strat”
Fender Telecaster, Nylon String

There are geographical references in the album.
Lasuntay is a high-altitude lagoon in Peru which is sometimes called “the mirror to the stars.”
Salkantay is a sacred mountain in Peru.

The album art for Celestial Medicine is January moonrise (the waxing Wolf Moon) over Watson Lake in Prescott, Arizona.

Laid Bare Album Art

From its discovery, the Native American style flute has been considered as an instrument of the heart. It is tuned to the natural sounds of the earth and has the ability to reach deep inside the soul to stop ‘linear’ time.

Like every Native American style flute player, I try to make the approach to this instrument my own. I think most people who start out playing this wonderful instrument will attempt to copy the songs of Native musicians. I think this is a great way to not only appreciate the range of the instrument, but also to honor and respect the origins of the flute. But after some time, one’s distinctive style begins to emerge.

This natural transition takes place once the flute is mastered – it can’t help but happen! The melodies will begin to reflect the life’s journey of the player. This happened to me. It was a subtle shift from Native-sounding replications to improvisations which seemed to flow from the visualizations that were uniquely mine, reflecting memories, hopes, disappointments, joy and longing. This is the magic of the instrument. It facilitates the ability to reach deeply into the player’s heart and reflect the emotions of a lifetime.

In the this album, I have presented the flute without pretense and without other sound effects – just the flute in moments of deep contemplation and sentiment. I wanted to let the flute take the listener to a place where my heart was … laid bare.

Tracks:
1. Walking Stick Flute
2. Trolling
3. Southwinds
4. First Light
5. Gimble
6. Laid Bare
7. Reluctant Tears
8. The Crossing
9. Carousel
10. Cicada
11. Glissade
12. Aura
13. Plummet
14. Premonition
15. Specters
16. Lollygag
17. Nectar

I used flutes made by the following master craftsmen:

John Stillwell
Geoffrey Ellis
Colyn Petersen
J.P. Gomez
NZT Designs

Sweetened with Room Album Art

My hope is that Wolfs Robe’s ancestors excuse me and recognize the drop of Shawnee blood that I am told runs in my veins.

What do you think? (Check out the link below)
Sweetened with Room Demo Track

Friend of Sage Journey, Wolfs Robe recently performed at the Indian ruins here. I was lucky enough to be there and capture this shot!

Traditional Native American Flute Player, Wolfs Robe

I awakened thinking that somebody was shining a search light outside. It was just the moonset over Arizona!

It was a hot summer day in the desert east of Los Angeles. The dry heat in Cherry Valley held at about 106F, and made the flutes hot to the touch. This is a passionate group of Native American flute enthusiasts, who are planning their 2nd Annual get-together on Oct 3, 2009.

Chuck Flanagan heads up the Inland Empire Flute Circle (IEFC).

Chuck Flanagan

He generously opens up his house to the circle.   I was lucky to “yes” when my friend,  recording artist Scott August invited me to tag along with him to the IEFC meeting.  I enjoyed the afternoon of friendship and flute talk, and look forward to the gathering in October.

Scott took out a Peruvian Quena that he had aquired on a recent trip to Peru and improvised for the group.  Then came the zamponia and a host of exotic instruments for which I do not pretend to remember the names.

Scott August

Scott plays the Quena (above) as Jonette and Marvin Yazzie (hidden) approvingly look on.

I continue to find myself re-living the intimate talk made by Tito LaRosa, gifted Peruvian sound-healer in Malibu, CA in June of this year (2009).  Tito reminded his audience that what he was about to do was by no means a performance, but instead a shared and personal experience.

The indigenous instruments, which he had categorized for himself by the four cardinal directions and the alchemical elements (air, fire, earth and water) were to speak to each individual in accordance to what he or she ‘needed.’

I am experimenting some indigenous sounds – in this case, the Peruvian pan flute, and a Native American style flute made by J.P. Gomez of Sedona, AZ.

This is how it comes across in a yet unnamed melody:

The Longing for Good Demo

For Native American Flute aficionados, the flute by J.P. is a G minor pentatonic, made in the grandfather tradition from blue denim ponderosa pine with an ambrosia maple block, which I used on the Accept Me Home track of the “Seeking Balance” album. 

I have decided to reclaim my embouchure (the facial muscles required to play a wind instrument) which I have let go since playing the trumpet in grade school. The resurrection will be accomplished with an Indian Bansuri, a marvelous instrument so simple in its appearance but I suspect a lifetime in perfecting the performance.

Well, I certainly won’t let that stop me.

Here is a smattering of the Bansuri in a yet-to-be-named track:

BansuriDemo

Pfeiffer State Beach

My previous post regarding Pfeiffer State Beach in Big Sur, CA (31Jul09)  shows it I believe on a typical day.  This morning however, was somehow special.  The absense of the morning fog and the stillness of the air are two things I have never seen there (not that I am a local expert).  Also the tide was as low as I have seen it – making wading out to the windows in the rocks a delightful experience.  But seeing the outlet of a river with no wind ripples was almost more than I could bear.

I asked Giorgia, a gifted healer, educator and intuitive to go over to the far side of the pond; i would follow shortly.  The image above was exactly what I was hoping to capture:  the complex sky, the color and contrast of the rocks in the background, the beautiful line of the surf, and of course a woman in reflection.  I love this shot.  For those who love photoshop, you will be disappoint to know that his image is right out of the camera.