The Ancient Future Times hear now with Purple Spirits! www.ancient-future.com/news2026.htm... Latest Issue: Purple Spirits by Ancient Future Album Release; International Guitar Month; Himalayan Fair #zakirhussain, #hendrix, #nirvana, #Vietnamese, #flamenco, #guitar, #worldfusion, #worldmusic

The 8th Ancient Future album, Purple Spirits, drops today! www.ancient-future.com/purplenirvan...

Purple Spirits Stream: orcd.co/purplespirits Rave review on Grateful Web! "There are tribute albums, and then there are projects like Purple Spirits, which feels less like a simple salute and more like a deep musical conversation across genres, generations, and traditions." Read the whole review:

orcd.co/zakirtribute 'Punjabi Jhinzaki (Zakir Hussain Tribute)' by Ancient Future Ancient Future - Zakir Hussain History On 6/8/97, Ancient Future played after #LosLobos & before #ZakirHussain at the Monterey World One Festival where #JimiHendrix burned his guitar at the #MontereyPopFestival.

orcd.co/zakirtribute Zakir Hussain - Ancient Future History Zakir is on Ancient Future's 2nd Sona Gaia release. They didn't approve rehearsal funds, but he listened on the way to the studio, memorized the bar numbers, and had questions about each section. I had to get out my chart to count the bars!

Ancient Future - Zakir Hussain History: My 1st performance with him was in '78. He sat in with Sun Orchestra (an offshoot of the Diga Rhythm Band I joined) on timbales. He anticipated every single note of my solo, which leaped into the stratosphere, forever changing my playing! orcd.co/zakirtribute

Wishing Jello Biafra a complete recovery so he can get back to his important work as an activist and performer. He's VERY much needed in these times. The digital liner notes to the upcoming Ancient Future release detail the history between #AncientFuture, #DeadKennedys, #Ramones, & #Nirvana.

Punjabi Jhinzaki by Ancient Future, our tribute to tabla master Zakir Hussain featuring Aditya Kalyanpur (tabla), George Brooks (sax), Kai Eckhardt (bass), and Matthew Montfort (scalloped fretboard guitar), drops today on his 75th birth anniversary. Happy birthday in the beyond. orcd.co/zakirtribute

My first ever solo flamenco guitar release, Tres Tarantas Tres, is live today: orcd.co/3tarantas3 #flamenco #guitar #worldmusic #worldfusion #indianraga

The Ancient Future Times is here now with 3 new releases: a music score released on the anniversary of Ancient Future's first concert, a solo flamenco guitar release on my birthday, and a tribute to Zakir Hussain to be released on his 75th birthday anniversary. www.ancient-future.com/news2026.html

youtube.com/shorts/wksnh... This short clip from a live performance previews my first ever solo flamenco guitar release. Drops Fri. Feb. 13! Stream: orcd.co/3tarantas3 Info: www.ancient-future.com/guitartrek.h... #flamenco #flamencoguitar #worldfusion #indianclassicalmusic #impressionism

I'm not a sports fan, but I tuned into the Bad Bunny half time show. I'm also not a fan of huge productions and would rather see great musicians play their instruments and great singers sing. But Bad Bunny's performance was beautiful and it made me cry. I turned my TV off as soon he was finished!

Check out 'Tarantas Alap' by Matthew Montfort at 31:01! www.mixcloud.com/TheGlobalUnd... #flamenco, #guitar, #raga, #alap, #worldfusion

Feel and see the rhythm of my first solo flamenco guitar composition, Tres Tarantas Tres! Score: www.ancient-future.com/guitartrek.h... Stream: orcd.co/3tarantas3 #flamenco #guitar #worldmusic #worldfusion #score

Ralph Towner was one of my musical heroes growing up. Early in the development of Ancient Future, I had the privilege of some enlightening conversations with him. Thanks for everything he did for music. RIP.

Ancient Future/Hendrix/Nirvana 11 Syzygy Jimi Hendrix recorded Purple Haze on 1/11/67. Nirvana performed on Saturday Night Live on 1/11/92. Ancient Future violinist Jim Hurley performed on SNL with Queen Ida on 11/23/85. Hendrix & Nirvana are our 1st ever rock covers: orcd.co/purplenirvana

There are Spotify boycotts due to ICE ads, algorithms that keep people stuck in genre boxes, and low artist payments. Latest on Qobuz: www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/... Fight back by adding great music to HUMAN playlists before leaving: open.spotify.com/album/4QdeMI... @listigeplaylists.bsky.social

There are Spotify boycotts due to ICE ads, algorithms that keep people stuck in genre boxes, and low artist payments. My latest in hi-res on Tidal: tidal.com/album/467463... Fight algorithms by adding great music to your HUMAN playlists before leaving for Tidal: open.spotify.com/album/4QdeMI...

The flamenco palo (form) tarantas includes dissonances resulting from the guitar's first three open strings in combination with the F# Phrygian mode. Tarantas is toque libre, a free form expression that lacks compás (rhythmic cycle), so it could be characterized as rubato. orcd.co/tarantasalap

On Dec 26, 1966, Jimi Hendrix wrote ‘Purple Haze’ between sets. Check out Ancient Future's version: orcd.co/purplenamhaze #hendrix #vietnamesemusic #worldfusion

"Tarantas Alap" is the first solo flamenco guitar recording by Ancient Future leader Matthew Montfort. Listen to the whole piece at: orcd.co/tarantasalap #flamenco #raga #worldfusion #guitar

The latest Ancient Future Times is out now: www.ancient-future.com/news2025.htm... #flamenco #guitar #zakirhussain #ancientfuture #worldfusion #AI

www.mixcloud.com/OWM/kithara-... "Spirit of Nirvana" from Ancient Future's 2025 release, "Purple Nirvana," is the penultimate track on Steve Sheppard's final One World Music Radio Show of 2025. Check it out at 41:00! #nirvana #worldmusic

My first ever solo recording on flamenco guitar drops this Friday, 12/12/25! But you can pre-save it now at orcd.co/tarantasalap! And stay tuned because it's the improvised introduction to my composed piece Tres Tarantas Tres, coming 2/13/26: orcd.co/tarantas

US attacks on Venezuela are decried as extrajudicial killings violating international law. Instead of becoming authoritarian, let's learn from our past reforms. Here's a 2005 article praising Venezuela's law requiring a percentage of local music on the radio. www.ancient-future.com/radioquotas....

“Spirit of Nirvana” by Ancient Future is featured on "One World Music Radio" on Mixcloud at about 40:13! It features me on scalloped fretboard guitar, Mariah Parker on santur, and Benjy Wertheimer on tabla. www.mixcloud.com/OWM/playlist... #nirvana #worldfusion #worldmusic #ancientfuture

Mountain Song from Quiet Fire, the third recording by Ancient Future, is featured on the latest Todd Johnston show on Mixcloud at about 53:30: www.mixcloud.com/themorningbr...

First #Rapture Ancient Future was on West Coast Live along with Bruce Cockburn 5/21/11. Sedge Thomson jested about the coming doom. We played "End of the Beginning" as a nod. But when I returned home several bushes were gone, and there was an empty pair of work boots at the bottom of the stairs!

Weekend listeners hear the pioneers of world fusion, Ancient Future . We talk to them about their origins in the 1970s and their latest release which turns Nirvana global. Hear it this weekend on Echoes from PRX. wp.me/p4ZE0X-x1s #worldfusion @ancientfuturemusic.bsky.social

Our 'Purple Nirvana' release opens the Third Ear Music podcast airing September 5-11, 2025! It's also on Radio ROCKSERWIS.FM on September 4 if you are in Poland. www.ars2.pl/start.php?co...

On August 14 at 1:30 PM PDT, I will be interviewed on Pagan World Views on KPFZ 88.1 FM in Lakeport, CA or stream live at stream.kpfz.org:8818/live.mp3 Long time supporters Stephen Abbot and Verge Belanger are co-hosts. One topic will be the new Ancient Future release, Purple Nirvana!

One World Music Radio included 'East of the Sun (Trio Version)' by Ancient Future in this playlist they just posted! Check it out 25 minutes and 45 seconds into the show: www.mixcloud.com/OWM/playlist...

Looking forward to my interview with Amy Contardi on Crossing Boarders about the new Ancient Future release Purple Nirvana on KRCB at today (7/27/25) at 1:30 PM PST! norcalpublicmedia.org/radio-progra...

'Spirit of Nirvana' from the new 'Purple Nirvana' EP by Ancient Future is the second track on this week's The Magic Mess on KZUM! spinitron.com/KZUM/pl/2089... #worldfusion #nirvana Features Mariah Parker on santur, and Benjy Wertheimer on tabla, and me on scalloped fretboard guitar.

Purple Haze (Vietnamese Đàn Bầu Style) by Ancient Future is on World Beat Canada Radio! calc0pyr1te.podbean.com/e/world-beat... Matthew Montfort (glissentar, bass), Bui Huu Nhut (đàn bầu), Abbos Kosimov (Uzbek percussion) Mariah Parker (keys) #worldfusion #worldbeat #hendrix #vietnamesemusic

The John Weeks Show just aired this interview with me about 'Purple Nirvana' by Ancient Future on 3MDR 97.1 FM, Australia: omny.fm/shows/the-jo... #worldfusion #australia #guitar

For Northern California Music Lovers: Free World Rhythms Workshop at the Cloverdale Arts Alliance, June 18 at 7 PM! www.ancient-future.com/pr2025.html#...

Check out Ancient Future on the Echoes Podcast today! echoes.org/2025/05/15/e... #echoes #podcast #radio #worldfusion #benjywertheimer

Great to be on Echoes again!

Here's the playlist for the May 5 One World One Voice radio show. It features "Spirit of Nirvana" by Ancient Future 29 minutes in! www.mixcloud.com/OWM/one-worl... #nirvana #worldfusion #worldmusic

The studio version of East of the Sun with wind master Paul McCandless of the group Oregon on oboe drops April 25! orcd.co/eastsun #oboe #worldfusion open.spotify.com/album/0xgkbZ...

After the release of Purple Nirvana, Ancient Future's iHeart page lists Imagine Dragons as a similar artist for the first time! www.iheart.com/artist/ancie... #imaginedragons #nirvana #sia

Save Stream: orcd.co/eastofthesun... On 4/4/10, a new unnamed piece by Matthew Montfort was performed live on Please Stand By on KPIG (1510 AM). An audience member called suggesting the name East of the Sun. On 4/4/25, it dropped with Ancient Future's #Nirvana cover, Spirit of Nirvana.

Exactly 14 years ago, on April 1, 2011, this live video was taken at the recording session for East of the Sun. It features live basic tracks by Matthew Montfort (scalloped fretboard guitar), Mariah Parker (santur), and Benjy Wertheimer (tabla). #ancientfuture #worldfusion #worldmusic

orcd.co/eastsun itunes.apple.com/album/id/179... This version of East of the Sun features Paul McCandless on oboe, an important early musical influence on Ancient Future founders. Preorder on his birthday, 3/24/25!

On 3/16/77, I unexpectedly opened for the #Ramones with my high school girlfriend, singer and pianist Bambe Marlin who had gotten into punk rock. This event became a syzygy in the histories of #Nirvana, the #DeadKennedys and Ancient Future. Details at www.ancient-future.com/releases2025...

Captured at the recording sessions for "Purple Nam" with Matthew Montfort (glissentar), Bui Huu Nhut (đàn bầu), and Mariah Parker (keys), + overdub by Abbos Kosimov (doyra, shakers) exactly 12 years ago! #vietnamese #worldfusion #ancientfuture #worldmusic #uzbek youtu.be/9IynbJgznv8

Happy birthday in the beyond to Zakir Hussain. We will miss you forever here on earth...

www.facebook.com/reel/6320942... Video from live recording of 'East of the Sun.' Get the track now on Apple and Amazon as an Instant Grat download! Drops everywhere April 4. Preview stream now: orcd.co/spiritofnirv...

Thanks to all who were part of the economic blackout 2/28/25 to protest malign influence of big business! Amazon is among the worst offenders, but most streaming sites don't treat artists fairly. The #ArtistRightsAlliance is working on a fairness ranking. Stay tuned for the next blackout 3/28/25.