Wood Orchid by Chitra Neogy

The haiku of the soul becomes transparent through Manoshi Chitra Neogy’s Word Art. As an acclaimed poet who seamlessly and powerfully melds vision and poetry resulting in an alternative thought provoking and sensual art form, Wood Orchid. Coined and conceived in the vast sky country of New Mexico, her poetry becomes a sculpted tapestry of a visioned nuance of the art of word. Seeking to sculpt the echo of the soul, Neogy’s Word Art is the cry of the feminine mystique and the fire of the divine feminine. With the intention and attention to a conscious expression of one’s creative center, Wood Orchid captures and embodies the sounds and magical embrace of that inner vibration.

Wood Orchid is a collection of Neogy’s poetry, recorded in Prague in the early 2000s. While traveling in New Mexico, Neogy met a musician in Sante Fe who was interested in working with her. They began performing together, and he soon mentioned that he knew musicians in Prague. Including Richard Mader, who owned a studio. Scott Endsley, my friend and creative partner, offered to produce the CD. I was overwhelmed with joy and gratitude.“It was a magical experience and Richard was exceptional to work with,” Neogy recalls.

Together, there were five musicians taking cues from Neogy’s vocal phrasings. You can hear the oud, tabla, bass, gambri (a skin-covered bass plucked lute with three strings), shalm (a double reed woodwind instrument) and the precise pizzicato of guitar and cello weaving in and out of Neogy’s lyrics.