Baird Hersey & Prana with Krishna Das

Baird Hersey is probably best know as a composer and guitarist. In the '70s and '80s he wrote for and played with his big band, Year of the Ear. The group's performances and recordings were highly regarded for their blend of rhythmic percussion and innovative horn arrangements. Hersey is a National Endowment for the Arts Composition Fellow. His diverse career has encompassed; commissions from the Harvard University, New Mexico Council for the Arts...

Hersey is a National Endowment for the Arts Composition Fellow. His diverse career has encompassed; commissions from the Harvard University, New Mexico Council for the Arts, The Brooklyn Bridge Centennial Sound and Light Spectacular, The HVP Symphony Or chestra, and performances throughout the US and Europe in such different setting as the Berlin Jazz Festival and MTV. He has also composed extensively for television.

He has been a student of yoga and overtone singing for 17 years. In 1997 He began the practice of Ashtanga Yoga. The result was a change in his life, his music and his career. He is presently recording his tenth album with Prana. He has studied with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore India and with The Gyuto Monks.

The age old sacred music of Tibetan Buddhist multiphonic chant and Tuvan throat singing are the roots from which Prana's sound has grown. The technique of these ancient vocalizations is to shape the mouth and throat into a sympathetic resonating chamber for the voice. This produces a second beautiful high whistling harmonic or overtone.

Prana's singers use their regular singing voice instead of the low gravely drone characteristic of the Tibetan and Tuvan sounds. They apply the fundamental overtone techniques of these older traditions to the "natural voice" to sing two mellifluous pitches at once.

By using the natural singing voice the singers of Prana can move between any pitches that they can sing with overtones added above them. This completely opens up the possibilities for use of harmonics in singing. Now, in addition to a drone with harmonics they can sing parallel movement of pitch and harmonic, different pitches sharing one harmonic, or a fully developed melody with a harmonic harmony.

Singing as a group in this unique style they create beautiful rising harmonies, shimmering vocal textures, and high arcing melodies.

Prana is a Sanskrit word meaning: breath, vital energy, life force. It is also an overtone singing choir comprised of professional singers. Pranawas formed by Baird Hersey in 2000 to breathe life into the music from his "Waking the Cobra" CD.

Baird Hersey & Prana have performed at a Benefit for The Dalai Lama Foundation, and Omega Institute's "Ecstatic Chant Retreat". They have opened for Philip Glass and performed as a part of the "Gatherings", "Tibet House", Menla", "One Voice", "Woodstock Cycle" concerts series, "The CSO Tsunami Relief Benefit" and many local benefits as well Yoga studios an colleges across the country.

Prana has had the honor of giving a personal performance for Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and four pieces from "Waking the Cobra" were used as part of "Live! Light on Life" a performance for BKS Iyengar at City Center in New York City.

In 2005 Prana's "The Eternal Embrace" was featured in its entirety for the whole hour of "Hearts of Space", which airs on more than 230 NPR stations.

Over the last three years Prana has performed regularly with Krishna Das. The evenings began with the group performing. Then KD joined them to sing several of his chants over Baird's a cappella arrangements for the voices of Prana. This collaboration was the starting point for their new CD "Gathering In The Light".

As individuals, the members of have recorded and performed with James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, The Talking Heads, Dr. John, Todd Rundgren, John Sebastian, Krishna Das, Steve Smith (Journey), Doane Perry (Jethro Tull), Graham Parker, Aine Minogue, Maria Muldaur, Barrie Maguire (the Wallflowers), Wah!, David Hykes, Every Mother's Son, Livingston Taylor, The Fugs, Orleans, Peter Yarrow, Tiny Tim, Rick Danko, Leon Russell, and Jorma Kaukonen,

The singers of Prana are: Peter Buettner, Amy Fradon, Kirsti Gholson, Julie Last, Julian Lines, Bruce Milner, Leslie Ritter, Joe Veillette. They are all recognized performers in their own right who join together in Prana to sing this remarkable music.
Prana