Kay Gardner – Garden of Ecstasy (1989)

Ancient, medieval, renaissance, contemporary… eastern/ western, northern/ southern… an all-hemisphere mixture of sounds from Middle Eastern, Latin, Gypsy, Irish, African cultures… this 1989 studio recording is another masterwork which melds music and healing in revolutionary ways: truly the follow-up to A Rainbow Path! Lush, tropical, resonant strains of cello, viola, oboe, English horn, timpani, marimba, percussion, classical guitar, (Adrienne Torf’s) piano, harp, and Kay’s flutes, are transformed into the flowers of this remarkable garden. 3 pieces are upbeat, melodic, rhythmic dance pieces featuring fiery percussive sections by Annette Aguilar and Nurudafina Pili Abena. The most important and most notable work is Viriditas, a long composition which can be utilized by anyone with AIDS or any other life-threatening dis-ease. Written in the key which corresponds to the heart chakra and the immune system, it is structured to take the listener thru the emotions of despair, to cosmic joy, and finally to comfort & resolve.