The Story

With a pleasant voice of assurance she said,
“You have to meet my brother. The two of you should meet.”
When those words of confidence and foresight were pronounced, I didn’t take them seriously. After all many people have asked or suggested I meet so and so in my travels. Musically speaking, needless to say those suggestions didn’t pan out as hoped or expected. Her suggestion however turn out to be beyond expectation.

It was December 2007, the hall of a fancy hotel in Orlando-FL was teaming with eager faces of participants of the Social and Economic Development Conference. Amidst the crowd,there she was with a smiling face, a glowing tan and a pleasant demeanor bestowed by a joyous vacation in Antigua.

“Meet my brother Ali, …”
So it went, we became friends at the conference, jammed during one of the nights- a memorable one some people call The night of the Tribal dance. A musical bond was formed, but how that bond will manifest in the months ahead was not an item of anticipation within the machines of my imaginative mind.

Two trips to Charlottesville-VA sealed the deal. Ali and I knew we could play together and not kill each other musically speaking. Though different in personality, musical backgrounds, up bringing and even taste in food and dress style, our musical chemistry, modes of interaction and artistic vision are complimentary. Dare to say we are like ‘Lost Brothers,’ from different continents who’ve been longing to meet one another but never conscious of the fact until it happened.

“What are you doing this summer?” I asked
“Mostly working,” he replied
“Do you want to travel for a month?”
Without hesitation he said, “Yes.”
And as the saying goes, “The rest is history.” But wait that is not the end of the story. That is the beginning of a one month journey filled with adventure and anecdotal moments of insight. Some were shared in my blog during our tour.

We gave little notice to friends, acquaintances and communities we planned to visit. Three weeks for the lucky ones and for some less than a week.

From May 29th - June 29th 2008, we lived and or played in the following cities in the states of New Mexico, Arizona, California, Oregon, and Washington:
Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Scottsdale, Tempe, Tucson, Los Angeles, Redonda Beach, Encino, San Clamente, Fresno, Visalia, Tulare, San Francisco, Redwood City, Portland, Philomath, Beaverton, Seattle, Redmond, and Bellevue.

The reception everywhere we went was amazing. Friends went beyond the call of duty to make sure we were comfortable and have a good performance. The encouragement, love and appreciation of our music was heartwarming. Compliments poured forth like tropical rain, and we were treated as Very Important Personalities (VIP).

During the first two weeks of the tour, Amelia (Ali's sister, the engineer of this musical bond) graced us with her presence, charming harmonies and sisterly comfort. After she left for Santa Fe, the tour wasn’t the same.

This tour did more than confirm our ability to play together to compliment each other’s musical contributions, It also sparked the desire to do more in this line of service-- bringing inspiration from Sacred Writings to the hearts and minds of people everywhere through the divine and effective medium of music, not only to uplift hearts but awaken spirits.

This trip, this journey of two souls chatting their musical course and future endeavors has given birth to ideas which by God’s grace will be translated into immediate projects for meeting the needs of children. We see it gaining momentum and expanding the kind of music we play- hard to confine to a box of genres, familiar but different, unique in its character and combines elements of various musical influences from Africa to South America and every land in between-- a trace of the ancestral journey in human settlement.

There are not enough superlatives nor adjectives to describe how Grateful, Indebted and Thankful we are to all those who gave their priceless contributions in making this trip a success, a memory never to be forgotten. We are forever Thankful.

I sit at a bus station waiting for the bus, and I think to myself- How come Iam so lucky? How come we are so Blessed? How come Music makes such a difference in peoples lives? And how can I adequately covey to my Musical companion (Ali ) that he is a phenomenal musician and a delightful personality to hang out with? And how come I never took Amelia seriously on her suggestion to meet her brother in the first place?

These questions, I might not know why nor have answers for, but I know Life's been Great. And for all the support, encouragement and Love we received along the way from each and everyone one of you, made Life the more so Marvelous as it can be.

Once more a round of applause to all of You for your support, a standing ovation for your Encouragement, and an encore for your Prayers and heartfelt Love.

Blessings be upon All.