Sacred Earth Drums Description Drums from around the world join with Native American Flute, Incan Pan Pipes, Spirit Rattle, Guitars, Digital Synthesizers and Sounds of Nature (including wolf, eagle, coyote and dolphin). Feel the irresistible power of the beat lead you on a healing Shaman’s journey. Move your body and become absorbed in the dance – for the sacredness of life and reverence for the earth! Review "An exceptionally fine album that runs from quietly calming to emotionally stirring definitely the best I’ve reviewed this year." -- Lee Stone, Innerchange "Earthy and stirring you will feel the mystery in this music!" -- The New Times "It holds you, transports you to beautiful places and returns you (well-grounded) back to earth. A thoroughly engrossing experience!" -- Dimensions "Moving, eloquent and deeply spiritual, an instant classic! In my opinion this is a must have. My highest recommendation." -- Steve Ryals, New Age Retailer "There is a depth and immediacy in Sacred Earth Drums which is very powerful and authentic. Highly recommended!" -- Nexus Prolific and profound, brothers and musicians David and Steve Gordon incorporate colors and textures from all over the world in their music, capturing the spiritual root beneath all sounds, be they drums, flutes, bird calls, rain, or guitars. Sacred Earth Drums finds them bridging the gap between Native American shamanic-style drums, with play-along-at-home melodic signatures and a steady parade of natural color and instrumental shading. Pan pipes, wooden flutes, and classical guitars parade through the mist on their way past the sacred fire, which is surrounded by a solemn circle of drummers. The music here is healing and mysterious, rooting, comforting, and yet ancient and uncanny. Surrender to its moods and there's no telling how far you can dance into the outer space of the inner self. The Native American pounding drumbeat and melodic wooden flute of "Sunset Ceremony" are so strong it takes awhile to realize that the shakers and cricket noises have blurred imperceptibly together over rain sticks and spirit rattles. "Call of the Medicine Drum" sets up a nice call-and-response between whispering wooden flute and classical guitar playing over low, rumbling synth chords and the thunderous drums of the title. Underneath it all the nighttime menagerie of birds and crickets and other natural ambience precede and end each track, giving the proceedings a campfire calmness; all of nature is with you. The birds are recorded so well you might feel they are inside your apartment, and so might your cats. The vibe gradually grows mystical and otherworldly, with lonesome whippoorwills and rolling, whispering desert winds fading in and out of the steady, relentlessly flowing Native American drums for "Return Journey." When the return is made home, the journey over, there's still time for one last jam, with fretless bass and happily chirping morning birds with "Sun Rise in Peace," a final track to send everyone off to bed in a merry mood, the rhythms and pleasant feeling of physical exhaustion moving blissfully with the funky steel drum and rattles. No one is thinking about what tomorrow will bring; they're still in the moment, gradually disappearing into their tents until all that's left is a fire still burning fairly well, and the glimmer of pink along the eastern tree line slowly turning the black night on fire with the coming day. Whatever happens next, you'll be fine with Sacred Earth Drums coiling like a sleeping serpent in the warm nest of your CD changer, ready to! wake and work its rooting magic at a moment's notice. -- Daily-OM The intention of the artists was to create a ceremonial tool. That's just what this does. The recording takes listeners on a shamanic journey using drums, flutes, pipes and nature sounds, creating a deeply meditative experience. -- Laura LaVoie P.when('A').execute(function(A) { A.on('a:expander:toggle_description:toggle:collapse', function(data) { window.scroll(0, data.expander.$expander.offsetTop-100); }); }); From the Artist Our goal in this recording is to provide a musical catalyst which can serve as a ritual and ceremonial tool for contemporary people searching for a way to reconnect with ancient wisdom. Indigenous cultures know that humanity is only a small part of the overall web of life. With Shamanic music like this we hope to inspire others to walk in balance on the Earth Mother who nourishes us. Now, more than ever we need to remember the sacredness of all life and reverence for the Earth. This is a message which belongs to all people and all cultures, and hopefully, future generations." In Peace, Steve Gordon & David Gordon About the Artist David and Steve Gordon have pioneered New Age/World music with their award-winning top charting albums for over twenty years. Their influential trademark sound, combining world instruments and sounds of nature has sold over one million units worldwide and has appeared on network TV and major motion picture scores such as the recent Fox Searchlight release, "Kissing Jessica Stein." Since founding Sequoia Records in 1982, the Gordon brothers have been breaking musical ground, consistently creating albums that top the charts, garner awards, and expand the boundaries of New Age and World music. "We like to think of our music as the music of Earth and Spirit, because we believe that one of the goals of being alive is to unite the two into one," explains Steve Gordon. Natives of Southern California, David and Steve Gordon both took an early interest in music. After studying classical music at Los Angeles Valley College and UCLA, the brothers both attended the Grove Music Academy where they studied modern harmony and jazz. They formed Sequoia Records in 1982 to release their first two albums Misty Forest Morning and Peaceful Evening. These albums combined music and nature so beautifully that they became known as definitive recordings of the newly emerging New Age music genre... Since these releases met with critical acclaim and healthy sales, over the next couple of years they recorded their next two music and nature titles, Radiant Sea and Still Waters. They next began experimenting with their music, developing a new style they called "Inner Environments", which they featured on two albums, Astral Journey and Celestial Suite. These recordings were some of the earliest examples of what is known today as Ambient/Space Music. In the early '90's the brothers began to collect Tribal drums and studied the Native American flute. They envisioned a contemporary world music, combining traditional Native instruments, with guitar, keyboards, and sounds of nature into a new universal world groove. Their 1994 release Sacred Earth Drums successfully blended all of these elements, topping the New Age charts. This influential crossover recording reached 1 at all the New Age distributors immediately upon release, stayed there for over 3 years and even now remains high on distributors sales charts. In 1996, David and Steve went back into the studio and created the follow-up to Sacred Earth Drums, which they titled Sacred Spirit Drums. Immediately it began to receive enthusiastic reviews. Steve Ryals of New Age Retailer's Fresh Tracks said, "Each superb track flows into the next. Evocative, mysterious, sensual, and profoundly healing." In 1999 David and Steve inaugurated their new studio by creating Drum Medicine, which again became an immediate top seller on new age alternative distributors best selling lists and stayed in the top 5 for over 2 years. "With this new recording, we really wanted to explore the idea of the drum as a force for healing," said Steve. David adds, "There's a more diverse palette of sounds that draw from other cultures. We looked for musical themes in other cultures that resonated with the spiritual basics of the Native American culture." Carl McColman wrote in a feature interview for NAV Magazine, "The Gordon's may have launched out of a Native American sensibility, but as their music has flowered, it has become truly a universal indigenous sound - for all people of the earth, from all cultures." This is precisely what they will continue to do. To celebrate their 20th Anniversary in March 2002, they released Sacred Drum Visions, a collection of favorite tracks from their best-selling world drumming titles, which also included 3 brand new songs which continue to expand upon their signature contemporary world music sound. See more Features: Product Details: Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No Language ‏ : ‎ English Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.46 x 0.41 x 5.01 inches; 3.2 Ounces Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Sequoia Records Item model number ‏ : ‎ gordon3 Date First Available ‏ : ‎ December 7, 2006 Label ‏ : ‎ Sequoia Records Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1