“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” — Joseph Campbell

“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” — E.E. Cummings

GROWsutra  ⚆  where we be brave

JAZZsutra 𝕡𝕝𝕒𝕪𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥

Kindness • Universal Jazz Cabaret of Blues Chanson • Bananasutra(GROW)

🪄 … because Folk unicorns mellow magic matters and #sutraGROW is about praising the brave who dares hum “lama no drama” along the paths of not knowing :)

Broken Whole • No Drama Lama Folk • sutraGROW

… because I believe all of us (sane) humans want the exact same simple thing deep inside, and that is to feel safe… My heart goes out to all the children, mothers, brothers, fathers, puppies and all the animals who just can’t feel safe—because greed, envy, and violence are (somehow, still) winners games—because #wars 🕊️

Hold the Mic, Babe • Minimal Banjo Blues • sutraFLOW

This one happened really fast, with Morissey—I mean, the song, start to finish, it’s inspired from #Some girls are bigger than others”, I like the light sense of double entendre, it’s like a subtle dirty banana joke (lol) 🍌❤️‍🔥

Some Truths are Harder to Swallow • LOFI Jazzz • sutraGROW

Lyrics inspired by the fabulous #margaretatwood:
"Male fantasies, male fantasies, is everything run by male fantasies? Up on a pedestal or down on your knees, it's all a male fantasy: that you're strong enough to take what they dish out, or else too weak to do anything about it. Even pretending you aren't catering to male fantasies is a male fantasy.”

—
Oh, Male Fantasies

Load it up, you’re on display
Up on a pedestal, they say
All their thoughts, they dominate
Every move, they calculate

(Pre-Chorus)
Here we are, now, entertaining
Male illusions, always chaining
You’re too strong or too compliant
All the same, they keep you silent

(Chorus)
Male fantasies, male fantasies
Living out those fantasies
They decide your role and place
Cater to their mind’s embrace

Knees or high above the ground
Tied between the roles they found
Pretend you’re free, but it’s still theirs
Trapped inside the gaze that stares

(Pre-Chorus)
Here we are, now, entertaining
Male illusions, always chaining
You’re too strong or too compliant
All the same, they keep you silent

(Chorus)
Male fantasies, male fantasies
Living out those fantasies
They decide your role and place
Cater to their mind’s embrace

Oh, can’t you see?
What they want you to be
Oh, can’t you see?
It’s still their fantasy

(Pre-Chorus)
Here we are, now, entertaining
Male illusions, always chaining
You’re too strong or too compliant
All the same, they keep you silent

(Chorus)
Male fantasies, male fantasies
Living out those fantasies
They decide your role and place
Cater to their mind’s embrace

Male Fantasies • Vocal Honey Jazz • sutraKNOW

"Mind the Felon" (in world gone bananas) is a dark and poetic social commentary song, about the viral dangers of ripple effect in a mad duck universe 🦆  

This song lyrics are inspired by the (highly relevant) works of Paul-Claude Racamier, a French psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, who explored the dangerous nature of duckastic human behaviors and the universal phenomenon of double-standards and paradoxalization in the book "Les Perversions narcissiques" (The Narcissistic Perversions)...  fOOL story (my lyrics™️) below:

--
Mind the felon, yeah, the charm so sly,
Crafts a world of webs, while you wonder why.
Says one thing, does another—oh, that double spin,
A loop-de-loop of truth, to keep you caged within.

(Chorus)
Paradoxalize, hypnotize, flip it on its head,
Reality’s a ripple, messing with your cred.
Keepin’ you guessin’, tangled up in dread—
Watch out, watch out, that’s a mind-meld fed.

Swaps the stories, rewrites the past,
Tells you your version of truth won’t last.
Gaslightin’ bright like neon glow,
Makes you doubt the things you know.

Oh, here we go—emotions exploited,
Fear ignited, confidence voided.
Got you swayin’, hangin’ on tight,
Twirled in circles, no end in sight.

(Chorus)
Paradoxalize, hypnotize, twistin’ it just so,
Warpin’ up the blame like a magic show.
Sayin’ it’s your fault while dodgin’ their own—
Oh, watch out, watch out, they claim that throne.

Kind and cruel, a cycle insane,
Keeps you locked in love, then writhin’ in pain.
Tender words? Or threats in disguise,
Keepin’ you hooked on the look in their eyes.

Mind the felon, yeah, tread real light,
Catch the flicker, catch the fight.
When sense slips, and vision blurs,
Mind the felon—beware those words.

Mind the Felon (one) • JAZZsutra

This song is like a trip over the hop, a spell, a prayer, and a lullaby... like a timeless loving soul dreamcatcher hug, for my imaginary daughter (or yours), and anyone else out there, who may be feeling too small--too afraid to ask questions about what matters, and #speakup about what makes sense, or not, in this big mad world we all share 💌

—
bananasutraLyrics™️

Hold the mic, babe, and don’t be shy,
Come on now, lift your head high.
Hold the mic, babe, don’t you cry no more, no more, no more, no more,
Hold the mic, babe, and let your voice soar.

(Chorus)
Oh babe, listen, you’ve got the sound,
Stop hiding away, now stand your ground.
You got the heart, don’t you know that it’s true?
All that you need’s right inside of you.

Hold the mic, babe, and don’t be shy,
Come on now, lift your head high.
Hold the mic, babe, don’t you cry no more, no more, no more, no more,
Hold the mic, babe, and let your voice soar.

—

With much love and respect for Ray Charles and Percy Mayfield, who created “Hit the Road, Jack” in 1961 <3

#3 Hold the Mic, Babe ☰ BANJOsutra Hug for Ya, Babe

#7 Hold the Mic, Babe ☰ DRUMsutra Vocal Hug

QOTD: what is most hardcore, at the core?… The fact humans decided infantry (i.e. the predatory act of killing innocent civilians) is a holy necessity, the fact humans decided intimacy (i.e. the celebratory act of loving one another) is an evil blasphemy, or the fact such existential questioning essentially feels like absurd folly? Ha #ahem 

—
What you call sacred, tell me who’s really blessed? 
The march of innocence – we line ‘em up for death 
What you call holy – ain't holy to me 
Sending kids to battle, while love’s the enemy

[Chorus] 
(Hard core!) What you think it means? 
(Hard core!) Is it peace or pain? 
(Hard core!) Yeah, I wanna know, 
What you call the real show?

 Privacy, privacy – is it just a disguise? 
Smoke and mirrors for the games we hide 
Manipulate – can’t say it out loud 
Behind closed doors, the truth gets drowned

[Chorus] 
(Hard core!) When you twist and lie, 
(Hard core!) Calling it alright, 
(Hard core!) While you play these games, 
Is love really the shame?

What’s the truth? What’s the score? 
Tell me, tell me, what’s hardcore?
 Is it fair or is it foul, 
Bend the rules and make ‘em howl

Not playing fair or just not playing well? 
Lines get blurry, only time will tell 
What’s most hardcore? Is it love or is it hate? 
Is it protecting peace, or just sealing fate?

[Chorus] 
(Hard core!) The lies you keep 
(Hard core!) Sold under deceit 
(Hard core!) Where’s the real shame? 
Yeah, you know the name…

(Hard core, hard core!) Just tell me what’s real 
(Hard core, hard core) what’s the holy deal? 
(Hard core, hard core) tell me what you see, 
'Cause hard core – ain't what it used to be.
—

“Hard Core” QOTD dedicated to Respect, Aretha Franklin, and all humans curious and #brave enough to dare ponder the hard questions—like, our shared understanding of rights, wrongs, and hard limits—as needed to help foster more empathy, unity, and harmony 🕊️ (amen:) #GROWsutra 



#2 Hard Core : Honey JAZZsutra

I mean, why not share a jazzy lill’ dance to celebrate the poetry of quirky smiles—wearing nothing but(t tender) words? 😊

—

“Many people wish to be poets because they wish to wear the title, but one should wish to celebrate more than one wishes to be celebrated.” —Lucille Clifton 

—

bananasutraLyrics™️

Wearing words, a poet's plea
Titles grasp, but don't set free

Celebrate the mind we say
But deeper truths just slip away
Feel the beat, let language flow
In poetry's world, we must go

[Chorus]
Dance with words, don't seek the crown
Feel the world, let words rain down

More than titles, more than fame
Living the poem, playing the game
A syncopated life we lead
In every line, a soulful need

[Chorus]
Dance with words, don't seek the crown
Feel the world, let words rain down

Not to write, but live and breathe
In each line, our hearts we weave

She Wears the Words • JAZZsutra Mighty Poetry Minute

The Conquest of Happiness is a 2-songs EPx10 inspired by Bertrand Russell’s 1930 masterpiece—a philosophical field guide for ordinary people trying to build a life that feels real, meaningful, and free. This EP is an homage to Bertrand Russel, and a soundtrack for anyone who’s trying to stay awake, stay kind, stay curious, and stay human… Think of it as a humble and grateful love letter to curiosity, emotional honesty, and the kind of philosophy that makes you sit up straighter and breathe easier… with humor, compassion, and just enough sASS :)

WHAT IS THE CONQUEST OF HAPPINESS?
Bertrand Russell wrote this book  because he saw ordinary people suffering unnecessarily—not from tragedy, but from habits of mind, toxic social pressures, and self-inflicted misery. He argued that happiness isn’t a mystery. It’s not a miracle. It’s a skill. And he gave us a map. This EP is my humble attempt at translating that map into music.

SIDE A : “THE UNHAPPINESS DANCE”
A song (x5) songs inspired by the forces that drain joy and distort the mind, i.e. the reasons why people tend to feel unhappy—namely, the emotional chaos, the self-sabotage, and the absurdity of modern misery.
Russell’s #unhappiness list, simplified:
1. Competition: Always comparing yourself to others. 
2. Boredom / Excitement Extremism: Swinging between “numb” and “thrilled” without ever landing in contentment. 
3. Fatigue: Overwork, stress, and no margin for joy. 
4. Envy: Measuring your worth by what others have. 
5. Guilt & Moral Self-Torment:  Beating yourself up for being human. 
6. Fear of Public Opinion: Living your life under imagined surveillance.

SIDE B : “THE CONQUEST OF HAPPINESS”
A song (x5) about what actually creates lasting well-being, what makes people truly happy. These songs waltz through the antidotes: curiosity, connection, creativity, pleasure, laughter, kindness, courage, and the everyday magic that makes life feel like life.
Russell’s #happiness list, simplified:
1. Zest: Being genuinely interested in life. 
2. Affection: Love given and love received. 
3. Meaningful Work: Not necessarily glamorous, but engaging. 
4. Wide Interests: Multiple passions, not one obsession. 
5. Effort & Resilience: The willingness to grow, to try, to adapt. 
6. Impersonal Interests: Joy in things outside the self (nature, ideas, art). 
7. A Sense of Purpose: Living for something larger than ego.

WHY THIS MATTERS NOW?
Because we’re living in a time of distraction, polarization, loneliness, and algorithmic noise that quietly eats away at our sense of self… Because people are anxious, burnt out, overstimulated, overwhelmed, and under-nourished in the soul. And because Russell’s wisdom—nearly 100 years old—feels like it was written yesterday, for the world we’re in right now.

☰☰☰
NOTE: Lyrics matter, and I’d gladly share mine upon request, as always. But Soundcloud description length is limited, and for this EP, I wanted to tell you more about Bertrand instead of sharing lyrics, because he is a gift to humanity… and, in a world gone unhappy bananas, I hope he may help inspire you to find your path(s) to #happy, too. Look him up <3


Side B [04] EP Bertrand - The Conquest of Happiness - GROWsutra Indie Folk JAZZ

… because life on earth is a Psychedelic Cabaret, and “music is the only religion that delivers the goods” (like Frank said). 

To be clear, all I really know is I dunno shit about fck (like Socrates said:)—music and songwriting included. But(t) I feel it, the music, so damn deeep in my soul! I’m just a humble existential fool, a silly banana who likes to play and share, to question and learn. Words are my oldest best friends, hearing myself sing is a freaking miracle (trust me on that lol), and I believe curiosity and #gratitude are the keys to happiness… So voilà, there’s that.

Also, (if you’re curious) BananaSutra is not just a made up BS brand kinda word, it’s actually the name of my DIY Bible—a collection of songs telling true stories of faith, to help me (and perhaps you) make sense of a world gone wild, like bananas gone foul in shallow ignorance and deadly malevolence… Think of it as an agnostic testament of sorts, an audio book of songs with quirky lyrics about things that matter, like the definition of right and wrong, and the meaning of truth, joy, justice, peace, grace, and awe 🕊️

Some call it Artificial Intelligence, but(t) I call Authentic Imagination, Alternative Ideas, Augmented Innuendos, Abstract Illogisms… hopefully, you get the gist? The point being, life is the story we tell ourselves and LYRICS matter—each @bananasutra song has a wondering root and a loving purpose, guided by one of (my) 7 (bananas) sutras: 
- KNOWsutra : is it fair?
- BLOWsutra : is it foul?
- SHOWsutra : is it fun?
- GROWsutra : is it fear?
- FLOWsutra : is it free?
- GLOWsutra : is it fab?
- BOWsutra : is it awe?