2025 Releases: Purple Nam & Purple Haze • Coming Soon: Spirit of Nirvana & Purple Nirvana

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
9/17/2024
Contact: Ancient-Future.Com Records
415-459-1892 (no texts)
info@ancient-future.com

Ancient Future Tribute to Jimi Hendrix

Purple Nam & Purple Haze

Vietnamese Đàn Bầu & Glissentar Style

by Ancient Future

Hi-Res Square Cover Art (1.2 MB): https://www.ancient-future.com/images/purplenamhazecov3000sq.jpg

"Purple Haze (Vietnamese Đàn Bầu Style)" is Ancient Future's first ever cover of a popular song. It will be released on January 10, 2025, coinciding with the beginning of Hendrix's recording process for "Purple Haze" in 1967, and for pre-order on streaming sites as of September 18, 2024.

Save Stream: https://orcd.co/purplehazeaf
Preview: https://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1763666579

On February 7, 2025, "Purple Haze (Vietnamese Đàn Bầu Style)" will be released with "Purple Nam (Glissentar & Đàn Bầu Duet)" as a mini-45 in honor of Hendrix's completion of his "Purple Haze" recording on February 7, 1967. The pre-order date is October 9, 2024, coinciding with the beginning Ancient Future's recording process for this release on October 9, 2011. On November 27, 2024, Hendrix's 82nd birthday, "Purple Haze (Vietnamese Đàn Bầu Style)" will be available as a download on iTunes and Amazon for those that pre-order the Purple Nam & Purple Haze (Vietnamese Đàn Bầu & Glissentar Style) mini-45.

Ancient Future Hendrix History

James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970)

On September 18, 1970, a 12-year-old Matthew Montfort was home sick listening to the radio when the announcement came on that one of his main inspirations for playing guitar, Jimi Hendrix, had passed away. In spite of not feeling well, he got out his guitar and spent the rest of the day playing the Jimi Hendrix pieces that he had learned, including "Purple Haze."

Montfort's younger brother, classical piano virtuoso and composer Seth Montfort, recalled this in an August 31, 2024, Facebook comment: "I was just 8 years old, but your reaction the day he died is something I will never forget. Plus I feel like I know all his music and then when you were at Boulder High School, I will always remember seeing you play in Jesus Christ Superstar and thinking you were like perfectly embodying a Jesus Hendrix style."

At the age of 13, Montfort decided to focus his studies on jazz and classical music to improve his musicianship and incorporate what he learned into rock music. Soon thereafter, progressive rock and jazz-rock fusion exploded with amazing artists exploring new directions. In high school, Montfort had the idea to study music from around the world to further expand the possibilities of fusion music. He wanted to be involved in making music that had a chance of helping humanity by showing how ideas from different cultures could work together. He coined the term world fusion music for this new path in music, which became his life's work.

But the influence of Hendrix stayed with Montfort, and when Ancient Future shared the stage with Los Lobos and Zakir Hussain at the Monterey World One Festival on June 8, 1997, he made sure to stand in the spot where Jimi Hendrix had famously burned his guitar at the Monterrey Pop Festival three decades before on June 18, 1967, so he could feel the reverberations of history.

There he was reminded of seeing pictures of Jimi Hendrix watching Ravi Shankar perform at Monterey Pops. Montfort said this about that in an interview in the December 2009 issue of Guitar Player Magazine, "I began to think about the intersection between raga and the music of Jimi Hendrix after seeing a photograph of Jimi in the front row of an Indian music concert, his mouth agape in awe of what he was experiencing. Then one day a student of mine was having difficulty improvising over the chord changes in 'Purple Haze,' and I had the idea that the techniques learned by studying Indian music would help my student to improvise more effectively." Wondering what would have happened had Hendrix studied Indian raga, Montfort created a set of raga rules based on Indian music and Woodstock era electric blues that he calls "Purple Raga." Each performance is unique, but evokes a similar mood. When Montfort recorded his debut solo album, Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar, he included a serenade to the spirit of Jimi Hendrix. This led to Montfort's feature in Guitar Player Magazine, which linked to a video on GuitarPlayer.Com of his performance of "Purple Raga" at Ancient Future's 30th Anniversary concert on his Godin Glissentar, an 11 string fretless guitar.

Then on September 23, 2010, four decades after Hendrix passed away, Montfort invited Bui Huu Nhut, who was visiting the area, to perform "Purple Raga" and "Purple Haze" with him on Vietnamese đàn bầu (a one string instrument with a whammy bar) at the Music for Thingamjigs Festival in San Francisco. They were a big hit with the audience and part of their performance was even shown on The Rachel Maddow Show the next day! They decided to record a Vietnamese version of "Purple Haze," and on October 9, 2011, the next time that Bui Huu Nhut visited the San Francisco Bay Area, they did just that.

Purple Playlists

Many music streaming algorithms suggest music similar to what listeners stream already, which can keep music fans in limited genre boxes. This is the opposite of the purpose of world fusion music, which is about expanding musical tastes. A grassroots playlisting campaign is needed to counteract this. Searches for curated playlists that feature world fusion music revealed around 200 playlists, but contact information was available for only 10% of the curators. A network of thousands of curators will be needed to overcome the bias of streaming algorithms, so there's much work left to do. While streaming isn't currently financially helpful except to mega famous artists and some who make music for specific activities, it's still very important for world fusion music to be properly represented on streaming services. Media organizations are encouraged to add world fusion music to their playlists on streaming platforms.

Purple Nam & Purple Haze Release Schedule and Specifications

1. Purple Haze (Vietnamese Đàn Bầu Style) by Ancient Future

Hi-Res Square Cover Art (1.2 MB): https://www.ancient-future.com/images/purplecover3000sq.jpg

Instrumental version of "Purple Haze" performed on Vietnamese đàn bầu (monochord with whammy bar), Glissentar (11 string fretless guitar), Uzbek percussion, and keyboards.

Save Stream: https://orcd.co/purplehazeaf (Participating Digital Music Platforms)
Preview: https://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1763666579 (Apple Music, Preview & Pre-order September 18, 2024)
Track List:
1. Purple Haze (Vietnamese Đàn Bầu Style) by Ancient Future (Hendrix. 3:25). Featuring Matthew Montfort (Glissentar, fretless bass), Bui Huu Nhut (đàn bầu), and Abbos Kosimov (Uzbek percussion) with Mariah Parker (keys). Genres: World Music, Rock.
Digital Single Sales Date: January 10, 2025. Pre-order Date: September 18, 2024. Instant Grats Date: November 27, 2024 (iTunes & Amazon Pre-release Download)
Formats: Audio Download, Streaming
Catalog Number: Ancient-Future.Com Records AF-20308. UPC: 825336203082. ISRC: US-N9P-24-20308.
Composition: Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix © 1997, 1967 Experience Hendrix L.L.C. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Recording Copyright: ℗ 2024 Ancient-Future.Com Records. All rights reserved.
Check back for more digital retailer links as they become available.

2. Purple Nam (Glissentar & Đàn Bầu Duet) by Ancient Future

Hi-Res Square Cover Art (1.1 MB): https://www.ancient-future.com/images/purplenamcov3000sq.jpg

Rubato call and response between Glissentar and đàn bầu fusing Vietnamese music and Indian raga.

Save Stream: https://orcd.co/purplenam
Preview: https://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1763467825 (Apple Music, Preview & Pre-order October 9, 2024)

Track List:
1. Purple Nam (Glissentar & Đàn Bầu Duet) by Ancient Future (Montfort. 1:18). Featuring Matthew Montfort (Glissentar, fretless bass) and Bui Huu Nhut (đàn bầu) with Abbos Kosimov (Uzbek percussion) and Mariah Parker (keys). Genres: World Music, Asia.
Digital Single Sales Date: February 7, 2025. Pre-order Date: October 9, 2024. Formats: Audio Download, Streaming.
Catalog Number: Ancient-Future.Com Records AF-20307. UPC: 825336203075. ISRC: US-N9P-24-20307.
Composition: Purple Nam by Matthew Montfort © 2024 Ancient Future Music (BMI). All rights reserved.
Recording Copyright: ℗ 2024 Ancient-Future.Com Records. © 2024 Ancient Future Music (BMI). All rights reserved.
Check back for more digital retailer links as they become available.
Video List:
1. Purple Nam (Glissentar & Đàn Bầu Duet) Official Music Video by Ancient Future (Montfort. 1:24). Video captured at the recording sessions for "Purple Nam," a Vietnamese version of Matthew Montfort’s "Purple Raga," a set of improvisation rules he developed based on Indian music and Woodstock era electric blues. Each performance is unique, but evokes a similar mood.
Video Sales Date: February 11, 2025. Formats: Video.
Catalog Number: Ancient-Future.Com Records AF-90307. UPC: 825336903074. ISRC: US-N9P-24-90307
Videographer: Michael Braden
Producer, Editor, Composer: Matthew Montfort

3. Purple Nam & Purple Haze (Vietnamese Đàn Bầu & Glissentar Style) by Ancient Future

Hi-Res Square Cover Art (1.2 MB): https://www.ancient-future.com/images/purplenamhazecov3000sq.jpg)

Digital 45 featuring "Purple Nam" followed by Ancient Future's cover of "Purple Haze."

Purple Nam & Purple Haze Save Stream: https://orcd.co/purplenamhaze

Purple Nam Save Stream: https://orcd.co/purplenam
Purple Nam Preview: https://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1763467825 (Apple Music, Preview & Pre-order October 9, 2024)

Purple Haze Save Stream: https://orcd.co/purplehazeaf (Participating Digital Music Platforms)
Purple Haze Preview: https://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1763666579 (Apple Music, Preview & Pre-order September 18, 2024)

Track List:
1. Purple Nam (Glissentar & Đàn Bầu Duet) by Ancient Future (Montfort. 1:18). Featuring Matthew Montfort (Glissentar, fretless bass) and Bui Huu Nhut (đàn bầu) with Abbos Kosimov (Uzbek percussion) and Mariah Parker (keys). Genres: World Music, Asia.
2. Purple Haze (Vietnamese Đàn Bầu Style) by Ancient Future (Hendrix. 3:25). Featuring Matthew Montfort (Glissentar, fretless bass), Bui Huu Nhut (đàn bầu), and Abbos Kosimov (Uzbek percussion) with Mariah Parker (keys). Genres: World Music, Rock.
Digital Mini-45 Sales Date: February 7, 2025. Pre-order Date: October 9, 2024. Purple Haze Instant Grats Date: November 27, 2024 (iTunes & Amazon Pre-release Download). Formats: Digital 45, Audio Download, Streaming.
Catalog Number: Ancient-Future.Com Records AF-20309. UPC: 825336203099. ISRC: US-N9P-24-20307 (Purple Nam) US-N9P-24-20308 (Purple Haze).
Compositions: Purple Nam by Matthew Montfort © 2024 Ancient Future Music (BMI). All rights reserved. Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix © 1997, 1967 Experience Hendrix L.L.C. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Recording Copyright: ℗ 2024 Ancient-Future.Com Records. © 2024 Ancient Future Music (BMI). All rights reserved.
Digital Mini-45 Link: https://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1763467873 (Apple Music, available February 7, 2025)
Check back for more digital retailer links as they become available.

What's an Instant Grat?

It's the ability to download a track from a release on iTunes and Amazon before it's release, and have that download count on Internet music charts on the sales date. This means that people can enjoy ownership and listen to the track as much as they like before the sales date and after! With Internet access often at risk due to hacking, outages, and global conflicts, music ownership through downloads allows people to enjoy music even when the Internet is down. Each download supports the music financially, whereas it takes millions of streams to bring in significant income to artists. For example, 1,708,584 streams of a track by Ancient Future on YouTube Music netted Ancient Future only $101.16. That's less than 6/1000 of a cent per stream! Yes, thousandths of a cent!

Artist Pages

Artist Action Page: https://orcd.co/ancientfuture (Follow Ancient Future on Participating Streaming Sites)
Streaming Sites:
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/ancient-future/1380172 (Apple Music)
https://store.tidal.com/us/artist/3505703 (Tidal)
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5oQLP9K23E63u9BHB1b4LT (Spotify)
https://www.deezer.com/us/artist/12660 (Deezer)
https://us.napster.com/artist/ancient-future (Napster)
https://www.amazon.com/music/player/artists/B000QJW0DU/ancient-future (Amazon Music)
https://music.youtube.com/channel/UC-u6LeUkpy5gd2hdnU0CJFQ (YouTube Music)
https://soundcloud.com/ancient-future-band (Soundcloud Go)
https://www.pandora.com/artist/all-albums/ancient-future/ARKXJPKKJzVZb3J (Pandora)
https://www.kkbox.com/tw/tc/artist/-nZ0RdSsLGYcGZqJrU (KKBox, Japan, Southeast Asia)
https://www.freegalmusic.com/browse/artists/featured/QW5jaWVudCBGdXR1cmU (freegal music)
https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/interpreter/ancient-future/download-streaming-albums (Qobuz Hi-Res)
Social Media:
https://www.facebook.com/ancientfuture (Facebook)
https://www.instagram.com/ancientfutureband (Instagram)
https://x.com/Ancient_Future (X-Twitter)
https://ethnocloud.com/Ancient_Future (Ethnocloud)

Biographies

Ancient Future has expanded its musical vision through collaborations with traditional musicians from all over the world who are now an integral part of what is today more than just a band. To enable its core mission of creating world fusion music, Ancient Future has grown to become a large chamber ensemble of world music masters with many smaller ensembles within it, including this quartet featuring world guitar pioneer Matthew Montfort, Vietnamese đàn bầu master Bui Huu Nhut, master Uzbek percussionist Abbos Kosimov, and keyboardist Mariah Parker.

Matthew Montfort (Glissentar, fretless bass)

Guitar Player Magazine Feature

Ancient Future leader Matthew Montfort acquired his Glissentar, an 11 string fretless guitar, via a 2006 artist deal with Godin Guitars. The December 2009 collectible commemorative Les Paul issue of Guitar Player Magazine includes a full page feature with a photo of Matthew Montfort superimposed over psychedelic artwork portraying Jimi Hendrix and an interview with Montfort with links to a GuitarPlayer.com lesson entitled "The Music of Jimi Hendrix Applied to Indian Raga" with a video of Montfort performing on Glissentar. He is a pioneer of the scalloped fretboard guitar, an instrument combining qualities of the South Indian vina and the steel string guitar. He has two solo releases: Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar and Sympathetic Serenade, for which he is recognized as one of the world's 100 Greatest Acoustic Guitarists by DigitalDreamDoor.com along with such luminaries as Michael Hedges, Leo Kottke, Chet Atkins, Merle Travis, and John Renbourn. He has performed worldwide, from the Festival Internacional de la Guitarra in Spain to the Mumbai Festival in India. Montfort wrote the training manual Ancient Traditions – Future Possibilities: Rhythmic Training Through the Traditions of Africa, Bali, and India.

Hi-Res Photo of Matthew Montfort (5" x 3", 300 dpi, 678k):
https://www.ancient-future.com/images/yearningmatt300dpi5x3.jpg

Bui Huu Nhut (đàn bầu)

Hi-Res Photo of Bui Huu Nhut (3.5" x 2.8", 300 dpi, 742k):
https://www.ancient-future.com/images/nhut_purple_raga300dpi3.5x2.8.jpg

Bui Huu Nhut (pronounced "buoy who newt") is a leading performer on the đàn bầu, an instrument of purely Vietnamese origin. Its single string is stretched over a long box, attached to a tuning peg at one end, and to a flexible rod (which holds a resonating gourd) at the other. Its sound is said to "find its way into the secret places of the soul." A native of Saigon, Bui Huu Nhut has lived in the U.S. since 1989. He performs in traditional Vietnamese groups and ensemble variations of Ancient Future. He is featured on "Ja Nam," Matthew Montfort's reggae version of the Vietnamese folk standard "Ly Chim Quyen" (Song of the Nightingale), on Asian Fusion by Ancient Future. Putumayo included the track on their 2005 Asian Lounge sampler, and on November 5, 2005, Ancient Future performed with Bui Huu Nhut at Putumayo's album release party at the now defunct Supperclub in San Francisco.

"Ja Nam" (Matthew Montfort 3:53). >YTmusic.

Abbos Kosimov (Uzbek percussion)

Hi-Res Photo of Abbos Kosimov (6.2" x 10", 300 dpi, 2.2 MB):
https://www.ancient-future.com/images/abbos300dpi6.2x10.jpg

Uzbek percussion phenomenon Abbos Kosimov is a master of the doyra (frame drum with metal rings) known for taking the instrument to unprecedented new heights. He developed finger tapping techniques inspired by North Indian tabla masters, adding new dimensions to the instrument’s sonic capabilities. On "Purple Haze," Abbos also plays tar (frame drum), cajón (Peruvian percussion box), and shakers. Abbos was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to a highly musical family and began playing doyra at age ten. He studied at the College of Culture and Music and the Tashkent State Institute of Culture and was given the title of Honored Artists of Uzbekistan by the president of Uzbekistan in 2001. His move to the U.S. in 2005 led to performances and recordings with artists such as Kronos Quartet, Omar Sosa, Stevie Wonder, and Zakir Hussain’s Masters of Percussion.

Mariah Parker (keyboards)

Hi-Res Photo of Mariah Parker (4.3" x 6.5", 300 dpi, 1.7 MB):
https://www.ancient-future.com/images/mariahpianohirez.jpg

Mariah Parker has been playing music from the time she could reach the keys on the grand piano in her family home. She is also known for her work on hammered dulcimer and santur (its Persian cousin). Her academic tenure at UC Santa Cruz was distinguished by her involvement with ethnomusicologist Fred Lieberman and the iconic drummer Mickey Hart on his Planet Drum project, marking her early foray into the fusion of musical traditions. She has toured with Ancient Future in the US and Spain. Her discography began with the critically acclaimed Sangria in 2009, followed by Indo Latin Jazz Live In Concert in 2017, and Windows Through Time, which received rave reviews upon its release in June of 2024. Her albums are celebrated globally for their innovative soundscapes and compositional brilliance.

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Coming Soon:

Spirit of Nirvana

by Ancient Future

Hi-Res Square Cover Art (1.1 MB): https://www.ancient-future.com/images/spiritnirvanacov6000sq.jpg

A cover of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana that shows the beauty of the melody through elements from North Indian classical music.

Digital Audio Sales Date: TBA, 2025. Formats: Audio Download with Digital Liner Notes, Streaming.

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Coming Soon:

Purple Nirvana

Hi-Res Square Cover Art (1.1 MB): https://www.ancient-future.com/images/purplenirvanacov6000sq.jpg

by Ancient Future

Purple Nirvana is a mini-EP featuring the first ever popular cover songs by Ancient Future showing unique influences from world music traditions. The release features instrumental covers of "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix and "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. The later was rediscovered in December of 2023 when Matthew Montfort was preparing his piece "East of the Sun" from the Archive of Future Ancient Recordings for public release. After recording "East of the Sun" on April 1, 2011, the inspiration came to record the cover that became "Spirit of Nirvana" at the same session. In honor of that, the mini-EP includes the trio version of "East of the Sun" recorded that same day.

Digital Mini-EP Sales Date: TBA, 2025. Radio Add Date: April 1, 2025. NACC (World, Heavy, Folk, & Chill), Earshot (International & Loud), ZMR, and WMCE. Formats: Audio Download with Digital Liner Notes, Streaming.

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