WAH! brings unusual combination of chanting and pop music to local audience
Kim M. Smithgall,The Sarasota Post/December 5, 2002

Hypnotic, mesmerizing and energizing – just a few adjectives that could be used to describe a recent musical performance by Wah! and her band at The Yoga Room in Malta. Wah!, whose name means “bliss,” played and led chants for more than 100 enthusiastic audience members. It was an entrancing, magical evening. “I thought this performance would be a neat way for people to gather together and experience something different,” said Cecily Bailey, owner and director of The Yoga Room. Wah! is well-known in the yoga world, as her CDs are played in many types of yoga classes and she often performs at studios and retreats. Her CDs include Chanting with Wah!, Transformation, CD Krishna, Hidden in the Name, and Savasana. “Our students really love the music, especially for stress management and relaxation, Bailey commented. Local students made up just part of the diverse audience at the Wah! performance. Others traveled from as far away as the Adirondacks. “It doesn’t matter if you don’t get the words right. Tonight is about making a joyful noise,” Wah! said. And that’s precisely what happened. Accompanied by Chris Briney on the djembe drum and husband Ekongkar on a harmonium, Wah! played the bass guitar, chanted and sang. She started slowly and softly and built up to fast-paced crescendos. Audience members answered her Sanskrit chants, sounding as if they too had been making music together for years. In between songs, the performer spoke of her travels in India and Africa, along with the years she spent living in an ashram (a Hindu community) in New York City. She discussed her experiences with yoga and her personal philosophies. “When you come right down to it, we’re all crazy,” she said. “And even with all that craziness going on, if we’re coming together with the intention of growing, the universe will take care.” From there Wah! took an opportunity to introduce pieces from her new CD Opium, which is her first attempt at more mainstream pop music. The set started with a song “Show Up & Be Heard.” The lyrics set the mood for the evening (“In the middle of this crazy world, I’m just hopin’ I’ll show up and be heard.”); the English-language songs were as well-received as the Sanskrit chants. The success stems from Wah!’s extraordinary voice, which might be characterized as Jewel meets Sade meets the soul. The CD was produced by Herb Graham, Jr., a percussionist who works with R&B star Macy Gray. Musicians from Alanis Morrisett’s band provided musical backup. After the concert, Wah! spoke more about the new CD. “This is an effort to try to open the masses. It seemed a natural sequence after the other CDs,” she explained, adding that she was fortunate to work with such high-caliber pop musicians. “Alanis Morrisette had such a good band that she put them on retainer while she took some time off. That gave the musicians the time and opportunity to work on my CD.” Wah! has always been exposed to music. My mother was professional violinist so music has been part of my life since day one. I started playing violin when I was two years old,” she said. A second-generation graduate of the Oberlin College/Conservatory, she has studied in the United States, India and Africa. Wah!’s music reflects her travel and spiritual experiences from many parts of the world. It’s most definitely a joyful noise.