Search - Buddha Zhen :: Tai Chi Magic 1

Buddha Zhen Shen-Lang, founder of BuddhaKungFu.com and TaiChiYouth.org has released his first album, TAI CHI MAGIC 1, on ShaolinRecords.com playing Chinese Pipa and bamboo flutes. Classically trained since childhood, Buddha Zhen has been able to play any instrument of every nationality he's had the opportunity to learn. In 1994, Buddha Zhen, pronounced, "Jen," obtained his first pipa. Already a guitarist since 1967, Buddha Zhen learned to play Chinese folk songs from cassettes he dubbed from the Utah libraries. A few years later Buddha Zhen studied pipa from a Chinese pipa Master. This teacher was impressed with Buddha Zhen's pipa and flute music recordings despite his lack of Chinese traditional training in music. She took some of his music back to China to share with her teacher. After a dream in 1976, Buddha Zhen, then known as, Richard Connor, decided to play the flute. After 20 years of playing folk rock flute similar to Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, and becoming famous as, "The best flute player in Utah," Buddha Zhen enlarged his Chinese bamboo flute collection with all sizes and varieties. The very low flute on the song, "In The Pool Of Enlightenment," is a Japanese shakuhachi flute custom made for Buddha Zhen out of black bamboo. The original album, TAI CHI MAGIC 1, was sold to his Kung Fu and Tai Chi students for a dozen years. These songs were also the background music for many performances, tournaments, exhibitions, and state fairs when Buddha Zhen and his students performed their Kung Fu and Tai Chi of his Shaolin Chi Mantis and Tai Chi Youth schools. The song, "Tai Chi Magic," was composed by Buddha Zhen for performing and practicing the Yang Style Tai Chi Short Form still taught in his new Buddha Kung Fu programs in California. Each musical measure of four beats equal one complete breath. By coordinating their movements to the breathing, then coordinating their breathing to the music, students have been able to perform the traditional Tai Chi Form synchronized together in a lovely flowing dance that resembles an old MGM musical movie, in slow motion. Some songs on TAI CHI MAGIC 1 are solo performances on flute and pipa. These songs are wonderful for meditation as they keep the mind moving, yet relaxed. Buddha Zhen is creating a new musical genre with his Chinese folk music and American folk music styles. The song, "Road To The Mountaintop," includes drums performed by The Hippy Coyote of American Zen. For a couple other songs on the album, Coyote dismantled his drum set and spread them out like Chinese Lion Dance instruments to record them individually. His students call it, "Chinese Folk Rock." We call it, "Tai Chi and Kung Fu Music." The record stores call it, "New Age," or "World Beat," music. Everyone calls this record, "Inspirational," but that could be confusing... Richard Connor became a Kung Fu and Tai Chi Master in 1984 at age 30. In 1994 he was referred to as Master Zhen Shen-Lang, after being named by the Chen Family who had relocated from the base of Mt. Wudang where Tai Chi was created. After forming the nonprofit organization, Tai Chi Youth, Master Zhen moved back to California where he became known as Buddha Zhen and in 2008 founded the Buddha Kung Fu schools, the Shaolin Zen CyberTemple, and hosts the Zen Buddhist Podcast of Shaolin Zen, available at iTunes. Take a Buddha home. The word, "buddha," means, "enlightened one," and Buddha Zhen has proven to be a light of hope, peace, health and happiness.