Steven Chesne – Sapient: A Cantata of Peace (Brahmasong Records, 2017)
American musician and composer presents a beautiful and masterfully-crafted project titled Sapient. He spent a year researching peace chants and prayers from various parts of the globe and brought them together here in this remarkable album.
Sapient includes performances representing the major religions of the world as well as lesser known ethnic groups: the words of Buddha, Lao Tzu, Jesus, Mohammed, the Sikhs, the Hindu, the Jews, the Cheyenne, the Kikuyu, and the Baha’i.
Chesne brought in talented vocalists from various parts of the world and added his magic as a composer and arranger, creating beautiful symphonic soundscapes and rhythms that accompany the exquisite vocals.
Each tradition is represented separately except for the final piece, “Nyansapo – the Wisdom Knot,” where Chesne weaves in all traditions with ease.
Steven Chesne plays the majority of the instruments. The vocalists featured are: William ‘Kymo’ Kamore; Mariani Shuilan May; Uyanga Bold; Florence Kinyua; Thomas Segen; Sudakshina Alagia; Taraneh Sakurai; Ven. Agga Mahapandita Dr. Walpola Piyananda; Ven. Bambarawane Kalyanawansa; Ven. Attidiye Pugngnarathana; Natalie Shtangrud; Steven Rushingwind; and Bhai Jaswant Singh Zira.
Guest musicians: Kourosh Zolani on santur and Amadou Fall on kora.
Buy the digital download version or the nicely-packaged CD from stevenchesne-theluminousworldorchestra.bandcamp.com
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
