#todd boston

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Liminal CD Release! Silvia Nakkach produced by Todd Boston! live release featuring Joss Jaffe, Val Serrant, Jeff Oster, Tim White and others!   voxmundiproject.com/liminal/

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New Album Update - look who's joining us...

Principal recording begins on my new album on October 20th, 2014 at Imaginary Road Studios in Windham County, Vermont. Will Ackerman has signed on to help produce the new music.

Work has already begun on recording some of the guest artists appearing on the album. On Monday September 22, 2014 we recorded Shambhu on acoustic guitar for the track "On Mother's Day", at Todd Boston's Magic Cottage Studios in Lagunitas, CA. On Friday September 26th, Catherine Marie Charlton recorded on Imaginary Road's Steinway B, beginning piano tracks for the song "Half a Cookie".

I'm also happy to announce that in addition to Shambhu the following artists will be joining me on the record: Melissa R. Kaplan and Noah Wilding on vocals, Catherine Marie Charlton on piano, Jeff Taboloff on tenor saxophone, Taylor Barefoot on electric guitar, Britt Brady on loop programming, keyboards - guitar - percussion, and Tom Eaton on Fender Rhodes, synths, drum programming and Hammond B-3. 

Additionally, we'll be recording Bernard Purdie on drums, and Chuck Rainey on bass, at a late October session on the Jersey Shore at Jankland Recording, to be engineered by Steve Jankowski. 

Im sure there will be additional artists joining the project as we create the songs. 

It's a fine start...

[dubmantra]

Vox Mundi Project Mystery School of the Voice Presents: Santa Cruz Summer Retreat A unique and complete journey to nurture and inspire Your Musical Life. You’ll have a supreme experience, and no other music retreat will give you such a delicate balance of  musical training and creative support, ecstatic chanting and personal transformation. July 23-29, 2014 Pema Osel Ling, Santa Cruz Mountains

http://voxmundiproject.com/programs/retreats/santa-cruz/

[toddboston]

Musical Mountains of Slovakia

Sometimes I am really taken back by the gifts that come along with this musical life.  Two years ago, on my first gig with Snatam Kaur in India I met my wife Adka along the banks of the Sacred Ganga River in Rishikesh.  Now, on tour once again we have made it to her homeland of Slovakia to introduce me to my new family.  

We visited the city of Bratislava and enjoyed a night at the theater for some traditional sounds of Slovakian music and dance.  The sounds of the Fujara, an ancient Slovak flute like instrument stirred my soul and brought me to a place of peace and surrender.  The musicians were exceptional and created an experience I won't soon forget.

After a couple of days in the city we made our way to her hometown of Martin.  We hiked to the top of the most beautiful mountain where a sweet song from the flute flowed through effortlessly as I embraced my new home away from home.

Another thing that fascinates me in this country are all the castles on hilltops and mountaintops across the land

On our second expedition my sweet family took me to the sight of a thousand year old ruined castle.  The best part was we just walked up and wandered thru and were almost completely on our own, except of course our new mountain goat friends.  

One of our missions on this trip is to record some audio and video along the way to share with you and all our friends.  The day ended gracefully with an inspired recording on the middle of the ancient ruins of this special castle.  Please stay posted for more adventures including the video from the castle recording!!

Ahoj!!

www.ToddBoston.com

[toddboston]

Playing Music for Oprah

Anything is possible!

Last month while in Maui playing music with Snatam Kaur I was greeted with some interesting news one particular morning.  I was walking over to meet Snatam and her family for breakfast when she and her husband Sopurkh were standing in the driveway.  Something was distinctly different because Snatam was jumping up and down and waving her arms at me.  "We're going to play for Oprah's birthday today!" she said.  What? 

Life is filled with magic moments and we were all destined to be together that day on Oprah's porch for sunset as if it was a gift from God.  Her friends organized the whole thing to surprise her.  (You can read Oprah's article in O Magazine or Snatam's Blog for their detailed experiences.) 

from left to right - Daniel Paul, Todd Boston, Oprah Winfrey, Snatam Kaur

Oprah is a huge fan of Snatam's music and listens to her everyday before she meditates.  The night before her birthday a group of friends sat around listening to Snatam's music singing along and saying how cool it would be to have her there for Oprah's birthday.  Well, in the morning her friends attempted to make the contact and fly Snatam to Maui to sing for her, no matter where she was in the world. As fate would have it, we were all ready there to play a concert in Maui, in fact we were 20 mins down the mountain from Oprah's house.  The whole arrangement was a surprise to which her friends proudly organized, saying "Oprah never gets surprised."

We were hidden away in an upstairs bedroom and when Oprah arrived on the porch to watch the sunset with some friends we were given the bell to come walking down the steps playing to her.  Snatam lead with her mesmerizing voice, and I walked behind her playing the guitar while Daniel Paul played on one of his tabla drums.  Out of the nervousness of the moment I stepped on Snatam's veil while walking down the steps and we barely survived a not so smooth entrance.  

photo Sunset on Oprah's porch

When we arrived at the bottom of the steps, there was Oprah in tears and so surprised!  After the first song she greeted all of us with a huge hug and continued to sing with us for the next half hour.  It was so surreal, playing guitar for Oprah with the sun setting into the ocean from a volcano on Maui. Truly one of life's treasured moments.

After the music, we embraced and talked more about the amazing experience.  One of the most touching aspects was how real, authentic and human she was.  It was like meeting that same person we have seen on TV all those years, it felt like we were friends immediately.  One moment I will never forget is when she looked at me and gave me a big hug and asked "Todd, how did this happen?"  I said "I have no idea Oprah and am as shocked as you are!"  She then looked around the room and said "Believe it people, anything is possible!"

True story…we were Oprah Winfrey's surprise birthday present and the blessing of music brought us there.

When we dream big and follow those dreams with our hearts open, anything is possible. ~TB www.ToddBoston.com

Check out the article in O Magazine

Read Snatam Kaur's Blog 

Here is another article from Spirit Voyage

from left to right - Daniel Paul, Maria Shriver, Todd Boston, Oprah Winfrey, Snatam Kaur

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Many years ago I heard Michael Hedges play guitar and it changed everything! He died tragically in an accident in 1997. Now I have the fortune of working with his producer Will Ackerman and it has changed everything!! One day in the studio Will was sharing Michael stories and he handed me a beautiful Martin Parlor guitar and said I should play it. Turns our it was Michael's...Life is amazing!

[tuningtotheone]

The miracle of music and the mind...This 12 year old boy is an orchestral composer that has music running through his head, sometimes two or three compositions at once.  He sits down on his computer &  just writes out the music for a full orchestra.  If you believe in past lives then this kid must have been Mozart or someone...Check it out!