Below you´ll find more than 80 links to Kirtan videos, performed during Sat Sanga. They sum up to a few hours of pure visual and sound delight to mantra fans. Sound quality is very reasonable. You´ll find renowned and emerging artists on the "spiritual music" scenario.
In the website "Download Video" at www.download.uzeik.net/eng.php it is possible to download the videos directly to the computer and then watch them using a FLV player, that you can find at www.skelbiam.info/flv.htm. After the download it is necessary to change the file´s extension to ".flv".
I've included a short bio about the artists, taken from their official websites.
In alphabetical order:
ARIANA SARAHA Born to a singer, in a lineage of singers, and having sung classical and choral music her whole life, Ariana set herself to songwriting. In the midst of composing over 100 songs, she was invited to join the stellar Middle Eastern and Mediterranean band, Sherefe, which introduced her to a whole world of exotic scales, rhythms, instrumentation, and vocal stylings. Along the way, she fell in love with the passion of Indian "bhakti" (devotional) music, and has been singing in Sanskrit ever since. Now her studies also take her deeply into classical Indian raga music.
Wha Hey Guru: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvMS3ThgAik Maha Mantra: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBT4x4SP0ZE Jaya Jagat Ambe: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy_v5LbPy6w Tasmai Shri Guruve Namah: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns5cre53tBI Official website: www.arianasaraha.com MySpace: www.myspace.com/arianasaraha DAVE STRINGER nitially trained as a visual artist, filmmaker and jazz musician, Stringer had his formative experiences with chanting when film editing work brought him to the Siddha Yoga ashram in Ganeshpuri, India in 1990. A subsequent period of residence at the ashram laid the foundation for his continuing study of the ideas, practices and music of yoga. Since 2000, Stringer and a diverse ensemble of accompanying musicians have toured North America and Europe tirelessly, developing new venues for music, and expanding the audience for kirtan.
DAVID NEWMAN (DURGA DAS) David Newman, AKA Durga Das, is a Kirtan Chant Artist and a practitioner and educator of Bhakti Yoga - The Yoga of Love. David, a devotee of Neem Karoli Baba, travels extensively singing Kirtan (Indian devotional chanting) and sharing Bhakti principles and practices. David’s singing embodies a devotional mysticism, distinctive musicality, poetic intimacy and a deep respect for India’s ancient chant tradition.
DONNA DE LORY Donna De Lory is a singer, songwriter, producer and musician whose voice and music transcends time and genre. Fans will be familiar with Donna from her years of touring with Madonna, but her music has its own compelling vision. Inspired by Indian music and dance beats from around the globe as well as western pop, Donna’s songs blend diverse styles for a sound that’s as natural as it is unique.
Sita Ram: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nSOFZWr1L4 Official website www.donnadelory.com MySpace: www.myspace.com/donnadelory GINA SALÁ Gina Salá is a vocalist, composer, music director, sound healer, and teacher from Seattle whose love of the human voice has taken her to performing and studying throughout much of the world. She has performed at the US Pentagon, the US Capital, the United Nations, and recently finished a contract as principal singer for Cirque du Soleil’s “O”. With a repertoire spanning 23 languages, Gina Salá shares her passion for singing us awake to who we are!
KRISHNA DAS In the winter of 1968, Krishna Das met Ram Dass, who had just returned from his first trip to India. After living and traveling with Ram Dass in the U.S., and hearing Ram Dass' many stories about Maharaj-ji, Krishna Das traveled to India, where he was blessed to meet and stay with this extraordinary guru. While living in India for almost three years, Krishna Das' heart was especially drawn to the practice of Bhakti Yoga—the yoga of devotion. Fanning the flames of his inner longing, Maharaj-ji led him deeper and deeper into the practice of kirtan—chanting the Names of God.
SCOTT MEDINA Scott has been playing guitar for 20 years in a variety of contexts. He has released one CD of instrumental acoustic guitar pieces, and two CD's of devotional chants. He regularly leads evenings of devotional chanting (known as "kirtan") and the Dances of Universal Peace. During the daytime he is known as "Scott the Music Man" to hundreds of pre-schoolers, as he conducts music classes at daycare centers throughout Boulder county.
SHARON JANIS (KUMUDA) Sharon Janis, AKA Kumuda, is an award-winning filmmaker, musician, and author of books including Secrets of Spiritual Happiness and Spirituality For Dummies. While studying neuroscience and film at the University of Michigan, she met Swami Muktananda, experienced a spiritual awakening,and planned a two-month stay at his monastic-style ashram. Two months turned into a ten-year journey of study, practice, service, and deep spiritual immersion, while scripting and editing hundreds of videos for the worldwide spiritualpath, and learning to perform work as loving service.
VAMADEVA Singing Kirtan has been a lifelong journey for Vamadeva. He first chanted Kirtan at an ashram on Long Island, New York, in 1972 when he was 16 years old. In 1975 he was off to India to see his Guru Anandamurtiji and stay at his ashram in Benares. After a few months there, returning to the US, he traveled across the country chanting in the Ananda Marga ashrams and retreats.
