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“Kirtan Kids” Review – Daily Om

spacer With a bunch of bouncy sing-along kirtans and stories about the elephant god Ganesha, the monkey god Hanuman, Krishna, Govinda, and friends (replete with elephant cries and other fun noises), world music mainstay Jai Uttal creates the perfect gift for the yoga-children generation. An ideal present for kids just beginning to understand the power at their disposal should they open themselves to guidance by the infinite power of love, Kirtan Kids is a real kick. And “Poppa Uttal” is a fun and merry guide, with a rich, raspy voice, who brings in an array of various aged kids (including his own) to sing and chant, adding layers of meaning and resonance while never going overboard on cuteness. In “Dance Shiva Dance,” Uttal explains not to be afraid of Shiva’s more fearsome aspects: “He’s called the Lord of Destruction, but really that destruction just refers to a gigantic river of grace that removes all negativity and replaces it with light and wisdom and compassion. How does Lord Shiva do it? He dances!”

“Gung Gung Gung Ganesha Om” is chanted with children and backed by elephant noises and a chorus-bridge that shifts into a whole other mood and back again with exhilarating results. The music-box gentleness of “Bolo Ram Ram” goes a little farther out into gentle golden horizons with a merry tabla beat and children singing the chorus. The stories are fun: “Gopala Eats the Dirt,” and “Ganesha Walks Around the World,” the former about the birth of the universe and the latter a fable about competition, devotion, and sharing with the mouse rider Ganesha.

Like the best fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen or Disney, the tales of Krishna and company are not only delightful but profoundly applicable for day-to-day growth. The songs and chants are good for breathing and sonorous resonance and the tales of fantastic animal-shaped gods and their cosmic adventures are as wild as fables like The Lion King or The Little Mermaid. A fun booklet is included, with the Sanskrit chants, illustrations, and Uttal’s messages transcribed. All in all, Kirtan Kids is decidedly different and bound to blow the minds of kids that are up for exploring a spiritually mysterious and mythically rich culture. And for a fun guide, no one is better than Poppa Uttal.

Listen and buy Kirtan Kids at jaiuttal.com/kirtankids/.

Read the original article here.

Thu. Mar. 3, 2012 No replies »


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Kirtan Kids T-Shirts Now Available

spacer Kirtan Kids are here to stay!!!! The new generation of chanters is changing the sound of devotional singing, and all we grownups can do is open our hearts, sing along and let the voices of the Kirtan Kids wash away our sorrows in great waves of joy and FUN!

To celebrate these divine little singers we’ve made Kirtan Kids tee-shirts for the teensy ones, the toddlers and, of course, the rest of the gang….


spacer The artwork on the shirts is by Shilo Shiv Suleman, the wonderful young Indian artist who did all the graphics for Queen Of Hearts, and the manufacturing is once again done by Mantralogy, a company dedicated to Bhakti in many forms, including beautiful CDs by many of my best friends….

So please check out the shirts, check out the Kirtan Kids CD, check out Shilo’s art, and check out Mantralogy!!!

Thanks and lots of love,

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Fri. Feb. 2, 2012 No replies »


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“Kirtan Kids” Special Kids Event in San Rafael, CA on February 5

When: 1pm
Where: Open Secret Bookstore
923 C St.
San Rafael, CA
Price: 12 and up $10 / 4-11 years old $5 / 3 and under Free
Website: www.opensecretbookstore.com
Details: The world of wide eyed, childlike wonder that is so essential to the path of Bhakti is not always that easily attainable to us highly educated, ‘spiritual’ adults. But as you mommies and daddies know, we can let our kids help us! Come to Open Secret for an afternoon of “Kiddie Kirtan,” heartful and simple Indian chanting for the little ones of all ages. Of course the drums, shakers and front row seats are reserved for the kids, but parents and older brothers and sisters are welcome – as long as they behave! See you there!!

This event is a CD Release “Party” to celebrate Jai’s latest album, Kirtan Kids: The Elephant, the Monkey, and the Little Butter Thief, a wondrous collection of stories, chants and songs sung by, and for, our divine younger generation.

Visit jaiuttal.com/kirtankids for more information.

Thu. Jan. 1, 2012 No replies »


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“Queen of Hearts” Review in Yoga Journal

Yoga Journal, January 2012

QUEEN OF HEARTS, by Jai Uttal. Nutone Music; nutonemusic.com 

Kirtan artist Jai Uttal rocks the yoga house (yet again!) with a genre-bending blend of old-school reggae and ska, Brazilian samba, and traditional Bengali kirtan. Dedicated to Radha, the Hindu goddess of devotion, Queen of Hearts is the musical equivalent of a four-course meal–and just as likely to satisfy. Co-produced by Uttal’s longtime friend and collaborator Ben Leinbach (whose album Sangha is also reviewed on this page), Queen of Hearts is a tantalizing mix of sensuality and spirituality performed with stellar musicianship.

Each song is buoyed by soaring vocals from Uttal and a choir of angelic yet earthy female backup singers, including Tina Malia (who has sung with Carlos Santana, Bonnie Raitt, and India.Arie) and up-and-coming kirtan divas such as C.C. White and Prajna Vieira. Highlights include the sultry, reggae-centric “Ocean of Milk” and the prayerful, folk-tinged “Vishnu’s Dream.”

Many yogis will use this album as a high-octane accompaniment to a fast-flowing asana practice, and that’s not a bad idea. But Queen of Hearts is not background music; it merits repeated, intent listening in its own right. One spin will get your body moving; the next will put this album at the top of your playlist.
-PHIL CATALFO

Thu. Dec. 12, 2011 No replies »


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Shop The Bhakti Bazaar for 20% off through 12/15

Hey there, friends,

spacer Can you believe it’s already December??? Here’s a little help with your holiday shopping: everything from my online store is 20% off through December 15. That includes t-shirts, CDs, and downloads (I’m sure you can find a way to gift those too) … even my latest album, Kirtan Kids! Go over to the The Bhakti Bazaar and take a look.

Speaking of giving, Jan Lundy at Buddha Chick Life is giving away two copies of Kirtan Kids! Just leave a comment on her site here before December 15 to enter.

Happy holidays!!!

Lots of love,

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Wed. Dec. 12, 2011 No replies »


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New Album “Kirtan Kids” Now Available

Hey everybody!!!

Today is “International Sing Like A Kid Day”!!!!!

What? You haven’t heard of this? Oh, wow! This is the day that we’re all supposed to lose our inhibitions and self consciousness and let our voices soar and sing and scream in praise and joy! Just like kids….

Oh no! Don’t tell me that the forces of grown-up oppression have combined to hide this special day from all of us very adult non-singers. We must act now before it’s too late!!!! Sing! Sing! Sing!

Ok, ok…. Get serious, Jai!

spacer Well, I am serious, sort of. The reason I’m writing this is that today is the official release date of my new CD: Kirtan Kids: The Elephant, The Monkey and the Little Butter Thief, a TOTALLY ADORABLE collection of songs, kirtans and stories sung mostly by kids, for kids….

Ben Leinbach and I had so much fun making this CD. A whole bunch of kids helped. Kindergarteners, first graders, second graders… All the way up to one wonderful sixteen-year-old…

Plus a farm load of animals, and an entire jungle of wild beasts.

I’m not telling you any more… you’ll just have to see for yourself! There’s a special Kirtan Kids page where you can listen, see adorable behind-the-scenes videos, and download the Kirtan Kids book … Check it out today!!!!

Lots of love,

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Tue. Oct. 10, 2011 No replies »


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“Press Play: Jai Uttal’s ‘Queen of Hearts’” – Marin Independent Journal

“Queen of Hearts” continues the inspired artistic leap that Jai Uttal, a pioneer of world music, first made with his delightful “Thunder Love” album in 2009, when he blended kirtan yoga chanting with Brazilian music.

This time the master San Anselmo musician-singer-composer takes traditional call-and-response kirtan and Brazilian samba and throws reggae and ska into the mix.

It’s a joyous concoction that announces itself with the very opening track, “Thief of Hearts” (Govinda, Govinda, Gopala). Who can resist devotional music with a horn arrangements, by Uttal and Jeff Cressman, worthy of Tower of Power?

A reggae fan since he was a teenager, Uttal expressed that influence in some of the groundbreaking music he made in the ’90s with his Pagan Love Orchestra, one of the first world music groups to introduce an East-meets-West sound to American audiences.

He’s been wanting to revisit reggae ever since, and says the eight tunes on “Queen of Hearts,” recorded at Old Bull studio in San Anselmo with co-producer by longtime collaborator Ben Leinbach, have been percolating inside him for years.

You can literally hear that percolation in the techno opening of “Ocean of Milk,” which breaks into an irresistible reggae groove as Uttal trades lines in Sanskrit with a breathy all-female backup chorus.

On the ethereal “Vishnu’s Dream,” he wraps his soulful voice in the warm harmony vocals of the exotic Tina Malia, a veteran of his Pagan Love Orchestra. Uttal studied under the great Ali Akbar Khan, which gives him hard-earned credibility. And if listeners notice an authenticity in the always excellent musicianship on “Queen of Hearts,” it’s no accident.

On the smooth Brazilian “Hari’s Rapture,” for example, Uttal had the good sense to anchor the track with the rhythmic nylon-string guitar work of Brazilian-born Jose Neto, one of Marin’s finest players. It’s one of many bright spots on a CD full of light.

Listen and Buy: “Queen of Hearts,” Jai Uttal, Nutone Music, www.jaiuttal.com/queenofhearts/; $14.98

Read the original article here.

Wed. Sep. 9, 2011 No replies »


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CD Release/Bhakti Dance Party for “Queen of Hearts”

Hey there, friends,

It’s been a while since I’ve written a newsletter. So sorry if any of you have felt
neglected. Wow, three CDs in a year! I think I must be crazy. But I’m really happy with
all of them, and they’re all so different. First there was Bhakti Bazaar with Ben
Leinbach, then Queen of Hearts, and coming in October, Kirtan Kids!

Have you guys heard Queen? It’s often difficult for me to listen to my own music till
many months later but I’ve been listening to Queen Of Hearts almost everyday and it’s
a total joy. The reggae and ska grooves just wake me up and make me want to dance in
my car, which can be a bit dangerous… Anyway, I haven’t done a CD release party for
any of my CDs for quite a long time but I’ve decided to do one for the Queen! But what
should it be? After so many years of interactive Kirtan, the idea of a ‘concert’, where
there are ‘listeners’ and ‘musicians’ and no meeting between the two, is kind of boring.
So for at least one gig, on September 14th, I’ve created ‘the Queen Of Hearts
Orchestra,’
an ecstatic Reggae-Samba-Kirtan band, for your listening, singing and
dancing pleasure. And most of all, to glorify the true Queen Of Hearts, Srimati
Radharani, the bestower of Divine Love.

spacer So come join us for a Bhakti Dance Party at Yoshi’s in San Francisco. The band will be big and loud, kind of a first cousin to the late, great Pagan Love Orchestra, and, Goddess-willing, we’ll be granted a few moments of grace in the heavenly abode of RADHE SHYAM!!!!!

Come one come all!!!!!!

Here’s the band:

Jai Uttal – harmonium, guitar, vocals
Jose Neto – electric nylon string guitar
Ben Leinbach – keys and percussion
Vishwambhar Sheth – Mridanga
Krsna Kishore – kartals and flute
Daniel Paul – tablas, vocals, harmonica
Prajna Vieira – vocals
Sandy Cressman – vocals
Tina Malia – vocals
Mark Gorman – bass
Peter Apfelbaum – drums and sax

Sounds like super fun, doesn’t it?

Lots of love,

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Mon. Sep. 9, 2011 No replies »


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‎’Queen Of Hearts’ – review by Steven J. Rosen (Satyaraja Dasa)

Jai Uttal has done it again! Though “Shiva Station” has long been among my favorite Kirtan/Devotional CDs — and I doubted that he could ever surpass it — “Queen of Hearts,” a masterful, visionary work that shows both musical maturity and spiritual depth, vibrates constantly in my home (and my heart). Touted as “a unique blend of reggae, ska, and samba rhythms, ” which it definitely is, I also feel shades of Jimi Hendrix, elements of jazz-fusion, and glimpses of Ali Akbar Khan.

Jai Uttal, unlike many other recording artists producing kirtan CDs in the modern Yoga community, has a certain musicality that comes through in his work. Virtuoso musicianship — both his and that of his other well-chosen associates — is evident throughout, on every song. Moreover, his music has a certain funkiness borne of passion (rajas), as opposed to the more self-consciously solemn, mellow and goodie-goodie (sattva) sensibility found on so many other kirtan CDs today. The result is a distinct liveliness, a vibrancy, that grabs you and virtually transports you to that sublime world known as Vaikuntha, where dynamic spirituality reigns supreme, and, more, to Vrindavan, where every word is a song and every step is a dance.

This lively, transcendent passion is evident from the very first track of the new CD, which begins with an ode to Lord Krishna, the bonzer blue flautist of bhakti — that is to say, the Original Personality of Godhead.

Right from the get-go, Jai glorifies Him with pronounced intensity and deliberateness, bringing to mind the Bauls he so admires. This opening song, called “Thief of Hearts,” consists of a litany of Krishna’s names, effectively evoking that beautiful rascal divinity who will, indeed, steal your heart — if you let Him. “Thief of Hearts” is inextricably related to “Queen of Hearts,” the title track, which is about Sri Radha, Krishna’s entirely lovable consort and the main protagonist on this CD.

It is after this — on the second track, “Ocean of Milk” — that Jimi’s spirit emerges in full force, with guitar tones reminiscent of “Axis: Bold as Love.” Jai here gives us another helping of Krishna’s names, this time associating Him with Narayana (Vishnu). In Epic and Puranic circles, this association with the four-armed form of the Divine serves to highlight Krishna’s transcendental status — He is not just a darling cowherd boy but God Himself, the Soul of souls, our source, our essence, our Heart of hearts.

Jai then takes us to “Lanka Burning,” celebrating Krishna in the form of Rama, the spiritual archer — “Sita-Rama, Sita Rama, Sita Rama.” What more needs to be said? Sita, the Divine Moiety of Rama, the counterpart, the better half — She is to Him what Radha is to Krishna. Two sides of the Supreme. The complete whole — male and female absolute, lovingly acknowledged in all their fullness. No sexism here!

“Queen of Hearts” is next, sauntering in rather inconspicuously. But it soon explodes with Jai’s vivacious, dynamic, and electrifying mood, his signature style, bringing us head-on into glorification of Sri Radha and Her relationship with Krishna. Radhe Radhe bolo Radhe, Shyam Shyam Shyam Shyam — “Chant the names of Radha and Krishna [Shyam]!!” All with delicious blues-inflected harp — an eloquent touch.

Time to mellow out: “Hari’s Rapture” has elements of smooth jazz, with beautiful nylon-string guitar and mellisonant flute. Jose Neto’s sensitive guitar solo perfectly complements the mood of this piece, as does Manose Singh’s gentle flute work. “Radha-ramana Haribol” The song asks us to chant the names of Radha-ramana, bringing to mind, for those who know the inner meaning, the Deities of Vrindavan (Vraja). “Jai Radhe.” With this tune, praise of Srimati Radharani is never far from one’s mind and heart.

“Govinda Jaya Jaya,” the next piece, carries on with exaltation of Radha-ramana, the Deities of Vraja. “Radha-ramana” literally refers to the “lover of Radha,” who is obviously Krishna. Jai conveys this with emotion and sensitivity; he takes a traditional tune and makes it his own, with his characteristic devotion and feeling.

The rhapsodic truth of Sri Radha would be incomplete without the Maha-mantra, and so Jai chants: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, meaning, “O Lord, O Divine Energy of the Lord! Please engage me in Your service.” More literally, the mantra is in the vocative, beseeching Sri Radha for divine love, a selfless prayer to the Feminine Divine, asking for nothing more than to live a life of devotion. The mantra asks — almost demands — that She show special mercy, that She engage us in Krishna’s service. This is the seventh song on Jai’s CD, and he aptly calls it “Last Breath,” which is enticing: May we all have this mantra on our lips as we breathe our last.

As a postscript, the CD ends with “Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya,” a beautiful arrangement of a traditional tune. The meaning of this mantra is, basically, “Prostration, obeisance, to Bhagavan Vasudeva [Krishna].” Jai combines this with the Maha-mantra in a particularly creative way, showing his depth as a true artist, completing the CD with angelic singing and moody spirituality. As I play the disk yet again, I marvel at his singing. That voice. What can I say? Jai’s voice is a gift from above. Nuff said.
_

Steven J. Rosen (Satyaraja Dasa) is an initiated disciple of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He is also founding editor of the Journal of Vaishnava Studies and associate editor of Back to Godhead magazine. In addition, he has published twenty-one books in numerous languages, including Krishna’s Song: A New Look at the Bhagavad Gita (Praeger, 2007); Essential Hinduism (Rowman & Littlefield, 2008); and The Yoga of Kirtan: Conversations on the Sacred Art of Chanting (FOLK Books, 2008).

Wed. Aug. 8, 2011 1 reply »


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New album “Queen of Hearts”: Special Pre-Order Packages

Dear friends,

Making an album is a journey across mountains and valleys of moods and emotions. Sometimes the sessions are pure flow, joyful, easy and inspired. And, of course, on other days the creative process is like pulling hairs. Agonizing, depressing, and seemingly impossible. I always see my weaknesses as a musician and, on the other side of the coin, how ridiculously self-critical I am. And sometimes I’m amazed and inspired by my own seemingly endless well of inspiration. Where does it come from? Well, I have no question about that. It’s a direct gift from my Guru…. Hopefully, through it all, I can learn and grow as a musician, but more importantly as a human being crawling along the path of spirit and love.

Anyway, just like every album seems to have its own flavor, the process of making the albums is also quite different from one to the other. And the weird part is that the final ‘product’ doesn’t always seem to reflect the moods that went into making it. Some albums that were torturous to create sound sweet and joyful, while some of the ones that were super easy sound kind of tortured. At least to my ‘unbiased’ ears.

spacer To read more, visit the special Queen of Hearts page where you can listen, pre-order the album, watch behind-the-scenes videos, read stories, and more.

May the blessings of the Queen of Hearts rain down upon us all!!!!!

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P.S. To celebrate the Queen of Hearts release, I’ll be playing at Yoshi’s in San Francisco on Wednesday, September 14 … with a reggae-kirtan band!!! More details to come.

Queen of Hearts Pre-Order

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Includes:
• Immediate “Thief Of Hearts” MP3 download
Queen of Hearts album download delivered July 26
Queen Of Hearts CD in Digipak

Buy Now

$14.98

Queen of Hearts Package: CD + MP3 + T-shirt or Tank

T-Shirt Package

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View Larger

Tank Package

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View Larger

Includes:
• Immediate “Thief Of Hearts” MP3 download
Queen of Hearts album download delivered July 26
Queen Of Hearts CD in Digipak
•  Unisex Queen of Hearts Alternative Apparel Organic Crew T-shirt or Women’s Queen of Hearts American Apparel Baby Ribbed Tank

Buy Now

$34.98

Tue. Jul. 7, 2011 2 replies »


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