Album Notes

gita (noun)(Hinduism) the sacred 'song of God' composed about 200 BC and incorporated into the Mahabharata (a Sanskrit epic); contains a discussion between Krishna and the Indian hero Arjuna on human nature and the purpose of life

cult (noun)a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.

orchestra (noun)A large group of musicians who play together on various instruments, usually including strings, woodwinds, brass instruments, and percussion instruments

What is the GitaCultOrchestra?

Those of you who are familiar with CLF have seen me perform with a variety of musicians. However, this past fall I decided to be a lot more intentional about building some sort of band that fans could expect as a consistent part of any CLF show. While many musicians have and will help in the development of what I do with fusion music, Paul Voorheis and Nate Winkleman now form the core of what CLF is live.

Making Paul and Nate a regular part of any CLF show continues to bring a desperately needed edge and professionalism to my music that I simply can't perform without! After some time, it became apparent to me that Paul's beats, programming and saucy bass playing combined with Nate's superb and creative approach to percussion begged for an expression independent of CLF.

Again, CLF will always involve Paul and Nate, but the three of us together seemed incomplete as just CLF. Consequently, we three began to explore a truly collaborative project that put Paul at the helm as the 'beats-man' and Nate as the primary Percussion-Guru leaving me as the Melody man on Sitar/Guitar…the result: Gitacult Orchestra.

I'm sure the band-name will get a rise out of some people; the meaning is quite harmless though. Gita is the Hindi word for 'song' (for instance, the phrase Bhagavad-Gita simply means 'Song of the Blessed One'). Sticking the three motifs of song, cult and orchestra together seem to describe well the contours of this emerging fusion-project and that's why we went with the name.

So, right now Gitacult Orchestra has begun to spread its wings by remixing my latest record 'City of GOD'. This is just the beginning however. Soon, there will be material unique to this project as well as remix albums for every subsequent CLF venture.

I hope you enjoy what Gitacult Orchestra will produce in the next couple years. While the lines that separate CLF from GCO will be, at times, hard to discern, they must be thought of as distinct (yet mutually supporting) projects. I look forward to how this distinctness will take form, the result of which I hope you enjoy. Thanks for taking the time to listen. - Chris