the project

Traveler, nominated for 1987's Best New Age Grammy award, incorporates virtually all of flutist Paul Horn's personal experiences and musical styles - his travels to Europe, India, China, Russia, and Egypt and his continuing interest in jazz, classical, pop, new age, and world music.

Drawing from traditions of many cultures and musical periods, Traveler bridges time and distance with the language of music. Instrumentation on Traveler includes sitar and tablas from India, a European string quartet, a Chinese bamboo flute, members of the San Francisco Boys' Choir, and ancient instruments blended with synthesizers. On Traveler, Horn improvises contemporary music on flute and saxophone. Horn and co-composer/arranger, Christopher Hedge, also showcase a classical piece composed by Orlando de Lassus in the 15th century. Metropolis features the fast-paced sounds of urban traffic, while Astral Travel and Soul Travel are extended meditative pieces. In addition to the entirety of Traveler, this release includes four bonus tracks selected from Horn's 1983 album, Jupiter 3.

"We journey externally from country to country," said Horn, "reflecting the continual merging of world cultures. We travel in historical time, from the present to the distant past. As well, we travel inwardly, through the music of meditation."

the artist

In the mid sixties, dissatisfied with commercial music and the Hollywood lifestyle, Horn flew to India, where he studied transcendental meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. "Meditation enhanced my life enormously," said Horn. "It put me back in touch with the basis of my own existence. My creativity began taking expansive new directions."

Horn recorded his world-famous Inside the Taj Mahal (11062) in 1968, a best-selling album that many consider to be the cornerstone of new age music. In 1976, he journeyed to Egypt, where he recorded Inside the Great Pyramid (12060). Other albums in the Inside series include Inside the Cathedral (11075) and China (11080).

During the 1950s, Horn studied classical music at Oberlin and the Manhattan School of Music. Following this he played jazz, first with Sauter-Finegan and Chico Hamilton, then with his own groups. During the 1960s he received two Grammy's for Jazz Suite on the Mass Texts. He was a member of the NBC Hollywood Staff Orchestra and recorded numerous jazz albums with his own quartet and quintet. In 1970, he moved to Victoria, British Columbia. He has since toured and recorded all over the world.