Stock: 
Format: 
Release Date: 25-08-1998
Label: Silver Wave Records
Catalog Number: SD918
Barcode: 21585091825
Musical Style: Native American
Track Listing:
| Disc 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Passage | 9 | Four Legged Ones |
| 2 | Across The Sky | 10 | Garter Dance |
| 3 | I Am Your Friend  | 11 | Deer Dance |
| 4 | Our Mind Is One | 12 | Life Giver |
| 5 | Creator's Song | 13 | You Are My Friend |
| 6 | Great Feathered Horse | 14 | Hunting |
| 7 | In Love | 15 | Unity |
| 8 | All My Relatioins | 16 | Prophecy Song |
Review:
'The Native American scene is brimming with skilled, adventurous artists...arguably the best of all is the remarkable Joanne Shenandoah.' - USA Today
Description:
With voices that echo grace and beauty, Joanne Shenandoah and Lawrence Laughing (Mohawk) sing spirited melodies and elegant harmonies creating a sense of peace, balance and gratitude.
Orenda is an Iroquois word meaning 'the soul of all things.' These songs celebrate life and our connection to the universal spirit.
The songs on Orenda are primarily rooted in Shenandoah's and Laughing's Iroquois tradition, but incorporate influences from Indian Nations as far away as Central America and Northern Canada. From traditional chants to contemporary ballads, the music is derived from indigenous Social Dance and Ceremonial songs. Tom Wasinger's production style (who also produced Matriarch) adds layers of Shenandoah's and Laughing's exquisite harmonies. As a result, Orenda has a modern sound that fills the listener's room as well as, their soul with beautiful sonance.
Biography:
Joanne Shenandoah is a Wolf Clan member of the Oneida Nation - Iroquois Confederacy. She is the daughter of Maisie Shenandoah, a Clanmother and the late Clifford Shenandoah, an Onondaga chief and jazz guitarist. Her parents had a deep love for music, encouraging Joanne to study voice, flute, piano, clarinet, guitar and cello. Joanne's talent combined with her beautiful, clear voice enable her to embellish the ancients' songs of the Iroquois using a blend of traditional and contemporary instrumentation. After spending 14 years as a computer programmer and consultant in Washington, DC, Shenandoah became close with the tribal elders and her extended family who reaquainted her with the stories and songs of her people, which prompted a personal artistic reawakening in 1989. Since then Joanne Shenandoah has won several musical achievement awards, most recently she received Best Female Artist at both the 1999 AND 1998 Native American Music Awards and in 1997 she was recognized as a Native American Woman of Hope.
Ms. Shenandoah has drawn upon her rich heritage in establishing a reputation as one of America's foremost native recording artists. Her music reflects the indigenous philosophy and culture which continues to have a profound effect on the world today. She has performed and recorded with many accomplished musicians in Europe and America, most recently Neil Young. From traditional chants to contemporary ballads of Native ways, her music has been described as an emotional experience, a Native American trance.
Aside from her 1994 appearance at the Woodstock Festival, Shenandoah has appeared on and created sound tracks for numerous television shows, most notably Northern Exposure. She performed recently at the White House, during a ceremony to dedicate a sculpture to the people of the United States by Apache artist Allan Houser.
Ms. Shenandoah is the co-founder and president of Round Dance Productions, a non-profit educational Native operated foundation dedicated toward the preservation of Iroquois culture. Round Dance has begun to initiate activities which will result in the creation of a Native American traditional music archive, performing arts center and recording studio.
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