A Buddhist chanting album by a group of Gyuto Monks from Tibet has garnered a suprise nomination for the upcoming Grammy Award, in the "Best Traditional World Music Album".
The album is produced by Kamal Engels of New Age Records, an independent label who is a long time producer of meditation and relaxation music.
The German-born musician approached the Gyuto Monks after learning they had set up a small monastery in Rosebank near his home town of Byron Bay. The 4 monks were sent from a monastery in India on rotation basis to attend various functions and events and have since returned to India.
Pure Sounds was an accident, as Engels explains: "I was working on a production for my American label, New Earth Records, called Zen Mama. I wanted some traditional Tibetan chanting on it.
"After the recording … I wanted to offer them the chance to record chants of their choice and put an album together so they could print maybe 500 copies and sell them when they were travelling. We recorded the album and it turned out so well that I suggested they try to get it released by my American record company."
The nomination of this album suprised Engel as he had expected another album produced by him, Beyond: Buddhist And Christian Prayers by Tina Turner to stand a chance of a nomination.
With the monks having returned to India and a table on the Grammy night costing a few thousand dollars, no one associated with Pure Sounds is likely to attend the award presentation. The Grammy will be given out this Sunday ( February 13, 2011 )
Pure Sounds
Beyond : Buddhist And Christian Prayers
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