After a quarter century of exploring a wide range of musical collaborations, Benjy Wertheimer and David Michael have finally released their debut CD as a duo, entitled “Within.” The music features Benjy on esraj, a poignant and deliciously expressive 19-stringed bowed instrument from India. David plays Celtic harp and these slow paced duets are designed to guide you to that place within... Virtuoso guitarist Michael Mandrell joins the artists on a number of the pieces and Benjy's wife Heather Wertheimer adds beautiful tamboura and ethereal vocals to complete the surreal soundscape that is perfect for massage therapy, the healing arts, yoga or just peaceful contemplation. The selections on this beautifully idyllic and spacious CD were recorded as live improvisations using the ambient space of “the Cistern,” the incredible sonic environment of an empty 2 million gallon underground reservoir in Fort Worden State Park (in Port Townsend, Washington). National Public Radio dubbed this space “the greatest musical instrument in the state of Washington,” with a reverberation cycle of over 40 seconds. The acoustic characteristics of this space were masterfully captured by engineer Neville Pearsall, whose studio, Synergy Sound, is also located in Fort Worden State Park. The musical synergy of the artists and the exquisite sonic characteristics of the Cistern allowed the artists to enter a blissful, exquisitely connected meditative state, resulting in this collection of hypnotically beautiful improvisations.