Songscapes of Native America is the first compilation CD of Native American music produced by Colin Farish for The Cultural Conservancy. The songs on this album represent a rich diversity of tribal traditions, from the Great Plains of the Dakota nation to the desert canyon lands of the Shoshone and Navajo, from the coastal bluffs of Native California to the mountain winds of the Peruvian Andes.

Native American men from seven distinct tribal backgrounds sing traditional and original songs in five different native languages and perform three instrumental flute pieces.

We use the term “songscapes” to describe specific Native American musical expressions that employ traditional singing styles and native languages and instruments (drum, flute, and shaker) to evoke the unique landscapes and ancestral places of Native America. Through the recording of native voices we preserve the dynamic oral tradition – the breath, sound, and song – of native peoples and do our part to keep these songscapes alive and available to present and future generations. We hope that these songscapes will interest and inspire you and provide a glimpse into the musical diversity and beauty of today’s Native American music.

6 Navajo Chant 1

Colin Farish is a composer and pianist fluent in many diverse musical languages. The wide scope of his influences are represented in his forty album discography of original music; including sixteen ensemble recordings, ten albums of his solo piano compositions, three albums of jazz standards and two musicals. For fifteen years Colin owned and operated Stillwater Sound recording studios.  For eight of those years his studio was located in the Presidio Chapel of San Francisco where he recorded numerous CDs and produced dozens of concert events. 