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Title
Composer(s)
Performer(s)
Length
flight/homecoming
Hafez Modirzadeh
royal hartigan
Hafez Modirzadeh
1:44
passages
Eve People of Ghana
royal hartigan
baomi
5:04
three views
royal hartigan
Hafez Modirzadeh
royal hartigan
Hafez Modirzadeh
2:41
hazel's dance
royal hartigan
royal hartigan
Hafez Modirzadeh
baomi
11:38
guanshan yue (moon at the frontier pass)
chinese traditional
weihua zhang
2:40
james eagle eye
royal hartigan
Hafez Modirzadeh
royal hartigan
Hafez Modirzadeh
3:36
la vie en rose/all to myself/soliloquy
edith piaf
royal hartigan
baomi
sandra poindexter
3:33
waltz clog
ray hart
royal hartigan
3:16
Ancestors is the story of royal hartigan’s personal and global family, enshrined in music, poetry, tap-dancing and reminiscences. This diverse collection is united in his own existence and musical pathways. He writes:
I began working on our Ancestors double compact disc after the death of my mother, who was the last person in my immediate family to pass away, leaving only myself to continue on life’s paths.
It occurred to me that most of us have people in our families or meet on our journeys for whom we have a deep bond. Their departure in my view makes them all ancestors, and this album is to honor these forebears, with my personal experiences as one gateway to an expression for us all in the human family.
In a parallel way, the paths of world cultures from ancient times to the present are the ancestors of the world’s family on its journey through time and space. My idea is to express that heritage through traditional and cross cultural compositions and improvisations.
We have recorded a diverse group of duets, trios, quartets, and solos that center on my work with master artists from global cultures and cross cultural styles: West African master drummer C. K. Ladzekpo, Philippine kulintang master Danongan Kalanduyan, Chinese guzheng artist Weihua Zhang, African American vocalist Baomi, Persian American saxophonist and flutist Hafez Modirzadeh, violinists Sandra Poindexter and Yu Fuhua, banjoist Timothy Volpicella, Japanese shakuhachi artist Masaru Koga, and Philippine percussionist Conrad Benedicto. I contribute percussion, drumset, piano, and tap dance to this musical story.
The music here does not fit a single commercial category. Its genesis and final form are based on the deepest feel and sense my musical colleagues and I have of life, death, remembrance, loss, and transcendence.
Our music attempts to bring our ancestors to life and speak to a universal human condition we all share. We hope you are moved by our music.
Remaining tracks on the two discs (with performers listed below):
tenderly 4:02
tatao 7:52
the shadow of your smile 4:16
cycles 11:40
railroad banjo to my heart:
biff, victor, charles
and the duchess 3:37
our family 8:08
you’ll never know just how
much i love you 3:47
adzohu kadodo reflections 1:47
disc 2
hazel’s dance: orphan annie 1:11
midnight sun 13:19
ray hart 2:59
parting veil 6:08
syrinx 8:22
we’ll be together again 2:52
new york rhythm 2:01
meng jiang nu 1:54
it had to be you 2:21
tchaikovsky violin concerto
in d major / midnight
in moscow 5:53
hanabi 4:32
i know i’ve been changed 1:57
tenderly 7:30
dondo–tap conversation for frank,
edward, mary & richie hartigan 2:46
divine trance 7:02
five foot two 4:52
through the light 1:40
walking step 1:01
baomi vocals and narrative poetry
conrad benedicto philippine dabakan drum
yu fuhua violin
danongan kalanduyan philippine kulintang gongs
masaru koga japanese shakuhachi flute
c. k. ladzekpo west african e e atsime u master drum, dondo hourglass drum
hafez modirzadeh soprano and tenor saxophones, persian ney flute, and western flute
sandra poindexter violin
timothy volpicella banjo
weihua zhang chinese guzheng zither
royal hartigan bells, percussion, piano, tap dance, turkish bendir frame drum, axatse gourd rattle, dondo hourglass drum, drumset
