Snatam Kaur’s ‘Charan Sat Sat’ from Sukhmani Sahib on New Album, Liberation’s Door

In continuation of my interview with Snatam about her upcoming release, Liberation’s Door, she talked to me about an incredible experience she had in the studio while recording the vocals for the track Charan Sat Sat.  In listening to Snatam speak, I realized the depth of devotion and meditation that she experiences with her music, and I am just beginning to understand why so many people are so deeply touched by her music – because it comes from such a pure place within her that is transmitted to you as you listen.

Karan: Can you tell me where the chant ‘Charan Sat Sat’ comes from?

Snatam Kaur during her visit to record 'Liberation's Door'

Snatam:

The words are taken from Sukhmani Sahib which is a beautiful prayer written by Guru Arjan Dev.  Guru Arjan was an amazing poet and teacher.  He gave his life standing up for religious freedom during the reign of emperor Aurangzab by not bowing down to change his faith.  He was tortured and killed for keeping his faith.  I had always known this story and was inspired by it. 

When I was recording this track, I was trying to get into a deep space so I could sing from the purest place possible.  Each time I sang it,  I would go deeper and deeper, trying to connect with the words but also trying to connect to the life growing in my womb so my baby’s soul could be there and present with it too, since she was a part of me and a part of the process of recording the music. 

As I was chanting, I suddenly felt this shift in the space around me and had this experience of being taken to see what it was like for Guru Arjan when he was on his way to the Emperor’s Palace to face his death.  I was literally transported to that place and time – I found myself as one of the disciples carrying Guru Arjan along the road to the palace, and I knew that we were all walking to our deaths.  As I was experiencing that, I kept chanting and everyone with me was chanting.  With each chant, we knew that victory was in the power of Guru Arjan’s sacred words.  We knew that the prayer we were singing would live well beyond us.  With each recitation, we chanted more powerfully because these words were our only defense.  We felt carried forward in knowing that these words would ring through the planet through time and space for all to hear it. 

Then suddenly, I realized I was not only marching towards my own death, but also the child in my womb.  I became very emotional at that point feeling my child did not have a choice in the matter.  Then I felt this soothing presence that I recognized as the soul of my child or some wise soul telling me that my child had already given herself to the guru and was making that choice for herself.  It was a really emotional moment, but I kept singing through it.

It was a beautiful experience for me to tune into that time of Guru Arjan, because I have always known the stories, but that kind of intensity of what it must have been like to fearlessly go towards your death while having the strength of the sound current carry you there was really powerful.  Guru Arjan’s mission was to bring forward the sound current as the teacher that we show our reverence to.

Karan: What did you take with you from that experience?

Snatam: I really felt how strong the words and the sacred sound current are – even more powerful than weapons or swords. 

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Listen to Charan Sat Sat 

See the entire album: Liberation’s Door

- Karan

Joy is Now Review – Yoga Journal May 2009

GuruGanesha’s latest release, Joy is Now, is an incredible album, and I was so excited to see the review in the most recent issue of yoga journal. 

Here is the review:

Joy is Now by GuruGanesha Singh and Snatam Kaur:

GuruGanesha Singh is best known as the guitarist for Sikh chant singer Snatam Kaur.  But on Joy is Now, GuruGanesha steps into the spotlight with a set of kirtan compositions that showcase his lyrical guitar playing and relaxed singing style.  On most tracks he alternates lead vocal lines with Snatam, an exchange that creates a winning contrast.  The compositions also leave ample space for improvisation.  Instruments like sitars, sarods, flutes, esrajs, and violins dapple the music with traditional Indian tonalities that twine with GuruGanesha’s guitar.

The songs are varied in mood and style.  “Peace Has Begun” is jazzy, while the title track is a study in blissful acoustic psychedelia that wouldn’t have been out of place on a late ’60s album by GuruGanesha’s longtime heroes, the Grateful Dead.  the final two selections, “Sat Narayan” and “Guru Ram Das Love Song,” are more vocally driven and closer in style to Snatam’s own albums.  On Joy is Now, GuruGanesha and Snatam offer an agreeable blend o fthe new and the familiar in teh world of kirtan, taking you deep into the quiet hear of devotion and meditative awareness. 

- Reviewed by Alan di Perna

 

Listen to Sound Clips from this album here:

Song Title	Length
1. Peace Has Begun	–
2. Hari Om	–
3. Joy is Now	–
4. Aad Sach	–
5. Sat Narayan	–
6. Guru Ram Das Love Song	–

Click Here for More Information and to Purchase the Album

A Night of Pure Joy!

GuruGanesha with his band including Nirinjan Kaur, Arvind and Sat Kartar Singh

On Saturday night, GuruGanesha Singh’s Joy is Now Tour was here in Vienna, Virginia, and what a treat!! It was non-stop fun.  GuruGanesha has assembled quite a group of extraordinarily talented people on this tour, and it made for such a full experience, I could have stayed for hours longer!  I had my video camera with me, so I have posted clips on youtube from the evening.  The quality isn’t the best, but I really wanted to share the experience!

The evening started with a dance by Jai Khalsa.  Jai has studied Classical Indian dance in South India from renowned dance teacher C. Radha Krishna and continued her studies in the US under dance instructor and well-known performer Christel Stevens.  She has performed all across the country and is now mesmerizing GuruGanesha’s audiences with her incredible talent.  Here is a video clip of her opening dance:

And the music….it was incredible.  I found myself completely awestruck by the guitar – having the guitar so centrally presented made this concert as much about the instrumentals as the vocals to wonderful effect.  I looked around and saw people just mesmerized by the guitar.    During the Siri Wahe Guru track from Joy is Now, Jai danced again to the instrumental sections, and the combination of Jai’s dance and GuruGanesha’s guitar was so amazing.  See the clip:

There was some really soulful, lively music.  They did a gospely, Grateful Dead-like version of a song called Bright Star that was great fun!!  See the clip:

They also brought this great flavor to the Hari Om track, with Nirinjan taking off into the ethers with her improv vocals.  See the clip:

Nirinjan shared a song that she introduced as her favorite English song called “I Am the Light of the Soul.”  Her voice is so pure and rich.  See the clip:

It’s hard to really get the amazing experience of this concert through the clips – the sound quality is a bit iffy, but I thought I’d share them just the same.  What you don’t see here is the incredibly powerful connection with the musicians you get sitting in the audience.  GuruGanesha’s stories were extremely powerful – while being wildly hilarious at times, I felt that they really helped the audience get a great window into the history of 3HO, the stories behind GuruGanesha’s evolution into the musician he is today, and some profound world-views. 

I would urge anyone and everyone to go to this  concert when it comes to their town.  It’s an experience not t be missed.

 

Here are the rest of the dates on the tour:

Winston-Salem, North Carolina   – November 11

Mt Pleasant, South Carolina – November 12

Altamonte Springs, Florida – November 14

Atlanta, Georgia - November 16 

Asheville, North Carolina – November 18

Baltimore, Maryland – November 21

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – November 22

 

Click Here to Purchase Tickets

 

There are also some GREAT clips by other people who have attended the concerts.

This page has clips from the concert in Vermont: http://www.youtube.com/user/ThinkBachs 

 

 

And here we are after the concert!

Hargobind, GuruGanesha and me (Karan) after the concert

Nirinjan Kaur – A Voice Full of Love on Tour with GuruGanesha Singh

Nirinjan Kaur Khalsa is joining GuruGanesha Singh’s Joy is Now tour, and what an incredible addition to this upcoming tour.  One of the great perks of my job is getting to see some of the behind the scenes work that our musicians do.  Yesterday, I went to the final day of rehearsal before the band jumped on their tour bus to head up to Toronto for tonight’s first concert on the tour.  They set up their entire sound system in the Sterling Yoga Center, so i felt like they were playing a concert just for me, and it was truly pure joy in the here and now! 

I had never heard Nirinjan sing in person before, and as they opened their first song, Ong Namo, I felt the sweetest love just pour right into me – she has an unbelievable range, her voice flowing from low harmonies all the way up the scale to angelic frequencies.  The entire set was amazing, with GuruGanesha and Nirinjan singing in a call-response style throughout the set, and GuruGanesha’s guitar just genius carrying right along with their incredible vocal interplay.  (Sometimes the eloquence of GuruGanesha’s guitar makes my jaw drop – it’s like living, breathing art flowing from his fingers into the air and right up your spine.)

So, I got a chance to ask Nirinjan some questions about herself and this upcoming tour.  Here they are:

Nirinjan playing guitar

Karan: How long have you been singing?  What do you like about singing, chanting, and playing music? 

Nirinjan: Well, since I was born I’ve been surrounded by sacred music. Chanting, Meditations, classical indian music…  My mother sings sacred music (she has made a few albums), and my father is a music producer. I’ve always loved singing, as long as I can remember! When I was little, I used to love singing in the car with windows open and the music turned up super loud. I remember wanting the music so loud that I couldn’t hear myself sing… so that I just felt surrounded by it.

Nirinjan: When I was around thirteen, I took Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training, and got really into practicing yoga. More than anything else, Kundalini Yoga opened my awareness so that I could experience the divine. Singing and chanting just came naturally out of that. I love singing because it’s like calling on God, being with God, connected to everything… it’s where nothing is good or bad, just perfect. Love.

(Nirinjan’s mother is Guru Raj Kaur, an amazing musician who lives in Vancouver.  Her music is known and loved around the globe.  She has released two CDs, The Narayan Shabd and Japji: Song of the Soul)

Karan: Did you study music formally?  Can you tell us about it?

Nirinjan: When I was a little girl, I took piano lessons for about six years, which provided an excellent foundation in western music. My father then taught me some simple guitar when I was a little older. In the way of vocal training, I studied formally a little bit while I was going to school in India. There is a teacher there who is a master of Raag (the technology of classical indian music). He is a phenominal musician and vocalist. It’s hard to put into words specifically what I learned from him; only that my relationship to music changed, and my awareness expanded. I got so much from him just by osmosis…by sitting with him…listening. As if I just absorbed the music and technique into myself, instead of learning it through my mind, like I do most things. It’s important for me to say though, that the world of Raag is so vast and deep, people spend years and years studying it full time to really be good at it, and still, there is always more to learn. I really only learned a tiny bit of raag, but that tiny bit took my experience of music and singing to a whole other level of feeling music and hearing it. I am so grateful for the little bit I was able to learn from him.

Karan: What would people be surprised to know about you?

Nirinjan: Surprised? I don’t know what would really surprise people these days! Hmm…well, I was born three months early, I guess that’s pretty unusual. I spent the first three months of my life in a little life support box…! During that time, my mom put a little tape player in there and played Gurbani (Sacred Sikh music) for me all the time. I like to think that played a part in my love for Sikhism, and helped me have a very personal relationship to it through the sound current.

I also really love dogs, and would adopt the whole darn animal shelter if I could! I have a little black mini schnauzer at home named Baalu, who I love to train to do funny tricks. If you ever want to make me relax and feel happy, let me hang out with a dog.

Karan: How does music play into your spiritual beliefs and practices?

Nirinjan Kaur Khalsa

Nirinjan: In Sikhism we believe that our Guru is the sacred sound current. A line in our sacred scripture reads “Bani Guru, Guru hai bani, vich bani, amrit sare”. This means “the sound current is my Guru, my Guru is the sacred sound, through the sacred word, the nectar of bliss is found.” in almost all of our practices as Sikhs (which means “students”), we are constantly chanting and singing to the divine. Our whole sacred scripture is full of songs called “shabds”. These are all essentially love songs to God, to the divine. So music fits pretty perfectly into my spiritual practice!

 

Karan: What are you most excited about in this upcoming tour?

Nirinjan: Well this is going to be the most I’ve ever sung in a five weeks period I think! It will be an amazing experience to sing that much! It will also be very educational singing with a whoe band of proffesional musicians. A tour is such a big deal…I’m pretty much just excited for whatever happens!

Nirinjan has released two CDs on her own, and this summer she released a new album, Healing the Wounds of Love, which will be available for the first time online in early November.

Here are her CDs:

 

To see when the Joy is Now tour is coming to your area, CLICK HERE

Jai Khalsa – Dance Enchantress

Jai in her dance costume

There is something magical that happens when you see Jai dance – something joyful and expansive, and so there is a perfect synchronicity in the fact that she will be joining the Joy is Now Tour with GuruGanesha Singh.  Jai is one of those people whose step always has an extra bounce, whose eyes always twinkle with a hidden light, and whose smile takes you over. 

Jai will open each night of the tour with her spellbinding dance “The Birth of Joy”; referencing classical Indian dance in a way that is simultaneously ancient Eastern and contemporary Western.

I’ve known Jai for many years.  In fact, we lived in Bangalore, India at the same time when she was undergoing some of her dance training - I can remember seeing her practicing her dance in this beautiful outdoor pagoda, looking just like on of Krishna’s gopis.  I sat down with her recently to get her to share a little bit of the magic that she is.

Karan: How long have you been dancing? What do you like about dance?

Jai on Stage

Jai: You know, I feel like I’ve been dancing my whole life. It’s just always felt so natural, so innate, like breathing. What I like about it is the way it makes me feel. It opens up my eyes, my heart, my soul. My mother tells me that she can see my soul when I dance. It took me a while to understand what she meant, but I do now, and on a very deep level. Dancing feeds my soul, and in doing so, it unlocks the essence of who I truly am. Not to mention the immense gratitude it allows me to feel for my physical body as I discover what it is capable of doing. That amazes me every time I work in the studio or finish a performance.

Karan: Can you tell us about your formal dance training?

Jai: After graduating high school, I spent a year in the south of India soaking up the teachings of a Bharatha Natyam master by the name of C. Radha Krishna. He was so wonderful. I still have absolutely no idea how this little man in his seventies – who walked with a cane and taught all of his classes from a chair at the front of the room – managed to impart so much wisdom and crystal clarity about movement, energy, fluidity and precision. It’s incredible. I know that in his heyday he was given the title “The Gem of Dance”, so I can imagine he was really spectacular to watch, and I would have loved to see him perform. But I was fortunate to get to learn from him for that short time.

Jai performing in Washington, DC

When I returned to the States, I began studying with another gem of a person, a wonderful woman named Christel Stevens. She had been a student of the dance program at Kalakshetra, a unique and magnificent spiritual village in Chennai dedicated to a holistic training in the different ancient arts of India. I spent 5 years in her Bharatha Natyam classes in Virginia and performing with a troupe called The Megha Shakti Dancers at festivals and events all over DC, Maryland, and Virginia, and stepped out for some solo work in New York as well.

Karan: How did you get involved in the Joy is Now tour?

Jai at Summer Solstice

Jai: Cosmically. I can’t explain this very divine alignment any other way. In June, I performed at the International Peace Prayer Day celebration in New Mexico. In the days that followed my performance, I was approached by several yoga teachers and a concert producer who expressed an interest in having me come perform at their centers and venues. Then one day I got a call from GuruGanesha saying that Mahan Rishi Singh – who is producing the New Jersey and Pennsylvania concerts – had suggested inviting me to perform at his two venues. And somewhere between that seed having been planted and getting me on the phone, GuruGanesha had decided to invite me to be a part of the entire 5 weeks! In my heart, I immediately said “yes!”

And I’m so excited to be joining the tour. The message of this concert series is one I believe in very strongly, one I’m eager to help share. And my fellow “messengers” are some of my favorite people on the planet.

Karan: What would people be surprised to know about you?

Jai: I’m not really sure. Perhaps that I have an irrational fear of dinosaurs? Even I find that surprising!….. and I can’t believe I just shared it!

Karan and Jai in 2006

Karan: What are you most excited about in this upcoming tour?

Jai: Honestly? Everything. No exaggeration. I’m excited about going to places familiar and unfamiliar (Canada is at the top of that list!) with friends and family whom I adore, doing something that I truly love to do, and meeting as many magnificent people along the way as I can possibly meet. Just talking about it makes me joyful! If that’s not cosmic perfection, I don’t know what is.

About Jai:  A graduate of Yogi Bhajan’s foreign education program in India, and a member of the yogic community from her very first breath, Jai Khalsa has been surrounded by devotional music of the far East for as long as she can remember. While still a student overseas, she began to recognize the dancer in herself; percussion was her heartbeat, and the sounds of the sitar pulled at her heartstrings in a way nothing had ever done before. She knows now that her soul has been filled with this music for far longer than her own lifetime. She studied Classical Indian dance for a number of years before embarking on the journey that has led her to the creative expression she is now exploring. Her inspiration comes from Yogiji’s teachings, and is set to music ranging from ancient to contemporary, Eastern to Western, The Beatles to Bjork to Tabla Beat Science. Jai sets her body in motion across the floor in the same way a writer sets his or her pen in motion across the page, and with the same intention: to tell the stories that live within.

Click Here to see when the Joy is Now Tour is coming to your area

Arvind – Musician, Poet, Producer, Yogi

Recently, the name of a young musician and producer has been popping up all over the place, and I was intrigued to find out more about him. He produced Guru Singh’s excellent new album ‘The Guru Singh Experience;’ he was a hit when he played at solstice, Sat Kirin mentioned that he was doing some work on her new album, and then GuruGanesha very excitedly informed me that Arvind would be joining him on his upcoming Joy is Now Tour.

So I thought I’d get in touch with him and find out more about him. I thought I’d share what I learned about him here.  Here are my questions and his answers:

Arvind On Stage

Karan: How long have you been a musician and what drew you to music?
Arvind: Well, in this lifetime, I have been a musician since I was very young, maybe three or four. I would just sit at the piano and bang on the keys for hours. Fortunately I had parents that were patient enough to allow the banging to transform into more tolerable sounds. Music has always been the common denominator in my life, people and faces come and go; the music has always been present as long as I can remember.

I didn’t have much choice in the matter, but freedom is what drew me to music, and I read somewhere that “Freedom is love in its purest form”.

Karan: How does music play into your spiritual / yogic beliefs and practices?
Arvind: It IS my spiritual practice; whether I’m doing yoga and listening to music, composing music expressly for Yoga, or onstage with my guitar blasting and screaming at the top of my lungs.

The Guru Singh Experience

Karan: You’ve produced quite a bit of music, including Guru Singh’s ‘The Guru Singh Experience’ – what is it like to work on other people’s music – and how was the experience of working with Guru Singh?
Arvind: Working with other people is exhilarating. There is an exponential thing that happens when two or more minds collaborate in a creative setting. It inspires things that neither could come up with individually.

As the name implies, working on The Guru Singh Experience series has indeed been an experience, and a profound one at that. Guru Singh was my teacher before we ever set foot in the recording studio together. I have a great deal of respect for him, and it was sometimes difficult to assert myself as a producer at first. Now that we are almost finished with Volume Two, our working relationship is quite relaxed and enjoyable. The ironic thing is that usually I have to remind him to tune-in before we start a session.

Karan: Can you tell us a bit about your past producing experience?
Arvind: Prior to this, my production experience has been primarily “alternative” music (which is really now a form of pop). The first album I produced was my own in 1990, which I don’t even have a copy of.  In1998, I produced a band called “Cork”, which was a mix between electronica and rock with two female vocals, then an album for the lead vocalist from that band, Misty Murphy in 2002. After that, mostly commercial production work, from Adidas to Sony to *cough* US Army, and lots of video game stuff. I took some time to publish two books of poetry and then I got into yoga in 2005, and that got things really moving–I quit my day job in advertising to focus solely on music and produce an album for my band “invisibleland.”  I had been playing guitar in Guru Singh’s classes for a while and one day after class he said “we need to record an album together.”  I have since recorded an EP for Pauline Drossart, who I met through yoga, as well as just finished producing the score for the movie “Lymelife” which recently won the Critic’s Choice award at the Toronto Film Festival. I am currently working on a full album with fellow Yoga West Teacher Training Alumni, Steven Martini, to support the film in its forthcoming theatrical release.

Arvind

Karan: What would people be surprised to know about you?
Arvind: I was adopted at birth into a very religious Mormon family in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Karan: What instruments do you play?
Arvind: I play many instruments: piano, drums, guitar, bass, mandolin, harmonium, percussion and harmonica. Oh, and I can feel my way around on the kazoo, given some rehearsal. On this tour, I am playing bass and percussion.

Karan: What are you most excited about in this upcoming tour?
Arvind: I’m excited to be able to bring a little bit of happiness to the world… just a little. And GuruGanesha is such a bright soul. Oh, and Nirinjin’s voice? Hellooooo???

See Arvind accompanying GuruGanesha Singh with Nirinjan Kaur on his upcoming Joy is Now Tour.  GuruGanesha has pulled together an incredible ensemble of musicians for this tour, and it’s sure to be an incredible experience filled with joy!

GuruGanesha Singh

Toronto, Ontario	24-Oct
Ottawa, Ontario	25-Oct
Montreal, Quebec	26-Oct
Shelburne, Vermont	28-Oct
Endicott, New York	29-Oct
Auburn, New York	30-Oct
Kent, Connecticut	1-Nov
Montague, Massachusetts	2-Nov
Millis, Massachusetts	5-Nov
New York, New York	6-Nov
New York, New York	7-Nov
Vienna, Virginia	8-Nov
Virginia Beach, Virginia	9-Nov
Winston-Salem, North Carolina	11-Nov
Charleston, South Carolina	12-Nov
Altamonte Springs, Florida	14-Nov
Atlanta, Georgia	16-Nov
Asheville, North Carolina	18-Nov
Baltimore, Maryland	21-Nov
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	22-Nov

GuruGanesha – Opening Roads for the Next Generation

Growing up in a yogic / spiritual community, a lot of the second generation find ourselves wondering where and how we fit into the world, what path to follow for a career, how to take our learnings from within our community and make them fit in with a life in the larger world.

GuruGanesha Singh

When I started working with Spirit Voyage in 2002, it was the result of an inspired meeting with GuruGanesha where he asked me what I wanted in life.  I told him I wanted to run a business that I could really believe in, that fulfilled me not only intellectually and financially, but also fulfilled my heart and soul.  GuruGanesha immediately started working to get me to join Spirit Voyage, and a year later, I owned the company and with his guidance felt I had the confidence and support to help it grow and prosper and spread the music and technology throughout the world.

This is a theme that weaves through everything GuruGanesha does.  He is an incredible champion of the second generation of yogis and spiritual seekers both within the 3HO community and around the world. 

GuruGanesha Singh and Snatam Kaur On Stage

GuruGanesha Singh has been instrumental (pun intended) in helping to get Snatam Kaur’s music out in the world.  He has known her since she was a little girl, but the lightning bolt moment came about at Winter Solstice in 1999 just before midnight.  GuruGanesha was scheduled to play at the all-night kirtan (Rehan Sabai) and as he was walking towards the Gurudwara, he heard Snatam and Livtar Singh singing the song ‘At the Feet of the Teacher’ under a tent.  He felt his heart open up and tears came to his eyes. They continue to play at the Gurudwara and by the time they were finished playing, GuruGanesha says he knew what he was mean to do. He knew that Snatam had an incredible destiny and he was being instructed to help her achieve it.  So, he booked Liv Singh’s time to record, and in January of 2000, Reunion, the first Peace Family album was recorded, and you can hear the song ‘At the Feet of the Teacher’ on that album.  And the rest is history, as they say.

Nirinjan Kaur

On GuruGanesha’s upcoming tour, he feels totally driven and blessed to be helping to bring new rising stars in front of audiences around the country.  Nirinjan Kaur, whose voice is so pure and beautiful, will be singing with GuruGanesha.  She has released one sadhana CD, Aquarian.   Click here to hear a sound clip.  GuruGanesha believes that everyone who hears Nirinjan sing will be awe-struck by the depth of her voice which is like a beautiful instrument.

Jai in her dance costume

Also joining him on this tour is Jai Khala.  If you’ve been at summer solstice the last few years, you might have seen her dance.   Jai is an actress and dancer with a long list of accomplishments under her belt.  GuruGanesha says she is going to be a bright light on this tour, opening every concert with her unique blend of traditional Indian Bharatnatyam dancing and her own flair for the artistic and dramatic. 

Arvind On Stage

Arvind, a young producer, musician, poet and yogi, will also be performing with the band, playing bass and keyboards.  GuruGanesha says he’s never heard bass like Arvind’s and when they play together, he feels like there’s a foundation beneath him that allows the music to really soar without needing to look down.

Even the sound engineer and road manager on this tour comes from the second generation of 3HO.  Karta Singh, whose interests range from music production to business management to fixing up cars, will be the man behind the scenes pulling all the sounds together to create the environment at every concert for a perfect evening of Joy.

GuruGanesha and Krishan

From previous tours, some of the people who have joined him on the road have been able to take their musical careers to another level.  Krishan, who started out as the tabla player with GuruGanesha and Snatam Kaur, then became their sound engineer, and now has a string of his own musical productions under his belt.  He produced Pure Ganesh, Live In Concert, and Feeling Good Today for Spirit Voyage Records and is currently working on multiple musical projects.  Ram Dass, whose clarinet graced the tour, is now producing music as well and we are super excited to hear his first offering.

GuruGanesha says he really believes in the youth.  He believes that it is time to see the next generation at the forefront.  He says that he knows it is part of his duty on this planet to bring the next generation of musicians and yogis to the world.  “There are so many incredibly talented young people who just need a hand to realize their potential and be the brightest stars in the galaxy.”

Most amazing about his outlook is the humility that you discover in his actions.  GuruGanesha, whose own music has such depth and beauty and joy, is as excited about the music of the other musicians who he is bringing along with him as his own.  This tour is not one to be missed!  Click Here for details.

- Karan

From Rock to Raag

There is a brief clip in the “Path Of Peace” DVD with Snatam Kaur and GuruGanesha Singh where GuruGanesha describes his journey from Rock ‘n Roll to Classical Indian Raag. It is a wonderful story – one which he elaborates on in greater detail in his fantastic workshops and live performances.

GuruGanesha was recently interviewed on Yoga TV and gives a nice overview of how he was drawn to music and yoga and the path that eventually led to his connection with Snatam Kaur and the founding of Spirit Voyage Records.  The complete video of the interview can be found in the MEDIA section of GuruGanesha’s website.

Enjoy!

GuruGanesha.com – The Home of a Music Icon, a Yogi, and a Friend

www.GuruGanesha.com

I am really excited and honored to be able to announce the launch of GuruGanesha Singh’s new website. For those of you who know his music, who have seen him in concert, or who have been blessed by the incredible depth of his smile, you will share with me the joy in welcoming GuruGanesha to his new home online. If you go to the ‘contact’ tab on the website, you can leave him some love – he will be in the bliss to hear from any and all of us.

The website has streaming music, interesting biographical information, great photo galleries, video clips, and the details of his upcoming tour.

I’ve known GuruGanesha for longer than I can remember. I grew up in the Virginia ashram, where he was one of my many uncles. My father used to carry me to sadhana and leave me sleeping in the back of the room when I was a little girl, and I can remember waking up to him playing the guitar. What a blessing to have that so deeply embedded in my psyche! I’ve come to realize that GuruGanesha as a person is the living, breathing manifestation of his music – or maybe his music is the perfect manifestation of his essence – whatever it is, to know GuruGanesha is to understand his music, and to know his music is to understand the beautiful soul that he is.

Some of the words that would fit perfectly into a description of him and his music: boundless joy, vibrant life, abundant love, uplifting spirit, intense beauty, creative genius. I could go on, but would love to hear some of your experiences of his music.

GuruGanesha’s music is beloved by yogis and chanters all over the world. His collaborations with Snatam have also brought a light feminine touch to his last few albums. With his most recent album, Joy is Now, we’ve been getting more and more interest in GuruGanesha’s incredible musicianship. You can hear the mastery that GuruGanesha has developed over his guitar as he plays. His new website has a music player where you can stream his music all day long!

GuruGanesha was instrumental in bringing Snatam Kaur’s music to the world, funding her first albums and tours through the fledgling record label, Spirit Voyage, which has now become one of the pre-eminent sacred music record labels. He has quite a gift for recognizing and nurturing musical talent. On his upcoming October-November tour along the East Coast, he has the beautiful voice of Nirinjan Kaur gracing his concerts. You won’t want to miss this special musical offering. Check their tour dates at www.GuruGanesha.com or www.SpiritVoyage.com

- Karan Khalsa

Kundalini Yoga Summer Solstice Catalog

At Spirit Voyage, we are constantly trying to answer the question of how can the music we create and distribute, enrich people’s lives.

Along this line of thinking we decided to try something new by releasing a 2008 Kundalini Yoga Summer Solstice Catalog. Our vision for the project was to include yoga teacher interviews, tips for yoga practitioner, highlight summer new release, and display the catalog visually like a yogic journey.

It will included interviews from Gurmukh Kaur, Deva Premal, Snatam Kaur, Shakta Khalsa, Guruganesha Singh, Satkirin Kaur, and more.

You can get a catalog as soon as they are released by emailing us at info@spiritvoyage.com. Please include your name and address.