Bardo by Cassie Watson Francillon

Bardo : in Buddhism, is an intermediate, transitional state between death and rebirth. The project began through visions, six years ago. The name and sketches for the project came to me piece by piece while on the water during the pandemic shutdown; I took up solo kayaking as a response and would spend each day alone on Bayou St. John just listening, following sun times, moving through liquid.

It depicts a brief gaze at leading more straight-ahead formations and leanings, but is luckily enmeshed in breakbeat and avant elements of my style that I can never seem to shake– I thought they were flaws, but now honor them as intrinsic light. There is discipline in honoring the chapter, resisting urges to alter the takes or update the work to reflect my current voice.

With support from The ThreadHead Cultural Foundation and Jazz and Heritage Foundation, I proudly liberate this body of work to the world.

Special thanks to the supreme musicians and engineers involved with this--for their patience, excellence and incredible work in making the sounds in my head [and more!] come to life in full color.

"Cassie is a journey through genres; wielding true musical alchemy of the Black American experience by merging formal, formless and profane into an intensely soothing & disruptively holy encounter."
-D. Simpson

Active c. 2007, avant-garde harpist, interdisciplinary artist, activist, collaborator and producer; breaking conventions to construct “sacred sonic architecture”

instagram.com/cassandharp

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