Music composed and arranged by Ron Muller, Loren Lichty, and Norman Lichty.

My deepest appreciation to Betty Sanchez for the Pangea design and art, and for her unflagging diligence, persistence, and her unlimited will-power, which provided me continuous help and support throughout the Terra Nova project.

All selections BMI except If There Was a Man which is ASCAP.

Vox Primordium

Vox Primordium is a created word that means Primordial Voice. This ancient sounding music approaches out of the void and sends out its powerful voice of creation, then fades slowly away into the distance and disappears, like the sound of aum, or the cry of the bennu bird in the mythology of ancient Egypt. It is in 13/8, a beat that comes from a dance form called Posupano Horo, most often danced in Bulgarian Thrace.

Daichanova

This tune is from a Bulgarian dance known as the daichovo which is in 9/16. The melodic sequences are from different daichovo’s composed by the anonymous folk musicians of Bulgaria and were transcribed from an old 78 record made by the famous Bulgarian accordion player, Boris Karloff, set to a Nova-New percolating rhythm.

Black Sea Boogie

The Boogie-Woogie is a swinging American dance from the Forties, but it made a left turn when it took a trip to the Black Sea, and is now swinging in 11! This tune boogies first, then comes to a sudden stop and begins a slow Gershwin-inspired section with a bluesy horn solo; but the irrepressible boogie fires up again. This meter is best known from the dance called the kopanitsa, which is from the Shope region of Bulgaria.

If There Was a Man

This song comes from a James Bond movie called “The Living Daylights,” and was composed by Chrissie Hynde and John Berry; arranged here as a romantic dialogue of unrequited love between the alto flute and the French horn. Used with the kind permission of the Harry Fox Agency, New York.

Mambo 7

The mambo originated in Cuba and evolved from the danzón and became an international dance craze in the Fifties when it was popularized by the famous Cuban bandleader, Perez Prado. This mambo is a take-off from his famous Mambo 5 only with a twist; it is in 7! The beat pattern 2-2-3 comes from a Bulgarian dance known as the Ruchenitsa, the national dance of Bulgaria, but the scintillating rhythm is all Nova.

Fantasia on Dospatsko Horo

Dospatsko means something from the town of Dospot located in the Rhodope Mountains of Southern Bulgaria; and Horo means dance. The word fantasia means a fanciful or elaborate version of a melody that involves a theme and variations, in this case done in a classical piano quartet style with the addition of the double bass. Beginning slow and stately with the beautiful theme, it can’t resist the temptation to turn fast and Jazzy. It is in 7, counted 3-2-2, which comes from a dance called the Lesnoto.

Dragon’s Flight

In Bulgarian mythology there are dragons called Zmey who live in caves, rivers, or mountains, and sometimes they manifest themselves in the sky as a ball of fire, or as a bolt of lighting. In the beginning of this tune there is a slow section where the dragon is awaking in his cave. Then he takes to the sky in a streak of fire with his enormous energy. This is a ruchanitza beat.

Blues Moon

This tune is a sinuous blues that snakes its way through the jungle, and should be enjoyed under a starry sky with a full blues moon and some good company. The beat is a samokovsko in 9 from Bulgarian Thrace and Macedonia, and is the same beat used in Dave Brubeck's, Blue Rondo a la Turk.

Echoes of Altamira

Altamira is a cave in Spain where the oldest evidence of ritual practice is found, going back in time some 36,000 years. Using the flamenco scale, this tune echoes down in a free form chant from the hills, the valleys, and the caves of the Iberian Peninsula.

The Jinn

A matador with a splendid suit of lights, and a ferocious bull, circle each other. With eyes filled with hate and power, they stare each other down. But unbeknownst to them, a benevolent spirit from the Middle East called the Jinn has invisibly entered the bullring and circles around with them. Appalled that they are going to fight to the death, the Jinn puts a spell on them both, so as their circle gets smaller, their looks began to soften and they approach each other, now with friendship, respect, and understanding. The matador climbs on the bulls back and they ride around the bullring together in triumph. Astonished at this unexpected turn of events, the stands erupt in applause and celebration and everyone starts to dance. In a les noto 7/8, it begins slowly with flamenco finger snaps and claps, and the fusion enters with the Middle-Eastern doumbek drum; then it ignites into fire as it is joined by jazz and Latin drum sets and solos on piano, flute, post horn, bassoon, doumbek, and bass..

Terra Nova:
Ron Muller: marimba, piano, and synthesizers.
Loren Lichty: Flute and alto flute.
Norman Lichty: French horn, post horn, flute, soprano sax, and bass.

A special thanks to the following people:
Adrian Dunker: French horn: Dragon's Flight
Andrew Lederman: piano: Dragon's Flight, The Jinn
Anthony Khulman: bassoon: Mambo 7, Dospatsko, The Jinn.
Beatriz Sanchez: flute, piccolo: The Jinn
Charles Fernandez: bassoon: Black Sea Boogie, Daichanova, Blues Moon, The Jinn
Jake Leckie: bass: Dospatsko, bass solo on The Jinn
Jamie Papish: doumbek drum: The Jinn
Jeff Takeguchi: bass: The Jinn

And an extra special thanks to Nels Jensen who burned several gallons of midnight oil, and without whose dedication and expertise this project would have been impossible: Audio Engineering, Live Recording, and digital mastering by Nels Jensen of The Pie Studios, Pasadena California, 2019. He can be reached at [email protected]

Thank You to Jigar Shah for his professional work on creating this web-site. He can be reached at www.apexglobalsolutions.com