The Earth Speaks

Tomorrow morning I fly into the dawn and land in the realm of the vertical: New Yawk City. My big bad boy friend is already there, sniffing around for percussion equipment and wheat-free carbohydrates. Last face time was April 2 in Kahului Airport. This is cool--four days in Manhattan, during which he plays at a major jazz festival and I do a booksigning, plus we go out together to hear Ornette Coleman play in Battery Park.

Sorting out my stuff. Only black clothes. In the City, everyone is a stage hand. What is the minimum I can bring to a performance? One guitar, hope they have a decent sound system and displays for my art. House gifts for Tama. Sample sizes of toiletries. A project for the plane ride. I'm also bringing my own lunch.

Joe's band, The Rainforest Initiative, includes four master saxophonists--two from London, two from Miami, a great bassist--from Brazil, via London, Joe on drums, rainforest percussion and sampled rainforest sounds, and not one, but three Hawaiian women who channel (not memorize) sacred chants and play ancient instruments. They come bearing tapa cloth, coconut incense, live tropical botanicals. Here is Lei'ohu Ryder:

"Earth speaks through me.  The voices of the earth, the
ancestral bone, they come through.  In saving the rainforest we are simply
saving ourselves.  It's something that is a personal choice.  We have gotten
so far away from our Mother that we have to find our way back.  Through my
music and the chants that come through, I'm trying to build a bridge that
will unite all people so that we can heal each other, heal ourselves and
heal Mother Earth at the same time.  When we come to New York people will
not believe what they see.  Things are aligning in the spirit world.  All of
our ancestors are gathering.  They are touching the hearts of those of us in
human form who are listening.  Their agenda in the spirit world is the
healing of the Earth.  Mother earth speaks."