About this track: The Condor plays an important role in many southwestern tribes - in Chumash lore, the planet Mars is associated with reddish head of the condor, and Xolxol, a supernatural being. I chose a style that conveys the sense of a condor in flight, circling in the sky. The cover photo "Sunset on Mars" was taken by the Mars exploration rover "Spirit" (photo courtesy of NASA). Originally planned for my debut album "Under The Stars", this long track was omitted due to timing, and re-released here in a shorter, radio-friendly format. This music was recorded live on location inside the 100-inch telescope dome at the historic Mount Wilson Observatory, Pasadena, California on November 2, 2014, using only the natural acoustics, with no added studio effects. Flute made by Michael Graham Allen (Coyote Oldman) 5- hole traditional style in red cedar, key of E minor. Liner Notes - Under The Stars, Too! Virtually every culture on earth tells legends inspired by the moon, stars and planets. Many surmised, as we now know to be true, that our planet and everything on it, was at one time in the heart of a star. This album of solo Native American flute improvisations was created for everyone who has ever gazed into the night sky, and dreamed … For this project, I decided that the musical themes for the improvisations would be based on or inspired by the night sky, in particular on the star legends of various Native North American tribes. I’ve included the European/classical Greek constellations for reference, where there is a counterpart. The album’s story begins at twilight, with the appearance of the evening star, and ends at sunrise, with the singing of birds. Album credits- Special thanks to the Mount Wilson Observatory and the Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. This project would not have been possible without their generous support. Hugs and kisses to MWO’s Tom Meneghini, Ken Evans and Nik Arkimovich for managing the logistics and for their invaluable assistance during the recording session. Undying gratitude to the on-location recording crew from Art Institute - you guys rock! Producer: Philip Mantione Lead Recording & Mix Engineer: Ian Vargo Assistant Audio Engineers: Alex Cho and Brad Delorenzo Mastering: Wayne Peet at Newzone Studio, Los Angeles Cover photo: "Sunset on Mars" taken by the Mars exploration rover "Spirit" on May 19, 2005, at the Gusev crater. Photo courtesy of NASA/JPL/Texas A&M/Cornell About me- I prepared for a career as a classically-trained flutist, but my love for the flute extended to playing every sort of exotic flute-like instrument I could find. When I was a child, friends and relatives would constantly bring me any wooden, bamboo or ceramic flute that they had found while traveling, and hand it to me - "Look - I found a flute for you!" I was also very interested in Native American arts and culture, and even taught myself beadwork and leather-tooling. However, I had never seen or heard a Native American flute until I spotted one hanging on a wall in a gift shop in Boulder, Colorado, in the early 1990s, while on a road trip across the USA. As soon as I played a few notes on it, I was completely hooked. Soon after, I heard (and bought) Carlos Nakai's album "Canyon Trilogy", which inspired me to become a much better NAF (as it’s often abbreviated) player. At that point, I developed a real appreciation for "simple" world flutes and the skill it takes to play each one really well. It would still be a few more years before I would really know the impact that the NAF would have on me and other people…. The tie-in to astronomy is the influence of my husband Nik, who started out as an amateur astronomer, and now is known as a historian and telescope operator at the Mt. Wilson Observatory. I started out playing NAFs on camping trips - I would play by the campfire while he was star-gazing. People would come by, listen to me play, and learn something about the sky from Nik. From there we moved on to star parties, telescope events and official Mt. Wilson observing sessions. Everyone felt that the sound of Native American flute somehow suited the moment, and the location. I was tremendously inspired by Paul Horn’s Inside the Taj Mahal the first time I heard it. The idea for making a similar live, improvised recording, using a telescope dome and astronomy-based themes, became a reality during a chance conversation at a party. Under the Stars came together surprisingly quickly – everyone who heard about the project in September of 2014 wanted to support it. Our crew convened on a cold mountaintop on the evening of November 2nd, 2014 with my collection of flutes, many boxes of food and a heap of recording equipment, and we went to work. I remain indebted to the Mount Wilson Observatory and the Art Institute - Inland Empire who were instrumental in making the recording possible. The resulting one-hour CD Under the Stars and companion digital EP of out-takes Under the Stars, Too! (for the serious NAF improvisation enthusiast) captures the sense of wonder that we all feel when we look into the night sky. As a classically trained orchestral flutist, I've played all over the USA including Los Angeles (Disney Hall, New York, and Chicago (Symphony Center) and around the world; Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Monaco, & the Netherlands. I’ve shared the stage with artists as varied as CeCe Winans, James Galway, and Serj Tankian, and played for the Prince of Monaco (but all he did was come out on the palace balcony and wave). Once on a dare, I danced flamenco on a table at the Meson De Don Quixote restaurant in Philadelphia, but that was a long time ago! I continue to play anything that looks like a flute - including piccolo, alto, bass and contrabass flutes, Native American flutes, shakulute, shakuhachi, bansuri, ocarina, xun, recorder, suling, quena, pan-flute, and didgeridoo (well, I’m not very good on didgeridoo, because it’s more like a trombone than a flute). I can also play the conch, but only when I want to scare my cats.