Album Notes

Nama Sankirtana Vol. 1 is the debut album by Ananda Rasa, a collective kirtan/chant group led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist David Estes based in the San Francisco Bay Area. David grew up in India learning and playing music from a young age and was naturally exposed to many forms of Indian music as well as becoming a devoted reggae musician. Many years later after returning to India to spend a few years completely immersed in the practices of chanting and meditation as a resident in daily ashram life David started composing original chant melodies. Based on the scales of Indian music and to the words of traditional mantras and chants along with influences of Qawwali and reggae these melodies and music are the kirtan of Ananda Rasa, "the nectar of bliss."

"Nama Sankirtana" (to repeat the Name) also more commonly known as "kirtan" is the great devotional chanting and singing music of Bhakti Yoga and many other Indian spiritual traditions. Kirtan consists of repeating traditional mantras and the names of sacred deities and saints in the Sanskrit language (or other Indian languages) set to musical melodies. Most often performed in a call and response fashion with a vocalist and musicians leading the call, it actively involves the audience as the response vocal group. The constant repeated chanting and singing of the sacred names and mantras can invoke grace and lead the participants into ecstatic states of bliss. Singing Kirtan is a simple and very powerful ancient spiritual practice.