WITHIN

“Within” bridges the insight of seven years of spoken word and music performance, life experience and collaboration into a sensual album. Drawing from the depths of memory, a series of improvised and composed structures were created with a group of dynamic musicians and artists to include jazz, Persian, choral, gospel and other genres. The concept for the album is much like that of an archeological dig, that with time we start to reveal new truths; legacies that have been buried under years of memory and earth. We dig through layers of memory to uncover sounds and language that weave together in a tapestry of embodied songs.

As invocation:

To awaken spirit, a select number of pieces draw parallels to ceremony and invocation through the use of gospel, trance-like vocals and simple instrumentation to bring forward resonance. “I Find Grace” is a simple mantra inspired by the grace and spirit of the everyday. In the piece: “I Am”, spirit becomes universal, as the journey to honour the past unfolds and archetypal images guide the way for ecstatic awakening. “Calling” was inspired by a Vision Quest. Unlike any experience, three days of fasting in an eight-foot circle in the Rocky Mountains was one that led me to find a deeper sense of belonging.

As sensual connection:

To summon the sensual energy of mother earth, other pieces draw from the abundant ferocity of the earth’s molten core. “Journey to the Core” layers a chorus of undulating voices underneath poetry that transports us deep into the centre. Derived from a dream, the piece is one where the separation between human and earth is dissolved as we shape shift into mythical realms. “I Give” recites the sensual transformation where woman becomes a living, breathing tree, capable of being sculpted in an act of surrendering to love.

As Poetic Ode:
A series of poetic odes honour the legacies of strong women and their visionary influences in our world. “Butterfly Ashes” honours the missing and murdered Aboriginal women in Canada, portraying the vulnerable connections between language and meaning, media and truth. The piece poetically compares the migratory patterns of Monarch butterflies to historical nomadic routes of aboriginal women and the contemporary roads they travel on. Through an invocation of the word “Squaw”, the spirit of truth is called upon, to welcome healing. In the piece “Frida”, created in collaboration with Alessandra Naccarato (Ravensara), the legacy of Frida Kahlo is embodied through poetry. Finally I honour Forough Farrokhzad by performing an English language interpretation of her poem “It Is Only Sound that Remains.” I have performed this poem several times in the sound-theatre performance: “It Is Only Sound That Remains”, created by Shahrzad Arshadi. Too many female artists only get second hand credit in the documentation of history. These poetic odes serve to honour their voices.

Collaborators include: Bean Trio (Marie-Claire Durand, Joel Kerr, Mark Nelson), Amir Amiri, monk.e, Kim Zombik, Ziya Tabassian, Kathy Kennedy, Joseph Naytowhow and Swampwolf.
Produced and Created: Moe Clark
Recorded + Mixed: Howard Bilerman @ Hotel2Tango
Mastered: Greymarket Mastering
Design: Max Olson