I am currently working on a long-term music project which is a kind of soundtrack for the Bardo Journey as described in the Tibetan Book Of The Dead. That book is probably most widely known via Timothy Leary's interpretation, which inspired the Beatles' ground-breaking song “Tomorrow Never Knows”. My vision for this musical piece was for something about two hours long with a more obvious connection to the Tibetan Buddhist meditation and chanting traditions, especially featuring the “Om Mani Padme Hum” mantra.
However, I also wanted to include direct references to the Beatles song, which I first made a deep connection with when my Father passed away when I was 25. As my Mother approached the end of her life in the last couple of years, I began working on the music described here. My idea was that in the sections representing the different parts of the Bardo journey, there would be different “Incarnations” of Tomorrow Never Knows with very different arrangements and moods. So the Beatles' song functions here almost like an occasionally-repeated, extended mantra...
I have never attempted to compose/arrange/record anything of this scale before. From the beginning I had a plan of how the whole thing should be, but that has been evolving considerably as I have worked on it. Also life events, especially my Mother's passing, have led me to focus on different sections, not in the order that they will appear in the final piece. Originally I had hoped to complete the whole thing while she was still alive, and I managed to complete the 30 minutes of what is now Part 2, The Clear Light; “Cosmic Chanting”, before the last year of her life.
I had just started recording what is now Part 1 at the beginning of the week she passed. Working on that in the following months was a huge emotional journey for me. By December 2017 I had shifted from grief and sadness at her passing into joy and gratitude for everything she was, and everything that she and my Dad did for me. This led me to shift my attention to Part 4, Rebirth; “Dance of the Spiritual Warrior” and bring it relatively quickly to near completion. If any part of this might be considered “radio-friendly”, it is that!
Further details about each subsection, including mp3s of parts I have completed so far, can be found in these pages: