PRAY Personal Notes
from Douglas Spotted Eagle
Pray is a project that I've had in mind for many years, but never really got a mental grip on what I wanted to say until I went through one of the most difficult times in my life, beginning shortly after the release of "Closer to Far Away". While "Closer" is certainly one of my favorite records, and by far the most pristine in terms of production, due to outside influences it didn't completely say what was in my mind and heart. Then when a Windham Hill representative told me, my producer, and e-mailed employees within the company saying that the record contained too much "hey ya hey ya stuff", I knew that I was not really in the right place. Sadly, "CLOSER TO FAR AWAY" was promotionally dropped 2 weeks after it's release, when the new owners of Windham Hill took posession of the label. (Strangely enough, "CLOSER TO FAR AWAY" has continued to be immensely successful, in spite of the fact that the label isn't evening acknowledging it's existence....)It took me nearly 2 years to obtain my release, during which time Windham Hill would not let me record, nor would they let me go as an artist. So once I got free, I was READY to create!
When I talked to the great folks at Higher Octave about my desire to record "PRAY", and played them some of the music I had in mind, they became enthused about the project and the rest of the story is what you hear on the CD. The basic thought behind the music, is this: A beautiful life is simply prayer in motion, a ritual, a ceremony. Ceremony isn't necessarily accompanied by a lot of fanfare. It is merely a means of reminding us of how we should act and interact with other human beings. "PRAY" isn't a religious recording, not in any sense that it promotes going to church or following a particular mind pattern or organization. All humans pray, whether it's a stressful utterance of "please God, show me the way", to an athiest's wish for "I know I can do this if I just find the power within me". Whether one believes in the God connection in the power of prayer, or whether one believes that our minds and bodies are electrical and prayer directs magnetic and electrical power to a particular place is irrevelant. Prayer has been scientifically proven to have beneficial powers.
We began recording on Thanksgiving Day, 1997, and finished the
mixes on February 17th, 1998. Mastered by Ken Lee at the Rocket Lab, the CD is scheduled for release on May 19th, 1998. "PRAY" is unquestionably the most
pleasant and fun recording I've ever made. Working so closely with the label, Dan,
Micheal, Marion, Daryl, and all the others that were involved with the record was a
pleasure. Everyone seemed to understand the concept of the record before we even began.
And as I explained the inspiration behind each piece, all of the artists on the songs
grasped my vision, and my thoughts. It came together so easily in terms of creative flow. 
We also had a lot of fun outside the studio
too. Here you can see Michael Manring learning how to make Dine' frybread. It's kind of
like tossing pizza crust, but not quite the same....He must have mastered the art, because
we all ate well that night. Perhaps it's Michael's Cherokee heritage....They have their
own form of frybread....
The songs contained in the record are (In this order):
SUNRISE PRAYER-in original form, this is an old Zuni traditional song. Sung by Wil Numkena, (Hopi) this version contains not only the original form, but a major key, harmonized arrangement with sound design beneath a spoken Dine' prayer. The traditional song is sung in the morning as the sun comes up, making for a fitting opening for the record. If the listener's eyes are closed, the words to the song can be heard echoing across the canyons of the Southwest. Wil Numkena, Director of Tribal Education of the Hopi Nation, has a voice that rings from the depths of his heritage.
BEAUTY ARRIVES-The main vocal line is provided by Samantha Rainbow (Lakota) and Amy Schuster. Herman Begay's (Dine') vocal soars throughout the song, saying 'hozon naa shaa" (I walk in beauty) The rhythm is fast paced and upbeat, as one generally feels first thing in the morning after a good night's sleep. All human beings are beautiful in their own form, and this song is my expression of this beauty.
BREATHE-There's just not much to say about this song, other than I dreamed it on Christmas Eve, wrote it Christmas morning, and asked Marion Meadows to play on it on December 26th. I played with Marion on "Closer to Far Away" on a song called "Native Son", and really enjoyed the experience. Marion is a Sire Records recording artist, of African and Cherokee descent. He really did make this song 'breathe'. Also heard on this song is Kelly Monson-Wilson, a Paiute from Cedar City, UT. She sings the main vocal line. The inspiration for the dream/song will remain a personal issue, however, I hope that as one listens to the song, the meaning will become apparent. Michael Manring is on bass, Spot on flute, guitar, drums, and keys. It is truly a wonderful piece from the stage.
FIRST CONTACT-When the Spanish first came to the Southwest, they were interested in finding slaves to mine gold. They also were interested in establishing missions across the area. The Hopi would not allow this to take place within their villages. They valiantly fought the Spanish, and won. No mission was established in their villages. In this song, the Native People try to learn to accept these "bearded black robes" with their "talking books", but also want to share their own view of the Creator and how the Creator is worshipped. However, the newcomers won't listen, and so turn away the indigenous People's words. The translation at the beginning of the song admonishes all Hopi to listen to the Elders, heed their words, and know that they are a special People, with instruction from the Creator as to how to pray. At the end of the piece, the same man exhorts the young ones to learn their special ways of their family and Nation, and to listen to what he has to say, for "I have spoken, and I am Hopi"!! Featuring a men's choir, (Canterbury Singers) Rob Greyhill on traditional vocals, and a strong world beat, this song is performed in the Voices Of Native America performing Arts tour. This song features Michael Manring on bass, Bill Bonifas on guitar.
LISTEN WITH YOUR HEART- is a solo flute piece. Other than 'STAND AT THE CENTER', I've always made it a point to put at least one solo piece on each record, much to the consternation of some record companies. Thank you Higher Octave, for allowing me the freedom to do as I choose, and play what I will, without fear of the record company giving me grief about my personal choices and feelings.
SILENT TRAIL-This song was inspired by a pair of sculptures created by master sculptor, Dave McGary.The bronze entitled "StrongHeart" created a mental space in my mind of a woman fighting to support and avenge her life partner, and after succeeding in her journey, realizes that she must begin another. Standing with her children defiant, proud, and filled with a sense of purposeful loss, she cries for her loss, screams for her pain, and claims her independence. Amy Schuster provides the vocals throughout this piece, with support from Rob Greyhill. The song features 3 flutes, 2 of which were made by Scott Loomis of WindsSong flutes. The low flute is a Gminor bass flute approximately 40 inches in length, 3 inches in diameter, and is extremely difficult to play with any degree of stability due to it's size. The middle flute comes from a stainless steel gun barrel weighing in at about 10 pounds. It was a Christmas gift from a fan, and now he knows I really used it. The high flute is again from Scott Loomis, and is the same one used in the melody line of "500 Nations". Michael Manring performs eloquent bass on this one, with myself on guitar, flute, and keyboards.
PRAY-The title song, was written on Thanksgiving Day, 1997. With Harry James providing the opening words, "The things that you say, tell me that you love me....that's what I think about" in the Dine' language, Frank Warren and Herman Begay opening the song with Northern style chant, this song carries a feeling of quiet strength. Ethereal, surreal, and ambient, the rhythms seem to carry the song to a very quiet and peaceful space. This was the first song created for the record, and it seems to really move me, even now after I've heard it a million times. I hope you enjoy it too!
COMING HOME-When I travel, one thing I love most is how I feel as I drive through Stockton Pass, and see the valley below, and know that I am almost home. It's melancholy, euphoric, and inspiring all at once. I love where I live, I love my family, friends, and community. This song expresses those feelings. The bass line is a "sung" bass line, with heavy percussion and drum rhythms keeping the movement.
PURE-Featuring Lynelle Kirkwood on Celtic Harp, and Robert Marsden on cello, this song is entirely acoustic, with no synthesizers, electronic whimsy, or fancy editing. What you hear is all real. I've always wanted to marry the Celtic harp and the traditional Native flute together. The cello brings a wonderful sense of movement to the piece. To date, "PURE" is certainly one of the most challenging songs I've ever created. Hats off to Lyn and Robert for really pulling this one off with me. They are both true musicians trained, tried, and proven, while I'm just a beginner.
DREAMWALK-This is kind of the 'older' style of my music, that calls to mind a dreamstate. Relaxed, quiet, with small moments where the mind is encouraged to walk a different road for a while, this one kept putting us to sleep when we'd work on it. The song was inspired by an old traditional story that my dad told me when I was 19. Perhaps if you see us in concert, you'll hear that story. Putting it up on the Net' for any one to copy would only devalue it.
FIREDANCE-ends the CD in a joyful, playful mood, as powwow often is. I can remember going to a powwow here in Utah up at the Pioneer Trail State Park. The organizers didn't have any means of heat or lighting, expecting that the air would be warm and that the lights around the park would suffice. It was cold that night, and the lighting was weak, so a fire was lit at the center of the arena area. It was wonderful dancing in that space, with the fire to keep us warm, and the shadows on everyone's faces reflected the happiness that we all felt being there. (note: Plains style dance, which is what most powwow dancing is, does not contain a dance honoring, deifying, or celebrating fire. This is merely a song title to express that evening) Originally written to share with Craig Chaquico, his tour schedule would not permit us to get together on this song. Therefore, Daryl Stuermer, guitarist for Phil Collins, Genesis, Jean Luc-Ponty, and many other great bands, stepped up to the pump and made this song rip!! With Daryl on guitar, Michael on bass, Spot on flute, this song is one of Spot's happiest moments musically.
"A beautiful life is merely prayer in motion, a ritual, ceremony....."
Participate in your own prayer..........
*************
Distributed by and available at
available in record stores
now
Michael Manring
with Spot 
Dan, Michael Greene, Spot
"PRAY"
was mastered using 24 bit encoding. This means that if you have a decoder, the sound is
more full, less compressed, and sound the same as when it was recorded in the studio.
Even if you don't have an HDCD decoder, the sound in standard 16 bit is still more warm
natural, and smoother than a CD mastered with no encoding. Special Thanks to Ken Lee for mastering genius!
"PRAY" was recorded at Native Restoration Studio between November 26, 1997, and February 17, 1998. Credits are as follows;
Guitar on "FIRST CONTACT" recorded at Independent
Sound, MKE, WI, Peter Buffett/Engineer
Additional editing at Little Big Feet, Monroe, CT by Keith Chirgwin
Mixed by Douglas Spotted Eagle, Michael Greene, Scott Wiley, Dan Morley at Native Restoration on the Event
Tria Speakers
TASCAM DA-88 tape machines were used for data storage, all sound editing and storage
accomplished on the IBM PC platform utilizing Cakewalk, Sound
Forge, and Digidesign software/hardware. We begged,
borrowed, and rented enough equipment to end up using as many as 100 tracks both virtual
and actual. It was a nightmare for Dan to keep the tracking sheets clear.....and in
readable shape. He writes like a doctor......maybe worse.
Loops were created by Douglas Spotted Eagle, and tempo mapped using Sonic Foundry's ACID program. Thank you Jack and Caleb for making this possible!!
The record was mixed on a TASCAM M-5000 automated console using MIXPILOT, very similar to FlyingFaders type automation. The people at TASCAM have been incredibly good to me.
Translation from "SUNRISE PRAYER"
IN BEAUTY, THIS BEGINS
IN BEAUTY, THE DAY ARRIVES
I WILL PROTECT MYSELF WITH THIS CORN POLLEN
I WILL PROTECT MYSELF WITH THIS EAGLE FEATHER
I WILL PROTECT MYSELF WITH MY PRAYERS
I WILL LIVE A BEAUTIFUL LIFE
MAY MY CHILDREN BE RAISED IN BEAUTY
MAY MY CHILDREN BE PROTECTED IN BEAUTY
MAY MY THOUGHTS BE BEAUTIFUL
MAY I SPEAK IN BEAUTY
BEAUTY BEFORE ME
BEAUTY BEHIND ME
BEAUTY ABOVE ME
BEAUTY BENEATH ME
BEAUTY ALL AROUND ME
I AM BEAUTY
I WALK IN BEAUTY
IT IS FINISHED IN BEAUTY
IT IS FINISHED IN BEAUTY
IT IS FINISHED IN BEAUTY
IT IS FINISHED IN BEAUTY
Translation from "PRAY"
"The words you say to me, tell me that you love me. That's what I think about"......
Translation from "Beauty Arrives"
"I walk in Beauty. I am Beautiful..."
Translation from Hopi spoken word on "FIRST CONTACT"
My People, let me give you words of
counsel. As we know, it has been foretold, the day would arrive when a new people would
come among us. They would bring to us their religions and encourage us to embrace them.
However, it cannot be that way. We have been taught our own spiritual ways. Our Father
above prepared for us our own spiritual ways.
So listen, as I offer these words of counsel. We must follow the teachings of our own
spiritual ways, as we walk down this road of life. Listen and hear my words, I have
spoken.
So it will be, the new people will entice us with their ways of life and their religion.
However, that is their way of life
Our Father above has prepared for us a special spiritual way of life.
We are a chosen People.
I am Hopi.
All lyrics/translations copyright 1998 DSE/Tayazo Music
Lastly, even though it's my name that appears on the cover of the CD, it's many more that support me and make what I do with my music possible, to name but a few....;
Thanks to Dan, Herman, Rob, Samantha, Wil, Harry, Frank, Lyn,
Bill, Peter, Micheal Manring, Tom, Brian Keane, Craig Chaquico, Amy, Tooele Madrigals and
Ray Zentz, Art and the folks at Jazztrax. Extra thoughts to the Voices of Native America
cast and crew, Hodges and Hodges, Stix, Dave, Jason, Meade, Tracy, Wil, Gayle, Penny,
Josh, and Jennifer. As this project was recorded on Tascam equipment and edited on Forge,
Jack, Caleb, Paul, Roger, and Fred, I appreciate all you’ve done for us! Carl at
Cakewalk, WOW! Steve and Larry/AudioTechnica. Doug and Susan Morton, thanks for the
awesome sounds! Thanks to Steve and the folks at Adaptec
for computer support. Scott Loomis who builds most of my flutes, and double thanks to
David, gunbarrel flutemaker.
Of course, the people at Higher Octave Music, Dan, Matt, JoAnn, Dean, Kenny, Maria, Gina,
and John, to name just a few. And
utmost importantly, those who have supported the music, to you my undying gratitude!!
