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Guitar Clay Walker

Music for meditation, reflection or therapy, day or night: an interview with the Nightdancers

When you ask someone why he likes a band, artist or style of music, the usual answer is either "They're awesome," "they rock" or "it's fun." People tend to say that music is just for entertainment. And as for the musicians, the reason they play music either involves "the call" to do so or the ego driven need to stand in front of a crowd. But why have we not even music? Is it, as Shakespeare said, "for soothe the savage beast "? It's not as if it was life or death. Or is it? For Gera Clark and John Sarantos, who perform on flutes Native Americans as NightDancers, the music is that deep. Mr. Santos began with the simple desire to express themselves musically, but discovered that the Native American flute, by its nature, take a beyond cataloging functions, including new-age "meditation" music. Miss Clark's trip to music started with desperately needed something of a lifeline at a critical time. She said: "After a long illness critical I started putting my life back together … While on our spiritual journey, I discovered the Native American flute. "In this era of art, such as diversion, or lifestyle accessory, it's a wonderful surprise nice to be reminded that, as Clark and Santos reveals in the interview below, the music is a powerful and healing.

[Mark Kirby] What kind of music has been performed in your house when you were a kid?

[Gera Clark] My mother played classical music on the piano as an escape from his life as a mistress Townhouse raising four children. When I started school, my mother went back to work and I noticed his appetite for opera increased dramatically. My father fancied himself as Bing Crosby and I would take it now and trying to learn the cha cha. During this time, my sister sneaking into the rock and roll. We wanted to write music together in the style of Carol King. We also listened to some of records of my family ", one being Seamus Ennis, my grandfather's uncle who played the Uilleann pipes (Irish bagpipes one type).

[John Sarantos] During my early years, my mother would play opera and classical music when I was at school, but the music was played very little while I was at home except at Christmas.

[Mark Kirby] What kind of music did you study before the flute Native?

[Gera Clark] As a child, my mother would bribe with soda to take piano lessons because she wanted me to be a child prodigy. When I was able to travel on my own, I took the flute, which I carried with me for three years.

[John Sarantos] I tried learning the battery from the high school teacher of music, but he told me that I had not rhythm and does not work with me. After attending a concert by Jethro Tull and be inspired by playing the flute of Ian Anderson, I tried the flute, but he was told by my professor of flute tone deaf and I do not want to work with me. I tried to sing, but I was told I was tone deaf by three coaches Los Angeles great voices and they would not work with me. I tried the guitar and banjo, but it was difficult to just play chords that I could not sing with myself. Then I discovered the Native American flute.

[Mark Kirby] How did you start playing the music of Native Americans in general, especially the flute?

[Gera Clark] After the death of my husband and marriage and divorce rebound quickly, followed by a long critical illness, I started putting my life back together. I also began looking for beauty. While on this spiritual journey, I discovered the Native American flute.

One day I found myself a hundred miles west of New York standing outside a Tibetan Buddhist temple, when suddenly I hear sound more beautiful. After the powerful, yet haunting sound, I discovered that emanating from a Native American flute, played by Ed Callshim (Ponca Sioux). After this experience, I finally found a flute of my own at the National Museum of American Indians in New York. Later, when traveling to Niagara Falls with my teacher, Amy Lee (Iroquois), a deep desire to connect with my previous trips southwest was awakened. During a particular trip, I found myself exploring the canyons along the Rio Grande. Finally, I was leads in the mountains and Taos Pueblo, where I heard this haunting noise drifting in the air. I followed it to its source, some Adobe. Inside, I met an amiable and talented, who encouraged me to play the flute native. This Sir, to my knowledge at the time, is one of the best Native American flute players in the world, John Rainer, Jr. (Taos / Creek). Departure New Mexico with renewed faith, I was led, through the Community House American Indian in New York, Menusan Franc (Muskogee Creek). He became my mentor extremely patient over several years.

On my birthday, I flew to Nakai R. Carlos (Navajo / Ute) concert with the Symphony Orchestra of San Francisco, where I learned about the Renaissance of the Native American flute workshop Montana. I returned to New York and book myself a flight to Montana, which was where I met John Sarantos, and our partnership Music was born.

[John Sarantos] My mother, who was 84 years old at the time, introduced me to the music of Peter Kater and R. Carlos Nakai duet. M. Kater, who is of German origin, played the piano, and Mr. Nakai flute native. I discovered that I too, like the sound of the native flute. I went to a concert Kater and Nakai in Chicago, where Nakai mentioned a week-long workshop at the ranch feathers Pipe in Helena, Montana. I the choice of paying about $ 1,200 for the flute workshop given by Dr. Nakai and his partner and the flute-maker, Ken Light, or going to Japan for two weeks, all fees paid by the school where I taught. I chose Montana.

[Mark Kirby] What you get to play this kind of meditative music?

[John Sarantos] We do not think it's the only meditative music. We have worked hard to stay away from falling into the stereotype musical style on the CD. Although many people use this file for meditation, they also use it for healing and relaxation. Several people who have cancer told me they find inner peace while listening to "Montana crossings.

[Gera Clark] In fact, after John had cancer surgery last year, we decided that 10% of gross sales of 'Montana Crossings' would be used to buy flutes for cancer patients. So far, we have donated flutes to cancer flute circles and people in New York, Chicago, Lansing, Michigan and Jefferson City, Oregon.

[Mark Kirby] Native American flutes are more like shakuhachi flute or flutes in terms of technique?

John [Sarantos] Neither. The shakuhachi can take three months just to get a note. The transverse requires many hours of game to learn only the core size. The native flute is one of the most easy to play. I taught elementary children Native flute playing, and they started playing songs in about five minutes or less.

[Mark Kirby] Describe the flutes that you use terms of size, the number of holes, wood type, etc.

[Gera Clark] We use flutes ranging from four to six holes and four inches to five feet.

[John Sarantos] Traditionally, most flutes were made from soft wood, for example, cedar and pine. However, when Europeans arrived, they brought with them the tools that it is easier to create flutes of wood harder, and some have even been made flutes from old barrels.

[Gera Clark] Today, flute makers create flutes of all types of wood, cedar walnut wood iron, flutes, even made from one of the hardwood: ebony.

[John Sarantos] We have also a wide assortment of clay flutes based on the Aztec and Mayan cultures made by master flute maker Xavier Quijas Xyotol.

[Mark Kirby] How did you arrive at the name of your NightDancers musical duo?

[Gera Clark] One day, John and I talked and we discovered that both habit walk around our individual houses in the middle of the night without lights. We came with the name Night Walkers.

[John Sarantos] However, most people, we spoke to thought the name sounded too much like vampires or ladies of the evening.

[Gera Clark] After examining a variety names, we came up with NightDancers.

[Mark Kirby] When did you decide to record Montana Crossing?

[Gera Clark] John and I had played together for about two years. John would travel from Milwaukee during his vacation, and we would play for our friend Bob Hegler, which encouraged us to continue playing together. We enjoyed playing so well that we spent hours playing on the speaker phone when John was still living in Milwaukee. When we started playing at local venues in New York, people ask if we had a CD they could buy. After about a year to make live performances, we felt that we had created a wide variety of songs that we wanted to share with others.

[Mark Kirby] Why did you choose to record at Avatar Studios in New York?

[John Sarantos] I wrote record reviews for the International Native American Flute Journal ten years and could tell when an artist has used a computer at home all the way to a recording studio professional. If we were going to put our time, effort and money into a record, we wanted it to sound better than she could. I asked several people if they could recommend a recording studio in New York. Avatar Studios is one of the top three studios on the lists several people.

[Gera Clark] We were also very pleased that Tino Passante Avatar recommended for our engineer Jim Anderson sound. Jim understood the sound we were trying to get, and he managed to capture that sound.

[Mark Kirby] How are securities linked to songs you play? Are these titles indicative of what music is supposed to evoke?

[Gera Clark] The titles are revealing the inspiration behind the music.

[John Sarantos] Hopefully, each person has their own emotional response to music by their own journey.

[Mark Kirby] What are the types of events or places are you playing?

[Gera Clark] One of our goals is to contribute dissemination of the beauty of the flute to others, whether playing our music to listen to others [to] or the sharing of our knowledge on how to play the flute.

[John Sarantos] hus, we play in a variety of sites for all types of events. You check our calendar at: http://www.nightdancersmusic.com and http://www.myspace.com/nightdancersmusic