Adrian Freedman – “PETAL POWERED”

New album ONE THOUSAND PETALS by a Zen instrument with ancient roots. It creates a unique and powerful sound that draws the listener into a place of intense stillness and of pure musical beauty. is a life-affirming record, shining with exquisite harmony, sparkling with meditative melody.

Nomadic artist Adrian Freedman will release his magnum opus ONE THOUSAND PETALS, an irresistible suite of divinely-received transformational healing songs inspired by his travels in Japan and Brazil, on February 14 via the Nixi label.

Classically trained on piano, cello and trumpet, Adrian by chance as a young man discovered the shakuhachi – a Japanese bamboo flute with ancient roots. It creates a unique and powerful sound that draws the listener into a place of intense stillness and of pure musical beauty. Adrian was so entranced by the instrument he moved to Kyoto to study under master Yokoyama Katsuya Sensei.

“I spent eight magical years in Kyoto,” recalls Adrian Freedman. “Then one day I met some Brazilian singers from a spiritual community deep within the Amazon rainforest. 

“They invited me to take part in sacred ceremonies in the mountains outside Kyoto. This encounter opened up a new musical dimension for me – the simple and sacred music of healing rituals with plant spirit medicines I learned after moving to the Amazon.”

ONE THOUSAND PETALS – Adrian’s 15th studio album – represents the definitive expression of this a boundary-crossing fusion of medicine music with Oriental chants – mantras – and the shakuhachi, plus rich imagery of Adrian’s original English lyrics.

Highlights include track nine, Heart Sutra – Prajnaparamita, with its goosebump-inducing vocals performed by the divine Deva Premal, known around the world for her beguiling devotional vocals. Oxum Tara – White Moon, track eight, invokes both a Buddhist goddess and an afro-brazilian deity, burnished by a corona of twinkling guitar and piano.

“The songs on ONE THOUSAND PETALS complete a cycle of integration between my healing path, my spiritual interests and my musical path,” explains Adrian. “They go beyond any particular tradition to connect with a universal essence at the heart of all spiritual paths.”

Bandcamp Pre-order Link is here

It’s refreshingly catchy for material so weighty. Track two Deep Night of The Soul has medicine singer Ayla Schafer singing sweetly over an uplifting triple-time backdrop.

Jizō – Heart Of Gold is breathtaking, with Ilaria Gianfagna’s uncanny violin counterpoint.

Om Mani Padme Hum is an infectious Buddhist mantra, with the splendid Charlotte Mabon’s haunting backing vocals.

ONE THOUSAND PETALS an album you can put on for a meditative healing journey, or equally enjoy as a highly accomplished, polished and enjoyable work of art.

Graceful, feminine and sensuous throughout, the LP closes with Temple Shakuhachi Mantra, featuring the Tibetan Lama Geshe Ahbay Tulku Rinpoche, a spiritual leader recognized by The Dalai Lama, no less, as a reincarnation of the legendary Lama Lobsang Tenzin.

And all along the way, Adrian Freedman’s masterful shakuhachi playing weaves its woody way, breathing flourishing human life and divine character into the music.