[Triple CD]

As the story is told, Nanak was making his ablutions in the river one day and his body sank to the bottom. He remained submerged for 3 days. When he finally re-emerged from the river, he was transformed. It was from this very moment, he began his teaching.

The words of Japji are the first words he spoke. They describe all the pitfalls of spiritual work, as well as the incredible blessings one can receive through steady perseverance of meditative life. The paths to God are limitless, and all paths lead to the same place. Nanak said God cannot be found by speaking or remaining silent, neither by bathing at the places of pilgrimage nor by giving in charity.

Nanak described incredible states of consciousness, which he himself had experienced - the realms of the earth, heavens, and beyond. He described the vision, which every spiritual seeker yearns for... a vision of God revealed. The whole Universe unveiled before the eyes of the seeker. ?That vision is beyond description.? says Nanak. It is impossible to describe. Each soul has to find it on his or her own.

It took 3 years to complete this project. Translating, composing, and singing. The ashram at that time was filled with artists - painters, musicians, dancers, and poets. They inspired me to take on such a large project, and to do it artistically. Because the ashram was in NYC, we were always receiving guests travelling through to India. These people helped me with my pronunciation and corrected my translations. Working on Japji trained my mind. It taught me the guidelines for spiritual life. It gave me an idea what I could expect as I started on the spiritual path.

We recorded this project in 2 weekends. It is hard to believe, now, after being part of the commercial music industry, where projects are recorded and mixed over several months. Perhaps it was because this was only a hobby for me; or perhaps I was too young to know any better. But for 3 days straight, on two separate weekends, I sang, we played and mixed every track that you now hear. Everything was done in one take. We mixed analog, correcting mistakes manually. I donated the multi-track tape to The Recording Workshop, so their students could practice mixing. The masters were stored somewhere in Nashville. When the world went digital, the reel-to-reel masters were sent to Seva, my mastering engineer. He baked the tapes and recorded them digitally, and from there the masters were lost. Mysteriously reappearing 3 years later, much the same as Nanak, the music seemed like a jewel.

The spiritual path is possible for us because of those who have walked it before. They leave signs along the way for us to follow. Take a saint and study his or her words, study her actions, absorb yourself in his experiences. Tell me you will not emerge the better for it.

Wah! has a spent a lifetime immersed in music, studying in the US, India and Africa. She accompanied the Arthur Hall Dance Ensemble to Ghana and Nigeria (1978), lived in a shaman temple in Africa (1978), composed and danced professionally for the Angela Caponigro Dance Ensemble in NYC (1983-1989), and made various trips to in India (1989-1992). Her music reflects her travel and spiritual experiences from many parts of the world.

After graduating from Oberlin College/Conservatory ('79/ Performing Arts), Wah! composed and performed in a variety of different venues. From 1988-1993, Wah! worked with the Cherdi Kala label, creating music products for yoga audiences. In 1993 the WAH! band was formed, and they traveled and performed pop music and chanting at festivals and retreats (Yuba City Cultural Arts Festival, Womanheart Retreat). In 1995, she moved to Los Angeles, where the band performed for celebrities, opened for Hole (Courtney Love), and built a following in local clubs and venues in California. The WAH! band was brought into VTV Vancouver Morning Television in 1999. In September 1999, Wah! began touring with Krishna Das (Triloka Records), playing bass, violin and back-up vocals. For two years Wah! managed and performed with Krishna Das, and engaged constant US touring.