World fusion band Ancient Future has announced the live video premier of “Lustful Elephants Trumpet Spring on Elephant Appreciation Day. The YouTube broadcast will take place on September 22, 2222, at 13:00 (1:00 p.m.) PST.
“Lustful Elephants Trumpet Spring” (L.E.T.S.) was composed by Matthew Montfort after studying Rag Basant, a springtime raga that captures the feeling of separated lovers longing to unite. The caption on an associated ragamala painting read: “Bound with a peacock’s feathers…his face is as a flower. Elephant-like, he joyfully wanders in the forest among the gopis. Such is Basant raga.”
Montfort woke up in the middle of the night, dreaming of a melody that evokes elephants in mating season. It begins with a low riff that depicts an elephant’s legs, and then moves to a jump from low to high like an elephant trumpeting in excitement. The piece quickly became a part of Ancient Future’s live repertoire, and a studio version is in production.
On Endangered Species Day, May 20, 2022, the audio of Lustful Elephants Trumpet Spring (Live 6-12-21) became the first streaming release from the Alternate Reality Concerts.
Watch the concert at
(headline image: Ancient Future with Matthew Montfort (guitar), Aditya Kalyanpur (tabla), and Frank Martin (keyboards))
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central