Artists

Umeko Ando

The Ainu culture of Japan bears many parallels to the Native American Cultures of North America, and Umeko Ando has been one of the Ainu's most devoted perservers of the culture. She respected the Ainu traditions and daily customs, and has made much effort to promote and let Ainu culture prevail by transmitting and preserving the Ainu language, traditional dancing, musicianship, and manners.

Lee Berentsen

Lee's piano will appear on Jam Tracks in F# Minor.

Kuldip Bhatt

Jacqueline and David Bhuyan

Jacqueline Bhuyan (M.M. in Music Theory, Arizona State University) a former college music and private piano teacher, has written several collections of solo piano music, with major influences being her love of nature and humanity, the Romantic and Impressionistic periods of the Western classical tradition, folk and ethnic traditions, and the harmonies of jazz.

Performing at various cultural events in the Denver area, her music has been described as ‘calming, beautiful, etheral and mesmerizing.’ She is active in advocacy for arts and music in education and coursework in cultural understanding.

David Bhuyan is the son of Jacqueline. He works as a software engineer; is an accomplished guitarist, both acoustic and electric; is a composer incorporating classical, rock and various ethnic styles; does electronic arranging of music; and has performed locally with different bands.

Eugene Carr

James Cook

Jim Cook has been playing and recording guitar and synthesizers for over 20 years and picked up the NAF 3 years ago.

Gary Cope

Gary is a multi-instrumentalist performer, playing guitar, hand percussion, and various exotic world instruments. Gary has been performing professionally for over 25 years. Gary lives near Garfield Park on the South side of Indianapolis.

Gary's Huron Carol backing track will appear on the Hymns for Native American Flute CD.

 David Darling

"Maverick cellist" is the phrase most often assigned, but it hardly captures the richness, diversity, breadth and sense of humor of David Darling — a man who literally has redefined the way the cello is played and the way music is taught.

Darling is a classically trained cellist who joined the Paul Winter Consort in 1969, an extraordinarily progressive band for its time whose sound blended jazz with Brazilian, African, Indian and other world music — and at times even the voices of animals.

Michael DeMaria

Peter Dubner

Alfred Goodrich

Alfred James is the only cellist in the world playing a 5 string carbon fiber cello — standing up!

Bashiri Johnson

The Drum is the Language of groove and communication for NYC based Percussionist, Bashiri Johnson.

Terry Kalayjian

Terry's didge playing will appear on Jam Tracks in D Minor.

Eve Kodiak

Eve Kodiak has presented internationally on music and movement.  She holds degrees from Harvard University and the New England Conservatory, and has done course work in human development at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her musical explorations have taken her to Dalcroze, Orff, Suzuki, Music Together, Music for People, and more.  She has a private kinesiology practice in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, and performs as a piano soloist creating her own improvisational works.

Ron Kravitz

Ron Kravitz is the creator of Music in the Moment (The Songs Within You, Improvisational Workshops for Everyone), that focus on discovering and exploring one's own inner and outer world of rhythm and sound. It is often conducted in his home studio where participants are surrounded by hundreds of percussion instruments from around the world.

Saskia Lane

A graduate of The Juilliard School, Saskia Lane (double bass, voice, and composition) performs throughout the tri-state area with a variety of jazz, world, pop, and classical artists. Currently, Saskia tours internationally with Dan Zanes & Friends and nationally with her critically-acclaimed cocktail pop quartet The Lascivious Biddies. She can also be seen sharing the stage with the likes of Jay-Z, Beyoncé and Natalie Merchant. In addition, Saskia is active in education and outreach performing in the Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert Series.

Saskia's double bass will appear on Jam Tracks in D Minor.

Jonny Lipford

Jonny Lipford is a 19-year-old, self taught, recording artist from the northwest region of Florida. He began his journey with the Native American Flute at the age of 13, yet even at such a young age, Jonny knew this was no passing whim. This was indeed his destiny. His passion for the NA Flute and music in general is shaping his musical career sending him throughout the United States sharing his music with others. Jonny is considered by many to be an “Old Soul”. His wisdom and outlook on life far exceeds his young age.

Youssef Mestauri

Youssef is a Gnawan musician we met in Morocco who plays the traditional Gambri (bass guitar). We recorded his music in his shop in the North end of Marrakesh, and it will appear on Jam Tracks in B Minor.

Lynn Miller

Lynn is a co-founder of Expressive Therapy Concepts, a non-profit organization dedicated to the creative arts therapies and related modalities. Lynn produces multi-media concerts that integrate dance, music and art and is developing programs at the South Street Healing Center.

Eric Miller

Dr. Eric Miller, a psychologist and certified music therapist, has been working on developing integrative techniques with biofeedback and music. He serves as president of Expressive Therapy Concepts, a non-profit organization dedicated to the creative arts therapies and he has recently joined the staff at the Mind/Body Connection, a holistic treatment center in King of Prussia. A variety of music therapy interventions are used to facilitate desired physiological goals. In addition to using music to cue (classically condition) relaxation, Dr. Miller often asks patients to produce tones or chants that express their emotionality.

Jim Oshinsky

Jim Parker

In the ‘70s, Jim Parker opened for legendary performers Ray Charles, Kenny Rogers, Seals & Crofts, and B.J. Thomas, among others.

After an inexplicable 20 year hiatus spent in the corporate world, Jim came to his senses and returned to Nashville and his music roots.

Jim guitar will appear on the Jam Tracks in E Minor and the "Music Minus Flute" series of Native Flute Tracks - Hymns, Traditional Songs, and Folk Songs.

Mathew Tembo

From Lusaka, Zambia, Mathew Tembo is a well-know reggae performing artist. We met him in Lusaka and spent a day in a recording studio laying down backing tracks for this project.

Mathew is pictured here on the right with Zambian past-president Dr. Kenneth Kaunda.

Mathew's Marimba/Amadinda playing will appear on Jam Tracks in B Minor.

Marie van Vuuren

Laura Warfield

Native New Yorker Laura Warfield writes songs, which range from folk/pop to country/ blues, rock, and children's music as the spirit moves her. Laura has been writing songs since the age of ten. Her topics are wide-ranging, from love rejected (Leave Your Love Behind) to love renewed (Get Closer), from what passes for the economy (Unemployment Line) women's issues (Lord Have Mercy), from the pitfalls of seeking for the truth (Lost In Transit) to those of overcoming prejudice (Live In My World) and the possibilities of bringing peace to the world (New Millenium and Bronx to Baghdad). Her music — with more than a touch of rueful humor, along with memorable melody, rhythm and rhyme — also embodies many styles.