Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour #145

12-25-14 Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour #145 presents an intimate, close song cycle played and improvised by Mariam Massaro and Bob Sherwood on a variety of instruments.  We begin with Mariam’s new “Returning To Love” with Mariam on vocals and ukelele and Bob on piano.  The lush, fanfare-like meditation “Light-Filled Ways” follows with Mariam vocalizing over a series of hypnotic piano figures. A prayer to a winter morning follows, another uke-and-piano folksong about the travails and challenges of snow and ice.  Taking us up to the break is Mariam’s impassioned “All Life Matters”, a prayer for peace and unity in the wake of the Ferguson tragedy featuring native flute, driving percussion and bravura vocal improv.  Next up we celebrate the life of Mariam’s beloved young cat Figgy who we lost in the first snow storm of the winter with a raga filled with love from both of us for this awesome little cat who we miss so much.  “Rainbow Rays Of Light” follows, another raga form with Mariam on acoustic 12-string and Bob at the piano.  This angular and unsettled piece comes to rest on a Mesopotamian scale and Mariam integrates the Egyptian god Amen Ra into her mysterious exposition on sunlight and spirituality.  For our last piece today we integrate marimba, piano, vocals and percussion into a musical backdrop for a reading from Mariam from her book “Light-Filled Love:  The Divine Teachings Of Ashento”.