Echappées Ethériques

Pope Flyne is a Master Drummer from Africa. He came to Oakland in 1985 where he and Merrill worked together in the YMCA School Age Child Care program. Since then he "Brother Pope" and Merrill "Sis Merrill" have collaborated on many pieces and performed at major venues in celebration of international holidays. Our performances include United Nations NYC, Amnesty International, United Way, YMCA, Human Rights Night Masonic Theatre SF, Oakland City Hall, Herbst Theatre SF, Zellerbach Playhouse UC Berkeley, and many more.

In 1993 the Council for the Parliament of the World's Religions held a conference in Chicago. They asked Dr.Professor Hans Kung to draft a document representing what all the world's religions agreed on. It is called "Toward a Global Ethic: an Initial Declaration. " As a member of the SF Action Coalition for Global Change I was invited to participate in celebrations of the United Nations 50th Anniversary. A colleague suggested I set the text of the Global Ethic document to music. The pieces on the CD "We Declare!" and in the curricula book are those settings.

Created with Yoga teachers and practitioners in mind, this track features Kimberly Haynes vocalist on the sacred Sanskrit chants, "Om Mani Pedme Hum," and "Hu". The melodies from the song Every Man, Woman and Child provide a positive focus on global healing and human rights. More info on the project is here : https://www.spiralingmusic.com/peaceday/index.htm "Vocalist Kimberly Haynes joins Merrill ever-so-gently, and they take you to the outer edges of joyful existence…this is one of the most spiritual experiences you will ever have… the song clearly speaks wonderfully for the 'Universal Declaration of Human Rights' (UDHR) that it was created for." — Dick Metcalf, Contemporary Fusion Reviews

Created with Yoga teachers and practitioners in mind, this track features David Vito Gregoli on Sitar and Merrill Collins on keyboards. The melodies are from the song "Every Man, Woman and Child," which is dedicated to global healing and Human Rights. More info on the project is at: https://www.spiralingmusic.com/peaceday/index.htm "One of the most stunning (and powerful) sonic collaborations I’ve witnessed (yet) in 2019. You can hear the spirits of the universe speaking through these players, no doubt… if any song merits an award – it is THIS ONE!"— Dick Metcalf, Contemporary Fusion Reviews

Created with Yoga teachers and practitioners in mind , this final track of the full CD Every Man, Woman and Child Yoga Flow Suite includes several lines from the song's original lyrics: "We the people;" "We the keepers of the earth;" "Every man, woman and child." The sacred Sanskrit chants, "Om Mani Pedme Hum," and "Hu" are repeated from Track 1. Find more information on the larger global project at https://www.spiralingmusic.com/peaceday/index.htm "This is my personal favorite of the three tracks." — Dick Metcalf, Contemporary Fusion Reviews

Austin Starchild is a DJ in LA who specializes in bringing a positive focus to clubs and dance events. He and Merrill collaborated on this track as part of the 2019 Peace Day Project. On this track Austin raps articles from the UDHR /More info at www.spiralingmusic.com/peaceday

9 Veni Sancte Spiritus by Merrill Collins