Greetings, One & All~
Black Moon sounds ominous, but the occurrence of two new moons in one calendar month–much more rare than the Blue Moon occurrence of two full moons–is actually cause for celebration, as it represents renewal, wiping the old slate clean and being open to the fulfillment of new dreams and possibilities. In that positive spirit, enjoy this October issue of your A 440 Newsletter!
Leon Littlebird & Will Clipman at Galactic Center
Leon Littlebird and Will Clipman first met in 2012 as “Floating Artists-in-Residence” on a two-week Ancestral Voices of the Grand Canyon rafting expedition on the Colorado River. Their simpatico was immediate: not only did the mountain troubadour and the desert drummer become fast friends; they discovered an innate ability to improvise and compose together. This led to a magical post-expedition concert at Coconino Center for the Arts in Flagstaff, followed (perhaps inevitably, given their incessant individual performing and recording schedules) by a two-year divergence. Leon and Will always kept in touch, though, and kept the dream of further musical and spiritual adventures alive. Their duo concert at Tucson’s Galactic Center at 8 PM on Saturday October 29, 2016 marks the resumption of their dynamic collaboration.
What Lies Beyond
The eagerly-anticipated new R. Carlos Nakai Quartet album What Lies Beyond was officially released on September 23rd and is now available directly from Canyon Records at
http://www.canyonrecords.com/shop/index.php?app=ecom&ns=prodshow&ref=CR-7211
or from Google Play at
https://play.google.com/store/music/album/R_Carlos_Nakai_Quartet_What_Lies_Beyond?id=Bkqk7rggl654qsqeybi73yohp54&hl=en
or from Amazon at
or, for those of you who frequent my website, at
http://www.willclipman.com/purchase_a_cd_or_dvd.php
WLB is also an iTunes New World Music featured title!
The Trialogue Continues
With international airplay now nearing 100 radio shows, the new Trialogue album from Heart Dance Records also continues to elicit rave reviews in the music press, like this most recent one from Blue Wolf Reviews:
Having logged its fifth straight month on the Zone Music Reporter Top 100 chart, the Trialogue will continue on Tuesday October 11th at 7 PM with a private concert at Friendship Village in Tempe AZ.
GRAMMY® News
First-round GRAMMY® ballots will be mailed out on October 14th, and both What Lies Beyond and Trialogue have been submitted in the Contemporary Instrumental Album* category. For those of you who are NARAS Voting Members, we appreciate your consideration, and your vote if your find our music worthy of your support. For those of you who are not, we appreciate your positive energy and best wishes.
*Selection committees have been known to re-assign submissions to different categories; please review your entire ballot carefully, and please vote responsibly!
New #iamHUMAN Videos
As a way of contributing to and collaborating with Roman Orona’s #iamHUMAN video series, I’ve made my studio here at Rancho Improvisoso available to Roman for Tucson shoots. On Wednesday October 5th, Roman will shoot two new installments, one with Tucson bon vivant and cultural personality Anne Geren and one with Native American flutist, composer, cultural anthropologist and performing & recording artist R. Carlos Nakai. As an introduction to Roman’s groundbreaking work, my clip can be viewed at
November Previews
On Saturday November 5th from 10 AM-4 PM I’ll return to the Kiva Room at Western National Parks Association in Oro Valley AZ for the latest installment of my world drumming & percussion workshop series: Becoming One With Your Inner Drum.
Early registration is recommended at
http://www.wnpa.org/event/national-parks-store-becoming-one-with-your-inner-drum/
I will also conduct private master classes at my studio here at Rancho Improvisoso on Sunday & Monday November 6th & 7th.
On Saturday November 12th at 7 PM the R. Carlos Nakai Quartet will appear at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe AZ for a mini-concert and CD-signing event in conjunction with Canyon Records Productions. Seating is limited and these shows are always SRO, so arriving early is recommended.
RCNQ will perform full concerts at the Vail Theater of the Arts in Vail AZ on Saturday November 19th at 7 PM and at the Green Valley Community Performing Arts Center in Green Valley AZ on Wednesday November 30th at 7 PM.
Advance tickets for the Vail show are now available at
Advance tickets for the Green Valley show are now available at
https://performingartscenter.thundertix.com/events/86837/saleable_seats?performance_id=1632637
Turning Over a New Leaf
My interview with vegan advocate Solvei McKenna was recently published on her new website VeganGreen. This wide-ranging, uplifting and entertaining conversation can be viewed at
https://vegangreen.org/pages/turning-a-new-leaf
Video of the Month
I just received this video clip from the R. Carlos Nakai & Will Clipman duo concert at Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch last year and thought you might enjoy a little taste of Awakening the Fire–I only wish the clip showed Jorma’s encore jam with us!
Poem of the Month
I’m at work on a brand new poem about tonight’s Black Moon, but it’s not ready for prime-time; so I’ve mined the archives for this succinctly seasonal meditation on the nature of forgiveness to close your October A 440. Enjoy!
The Fall
I love the light of autumn:
the fall from grace
through space and into place,
a season between extremes
when we forgive each other and ourselves
for all we have and have not done,
and prepare together
for the darkness and cold to come.
© 2016 Will Clipman (from Wilderness in the Marrow; originally published in Heron Dance)
~May your new moon fill with bright light
and may your autumn be filled with new adventures~
A preemptive strike with kindness will often disarm a hostile confrontation.
~Guillaume Henri
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Will Clipman
musician • poet • performing & recording artist • maskmaker • storyteller • educator
phone: 520.591.0776
fax: 520.743.0650
email: williamclipman@aol.com
website: www.willclipman.com
facebook: www.facebook.com/willclipman
