Gathering In the Light

When I first heard Krishna Das's voice on this CD in yoga class, I liked it but thought "I don't need another Krishna Das CD." By the end of the class, I desperately needed to know the title of the CD so I could buy it. These versions of his classic chants are a must-have for any KD fan, and any fan of kirtan. Prana and Baird Hersey add a new dimension to the chants we know so well. This CD is meditative and beautiful. I love it.

In October of 2004 Krishna Das attended a release party for PRANA's first CD, "The Eternal Embrace". After Prana had sung, Krishna Das said to Baird, "Let's make a record together or something". Over the next two years the "or something" was Krishna Das inviting Prana to sing at his larger benefit Kirtans in the New York area. As a part of those evenings KD would join Prana to sing Baird's arrangement of his chant "Puja". The combination of the ethereal sound of overtone singing supporting the rich, open hearted voice of Krishna Das was stunning. In 2006 Baird and KD decided to record "Puja" for Prana's new CD. The resulting 12 minute piece was so striking, they resolved to record an entire CD together. The result is "Gathering in the Light". On four pieces, percussion was added: Jerry Marotta, (Peter Gabriel, Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello) on hand percussion and drums, South Indian Master Drummers Subash Chandran, playing ghatam (clay pot), Ganesh Kumar playing kanjira (tunable tambourine), and Arjun Alan Bruggeman on Tabla. The only other instrument on the CD is the human voice. The singers of PRANA are; Peter Buettner, Amy Fradon, Kirsti Gholson, Julie Last, Bruce Milner, Julian Lines, Leslie Ritter, Joe Veillette. "Gathering In The Light" is dedicated to Pattabhi Jois and Neem Karoli Baba. All Chants Composed by Krishna Das, Arranged and Produced by Baird Hersey