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"The Bells
Of Sh'ang Sh'ung"
This
second collaboration with Tibetan Bells musicians Henry Wolff
and Nancy Hennings is as much an avant-garde musical experience
as it is a meditative Tibetan bell record. Techniques were employed
in making this record that included using human voices recorded
in a special cave in Tibet, and using the recording console as
a musical device. Strange dimensional shifts and electronic looping
are also employed on this CD. A very unusual trip through the
magical land of Sh'ang Sh'ung.
Track
List:
1.
Time Ice
2. Blue Sheep
3. Track Of The Yeti
4. Cliffs Of Crystal, Cliffs Of Ice
5. Snowblind
6. Blackwind
7. Altitude 27,000
8. Through The Ice
9. Herald Of Sh'ang Sh'ung
10. In The Valley Of Sh'ang Sh'ung
11. Transmigration I
12. Serenade
13. Transmigration II
14. Gates Of Sh'ang Sh'ung
Release
Date: February 1, 1991
Label: Celestial Harmonies
Reviews:
Heartbeats: Described in the liner notes as a "post
modern psychedelic soundpoem", this latest work from the
creators of the original Tibetan Bells series takes us on a journey
to the fabled land of Sh'ang Sh'ung, or Shambala. While the music
revolves around various bells, bowls, and cymbals, extensive use
is also made of studio technology, with ace producer Brian Keane
('Suleyman The Magnificent' and 'Fire
Dance') contributing synthesizer, samples, and various sound
effects. The results are often stratling, even unsettling, as
the pilgrims endure extreme hardships and mental disorientation
as they proceed on their mythical journey. There is a long central
section, with several tracks run together, where the modulated
drones of the bowls, the crystalline ringing of the hand bells
and the clear chiming of the cymbals are punctuated by bursts
of cacophonous sound and jumbled voices, as the travelers meet
and are initiated by the people of Sh'ang Sh'ung. The album ends
in celebration as the pilgrims are jubilantly welcomed into the
sacred city. Ambitious in its scope and adventurous in its experimentation,
'The Bells Of Sh'ang Sh'ung' is a remarkable portrayal not only
of the peace and joy of exalted experience, but of the very real
rigors of the spiritual journey."
"A sound-poem depicting a journey to the mythic Sh'ang Sh'ung
The artists: In 1969, Henry Wolff and Nancy Hennings traveled
to India and Nepal where they studied with the Kagyu branch of
Tibetan Buddhism, and discovered the transcendent music of the
Tibetan bells. From 1971 to 1989, they released three recordings
of Tibetan bell music: 'Tibetan Bells II', 'Tibetan
Bells III', and 'Yamantaka', which
is a collaboration with The Grateful Dead percussionist, Mickey
Hart. In addition, Wolff and Hennings' contributions to the Philip
Glass soundtrack for the film 'Koyaanisquatsi' brought the bells
to new audiences. The project: With 'The Bells Of Sh'ang Sh'ung',
new trails are blazed by the musicians who created the classic
Tibetan bells trilogy. Sh'ang Sh'ung is the Tibetan name for the
fabled lost kingdom where the most precious teachings of Buddhism
were conceived, are concealed, and remain preserved to this day.
On 'The Bells Of Sh'ang Sh'ung', Henry Wolff and Nancy Hennings
weave a metaphor in music, a sound-poem depicting a journey to
the mythic precincts of Sh'ang Sh'ung. Legends surrounding this
remote and lost terrain tell of the punishing hardships that must
be overcome to reach the city. Wolff and Hennings succeed in depicting
the physical, mental, and spiritual tribulations of such a pilgrimage,
and the awe-inspiring spectacle of the Himalayan wilderness. The
recording opens with the travelers striking across ranges of crystal
cliffs and steep snowfields haunted by the Yeti, the legendary
abominable snowmen. Seemingly insurmountable dangers are briefly
forgotten at the sight of the sun rising over rose-tinted glaciers
and wind funneled plumes of snow careening against an azure sky—the
first hint of a spiritual splendor to come. The pilgrims continue
to endure extreme mental disorientation, a breakdown of the time-space
continuum, and the repeated shattering and reassembling of consciousness
before they finally reach their goal. The recording closes with
a rejoicing populace escorting the newcomers triumphantly through
the great gates of Sh'ang Sh'ung. While the purity of tone and
long haunting echoes of the Tibetan bells remain central to the
artists' vision, 'The Bells Of Sh'ang Sh'ung' makes use of other
instruments, both Eastern and Western. The synthesizer, long considered
the natural electronic counterpart to the magic resonance of the
bells, adds additional depth and atmosphere to this ambitious
venture. Consistent with previous Tibetan bells recordings, the
studio itself is exploited as an ultra-modern instrument in its
own right."
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