In late September of last year, Prabhu Nam Kaur invited me over to her house to discuss the possibility of producing a track for her. I had recently opened a new recording studio in San Leandro, CA, not a quarter of a mile away. Just a few days later, we were in the studio, looking over the text of the piece we chose to pursue: Meraa Man Loche, the set of letters Guru Arjan wrote to Guru Ram Das when they were separated for a great length of time.
I have known Prabhu Nam Kaur practically my entire life and grew up listening to her play kirtan along with her daughter, Snatam Kaur. So, it would be fair to say that I was familiar with her version of the shabad when we started recording it. It also helped the process that she and I have similar musical backgrounds. We both have classical training, carrying deep appreciation for composers such as Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn and Brahms; as well as familiarity and love of American folk and roots music ranging from Pete Seeger to bluegrass and gospel.
We wanted to bring all of our strengths to the table on the track. We wanted to wrap her melodies in clear three and four part harmonies, caressed by gentle guitars, viola, and flute. Most of all, we wanted Prabhu Nam’s voice to speak for itself and for the words to carry the piece.
We took great care in staying true to the text— to draw influence from it to add nuance to the piece and to create a musical environment that matched the energy of the words.
And so we went to work. I really wanted to capture and keep the magic of hearing her play live, so we started the process by recording just her with her harmonium in a nonstop take. She is so incredibly consistent in her delivery that it only took a few full runs of the piece to get the feeling that we wanted. From there the process was extremely organic.
My best friend and colleague, Narayan, and I started by filling in the track with arpeggiating nylon guitars and then bass. From there, we felt that the mandolin would be a perfect instrument to compliment the piece. From the very first plucked note, it brought a sparkle and shimmer to the track. It was reminiscent of an Appalachian lullaby— sweet enough to be of a dream. The process simply continued in that way. Each element that we added to the piece complimented it in its own perfect way; guitars, flute, viola, and voices. Our good friend, Ramesh Kannan, who is currently on tour with Snatam Kaur, was also able to come in and lay down a beautiful tabla track for the piece to add a slight Indian classical influence while maintaining an original feel for the sound.
By December, we had a rough mix of the track that we were happy with, so we sent it to Karan and Hargobind at Spirit Voyage and got their blessing and support to do a full album that would include Meraa Man Loche.
And so it went. Each track in the album evolved organically and perfectly out of simple harmonium and vocal tracks. Each track took on its own personality and each asked for different elements. As we worked, Narayan and I felt that each piece felt as though it was set in a specific season of the year or time of day. It was one of the unintentional wonders that emerged from the creation of the album. This idea was ultimately the inspiration for the title of the CD— “Seasons of the Soul”.
We were fortunate to be able to travel to New Mexico to record Snatam Kaur for the album. A good friend, Dharm Singh, lent us his studio space so we could record for a couple days. It was in those sessions that the album started blossoming beyond any of our wildest dreams. Snatam recorded vocals so moving that tears were brought to my eyes and joyous crystalline harmonies that had us all laughing out loud. It’s amazing how the mother and daughter’s voices go so well together. Prabhu Nam has a rich alto voice and she carries a profound poetry in her delivery. Snatam’s voice layers on top like fresh snow on a grassy meadow. It shines with perfect precision and radiance. And so we returned to the Bay Area feeling full of joy and with full bellies (thanks to Dharm’s Chocolate Maven bakery and café in Santa Fe, NM— a must visit establishment!).
And by the wonders of this digital age, we were able to record my dear friend and colleague, Manish Vyas, for the album even though he was all the way in Mysore, India. He recorded a couple beautiful tabla tracks as well as a magnificent vocal tarana (Indian classical improvisation) for one of the tracks— a little surprise gem on the album.
Ultimately, what we had was an incredible set of pieces that felt like they were taking us from Spring through Summer, Fall, and Winter, and then back to Spring again when we put the album on repeat. The work we did on this album is tremendous and in my opinion, the results are spectacular. It was an incredible joy to produce this album and I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I do.
Editor's note: Seasons of the Soul CD will be released at Summer Solstice Sadhana Celebration on June 17, 2010. The album will be available for download Friday June 11 when we will feature a track from the new album for Free Music Friday. We'll also be posting a review of the album. Stay tuned to the blog and our facebook page for more information about this new release!
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Nice blog Ram Dass, can’t wait to hear it!
Thanks so much to all the musicians and techinicians working together to bring forth this important album. I look forward to buying a copy and immersing myself in Prabhu Nam Kaur’s voice.
[...] producer, Ram Dass Khalsa, says, “I really wanted to capture and keep the magic of hearing her play live, so we started the [...]
Bravo Ram Dass, Narayan & Prabhu Nam Kaur! It was a joy to watch this exquisite project unfold. May this be the first of many.
[...] Read what producer, Ram Dass Khalsa says about 'Seasons of the Soul'. [...]