1997 brought an urge to rock to Robert Mirabal. His alignment with Mark Andes continued, with some resulting songwriting bringing a rocking edge to his music that has continued intermittently to the present day. Kenny Aronoff contributed drums and songwriting to this album as well. Some of the artists from past albums also make appearances. This album illustrates Mirabal's ability to fuse rock to traditional rhythms and thoughts with ease. Mirabal met Mark Andes through Andes' partner, Eliza Gilkyson. The album's ten songs were built on the relationship between Mirabal, Andes, and traditional drummer Reynaldo Lujan. It was produced by Michael Wanchic, who had previously produced John Mellencamp. As to Mirabal being a departure from his flute albums, Mr, Mirabal cited some cultural influences based on coming from Indigenous culture. With regard to this, he stated in a 1997 article, Singing the Truth, that coming from a minority, and being able to stand outside the dominant culture, also contributes to his sound, especially on this new record. "My first language is Taos, and even though I write lyrics in English, I use the language differently, and structure things in a metaphorical manner that's closer to the way my people use language. That and Mark's pop sense, and the interest we both have in world music, created what you hear on Mirabal. What I create comes out of my body and soul, in a desire to take care of the spirits of the earth. I wanted to make an album that explores all of the things people experience, love, hate, fear, confusion, and especially the loneliness that seems to be so pervasive in modern society. And I wanted it to have a rock'n'roll edge."
The centerpiece of this exquisite album is
Tony and Allison, composed and written by Mirabal on his own. Imagine an Indigenous narrative that duplicates the feeling of the best Peckinpah movies. Two young Indigenous people go on a spree through the Southwest, robbing and shooting innocent people in a wanton and careless manner. The backstory on this tune, again quoting
Singing the Truth, is that
Wanchic asked Mirabal what else he had in mind. Mirabal....."I had my keyboard with me, so I brought it in and played 'Tony and Allison,' a song I started writing years before, while hitch hiking through Utah. I saw a newspaper blowing down the road and it had a story in it about an old Indian man who'd found a skeleton. There was a picture of the old man standing in a desolate landscape; under the picture he was quoted - 'You could die out here and never be found.' That phrase haunted me. I wrote a short story about the death of that skeleton, and put it to this hip-hop rhythm I'd come up with." The poem, set to music is an allegory for the senseless violence that plagues so many Indigenous families and tribes. The girl in this narrative is herself a victim, taken without conscience from the home she loved. The track fades before their fate is disclosed, as they disappear into a place, where (to quote the lyrics) "you could die out here and never be found."
Little Indians, the seventh track is another song which has been presented on more than one Mirabal album. The track is acoustic, with a sweet feeling that belies the sadness and loss of innocence that Indigenous children feel as they enter school and lose touch with their culture. The pull of the Dominant Culture does battle with tribal culture too quickly and painfully. Many tribes are now educating their children in their own languages to ameliorate this cultural clash. Track 8,
The Dream, is a chant over traditional drums, played most likely by Reynaldo Lujan, the co-writer of the song. Tiwa chants occur in counterpoint to the drumming, and the song pulsates with a throbbing feel that offers another small look into the prayers of the Taos People.
An Kah Na, the next to last track, is an acapella chant that is performed in Tiwa. Again from
Singing the Truth, Mirabal:
"'An Kah Na' means 'My Mother,'" Mirabal explained. "It's based on a moonlight song, just a simple melodic vocal line that lets people hear the beauty and complexity of my Native language. If you live a traditional life you see things differently, spiritually and musically. It was an unexpected song." An Kah Na is prayer-like, and presumably is included for that reason on
Mirabal. The final track,
Cyberspace Warrior, is a complete departure from anything else on
Mirabal. It is a dance track based on African rhythm patterns. The lyrics are somewhat surreal, and the track is based upon a dream that Mirabal had which he used as inspiration for the track. The track is also a plea for cultural respect instead of assimilation, asking listeners to leave the world's cultures in better shape than we found them. Mirabal had a family broken by assimilation....
"I grew up with my grandparents and mom, an all woman family mostly. That was the classic thing in the '70s, a lot of relocation, children being taken from their homes by government and economics, marriages breaking up. I didn't have much connection with my father." Mirabal:
"Cyberspace Warrior" is a flat out rocker that features some tasty Senegalese-style electric guitar by Andy York. "I wanted something that was fun," Mirabal said. "It's a bit of world, some rock, some alternative stuff, but it's all me. On a Sunday afternoon, if I take a ride in my car, I listen to the Native station, then dial over to some jazz, rock, oldies, rap, whatever. I don't know if I'm a rocker, but I love music and don't like the American tendency to categorize it. This album touches on all the music I've heard as I've traveled around the world."
In 1998, Robert Mirabal participated in the album Native American Lullabies: Under the Green Corn Moon. The album brings several Indigenous artists and elders together to sing songs that at once otherworldly and soothing. Like Sacred Ground from 2005, many of these artists composed songs especially for this album, or performed songs from their tribal backgrounds. The music here is beautifully recorded, gently performed, and for any age listener. The lullabies are presented in the names of their various tribes.
Cover Art Work for Native American Lullabies: Under the Green Corn Moon
The album's seventeen selections begin with Lorain Fox performing Tu Tu Teshcote-Aztec, a gentle tune sung in her tribal language. The song is quite simple and charming. A laid back feeling is a perfect way to begin this album. The background is an autoharp/zither, organ, percussion, and Indigenous flute. Kiowa, done by Dorothy White Horse follows. The lullaby begins with an Indigenous flute and drum, and the song moves in a cycle that is charming. Later in the song, a keyboard and percussion join the flute. Taos Pueblo, done by Robert Mirabal in his native Tiwa language, and sung without instruments, goes back to the Pueblo's oral tradition, and his child may be heard responding to the song. Shii' Na-Sha-Navajo, a lullaby of the Di'neh Nation is done by Julia Begaye in a round, as other tribes' lullabies are done here on this album. Gentle drum, flute, and maracas make this song a wonderful addition here. Micki Pratt of the Cheyenne Nation presents her selection, Cheyenne, in her tribe's language, accompanied by drum, a haunting Indigenous flute, keyboard, and rattles. Joanne Shenandoah presents Oneida Iriquois, with this song being very beautiful, perhaps one of the most pretty in an album full of lovely and gentle songs. This selection is a bit more ornately presented than some of the lullabies, with drum, maraca, acoustic guitar, zither, and overdubbed vocals in the last verse illuminating the beauty of this ancient song.
Chippewa Mother and Child-Early 1900s
The chant performed by tribal elder Alph Sekacucu, Hopi, is done with drum, rattle, and is sung in his tribal tongue, most likely Tewa. Like Taos Pueblo, the Hopi (Hopituh-Shi-nu-mu) Nation are a Pueblo people, and live in roughly six communities in Northeastern Arizona. Mary Philbrook, a resident of Canada, next presents Mic Mac, a pretty lullaby with keyboard, percussion, cricket whistle, and Indigenous flute. This charming tune takes a call and response approach between vocal and flute. Montana's Tzo Kam offers Salish (Lillooet), a quaint and pretty lullaby which has beautiful backing vocals, a simple but elegant melody, and soothing tone. Tribal elder Dorothy Hunting Horse Gray offers next a second Kiowa lullaby. It is comforting, with a drum being the main accompaniment. There is subtle percussion, probably rattle. Tom Wasinger, a member of the Pawnee Nation, presents a cool instrumental lullaby. Pawnee, with Indigenous flute, a stringed banjo type of instrument, and percussion. It is fairly unique here, being without vocals.
Great Plains Tribe Mother and Child
Myra Aitson from the Comanche Nation presents Comanche Lullaby, sung in a beautiful alto voice with zither, maracas, and drums. It is certainly a highlight of this lovely collection. Jerry Garrett of the Oglala Nation presents a haunting lullaby from his tribe, Oglala Sioux. A zither plays a simple scale, with drum and rattle in the background. These lullabies, so simple in their presentation, are quite unusual in their ability to still the mind and the heart. Mashantucket Pequot Nation member Laughing Woman presents her tribe's lullaby, here simply called by the tribe's name, Mashantucket. The melody is very spellbinding, with drums, zither, bass, and Indigenous flute behind her gorgeous vocal. Ann Shadlow, an elder of the Cheyenne Nation, presents an unusual lullaby with water sounds, rattle, and vibes in the background. The lullaby, again just named after the tribe, Cheyenne, is quite unusual with its use of natural sounds behind the vocal.
Modern Indigenous Mother and Child-Arizona
Montana's Salish Nation offers a second lullaby, simply named Salish, sung by Kelly White. The song is quite unusual, as it changes time signatures and keys within the tune. Most of the song is sung without instruments. Drums, zither, and vibes join near the middle of the lullaby. Ms. White performs a pretty bird call at the end. Dorothy White Horse, Kiowa Nation elder, sings the album's very brief final selection, a reprise of her earlier song. Again the title is simply the tribe's name. She explains the selection's meaning briefly and the album closes.
If you enjoy a quiet and peaceful time during your day, this album could be a wonderful companion. It offers a set of relaxing and refreshing collection of Indigenous performances, all performed in the various tribes' mother tongues. If you are a parent of little ones, like myself, it may be an answer to help relax your little folks before bedtime. This album is a treasure, simply because it preserves a number of traditional songs in a time when various tribes are struggling to hold on to their languages, beliefs, dances, and songs.
Cover Art Work for Taos Tales Album
After a hard year of touring in support of the Mirabal album, Robert Mirabal entered the studio in late 1998 and early 1999 to record an album based in the colorful history of his New Mexico home region, Taos. The album that ensued, Taos Tales, is somewhat of a concept album, however the album's individual songs stand on their own quite satisfactorily. The album is a return to Indigenous flute, combined with tasteful use of his band to add flavor. Drummer Reynaldo Lujan, Mirabal's cousin, returns on this album, and the moods here are turbulent but subtle.
The album opens with the first recording of the song Painted Cave. Throughout the world, Indigenous peoples have expressed their stories, narratives, and spiritual expression on caves using colors born from the earth and mixed by traditional and time honored methods. Painted Cave is a song which leads the listener to reflect on his or her own connectedness to the Earth, or distance as well. As time has passed, tribes have had to literally and legally fight for the right to their lands, their culture, and their languages. Perhaps in recognition of this fact, Mr. Mirabal speaks his native Tiwa language throughout Taos tales, beginning with Painted Cave.
Example of Cave Art from New Mexico
Friends, Taos Tales' second track, begins with Reynaldo Lujan drumming, followed by a chime. The cellos on Friends offer a solemn emotional color to the tune. The guitar here is recorded acoustically with eloquent reverb added. Mr. Mirabal sings again in his native Tiwa language. The feel here again is solemn, as if Mr. Mirabal wants to impart the starkness of his home, with the incredible contrasts between the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the high sagebrush plain through which the Rio Grande River has cut a deep canyon, known to locals as "The Box." The third track, Po'pay Runner, makes a veiled reference to the Oke'eh Owinge Pueblo member who orchestrated the only successful revolt against European powers in the Americas by Indigenous peoples while living in Taos Pueblo. The Indigenous flute and cellos again add a solemnity to the music which to this listener communicates the suffering and yet the relief that New Mexico Pueblos must have felt when they realized what they had accomplished despite speaking six different languages. The Hunting Party, track 4, is an important reminder of the view that New Mexico tribes and other Indigenous people hold toward hunting. as a rule, most of the Pueblos see the animals that surround them as equal members of The Creator's world. Prayer before, during, and after hunts is central to the ideal....that tribal members take only what they need for their families, thanking the spirit of the animal for giving up it's life. In a similar manner, the tribes prayed for the crops they planted to grow tall and nourish their people.
Oquwa/J.D. Roybal, San Ildefonso Pueblo, 1922-1978, Pueblo Corn Dance, 1968, Acrylic on paper
Track 5, Skinwalker's Moon, is sung in English. The oral history of many of the Southwestern Indigenous tribes make reference to a group of shamans, who through evil actions and breaking of Tribal Laws have developed the ability to take animal form at will and to control the actions of innocent victims. In many ways, the descriptions of skinwalkers parallel the oral traditions of Haitians who practice Voodoo. In this most unusual recording, Mr. Mirabal gives voice to the fears that Pueblos have had for generations, especially from the Di'neh. An eerie cry that sounds wolf-like may be heard at the track's beginning. The tone of Mirabal's vocal conveys an urgency that only fear can produce. The drums and cellos keep a rapid heartbeat, echoing the vocal. A violin solo offers picture of a frightened person running frantically across the land trying unsuccessfully to escape.
February 2014 image photographed near Dulce, New Mexico-Thought to be Skinwalker
Onate, the album's sixth track, begins with a string solo that reminds this listener of ancient Jewish melodies. It would be hard to tell if this was conscious on the composer's part or not. The Indigenous flute appears soon after, and the track morphs into a more contemplative feel. The picture this listeners sees is a long train of Spanish soldiers, colonists, and animals snaking up the Rio Grande toward what would eventually be Santa Fe. The next track, Bataan Death March, refers implicitly to the barbaric march United States and Filipino soldiers had to endure after the Japanese Imperial Army invaded The Phillipines in World War II, leading to the deaths of nearly 1000 members of The New Mexico National Guard who were deployed to The Phillipines in September 1941. The soldiers, both American and Filipino, bravely held off the Japanese for nearly six months before being overcome and forced to march 65 miles to Bataan without food or water. Those who tried to sneak a drink or a bite of food were killed on the spot by the Japanese. Mirabal's track begins with a single drumbeat, with mournful strings entering later. The vocals here are in Tiwa, and resonate as grief filled and beyond comfort. Midway through the song, a frantic section perhaps illustrates the hopelessness those warriors must have felt while fighting, knowing they were facing near certain imprisonment or death. The track then peels back to the drum to fade. Taos Pueblo was represented by Battery H of the New Mexico National Guard, and lives were certainly lost during and after the March.
Ee-You-Oo, the next selection is sung in Tiwa by Mirabal, and the strident tempo and vocals are reminiscent of a war dance. Perhaps a chant was sung by the Taos Pueblo people when the Bataan survivors returned. The track conveys artillery booming in the background with a violent and sharp Indigenous flute overlay perhaps replicating the sounds of bullets flying. The ninth track, Flute Song, seems to convey a wailing that comes when a deep feeling of grief or loss is experienced. That something is considered missing is implied here in both the tone and manner in which the flute expresses the feelings that Mirabal imparts through it. The single drumbeat returns in Courtship of Starboy, the next selection. The oral history of the Star Boy, the son of the Morning Star and an Indigenous woman, has been deeply imbeded in Taos and other Pueblos for many generations. The woman is said to have disobeyed the Morning Star's request to not dig up a sacred item from the ground. The resulting consequences were that the mother and her only son, Star Boy were banished from the Sky and returned to Earth. After many years, Star Boy wandered throughout the countryside, eventually being orphaned. Because he was part Sky people, he was allowed to return to the Sky. His presence is important in healing dances and the Sun Dance of the Blackfoot Nation.
Acid Rain Dance is a chant put to music which has a driving beat, and perhaps it is a play on words. Certainly the closest any Caucasian has come to replicating the vision seeking of the Indigenous people is the unusual visions produced by dropping pure LSD. The track is overdubbed with water sounds. But the other and equally plausible interpretation is the ruining of the water sources of many tribes through the practice of dumping pesticides and the release of toxic chemicals into the air which then fall back on the Earth, killing plants and animals alike. Track 12, Day of the Dead, touches on the multi-cultural nature of New Mexico's Pueblos, as most of them observe the Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) along with the Chicano people of New Mexico. The track begins with what could be heard as the moaning of the deceased souls, followed quickly by a syncopated drumbeat with the cellos groaning over it. There is an ethereal synthesizer section which offers a different timbre, perhaps the sounds of the grieving family members. Animal sounds emerge then disappear. This could be considered a prime skinwalker time to visit.
Hopi Pueblo Rain Dance in Late 19th Century-Walpi, Arizona
Taos Tales closes with a gorgeous reflection on Winter, entitled The Quiet Season. The heartbeat of the drum is steady and true, with Tiwa language chanting in the background. The feeling of snow, cold winds, and coyotes howling accompany the starkness of the music herein. The most heartfelt of Mr. Mirabal's albums, Taos Tales is an expression of love from Mr. Mirabal to the people and land that he adores. From this perspective, it could be interpolated that this album was as much intended for the ears of the Taos Pueblo people as the world as a whole. This is an album not to be missed, and it is uncompromising in it's vision, and the most deserving of a close listen of all Robert Mirabal's musical album expressions.
Cover Art Work for the Music From a Painted Cave Album and DVD
In 2001, marooned in Montana after the deaths of my wife from polyarteritis nodosa and my sister from diabetes, missing New Mexico desperately, I was lucky to get a ticket to catch
Robert Mirabal and The Rare Tribal Mob perform the show they had put together that was the breathtaking
Music From a Painted Cave. In Billings, we have a beautiful performing arts venue called The Alberta Bair Theater. Knowing that Mr. Mirabal and the ensemble were in Billings and were from Taos Pueblo made it a special experience direct from my home state. The show was everything I expected and more. Having attended Pueblo Dances from the time I was 5 years old, this was what I must have needed to break out of a deep state of grief and melancholy.
Music From A Painted Cave in a live performance I count among the ten best live performances I have experienced, and there must be hundreds of shows by my count from which I am selecting those ten. By heritage, as well as by tradition, Mr. Mirabal is not allowed to disclose the traditional beliefs of his Pueblo, but the show shared a powerful visual and auditory sampling of the folklore and traditions of the Pueblo people. Fortunately, a show was recorded at a Connecticut tribe's theater, and some selections from the resulting dvd may be viewed on Youtube. Here is
Stiltwalker from the dvd:
Robert Mirabal - Stiltwalker
Because
Music From a Painted Cave is a theatrical performance, approaching it as a compact disc is inadequate to really convey the feelings and the subject matter of the live performance. For this reason, it seems better to share selections from the dvd performance to give the reader a better picture of the work. This selection,
Medicine Man, is about a relationship that Mr. Mirabal was blessed to develop as a young man with a traditional cacique (medicine man) from Central New Mexico. Here is the link to the video:
Robert Mirabal - Medicine Man When dancing comes up in the area where I grew up in New Mexico, the Pueblos' Dances are usually the first thing discussed. My family took my Indigenous sister and myself to dances throughout the Northern Pueblos beginning when I was 5 and she was 2. There was a feeling of witnessing something ancient, something holy.
The Dance is the highest expression of Indigenous Beliefs, and as such, it must be respected.
Robert Mirabal - The Dance
The Indigenous tribes of the US Southwest have not always been friendly with each other. The agrarian Pueblos and the roving Di'neh and Apache have not always embraced peaceful co-existence. There was a natural tension due to the relative abundance that some Pueblos had with respect to crops and domestic animals. The roving tribes historically raided the Pueblos, especially the outlying ones, like Mr. Mirabal's Taos Pueblo for grain and meat. Here is a dramatic depiction from
Music From a Painted Cave that illustrates the the tension that these tribes lived under:
Robert Mirabal - The Shield Dance The unification of Pueblo men and women is also deeply steeped in tradition, and many Pueblos are matrilineal, that is, the children take the name and belong to the clan and moiety of their mother. Property is passed from mother to daughter, or was until recently, and the judgement of a partner is such that the man usually defers to the woman. Here is a song that Mr. Mirabal composed to illustrate the relationship's crucial beginning:
Robert Mirabal - The Courtship Song
If this sampling of selections from Music From a Painted Cave has grabbed your interest, you may want to see the full performance on dvd, or grab the cd. This is a theatrical piece of work that gives a small glimpse into the complex nature of Pueblo society. Amazon and other outlets have both, and many selections from the dvd may be previewed on Youtube.
After the extensive touring and performing that Music From a Painted Cave demanded, Mr. Mirabal returned to Taos Pueblo and began work on a new album. The resulting album, Indians Indians, was released in 2003. The album revealed a strong commitment to continuing to writing about the Taos Pueblo people and their complex and opaque lifestyle. This album is a transition for Mr. Mirabal, with him writing all of the album's twelve selections. Reynaldo Lujan and Elan Trujillo do the Tiwa vocals on the album, with the musicians being limited to a small group compared with earlier efforts.
Cover Art Work for Indians Indians Album
Indians Indians opens with a song entitled Governor Bent's Song. The song commemorates the 1847 uprising of the Taos Pueblo against the US occupation. After the Mexican War began, Don Fernando de Taos resident and newly appointed Governor of New Mexico, Charles Bent, was killed by an alliance of Taos Pueblo people and Mexicans called the Taos Revolt. The Taos People were conquered early on, and 300 years of Spanish and Mexican colonization came to an end when the American Army marched into Taos. Perhaps the devils the Taos Puebloans knew were better than the new devils wearing blue and speaking English. The title track, Indians Indians, begins with a tongue in cheek listing of different types of Indians. The rest of the song details the somewhat comical outlook a Taoseno might have when interacting with a tourist. The tourist in this case enters into a relationship with the protagonist of the song, who shows her his "horses." The Puebloan then presumably has his way with the tourist and then gets a ride to Santa Fe on top of it. A cool beat begins about a minute into the song, and Mirabal remembers the encounter, talking to the absent woman The brief partnership ends when his needs change, and the woman gets too intimate. Dream Song follows, a more subdued song, with a duet between Mr. Mirabal and Laura Satterfield, of the Indigenous female trio Walela.
Theo's Dream is a meditation on Mr. Mirabal's Uncle Theo, a relationship that was deep and meaningful. Theo was a Viet Nam War Veteran. Theo was disabled, and the memories of the War haunted him. Like so many soldiers of that War, he found the readjustment difficult. Black Jack Daisy, the fifth track, is again a powerful story, framed as a love song, but really so much more. It is the story of a man who, through his roving eye lost the love of his life. The sadness is expressed not only through the vocal. but also by a mournful cello that follows the melody. Perhaps the saddest part of the song is when the cheater tells the listener that the only one who loves him is his old dog. Blue Lake is a song that again tells a story about a cousin, nicknamed Starchy, the tune returns the listener to the day that Taos Pueblo celebrated Blue Lake's return. The song presents the events from a 7 year old's perspective...the return of the holy place, Blue Lake. In the background, a celebratory chant may be heard. Ruler of My Heart is a love song, a beautiful meditation on the relationship between two people in love. The Indigenous flute sings like a dove in the background, offering an emotional counterpoint to the love expressed in the lyrics.
The next song, Morrison, is a song about the famous lead singer of the Doors, who lived in Albuquerque, some 130 miles south of Taos. The tune is a narrative about an encounter that a Taos Pueblo relative of Mr. Mirabal's had with Morrison at a commune. We can't spoil the story by going any further. Days Before Christmas is a memory of a long departed Christmas season, where his uncle and aunt visited the Pueblo, and his uncle had a drinking problem. There is a progression of growing up rights of passage in the Pueblo, and drinking became one. This is the story of one night's drinking. But...it wasn't just one night. The next to last track, Shine, opens with the vocalist begging the woman he is talking to not to cry. It is as if his song is about his remorseful uncle singing to his wife, and is begging her to smile, to shine. The uncle has broken her heart one too many times, and there is no light left in her to brighten his darkness. Grandpa is a memory of Mr. Mirabal's grandfather. Grandpa passed in 1987, and Mr. Mirabal's grief at his passing is palpable. This was Mr. Mirabal's father figure, and he had the biggest formative male influence on him, and his father has gone to the next world. "The sun always sets like an Indian...."
As Taos Tales was a musical message to Taos Pueblo, Indian Indian is Mr. Mirabal's message of respect and love to his family. One's life growing up in a Pueblo is difficult. Reservation life is unimaginably different than the usual American experience, and Mr. Mirabal has somehow given us a small glimpse into the drama of growing up in a Pueblo in the same manner that Robbie Robertson somehow was able to empathetically present life in the Southern United States on The Band, their second album. The major difference is that Mr. Mirabal's songs are memories, real memories, not songs from his imagination depicting a life he did not live. This album is a concept beautifully realized, with a depth of Indigenous humor and pathos that is engulfing.
Cover Art Work for the Sacred Ground Album
In 2005, Robert Mirabal, Bill Miller, and other Silver Wave label artists were featured on an album, entitled Sacred Ground, which was thematically centered on Indigenous peoples' spiritual relationship with Mother Earth. The album brought a focus to the importance that Indigenous people attach to their relationships with their tribal lands, animals, and the heavens. As may be seen at the beginning of this article, this is not a casual approach, but a reciprocal partnership with the Earth which governs all traditional Indigenous prayers and dances. The album won the 2006 Grammy for Best Native American Music Album.
The album leads off with Bill Miller performing Sacred Ground, the title track. The track celebrates the wild and natural world that is sacred. The track uses modern instrumentation, with a syndrum complimented by guitar, percussion, and Mr. Miller's vocal is double tracked. His voice is a beautiful tenor, reminiscent of Roy Orbison at his best. Bass and normal drums come in halfway through, and the song just grows more majestic. Robert Mirabal's Can You Hear the Call is the second track, which features a scat drum interwoven with Mr. Mirabal playing Indigenous flute, with bass and percussion also heard. There is a synthesized string ensemble that adds an ethereal tone in the last half of the song. The track is memorial to Mr. Mirabal's father. His flute playing here is on a level that haunts and thrills at the same time. Mountain Song, the third selection is done by Star Nayea, Verdell Primeaux, and Johnny Mike. and references It alludes to a sacred mountain. Shuffling drums are present along with a synthesized bass adding color. The track has a fusion feel to it, and is clearly a contemporary tune. This song amplifies the conflicts many tribes have which pit members' income needs on the reservations over and against the mining of tribal lands, desecrating sacred lands. Bill Miller returns on track 4, playing a beautiful Indigenous flute part in a song called Spirit Wind. Chants may be heard, along with an unrelenting percussion track. The song is instrumental, and sparkles. The first half of the album concludes with a track performed by Joanne Shenandoah, entitled Seeking Light. Ms. Shenandoah's vocals are sublime here, and are done in her native tongue as well as English. The track, in keeping with the contemporary feel of the album, features drums, synthesized strings, and multitracked vocals that are quite beautiful.
Shiprock-Sacred to the Di'neh
The second half of Sacred Ground begins with a song entitled Raven, and performed by Little Wolf Band. An instrumental, it suggests the prominence of the raven in many tribes oral history. As with many of the animals of the Americas, the raven is believed to have a special role assigned by The Creator. Robert Mirabal returns next with a haunting remembrance of his grandfather, who was his father in childhood. The song, called People of Yesterday, laments the fading of memories of ancestors who have passed and are no longer a dominant presence in our mental life. The track is haunting, and Mr. Mirabal's grief at not being able to turn to them for guidance is powerful. Little Wolf Band returns for track 8, entitled Prayers In the Wind. Like much of Sacred Ground, the track rocks solidly, with chants heard in the background. The track musically covers a similar theme to Robert Mirabal's People of Yesterday, and is again quite haunting and ethereal. Let Us Dance, performed by Verdell Primeaux, David Carson, and Johnny Mike, is a song about the temporary nature of one's life, and how the importance of passing on the traditions, dancing, singing, and ceremonial rites, must be observed and carried out. The loss of Indigenous languages is a challenge for many tribes the world over. Language is the medium of the oral traditions. Walela, along with Joanne Shenandoah perform a song called Mother Earth. Walela, composed of Rita Coolidge, Priscilla Coolidge, and Laura Satterfield, is a Cherokee vocal group whose members have been famous in the world of rock music for many years before uniting to record Indigenous music. This song is positively chilling, and alludes to Crazy Horse's vision of healing Mother Earth through seven generations.
This album's spirituality and solemnity lays out the importance of Sacred Places and the Indigenous Peoples of North America's alarm and sadness at the raping of Mother Earth by humans who have no perspective of what the consequences their stupidity will have for their grandchildren and great grandchildren. The Earth is a living planet, and all are dependent upon maintaining the delicate balance that has been so distorted by humans seeking money, the most deadly of all human addictions.
Under the name of Johnny Whitehorse, Robert Mirabal has recorded three memorable albums. His Taos Pueblo given name in the Tiwa language translates as Johnny Whitehorse in English. Mr. Mirabal
returned to a more rock sounding style, with the selections focusing here upon his love of horses. Every song offered on Johnny Whitehorse has a horse centered theme. Given Mr. Mirabal's previous work and descriptions of his life at Taos Pueblo, this theme was a natural.
Cover Art Work for Johnny Whitehorse Album
The opening track focuses on a drumbeat that is steady and steadfast. The Indigenous flute is the primary voice that Mirabal uses on this tune. The track, entitled White Horse Dreaming, is a natural vehicle for the otherworldly sounds this flute can make. There is what sounds like a synthesizer in the background providing some mid-range tension. A rainstick adds percussion. There are sounds that imitate birds throughout the song. The picture this listener gets is an Indigenous horseback rider riding across the sage plains around Taos with leather covering his legs, but bare from the waist upward. There may be combat taking place. Indian Pony, the second track, continues the intense drumming with a large drum and smaller bongo like drums being heard. There are chants to be heard, and a rainstick. The Indigenous flute adds color to the scene, which sounds like either a war dance or a race of some type. It is haunting. Two years passed before Mr. Mirabal recorded another album. In 2007, he had the inspiration to share three albums, In the Blood, A Pueblo Christmas, and Festivalink Presents Robert Mirabal at Taos Solar Festival 7/1/07 . In the Blood is an album that focuses on themes that are new, and also some that are new versions of songs originally presented on Music From a Painted Cave. The whole album is more collaborative with respect to songwriting, with the caveat that several of the songs are new studio recordings of older songs. The third selection, Spirit Rider, is a powerful nod to the dead, who have passed into the next world, yet ride their horses there, watching over the people of their tribe. There is a rapid galloping sound that may be heard, along with an eerie sound that resembles a tambourine taped and then played backwards. The next track, Iron Horse, has a rumbling sound in the background with a set of two drums playing against one another. The deep thundering sound reminds me of the sound of a long train rumbling past as I hold my ear to the rails to pretend I am Indigenous, which is a game we used to play at church camp when the Santa Fe Railroad was still itself and not a corporate conglomerate. It is also reminiscent of what a thundering herd of buffalo sounded like before they were nearly made extinct by railroad men shooting them by the hundreds of thousands.
Front Cover of Stephen Gough's Book - Colter's Run
Highway Historical Marker Commemorating Colter and His Run
Track five is an interesting and multicultural flavored recording. Runners of Snowy River begins with an ethereal, low guttural sound. This is an Australian didjeridu. It would be easy to mistake it for a bass harmonica.War drums come into consciousness early on, and the scene comes to mind from John Colter's life when he is caught by the Blackfeet and is made to strip naked in freezing, snowy weather and is given the chance to run for his life. Somehow he evades the Blackfeet warriors and wanders across what is now most of the entire state of Montana and makes it alive to a fort on the banks of The Big Horn River, still naked. The sixth track, Riding Alone, is a haunting tune. There is a Taos Drum miked with echo that makes it sound ominous, and a violin and Indigenous flute that play a morose melody, giving the listener the sense that a lonesome rider is riding back to his tribal home to deal with a sad event, perhaps the death of a wife or parent. It is a melody that simply exudes deep and unbridled sadness and inconsolable grief.
The next selection, Fear the Colt, begins with a sound that is cheery and could represent a newly born foal. The song grows into a musical mood that seems to illustrate in sound the conflict that a young foal has to face when tamed and domesticated for riding. To a young foal, the idea of a bit and bridle must seem like hell. To a trainer, there is the unsettling fine line to walk between taming the foal and completely breaking it's spirit. Eventually there must be a meeting of minds and souls. A reliable war pony was essential to a warrior's survival. Riders in the Rain, Track eight, is a mood piece with what sounds like a group of warriors trying to get to their camp with their horses exhausted, defeated, and hungry. The sound of a warrior coaxing and cajoling his mount onward may be heard periodically. The rain keeps falling, and the ride becomes nightmarish. It feels as if everything is closing in, and chances of a good end are trickling away with the rain. Track nine, The Last Ride of Cochise, begins with a gentle bass plucking away, maracas shaking, and acoustic guitar. The flute carries the melody. When Cochise died of cancer in 1874, his body was painted yellow, black, and bright red, and was taken into the Dragoon Mountains of Arizona. It was lowered into a crevice, the location of which is now unknown. Toward the end of the song, Cochise's words of peace are spoken by Mirabal softly in the background. The final track, Whitehorse Rides, is a mood piece that incorporates rainstick, Taos Drum, maracas, and lovely Indigenous flute. To this listener, it sounds as if the song is a musical expression of the exhilaration that a rider feels when he is riding without worry or fear as fast as he can, reproducing the incredible dive of a peregrine falcon as it dives at incredible speed toward the prey that is for dinner that day.
K'uu-ch'ish 1805-1874
Arizona's Dragoon Mountains - Resting Place of K'uu-ch'ish
This album is a concept album in the best sense of the world. Because it is done as primarily instrumental, the listener's imagination can adopt the idea of what the concept is, and mold it into his own vision, his own interpretation. This is Mirabal at his best, presenting a beautiful offering to his listener, and respecting him enough to allow a bit of imagination to flower without stifling the listener's creative emotional response to Mr. Mirabal's creation.
Cover Art Work for In The Blood Album
In the Blood is Robert Mirabal's finest album under his own name. It is a meditation on Spirituality lost and then regained. Like Taos Tales and Indians Indians, this album has an overriding theme, but the individual songs also have important stories and points to share with the listener. In the Blood begins with a brief picture in sound entitled The Chief Escapes. The meaning is left open to interpretation. Medicine Man then makes another appearance on In the Blood with a new studio recording that is more uptempo, and perhaps more confrontative. The person Mirabal presents singing this song is a little more aggressive, a little more challenging. Instead of the song's singer sounding resigned, the picture here is darker and more powerful. The Indigenous flute sounds disturbing, haunting. The third Track, Indian Johnny, is a tale of of an angry husband shooting his wife's suitor, then offering him a job. The song's message is a strong indictment of the takers in the tribe who do not contribute to the community's betterment. Brave New World, written by Robert Mirabal with Andy Byrd, begins with a train crossing signal, then references the novel of the same name as this song, A Brave New World. Part of the Huxley novel is set in the Western Pueblos of New Mexico, notably Acoma, Laguna, and Zuni. The novel is a utopian vision, like many of the then contemporary books of the 20th Century. Unlike other novels, this novel is a warning of the negative future a utopian society could bring. There is a plot theme of "savages" who take to the attractions of the new society like bears to honey. In time, it becomes apparent that the people who remain living on the "Savage Reservations" are the only people who have a vestige of true humanity left in them. The rest of the world is deceived, programmed by the governing powers to consume the new, trash the old, and true intimacy is nowhere to be found. In the end, the question the listener asks is "who's the savage?"
Aldous Huxley Quote from Brave New World
Holding Up the Sky is an uptempo rocking number, and taps into the conflict and anger many Indigenous people have toward the dominant culture, due to to promises from the past that are unkept...treaties, agreements, promises. Mr. Mirabal sings about various aspects of the fear that members of the dominant culture have toward the world going to hell. Mirabal then quotes Sitting Bull. The point is that the thought that Indigenous people can save the world is a concept that could make Indigenous people feel even more powerless, because their cultures are so damaged by the sector of the dominant society that wants to adopt Indigenous views of the world. Mirabal makes two points here, with the first being that the dominant culture has got to keep the promises it made and broke repeatedly to Indigenous tribes. The second is that the tribes themselves have got to develop a better view of themselves and take pride in their heritage and hold the dominant culture accountable for the broken promises. A beautiful remake of Little Indians follows, with the memorable lyric that asks if it is possible for Indigenous children to break out of the cycle of disillusionment and disappointment that so many young people floating between two cultures have that degrades them and causes them to disengage and begin self-destructive behavior. While the dominant culture is in love with the Noble Savage ideal, in reality the lives of Indigenous children are exactly the opposite. Theirs is a struggle to find an identity.
The title track of the
In the Blood album, a Mirabal co-write with Andy Byrd, follows
Little Indians, and the whole rock feel of the album continues here.
In the Blood shifts the mood of the album, building on the message of the last few songs. The whole feel of the song is a celebration of being Indigenous. Instead of trying to be something else, Mr. Mirabal challenges his people to turn to their heritage and take pride in it. The medicine for the clash between Indigenous and dominant cultures inside each Native Man or Woman is to stop fighting and to embrace their Indigenous heritage proudly and completely. Here is the video that Robert Mirabal put together for this track
Robert Mirabal-In the Blood (title track) Tsel-Mo-Ah (The Butterfly Song) is a beautiful traditional anthem that offers a majestic track with chanting in Tiwa prominently presented. The lyrics are by Patrick Shendo Mirabal, whose singing is heard. The melody is from a Jemez Pueblo children's social dance. The version of
Ee You Oo that follows
Tsel-Mo-Ah is a new 2007 recording of the song that first appeared on
Taos Tales, then Music From a Painted Cave. The song is sung in Tiwa. A 2007 recording of
Theo's Dream follows
Ee You Oo, and the contrast drawn with the earlier meditations on embracing Indigenous heritage is sharply drawn. It is another reminder of the damage that war does to human beings, all human beings. The feel that is engendered is one of Theo being lost, lost to all he was or could ever be. The guitar here is simply stunning.
Things Are Different Now, a rare non-Mirabal composition, follows, and features Paul Fowler. This song makes the observation that things are changing, perhaps more randomly than any of us can imagine. The counterpoint between Robert Mirabal and Paul Fowler here brings an eerie sense of discomfort. The reverb on the vocals and instruments yields a distortion that impels us to move out of our comfort zone to listen to the song, which is the point of the song....if we get too comfortable, we cannot embrace the opportunities and changes we encounter due to fear.
Pottery Shard Man is the next to last track, a powerful track that rocks in a manner very close to traditional Taos drumming, which is the point. Mirabal asks, can we find the light? Can we love in the face of the unexpected and the tragic? Can we dance? In dance is the spirituality we crave so strongly. A new recording of The Dance from 2007 closes this superb album, and the first sound is the Taos drum, played by Reynaldo Lujan. As Mr. Mirabal so eloquently sings, "where there is suffering, there is dance." We all must find our own way to peace. The song rocks and the drum is there, guiding it all, bringing it home. If Taos Pueblo is Mr. Mirabal's home, it is also where his heart lives... The Mountain, The sacred Blue Lake, the Dance, and the Drum.
The Taos Drums
Cover Art Work for Johnny Whitehorse Totemic Flute Chants Album
Back Cover Art Work for Totemic Flute Chants
(explanation of totems and album's theme)
With the Johnny Whitehorse album having been very well received, and nominated for a Grammy for Best Native American Album, Mr. Mirabal returned to his alter ego for a second Indigenous concept album, this time describing in sound the various animals who serve as spiritual guides to the various tribes incorporating totems in their overall religious beliefs. Totemic Flute Chants is another work which is more inwardly directed and spiritually centered. The Totemic Flute Chants album received the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Native American Album in a very competitive year for outstanding Indigenous artists' albums. It is important to note that Mr. Mirabal has incorporated Aboriginal instrumentation in several of his albums throughout his recording career. Among the instruments to be heard on this album in addition to Taos Drum, Indigenous flute, maracas, and rainsticks, he can be heard using didjeridu, bullroarer, and clapsticks. Each totem presented on this album represents admirable traits that Indigenous tribal members admire and wish to emulate.
Leading off the album is a song for the Cougar. Taos Drum, Indigenous flute, and rattle simulate the quiet and stealthy movements of this secretive hunter. Those fortunate enough to see a cougar in the wild often do not realize that the animal may have been stalking them. The next song is the song for the Coyote, whose cleverness and ability to survive difficult living situations is honored by many tribes. The coyote has the widest range of North American canines still wild, and Mirabal's playing here is reminiscent of the yips of the coyote. At roughly two and a half minutes in, tribal chants emerge with imitation of coyote cries closing the tune. The Thunderbird is an animal that is sacred to many Southwestern US tribes. There are also oral histories of thunderbirds in many other tribes in the US. Most tribes believe that by beating it's wings, thunderbirds create the movement of clouds into thunderheads that bring rain.
Keresan Pottery with Thunderbird
The next selection of this album is the Emergence (Creation). The ancient tribes of the Southwest believe that they emerged from Mother Earth. Taos Pueblos point of Emergence is believed to be their sacred Blue Lake (see illustration above). Mr. Mirabal speaks a brief part of the Emergence, and today's kivas, are really not that different than the Anazazi old ones. The old ones' ruins are considered sacred, and are protected by federal law. The next selection, Earth Mother, opens with a cry and rattle. Taos Drum and violin enter, and the whole feel is of Mother Earth giving birth to the animals, plants, and other life that make up the Indigenous world. The Pueblo kiva and Lakota sweat lodges are places of prayer, purification, and atonement. That they are underground and sometimes dark commemorates the role of Mother Earth in the Emergence.
Mother Earth by Maxine Toya, Jemez Pueblo Potter
Serpent, which follows Mother Earth, represents primal energy in most tribes' beliefs. It is believed that serpents represent healing energy and spiritual growth during times of change. The serpent sounds here are hisses and serpent energy is unconscious energy hidden from the everyday mind. Often serpents show up in dreams, calling attention to unfinished life dilemmas. The many Indigenous flutes here call to us to reveal what we need to know or to heed in our lives. In many ways, some of the flute parts on this song sound East Asian Indian in their flavor. Buffalo, the next song, begins with Indigenous flute, rattle, drum set, and synthesizer in the bass clef. To many tribes, the buffalo is a symbol of abundance and thankfulness. In Lakota culture, The White Buffalo Woman taught the Lakota how to pray, live a sacred life, and about the role of the Lakota in the world. The next selection, Whale, is important to Indigenous people in the Pacific Northwest, with Orcas being especially significant. Mr. Mirabal here does a nice job of placing whale song within the body of the overall sound of this tune. The waves of the ocean my be heard, as can the spouting of the whales. Humpback whale song is delicately woven in and out of the tune, suggesting their place, so close and yet so far away. Elk, the totem song following Whale, begins with the trumpeting male elk during rutting season, announcing the entrance of Autumn and the cold time to come. The clash of the male elk during rutting season is a sign of love, bravery, endurance, and male spirit power. The Indigenous flute is said to have been created by the elk people to attract women, and their sound was thought to be irresistible.
Late 19th Centry Plains Tribe Tipi with Eagle Clan Symbol
Whale Totem from Tlingit Nation in Alaska
Di'neh Bear Medicine Sand Painting
Indigenous Plains Tribe Wolf Clan Dancer
Following Elk is Eagle. In the cosmology of the Pueblos, the Eagle is the guardian of the upward direction, and represents balance and spirituality. Eagle feathers are symbols in the Plains tribes of bravery in war. Listen closely here, and the piercing cry of the eagle may be heard, woven into the music. Bear is next, with the bear representing bravery, gallantry, and in Pueblo cosmology, Bear Medicine represents the West and the color blue. Bear Medicine included wearing claws, or including them in medicine bundles. Strength and power were also ascribed to Bear Medicine. Ending this lovely and powerful animal is Wolf. The cries of the wolf are a sound heard less and less in the USA, because they are shot by poachers and government hunters after being labelled as threats to domestic livestock. In this selection, an Australian Indigenous instrument called a bullroarer may be heard. You may associate it with the sound that might be made by a giant mosquito. Wolf calls are again included here. Wolf Medicine is associated with bravery, daring, and hunting. In some tribes the Wolf Clan is associated with creation.
What to make of this album? It is fairly unique, and it is a wonderful statement using music as a means to acquaint young Indigenous children about their traditions and heritage. It is also useful to help other cultures understand to a small degree, the uniqueness of Indigenous peoples of North America and they way that they look at the world. To some degree, the USA high school athletic mascots are are direct descendants of totem medicine, and this simply another way non Indigenous people have "borrowed" from North American Indigenous Spirituality and Belief. Most of all, it is a masterpiece of Robert Mirabal's musical expression, and the beauty and depth it radiates makes it more powerful than even he may have envisioned.
Cover Art Work for Pueblo Christmas Album
2007's second album from Robert Mirabal is a holiday themed album, Pueblo Christmas, which on first blush seems unusual from him, given his more traditional outlook. The genre of Christmas Music is a creature to itself. It is difficult to compare Christmas themed albums with regular releases. This is also true of Robert Mirabal's Christmas album. It is quite special for a few reasons. First, it is designed primarily for an Indigenous audience. Second, it is a present to New Mexico Indigenous children, and finally, it is nice reflection of the duality of religious consciousness that most Indigenous New Mexico Pueblo tribes function under. There is their specific spirituality that dates from time immemorial, but, also, many of the Pueblos have Roman Catholic missions that date back almost 400 years as a religious tradition in their various reservations.
The album begins with a New Mexico themed tune by Mr. Mirabal called Green Chili Christmas. Traditional sleight bells and Indigenous flues kick off the song, which then yield to a mid tempo rock beat. Mr. Mirabal then pulls a "Surfin' USA" and names many of the Pueblos as the song progresses. There is a doo wop type of counterpoint with a fine bass singer chiming in. The album then turns to Indigenous flute and drum based music, beginning with Angels We Have Heard On High. The Indigenous flute is a beautiful instrument to play holiday music on, and at times, the flutes on this carol are double tracked, playing different parts simultaneously through the wonder of the studio. A lovely cello and possibly a bass viola kick of the next selection, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. The Indigenous flute and cello play the melody together with flourishes from each instrument. This interpretation of this traditional tune is a highlight of this album. We Three Kings of Orient Are follows, with an acoustic guitar accompanying the Indigenous flute. The flute seems to come from nowhere, and the echo on the track itself adds a pathos to the song. The picture my mind envisions is a shepherd, alone with his flock outdoors, playing his flute to celebrate the holiday with no one else to hear him but the sheep.
Illustration of Taos Pueblo Church at Christmas by Valerie Graves (valeriegraves.com)
The version of Away In a Manger is done in waltz time and is lovely, with the flute taking the melody accompanied by acoustic guitar, cello, tambourine, and at the end....wolf calls in the wind. A gently plucked guitar begins Silent Night, with the flute entering at measure 4. This carol is perfect for interpretation by Indigenous flute. The middle section features a lovely cello, which is then replaced by guitar and flute for the second playing of the melodic theme, simply perfect in it's simplicity. The flute returns to play the introduction to Hark the Herald Angels Sing, with variations on the main melody played by the cello and flute, with guitar added for timekeeping. Suddenly, at two minutes in, the melody is joyously presented, with what sounds like overdubbed flutes added for color. The next selection is a cool interpretation of a medley of Go Tell It On the Mountain/Jesus Loves the Little Children. The flute playfully takes the lead, almost sounding like a child's tonette. The guitar keeps a walking 4 beat behind it, and it is easy to see children delighting in hearing this version. The maraca and guitar close the tune percussively. A medley is also presented in the next selection, What Child Is This/Greensleeves. The flute again is the lead instrument here, with percussion from plucked guitar, maraca, and variations on the themes from cello. The arrangements on many of these carols is more jazz oriented than rock, and sounds improvisational. Rainstick and bells open Winter Solstice, a Mirabal original. The solstice is a major day of Traditional Pueblo Religion, and the holidays are a combination of celebration of Christian and Traditional Pueblo Indigenous Beliefs. This song is subtly gorgeous, with flute present throughout, and drum, bells, and rainstick at the end. The First Noel is next, with the cello taking the melody. The plucked guitar keeps time, with a beautiful flute middle section. The cello returns to carry the carol to a lovely conclusion.
O Holy Night keeps the tone and mood of the last several selections of this beautiful, yet humble Christmas Album. The melody is carried by the flute, with percussion kept by the guitar, and color added by what sounds like violin and cello. The simple arrangement highlights the music, and shows why this carol is a Christmas standard. Mr. Mirabal presents a spoken word meditation, explaining how Christmas Eve is timeless at the Pueblo, and he himself is just temporarily there. The Virgin Mary is timeless, and children still suffer, and the unchanging Pueblo is the place to return from wherever you are on Christmas Eve. The album ends with a joyous rendition of Jingle Bells, played with loving abandon on the Indigenous flute, accompanied by plucked cello, violin, and guitar. The sleigh bells help change the tune to double time two minutes in, and the song end humorously with a flourish and a hose neighing.
A Pueblo Christmas is an album that you need to listen to on a nice set of speakers or on headphones. Repeated listenings offer new subtle details, humor, and somber worship. This is a gift from one New Mexican to all of the rest of us out there, expatriate or instate. It is not to be missed.
The third and final album record in 2007 is FestivaLink Presents Robert Mirabal at Taos Solar Festival 7/1/07. This album is live, and is a selection of many of Mr. Mirabal's most engaging songs from this new century. The album kicks off with a rocking rendition of Medicine Man. and there is something about hearing this tune live that is magical. The ensemble playing with Mirabal here catches all the subtlety of the studio version, and the Indigenous flute that Mr. Mirabal plays here sings in a manner that is wild and birdlike. The live presentations on this album present Mr. Mirabal the chance to stretch out and play extended versions of several songs.
Amazon Cover Art Work for FestivaLink Presents Robert Mirabal at Taos Solar Festival 7/1/07
The version of Indian Johnny here rocks solidly and harder than the studio version. This is one of those songs of Mr. Mirabal's that has a moral needing to be heard. This simply is a live version that exceeds the studio original. The version of In the Blood here is introduced by Mirabal as a prayer for Indigenous people. The song as a prayer is intended to inspire Pueblo people to see themselves and their beliefs as valuable and powerful. The song places Indigenous people squarely in their culture and dances. The message here is hope. An extended version of Holding Up the Sky is next, with the group rocking hard. The message of the studio version is brought home, and the hope here is for inner stability and knowing ourselves. People who know themselves can reach out and become acquainted with other people who know themselves. Again, this is a prayer, a message to turn inward and to know your roots.
Robert Mirabal Live in 2007 - Taos Solar Festival
A sampled didjeridu kicks off Brave New World, one of Mr. Mirabal's most meaningful compositions. To hear the Singer at the beginning is to have chills. The song is probably too complicated lyrically to get all of the first time in a live setting. Despite that impression, the tune itself is one of Mirabal's finest, and belongs in the small cadre of tunes that have ideas that emerge gradually to the listener upon repeated listens. The crowd sings the refrain at the tune's conclusion. The workout this song receives here simply enhances my admiration of the song. A 13 minute version of Pottery Shards Man, the closing track of the In the Blood album, follows with the song again receiving an extended presentation. The introduction to the song is quite enlightening, and helps the listener put the tune into a context that is understandable. The tune percolates for a few minutes and then rocks hard. The tune is pivotal on In the Blood. The central theme of the tune is "Can We Dance?".....this is a metaphor for "Can We Pray?" Mirabal references the one billion Indigenous people on Earth, and offers the prayer that the Indigenous people of the world can unite to speak as one. This concert's final track is The Dance, which answers a resounding yes to the question posed in Pottery Shards Man...and the Sacred Drum returns to the the foundation, the Beat of Prayer. Aho.
After touring for most of 2008, Robert Mirabal issued his third album as Johnny Whitehorse, Riders of the Healing Road. It again was a concept album, addressing the spiritual brokenness so many of us feel, especially Indigenous people. After the Grammy winning Totem Flute Chants album, which seemed to be addressed to young people and cultures outside of the Indigenous world, this work seemed to be recorded to help the many of us who are broken spiritually to look at searching inside themselves wondering how to heal, to become One again. My brokenness has been healed more than once by being in nature, listening to my higher power inside me, and finding out why I am broken and how listening to my inner Light may unify me again. When I was in New Mexico, I had the good fortune to meet two spiritual leaders in the Pueblos. The holy men, or caciques, as they are called, gave me guidance on how to heal and what to listen for. Later on, I was invited to observe a Sun Dance, which is an unforgettable experience, and got to sweat with several local urban Indigenous people, who keep themselves together with periodic sweat lodge praying. This album directly points to the healing power we all have inside of us and around us.
Cover Art Work for Johnny Whitehorse
Riders of the Healing Road bursts out of my speakers with a sudden flute call, then suddenly transitions into a bullroarer, with what sound like women singing in the background, but is electronic instead. Again the flute is the primary instrument, accompanied by Taos Drum, rainsticks, and maracas. This song called The Ceremony Begins, is a statement of intention and also an invitation. We are explorers of the most complex and confusing territory on Earth...our own inner spirit. A song called Blood Medicine is next, probably referring to the healing practices of Pueblo caciques, which entail the use of of herbs and purification. The song is haunting, giving the feeling that the person needing healing is plagued by bad spirits. As with regular medicine, a cacique must first learn what healing arts need to be used by identifying the problems the person needing healing has. The third track, Saint Sara, begins with flute and acoustic guitar, with wind chimes heard in the background. Bongos come in, along with mandolin. The flute seems to imitate the sound of a woman talking. Guitars come back, and the vocal from Robert Mirabal sounds as if he has lost someone very close to him. The whole song begins to have a feeling of grief and sadness. The next track, called Moving Chi, begins with intense drum, with maracas and Taos Drum as well. The feeling here is one of anger, inner turmoil. It seems that the balance of the person's life is undone. Moving Chi is a reference to Oriental Medicine, chi being life life force. The track may also be possibly a dance prayer using the drum and flute. In Vedanta Medicine, often yoga is used for moving chi. Ancestral Kundalini, track five, is a spoken word track, with Mirabal using an example of Buddhist tantric prayer to illustrate healing. In Christianity, the closest corollary would be the teachings of Jesus about selling everything you own, leaving your family, and following Him. The mantra in this song is "Give Everything Up."
The next track, Rituals of Winter, begins intensely, perhaps communicating the inner struggle that people who seek healing experience. The Taos Drum enters at two minutes in, perhaps representing the heartbeat those of us who practice yoga hear when we are doing it. The flute plays in a very high register, as if a child who has been stifled wants to be released. Hand Tremblers is a meditation by Mr. Mirabal about the inner conflict his grandmother experienced being a healer, a vessel through which cleansing spirit passes, and through which spiritual illness exits. He sings about his grandmother intuitively knowing when someone who needed her was coming. The grandson then describes how he was called to be a healer, and violins and rainsticks offer a feeling of healing. Mimi Spirits, the next track, begins with a bullroarer, signifying perhaps spritely spirits, or as mediums describe, "spirit helpers." Mimi Spirits is an intense track that refers to the tall thin spirits living in the Australian Outback at the Time of Dreaming. They engaged the Aboriginal Indigenous people, teaching them about hunting, cooking, and other important skills. There is a similar ancient spirit that Mr. Mirabal refers to in his Music From a Painted Cave album and dvd. Interested listeners may refer to that section of this article where a link to the song and video is posted.
Rock Paintings of Mimi Spirits by Australian Indigenous People
The track that follows, Heal the Bones, is ominously sad, with synthesizer, rattle, and a haunting flute in the first minute. The track continues, adding a Taos Drum, and the voices simulated by the synthesizer are maudlin and turbid...the closest analogy here would be funeral music. The chant Mr. Mirabal sings in the last few minutes is deep in grief, yet may also represent a prayer for letting go of the relative or friend who has died. This album's final song has the same name as this album, Riders of the Healing Road. The flute here has a shrill but more joyous sound. The Taos Drum enters at roughly a minute in, and the track quickens as if the person who this album is about has balanced himself, with the corresponding reintegration into life and all it presents. The album closes on an upbeat tone, with the caution that it is easy to become unbalanced again, if the person does not walk with a balanced heart and mind.
The collection of music that Mr. Mirabal has written and recorded for 25+ years is not only spiritually expressive, but offers listeners the chance to understand the complex world that Indigenous people have to navigate. It is a complex world that not every person can live in, and those who are successful, such as Mr. Mirabal, are interpreters of the traditions that make life meaningful to young people growing up in those traditions. Mr. Mirabal regularly plays free concerts for Indigenous young people, and his work has rippled throughout the Americas. Through his work, a new generation of Indigenous artists and musicians are entering and exploring their worlds, offering a message of renewal of Mother Earth, and an alternative to the soulless world of conspicuous consumption.
This author is indebted to several sources that are important to name:
*Allmusic-The sections on Robert Mirabal, Johnny Whitehorse, and Bill Miller
*Ear Candy Magazine-Home to an excellent interview with Robert Mirabal about Music From a Painted Cave
*hanksville.org-Home to another Robert Mirabal Interview
*desertusa.com-An excellent overview of Mr. Mirabal's career
*Mr. Mirabal's own Blog, updated regularly at his own website
*Neville H. Fletcher-Australian Aboriginal Instruments: The Didjeridu, Bullroarer, and Gum Leaf.
Journal of ITC Sangeet Research Academy-Volume 21-December 2007 pp 61-75
*Alfonso Ortiz-The Tewa World: Space, Time Being and Becoming in a Pueblo Society. 1972-University of Chicago Press
Art work is copyright by Warner Records and Silver Lake Records
Text is copyright by Peter Reum-All Rights Reserved
This article is dedicated to the memory of my Indigenous sister Susan Ann Reum and her daughter and my favorite niece Regina Cata of Albuquerque
