Album Notes

Vernon L. Hohenstein began studying piano at age 7. During his youth, he regularly performed chorale music for Lutheran religious services for churches in Arizona and California. As Vernon's musical sensibilities evolved, he began to develop his own unique improvisational style.

His interest in "the power of music to heal" was sparked by private studies on Native American Shamanism under the guidance of MariEllen O'Hara, who gained her knowledge from renowned Native American author and teacher Jamie Sams. Vernon's core musical philosophy and intuition have combined his Christian upbringing and the sacred spiritual traditions of the Lakota Sioux to create powerful and engaging musical explorations.

Vernon has worked with Lucia Cappacione, a nationally-known leader in the field of Art Therapy and has performed for her therapeutic workshops in Santa Barbara, California. Vernon has also produced numerous free-form spontaneous compositions under the auspices of the Friday Night Music improvisational 'art jazz' group based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Vernon is currently a member of the jazz group Eddie Gale and The Inner Peace Orchestra.

He has performed with such notable musicians as: Trumpeter Eddie Gale, Percussionists Muruga Booker and Jim Greiner, Guitarist James Gurley, Violist Mimi Dye, Didjeridoo virtuoso Paradiso Turturici, as well as many others.

Music for Sentient Beings Volume IV is about the forms of ambient fire and the warmth and creative energy it brings. I composed these songs to allow the listener to journey within their own minds to a warm, comforting, quiet place. It is music for your own Inner Sanctuary and Sacred Space. Thanks for listening. Enjoy!