CD design: Heung-Heung Chin
David Ohannessian ceramics photos: Yoni Ben-Yosef ©2007
Perspectives Recordings proudly presents the debut CD of MAYA, In The Spirit, in its deluxe first edition—a perfect gift for any season. In The Spirit is luxuriously presented in a six-panel digipak and slipcase covered with luminous images of timeless ceramic art in an ancient tradition. The music is an evocation, a personal voyage in sound to far-flung times and places. Brilliantly produced and engineered by Grammy Award winning Steven Epstein, In The Sprit is both traditional and innovative, a lush and inviting cultural journey. Experience it for yourself!
Uniquely compelling and rhythmically driven, MAYA, a trio of harp, flute and percussion was founded in 2005. The group draws on a spectacular collection of percussion instruments from around the world. Central to MAYA’s vision is the nurturance of relationships with the next generation’s most gifted composers. In The Spirit features classic Christmas favorites in an earthy new style as well as original CD commissions by Ricardo Romaneiro, a 28 year old Brazilian composer who has created a new work inspired by the chants of the Krenak, a tribe from the Northeast of Brazil. The stellar young composer Alexandra du Bois has breathed new life into the plaintive Appalachian classic song, I Wonder as I Wander. Trendsetting New York cellist-composer Erik Friedlander has crafted an improvisatory and virtuosic dance based on a 15th century Sephardic song. Hear Tchaikovsky’s Arabian Dance from his beloved Nutcracker played on the Turkish darbuka. Composer and bassist-leader Gregg August adds a cool note of jazz to Greensleeves. MAYA’s own percussionist John Hadfield offers an homage to the sights and sounds of Istanbul in American Dervish.
MAYA composers commissioned for In The Spirit:
Gregg August
Alexandra du Bois
Erik Friedlander
John Hadfield
Ricardo Romaneiro
Produced and engineered by Steven Epstein
Artists
Yoni Ben-Yosef, CD Art Photography
Devon Cass, MAYA Photograph
Heung-Heung Chin, CD Design
David Ohannessian, Ceramics
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Track List and Sound Clips
1. Bolgar Gypsy Horo
trad. Ramani arr. Gregg August
 (MP3, excerpt)
2. Puncha, Puncha la Rosa Huela
trad. Sephardic arr. Erik Friedlander
(MP3, excerpt)
3. Greensleeves
anon. English c. 1600 arr. Gregg August/MAYA
(MP3, excerpt)
4. Blue Flame
Simon Shaheen arr. Rebecca Rossi/MAYA
(MP3, excerpt)
5. Arab Dance from The Nutcracker
P.I. Tchaikovsky arr. Mary Jane Rupert/MAYA
(MP3, excerpt)
6. Noel Nouvelet
trad. French carol c. 15th cent. arr. MAYA
(MP3, excerpt)
7. I Wonder as I Wander
Appalachian/John Jacob Niles arr. Alexandra du Bois
(MP3, excerpt)
8. American Dervish
John Hadfield
(MP3, excerpt)
9. A la Nanita Nana
trad. Spanish carol arr. MAYA
(MP3, excerpt)
10-12. Sonata in G minor BWV 1020
J.S. Bach
10. Allegro
(MP3, excerpt)
11. Adagio
(MP3, excerpt)
12. Allegro
(MP3, excerpt)
13. Saudades
Ricardo Romaneiro
(MP3, excerpt)
14. In Dulci Jubilo
anon. German 14th cent. arr. MAYA
(MP3, excerpt)
15. Es ist ein Ros entsprungen
anon. German 16th cent. arr. MAYA
(MP3, excerpt)
16. Silent Night - A Meditation
F.X. Gruber arr. MAYA
(MP3, excerpt)
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