Within by Benjy Wertheimer and David Michael

A lush and deep musical journey where the poignant voice of the East Indian esraj intertwines with the majestic Celtic harp in a celestial soundscape – perfect music for meditation, yoga, bodywork, healing or simply being.

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“Exquisite … sublime … nothing less than an improvisational masterpiece. Created to complement massage, meditation, and slow-form yoga, Within is a veritable feast for the tender heart in us all. Imagine Celtic and Indian music woven into an exotic tapestry of sweet harmony and ambient, New Age bliss. Such is the joy that awaits the listener who dives deeply Within.”
– Steve Ryals, Rock Creek Press


After a quarter century of exploring a wide range of musical collaborations, Benjy Wertheimer and David Michael have finally released their debut album as a duo, titled “Within.”

The music features Benjy on esraj, a poignant and deliciously expressive 19-stringed bowed instrument from India. David plays Celtic harp, and these slow-paced duets are designed to guide you to that place … within.

Virtuoso guitarist Michael Mandrell joins the artists on a number of the pieces and, Benjy's wife, Heather Wertheimer, adds beautiful tamboura and ethereal vocals to complete the surreal soundscape that is perfect for massage therapy, the healing arts, yoga or just peaceful contemplation.

The selections on this beautifully idyllic and spacious album were recorded as live improvisations using the ambient space of “the Cistern,” the incredible sonic environment of an empty, two-million-gallon underground reservoir in Fort Worden State Park (in Port Townsend, Washington). National Public Radio dubbed this space “the greatest musical instrument in the state of Washington,” with a reverberation cycle of over 40 seconds.

The acoustic characteristics of this space were masterfully captured by engineer Neville Pearsall, whose studio, Synergy Sound, is also located in Fort Worden State Park. The musical synergy of the artists and the exquisite sonic characteristics of the Cistern allowed the artists to enter a blissful, exquisitely connected meditative state, resulting in this collection of hypnotically beautiful improvisations.

Benjy Wertheimer is an award-winning musician, composer, vocalist, producer, and multi-instrumentalist equally accomplished on tabla, congas, percussion, esraj, guitar, and keyboards. Benjy has produced 20 CDs since 2000, which receive extensive airplay around the world, and his CD Circle of Fire went to #1 on the New Age radio charts.

shantalamusic.com