BUDDHA MOON

“Another wonderful meditation CD from New Earth Records, Buddha Moon was recorded live in the light of a full moon just before dawn. While listening to the hypnotic melodies filled with strings, flutes, and drums, I felt the stress and pressure of day-to-day life drift away – the tension just melted.

Just a minute shy of one hour, it is the perfect compliment to yoga or massage sessions. An in-store spin around rush hour will attract many customers tired from a long workday.”

New Age Retailer

“A collection of ragas inspired by the phases of the moon that’s just the right length for an hour massage and is a lot more invigorating to listen to than some half ass budget compilation that pretends to be geared to bodywork.

Music that gives you an enlightened feeling, this is what new age was supposed to be about before it was commercially co-opted into a marketing thing.

This set intersects on the corner of new age and world beat and adds a lot to both.

“Midwest Record, 12 May 2007

This collection of Indian ragas is a reminder of Buddha’s enlightenment. The acoustic instruments express the inner silence of the Awakened One and invite us into the depths of our own silence.

“According to Buddhist traditions, the Buddha became enlightened, was conceived and left his body at dawn on Full Moon mornings. Chinmaya Dunster decided to pay homage to the spiritual nature of this lunar occurrence with Buddha Moon, an album of meditative ragas for healing and transformation.

The album, the guitar and arrangements of Dunster alongside Bikram Singh on the bamboo flute, Amano Manish on the Indian slide guitar and claypot / production work from Karunesh.

The over-all sound is slow but mildly rhythmic (this would be a good album for yoga), and the soundscape has a very drone-based sound. For a special treat, play this album at dawn on a full moon day and experience it in the atmosphere it was created.”

MusicDesign

“This tender and spacious album of Indian classical morning ragas was recorded in India at dawn on a Full Moon morning in May, the time it is believed Buddha reached enlightenment and also when he was both conceived and left his body.

Mostly improvised by four musicians as the dawn moved into day, a deep feeling of reverence for the Awakened One is palpable when listening to the exquisite blend of sitar, tamboura, Indian slide guitar, bamboo flute, and claypot.

Chinmaya says in the liner notes, ‘Long years of training and the use of natural acoustic instruments are our tools, with which we invite you to share this journey into the depths of music and silence.’

When I took this to Maui with me recently, the woman who’s home I was staying in asked if I had any music that would be good for the massage she was about to give upstairs.

I had just given Buddha Moon a first listen that early morning, staring out the window at the lush green garden, transfixed by the scenery and the lovely ragas flowing from the speakers, feeling the music in my heart.

Without hesitation, I handed her this CD and not surprisingly, she asked to use it again for a massage the next day. Highly recommended!”

Corners Magazine