November 10, 2005

Hi Friends,

We are doing some updates on the web site I know its a good time to catch up.

Another year has flown right by...I can't believe its fall again already, my favorite season.

This year has been a lively one, it started out in Mazatlan, Mexico where I visit each year for both business and pleasure. Dental work and margaritas on the beach. (Dental work in dental office, frozen beverages on the ... you get it...)

I went right back to work on all the things I've been working on, lots of happenings with my Hands-on-Harps programs. I have been visiting numerous hospitals in the Southern California area showing them how to start run a music program in their units. There is more momentum that I ever imagined and much of my time is spent on the mission. The program has expanded to Kaiser Permanente in Woodland Hills, near my home in California where I play each week in the Intensive Care unit. (between running back and forth to the east coast for shows) Don't ask me how I do it because I don't know.

Lots of Florida shows and Georgia festivals like every year in winter/spring. A highlight was going to Canada in June to speak at the Society for Arts in Healthcare conference. This was the biggest forum I have had so far to tell my story and I put together a visual slide show of my path to this place in time, and the effectiveness of the program. You can see more on the new "Harps for Hearts" page on this web site.

At the same time I lost my dear friend Karen from City of Hope. We had become friends over the past few years during her long off and on battle with cancer. She loved learning the harp and she was amazing... I learned so much from her about life. I had been playing at her bedside for the last couple days then had to leave for Canada. She passed while I was gone... but something incredible happened to lift my heart. Part of the ending ceremony to the five day conference was we all decorated boxes for a giant mandala for the closing ceremony. I had a picture of Karen with me, so I decorated the box with her picture. At the ceremony we lay down the boxes in a giant circle, and mind you.... these are very mainstream medical people and groups, from all over the world. They are just getting started in recognizing how important arts in healthcare can be... lots of intellectual types, glasses, suits... scientists with giant brains... the whole bit.

Well my Karen box with her smiling face and holding a harp got pushed by other boxes to the exact center of the giant circle on the floor, and in swirled the drummers and dancers and giant flowing colored scarves. The dancers made everyone join hands and dance around the mandala. I joined the drummers because that's what I love... and the whole place became this joyous event like I'd never witnessed in my life. I have been to lots of dancing drum circles and have seen plenty of free spirits whirling about, but this was so incredible because this was the suit people. The movers and shakers in the mainstream... dancing around the circle... ties flying to the side. I never felt such a sense of hope and promise. I felt Karen's presence just as pleased as she could be... all this beautiful artwork around her earthly image in the center. Only a few times in life, do you get to feel a part of such omnipresent grace in this way. This was truly such a time.

Summer always brings a lot of mid western shows, always a few weeks in Colorado, which I love. New York was a highlight because of George and I doing a show with a wonderful band called Hu-Dost at the Alex Gray gallery, the not-of-this-world visual artist.

I did a lot of accompanying music workshops of the spiritual nature. Goddess gatherings, prayer meetings, memorials, births, deaths and alongside various sacred traditions from around the world. Also for grief counselors, authors and just plan feel-better-specialists.

I decided to create a recording of my favorite songs from the earlier Windham Hill years, and current new songs that didn't get on a record because I had too much music. I re-examined each track and was able to hand-craft and update each song how I'd always wanted it to be. The result is Secret Songs. There's lots of George's wonderful flutes on there, and a few of my favorite all time musicians along with me. The inside pages are filled with personal images and memories of my life. There's is a picture of my mom and dad when they were first married, they now lead separate lives for over 30 years, but the picture is so cute... any my grandparents on their wedding day. A picture of my holding my little sister as a baby....it goes on and on but I just love it. I hope everyone who has this record will feel the love...

Two other new projects on the near horizon. I met up with the most wonderful guitarist I have ever seen and heard. He's simply off-the-charts magical, his name is Scott Huckabay, I had seen him around festivals and invited him to play at City of Hope. He rocked the place with his acoustic guitar.... he dances with bells and makes dolphin sounds with his violin bow on the strings... It's impossible to describe how uplifting it is. So we improvised some music right on the stage... and it was like getting on a rocket ship.... So powerful, harmonious, graceful.... meant to be.... so we recorded at my studio not long after... The result is more than four hours of this incredible music I have been sorting through... Once I get it down to an hour of my favorite parts....I will begin production and have a release for next spring on New Earth Records... I'm so pleased with how it sounds and feels.

This past year my partner Gil (he's my longtime very best friend-love and does sound and production on every record) welcomed a new little niece to his family. I wanted to give her a gift of some baby music, a CD of lullabies, so I searched all over and just couldn't find the right feel I was looking for. So I thought... duh !! why don't I record them myself. hello.... I have a studio in my house. So I learned about 10 of my favorite baby-classics, and recorded them. They are all so short that it only came out to 30 minutes. But the music is so cute... just harp and bells I played. We gave it as the gift, and anyone who has heard it wants more copies. Even a minute of Brahm's Lullaby that I played plays throughout a Denver hospital each time a baby is born. So it tells me I need to record a second half and release it as a special baby music CD. So when time permits that on the list for next year too.

Also, coolest of things.... I'm going on another Windham Hill tour....! yes, the tour lives on...and they are calling it "The Women of Windham Hill". I never realized that I was one of only three women / solo artists in the history of Windham Hill. So the three of us are touring dates in performance art centers throughout next year. The legendary Liz Story, Barbara Higbie and myself. Its going to be grand... I'll keep info updates that on my site of course.

My hope and plan is to write more often in this diary... but shorter. I want to add photos of the various adventures as they happen, and avoid these giant entries that happen once a year but are so darn long... who can read all this... let me know if you make it through... I'm falling off my chair just typing it. But I hope you enjoyed it... I hope it matters...

One last thought... two days ago I was on a sound stage taping a show for wordnet, its a Christian broadcasting network. I was featured for a segment that focuses on people doing good works in the community. It will play early next year, so check back for date and time. The wonderful parish priest Father Michael Manning asks every guest how God fits into the work. I ended up answering something about giving me strength and bringing forth all of the music...I did the best I could on the spot. I'm so used to being a part of many kinds of spiritual beliefs and traditions. I just love everyone and all the traditions. But I since have realized the truest answer I wish I said to the priest... "That's the same as asking a fish how the water fits in.... "

Many blessings... Lisa Lynne