Kirtan: The Art and Practice of Ecstatic Chant

Book Description
"Kirtan is the calling, the crying, the reaching across infinite space—and digging into the heart’s deepest well—to touch and be touched by the Divine Presence," teaches world music pioneer Jai Uttal. On Kirtan! The Art and Practice of Ecstatic Chant, Jai guides listeners through the practice of Kirtan—singing the many names of God and Goddess—an essential part of Bhakti yoga, or the yoga of devotion. This sacred music form is for all people; there are no experts, nor beginners, and the practice itself is the teacher, guiding us to ourselves. Listeners join Jai Uttal to explore: the power of ancient Sanskrit syllables in chant to invoke the Divine, how to open the voice and learn to love the sound that comes from our bodies, more than two hours of music recorded by Jai Uttal to commune with the Divine through sacred chant, and the path of Bhakti and Kirtan, the journey of surrender, and much more.

Product Description
"Kirtan is the calling, the crying, the reaching across infinite space—and digging into the heart’s deepest well—to touch and be touched by the Divine Presence," teaches world music pioneer Jai Uttal. On Kirtan! The Art and Practice of Ecstatic Chant, Jai guides listeners through the practice of Kirtan—singing the many names of God and Goddess—an essential part of Bhakti yoga, or the yoga of devotion. This sacred music form is for all people; there are no experts, nor beginners, and the practice itself is the teacher, guiding us to ourselves. Listeners join Jai Uttal to explore: the power of ancient Sanskrit syllables in chant to invoke the Divine, how to open the voice and learn to love the sound that comes from our bodies, more than two hours of music recorded by Jai Uttal to commune with the Divine through sacred chant, and the path of Bhakti and Kirtan, the journey of surrender, and much more.

Kirtan: The Art and Practice of Ecstatic Chant

Tracks:

Ganesha Sharanam
Invocation/ Introduction
Radha Govinda
Sita Ram
Nataraj

Tracks:

Durga Pahimam
Hara Harah Mahadev/ Om Namah Shivaya
Jaya Radha
Radha Rani
Shri Krishna Govinda
Kali Bolo

Book Description

"Kirtan is the calling, the crying, the reaching across infinite space—and digging into the heart's deepest well—to touch and be touched by the Divine Presence," teaches world music pioneer Jai Uttal. On Kirtan! The Art and Practice of Ecstatic Chant, Jai guides listeners through the practice of Kirtan—singing the many names of God and Goddess—an essential part of Bhakti yoga, or the yoga of devotion. This sacred music form is for all people; there are no experts, nor beginners, and the practice itself is the teacher, guiding us to ourselves. Listeners join Jai Uttal to explore: the power of ancient Sanskrit syllables in chant to invoke the Divine, how to open the voice and learn to love the sound that comes from our bodies, more than two hours of music recorded by Jai Uttal to commune with the Divine through sacred chant, and the path of Bhakti and Kirtan, the journey of surrender, and much more.

Customer Reviews:

"A Joyful Noise".......2007-05-16

When I heard an interview on NPR with this artist,Jai Uttal,and music from his CD I couldn't get it out of my mind. It is "a joyful noise" that lifts the spirit and energizes. His very personal explanation of Kirtan on Track 2 gives one an understanding of the spiritual basis of the music and even if it is not a path that you might follow you can't help but be swept up in the chanting. I play it in the car on days when I feel stressed and it removes all that chatter in my head and helps me arrive at my destination uplifted and in the present. His interpretation of the ancient chants using non traditional instruments and renditions is appealing and engaging. P.S.It is a 2 disc set so you can have one at home and one in the car!

Not As Ecstatic As I Like To Be.......2007-04-22

Although a double CD set, both disks pose a problem to this reviewer's taste. Each contains a rather lengthy exposition by the artist on the nature of Bhakti (Devotional) Yoga sandwiched in the program. Jai Uttal has a very pleasant speaking voice & the material was helpful, even inspiring--but do you really want to hear it all over again everytime you play either discs? I know I don't. The musical material is engaging, but not particularly special. It is authentic mantra, but without the technical brilliance of many such CDs (see links below). I don't regret buying it--again, BUT it won't become a treasured favorite. I don't think it would turn-on people who weren't mantra fanatics like me or a real fan of the artist--or a devotee of Kirtan.

PS. The cover artwork is great!

Greatest Hits of the Kali Yuga
Breath of the Heart
Chants Of India: Ravi Shankar; George HarrisonThe Essential Ravi Shankar
The Sounds of India
The Sounds of India
Peter Brook's The MahabharataDVD
Devi
The Bhagavad Gita

Devotional music at its sweetest.......2007-03-15

This 2-CD set is one of the best introductions to contemporary kirtan I've come across (and I own many kirtan CDs). Aside from the wonderful spoken section, where Jai Uttal chats informally about what kirtan is, the selection of songs is truly heartwarming. I love both CDs, but find I listen over and over again particularly to the second one for its variety of moods and styles. Jai's voice really cuts deep and brings out the intensity and authenticity of his own devotion to the path of music and the heart.

In addition, the musicianship of everyone featured on this set is superb and adds so much to the listening experience. It is hard not to sing along and feel the blessings flow, even if you are not a singer...and that is exactly the point.

Kirtan: The Art and Practice of Ecstatic Chant by jai Uttal.......2007-03-09

Wonderful kirtan, by a great artist.

How can I express my joy?.......2007-03-06

I was a big fan of Krishna Das and I still am. A couple of weeks ago, for the first time in my life, I heard Jai Uttal's 'Radha Rani ki Jai, Maha Rani ki Jai' - Track # 4 on Disc 2. Like all good music does to my soul, I was so enchanted that I played the same track again and again till I lost count. I wasted no time in getting both the discs and my favorites are as follows:
Disc 1: Track # 3 'Radha Govinda'
Disc 2: Track # 1 'Durga Pahimam', Track # 3 'Jaya Radha', Track # 4 'Radha Rani'
Originally coming from India and being a big proponent of 'Bhakthi Yoga' (Path of devotion and Divine love for God), I can say from the depths of my heart that Jai Uttal sings with such soulful melody and love, it takes my breath away every single time I listen to the tracks mentioned above. It surprises me so much that while I cannot listen to certain types of music even once leave alone repeating my listening experience, the kind of music that Jai Uttal, Krishna Das and others produce, I can listen for a lifetime and experience that joy again and again.

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