Visions of a Peaceful Planet
by Ancient Future
Ancient-Future.Com AF 2004. 2015 Reunion Concert Edition.
With Lost 1978 Video. Exclusively at Ancient-Future.Com.
Enhanced Audio/Video E-CD-R- $19.98:
Add E-CD to Cart. Buy E-CD Now. (Best Digital Quality)
iTunes. (Download Quality)
AF 79. Original Vinyl Pressing. Very Limited Stock. LP- $40.00:
Add LP to Cart. Buy LP Now. (Best Analog Quality)
Visions of a Peaceful Planet by Ancient Future is the band's debut recording, recorded between December 1978 and May of 1979, when all of the members were studying at the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, California, under the late sarod master, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.
"By listing the instruments involved in this wonderful, worldly
recording project one can imagine the aural possibilities – sitar,
steel string guitar with scalloped fretboard, North Indian bamboo
flute, tabla, cymbal, esraj, zither, flamenco guitar, Irish harp,
tanpura, etc."
"The first thing that makes this LP a delight is the magnificence
of the instrumental blending. 'Zzaj,' by Montfort, for instance,
sounds like music to celebrate the sunrise. 'Morning Song,' on
the other hand, is based on Indian instruments, the Bansuri flute
of Klein over a harmonic bed of sitar, tabla, sarod, zither, and
tanpura; great stuff sounds like a dove whistling in a forest
of stringed instruments."
– Philip Elwood, San Francisco Examiner
Archaeological Discovery of First Ancient Future Video
YouTube teaser from video of Ancient Future Circa 1978. Shown: Matthew Montfort, Yusef Ali, Mindia Devi Klein, Phil Fong, Benjy Wertheimer
Included on the Enhanced Audio/Video E-CD-R version of Visions of a Peaceful Planet is footage from a previously lost 1978 College of Marin TV video performance. This is an amazing archaeological find: the very first video of Ancient Future, recorded in late 1978, months before Ancient Future's first concert. It features Matthew Montfort on guitar, Yusef Ali (aka Joseph Ashton) on percussion, rebab, and Irish harp, Mindy Klein (aka Mindia Devi Klein) on flute, Phil Fong on sarod and guitar, Benjy Wertheimer on tabla, and Kathak dancer Shoshana Frisch.
Short clips from the video were occassionally seen on Marin community television, but repeated attempts to locate the master were unsuccessful. But after hearing about Ancient Future's reunion concert April 19, 2015, at the Throckmorton Theatre, Jonah and Mariposa at Marin Artists International searched the hard drives at CMCM.TV and rescued two pieces from Ancient Future's first video recording session from archival oblivion, which are both included on the E-CD-R.
The short video clip above from Eternal Embrace by Phil Fong from Visions of a Peaceful Planet was released on YouTube to promote the reunion concert.
Original Collector's LP
Ancient-Future.Com Records has a very limited number of original vinyl LPs of this release that are now collector's items. Old Ancient Future LPs are being sold by collectors on eBay for up to $44 each depending on condition. These copies are still new, and quite a bargain at $35 while supplies last!
Track List
>YTmusic. (Play all tracks.)
- Zzaj (Matthew Montfort. 5:43). >YTmusic. Jazz spelled backwards. Originally the lyrical movement of a 17 minute progressive jazz suite Montfort wrote while attending Boulder High School.
- Moonbath (Matthew Montfort. 7:10). >YTmusic. First song recorded by Ancient Future, December 1978.
- Morning Song (Mindia Klein. 7:48). >YTmusic. Bansuri flute, sitar, sarod, esraj, and tabla bring the morning in.
- Incandescence (Benjy Wertheimer. 8:28). >YTmusic. Includes tabla bols (vocal recitation of the drum sounds).
- Bright Wind (Matthew Montfort. 7:37). >YTmusic . Montfort woke up in the middle of the night with this song in his head.
- Eternal Embrace (Phil Fong. 6:12). >YTmusic. Phil Fong's amazing sarod composition captured a spirit of the time. #1 World Music, #1 New Age, and #1 Ambient song on the March 1999 mpulse.com Internet music chart!