Journey with the Sun

Musical pioneer Paul Winter presents an exciting aural excursion created in concert with a brand new line-up of his Earth Band. Joining the acclaimed saxophonist are long-time Paul Winter Consort members Eugene Friesen on cello and keyboardist Paul Halley, renowned Irish Uilleann piper of 'Riverdance' fame Davy Spillane, Armenian vocalist, percussionist and instrumentalist Arto Tuncboyaciyan, special guest Grateful Dead percussionist Mickey Hart, and a caravan of nine other world musicians. 

Born of Winter's popular annual Solstice Celebrations in New York's Cathedral of St.John the Divine, the world's largest Gothic cathedral, JOURNEY WITH THE SUN boasts a vibrant mood that flows into more contemplative, ambient spaces such as the elegant ballet for cello and pipes called 'Pas de Deux', or the poignant elegy, 'Last Oasis'. Mickey Hart, on his new computer-linked percussion instrument RAMU, creates bouncy rhythms drawn from the sounds of African mbira, xylophone and sand drum on the dance piece, 'Yabu', which finds Winter's sax riffing wonderfully as keyboards and percussion roll full steam a head. An acoustic folk guitar intro leads into the striking melody 'Singing to the Mountain', a splendid showcase for Tuncboyaciyan's dynamically limber vocal lines. But it is the shimmering, positively electric first track - 'Caravan at Dawn' - that best captures the global village vibe of this sunny album. The penetrating voice of the zurna (a double reed instrument from Armenia) ignites with Hart's hot grooves as the sounds of Paul Winter and the Earth Band resonate throughout the extraordinary acoustics of the Cathedral. These tunes will renew, refresh and reinvigorate your soul!