Album Notes

www.musicasprayer.org
This is a Kirtan CD. Kirtan is call and response high energy Sanskrit chanting in the yoga tradition. This CD is my tribute to Swami Kripalvananda (Bapuji), a great yogi who left his body in the early 80s. Bapuji was a scholar, amongst other things, of Yoga and Indian music. Most of the chants on this CD I heard from recordings of Bapuji that I came across in the mid 90s while living @ Kripalu Yoga Ashram In Massachusetts.
The title of the album “Bhagavan Kripa” is short for Bhagavan Kripalu (another name for Bapuji) and can be defined as “the manifestion of divine grace”.
The Kirtans on this CD have a sweet traditional feel while still being easy to learn and sing along with.
The first and last tracks are musical paintings of my experience with this type of sacred music and this recording project. These 2 tracks are quite different than the rest of the album and are best listened to undistracted or with headphones.
Although recorded @ Muddy Angel Studios, the recording process was much more like a live kirtan recording. The 15 or so of us started this drizzly January day with the primordial unformed sound of a gong and voices as a way to bring our hearts together. The sounds you hear at the very beginning of the 1st track of the album are the music that started this day of recording.
There were 2 drummers and about 12 or so responders present for the 10 hour session. Later I added a few other elements including tamboura and cartals.
Read on for my biography and website:

JoJo Silverman has studied music and chanting for over 10 years. Using sound in the exploration of consciousness to connect our hearts and minds is his gift.
JoJo founded the Devotional Music Foundation in 1999 to promote the sacredness of all music as a force for healing our planet. He has led, and continues to lead, Kirtans (yogic chanting) all over the globe including NYC, Boston, Asheville NC, Jerusalem Israel, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica. He resides for the most part in the mountains of Western Massachusetts where he produces devotional music gatherings and chants daily. For more information see