atONEment by Joel Karabo Elliott

Piano side 1-5 . . . E.S.P. refers to “extra sensory perception”, and here I also intend the acronym to mean “extemporaneous solo piano”. One summer day circa 2024, I was walking around the town of Fairhaven, Massachusetts hoping to find an old church with a decent piano to play (a common activity for me, especially when visiting new places). I soon stumbled upon the architectural wonder that is the Fairhaven UUC and was gracefully welcomed inside by the only staff member present on this quiet Wednesday morning. I sat down at this astonishing early-1900s Steinway piano, consecrating the moment with a few deep breaths. I then played these 5 thematic movements as one contiguous improvised performance, with no human beings as audience. The sound was recorded through the voicememo app of my smartphone which I placed down on the music stand above the piano keyboard. I hope you feel the richness, liveliness . . .

Guitar side 6-9 . . . For the interlude, I’m sitting in the garden on a tranquil summer Appalachian afternoon circa 2025, playing an improvised guitar theme while reading a passage from Hazrat Inayat Khan’s Music of Life: The Inner Nature and Effects of Sound. The following three songs I played at Willow Moon Farm back in 2022 in the home studio of Scott Sheerin, my close friend and bandmate who generously recorded and gently mixed the songs. This is a “B side” of sorts, featuring guitar-based compositions; the timbre and feeling of these recordings compliment the curiosity and depth invoked by the E.S.P. movements, as well as a loving embrace of the gift of loneliness . . .

This music is dedicated to the present moment,
the only One worth being at . . .

A multi-continental ensemble acoustically enlivening the ancient future, in service to Creator, community and the individual journey of transcendence. Born in Southern Africa and emerging in North America and beyond. Indigenous spiritual jazz to support transition into the Aquarian age. Curated by Joel Karabo Elliott.

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