49 days (Music For A Transition), by Mike Weis

49 days (Music For A Transition)

by Mike Weis

supported by

	/

Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Purchasable with gift card

€5 EUR or more
Cassette + Digital Album
Pro-dubbed cassette | C30

Includes unlimited streaming of 49 days (Music For A Transition) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 4 days

€8 EUR or more
Full Digital Discography

23

releases

Get all 23 Granny Records releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Élégie du temps présent, 49 days (Music For A Transition), Studies in audio fabrics, No options, 84100, The probability of an encounter, Fragments, Mélange, and 15 more. , and , .

Purchasable with gift card

€68.25 EUR or more (25% OFF)

	1.	The ghost in you 14:34		buy track
	2.	Walking with Ji-Jang 14:17		buy track

about

Statement for 49 Days (Music For A Transition)

The inspiration for this work came out of a tragic loss. I felt an overwhelming pull to create these two pieces following the sudden death of my father-in-law. In the tradition of the form of Zen Buddhism that I practice there is a ritual that is performed for 49 days following the death of a loved one. During this period the grieving chant the name of Ji-Jang Bosal, “the bodhisattva of transitions,” everyday for an extended time during meditation. The Buddhist mythology of this ritual is to call upon the bodhisattva to assist the dead as they navigate the bardo period, guiding them to see clearly through their karma to choose an appropriate re-birth. A less metaphysical, more secular purpose for this practice is that it is meant more for the living than the dead - a grieving method to bring one closer to the dead, a way to go beyond death as a separation from the living. I’ve found this approach to be very powerful and while deep in chanting meditation one morning the idea to soundtrack the images that I had in my mind of this “otherworld” came to me clearly.

The Ghost in You is structured around a field recording that I made of the carillon at Rockefeller Chapel on the campus of University of Chicago. I recorded it many years ago while I was on a guided tour of the carillon tower. By pitching the speed down I noticed that the recording had an elegiac quality that I have never quite found a suitable use for until this idea. From this starting point I built a composition of sounds from homemade instruments and contact mic’d gong and ride cymbal. The name of this track references The Psychedelic Furs song by the same name. I’ve always loved the poetry of this title, it seems to imply that in the midst of living we are all ghosts, constantly in a state of transition.

Walking With Ji-Jang is also a track built around a field recording, one that I made on my father-in-law’s property in Indiana. I placed the tape recorder on a bridge that he built over a creek, connecting his yard to the woods behind his house. The significance of this bridge to me represents the passing from the domestic, tame world of a familiar shore to the unknown wilderness beyond. After Rick died my son and I created a small Ji-Jang Bosal statue made from boulders, which is a tradition in Korean and Japanese Mahayana Buddhism. We placed this memorial at the entrance of the bridge and we bow to it every time we pass by on our walks into the woods.
Ji-Jang Bosal’s name means “Earth Store.” The myth says that he takes care of everyone in the six worlds that exist between Sogamonibul (the historical Buddha) and Maitreyabul (the future Buddha). He travels the sub-world realms saving all beings. In statues, he has a staff in his right hand that is adorned with rattles and bells to warn smaller beings so they don’t get trampled under foot. He is also known as a guardian of children and travellers. The title of this piece references the Spaceman 3 song, Walking With Jesus.”

credits

released November 15, 2020

Composed, performed and recorded by Mike Weis
Mastered by Matt Christensen
Design & Artwork by Yorgos Vourlidas
Edition of 80 copies | CS | granny 25

license

about

Granny Records Θεσσαλονίκη, Greece

Granny records is a record label founded in Thessaloniki, Greece publishing works by contemporary musicians.
Granny also supports acts of innovative artists by organizing events in the city of Thessaloniki

contact / help

Contact Granny Records

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

If you like 49 days (Music For A Transition), you may also like:

In Low Light (Music for the Winter Solstice)
by Mike Weis

supported by 12 fans who also own “49 days (Music For A Transition)”

Been a big fan of Zelienople for some time now, yet it never quite registered how much of that adoration was due to the incredible percussive talents of Mike Weis. Now, I'm even more hooked on his solo work. In Low Light comes off as his most subtle and fleshed out effort yet. Either way, genius is found in all that Weis touches! Lost Tribe Sound
go to album
Seven Different Places
by Mike Weis & Matt Christensen

supported by 10 fans who also own “49 days (Music For A Transition)”
go to album
Mo Pussyfooting
by Matt Christensen

supported by 10 fans who also own “49 days (Music For A Transition)”

Zelionople's guitarist and singer puts out, like, an album every week — I should know, I subscribe to his Bandcamp! His tribute to Brian Eno and Robert Fripp's tape-delay masterpiece is pure guitar bliss, warping time and states of mind as you stare through glass ceilings. Lars Gotrich
go to album
Moto Perpetuo
by Kilchhofer Anklin

Percussionist Michael Anklin meets modular synth wizard Kilchhofer for this fascinating record of atmospheric electroacoustic interplay. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 5, 2019
go to album
Another
by MAGAM

This international experimental collective carefully architects their haunting sound, generating immediate emotional impact. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 30, 2019
go to album
Ore
by Andrea Belfi

featured on Bandcamp Radio Dec 26, 2017
go to album
Sleep (free)
by Matt Christensen

supported by 9 fans who also own “49 days (Music For A Transition)”
go to album