Brand New

I grew up in the Peruvian rainforest, in my mother's home town, Moyobamba. There was only one doctor in the whole town and therefore most people relied on natural medicines to cure their ailments. For more serious problems there were the curanderos or shamans. If you suffered from mal de ojo, melancholia, or were just going through a bad period in your life, you would turn to the magic of Ayahuasca. Ayahuasca is a part of the mystery of the Peruvian rainforest, indigenous to it's landscapes, traditions, stories and it's peoples. It is a hallucinogenic vine that has been used for thousands of years within the indigenous communities of the South American rainforests in rituals and as a powerful medicine. It presents you with visions and possibilities. More recently it has been used to treat addiction, anxiety and depression. I participated in an Ayahuasca ceremony almost 30 years ago and I credit it in part to helping open up a creative path, transcendent in my development as a musician. The album was made over a span of many years. It started with the piece "Silencio" which I wrote right after 9/11, as a tribute to the families who lost loved ones in the World Trade Tower explosions. The creation of the album took me through many turns and winding roads. It was a learning, transformative experience, similar to my Ayahuasca journey. I met many musicians along the way and this album reflects those wonderful collaborations, an example of my Ayahuasca dream fulfilled.