Womanspirit

The Story of Womanspirit

Charlie and I were driving home from a visit to our dear friend, Charles Frizzell, who painted the cover art of Womanspirit and most of my other CD covers. We had just purchased the original artwork from Charles and were discussing possible titles. Finding the right title is one of the most important aspects of my preparation for recording the music. And having the perfect artwork on the cover is like having a medicine blanket to wrap around the music.

On that particular day we were searching for a title that would express the essence of feminine energy. We both knew we had found the title when the word "Womanspirit" came out of Charlie's mouth.

After months of preparation, I knew I was ready to record my tracks, but we still needed a drummer. We drove to Santa Fe for my recording sessions, and started asking musician acquaintances to recommend the right drummer for us. Several names were suggested, and then someone said, "You need a master drummer. You need Olabayo."

Olabayo provided the perfect earthy accompaniment for Womanspirit, using a wide assortment of percussion instruments: ashiko, bembe, gourd, conga, cajun, talking drum and clave. We added a rich texturing of nature sounds including a sparkling mountain stream, loons, songbirds, and the call of wolves. One of my favorite tracks is "Earthkeeper". Olabayo, another drummer, Charlie and I played a large powwow type drum that Charlie had made. That was high fun!

May Womanspirit be a joyous celebration of the feminine energy in all life.