Narayan & Janet: Press

All Bliss
Narayan & Janet
You’re Loved, www.narayanjanet.com
Bringing in guitar virtuoso Eric Tingstad as co-producer yielded huge benefits for the duo Narayan & Janet on All Bliss. Merging elements from pop, jazz, rhythm and blues, and other genres, the CD is joyful and celebratory yet also holds more than a few important messages—one casual listen to the opening “Be Yourself” drives that point home. From the funky, soulful cover of the classic Youngbloods’ tune “Get Together” to the struttin’ jazz of “Mostly Love” (Crusaders, anyone?) to the flashback-to-the-late-‘60s “Peace and Joy” (easy to picture John Lennon singing this one), Narayan and Janet infuse so much fun into this CD that it’s nigh irresistible. Sterling production is the icing on the cake of this delightful album.

The music of this Seattle-based duo will have you swaying, toe-tapping, humming and feeling in your groove. Narayan and Janet have combined their musical talents with their spirituality to make what they call “Music for Awakening.”
I love how the lyrics are meaningful since today so many musical performances are less than inspirational. The song “Be Yourself” encourages the listener to be true to themselves; it would be great for youngsters to hear this so they would be supported to being true to themselves rather than following the herd.
There’s a great mixture of styles from Beatles, pop, jazz, new age, and R & B – all on one album – that can only make you feel good, raise your energy, and ground you all at the same time. Hmm, I guess that’s what the album is called All Bliss!”
Instrumentation includes: organ, keyboards, trumpet, flugelhorn, guitar (played by Eric Tingstad, no less), bass, drums and percussion, cello, and accordion.

A CHANGE OF PACE
For something completely different, we recently checked out the Soul Food Books in Redmond. This cozy store has organic coffee,
Picture
My organic mocha latte' was a work of art!
, panini style sandwiches, baked goods, and other treats.

The real treat was the live music on Friday night. From 8-10 PM we were treated to Narayan and Janet Baltzo doing original tunes to uplift and make you smile.

" The music of Narayan & Janet is creating a buzz among the ever-growing numbers of people who want music to reflect their spiritual awakening and nurture a sense of love and joy. Narayan & Janet's powerfully uplifting concert includes music from their new CD "ALL BLISS" and invites participation from joyful attendees who will go home from this event feeling uplifted, centered and inspired! And it's fun!"

And, it WAS fun. Soul Food Books serves up organic coffee and tarot readings, reiki, and drum lessons plus more. I wish we had one of these in Bellevue.
The cozy atmosphere is perfect for our "Juneuary" rainy nights.

HELPING THE PLANET TO EVOLVE _ONE LISTENER AT A TIME
All Bliss, a new CD by Narayan & Janet, transcends its own mainstream appeal with a powerful purpose: to help everyone who hears it sustain a state of bliss in everyday life. “It’s like meditating with your eyes open,” says Narayan of the CD, which is scheduled for release in early 2010. “It’s for having inward and outward reality become one. It’s for lifting your awareness and taking that state into the world.”
The genre-bending duo’s first release, Why Not Now, drew on a unique blend of New Age, R&B, gospel, and Sanskrit chant influences. All Bliss has an even more eclectic, exciting palette, adding rock, pop, jazz and world music styles. “Get Together” is a fresh version of the Youngbloods’ classic hit. “Peace and Joy,” a tribute to John Lennon, echoes the sound of the Beatles. “Soul Song” and “Walking in the Bliss” are structured like chants, using repetition and a hypnotic beat to induce an uplifted trance state. “Shivaya” is literally adapted from a powerful Sanskrit chant. “Be Yourself” is a song with a pop feel and a non-conformist message, while “Mostly Love” evokes the smooth style of the Brazilian jazz singer Sadé. The lyrics for the reflective “Always Near” are adapted from a poem by the Indian teacher Yogananda. “I believe all music is spiritual,” says Narayan. “and these songs are infused with the realism of our shared spiritual journey.”
The duo describes the creation of the CD as a blissful, miraculous journey. “Each step along the way involved self-healing and a lot of visioning work and right when we needed it people who are masters of their art appeared-doors opened ! ” says Janet, “starting with Grammy-award winner Eric Tingstad who produced and plays guitar on the album.” Janet had met Eric while on tour with David Lanz, and was invited along with Narayan to be a part of Eric’s highly-acclaimed live performances of music from Eric’s solo album “Southwest”. Eric says “Narayan and Janet are extraordinary musicians and songwriters and the three of us bring very complimentary musical senses into the studio. Making this album was a beautiful collaboration.”
The songs on All Bliss blossomed from Narayan & Janet’s love for each other and for the divine. Janet proclaims “When we make music together our spiritual lives become our everyday lives.”
Narayan adds, “Many people right now are making life choices and living moment-to-moment in a fear-based reality, allowing fear to dictate their actions and cultivating fear thoughts in a sort of feedback loop. We want to encourage those who are ready to move into a love-based reality, where love becomes the motivating force behind ones thoughts and actions. This music is very helpful to lift one’s thoughts and feelings.”
Contact: Max Horowitz | Crossover Media | 212.465.2444 |max@crossovermedia.net

You’re Loved, the genre-bending musical duo that recently released its first original CD, Why Not Now?, will host an innovative new radio program, Living Music Radio, on KKNW 1150 AM and 98.9 FM HD3 starting April 30. Each half hour show will also be archived on livingmusicradio.com for access on the world-wide web.

Hosts Janet and Narayan Baltzo can be heard Mondays & Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and Saturday mornings at 11. They plan to showcase “conscious contemporary” music, a term coined by the two to describe a broad range of uplifting and joyous sound. “A lot of people think that for music to be sacred it has to be old, that modern is negative,” says Narayan. “The truth is that modern instruments and new forms and combinations of genres can be just as heart-opening.”

The show will feature interviews with musicians, healers, community leaders and visionaries. It will highlight established musicians who have made the shift to more conscious music, as well as leaders in the field of sound healing such as Jonathan Goldman, and local creatives. “There are artists out there who are playing and composing beneficial music in a higher vibration who aren’t being heard outside their communities,” says Janet. “We want to change that.” Adds Narayan, “We’re looking for new ways to expose all of us more to conscious music. We’d like to circumvent the traditional, consumer-driven attitude towards music that turns it into a formulaic, homogenized product and, while we’re at it, help to make more connections between communities.”

The Baltzos discovered their natural flair for radio during an interview promoting their CD. When the interviewer suggested that they host their own program they jumped at the opportunity. The two have a broader mission beyond creating and performing expansive, life-affirming music; they want to use music to help assist with the cultural and planetary shifts that are happening. As a result, listeners to Living Music Radio can expect a transformative experience. “Music has the power to shift us from competitive mind to creative mind, from a problem-infused to a solution-infused existence, from conditioned thinking to living in the moment, open to all possibilities,” says Narayan. Janet declares, “We’re prepared to be blown away by what we find as we do this show. I think our listeners will be, too.”

Narayan and Janet gave us a wonderful morning of music for our services - the sound was contemporary groove, sacred Sunday morning jazz. With imagery from urban and natural sources, their original materials ease the listener into Divine embrace. Then their beautiful chants brought in mystic elements from their Ananda background, which was a perfect mix for our congregation.
And what a breeze to work with! They've both got super attitudes and flexibility, there to serve our service and our ministry's needs for the day. Highly skilled players and vocalists, both, they gladly and easily jammed in on the rest of our service tunes, blended beautiful with our house musicians, creating exactly the feeling we wanted - a music team in full harmony with the moment and the ministry.

Erin McGaughan, Director
Seattle Unity Joyful Arts Ministry

We have been so blessed to hear Narayan and Janet perform. The comments our congregation have made tell it all:

"All that sound from just two people."

"It was like a cool breesze of Spirit moving through the room."

"It's all about God, not about them. They're very humble."

"Beautifully humble artists."

“We are so glad we didn't miss the opportunity to bring these God-infused, light-beings into our service.”

Thank you both!

Kathryn Lafond, Music Minister
Spiritual Enrichment Center of West Sound

To Whom It May Concern:
If you are interested in a musical duo with talent, diverse music styles, and an appreciation for seniors, then I recommend that you try “You’re Loved” in your community. They have performed at our facility and are booked to return in April. Narayan is a talented horn player and Janet plays keyboard and sings beautifully. They are very professional and easy to work with.

Barb Higgins
Social Director
Vineyard Park at Bothell Landing
Independent and Assisted Living

Thank you so much for your participation, your flexibility, ease and willingness to flow with what was happening, and your own wonderful energy that you brought to the event! Thank you, again for helping to create a wonderful evening for everyone!

WOW - I love your music! I listened to the 2 mins of every song and ordered the CD. You have a fabulous unique sound with Janet's rich voice, innovative material and Narayan's horn result in a lighthearted musical delight.