Search - Thomas Barquee :: The Sound of OM

Thomas Barquee's The Sound of Om, on Spirit Voyage Music, is his newest release and an exciting new direction for this World Music artist. Comprised of seven Sanskrit chants, The Sound of Om resonates with depth and passion. The simple, ancient chants form the core of the recording, which is layered with an elaborate, exotic, and effective blend of Indian and Western instrumentation: bansuri, sarod, esraj, and santoor give equal time to keyboards, drums, percussion and bass, as well as electric and acoustic guitar. In less talented hands the result of this may have been disjointed, but Barquee's music is smooth and cohesive,creating an exultant, melodious world. The simplicity of the chants on this recording enables you to easily join in. "Chanting the mantra is the most intimate experience you can have of them because you get pulled into the energy field of the chants." says Barquee. "These mantras are universal, they reach beyond language and embrace all religions. They express love, wisdomand joy." An artist of uncommon sensitivity, depth, and breadth, Barquee created modern melodies that seem uniquely well-suited to the ancient mantras. Composing the music, Barquee felt guided by the mantra and experienced a strong synergy between the mantra and the music. In making The Sound of Om, Barquee traveled to Calcutta to record with some of the greatest living Indian musicians. This lends a rare authenticity to such a diverse recording. "The Indian people were very generous and talented. They encouraged me to follow my intuition," remembers Barquee. "After recording various classical Indian instruments I returned to Los Angeles to add a Western flavor." "I feel lucky about this album and that is one of the reasons why we?re adding a Lakshmi statue on the back of the cover," continues Barquee. "It is a blessing to be working with such talented and dedicated people and I am well aware of the team effort."