Friday, April 18, 2014

First Audio/Video Release in Ancient Future History Drops on Earth Day

Ancient-Future.Com Records Presents:

Yearning for the Wind

Yearning for the Wind CD Cover
Hi-Res Cover Art

by Ancient Future

Composed by scalloped fretboard guitar innovator Matthew Montfort, Yearning for the Wind is a poignant piece based on Rag Kalyan, an evening raga that corresponds to the Lydian mode. The composition also incorporates harmony and other guitaristic elements. A duet with Indian tabla virtuoso Vishal Nagar, who is considered one of the most gifted tabla players of his generation, Yearning for the Wind is set in matta tal, a nine beat rhythmic cycle. As a bridge between the slow and fast sections of the piece, Vishal Nagar performs an elegant tabla solo over the soft nine beat groove that slowly builds up to a vibrant rela (a fast tabla composition characterized by rapid drum rolls).

Yearning for the Wind is the first audio/video release in Ancient Future history. It is also the first brand new Ancient Future studio recording released to the general public since 2002'sPlanet Passion.  It isn't that Ancient Future hasn't been active. Indeed, Ancient Future has recorded over three hours of music in this period, much of it live. But rather than release it all in a market where a low value is placed on music while a high value is placed on the tech companies that deliver it, Ancient Future has taken a different approach.

Recorded in December 2013, this evocative piece was produced for the Archive of Future Ancient Recordings, Ancient Future's ambitious ongoing recording project. To financeA.F.A.R., Ancient-Future.Com Records provides financial supporters access to select files from Ancient Future's archives of alternate takes, live concerts, radio performances and new studio recordings as they are created. On February 11, 2014, the exact 35th anniversary of the first Ancient Future concert, Yearning for the Wind became the 10th track added to the archive and was made available to A.F.A.R. supporters in mp3, CD quality, and 96-kHz/24-bit hi-res audio and HD video.

To promote the Archive of Future Ancient Recordings, Earth Day (4/22/14) of Ancient Future's 35th year performing was chosen for the digital release of Yearning for the Wind. The quality is stellar with beautifully shot HD 1080p video and audiophile sound. Fans can download it on iTunes and other digital retailers as a a single (AF-20352), a video (AF-90302), an mp3 bundled with an HD video (AF-20302), or sign up to support A.F.A.R. to get it in full 96-kHz/24-bit audio resolution as a thank-you gift! An enhanced E-CD with the audio, video, and digital liner notes will be available at online stores such as Ancient-Future.Com and Amazon.com starting June 17, 2014.

'Yearning for the Wind' Video

Yearning for the Wind on YouTube
YouTube Video

Release Specifications

Digital Liner Notes for Yearning for the Wind by Ancient Future
Yearning for the Wind 1 Sheet
  • Digital Release Date: April 22, 2014 (Earth Day)
  • Radio Add Date: May 20, 2014
  • E-CD Release Date: June 17, 2014
  • Label: Ancient-Future.Com Records
  • Audio/Video Catalog Number: AF-20302: Audio/Video E-CD - $17.98 list; MP3/Video - $2.97 list. UPC: 825336203020
  • Audio Catalog Number: AF-20352: MP3 - $1.98 list. UPC: 825336203525
  • Video Catalog Number: AF-90302: Video - $1.99 list. UPC: 825336903029
  • Copyright: © 2014 Ancient Future Music
  • Genres: International/World/Indian Fusion/Hindustani Classical
  • Video Director: Michael Braden
  • Producer: Matthew Montfort
  • Total Length: 9:37
  • Track List:
    1. Yearning for the Wind (Matthew Montfort. 9:37). audio (ISRC: US-N9P-14-20302). video (ISRC: USN9P1490302).

Biographies

Matthew Montfort and Vishal Nagar
Hi-Res Photo by Devki Saraiya.

Ancient Future has expanded its musical vision through collaborations with traditional musicians from all over the world who are now an integral part of what is today more than just a band. To enable its core mission of creating world fusion music, Ancient Future has grown to become a large chamber ensemble of world music masters with many smaller ensembles within it, including this improvisatory duet featuring world guitar pioneer Matthew Montfort accompanied by renowned Indian tabla virtuoso Vishal Nagar. They present an innovative and accessible take on Hindustani classical music and contemporary fusion, with expressive and energetic renderings of raga and tala.

Matthew Montfort

Matthew Montfort Performs Yearning for the Wind
Hi-Res Photo by Michael Braden.

Matthew Montfort conjures lovely Asian zither-like inflections with a scalloped fretboard guitar. Guitar Player Magazine

Honored as one of the world's 100 Greatest Acoustic Guitarists, Matthew Montfort has devoted himself to the scalloped fretboard guitar since 1978. He spent years of study with some of the world's best musicians, such as gamelan director K.R.T. Wasitodipuro and North Indian sarod master Ali Akbar Khan. He has performed concerts worldwide, from the Festival Internacional de la Guitarra on the golden coast of Spain to the Festival of India in Mumbai. He has worked with many world music legends, including tabla phenomenon Zakir Hussain and Chinese zither master Zhao Hui. Montfort wrote the book Ancient Traditions – Future Possibilities: Rhythmic Training Through the Traditions of Africa, Bali, and India,which has been used by many musicians to improve their rhythm skills.

Vishal Nagar

Vishal Nagar Performs Yearning for the Wind
Hi-Res Photo by Michael Braden.

Considered one of the most gifted tabla players of his generation, Vishal Nagar was born into a family of musicians and had his initial training for a very brief period with the late Ustad Latif Ahmed Khan of the Delhi Gharana. Along with the dense and rare tabla repertoire which was he received from his Ustad, he also has had intense rhythmic training from his mother, the renowned and highly respected Kathak dancer and vocalist, Urmila Nagar. Vishal has been praised in the Indian press for his unique combination of melodic tabla sound production with masterful command of rhythm. Vishal has had the privilege of performing with many renowned artists: Ustad Shujaat Khan, Guru Urmila Nagar, Vidhwan Trichur Ramachandran, Pandit Ramesh Misra and Kala Ramnath, to name a few. Vishal has shared the stage with some great world music masters such as African drum legend Babatunde Olatunji, Michel Shrieve, Evyind Kang, Carmona Flamenco, and Michael Wimberley. Vishal has also expanded his cultural boundaries and collaborated with musicians from around the world. Some of his memorable works have been with the Ghanaian Guitarist Koo Nimo with whom he also appeared in WOMAD USA (a leading world dance and music festival started by Peter Gabriel).

Monday, February 10, 2014

Announcing the Archive of Future Ancient Recordings by Ancient Future

Ancient-Future.Com Records Logo Presents:

The Archive of Future Ancient Recordings (A.F.A.R.)

30th Anniversary CD Mystery Cover

Fan Supported Recording Series by Ancient Future

Indo Latin Jazz ProgramArabic Dance ProgramWorld Jazz TrioSitar-Guitar JugalbandiIndian Jazz QuartetSlavic Trance Quartet

Celebrating 35 Years of World Fusion Music

Ancient Future performed its first concert on February 11, 1979, at the Sleeping Lady Cafe in Fairfax, California. Since then, the band has gone on to perform hundreds of concerts nationally and internationally and release seven full length recordings that have established Ancient Future as the trendsetting pioneers of world fusion music, a term coined by Ancient Future bandleader Matthew Montfort at the group's inception for music that combines ideas from many of the world's great musical traditions.
During Ancient Future's 30th anniversary year, a new Ancient Future band project was conceived: the Archive of Future Ancient Recordings (A.F.A.R.). The concept of the Archive of Future Ancient Recordings is to involve fans of world fusion music in supporting the production of an archive of live and studio recordings of cross cultural collaborations. The best of these recordings will be selected to be released commercially at a "future" date, at which point they will be on their way to becoming "ancient" recordings, hence the title.
To finance A.F.A.R., Ancient-Future.Com Records has been quietly providing financial supporters access to select files from Ancient Future's archives of alternate takes, live concerts and radio performances along with new studio recordings as they are created. The full archive of recordings is available during the project exclusively to supporters, and when the archive is complete, a portion of the recordings will be selected for commercial release on Ancient-Future.Com Records.
Thirteen percent of the fundraising goal has been raised at concerts and through the Ancient Future Times, the band's email newsletter. On February 11, 2014, the exact 35th anniversary of the first Ancient Future concert, the first two final studio tracks make their debut in the archive, bringing a total of 10 tracks and 70 minutes of music to the archive. That just happens to be exactly two minutes of music per year that the band has been performing, so Ancient Future's 35th anniversary seems the perfect date for the official public unveiling of the Archive of Future Ancient Recordings to the media. During this 35th anniversary year, a few singles from the archive will be released to raise awareness of the project. Many more tracks are ready to record as additional funding is secured.
There are four supporter thank-you packages available ranging from $15 to $75, and while donations to the A.F.A.R. project are not currently tax deductible, donations of any amount are greatly appreciated! There are a range of benefits for the various packages, including the A.F.A.R. email newsletter, (which provides a window on the recording process as it develops), immediate access to downloads of the recordings placed in the archives, digital liner notes, limited edition CD-R's of the archives when complete with printed liner notes signed by Ancient Future leader Matthew Montfort, video and 24 bit audio files for hi-res playback on computers, and a 30% discount on the advance copies of the final commercial release. Detailed information on the various supporter packages and the benefits included can be found at www.ancient-future.com/afar.html.

35th Anniversary Update Additions

Matthew Montfort Performs Yearning for the WindVishal Nagar Performs Yearning for the Wind
To celebrate Ancient Future's 35th year of performances, two new studio tracks have been added to the archive and are available to A.F.A.R. supporters.
East of the Sun reunites original Ancient Future members Matthew Montfort and Benjy Wertheimer with help from Paul McCandless of the band Oregon. The basic tracks for this poignant piece with an Afro 5/8 groove and a haunting melody were recorded live in the studio on 4/1/2011 by Matthew Montfort on scalloped fretboard guitar, Benjy Wertheimer on tabla, and Mariah Parker on santur, and it was added to the archive as a trio version. Additional scalloped fretboard guitar and fretless bass parts by Matthew Montfort and oboe parts by Paul McCandless were recorded in Ancient Future's newly upgraded studio in 2013, producing this lush new quintet version. It is available to supporters of the archive in mp3, CD quality, and 96-kHz/24-bit hi-res audio file formats.
Recorded in December 2013, Yearning for the Wind is based on Rag Kalyan (an evening raga that corresponds to the Lydian mode) and set in matta tal, a 9 beat cycle divided 6, 1 1/2, 1 1/2. This evocative piece will be released as a single on iTunes on Earthday, April, 22, 2014. But it is available to supporters of the Archive of Future Ancient Recordings right away in mp3, CD quality, and 96-kHz/24-bit hi-res audio and HD video.
Yearning for the Wind features scalloped fretboard guitar innovator Matthew Montfort and Indian tabla virtuoso Vishal Nagar, who is considered one of the most gifted tabla players of his generation. Born into a family of musicians, Vishal had his initial training with the late Ustad Latif Ahmed Khan of the Delhi Gharana, and received intense rhythmic training from his mother, the renowned and highly respected Kathak dancer and vocalist, Urmila Nagar.

First A.F.A.R. Studio Track Video Released on YouTube

To celebrate Ancient Future's 35th Anniversary, Yearning for the Wind from the Archive of Future Ancient Recordings makes its debut on YouTube, where it streams starting February 11, 2014, as a preview several months before its Earthday street date! This is the first HD studio video Ancient Future has ever released. The quality is stellar with beautifully shot HD 1080p video and rich 96-kHz/24-bit audio. Fans can check it out on YouTube at 720p now, and get it in full resolution as a thank-you for supporting A.F.A.R.!
Yearning for the Wind on YouTub
YouTube Video URL: http://youtu.be/zurMLOP68K0