“PLANETARY COALITION” – In our current times, we need this even more.
It’s 11/11. Can you believe it’s been exactly 3 years since we first released this massive album on this day?!
Thank you so much for your love and support. 
Journey around the world once again through our video.
Make Music, not war. Create Art, not destruction. Spread Love, not hate.
Planetary Coalition Available on i-tunes: http://apple.co/1zB0qiN
& on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1ASdNg4
Exactly one year ago on 11/11 we released Planetary Coalition’s debut CD, and what a wondrous journey it has been! A huge thank-you to all who supported, encouraged and participated in this project and appreciated the music we offered and continue to do so.
For the holiday season, share our labor of love as the perfect gift.
Available on i-TUNES here: http://apple.co/1zB0qiN
On AMAZON here: http://amzn.to/1ASdNg4
If i-tunes and Amazon options do not cover your country, you can order directly from ArtistShare here: http://artistshare.com/v4/Projects/OfferDetails/325/439/2186/1/6
Make music, not war! Support the independent Arts!
Here it is! A full album-excerpts video, which helps visualize the regions covered by the varied musical styles and instruments, and gives a glimpse of the musicians during the recording process.
“It started with a lone, handwritten sentence on a notepad, describing a musical vision: “An ethnically flavored collective of musicians from all over the world, driven by acoustic guitar and bringing together inspirational melodies, in-depth improvisation and the passion of the musical styles of Gypsy, Middle Eastern, Indian, Latin, East Asian, Mediterranean, Balkan/Eastern European, African and other indigenous lands.”
“The reality: coordinating over two-dozen musicians from five continents.”
“Yet despite the numerous logistical challenges, Planetary Coalition has been guided by a single hope: that by weaving the threads that connect musical expressions with regional identities, we can bridge the gap between diverse cultures and people, and increase awareness of the ecological and social issues facing the planet, our island in the sky.” – Alex Skolnick
Video compiled and edited by Maddy Samaddar (NOMAD 9 DESIGN)
On 11/1 – it’s here: Finally – a single video with excerpts of all 14 tracks! (Please watch in HD if possible)
We are excited that ArtistShare has submitted this album as an official entry in the world music, arranging, composition & soloist categories for the 58th Grammy awards.
The first anniversary of the album’s release – 11/11 is fast approaching and we are happy that so many have reached out and shown appreciation for this album. Please keep spreading the word! Remember – Make Music Not War!
“Excerpts” video – compiled & edited by Maddy Samaddar of Nomad 9 Design
Once again – a huge thanks to the entire Planetary Coalition team!
Click on the link https://www.facebook.com/PlanetaryCoalition/videos/1498553296865977/ (updated) to play video. This is a Facebook video. An youtube video will be released shortly.
Violin Wednesday!
The multifaceted and multi-talented Rachel Golub lent her musical skills to the tracks “Django Tango,” “Old World Dance,” “Sleeping Gypsy” and “Passage to Pranayama” on our album.
Here is a short clip of her recording for “Sleeping Gypsy,” a track she has played live at several venues with Alex and his team.
You can find out more about Rachel on her website at rachelgolubmusic.com
If you have joined us on ArtistShare you can see her interview by Alex. And you can see her perform as part of the ensemble that will play on OCTOBER 29, 2015 at Zehler Hall, for an ArtsLIve event at the College of Arts & Sciences, Dayton University, Ohio. Details here: https://www.udayton.edu/artssciences/initiatives/artslive/events/event_3.php
(video clip: filmed by Tom Couture; edited by Maddy)
Check out Max ZT’s exquisite skill at the santoor (which he learned from the world’s most eminent classical santoor maestro – North India’s Shivkumar Sharma) in Planetary Coalition’s tracks “Island In the Sky,” “Passage to Pranayama,”Back to the Land” and “Sleeping Gypsy.”
You can catch him playing on Oct 29th at Dayton University’s ArtsLIVE series with Alex Skolnick and others for a Planetary Coalition live performance. See you there! https://www.udayton.edu/artssciences/initiatives/artslive/events/event_3.php
(Clip courtesy Maddy Samaddar)
As well, keep up with new updates and posts by liking us on our Facebook Page!
Please use this link if clicking on the above image does not start the video: http://on.fb.me/1PJAPtS
The following link will take you to a video we posted on our Facebook Fan page following Cinco de Mayo.
https://www.facebook.com/PlanetaryCoalition/videos/817874134933900/
Be sure to watch in HD setting!
You can also view the video by clicking on the photo below.
An extended video excerpt of “Playa la Ropa” – a high energy guitar trio featuring Alex with dynamic Mexican guitar duo and animal rights’ supporters and activists Rodrigo y Gabriela.
Video – filmed and edited by Maddy Samaddar.
This is NOT a full Playa La Ropa official video. It is only an extended excerpt for our fan page. A video featuring the complete song may be created in the future.
A special treat for our fans on #EarthDay! A full video of the CD’s 1st track “Island in the Sky:” An ode to Planet Earth; to the joys, sadness and wonders of our planet captured in this quick video (which among other images holds our personal tribute to a true hero – astronomer/writer/philosopher Dr.Carl Sagan)…and to futile hope that humans will learn not to abuse the one home they really have before it is too late…’cause perhaps it IS too late in terms of irreversible environmental and ethical damage.
The phrase “Island in the Sky” comes from a passage in Alex’s dear friend author Bradford Morrow’s book “Trinity Fields.”
Musicians – Alex Skolnick (guitar), Max ZT (santoor), Moto Fukushima (bass), Luke Notary (percussion). Video compiled by Maddy Samaddar.
Thank you all for supporting Planetary Coalition!
(As this is a lower res video for quick upload, the audio will not be as good as heard in the original CD/mp3)
Please click here if the above video fails to play: http://on.fb.me/1h3JuLE
Guitar World magazine has selected “Planetary Coalition” among 2014’s best 50 releases, alongside albums by Pink Floyd, AC/DC, Eric Clapton and others. We are humbled and thrilled by this honor. Thank you again to those who have supported this album and believed in the power of music as the healing and binding tool that can bring diverse people and countries together.
http://www.guitarworld.com/guitar-worlds-50-best-albums-2014#slide-17
As well, Acoustic Nation has also picked “Planetary Coalition” in its Top 10 releases of 2014.
http://www.guitarworld.com/acoustic-nation-ten-top-releases-2014?page=0%2C7
“You might have heard of Skolnick from his escapades with the metal band Testament and later with his jazz trio.
Now Skolnick has gone in a new and exciting direction with his acoustic-focused project, Planetary Coalition. The collective’s first release, simply named Planetary Coalition, includes an impressive array of 27 musicians from around the world.
Multi-cultural and incredibly musical, Skolnick has somehow brought together a variety of musical influences, interesting instrumentation and intricate rhythms for a wholly enjoyable experience.
If you have a chance to see the Coalition live, grab it!”
This is the last of the album excerpts’ series for Planetary Coalition – with glimpses of the last 5 songs on the album. On Novermber 25, 2014, our itunes sales commenced and within a day the album had already climbed to the top 20 world music albums at number 13. Please help support the project – the link to buy the album on Amazon is here: http://www.amazon.com/Planetary-Coalition-Alex-Skolnick/dp/B00OTVQ0L4 and on itunes here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/planetary-coalition/id934930381
This series of excerpts begins with a composition with Cuban influences – with the great Grammy award-winning Cuban percussionist Horacio “el Negro” Hernandezand his daughter Jennifer who co-wrote the piece with Alex.
Following this, both countries of the Holy Land – Israel and Palestine are featured – with renowned Palestinian oud player Adnan Joubran of Le Trio Joubran co-composing a track with Skolnick (a piece with surprises in its full version where the melody takes a rather unexpected turn) followed by a duet with famed Israeli percussionist Gadi Seri (a frequent accompanist in the group of Israeli singing sensation Noa) in a piece inspired by travelling through the Negev desert. Initially both Seri and Joubran were to feature on the same track but, due to different rhythm styles, decided to have two separate pieces.
The fourth excerpt is the first guitar-pipa duet ever performed of a popular Chinese melody – with Skolnick and pipa virtuoso Yihan Chen playing on a variation of Wang Huiran’s tune Dance of the Yi People as “Return of the Yi People” and the colorful landscapes featured in the video are indeed from the region of South China where the Yi people reside. To see the very first meeting of Chen and Skolnick and how they clicked instantly go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G-ymgp5e-8
And finally, an excerpt of the popular signature tune of the project – the very first track which Skolnick had composed in 2012 when he conceived of the Planetary Coalition series: Sleeping Gypsy which includes visual clips of the dancing crowds in Union Square where he kick-started the project in 2012 and later performed once again in the summer of 2014.
On Saturday November 29, 2014, about seven of the twenty seven musicians of Planetary Coalition will play at the Liberty Science Center coinciding with an exhibition on the history and development of the acoustic and electric guitar.
New York, New York, 11/11/2014. Our album is now officially released! This date also marks the centenary celebration to mark the end of World War I.
As we often say here – Make Music, Not War.
We are grateful to all who have contributed, supported and appreciated this project. Please support the arts by getting your copy of the album today and/or spreading the word to your friends and families. Here’s a sneak peak into some pages from the album. Enjoy!
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From its inception in Union Square on summer solstice day, June 21st, 2012 – Planetary Coalition has now grown into a truly global music project. Our CD will be released on 11/11/2014.
Twenty seven musicians. Five continents. One vision. Alex Skolnick’s Planetary Coalition – featuring Rodrigo y Gabriela, Adnan Joubran, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, Kiran Ahluwalia, Pablo Aslan, Yacouba Sissoko, Yihan Chen, Gadi Seri, New York Gypsy All Stars & many others – infuses the passion and artistry of the musical styles of Latin, Gypsy, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Indian, Balkan/Eastern European, East Asian, African and other indigenous lands.
An ethnically flavored collective of diverse musicians from all over the world, Planetary Coalition is driven by the acoustic guitar of Alex Skolnick, whose work spans jazz (Alex Skolnick Trio), metal (Testament), and world music (Rodrigo y Gabriela).
In the virtuoso’s own words from the upcoming album’s notes:
“It started with a lone, handwritten sentence on a notepad, describing a musical vision: “An ethnically flavored collective of musicians from all over the world, driven by acoustic guitar and bringing together inspirational melodies, in-depth improvisation and the passion of the musical styles of Gypsy, Middle Eastern, Indian, Latin, East Asian, Mediterranean, Balkan/Eastern European, African and other indigenous lands.”
The reality: coordinating over two-dozen musicians from five continents.
Yet despite the numerous logistical challenges, Planetary Coalition has been guided by a single hope: that by weaving the threads that connect musical expressions with regional identities, we can bridge the gap between diverse cultures and people, and increase awareness of the ecological and social issues facing the planet, our island in the sky. And I must confess that with respect to all prior musical collaborations, this is the album I feel most proud of. It’s hoped that in the future, these pieces can be performed not just in concert venues but as audio-visual presentations in galleries, museums and classrooms.”
“I am grateful to all the incredible artists who eagerly took part, some from across the world, others a few subway stops away; some eluded by mainstream recognition, others who worked on their parts in between sold-out concerts and national television appearances; a few from regions that have long been politically at odds yet refusing to let politics or ideology dictate art, music and humanity; and all of whom are the type of musicians I’m most inspired by – master players for whom technical virtuosity exists, but never at the expense of artistic expression, emotion and collaboration……”
(click image to enlarge.)
Planetary Coalition’s Welcome video is up at ArtsistShare as we officially kickstart the process to get closer to recording a CD in the near future.
Here is the video explaining the project and its ideas, goals and principles in depth.
To go directly to ArtistShare’s Planetary Coalition project page, and to become a part of the process to make this happen or share with your friends, go to: http://www.artistshare.com/v4/projects/experience/325/439/1/6
Join us!
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Graphics for the video was handled by http://www.nomad9design.com/ Check out their work!
This August, Artistshare will officially launch Planetary Coalition as one of its projects. A “Welcome to the project” video coming soon! Stay tuned.
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Join us today at 4:00 p.m. at Union Square, in the heart of New York City, as we start our first global-musical journey with the sounds of the guitar, santoor, violin, drums and much more! Planetary Coalition performs at 6:00 p.m. sharp. See you there!
From Guitar Aficionado: The full article is here: http://www.guitaraficionado.com/alex-skolnick-to-appear-at-mass-appeal-guitars-event-in-new-york-city.html
ALEX SKOLNICK TO APPEAR AT MASS APPEAL: GUITAR EVENT IN NYC
In association with Make Music NY, New York’s largest free outdoor music festival, Guitar Worldand NYC Guitar School are hosting Mass Appeal: Guitars on June 21.
Players of all ages, styles and skill levels are invited to join a massive ensemble of guitarists in Union Square to collectively play pre-selected songs.
The festivities begin 4 p.m. in Union Square with mini-practice sessions and booths by event sponsors, including Guitar World, NYC Guitar School, Lagunitas Brewery, Agile Partners (AmpKit, GuitarToolkit), La Bella Strings, Marshall Headphones and more. Live music will be provided by The Spanish Channel, a New York City band.
The play-along will begin 5:30 p.m. Participants will need to bring their own guitar. The following songs will be performed as a group:
01. “One Love” by Bob Marley (led by Brooklyn Guitar School Director Shane Chapman, Queens Guitar School Director Cariad Harmon and NYC Guitar School Director Jenn Elliott)
02. “Wonderwall” by Oasis (led by local high school students from KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program)
03. “Horse With No Name” by America (led by Jay Moran of VH1, VH1 Classic and VH1 Save the Music Foundation)
04. “What’s Up” by 4 Non Blondes (led by Laura B. Whitmore, GuitarWorld.com blogger and producer of The Women’s Music Summit)
05. “Hey Joe” by Jimi Hendrix (led by Jimmy Brown from Guitar World)
06. “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele (led by voice instructors Clara Lafano and Rebecca Rossi from Brooklyn Piano and Voice)
Mark Feldmen of Bang The Drum will perform percussion for the play-along.
Following the first six songs, guitarist Alex Skolnick of Testament and the Alex Skolnick Trio will be joined by some of his favorite New York-based musicians to premier his new world music project, Planetary Coalition.
“I’ve often flirted with the idea of putting together a mostly acoustic, ethnically flavored combo of diverse improvisers from all over the world,” Skolnick said, “one that ties together metal music’s power and passion with that of Gypsy, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Asian, African, Latin and other international and indigenous cultures. So when the opportunity arose to perform at Make Music New York, it felt like the perfect situation to try out such an endeavor.”
Skolnick will conclude the play-along with “Smoke On the Water” by Deep Purple.
For more information, song charts and instructional videos, visit meetup.com.
http://www.meetup.com/mass-appeal-guitars/events/63987342/?a=ed1_l6
PLANETARY COALITION 