looping and Yungchen Llamo, the 'voice of Tibet'

["Rick Walker" <looppool@cruzio.com>]

 After a really hard week (I have my main harddrive with my next two 
records 
and all my recent video
work bite the dust and discovered to my horror that my backup drive had 
folders on it that were all empty),
I had a nearly perfect day today: you know, one of those days that Native 
American cultures have called,
"a good day to die".

My dear friend (and renaissance man, Craig McCoullough) helped me to 
recover 
my hard drive data
in the middle of a very busy week) and I just finished an amazing 
rehearsal 
with the 'Voice of Tibet",
the fantastic singer, Yungchen Llamo tonight.

I was asked to put together a band to help her do the concert tonight at 
the 
Rio Theatre in Santa Cruz
and I was very lucky to get Dana Massie on guitar, Daniel Robbins on 
uprigtht and electric fretless bass guitar
and Peter Cor on keyboards. All three of these wonderful musicians have 
played the Y2K Looping Festivals
and they are all wonderful and sensitive musicians.   Peter Cor really did 
a 
great job of researching all of the sounds
and timbres on the recordings we were sent and Dana played some beautiful 
ambient guitar (including some really
nice and very convincing violin impresonations with an e-bow.    We just 
had 
an amazing rehearsal.
There were several times where the hairs went up on the back of my neck.

During a break, Yungchen came into my living room and asked me to play a 
few 
of the many instruments that are in there.
I explained to her about my career in live looping and played for her on a 
Native Amercian double drone flute and a
chromatic Strumstick. She enjoyed what I played and asked me if I would do 
a 
duet improvisation with her tomorrow night.
That was very exciting to me.    During the rehearsal,  I tried to 
recreate 
a Tibetan ceremonial procession and some
Tibetan gutteral overtone chanting using a Line 6 DL-4 looper,   some jing 
cymbals, chinese drums and my voice.
I also ran Yungchen's voice through the DL-4 and did some looping and 
speed 
manipulation of her amazing voice.

It was one of my favorite times I've ever made music and looped, I have to 
say.  Things just seemed to flow.

After the rehearsal, I spent some time and tuned my Cooperman Kanjira and 
Hadjira to the fundamental pitches of the Native American
Flute and then tuned the Strumstick to it as well. I'm very, very excited 
and privileged to play, creatively with such an amazing
singer. We are even going to do a little overtone singing together 
tomorrow 
night.

She has the sweetest vibe, too. She said, "don't worry about making 
mistakes 
tomorrow night. This is not about competition.
It is our karma to be playing together and we should enjoy it."

I felt so calm and relaxed and centered after the maelstorm of my earlier 
week (computer woes and booking snafus on my upcoming trip).

Everything got worked out though and tonight we'll have a two camera crew 
filming the results.
I am having a hard time sleeping because I"m so excited.

Rick