Travel Well: A Tribute To David Newman. December 31, 1963 — April 18, 2024
Hello friends, I have sad news. On April 18th of this year our Bhakti world lost one of its brightest lights. David Newman left his body after a short illness, and his death sent waves of sadness & grief through the international Bhakti community. He was so young, and had so much left to give. But it was his time, and no one understood that better than David did. We hosted him for a kirtan & a workshop back in the spring of 2018, and he was a delight — deeply spiritual and also funny with a wicked sense of humor. Over the years I’ve seen David offer kirtan at many different festivals, but perhaps my favorite was when he wore the cheese hat at Bhakti Fest Midwest. That set is linked in the show notes, and I’ll also post the link to a GoFundMe for Mira and Tulsi, David’s wife and daughter. Please contribute if David’s music has moved you in any way. Last month we hosted Shantala here in Corvallis, and at the end of the kirtan Benjy & Heather offered their cover of ‘Tulsi’s Bliss’, from David’s CD ‘Stars’. Benji & Heather have led several pilgrimages to India with David, and they were close. When David got sick they composed the chant you’re about to hear and sent it to him, hoping it would lift his spirits. They performed this as the last chant of their kirtan here in Corvallis, and are accompanied by Jared May on bass and Johanna Beekman on vocals. It moved us to tears. I hope you also are moved by it. Link to Fundraiser for Mira and Tulsi So … getting back to the New World Kirtan podcast, I have been thinking so much about the path forward, and have come to the conclusion that it may be the time for a podcast that features mostly music has come and gone. I’m running into copyright issues, and the artists make money when I post playlists that feature their music on Spotify, but not when I play it on the podcast. This conclusion makes me so sad, because I have loved producing the New World Kirtan podcast for you. We started in 2008, when no one knew what a podcast was, and now there are so many that claim our attention. I want to thank each and every one of you who have listed to these offerings of kirtan music and interviews with kirtan artists over the years. Many of you continue to download the NWK podcast, and I’m always astonished at the weekly download numbers. We’ve been on a journey together over all these years, together through all the years of the great festivals with live recordings & artist interviews, We’ve gone through my mother’s death together, and two elections and learning about the kirtan scene in China, and when Kirtan went to the Grammy Awards. We were together during all the health stuff that happened to me and don’t think for a minute I didn’t feel your prayers. Thank you. Thank you for your emails. Thank you for being such a great audience. I hope I’ve contributed in some way to making your life better through this magical music. I’ll continue to be here, and I’ll post when something momentous happens in the kirtan world. I loved David Newman, and I couldn’t let his death pass without remembering his beautiful spirit and his music. I interviewed him several years ago, I’ll put the link in the show notes, and I’ll also include some links I’ve recorded of his performances in various festivals over the years. Savor his energy. He was special, and he will be missed. Your memory is a blessing, dearest David Newman. Travel Well, my friend. Travel Well. And until next time, dear hearts — Namaste.
