Album Notes

Though characterized as a collection of traditional stories for children, this recording is meant to be a deep listening experience for all ages. Just like in the olden days before TV when families and neighbors gathered for the fun, the wisdom, and the calm that settles upon a community when listening together.
Each of the five stories on this recording is lively and vivid to a child, while holding layer upon layer of insight for all ages. Scary as a story might be, the heroic chacacters perservere through wits, courage, compassion, art, and humor. Only one story, "The Blind Mouse" has a moral that is clear, but all are teaching tales for our inner selves.
These five stories come from China, Russia, Korea, Dedham,Massachussets, and England. They were chosen with the purpose of opening wide the window to the world of universal courage.
Stories full of magic are like dreams. They may not be real life, but they feel true in the heart whether for a
five-year-old, or her grandfather.
My wish is that this CD will be shared in families and in classrooms for the experience of slowing down time. "Once upon a time" is an invitation to leave our frantic material lives for the chance to listen to old wisdom in a story. It is a chance to visualize and enjoy the adventures of the brave ones. When we imagine the brave, we fear with them. As they find their balance with wits, with kindness and with courage, so do we.
The language is beautifully descriptive with a resonant tone and vocabulary that invites self-confidence in the audience. The musical interludes by Daryn Roven and Charity Kahn enhance and evoke each story like an acoustic echo. "Imagine the Brave with Olive" becomes a place to visit over and over again.