Hidden Sky is an evocative and prayerful invocation of a numinous world where the differences that seem to segregate species, cultures and creeds are returned to unity.
Born of her profound meeting with the elephants in Thailand and the musical language that joined them, this ground-breaking CD opens a rare window onto an inner landscape that sings with reverence, joy and beauty. This is music that will open the heart, defy the mind and, at times, set the body dancing. From haunting elegy to rhythmic celebration, this visionary exploration is an interspecies communion that that touches the soul in way that is unique, yet deeply remembered.
In 2001, Jami Sieber was invited to Thailand to meet and play music with the Thai Elephant Orchestra. There she met Phong, the young elephant who played a xylophone (renat) and kissed her on the cheek with his trunk, and Prathida, the drummer, whose trunk followed the movement of the bow as Jami played.
With them and the rest of the Elephant Orchestra, she experienced a mystical collaboration that awakened her to the inherent connection underlying all that appears separate. For in the midst of the sheer joy that permeates life with the elephants, one must live with the constant grief of their captivity and possible extinction. Hidden Sky is a devotional portrait that embodies both.
Hidden Sky is a twelve-part musical journey that is stylistically expansive. It flourishes with a poetry of tranquility, mystery and exotic beauty. From the reverential "Maenam" which opens the CD, through the playful pizzicato of "Red Moon" and the sublime poetry of "Mandlovu Mind," to the rhythmic exuberance of the title track, this music is ceremony and praise, song and celebration.
Hidden Sky provides an opening into a world beyond the ordinary. It will carry the listener to a place where healing and transformation occur, where true compassion for others and for oneself becomes possible.
The gifted musicians and artists who worked on this project are Benjy Wertheimer, don benedictson, Nancy Wilson, Rick Lazar, Rhiannon, Eyvind Kang, Hans Teuber, Rick Heizman, Ya Elah, and of course, the Thai Elephant Orchestra. Also, film maker/artist Galen Garwood who originally invited Jami to Thailand for a filmscore job, created a 7-minute film track that is on the CD and can be viewed on the computer. It is a remarkable and deepening addition to the music of Hidden Sky.