Vinyl Vault: Do’a, “Light Upon Light” & “Ancient Beauty”

This week on the Vinyl Vault, we’ll hear cuts from two albums from the band Do’a, “Light Upon Light” from 1978 and “Ancient Beauty” from 1981. Both albums were released on the Philo Record label. "Light Upon Light" is a collection of songs composed by Randy Armstrong and Ken LaRoche. It features a variety of instruments, including flute, guitar, kalimba, sitar, percussion, and harmonium. The song "Light Upon Light" itself includes a recitation of a Baha'i prayer. For “Ancient Beauty,” the group expanded to a quartet with the addition of Robert Bennett and Bill Kinzie, both on percussion, including Tablas, Cameroonian Shakers, Mandile wood drums, African cowbells, roto-toms, temple blocks, and more.

The music has a flowing, contemplative quality, and the combination of acoustic guitar and flute on some of the cuts is especially pleasing. Do’a is an Arabic-Persian word meaning a call to prayer, meditation, and chanting.

Join Geoff Anderson for Do’a on the next Vinyl Vault, on Tuesday, July 8 at 8:30 p.m. on KUVO JAZZ.