28. September 2009 by chuck.

I was recently visiting Peru and got this shot standing in a trapezoidal door.  This is one of thousands found at different Inca and Pre-Inca sights.  These amazing doors have withstood thousands of years of earthquakes.  Peru is in a very seismic area with lots of devastating earthquakes. The stone work mastery is fantastic and the most advanced technology of its time.  I am working on a TV series based on my travels and music.  If you’d like to see some of these episodes, go here:  www.exoticworldstv.com and click on “episodes”.  I’m sure you’ll enjoy them and hopefully they will be aired on a network.

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25. September 2009 by chuck.

I have been lucky enough to have visited a number of rainforests around the world.  I have been to parts of the Amazon in Peru, Colombia and Brazil and to many forests in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Thailand, Indonesia and other places I can’t think of at the moment.  I am fascinated by the myriad sounds coming out of the jungle at different times of the day and night….and in different seasons.Some of the most striking sounds are from the amazing howler monkeys.  These animals sound like wild cats or jaguars.  I once was walking along the beach in Costa Rica just outside the rainforest when a girl came running out thinking a jaguar was after her.  She described the sound and I quickly reassured her that is was a harmless monkey up in the trees.You can hear some of these on my recording  ”Costa Rica Rainforest”. Here’s the link to the Cd:  http://sonicsafarimusic.com/music/costaricanrainforest/

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13. September 2009 by chuck.

I lived in Peru for 2 years…..quite a long time ago.   I was always fascinated with the cultures.  On the coast is the Afro-Peruvian culture which has produced some fantastic music and in the mountain region is the remnants of the great Inca empire.Cusco at one time was the Inca capital.  it has become quite a tourist destination but it still retains the spirit of the ancient peoples.  There is fantastic Inca stonework everywhere and if you go out into the country-side, there are many ruins and archeological sites.  You could spend months there and not find it all.  Here is a photo of me on a hill above the main plaza in Cusco.  If you get the chance be sure and visit.

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8. September 2009 by chuck.

I’ve always loved the sound of wind chimes.  I started collecting them quite a while ago.  They provide such soothing sounds.   I was at a local hardware store a few months ago and passed some chimes for sale.  One particular set caught my eye…they were made by a company called Grace Note Chimes (there is a link to them at my sonicsafarimusic web site).  The chimes seemed to ring forever.I decided to create a Cd using only wind chimes.  I contacted the good people at Grace Note Chimes and Mike, the owner, said he’d be happy to help out with the project.  Next thing I knew I had quite a number of these fantastic chimes….of all sizes…tiny and up to 6 feet long.  I spent weeks creating “Wind Chime Music”…it really was quite a challenge but I’m really happy with the way it turned out.Here’s the link where you can hear some samples: http://sonicsafarimusic.com/music/windchime/

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7. September 2009 by chuck.

My first trip to India was a real eye-opener in many ways.  I was fascinated by the culture…the smells, the food, the exotic sounds of intriguing music.  There are so many interesting aspects and levels to Indian music.  I returned home a subsequently went to see Ravi Shankar perform.  I was a superb concert and it was there that I met Hari Har Rao.  He is a master teacher and player who had spent many years with Ravi Shankar.  He was living in Pasadena, so I started studying with him.I studied the sitar and also some tabla.  There are some very interesting things you can do with sitar that you can’t do with guitar.  I started looking for someone to collaborate on a hybrid instrument.  I found a great luthier Scott Hackleman who had studied sitar building in India.  We had many meetings and came up with a design for an acoustic guitar/sitar with 17 strings.  5 main playing strings and 10 sympathetic strings.  This is an inspired instrument that almost plays itself.  You can hear some examples on my Guitar Sitar CD. http://sonicsafarimusic.com/music/guitarsitar/

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4. September 2009 by chuck.

I’ve spent quite a bit of time in various jungles and rainforests on my Sonic Safari expeditions.  It is really amazing to see such an ecosystem that is full of vegetation of life.  Night is amazing as many of the animals and insects come out.  The sounds are fantastic. I have recorded sounds in Costa Rica, Thailand, the Amazon (Peru, Colombia, Brazil), Mexico, Guatemala… and a few other great places in Indonesia.  Each record is unique.  I have 2 CDs of just pure jungle sounds… Amazon Nights and Costa Rican Rainforest. Here is a tune from the “Jungle Drums” Cd called Mozambique.  Wild African drums blended in with jungle sounds I recorded.  Talk about paying dues for my work….I can recall many times standing perfectly still during a recording while being attacked by mosquitos… and not being able to do anything to disturb the record.  Oh well, its been worth it. Click Here to download the free MP3 of the cut Mozambuique from the Jungle Drums CD.

If you like the free MP3, here is the link to the Jungle Drums CD:  http://sonicsafarimusic.com/music/jungledrums/

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3. September 2009 by chuck.

A few weeks ago, I happened to be at a local art library… Brand library in Glendale.  I was browsing their DVDs and saw one on the life of Les Paul.  I watched it and was amazed at what an innovator he really was.  Not only was he a superb guitarist…but he came up with the concept of multi-track recording and was the first to actually develop it. He also came up with the first solid body guitar design to facilitate hearing a guitar in the context of a loud jazz band.  He played with many of the greatest  musicians and composers of his time.  He was still playing weekly at a Jazz club at the age of 90, when the documentary was made.  I was sad to hear that he passed away just 2 weeks after I saw the documentary. Here’s the link to this excellent DVD: http://www.lespaulfilm.com/
 

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2. September 2009 by chuck.

I’ve been looking at footage from one of my India trips.  It is really cool to see such an ancient culture full of surprises.  I’ve also been putting music to the footage. One of the greatest sounds in India is the Bansuri….a wood flute that is masterfully handled by India masters.  They are able to get bends and glides that just aren’t done in other cultures.  This all with a simple flute with simple holes cut into it. Check out this sound here: http://sonicsafarimusic.com/music/bansuri/

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