Customer Reviews

Only Breath

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Luckily, blessedly, for them and for us, poet Kim Rosen and cellist Jami Sieber have tapped into the ancient partnership between poetry and music on this CD of spoken poetry and music. Sieber's cello is not merely background to the poetry but a soulful resonance that carries the words like a buoyant river.

The CD opens with Rosen's recitation of Pablo Neruda's "Poetry" about how he discovered poetry or rather how poetry found him. She doesn't read the poem. She has memorized it, thereby embodying the words. Sieber's electric and acoustic cello, as well as her own vocals, offer multiple layers of memory in an alchemical blend of wonder. Although the piece may lead you to a book of Neruda poems, you won't be able to read them without the sound of the cello in your heart.

As the two collaborators say, "Great poetry, on its own, can unlock patterns of thought so that gusts of pure insight blow through. Music can literally enter the pulsations of the body and awaken the heart." Listening to the CD, I came to experience that awakening. Poems, some of which I already knew, were brought to life because of the attention paid to them and the mindful intention of Rosen and Sieber. Also, when you hear a poem, there is your own remembering: a revelation, a conscious acknowledgment, and then a letting go.

"Before the Beginning" is a blend of music and spoken word based on the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke. "Let everything into you: Beauty and Terror," Rilke's words say as translated by Rosen and Maria Krekeler. The words float through a current of cello and bansuri bamboo flute played by Steve Gorn.

There is so much richness on the CD with the words, the poems written and recited as a sacred practice in a magical weaving with music. It causes one to rejoice and dance! And every time you listen, there will be more layers revealed to you. "River" is a rousing presentation of Stanley Kunitz's "King of the River." Other musicians join the pair on this one as well as vocalist Rhiannon. Rilke is again celebrated in "Beyond the Light," which also includes the words of Marina Tsvetaeva and the voices of singing group Ulali.

The title, "Only Breath," is from Rumi's poem, which is included as an exhilarating homage to the Whirling Dirvish who has inspired us for 800 years. Another piece, entitled "Inside the Soul," features Rumi's "Dance with the Bandage Torn Off," translated by Coleman Barks. If you haven't danced up to this point, you will with the wonderful world-rhythm beat of this one.

Kim Rosen has memorized hundreds of poems by beloved poets of the world. Her own words are here, too, including her poem called "Practice." It is about her spiritual practice that isn't about the "high mountain monastery" at all, but the very real aloneness and courage that occurs in a woman's life. Sieber plays the singing bowls to create a reverence for the poem's words. The presentation of it becomes a spiritual practice.

One can only imagine the bubbling excitement of Rosen and Sieber as they dreamed the voices and instruments of those they would invite to join them. Then the sheer amazement as the magical layers offered celebrations of the sacred.

by Mary Ann Moore

for Story Circle Book Reviews

www.storycirclebookreviewsorg

reviewing books by, for, and about women

a seamlessly woven work in which the music and poetry rise to more than the sum of their parts. On Rosen's tongue the poems become fine darts which, lifted on the wings of Sieber's glorious cello, can hardly fail to miss their target, the human heart. This cd merits listening to over and over.

This CD is a first in the genre of spoken word and music. Jamie and Kim have fused the two mediums so beautifully, that the mind simply stops in its tracks while the heart is opened. The accumulative effect of listening to this album from start to finish is to realize that you have been taught a new language- one that you have always known but previously only understood in your dreams. These two women both get down and soar with many excellent musicians that spell out the grammar and articulation of how to truly live on this planet, to ignite the longing to become the best of who you can be. It is a joyful listening pleasure for any time of the day or night.

This is great music, and poetry fans may like the spoken poetry too. Be aware that the music is available without the poetry on a separate CD called "Unspoken". If you already own "Unspoken", don't purchase "Only Breath" thinking it has more music from Jami Sieber.

"Poetry has the capacity to clear away excess and clarify the essential. Music has the potential to manifest feeling on both conscious and unconscious levels. The intricate weaving of the two on the CD, Only Breath, creates an experience that is far more than simply additive. Kim Rosen's dramatic presentation of poetic language awakens deep feelings and knowings that echo those of the listener's heart. Jamie Sieber's cello stretches and wraps around the language; it helps to carry the experience to dimensions beyond simply inner and outer. The thoughtful spare sprinkling of other voices and sounds only deepens the experience. As a palliative and bereavement volunteer with hospice organizations, I know that listening to Only Breath can provide both thought-provoking and soothing support to those who are in the midst of experiencing loss and grief. I am gratefully using it to that end."

In Only Breath Jami and Kim don't just bring poetry and music together...oh no. They alchemize poetry and music with their hearts and souls to produce a truly heart melting collection that will touch you deeply.

The words of poets like Pablo Neruda, Rumi, and Rilke are literally brought to life by Kim Rosen's organic and deeply personal way of delivering their work. The dance of expression between the words and Jami Sieber's cello gives a whole new voice to the work which touches places deep within.

A supporting cast of musicians and vocalists give the CD a full, rich, and diverse sound that captures the essence of each piece of work while maintaining a continuity throughout.

Plan to be so engaged and overwhelmed by the beauty of this CD that you will want to take heed...it should come with that tried and true warning "don't operate heavy machinery while under its spell". You'll either find yourself never leaving the parking lot or wandering off the roadway. It will take you that deep and allow your spirit to soar freely on the words and melodies.

The title cut,,, a working of Jallal ud deen Rumi

I wish the dervish dance to it......

Do not listen the first time in the car,,, you will park until it ends

Jami Sieber and Kim Rosen have created a miracle of poetry and music! This CD is unlike any I have ever heard, melding some of the greatest poetry of all time with music that is dynamic, modern and unexpected. This is not an experience of poetry with background music or music interspersed with poems. Here the poetry and the music are equal, vibrant presences. The union of the two has an alchemical effect of opening the heart and melting the mind. There are tracks that are contemplative and evoke the inner silence summoned by the poetry. There are other tracks with worldbeat rhythms that will compel you to your feet, abounding with lush Native American vocals, layers and layers of percussion, masterful flute, bass, drums, guitars, and keyboards. "Dance, when you're broken open!" Rumi commands, and truly it is impossible to stay still in this sea of music and words. Whether you are a lover of innovative world music, contemplative sounds or mystical poetry, this CD is a treasure that could change your life.

everything about this CD is exquisite. kim's elegant voice and mastery of the spoken word paired with jami's radiant music is a powerful combination not to be missed. i would give this 10 stars given that choice.