New cover art
1990 Ancestral Voices cover
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 Island Journey David Gilden: kora and PPG Wave 2.2 synthesizer, Jimmy Earl: fretless bass.
Dragonfly Dream Dave Gilden: keyboards, Steve Gorn: bansuri bamboo flute,
Ray Spiegel: tabla drums, and Jimmy Earl: fretless bass.
Harmonic Vista
David Gilden: Oberheim Xpander, Casio CZ-101, Grand Piano, Talking Drum, Noah Bells.
Ancestral Voices (part I)
David Gilden: mbira dza vadizmu (Zimbabwen thumb piano), PPG Wave, Oberheim Xpander, and Kurzweil K1000.
Yarabi
David Gilden: kora -- multi track, duet performance.
Music video Island Journey,
created by Abby Digital, using the Fairlight CVI, aired on VH1 in 1989!
Tracks on Ancestral Voices
- Island Journey
- An interpretation of the Greek folk song "Saint Basil's hymn." The kora is lead voice here with fretless bass and the lush PPG synth filling out the track.
- Bantang Ba Kouyate
- A traditional Gambian, Mandinka folk tune is played on the kora. Two channel direct to digital recording.
- Dragon Fly Dance
- A rich multi-layer sonic track, with India Bansuri bamboo flute and Tabla drums.
- Harmonic Vista
- A slowly evolving visionary journey. The track features rich synth brass with
piano filling out the upper register. The rhythmical pulse played on African talking drum suggests a Native American vibe.
- Yarabi
- A traditional West African love song featuring two koras, recorded back in 1985.
- Crossing the Astral bridge
- Ethereal synth choir with reversed reverb, detuned gongs, layered with solo Bansuri bamboo flute.
- Island Solo
- An alternate solo performance of the first track, only solo kora this time.
- Rights of Man
- A traditional Celtic jig with a synth concertina and a percussive accompaniment on cow bones played by John "Mr. Bones" Burrill.
- Ancestral Voices (part I)
- A meditative layered soundscape, with mbira -- thumb-piano from Zimbabwe -- , PPG Wave and DX7 keyboards.
- Ancestral Voices (part II)
- The rhythmical answer to the opening section, with lots of synths and layers of congas and percussion.
- Pilgrimage To Soma
- Somewhere between Pink Floyd and tradtional Indian classical music. The lyrical voice of
the Bansuri bamboo flute floats over the drone of Tamboura, bringing the Indian element to this track.
- Kora Duet
- Uplifting Gambian Kora duet.
- Temporal Tonic
- A Dreamy electronic piece with superb stereo effects and microtonal piano.
- Serengeti Sundance
- A dream like journey through the jungle, complete with animal sounds.
The making of Ancestral Voices a brief history...
1990 Photo of David and enginer Michale Krowiak, RPM Studio NYC
World folk music traditions have been a major influence on David
Gilden's musical development. Over the past fifteen years, his
performances and compositions have evolved to include aspects of
African, Celtic and Indian musical traditions. Complementing these
ancient elements, Gilden introduces a strong modern flavor in the sound,
reflecting his years of work with keyboards and electronic music.
The music on Ancestral Voices started in Boston-area studios back in 1985. Beginning with
computer-based midi compositions, Gilden interwove acoustic sounds--kora tracks, and on one song, the mbira,
a thumb piano from Zimbabwe. The following year, Gilden took the tapes to Rawlston studio in Brooklyn,
New York, and added more keyboard parts and bass lines. Bassist Jimmy Earl filled out the sound with his
eloquent frettless work on a number of tracks. That summer, Gilden released Ancestral Voices on cassette.
In 1990 Gilden went to Manhattan's Sorcerer Sound and RPM studios to rework Ancestral
Voices for a CD release. He recorded a new solo kora track, reflecting the evolution of his playing
following an extended visit to the Gambia. He also added new colors to the existing tracks.
New York studio percussionist Joey Cradello played bells, shakers, congas and talking
drum. Internationally know bansuri bamboo flutist, Steve Gorn added a Indian Jazz
flourish. John Burrell--know nationally to folk fans as Mr. Bones--used a pair of cow
bones to add percolating rhythms to Gilden's kora rendition of an Irish jig.
Finally, Ray Spiegel, a veteran to Mickey Hart's Diga Rhythm Band, played table and
shaker on a track. Gilden mixed his new project using RPM's vintage Neve console and
wide selection of outboard gear. Finally Ancestral Voices was
digitally edited & mastered with Sonic Solutions at Foothill Digital (NYC).
Ancestral Voices was originally issued cassette in the late 80s and the CD version with additional tracks and remixes was released in 1990.
The music has been out of circulation for twenty years, but still sounds
fresh and timeless. The new 2010 CD reissue has been remastered Foothill Digital using Sonic Solutions. Some older kora tracks
have received Sonic's 'No Noise' restoration to remove low level clicks and other noises.
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