Music & More
by Mark Maxwell Abushady • New York City

CDs

dance : dream : dance
Shaman’s Dream
Sounds True
www.soundstrue.com
dance:dream:dance is a driving electronic dance album heavily influenced by the World Music and Electronica genres. Abounding with samples from Indian, Native American, African, Middle Eastern and Spanish music, cuts of this album were quite danceable. Standouts include ‘Riosphere’ with a jazzy vocal sample and trumpet work by Don Barrozo, and ‘Istanbul Dubphonics’ with some nice oud work by Dan Torres and vocals by Caitanya Riggan.

Celtic Passage
Deirdre Ní Chinnéide
Sounds True
www.soundstrue.com
I very much enjoy Celtic music but find that, in the wake of Enya and Loreena McKennitt, many offerings fall short in trying to emulate these two giants of the genre. I was pleased to find this not to be the case with Celtic Passage. Deirdre Ní Chinnéide, possessing a wide-ranging voice that is expressive in English and Irish, presents a “musical journey to the worlds of the Shaman and Spirit.” She belts a strong tenor, yet can float a dreamy soprano, as she sings of war, nature, spirituality, love, and our roots and connectedness to the earth. The styles of the songs are varied, but all are interesting, in the best sense of that word.

On The Way
Abra Moore
Sarathan Records
www.abramoore.com
With a voice like a higher and lighter Edie Brickell, On The Way is a fine folk/pop/jazz offering from this poetic songwriter. Her music, utilized on such shows as Dawson’s Creek, Party of Five, Melrose Place, and Felicity, has a fresh, young sound with lyrics painting various portraits of emotional situations and searchings. A rewarding alternative to many a current release.

Flow of Grace – Chanting the Hanuman Chalisa
Krishna Das
Sounds True
www.soundstrue.com
The first time I saw a photo of Krishna Das, I was suprised by his relative youthfulness. His voice seemed so ancient and deep (both scale- and tone-wise). Beyond chants, some, like the plaintive and beautiful ‘Hallelujah Chalisa,’ are wonderful songs transcending religion and culture. This is Krishna Das at his best – a singer, yet not a singer; nasal, yet deep seated – his ‘style’ is unique and evocative. This is a double album, with the second CD devoted solely to the Hanuman Chalisa, taking the chant phrase by phrase so as to teach the listener by ear. The CD also includes a fairly lengthy booklet telling of Krishna Das’ venture to India, and explaining the story of Hanuman and the Hanuman Chalisa. For fans of chant, Krisha Das, or those wanting to know more about Hindu spirituality, this album excels. I loved it.

Film

Sharkwater
Rob Stewart
Sharkwater Productions, Inc.
www.sharkwater.com
Rob Stewart loves sharks. Not many of us can say that. I know I can’t. Yet, this movie might soften your viewpoint, if not reverse it. As he challenges historical depictions of sharks, should we be surprised by the statement that the media prospers by creating drama in this area of “the news” as well?
It wasn’t until the movie was halfway done that I was able to move beyond my own memory of seeing teen surfers on the news last year who lost arms and legs to shark attacks. But here is a different perspective. “Elephants kill more people than sharks do . . . (and) in just one year, crocodiles around the world wiped out as many people as sharks have killed over the past hundred . . .” Yet the crocodile is protected. The percentage of shark bites world-wide is actually quite low, given the fact that “(we) wouldn’t go for a run with a pride of lions, yet we do this with sharks all the time.”

“Two thirds of the world’s surface is water, and over 80% of life on earth lives in the water,” and yet, while the environmental movement’s work and goals on land is fairly well known (if not as supported as we might wish), travesties occur in the world’s oceans with little to no press coverage, public awareness, or concern. This film challenges all who see it to take a closer look at this plight, specifically through the world of sharks.

The film starts as a documentary, but takes some unexpected turns. Long line and illegal fishing, government corruption, Taiwanese mafia and the shark fin black-market, become players in the growing drama. For those concerned with global warming, as most of us are, it should be mentioned that sharks keep down the population of plankton-eating fish. Plankton supply 70% of the world’s oxygen. Most sharks are now endangered, and so, the food chain which they ‘rule’ and cap, is becoming unstable.
This important film has won a number of awards in Canada and France, as well as in some of the states, and is scheduled for general US release on September 21. Who ever thought we’d be getting world news from independent films and documentaries, as our once noble news services have collapsed under the pressure to be “entertaining” as opposed to educating and elucidating.
This film brings up many issues beyond the plight of sharks. See it!

Mark Maxwell Abushady is an actor, singer, designer and photographer based in New York City.