Album Notes

Coleman Barks (voice) was born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and was educated at the University of North Carolina and the University of California at Berkeley.  He taught poetry and creative writing at the University of Georgia for thirty years.  He is the author of numerous Rumi translations and has been a student of Sufism since 1977.  His work with Rumi was the subject of an hour-long segment in Bill Moyers's Language of Life series on PBS, and he is a featured poet and translator in Bill Moyers's poetry special, "Fooling with Words."  Coleman Barks is the father of two grown children and the grandfather of four.  He lives in Athens, Georgia.

Barry Phillips (cello) and Shelley Phillips (harp/English horn) are musicians based in Santa Cruz, California. They have recorded extensively on the Gourd Music label with a focus on instrumenal folk music, and toured throughout the U.S., Ireland, Germany and Taiwan. They both have Masters degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. For several years Barry has studied Indian music with Ravi Shankar, and in 2002 he performed in Ravi's orchestra at the Concert for George, a celebration of the life and music of George Harrison. Shelley is the founder and director of the Community Music School of Santa Cruz, a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching lives through music.