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Haitian Relief Rhythm

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KDZ was able to raise close to $1000 for the Haitian relief effort through sales of this track, Renewal, during the first few months of 2010. The money was donated to Partners in Health (PIH.org) to help rebuild Haiti after the devastating earthquake.

Please note: We continue to sell this track to raise awareness about the devastating effects that these natural disasters have. We no longer donate the proceeds to PIH.

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Shaun, Allison, Henry, Adrian, Bob & Kalpesh

 
 
 
 

Read the Story about "Renewal"

      After a long hiatus from the studio, KDZ decided to get back to it on a snowy Thursday in January, recording some rhythms based on a popular style of Cuban music called Son Montuno (referred to generally as Son).

    Feeling moved by the music, the idea emerged to release this song to raise money for relief in Haiti. As we continued, our intentions and symbolism came together to create a song rich with feeling and fresh with inspiration for responding to the urgent need for humanitarian assistance in Haiti.

Son Montuno is one of the many types of the Son rhythm. Montuno translates to 'comes from the mountain'. so Son Montuno is said to be an older type of son played in the mountainous rural areas of Eastern Cuba, the closest geographical location to Haiti.  Our arrangement merged with the traditions of Son Muntuno and our intentions toward the reconstruction of Cuba's neighbor, and so Renewal was born.

The song starts with the 2/3 Son clave, a standard cuban rhythm. Throughout the piece the rhythmic 'one', or foundation of the beat, gets subtly changed throughout, slowly turning the rhythm upside down with the help of some melody.

The beginning clave emulates the consistent pound of a hammer, of building and creation.  Following that the low Djun drum comes in to help establish more of a foundation for the song.  Light percussion is filtered in to gradually grow the rhythm.  Things stay steady for awhile...  until the inevitable change comes, through the airy sounds of the flute.

The flute symbolizes ebb and flow, a dance of transformation. It comes in rather gently at the start, and then ends up carrying the rhythm to a new height. These elements come in and out through the rest of the song, symbolizing the various stages of homeostatis and creation.

The song ends where it began, with rebuilding, re-construction, renewal. We come full circle back to the beginning, as the cycles of nature go.

Our hearts ache deeply for the people of Haiti, and this song is our prayer that goes out to them.

 

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