Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/610464
RESERVE YOUR SPACE NOW! CALL NOW to place your ad in our next issue 310.425.3056 sales@wholelifemagazine.com Joss Jaffe I t takes a special artist to masterfully blend cultures, languag- es and devotional practices into a seamless musical expres- sion of cultural fusion. Joss Jaffe's expertly produced work, Dub Mantra Sangha, does just that! Through Jaffe's infectious dub beats, reggae rhythm, and the exquisite participation of award-winning musicians—Jai Uttal, Wah!, Masood Ali Khan, Sheela Bringi, Donna DeLory, Dave Stringer and more—we har- moniously enter this connected world. Paired with these exceptional artists, Jaffe groves and pulses us through 11 spiritual melodies, fi ve languages and three con- tinents. Beginning with the fi rst track, "Elohim," we are rocked by a strong brass intro followed by a sensual regge beat as Jaffe, joined by Mykal Rose & Shimshai, sings in Hebrew. In track two, we feel the joy of "Genesha" with Jaffe's light reggae feel, sung in Sanskrit by Jai Uttal and Suzanne Sterling. Due to Jaffe's innovative arrangements, this is not a typical devotional album. For instance, when listening to "Kalike" and "Durga" (tracks four and fi ve), we hear mariachi trumpets, reggae, dub and calypso beats, all while being serenaded in Sanskrit. This blending of languages, instrumentation, cultures and music is a pleasure ride of sweet togetherness that you can enjoy all the way through. —Jahna Perricone Dub Mantra Sangha MUSIC art & soul P icture our beautiful blue Earth as it appears from outer space, and you've entered the world of Kenji Williams' Bel- la Gaia, or "beautiful earth." Williams' celestially lush tracks were inspired by the life-changing experiences astronauts had when observing Earth from space. NASA's photographs motivat- ed the award-winning director and composer to musically ex- plore how humans and nature, art and science are all connected. In his exquisite, ethereal arrangements, Williams blends classi- cal, electronic and world music with stirring violin and soaring vocal lines, expressing our heaven on earth. And yet, we are also grounded with the jazz-infl uenced track "New York City" and in the Middle Eastern, reed-dominated "Egypt—Nile Crossing" and "Dance To The Evolution." Bella Gaia, the Live Performance, is an audiovisual ex- perience that com- bines NASA satellite imagery, timelapse nature photography, and cultural heritage footage with live performances of music and dance from around the world. He invites us to be aware of the ground we walk on while simultaneously taking us high above it into the atmosphere and beyond. This album is a beau- tiful and powerful reminder to understand earth's fragility and the importance of taking care of this wonderful place we call Bel- la Gaia. (Remedy Arts) —JP Kenji Williams Bella Gaia MUSIC 32 wholelifetimes.com