Blue Moon Dancing, Marina Raye s 15th release on her Native Heart Music label is an uplifting journey into pure magic. She plays enchanting melodies on native-style flutes hand-crafted by her husband, flutemaker, Charlie Oakwind. Award-winning, multi-percussionist River Guerguerian provides mesmerizing rhythms on Kanjira, cajon, talking drum, tabla and gourd. Raye is an internationally-known recording artist who was born in the Congo. She draws inspiration from her deep connection with the Earth as she shares her vision of a world of peace, compassion and beauty. Known as the Feminine Voice of the Native Flute, Raye takes her listeners into a new realm of beauty and tranquility. The Chicago Aspectarian has called her an inspiring sonic shaman because of her mastery of the native flute.  Eight exquisite tracks lead listeners on an uplifting journey. The combination of the uplifting tones of Raye s flutes with the gentle percussiono of Guerguerian provides a musical tapestry that is rich and fluid. This music is appropriate for yoga, massage and relaxation. The Story of Blue Moon Dancing I was inspired to use drumming on this CD by the work of Dr. Valerie Hunt, sound healer and visionary scientist. In her research, she found that rhythm can be an important factor in healing from stress-related diseases such as cancer. Since my music is used to relieve stress, we decided it was time to add some magical drumming.This creates a trance-like effect which is appropriate for all healing modalities.   Our time in the recording studio was absolute magic! One of my intentions was to have so much fun with the music that our joy would spill over into every note. My intention was also to be open to all possibilities of how the music would unfold. I usually have some idea of most of the melody lines for the songs I am planning. This time, I only used two of my original ideas. Everything else was completely improvisational. That was high fun! I simply closed my eyes and let the music flow through me.    On many of my CDs, I have used double flutes, an octave apart. For some reason it had never worked in the past to record a second track of the identical flute, until now. Songs 4 and 7 both have three flute tracks, and the result is expansive and mesmerizing!   May Blue Moon Dancing assist you to open your heart to an ever-widening experience of joy, gratitude and bliss. May it provide a vehicle for healing that is inspiring and uplifting, expansive and luminous. Marina Raye The Story of the cover art of Blue Moon Dancing  The cover art by Charles Frizzell is inspired by an amazing experience. Charles and his partner, Shawn, were driving in Southern Colorado on a night of an eclipse of the full harvest moon. They stopped when they spotted a large, injured Great Horned Owl by the roadside. Shawn approached the owl to see if she could assist it, speaking quietly to calm it. After a while, she reached down to slowly and gently pick it up,. The owl stretched his huge wings, then tucked them to his sides as he snuggled into her arms and rested against her breast, his talons interlocked with her fingers. After spending more than an hour with the owl, Shawn felt that it wanted to be left in the desert. She walked far from the road into the desert and set the owl down in a clearing surrounded by sagebrush. Backing away while watching the owl, Shawn glanced back to check her footing. When she looked back, the owl had vanished. Charles describes this dramatic experience in this way: The owl represented change and transition to us; a merging of the traditional with new energies; a balance of the masculine and feminine...