Prana Trio


Prana Trio's latest CD, Pranam, is made up of songs inspired by the ancient texts of Jelaluddin Rumi, Lao Tsu, Kobayashi Issa and E.E. Cummings. Pranam literally means "to bow," or to greet with respect. With this undertaking, the trio's intention is to show reverence to this remarkable poetry by creating compositions and forms centered around it, and then expanding upon it through open-ended improvisation. The musicians: Brian Adler- As the leader of Prana Trio, drummer Brian Adler is well versed in many forms of improvised music including jazz, avant-garde, folk, and Indian music. He is known for his uniquely delicate, earthy sound and sparseness on the drums. Brian holds a Bachelor's Degree from the New England Conservatory of Music. Sunny Kim- Born in Seoul, Korea, Sunny Kim is an internationally acclaimed singer. Sunny’s influences range from Björk to Billy Holiday, with lyricism and emotional presence that are all her own. She resides in Brooklyn, NY and has a Master's Degree from the New England Conservatory of Music. Stomu Takeishi- Born in Mito, Japan, Stomu Takeishi came to the US in 1983 to attend Berklee College of Music. He has performed around the world with Don Cherry, Henry Threadgill, Dave Liebmann, Mick Goodrick, Paul Motian, Myra Melford, Cuong Vu, Badal Roy, David Tronzo, Erik Friedlander, Tony Malaby and many others. Like a white-water rafter going over the falls, Stomu Takeishi is at his best when jumping headlong into another daring improvisation - taking chances and breaking the rules. Special guest performers: Frank Carlbeg - piano Jeremy Udden - alto and soprano saxophone Mike Winograd - clarinet Chris Donohue - tenor saxophone The poets: Jelaluddin Rumi was born in Balkh which is now part of Afghanistan, and died in Konya (present-day Turkey). His birthplace and native tongue indicate a Persian heritage. He lived most of his life and produced his works under the Seljuk Empire. Rumi's importance is considered to transcend national and ethnic borders. He has had a significant influence on both Persian and Turkish literature throughout the centuries. His poems have been translated into many of the world's languages and have appeared in various formats. After Rumi's death, his followers founded the Mevlevi Order, better known as the "Whirling Dervishes", who believe in performing their worship in the form of dance and music ceremony called the sema. Lao Tsu According to Chinese tradition, Lao Tsu lived in the 6th century BCE, however many historians contend that Laozi actually lived in the 4th century BCE. Lao Tsu was credited with writing the seminal Taoist work, the Tao Te Ching, and he was recognized as the founder of the Taoism or Daoism. Whether Lao Tsu even existed is an issue of strong debate, because he is the author of the Tao Te Ching. Lao Tsu became an important cultural hero to subsequent generations of Chinese people. Ostensibly, Lao Tsu's wise counsel attracted followers, but he refused to set his ideas down in writing, worrying that written words might solidify into formal dogma. Lao Tsu laid down no rigid code of behavior. He believed a person's conduct should be governed by instinct and conscience. He believed "simplicity" to be the key to truth and freedom. Lao Tsu encouraged his followers to observe, and seek to understand the laws of nature; to develop intuition and build up personal power; and to wield power with love, not force. Kobayashi Issa who went by the penname Issa, is one of the best known and appreciated haiku poets. Issa was born in Kashiwabara, in what is now part of the Nagano Prefecture in Japan. His father was a farmer. Issa's mother died when the boy was very young and his father soon remarried. Issa's stepmother mistreated him and, when he was fourteen, Issa was sent to Edo (Tokyo) where he studied haiku. Although he gained some notoriety for his poetry early on, he struggled to get by financially and had to travel and work hard until his fifties. When his father died, Issa had further troubles with his stepmother who prevented him from inheriting his father's property for some time. He eventually was able to claim his inheritance, however. Though Issa's life was filled with struggles -- the death of his mother at an early age, the conflicts with his stepmother, his poverty, and the death of his own children -- his haiku tend to celebrate the serene joys and simple spiritual moments of life. E.E. Cummings is probably best known for his poems and their unorthodox usage of capitalization, layout, punctuation and syntax. There is extensive use of lower case; word gaps, line breaks and gaps appear in unexpected places; punctuation marks are omitted or misplaced, interrupting sentences and even individual words; grammar and word order are sometimes strange. Many of his poems are best understood when read on the page. When read in the correct fashion, his poems often paint a syntactical picture as vital to the understanding of the poem as the words themselves. Despite Cummings' affinity for avant-garde styles and for unusual typography, much of his work is traditional. Many of his poems are sonnets, and he occasionally made use of the blues form and acrostics as well. Cummings' poetry often deals with themes of love and nature, as well as the relationship of the individual to the masses and to the world. His poems are often satirical as well. But, while his poetic forms and even themes show a close continuity with the romantic tradition, his work universally shows a particular idiosyncrasy of syntax or way of arranging individual words into larger phrases and sentences. Many of his most striking poems do not involve any typographical or punctuational innovations at all, but purely syntactic ones. During his lifetime, he published more than 900 poems, along with two novels, several plays and essays, as well as numerous drawings, sketches, and paintings. He is remembered as one of the preeminent voices of 20th century poetry. Album info: Recorded April 14 and 28^th, 2006 at Park West Studios Recorded, Mixed and Mastered by Jim Clouse Produced by Frank Carlberg and Brian Adler Executive Producer: Brian Adler Web Design by Brian Adler Artwork by Dorothy Simpson Krause Circavision Productions CDP38725 © 2006 Circavision Productions www.BrianAdler.com/Circavision.htm

Prana Trio's latest CD, Pranam, is made up of songs inspired by the ancient texts of Jelaluddin Rumi, Lao Tsu, Kobayashi Issa and E.E. Cummings. Pranam literally means "to bow," or to greet with respect. With this undertaking, the trio's intention is to show reverence to this remarkable poetry by creating compositions and forms centered around it, and then expanding upon it through open-ended improvisation.

The musicians:

Brian Adler- As the leader of Prana Trio, drummer Brian Adler is well versed in many forms of improvised music including jazz, avant-garde, folk, and Indian music. He is known for his uniquely delicate, earthy sound and sparseness on the drums. Brian holds a Bachelor's Degree from the New England Conservatory of Music.

Sunny Kim- Born in Seoul, Korea, Sunny Kim is an internationally acclaimed singer. Sunny’s influences range from Björk to Billy Holiday, with lyricism and emotional presence that are all her own. She resides in Brooklyn, NY and has a Master's Degree from the New England Conservatory of Music.

Stomu Takeishi- Born in Mito, Japan, Stomu Takeishi came to the US in 1983 to attend Berklee College of Music. He has performed around the world with Don Cherry, Henry Threadgill, Dave Liebmann, Mick Goodrick, Paul Motian, Myra Melford, Cuong Vu, Badal Roy, David Tronzo, Erik Friedlander, Tony Malaby and many others. Like a white-water rafter going over the falls, Stomu Takeishi is at his best when jumping headlong into another daring improvisation - taking chances and breaking the rules.

Special guest performers:

Frank Carlbeg - piano

Jeremy Udden - alto and soprano saxophone

Mike Winograd - clarinet

Chris Donohue - tenor saxophone

The poets:

Jelaluddin Rumi was born in Balkh which is now part of Afghanistan, and died in Konya (present-day Turkey). His birthplace and native tongue indicate a Persian heritage. He lived most of his life and produced his works under the Seljuk Empire. Rumi's importance is considered to transcend national and ethnic borders. He has had a significant influence on both Persian and Turkish literature throughout the centuries. His poems have been translated into many of the world's languages and have appeared in various formats. After Rumi's death, his followers founded the Mevlevi Order, better known as the "Whirling Dervishes", who believe in performing their worship in the form of dance and music ceremony called the sema.

Lao Tsu According to Chinese tradition, Lao Tsu lived in the 6th century BCE, however many historians contend that Laozi actually lived in the 4th century BCE. Lao Tsu was credited with writing the seminal Taoist work, the Tao Te Ching, and he was recognized as the founder of the Taoism or Daoism. Whether Lao Tsu even existed is an issue of strong debate, because he is the author of the Tao Te Ching. Lao Tsu became an important cultural hero to subsequent generations of Chinese people. Ostensibly, Lao Tsu's wise counsel attracted followers, but he refused to set his ideas down in writing, worrying that written words might solidify into formal dogma. Lao Tsu laid down no rigid code of behavior. He believed a person's conduct should be governed by instinct and conscience. He believed "simplicity" to be the key to truth and freedom. Lao Tsu encouraged his followers to observe, and seek to understand the laws of nature; to develop intuition and build up personal power; and to wield power with love, not force.

Kobayashi Issa who went by the penname Issa, is one of the best known and appreciated haiku poets. Issa was born in Kashiwabara, in what is now part of the Nagano Prefecture in Japan. His father was a farmer. Issa's mother died when the boy was very young and his father soon remarried. Issa's stepmother mistreated him and, when he was fourteen, Issa was sent to Edo (Tokyo) where he studied haiku. Although he gained some notoriety for his poetry early on, he struggled to get by financially and had to travel and work hard until his fifties. When his father died, Issa had further troubles with his stepmother who prevented him from inheriting his father's property for some time. He eventually was able to claim his inheritance, however. Though Issa's life was filled with struggles -- the death of his mother at an early age, the conflicts with his stepmother, his poverty, and the death of his own children -- his haiku tend to celebrate the serene joys and simple spiritual moments of life.

E.E. Cummings is probably best known for his poems and their unorthodox usage of capitalization, layout, punctuation and syntax. There is extensive use of lower case; word gaps, line breaks and gaps appear in unexpected places; punctuation marks are omitted or misplaced, interrupting sentences and even individual words; grammar and word order are sometimes strange. Many of his poems are best understood when read on the page. When read in the correct fashion, his poems often paint a syntactical picture as vital to the understanding of the poem as the words themselves. Despite Cummings' affinity for avant-garde styles and for unusual typography, much of his work is traditional. Many of his poems are sonnets, and he occasionally made use of the blues form and acrostics as well. Cummings' poetry often deals with themes of love and nature, as well as the relationship of the individual to the masses and to the world. His poems are often satirical as well. But, while his poetic forms and even themes show a close continuity with the romantic tradition, his work universally shows a particular idiosyncrasy of syntax or way of arranging individual words into larger phrases and sentences. Many of his most striking poems do not involve any typographical or punctuational innovations at all, but purely syntactic ones. During his lifetime, he published more than 900 poems, along with two novels, several plays and essays, as well as numerous drawings, sketches, and paintings. He is remembered as one of the preeminent voices of 20th century poetry.

Album info:

Recorded April 14 and 28^th, 2006 at Park West Studios

Recorded, Mixed and Mastered by Jim Clouse

Produced by Frank Carlberg and Brian Adler

Executive Producer: Brian Adler

Web Design by Brian Adler

Artwork by Dorothy Simpson Krause

Circavision Productions CDP38725