LIVE in love

A powerful experience of live kirtan in a 2-CD set, recorded in concert in Oregon.  LIVE in love offers the live energy of chant, flowing from the sublime to the ecstatic.  Shantala is joined by special guests Manose, Jami Sieber, Gina Sala, Joe Jencks, and Talia Toni Marcus.

About this project: For three days we sang with a loving and vibrant live audience in the sacred space of Portland Insight Meditation Center in Portland, Oregon, in August 2006. The birth of this project was a beautiful convergence of grace-filled events, emerging from our desire to share the energy of live chanting with our international kirtan family. Along with our beloved spirit sister Gina Sala, we united to co-create a powerful experience of deep spirit and incredible heart. Manose and other wonderful musicians & singers traveled far to join us for the creation of our recording. We hope it will nourish your heart and spirit!

Within

The music features Benjy on esraj, a poignant and deliciously expressive 19-stringed bowed instrument from India. David plays Celtic harp and these slow paced duets are designed to guide you to that place within...

Virtuoso guitarist Michael Mandrell joins the artists on a number of the pieces and Benjy's wife Heather Wertheimer adds beautiful tamboura and ethereal vocals to complete the surreal soundscape that is perfect for massage therapy, the healing arts, yoga or just peaceful contemplation.

Sri

Sri, (pronounced shree) is the long-awaited follow-up to The Love Window,. Sri carries the listener with love and ease into the ancient yoga of sacred chanting (kirtan) inviting the listener to sing along in spiritual practice or to simply resonate in the sacred ambiance created by the CD. Benjy’s exquisite music is featured with his vocals and esraj, and he creates a powerful percussion experience with world-wide influences on tabla, djembe, congas, frame drum, and other percussion. Heather leads sacred chanting on this CD with crystalline vocals from the heart and soul of devotional music. Guest artists include Krishna Das, Snatam Kaur, Gina Salá, Steve Gorn, Manose, Jami Sieber, John Friend, and others.

Devotional chanting with beauty, passion and reverence. These ancient chants echo inside each one of us—a whisper from past millennia resonating into the eternal present. Sacred chanting opens a love window into the heart.

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Om Mata Kali (344KB)
Amba Parameshwari (520KB)

Shantala’s debut CD blends intimate songwriting with world-influenced instrumentals and soaring vocals. Spiced with luscious voices and exceptional arrangements of guitars, keyboards and percussion, Church of Sky features the extraordinary musical talents of Michael Mandrell, Bob Brozman, Tina Malia, Wah!, Joe Jencks, Julian Smedley, Tim Ellis, Jim Walker, Jeff Leonard and others.

”We love Church of Sky. The whole album just breathes love. A true blessing.“
-Deva Premal and Miten

”One of the top ten CDs of 2004.“
-New Age Retailer, July/Aug 2004

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Church Of Sky (220KB)
Roll Over With Me (104KB)

Excellent music for meditative listening and yoga in the tradition of the popular CD Soul of the Esraj. Beautiful flowing vocals bring ancient sacred writings to life featuring special musical guests Steve Gorn, Jami Sieber, Heather Wertheimer and David Michael.

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A musical canvas for the healing arts, hatha yoga and meditation. With its roots in the classical music of North India, many elements of New Age and contemporary ambient musical styles build a multi-faceted soundscape for your spiritual journey. The esraj, a North Indian instrument, is similar to a small sitar played with a bow. Along with bass flute, Celtic harp, viola da gamba, voice, and guitar, these selections flow through a sequence based on the ancient melodic forms, or ragas, from which they are derived.

”This is not just music, it is prayer“
-Krishna Das

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"One of my new favorite CDs.… It is a perfect blend between the mystical sounds of the esraj and the soul elevating music of the Bansuri bamboo flute. Mixing other instruments such as tabla, keyboards, and tamboura help to make this an amazingly evocative musical CD."
-John Friend (Founder of Anusara Yoga)

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A mythic instrumental journey featuring acoustic guitarist Michael Mandrell and multi-instrumentalist Benjy Wertheimer. Anjali transports the listener into both the faraway lands of ancient India - through the soulful sounds of the esraj, tamboura and tabla - and the mystical Celtic landscape with lyrical splashes of acoustic guitar.

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An extraordinary dance journey through the music of many cultures around the world, the album's influences range from rock, funk and jazz to West African, Indonesian and Indian folk and classical traditions. Many moods are woven throughout the CD, inviting the dancers fully into their bodies and inspiring them to flow through the full spectrum of expressive movement.

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Notes From Celtistan

An eclectic mix of original music on acoustic guitar, tabla and esraj - the mythical world where Celtic meets Indian.

"The beautiful musical landscape of Celtistan reverently merges Michael's Celtic and jazz sensibilities with Benjy's love of Indian classical music, giving the ancient traditions of India and Ireland a new melodic voice (with occasional touches of Asia and Bosnia). Celtistan's flowing and vibrant language was captured live, to preserve the unique richness, openness, and spontaneity that shared moments bring."
--Eric Alan
(Music Director of Jefferson Public Radio,
Ashland OR)

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