“To catch lightning in a bottle” means to accomplish a nearly impossible task. Originally, a 19th century reference to Benjamin Franklin’s kite experiment, capturing electricity from lightning with a kite and storing it in a jar.
From a baby’s first steps to travelling into space, every day humans achieve the seemingly impossible.
The song represents the enormous challenges that we face in today’s world. It may seem impossible, it may be unlikely... but maybe we can do the impossible and solve our world issues.
Featuring James Hill (trumpet)
YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HspAQxOJE98

From the Soul For the Soul

To Catch Lightning In A Bottle

To Catch Lightning In A Bottle (feat. James Hill/trumpet)

This song is quite different from other 'Kluane' songs. 
I teamed up with a great UK producer, Azanda to create this vibrant pop track with a hint of summer and reggae vibes. We then invited UK MC Dorzi who added some inspiring vocals. If you can find true love and respect for another person, then there is nothing that can get in the way of that relationship. 

In the bigger picture, the same concept applies universally. We just need to respect all others in life and we'll find that everyone's life is just a bit better.

Azanda X Kluane Takhini X Dorzi - As Long as We've Got Love

This is a song of human oppression that has existed in our world since the beginning of time and unfortunately continues to exist to this very day.
Featuring the heartfelt vocals of Tony Mac.
Written and performed by Kluane Takhini

YouTube: https://youtu.be/7K-KpcLrWeo
Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/track/0FAN6EF1ilODZH3zzUgcKe?si=062eed509edf4fa3
... and all other streaming platforms.

When We Were Free

Please see the video at: https://youtu.be/MJrYw58z3Q4
The UN's Panel on Climate Change, August 2021 states; 
“It is unequivocal that humans are warming the planet. The warming has made changes to our planet that are irreversible on timescales of centuries.
The oceans will warm. Glaciers will melt. For much of this, there is no going back.”
Scientists say a catastrophe can be avoided if the world acts fast.
                 There is no time for delay and no room for excuses.
                             This is a “Code Red” for humanity.

Written and performed by Kluane Takhini
Featuring James Hemphill on trumpet.

Available on all streaming services.

Code Red

These turbulent times have divided both families and friends. The path ahead is not so clear. But, I have to believe that “We’re Going To Get There”… someday.
                   This is a follow-up to my song “When We Were Free”
Featuring the heartfelt vocals of Tony Mac and Nimiwari

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/xr1qvaNWjzs
SPOTIFY:  https://open.spotify.com/track/7509TMXhSCnVv6oOMVE2yj?si=01caf5071f094ef1

WORDS
How did we get here? Feels like a bad dream
Friends from before, now strangers it seems,
The weight of the world has built high walls
How easy it was to lose it all

We stand at a crossroad, frozen by fear
Wondering what was and what might be
The dreams we had, the hopes we held dear
The path ahead, It’’s not so clear

Feel no shame, for what you believe
Feel no shame, for who you are
Dare to choose
And Dare to dream
The sun will follow, follow the rain

Deep in my heart, I do believe 
We’re going to get there, some day
You can hold me down, but I’ll rise up
We’re going to get there, some day

Truth is a blur, Time has past 
Lost moments, we’ll never get back
No matter the road, Hold on, don’t let go
We decide which way to go
Our world has changed, and so have I
We need to put our differences aside.

Dare to choose
And Dare to dream
The sun will follow, follow the rain

Don’t give up, we’ve come this far
My friend, you are not alone.

Deep in my heart, I do believe, 
We’re going to get there, some day
You can hold me down but I’ll rise up
We’re going to get there, some day

Deep in my heart, I have to believe, 
We’re going to get there, some day
You can hold me down but I’ll rise up
We’re going to get there
We’re going to get there
We’re going to get there, 
……….some day

We're Going To Get There (Feat Toni Mac and Nimiwari)

Please watch the video... it ties it all together. https://youtu.be/xYGT4UcOuts

While the world is focused on so many geo-political and health concerns, half of humanity is at risk from impacts of climate change. Any further delay will miss a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all. Where to start?

The Amazon is home to three million species of plants and animals, and one million indigenous people. The Amazon basin contains 20 percent of the world’s flowing fresh water.

Today, we stand in a moment of destiny. The tipping point is now.
The Amazon is under threat from deforestation and burning. Soon, half of the forest could give way to savanna, all in the name of economic development and greed. Fires are visible from space.

The moisture of the Amazon is critical for the world’s climate.
If the Amazon is destroyed, it will be impossible to control global warming.

Together, we need the will and imagination to save the fragile Amazon.

Composed and Performed by Kluane Takhini
Featuring James Hill (trumpet)

Lungs of Mother Earth

Lungs Of Mother Earth

Lately, it has been suggested that I am a “musical activist” since many of my compositions are focused on injustices and a world in crisis. With this song, I simply wanted to take an emotional break and just write a pretty song with no intended cautionary message.
I hope it brings a smile to your face.

Composed and Performed by Kluane Takhini
Featuring James Hill (trumpet)

For en extra smile, please check the video: 
https://youtu.be/QtHCjrV9xw8

Peace Begins With a Smile

Peace Begins With A Smile

Recently, there was an untimely death in my close family.
       ....Is there such a thing as a ‘timely’ death? 
I have never dealt well with the notion of end-of-life. 
        ....Maybe, nobody does?
When the urn/ casket is ceremoniously placed in the ground, does the spirit/ soul/ essence/ consciousness of that unique individual live on in some unique manifestation?
         ....I want to believe that is the case.

Hence, the confusing musical/ visual message of this composition. 
If, in death, there is a transition to a new way of being, the interim unknown must be staggering.

I hope all our dear friends and family meet again, and share a beer, on the “other side”.

          Kluane: Ambient guitars
          James Hill: Trumpet

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE!!
SPOTIFY:  coming soon
YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/pafY1lAgP-k

The View From Six Feet Under

A story of love and loss and beauty.
Poem by Shane Beck, known as The Last American Poet, spoken words from the heart that never once let go.

Composed and Performed by Kluane Takhini
Spoken Word & Inspiration – Shane Beck
Featuring James Hill (trumpet)

"Poem For the Shadow King"

We were rising & falling through the moments of solitude & a dream
Remnants of a better time when I could rest calm & laugh & play
Here on display you will see the man child who dug his mental grave
Was there a purpose for the games of the heart now broken in two?
Poem For the Shadow King, the story of the one who waited for only you

Standing on hollow ground as my eyes seek to separate the false light
Trial & error of the perpetual play where darkness had chosen to stay
But we begin to recognize the mental loop & the haunting of the self
By the Gods of nature & all the beautiful birds in flight, I call on you
Poem For the Shadow King, this infinite gazing stare still upon you

And the false praise of one soul mate who was guided to the flames to burn
Every single word written in the book you received, those pages still turn
Poem For the Shadow King, the ignorant heart which refused to learn

Poem For The Shadow King

A song inspired by Shane Beck - "The Last American Poet"... 
Spoken Word Musician

Listen to "Poem for the Shadow King" for a full spoken word version.

Duet For The Shadow King

I am proud to release the album “To Catch Lightning in a Bottle” …a collaboration with the outstanding talent of James Hill on trumpet. James is a constant inspiration.

The music expresses diverse thoughts about the turbulent times we live in. "To Catch Lightning in a Bottle" means to accomplish a nearly impossible task.

90 Seconds To Midnight - Baila

She Doesn't Know Me Anymore

Featuring: 
Vladimir Velichkov - kaval & kaval percussion 
James Hill - trumpet 
see Video: https://youtu.be/iIfAsIhmriA?si=XLp2QzItMyShY51i

THEME: 
As humans, we take ourselves far too seriously. Our world has always been divided by those who feel that their own voice is the only true voice. Monsters brutally rule others through ideologies, politics and money. 

Humans delude themselves of their own self-importance. Yet, “on the scale of worlds or galaxies - humans are inconsequential, a thin film of life on an obscure and solitary lump of rock and metal.” (Carl Sagan) 

Perhaps by understanding our universal insignificance, we can find the courage to more kindly behave towards one another, and to preserve and cherish our “pale blue dot” in the universe, the only home we’ve ever known. 

About VLADIMIR VELICHKOV (Bulgaria) 
Vladimir is a virtuoso musician performing on the kaval musical instrument, as well as a composer and professor at the Bulgarian Music Academy in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, where he teaches “Kaval, Chamber Ensembles, Orchestra and Theoretical Disciplines”. He has a doctorate degree in “The Art of Kaval - Tradition and Modernity”. 

The kaval is a woodwind instrument, characteristic of Bulgarian folklore music. Extracting sound and tone from the kaval is extremely difficult. Vladimir achieves an extremely varied sound by using new techniques such as playing two or three notes simultaneously while singing into the instrument; using the “voiced air column” effect where the whistling of air passes through the instrument at a certain pitch and a melody is played - the so-called “whistling wind” effect; overflow of several registers in one or two octaves; and playing percussion effects. https://youtube.com/@VladimirVelichkov0205?si=i6ZhJEmvSR4Z5HIF 

About JAMES HILL (USA) 
Born into a musical family in Burbank, California, James began playing the trumpet at the age of nine and never stopped! “James creates a beautiful and compelling array of musical landscapes - fusing genres, styles, instruments, and rhythms into intensely evocative compositions. His music is punctuated by stellar and often haunting trumpet interludes or overlays. There are certain beautiful and pointed experiences in life on earth that should not be missed, and must be savoured…. The music of James Hill is one of these experiences.” (R. Sebastian Bennett) https://youtube.com/@tcabstudio?si=o_z3iUDQi4K3FMty

Infinitesimally Insignificant

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/S6kn94WnluY?si=UEaJwwjk3x8vgZQU

What might happen if a nuclear war were to happen between Russia and United States? 
Who would survive?
One thing is clear – “There are no winners – only losers”

There Are No Winners

Welcome to the first in the series "Of Fire and Ice" - Music of Norse Mythology, where we musically explore the grand and mysterious world of ancient Norse Myths! 
This musical tribute seeks to capture the legendary essence of the Norse myths. You’ll hear melancholic Norse melodies, as perhaps the Gods might have heard in their minds, the distinct sounds of traditional Nordic pagan frame drums and soaring targelharpa fiddles, flutes and the harp-like lyre. All this blends with orchestral instrumentation, sounds of nature, harmonies and the soaring sounds of James Hill’s trumpet.

#1 “Creation”: 
The world began in a void called Ginnungagap, between the icy realm of Niflheim and the fiery realm of Muspelheim. When the ice melted, the giant Ymir and the cow Audhumla were formed. Audhumla revealed Buri, the ancestor of the gods. His descendants Odin, Vili, and Ve killed Ymir and used his body to create the world: his flesh became the earth, his blood the seas, and his bones the mountains. They then created the first humans, Ask and Embla, from tree logs, and established the World Tree, Yggdrasil, to connect the realms.

The full music series is now available on all streaming services and I'll regularly update YT videos for you in the series.
Video: https://youtu.be/BiJKgLb2PFo?si=268ajVao5JokACkj

'Creation' - Music of Norse Mythology

Welcome to the second in the musical series "Of Fire and Ice", where we explore the mysterious world of ancient Norse Myths! What did the Gods hear in their minds during their adventures? Listen to the distinct sounds of pagan frame drums and soaring targelharpa ‘fiddles’, flutes and the harp-like lyre. All this blends with orchestral instrumentation, sounds of nature, harmonies and the soaring sounds of the trumpet of James Hill.
Video: https://youtu.be/LUZZAIqfW1s?si=2UTzLkz6QgLLKLQJ

Episode #2:  “The Mead of Poetry”
After war between the Aesir and Vanir gods, a peace was sealed by creating a being named Kvasir from their combined saliva. However, two dwarves, Fjalar and Galar, killed Kvasir and mixed his blood with honey to create the ‘Mead of Poetry’, which granted anyone who drank it the ability to compose poetry and gain wisdom.
The dwarves later killed a giant named Gilling and his wife, attracting the wrath of Gilling's son, Suttung. To save themselves, the dwarves offered the mead to Suttung, who hid it in a cave guarded by his daughter, Gunnlod.
Odin, seeking the mead, embarked on a complex quest, using trickery and disguise. He worked for Baugi, Suttung's brother, and eventually convinced Baugi to help him reach the cave. Odin seduced Gunnlod, spending three nights with her in exchange for three sips of the mead. However, Odin drank all of it, transformed into an eagle, and escaped back to Asgard. Odin distributed the mead to the gods and the most talented poets, although a small portion was lost, thus becoming the source of poetic inspiration.

The Mead of Poetry - Music of Norse Mythology

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/HCP9BXFhdWo?si=AcwXhvOxAlBRHsH3

Welcome to #6 in the music series "Of Fire and Ice" - Music of Norse Mythology. What did the Gods hear during their adventures? Listen to the distinct sounds of pagan frame drums and soaring targelharpa ‘fiddles’, flutes and the harp-like lyre. All this blends with orchestral instrumentation, sounds of nature and the soaring sounds of trumpet of James Hill's trumpet.

In the Norse myth "Binding of Fenrir," the gods grow fearful of the wolf Fenrir, a monstrous son of Loki. To prevent him from causing destruction, they trick Fenrir into being bound by an unbreakable magical chain called Gleipnir. Fenrir, suspicious, agrees to be bound only if one god places a hand in his mouth as a pledge. Tyr bravely volunteers, and when Fenrir cannot break free, he bites off Tyr’s hand. Fenrir remains bound until Ragnarok, when he will break free and play a key role in the world's end.

This music is adapted from a soundtrack I did for OttawaStoryTellers.ca   Many thanks to them for the inspiration.

'Binding Of Fenrir' - Music of Norse Mythology

Melodic instrumental music with a touch of world music feel featuring acoustic and electric guitars, percussion, flutes, strings.
website: KluaneTakhini.com

A Land Of Extremes

At some point, everybody in the world, young and old, feels like: "I can't take it anymore". Often, all we need is a helping hand to know "We Can Make It Through This". That's the inspirational message of this song. A feel-good instrumental starting with acoustic contemplation leading to a full orchestral crescendo ending.

We Can Make It Through This

Music and Dance - the universal language spoken by all races, nationalities, ages, and genders! 
This song poses the question – what would happen if musicians from around the globe all played the same song of peace together? People of the world coming/ working together.
Join in as we hear from Asia, Mid East, Europe, Africa, Latin America and North America.
See the video at  https://youtu.be/D5Tlzzmnk4g

We're In This Together

First, my apologies to Kluane followers that are accustomed to light, positive music. This composition comes from a darker place.
After enduring the USA election, it became painfully clear how ‘Divided’ humanity has become. It isn’t just about politics. It’s about race, culture, nationalism, tribalism, religion, economics, gender… xenophobia in general.   
Throughout history, division has been with us, but it feels like it is spiralling out of control. 
What are we teaching our children? What are we leaving our children?
Please check out the YouTube video - it really screams the message:
https://youtu.be/zMlJzC86Raw

Divided

I have played and recorded in international settings, a multitude of percussion instruments, guitar, bass, harmonica, some flutes, keyboard, and if you push me - a very fine jaw harp.

In fact, if I break it down.... I just love to offer-up music, in a living room, a bar, a concert hall or an intercontinental, interactive satellite coordinated concert. 
  
I became fascinated with percussive sounds from around the world… especially African and Latin American rhythms. I fanatically traveled the world collecting anything that you could bang, scrape or hit.
What I learned? Border customs people really don’t appreciate the true value of handmade African caxixi shakers or a Brazilian berimbau. They just want the serial number.
More importantly, a single clicking or ringing sound in a song can make or break that song.
  
I toured Canada, USA and Europe and recorded many “world music” albums (before it was called that), with my late, musical soul mate, Dario Domingues. We played in grand churches, the water reservoirs under Munich, on an island where 100,000 doves were released at the climax of our performance, the first-ever “simulcast”, live satellite, intercontinental concert and then, the humbling experience of being involved in Berlin, in front of 500,000 people, for a series of anti-apartheid concerts featuring ‘Sting’.  For our 'world music' efforts, we were awarded the Deutscher Schallplattenpreisan (1983) accolade by the Deutsche Phono-Akademie, an association of recording companies of Germany that recognizes outstanding achievement in the music industry.  
What I learned? Music is truly a universal language. Around the world people are drawn to music. Of course, different strokes for different folks! 
Whether you play in front of a half-million people in a field, or 10 people in a bar, your role as a musician never changes.  
 
“Dream of the Drum” – I was commissioned to compose and conduct a score for 40+ percussionists from all corners of the world... Jamaican fire dancers, Trinidadian steel drummers, Japanese kodo drummers, African djembe players, military drummers,... the list goes on.
What I learned? The language of music respects no geographic borders. 
Also, never start your outdoor concert, with a lone Native Elder's rain drum song. The drum's magic works!
 
I helped build three innovative recording studios plus, my current production studio. I academically taught musical acoustics and production for several years.
What I learned? All the mathematics and physics in the world can’t replace a good ear.
 
As a producer, I've had the wonderful opportunity to work in great studios in NYC and Nashville with amazing session musicians such as: Eric "Roscoe" Ambel - best known as lead guitarist of Steve Earle’s band the Dukes; Dan Baird of the chart-topping 'Georgia Satellites'; guitarist extraordinaire, Warner E. Hodges, founding member of 'Jason and the Scorchers'.
What I learned? Great musicians tend to be humble but they sure have opinions! In Nashville, I was bluntly told -"No, I won't raise the tom level - in country music, we use toms for holding our bourbon glass." I never did get the toms louder.
 
I spent many years as President of the Ottawa International Jazz Festival and met some of the greatest musical geniuses in the world.
What I learned? "Man, if you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know."
 
Music for jingles on radio and TV. Documentaries.
My personal favourite was coming up with suitable music for the mating rituals of pigs or, how to create 60 minutes of Arctic wind sounds for the movie 'Never Cry Wolf'.  
What I learned?  You can tell an entire story in a 29.5 second radio jingle and music is the glue that holds a great video together.

Kluane Takhini

Popular tracks