Amazon.com
Only a few East-West fusions have worked as well as this album does--there's Shakti of course, and Sheila Chandra, and some of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's collaborations with Michael Brook. On this release, divinely inspired brother and sister qawwali singers Sukhawat Ali Khan and Riffat Salamat join together with outstanding guitarist-producer Richard Michos and a well-matched set of contributors. Together they create an invigorating blend of music that combines ornate vocals with passionate playing and ingeniously incorporates elements of bhangra, jazz, rap, flamenco, and rock. Pieces range from the spacey expansiveness of Surat to the dance-hall funk of Mast Kalander. Michos's complex yet uncluttered production works perfectly to bring brightness and clarity to each song. --Jeff Grubb

From Rhythm Magazine
While much is made of some members' links to qawwali singing, the Ali Khan Band borrows elements from traditional Indo-Pakistani music and uses them as components in a mix of electronics and bhangra, resulting in another chapter in the ongoing fusion saga. The music is light and lively, offering interesting instrumental colors, easily remembered melodies and some adept solos on traditional and electric instruments. While the traditional material adapts itself most reluctantly to this current trend, the proficiency of the performers makes up for their genre's limits. Riffat Salamat is an enticing vocalist, her colors blending perfectly with the sonic surroundings. There is also some rapping, as fusion needs all it can get to keep going. One just hopes that these fine performers will develop a form that can better utilize their progressive leanings. --Allan Evans

Tracks:

Mere Zindagi
Piyar Piyar
Mast Kalander
Sindhri Da
Deem Dana
Bhairagi Jungle
Gorak Kalyan
Surat

Amazon.com

Only a few East-West fusions have worked as well as this album does--there's Shakti of course, and Sheila Chandra, and some of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's collaborations with Michael Brook. On this release, divinely inspired brother and sister qawwali singers Sukhawat Ali Khan and Riffat Salamat join together with outstanding guitarist-producer Richard Michos and a well-matched set of contributors. Together they create an invigorating blend of music that combines ornate vocals with passionate playing and ingeniously incorporates elements of bhangra, jazz, rap, flamenco, and rock. Pieces range from the spacey expansiveness of Surat to the dance-hall funk of Mast Kalander. Michos's complex yet uncluttered production works perfectly to bring brightness and clarity to each song. --Jeff Grubb

Customer Re The Return of the Light: Twelve Tales from Around the World for the Winter Solstice

The Return of the Light: Twelve Tales from Around the World for the Winter Solstice

The Return of the Light: Twelve Tales from Around the World for the Winter Solstice
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
The winter solstice, the day the "sun stands still," marks the longest night and the shortest day of the year (it occurs either on December 20 or 21). Celebrations honoring the winter solstice as a moment of transition and renewal date back thousands of years and occur among many peoples on every continent. Now The Return of the Light makes an ideal companion for everyone who carries on this tradition, no matter what their faith. Storyteller Carolyn McVickar Edwards retells twelve traditional tales-from North America, China, Scandinavia, India, Africa, South America, Europe, and Polynesia-that honor this magical moment. These are stories that will renew our wonder of the miracle of rebirth and the power of transition from darkness into light.

From the Publisher
"Intelligent and charming, The Return of the Light draws you into an ancient, still thriving world of mystery and magic, where humans strive to make sense of nature and come up with ingenious and often fun tales to explain the winter solstice.
Carolyn McVickar Edwards lays a foundation of knowledgeable yet accessible scholarship, then recounts each tale in the various cultures' unique styles, often with snappy dialogue, often with a haunting poignancy.
Whether you're new to comparative mythology or an old hand, you're sure to enjoy and appreciate Edwards' respectful yet lively look at how the mystery of change resonates throughout our stories and rituals, bringing meaning to our myths and our lives." -Pamela Jaye Smith, mythologist and filmmaker, founder of MYTHWORKS(tm)
"Each story is a glimpse into the imagery and mysteries of another culture-from a female Santa Claus in Italy to a girl marrying the sun in Africa, to the North American Raven creating light. Read the stories one day as a meditative journey or read them to your kids, or read one after another. They tell of an inner journey too, the universal journey from light to dark and back to light again. As Carolyn says, myths are the soul stories of a particular culture. Each of her commentaries creates a tone, paints the landscape, and deepens our journey through these other worlds. Wonderful stories for the holidays or for any day of the year." -ELLIE FIDLER M.F.A., artist, lecturer and teacher of art and mythology, and the Solstice and Seasonal Myths and Mysteries series at the University of California extension, Santa Cruz, and in Berkeley, California
"The Return of the Light: Twelve Tales from Around the World for the Winter Solstice honors the power of storytelling and will enhance the experience of the Winter Solstice through its stories and fables, ritual and ceremony. It gives us ways to look at this time of year with renewed meaning." -Angeles Arrien, Ph.D., cultural anthropologist, author of The Four-Fold Way and Signs of Life

The Return of the Light: Twelve Tales from Around the World for the Winter Solstice
The Return of the Light: Twelve Tales from Around the World for the Winter Solstice,Carolyn McVickar Edwards,Marlowe & Company,1569246173,Folklore,Folklore & Mythology - Folklore,Popular Culture - General,Social Science,Sociology,Tales,Winter solstice
Music Books

Zindagi

The Return of the Light: Twelve Tales from Around the World for the Winter Solstice