Thanks to a fortuitous “goat rodeo,” SONY MASTERWORKS released The Goat Rodeo Sessions, a landmark album project by four of the great instrumentalists in music today.  
The album uniquely showcases cellist Yo-Yo Ma, bassist Edgar Meyer, mandolinist Chris Thile and fiddler Stuart Duncan. While each musician is a renowned superstar in his own music sphere, they have come together now as a unified ensemble on a most remarkable and organic cross-genre project stemming from their friendship, and the title concept. The album also includes two vocal tracks featuring Thile and guest artist Aoife O’Donovan, the lead vocalist and writer for progressive bluegrass group Crooked Still.

A goat rodeo, according to Urban Dictionary, “is about the most polite term used by aviation people (and others in higher risk situations) to describe a scenario that requires about 100 things to go right at once if you intend to walk away from it.” Meyer first heard it used by his longtime music copyist in reference, he recalls, to “a very chaotic situation where a lot of agendas are kind of confused, and it’s hard to tell up from down.”

Relating it to The Goat Rodeo Sessions participants, all four lead extremely demanding if not chaotic lives in terms of scheduling, at least, making their meeting here, while much desired, still a near goat-rodeo miracle. But “goat rodeo” proved a perfect catch-all, too, in describing the otherwise hard-to-define nature of the quartet’s music.

While everyone personalized their own definition of “goat rodeo” Yo-Yo Ma sums it up: “In the end, what we’re trying to do is simply make music that transcends whatever roots or categories or backgrounds that it starts from–that just exists as something that we’re trying to express, through our community of values, as a moment in time creating very special music.”

“The song arrangements are goat rodeos,” says Thile, the young lion of the bluegrass mandolin, whose playing has fueled the progressive acoustic trio Nickel Creek and his current group Punch Brothers, and who collaborated with his multi-music genre hero Meyer on the 2008 album Edgar Meyer And Chris Thile. Adds Meyer, “We get a lot of pleasure in arrangements that have just enough twists and turns that you really can’t let your guard down, like each little thing has to go right: If I trip on one thing, that’s going to throw Chris, and then that’s going to throw Yo-Yo, and then Stuart’s going to have to make up a whole new part, because he’s not going to know where we are from what justhappened!”  Ma adds, “The mix of four people together could really be dicey. But you’re building trust in a fabulous way through actually having lots of fun, and also supporting each other. To me, that’s the goat rodeo.”

Yo-Yo Ma The Goat Rodeo Sessions available at amazon.com

SAJJAD’s debut album, “WHERE I BELONG”, has burst onto the music scene with passion, love, and optimism. It sparkles in unique melodies while revealing a bold, new musical voice. SAJJAD advocates that, “Music has a unique way of bringing nations and people closer through it’s common language”, and he uses his international experience and gift of music to drive forward his beliefs.

SAJJAD, is a Canadian citizen living permanently in Toronto, originally emigrating from the historic country of Bangladesh. He spent a good part of his first 11 years as a child, convincing those around him that he was already composing and playing music – actually in his mind. He had not even laid hands on a keyboard at that time.

“WHERE I BELONG”, is based in a Western mode, but other cultures strongly flavor it. SAJJAD’s piano and synthesizers form a foundation over which acoustic instruments have fearless say and influence. The voices they bring include everything from the Irish Uilleann pipes to the Chinese Erhu along with more familiar instruments such as saxophone and cello. Soaring orchestrations following strong beats and rhythms around memorable melodies, best describes, “WHERE I BELONG”.

He appreciates his growing number of fans and continues to offer free music downloads at www.sajjadmusic.com

Sarah Charness, a versatile violinist since the age of four, captivates audiences with her vibrant sound and vivacious performances ranging from classical to contemporary and TOP 40.

In Spring 2010, Sarah became a member of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and performed as a solo violinist for their spring national tour. Sarah has also played as a violinist for top recording artist Roger Daltrey of The Who, classical soprano Sarah Brightman and British pop singer Mika. She opened for Diana Ross at the dedication of the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Texas and has toured from Hawaii to New York and Canada to Texas as a member of String Angels.

In early 2011, Sarah was invited to play the National Anthem and Time Out Show for the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden featured as one of New York’s emerging artists. Her work with nationally acclaimed DJ’s has brought her around the world and includes being a staple at The Plaza Oak Room’s “Day and Night” Brunch. Other club performances include Tenjune, Tryst of Las Vegas, The Gates, and Greenhouse.

Sarah Charness regularly solos for the fashion elite from prominent fashion shows in New York, including Betsy Johnson, Pronovias and Vera Wang to FIT alumni party with designer Calvin Klein and fashion consultant Tim Gunn in attendance. Currently, Sarah is working on her first solo album and has released three singles, “Pink Swan”,“Toss the Feathers,” and “Tango” featuring her fluorescent pink six-string electric violin.

For more information, please visit www.sarahcharness.com

Looking to ‘get away from it all’ in the confines of my office… I turned to Lisa Downing’s Solo Piano CD, A DELICATE BALANCE for a bit of respite from the day… and in a magic moment, I am transported by her melodies.

Solo piano, like most music, is attention-getting and enjoyable if it features strong melodies, and Downing definitely writes with a strong melodic flow. But she also does a few things different than most of her competitors. Instead of always playing the melody with her right hand and the rhythm with her left, she sometimes switches the rhythm to the right high-notes and the melody to the left-hand on the lower notes (on NO MATTER WHAT I DO). On occasion she also plays different or counter-melodies with both hands so that they sort of weave together (SLOW DANCING). Another distinctive attribute is her tempo changes. She might speed up or slow down within a piece several times, and she has a judicious use of pausing as well (such as the tune SPEAKER/LISTENER).

The perfect musical compliment to sooth your soul…

Lisa Downing Solo Piano available at Amazon.com

“Music is the great communicator.”

It’s ironic that our theme for this month is “Grow” as I’ve had a tremendous growing spurt in my spiritual and emotional self over the last couple of weeks.

I’m not sure whether it was due to the icy hand of winter not wanting to let go or all of the rocky hills my young daughter, Jaimie, has had to climb the last few months but it’s been a tough year so far for us around here.

Each day I drop off and pick Jaimie up from school a tiny part of my heart bruises as I watch how the simplest things can be so hard for her—like brushing her hair or putting her shoes on or even allowing herself to feel comfortable in a social setting—while all her classmates run around her smiling, laughing and enjoying just being kids. Jaimie is a beautiful little girl with a heart of gold. She’s intelligent, creative and loving but other people rarely notice those things. They notice more that she doesn’t smile or make eye contact; or that she sometimes refuses to speak to or sit too close to anyone; and, boy, they really notice her meltdowns. And it pains me physically to witness that.

One morning, while seeking some enlightenment on one of my SPD parent support groups, one of the long-time members—and a very close friend—shared a link to a YouTube video advising everyone who watched it to “have Kleenex handy!” All I can say is that it was a good thing I always DO have Kleenex handy.

The song was called, “The Life That’s Chosen Me.” The song was written by Karen Taylor-Good and Lisa Aschmann and performed. In the video, Karen Taylor-Good performed the song for the first time in Orlando December 9th, 2008 to the parents of those that the song was created for. Let me tell you, you don’t have to be the parent of a special needs child to be touched by this song. But those of us who are such parents will feel it’s meaning deep in our souls.

I started tearing up the moment the song flowed out from my computer speakers and the second Karen’s gorgeous earthy voice came on I needed that Kleenex. The song says what all of us parents with special needs families wish we could say to others: “I know my family isn’t perfect but it’s okay. I’m doing the best I can because this is the life that God gave me.” Then the song goes on describing what others can do to help from the parents’ perspective.

Now, perhaps, it’s because I’ve been fortunate enough to have always had music in my life—and, ironically, I’ve always been fortunate enough to use it as a way to communicate with others or to work through my own life hassles—but I got more from the song than just a good cry. For example, my mother had bipolar disorder that she refused to acknowledge or seek proper treatment for. She had many manic episodes where she took off or completely melted down. But she was truly one of the most musically gifted people I’d ever known. And if you were able to reach her on that level, you were fortunate enough to have seen a side to her many overlook
because of her disorder.

And it’s the same with Jaimie. As soon as I realized Jaimie struggled with something—before her SPD diagnosis—I used music as a way to get through to her. I couldn’t hold her, but I could sing to her. She rejected my comforting Mommy touch, but she allowed me to sit with her as she listened to music or let me crazy-dance with her as she worked through a meltdown. And that’s what that song reminded me of.

In the four minutes I listened to that song, my soul healed, my strength to move forward returned and I was reminded why I do what I do: for Jaimie, and all four of my children. You see if we want to grow, we need to be willing to look beyond the surface—beyond what only our eyes allow us to see—and be brave enough to look through other lenses. Only then can we truly understand something or someone else.

Yes, I may be old-fashioned, and maybe even a little cheesy, but music is the great communicator because it helps us to stop, listen and pay attention no matter what language we speak, the culture we’re from or if we can even communicate verbally at all. Shortly after watching the video, Jaimie came over to me, put her head in my lap (that’s how she hugs most days) and said, “I loved that song, Mama.”

That’s the power of music. Grow and heal through music!

The proceeds of the song, “The Life That’s Chosen Me,” will go to two schools that help support those that are in need of support through private funding. The song, and many other beautiful songs, are to be featured on a CD that will further support the various causes in such dire need to make a difference. Slated for April 2009 release the titled album, “The Life That’s Chosen Me,” will be available for organizations to use for fund raising need.

Please visit the www.harmonizingwithhumanity.com site to learn more about the work that is so important to so many children.

Now enjoy 101 Power Thoughts on CD! Louise Hay reads her power thoughts to you in her own warm, nurturing voice. Listen to one power thought each day or a few at a time. However you decide to play this cd, you’ll find that you may begin to think more positively and create exciting changes in your life!

About the Author
Louise L. Hay is a metaphysical lecturer and teacher and the bestselling author of numerous books, including You Can Heal Your Life, which has sold 30 million worldwide; You Can Heal Your Life Gift edition—1561706280; and Empowering Women—1561706094. Her works have been translated into 25 different languages in 33 countries throughout the world. Since beginning her career as a Science of Mind minister in 1981, Louise has assisted thousands of people in discovering and using the full potential of their own creative powers for personal growth and self-healing. Louise is the founder and chairman of Hay House, Inc., a publishing company that disseminates books, audios, and videos that contribute to the healing of the planet. Louise lives in San Diego, California, where she spends her time loving life, gardening, and writing.

101 Power Thoughts available at Amazon.com