Tag: Jazz Fusion

Killing the Buddha ~ Jazz Fusion

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On the heels of Mandostopheles comes Killing the Buddha, an eclectic collection of music traditions into what can be best described as World Jazz Fusion. The latest album from Las Cruces-based musician and author C.S. Fuqua relies heavily on music traditions such as Americana, jazz, folk, rock, and ethnic, but the songs individually defy categorization.

“They’re music — pretty good music,” Fuqua says, “for listeners to either like or dislike based on their own personal musical preference, not some algorithm or corporate programmer’s focus on dollar signs.”

Like his previous albums, Killing the Buddha utilizes various ethnic instruments from around the world, especially the Native American flute for its “soulful sound, both as a solo instrument and accompanying instrument,” Fuqua says, “adding an ethereal element that’s familiar yet brand new and exciting.”

The album’s title comes from the Zen koan, “If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him,” generally interpreted as humanity’s propensity to objectify holy figures, an attempt to reduce enlightenment to an intellectual or philosophical understanding.

“The only assertion the album itself makes,” Fuqua says, “is that music is one of life’s best achievements — a good time for ears and mind.”

Killing the Buddha is Fuqua’s twelfth album. Seven in the series feature solo native flute and five multi-instrument world jazz. Fuqua utilizes native flutes he has custom-crafted. He is the author of Native American Flute ~ A Comprehensive Guide ~ Craft & History as well numerous other books, with work forthcoming from Tuxtails Publishing and Flick-It-Books in 2024, as well as another world jazz album.

For more information on Fuqua’s music and books, visit http://csfuqua.com. To preview Killing the Buddha and his other albums in full, visit http://csfuqua.bandcamp.com. His music is available on most sales and streaming platforms, including iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, and Pandora.

Mandostopheles ~ World Jazz Fusion

americana, Indigenous music, Jazz fusion, Music, Native American flute, soothing, Uncategorized, World Jazz, world music

(Mandostopheles releases 28 November 2023.)

As internet sales and streaming platforms require ever stricter music categorization, the latest offering from Las Cruces-based musician C.S. Fuqua refuses to be pigeonholed. His new album Mandostopheles combines traditional and modern music styles and instruments to create a fresh sound Fuqua says is best described as world jazz fusion. 

“These songs are meant to stand on their on rather than exist as components of a channel where each song sounds similar in some way to all the others,” Fuqua explains. “Some of the tunes blend Americana, bluegrass, and jazz, while others world, ethnic, and rock. They’re music, pretty good music, for listeners to either like or dislike based on their own personal musical preference, not some algorithm or corporate hooligan’s focus on dollar signs.”

Mandostopheles, like his previous albums, utilizes various ethnic instruments from around the world, primarily the Native American Flute. “The native flute has such a soulful sound, both as a solo instrument and accompanying instrument,” Fuqua says. “The flute adds an ethereal element to these songs that’s familiar yet brand new and exciting.”

Mandostopheles is Fuqua’s eleventh album in a series featuring seven solo native flute albums and four multi-instrument world jazz albums. Fuqua utilizes native flutes he has custom-crafted. He is the author of Native American Flute ~ A Comprehensive Guide ~ Craft & History as well numerous other books, with work forthcoming from Tuxtails Publishing and Flick-It-Books in 2024. Two albums are slated for 2024 release as well.

For more information regarding Fuqua’s music and books, please visit http://csfuqua.com. To preview Mandostopheles and his other albums, please visit http://csfuqua.bandcamp.com. His music is available on most sales and streaming platforms such as iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, and Pandora. Fuqua is available for performance and educational presentations.

Tribute Album to Benefit Cancer Research

Jazz fusion, Music, Native American flute, relaxing, soothing, Uncategorized, World Jazz, world music

To benefit cancer research, the new album Bonnie Lynne ~ A Tribute, world jazz celebrating the life of my spouse Bonnie, debuts 25 May 2023, with all proceeds from csfuqua.bandcamp.com sales to go to cancer research. Bonnie Lynne is an upbeat celebration of Bonnie and all she gave to the world.

To make your money have more impact, donate directly to the cancer research organization of your choice. Then send a receipt showing a donation of $10 or more to fuqua.cs@gmail.com, and I will provide you with a link to download the digital album, along with extras, free. 

Bonnie passed on 28 October 2022 after cancer metastasized to her bones and lymph nodes. Doctors assured us the cancer and pain could be managed, but chemotherapy failed and had numerous side effects, and the pain only increased. Nevertheless, Bonnie approached treatment with positivity and optimism even after chemo proved ineffective. While some of the songs on the album were written decades ago, several were written last year as I sat beside the bed as Bonnie rested or napped, playing guitar or flute gently, tunes that evolved into full-fledged songs that reflect Bonnie’s beautiful soul.

Please pitch in to find a cure for cancer either by purchasing this album through http://csfuqua.bandcamp.com or by donating directly to the cancer research organization of your choice. Thank you on behalf of Bonnie, myself, the millions dealing with this horrific disease, and the millions more like you who love them.

Native American Flute ~ Jazz Instrument?

Blog, Indigenous music, Jazz fusion, Music, Native American flute, relaxing, soothing, Uncategorized, World Jazz, world music

Most don’t think of jazz music when someone mentions the Native American flute. The instrument is best known for a sound that’s usually described as ethereal, spiritual, haunting — the traditional allure of the native flute. But tradition is being upended, and artists around the world are blending the Native American flute into a variety of genres, including jazz fusion. As the new album Within the Mystic from musician and author C.S. Fuqua attests, the native flute is gradually becoming known as an instrument for all genres. 

Fuqua’s first six albums, WindPoem ~ Native American Flute Meditations I-VI, celebrate the traditional sound of the native flute. On his seventh album, Different Direction, Fuqua began an exploration of the flute’s range, incorporating it into music that combines influences from bluegrass, rock, jazz, and traditional music to create a genre best described as world fusion. Within the Mystic continues to expand the flute’s range, drawing on an eclectic blend of styles and genres to create a sound that is as familiar as it is unique.

Musicians and composers worldwide are increasingly exploring the native flute as far more than an instrument of traditional music. Performers such as Jonny Lipford, R. Carlos Nakai, and the jazz band The Rippingtons have incorporated the flute’s haunting melodies into jazz, rock, blues, and classical compositions. Nakai, while best known for his traditional native flute work, was one of the first innovators of the native flute, collaborating with numerous musicians and composers in a variety of genres. Yet, despite the efforts of these artists, the native flute remains stereotyped.

Fuqua’s Within the Mystic contains twelve cuts of world jazz, with native flute featured as primary instrument in most of the songs. As more artists produce albums featuring the native flute in various genres, the instrument will continue to expand its range and popularity, securing a deserved presence in bands of all genres, creating a multi-cultural celebration for the ears.

Within the Mystic is available for streaming and/or purchase from most major music platforms, including Pandora, Deezer, Amazon.com, iTunes, and Fuqua’s music website http://csfuqua.bandcamp.com where the album can be previewed in its entirety.

Fuqua has researched and published extensively on the history, mythology, and crafting of the Native American flute. He’s the author of the acclaimed A Comprehensive Guide ~ The Native American Flute ~ History & Craft. He released the first WindPoem album in 2014. His WindPoem ~ Infinite album was a finalist in the 2019 New Mexico Music Awards. He is available for presentations on the history and craft of the Native American flute. For more information, please contact him at fuqua.cs@gmail.com or visit http://csfuqua.com and http://csfuqua.bandcamp.com.

New Album Takes Native Flute in Different Direction

Indigenous music, Jazz fusion, Music, Native American flute, World Jazz

Mention the Native American flute, and the first thing that comes to mind is a beautifully carved piece of artwork that produces soulful sounds. No screaming guitars. No banjos. No brass section. Just that single instrument and its haunting melody that serves as soundtrack to countless Youtube meditation videos. 

But the native flute is far more than that.

Las Cruces-based musician C.S. Fuqua’s first six WindPoem ~ Native American Flute Meditations albums fully celebrate the traditional sounds of the native flute, but Fuqua’s native flute music has taken a new turn in his seventh album, Different Direction, blending the flute’s soulful, meditative traditions into diverse compositions of world music influenced by bluegrass, rock, and jazz that combine into a refreshing sound that is at once both familiar and yet new. 

Fuqua is not the first to broaden the native flute’s range and use in music. The Rippingtons jazz group featured Robert Tree Cody on two cuts on their 1999 album Topaz. Twenty-one years later, that album remains one of the group’s most popular.

Classically-trained musician R. Carlos Nakai is best known for his traditional native flute work, but he has also broadened the flute’s use in other music genres, collaborating with guitarist William Eaton on new age productions, composers James DeMars and Phillip Glass on classical compositions, the Japanese group the Wind Travelin’ Band, and Tibetan flautist and vocalist Nawang Khechog. Yet, despite these beautiful excursions into other genres, the music that sustains Nakai’s popularity, and that of most native flute musicians, remains rooted in the traditional Native American sound.

Not only is the native flute’s use so grounded in traditional sound, it’s also still fighting the invented belief that it’s a male-only instrument, a false narrative created by European invaders whose sole purpose was to romanticize aspects of native life, even though the flute was played and enjoyed by both genders and all ages. Times are changing, though, thanks to award-winning flautists like Mary Youngblood who have blazed a path of acceptance and expansion that others now follow.

Fuqua’s Different Direction contains twelve world jazz cuts, with native flute featured as primary instrument in more than half of the instrumentals. As more artists produce albums featuring the native flute in modern music, the instrument will continue to expand its range, securing its deserved place in bands of all genres, holding its own with the loudest guitars and most strident brass sections to create a multi-cultural celebration for the ears.

Fuqua’s Different Direction is available for streaming and/or purchase on most major music platforms, including Pandora, Deezer, Amazon, iTunes, and Fuqua’s Bandcamp music website.

Fuqua has researched and published extensively on the history, mythology, and crafting of the Native American flute, including A Comprehensive Guide ~ The Native American Flute ~ History & Craft. His first WindPoem album was released in 2014.

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