My new Indiegogo Campaign Music Video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5CV2GYEfg0

We finally uploaded a "sneak preview" audio file to the "Beyond the Beyond" campaign page: the track "Om Mani Peme Hum." Featured vocalists are Lama Karma Drodul and Lama Karma Thendup of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra monastery in Woodstock, NY--which is HH Karmapa's North American seat. These beloved lamas open the song with the "Prayer of Praise to Chenrezig" and then Chenrezig's mantra (Om Mani Peme Hum), singing the melody written by His Holiness the 17th Karmapa himself. May all beings benefit from the sacred vibrations of this mantra! 

Anyone who contributes to our Indiegogo campaign will receive a free download of this track--when it's officially mixed and mastered and ready to release, of course. For details, visit:
http://igg.me/at/LeeMirabaiHarrington

This track--and the entire CD--has been a real labor of love. Other featured musicians are: Steve Gorn on soprono sax, Hans Christian on strings, Irene Soléa Antonellis and Satya-Franche Carlson Straus on response vocals, Anthony Molina and Wynne Ji Paris on guitar, (Anthony also plays on more instruments than I can count), Radha Gopinath Das Marinelli on tablas, Holly Montgomery on bass, Andy Hamburger on drums, Steve Bloom on percussion, and myself (surprise, surprise!) on harmonium.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5CV2GYEfg0

Here's an inventive selfie...this is a screen shot of the legendary kirtan vocalist CC White recording background vocals of my "Govinda Hare" track at her studio in LA...I'm Skyping into the session from my office in Woodstock, NY.  I love technology! 

I'm still pinching myself when I think that CC's phenomenal voice is going to be featured on this track.  This song is a variation on a very traditional Indian melody, which my beloved friend and teacher Shyamdas used to sing all the time.  The day after Shyamdas left his body (in January 2013), this alternative melody came to me, fully formed, accompanied by a toy piano and a harmonica. Slowly the full song took shape, along with the inspiration to finally go forward with my dream to release this first CD.  

And what a dream!  I know Shyamdas-ji is smiling from the heavens as he listens to his beloved CC singing the Names.  She sounds absolutely amazing. Of course. That's why she's the queen of kirtan.  I freely admit that my voice does not even come near hers in terms of power or perfection, but I also know that we each have our own strengths and gifts.  This whole process of recording a CD is helping me find some of my own.  Finally, those years and years of practice--of yoga, mantra, meditation, prayer, setting of intention, toning, and healing--are manifesting here and now, through this process.

Thank you, CC, for sharing your beauty, talent, voice, and huge MA heart! 

Thanks also to Lynne Earls (our LA engineer), Gaura Vani Buchwald and Anthony Molina. 

Here's some terrific wisdom from Sri Sri Ravi Shankar about the benefits of Sanskrit mantra.

Here's some terrific wisdom from Sri Sri Ravi Shankar about the benefits of Sanskrit mantra.

"Different letters affect different parts of the body. Our body is like a garland of letters, it is called akshara maalika (garland of letters). You are a mala or rosary yourself; different letters affect different centers. Sanskrit, the oldest of languages, is organized in such a way that it fits Darwin’s theory of Evolution.

The first letter of Sanskrit language is A, which is what every child says. The last of the vowels is Aha. What is the sound that comes when you laugh? Aha ha ha! So, in laughter, the entire language is present, from A to Aha. In Sanskrit, Aha is used for wonder and for laughter. You cannot laugh without Aa and Ha in it, even if you try.

If you observe the Sanskrit vowels, which are A, Aa, E, Eee, Oo, Oou; observe how the sound is generated. The soundA comes at the root of the throat, Aa comes more outward. E comes from the palate, and Eee is more outward. Oo comes to the lips, and Ruu, the tongue rolls.

The rest of the letters are I, Ai, O, Au, An, Am, Aha. If you move to consonants, they start with Ka, Kha, Ga, Gha, Na and they start from the throat. Then Ca, Cha, Ja, Jha, Nna, the sound move towards the mouth. Then come Ta, Tha, Da, Dha, Na, these come with the help of the dental movement. The last few come from the lips Pa, Pha, Ba, Bha, Ma.

If you observe, all these sounds move from the base of the throat outwards. Even the animal kingdom is taken into consideration here. All birds emit the Ka and Ca sound. Only two birds, i.e., parrot and mynah can use the sound Ma also. All other birds only use Ka and Ca.

Amphibians like frogs, make sounds that sound like Ta, Tha or Tra. Mammals like cows, sheep, goats, horses, etc., use Pa, Pha, Ba, Bha, Ma, or the next set of consonants.

Lastly come all the other alphabets like Ya, Ra, La, Va, She, Sha. Therefore, the alphabets and sounds are arranged in the same order as the theory of evolution, i.e., birds, animals, mammals and humans. Isn’t that interesting? It is absolutely fascinating.

There was some research done in England; scientists found that Sanskrit language is very suitable for neurolinguistic functions. For about ten years, scientists were trying to understand why people with a base in Sanskrit are very sharp at mathematics and calculations. Do you know about 60% of the English language follows Sanskrit? If you see the roots of the English words, most of them are Sanskrit based. Svasa is sister, Brata is brother, Pitha is father and Mata is Mother. If you draw parallels like these, you will realize that the base of English is Sanskrit language."

|| Jai Guru Dev ||

QUICK UPDATE ON KIRTAN CD RECORDINGS

I had a wonderful recording session in the studio yesterday. We’re arranging the backup vocals for my gospel choir. I can’t wait to hear them sing the chorus to Govinda Hare, a song I am recording in honor of my friend Shyamdas, who left his body in January.

Today’s goal is to NOT let my critical mind step in and judge everything I created. My inner critic can be so harsh and ruthless. It scares me sometimes.

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