Soothing Embers is the brain child of Nalini Vinayak, a professional sitarist and tabla player of rare distinction. Soothing Embers features eight of Nalini’s original compositions. She has dedicated this album to her beloved niece Sneha. Composing fusion music is Nalini’s passion and forte. Being deeply rooted in Indian Classical Music, Nalini’s compositions are based on Indian Classical Ragas. Soothing Embers takes the listener through a rainbow of ragas and human emotions.

Nalini formed her fusion band called “Agni’ meaning fire. She brought together talented artists and taught them the intricacies of Indian Classical music in the making of “Soothing Embers”. Nalini hopes music lovers will enjoy this album as much as she has enjoyed composing and arranging the music.

Track descriptions:

SOARING ( First Track)
Composed and arranged by Nalini Vinayak
The scintillating notes of Soaring invokes Agni, the Lord of Fire, to bestow His compassion, illumination and knowledge on mankind. Vibrant vocals and strings on fire, capture all the elements of Agni in its blazing frenzy, cosmic dance and cozy warmth.

SOORYA ( Second Track)
Composed and arranged by Nalini Vinayak
Soorya (Sun God) is based on Raga Marwa. This composition captures the deep emotive notes of the Raga with soulful Indian Classical Vocals by Preeti Vinayak Shah. The piece concludes with a chant by Nalini Vinayak on Soorya, the Sun God.

GYPSY ( Third Track)
Composed and arranged by Nalini Vinayak
Gypsies or banjaras as they are known in India, are free spirited nomads who wander happily singing and dancing in search of true love. Nalini Vinayak opens this piece with “Payaliya Jhankar Mori” (about the Gypsy’s musical anklets) and then leads into Rebecca McIlvain, Dominique Petite and Liesel Haldane who express the Gypsy’s request to dance and sing with her.

FOREVER ( Fourth Track)
Composed and arranged by Nalini Vinayak and dedicated to her niece Sneha
Forever is a nostalgic composition based on Raga Plas Kafi. This is a composition close to Nalini’s heart and is dedicated to her beloved niece Sneha. This very melodic instrumental composition takes listeners down memory lane and connects them to their loved ones.

SARVE SHAAM ( Fifth Track)
Composed and arranged by Nalini Vinayak
Sarve Shaam based on Raga Kirwani is a complete and fast paced compositions that has all the elements of melody and complex rhythmical patterns with a Sanskrit chant “Asatoma Sathgamaya” to lead mankind from untruth to truth, from darkness to light, mortality to immortality and for world peace

Tranquility ( Sixth Track)
Composed and arranged by Nalini Vinayak
Tranquility is a melodic and lilting composition based on Carnatic Raga SriRagam. The piece begins with a soulful rendition of a classical opening of “Entharo Mahanubhavu” (a kriti of Saint Thyagaraja) sung by Preeti Vinayak Shah. This skillfully composed piece by Nalini Vinayak leads to a little love story sung by Rebecca McIlvain and Trina Basu Ramamurthy.

Free Spirit ( Seventh Track)
Composed and arranged by Nalini Vinayak
Free Spirit based on Raga Ahir Bhairav is a happy composition. The sheer joy of the singers and melody makes one want to get up and dance.

Fading Notes ( Eight Track)
Composed and arranged by Nalini Vinayak
Fading Notes is a fulfilling composition that relaxes the listener reminding them of the fading glows of a sunset.

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Nalini Vinayak, well known as a composer of melodic compositions, offers yet another treat of her original compositions in this album "Soothing Embers" to music lovers. "Soothing Embers" is the brain child of Nalini and features eight of her skillfully composed melodies. Nalini hopes music lovers will enjoy this album as much as she has enjoyed composing and arranging the music.

Fusion music, blending different musical traditions, has been Nalini's forte and passion. As a pioneer of fusion music, Nalini formed a Tallahassee, Florida based band called “Agni” (meaning fire) in 1999. She brought together talented artists and taught them her original compositions and the intricacies of Indian Classical music before the album "Maya" was released. "Soothing Embers" featuring Nalini’s original compositions is an updated, re-edited, and remixed version of “Maya”. Being deeply rooted in Indian Classical Music, Nalini’s compositions are based on Indian Classical Ragas. Soothing Embers takes the listener through a rainbow of ragas and emotions.

The composition "Forever" in this album was specially composed by Nalini for her niece Sneha in whose honor she dedicates the entire album.

Nalini, a professional Sitarist and Tabla player, hails from a family of musicians and dancers who go back to the early 1900s. Nalini has in this tradition, carved a niche for herself in the field of performing arts as a performer, composer and teacher.

Nalini was for several years the Director of the Indian Classical Music ensemble at The Florida State University, College of Music in Tallahassee. Nalini’s artistry and command over melody and rhythm have rendered her style and compositions unique, giving rise to her own traditional school of music called the “Rasiya Gharana”.

She has recorded and released several solo and fusion albums. Her recent album “Stringing Echoes” (composed and arranged by Nalini) released by Tribal Records, with well known Chinese Zheng artist Ms. Haigiong Deng went down in the history of music as the first ever album released with Sitar and the Zheng in an unique blend of Indian Classical Music.

A word from Nalini:
Composing music is my passion and I have enjoyed every moment producing Soothing Embers.
I thank all the talented artists who worked with me, learning with so much diligence, dedication and respect, a style of music alien to them.
I thank my family for their support. Special thanks to Longineu Parsons of Tribal Records for mastering and releasing this album and Noble Sissle for designing the artwork for the album.