Music for the EarthMusic for the Earth, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-exempt organization, has the mission to explore and implement ways that music can be used to enrich the lives of human beings and awaken a spirit of involvement in the preservation of wildlife, wilderness and the natural environments of the Earth. Music for the Earth is governed by a Board of Directors: Peter Forbes, Sarah Laird, James Sinclair and William Ryerson; with the advice of a “Sounding Board”, including Dave Brubeck, Judy Collins, David Darling, Michael Fox, Jane Goodall, H. Wiley Hitchcock, Al Huang, The Very Rev. James Parks Morton, Pete Seeger, Noel Paul Stookey, William Irwin Thompson, Andrew Tracey, and Mary Evelyn Tucker.
Paul Winter, Flyways Music Director and Composer
Chris Berry, Flyways Field Researcher Chris Berry lived for 9 years among the Shona people of Zimbabwe, where he learned mbira (thumb piano), from the traditional masters. Eventually he earned the title of "gwenyambira" ("one whose music calls the spirits"), a distinction reserved only for those who have achieved the highest fusion of the technical and the magical in Shona music. The Paul Winter ConsortThe Paul Winter Consort was formed by Paul Winter in 1967 and became one of the earliest exponents of world music, combining elements from various African, Asian, and South American cultures with jazz. The group comprises a community of some of the world's finest jazz, classical and ethnic musicians, reflecting the broad realm of music and rich textures of sound Winter continues to explore. The Paul Winter Consort has recorded 40 albums and performed over 2,000 concerts in 48 countries.Contact usPlease be in touch with us as this project develops. We would appreciate hearing your thoughts and comments about the site and the Flyways project. You're invited to sign up for news of events and CD/DVD releases. |
Saxophonist Paul Winter has spent the past 30 years exploring ways in which music can be used not only to enrich people's lives, but also to engender dialogue and catalyze change. One of the pioneers of world music, he was also among the first to incorporate sounds of nature and wildlife into his compositions, creating a unique genre of "earth music," which interweaves voices from the symphony of the wild, along with instrumental voices from classical, jazz and indigenous traditions. Winter has recorded more than 40 albums, of which 12 have received Grammy nominations, and 7 have won (the most recent being Miho: Journey to the Mountain, which won a Grammy Award in 2010).