Sing Me Home

“No matter how we think of home, it is key to our identity – a place where life flourishes and memories are built.  Silkroad is a creative home for me and for members of the Ensemble, a place where we return to explore new artistic languages, to encounter friends and strangers, and to find joy in unexpected connections.”  So writes cellist Yo-Yo Ma in the introduction of the liner notes for the CD Sing Me Home.  

This CD by Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble is a companion CD to the movie The Music of Strangers which I wrote about on July 19, 2016.  On this CD (which I found at my local library) the collaborative ensemble collaborates with even more musicians.  The theme is sharing the sounds of the different homes of the musicians.  The introduction continues: “For us, this is one of the great pleasures of Silkroad: we celebrate difference; we cultivate curiosity in our exploration and generosity in our sharing. In our homes something completely unfamiliar presents a precious opportunity to build something new.”

Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble

Instead of building walls, these musicians build bridges. They create relationships which create meaning and joy.  You can get a taste of this joy by watching some of the recording sessions from this CD on youtube.

You can watch the Origin story of this CD.  Each track represents a different musical tradition.  The Ensemble brought in additional musicians that represent those traditions.  Johnny Gandlesman, a violinist in the ensemble speaks about how the relationships they build allow the musicians to feel safe enough to take musical risks and participate in this cross-cultural creation.

St. James Infirmary Blues: Micheal Ward-Bergeman arranged this American blues standard with the help of traditional Roma musicians.

Heart and Soul:  Rob Mathes was asked by Johnny Gandlesman to arrange this old classic “so it plays like a smile.”  American singers Lisa Fischer and Gregory Porter certainly embody this joy.

Abigail Washburn

Wu Ton

Going Home:  William Arms Fisher set the lyrics of Going Home to Antonin Dvorak’s Largo from his New World Symphony.  Jermey Kittel got Keith Lipson to translate them into Chinese.  Abigail Washburn and Wu Ton sing in Chinese  and English creating a beautiful marriage of cultures. In case you’re wondering what the instrument Wu Ton is playing is called, it is the sheng.

Home, home, home, home/ I’m going home

Nothing’s lost,all’s gain, No more fret nor pain

No more stumblin’ by the way

No more longin’ for the day,

Goin’ to roam no more.

Goin’ home, goin’ home, I’m a goin’ home

It’s not far, just close by, through an open door.

This CD, Going Home is an open door that we can all step through and hear the sounds of the homes of these courageous musicians.  They somehow become our homes as well as we engage in the generosity, energy, and joy of the music.  Perhaps this is one of the new sounds of home.