Celebrating Peace

Here in the Philippines having attended SPF13 - Summer Peace Festival in Cagayan de Oro and Zamboanga. These areas in the south of the Philippines have been publicized mainly for political uprisings, violence and environmental challenges. A group of talented young people put on a very sweet festival that reached out to two completely different cities. We were far from the city at Cagayan de Oro; people took the time to drive an hour out into the mountains to the natural setting of the ranch that hosted the first part of festival, a day or so later we were further west, on a beach looking at the most tormented island in the Philippines.

This is an excerpt from a recent interview for a Bali magazine, referring back to the original Woodstock festival:

"Great times! Hard times…people forget that at eighteen boys were drafted into a terrible war. We fought back with love. It is still all about that love and peace consciousness, environmental awareness and unifying the global community. It is about our collective consciousness. When we are unified we think of great things to do and we empower each other to stay focused on positive change such as helping the poor and saving the environment. Music is one of our greatest mediums. It is the universal language that brings people together and creates change. It is a vehicle for communicating our ideals."

Heading to Australia shortly... only there for a couple of weeks, so hoping to get some good things together in a short time! Contact us if you have any great venues or contacts we should know about!

GOA Update

My first gig in GOA (India) in six years! Loekie's Cafe in Arambol Tuesday night, March 5. We'll be setting up a few more in this beautiful place before we leave.

Kickstarter rewards for our Ease & Grace project have been fulfilled... the pre-release download promised to our supporters went out last week, although at this stage a low-resolution copy, we have plans to do more for our family!

Namaste from Mother India

Kumbh Mela 2013

I may not have given away 100 CDs in my week at Kumbh Mela, but I gave away 100 x 100 divine kisses. The spirit and grace of this greatest of great gatherings surrounds everything. Even in the breath-choking dust or the deluge of unseasonal rain, the spirit of the people remains centered in joy and devotion. Returning to Handi Baba Yogalaya Ashram to meet my beloved Swami ShantiJi is a blessing. Reconnecting with old friend Deena Bandu in the Krsna camp and meeting new friends Prem Baba and Swami B.A. Paramadvaiti too, was wonderful. The color, sound and magic of the Kumbh still reverberates within me. Having my son Eli travel with me to film and capture images was another blessing, I am so proud to have had this experience, so blessed. We visited Varanasi briefly, meditated by the burning Ghats, watched ceremonies from boats upon the river Ganga (Ganges).

Now we take a day of rest to recuperate, then head south to meet more friends, meditate and work together in spirit and in physical form. Planning the months ahead, but also flowing by God's grace into whatever plans the sublime divine river has for us all.

We will post photos from the Kumbh on the Gallery page, please take a look and let us know how they make you feel!

Namaste

The Greatest CD-Release Party of all time!

Tomorrow I jump on a plane to India, flying to the Kumbh Mela at Allahabad. The past two days have been a whirlwind of amazing work on the new music with JonJon at Little Buddha Studios. There is so much more we could do to make this music absolutely the best thing I have ever done, but time is so short and the need to be with you all is so great. I'll be hanging out with 100 million people in a few days' time - I had the idea to give away a pre-release copy of the new CD to one of the pilgrims there for every million pilgrims who make it to the Kumbh, so I guess that's at least 100 CDs I have to share! For those of my wonderful global family who participated in the Kickstarter campaign, the promised pre-release download is so close I can smell it. There will be a secure download on this website very soon - goddess willing.

As always, my thanks to all my family and friends who grace my existence in so many ways, making this astounding adventure possible...not only do I get to travel once again to Mother India to attend the Kumbh Mela, but this journey is spiced by the addition of my talented film-making son Eli and assistant Kat. We'll be filming footage for what hopefully will evolve into a TV Reality Series; "Adventures With Fantuzzi", and obviously, the documentary of our global travels and life on the road.

May the wind blow gently on your back, Om Shanti!

Ease & Grace an update

Writing this from Hawaii, we have been through an intense and productive few months. September through November, much work was done to bring together amazing musicians like Diane Patterson, Stevie Abrams, April Dawn, Michael Plusnick and more. Each of these friends brought a different spice to the production of the new CD, tracks are growing and flourishing! We visited Mexico to celebrate the great galactic alignment of the winter solstice, end of 26,000 year cycle and the beginning of a new era. There is work still to be done to bring this CD to completion, our Kickstarter campaign went a long way in helping us birth this CD, BUT we appreciate all the help we can get. All our friends can contribute to the eventual manifestation of Ease & Grace as a beautiful reality, here on the website. Click that button over there on the right!

Thanks, love, light and laughter. May we meet and dance together soon. If Not You sample dec 2012

Birthing the new CD

I talked about being 'pregnant' with six new songs in Bali... since last year the work has continued; a recording session in LA, several more in San Anselmo at Little Buddha Studios. NOW, I've launched a Kickstarter Campaign. All we need to do is give a little each and we can share a beautiful gift of this CD around the world! Studio time, wonderful musicians and singers, all the special and often hidden stuff that goes into making magical music... all needs a little $ to help it move along. So please, visit the Fundraiser and help bring this joy into the world. Can't wait to share it with you!

WaterWoman and Bhakti Fest

WaterWoman was one of the most fascinating experiences... being in the Andes Mountains with Shamans from many tribes and musicians from all parts of the world, DJs and yoga teachers, and breath-workers. All these people gathered in a most beautiful setting, against the Andes Mountains, not far from the Amazon. The attendance was super-small, but it only made it super-cozy! The elegant hotel with hot-tubs in every room, was a five minute walk from the site. The stars and the moon danced above our heads and we danced and we jammed in ecstasy. Bhakti Fest, number four, in Joshua Tree - was stupendous! The feeling of devotion, the company of high souls, was food for our spirits. Yoga classes were all packed; the greatest yoga teachers, kirtan musicians singing the name of the divine, yogis and yoginis of every sort from everywhere, smiling and beaming the healing love into the atmosphere. On the last night, Fantuzzi and the Flexibles flexed like never before on the Hanuman stage, throwing down African Reggae rhythms  with the boogie bajhan, singing the names of the divine was awesome, so much fun. Just as we were getting done with the superstar superjam on the main stage, a wind storm came so strong it looked like it was going to blow the stage away. We all had to hold the stage together while others sang and danced into ecstasy - Bhakti Fest Ki Jai!!!

Europe 2012

Family, friends, blessed ones... 2012 has been going great so far! Two visits to Europe, and now I am on my way to the magical land of Ecuador to celebrate at the Water Woman Festival.

I was in Germany in May, in Amsterdam at the beginning of August for Landjuweel, just outside Amsterdam. I've been a part of this Festival for 30 years and next year they celebrate their 40th anniversary! Rain is part of the festival - and this year was no exception, we closed out the concerts with a mass of happy people dancing up to their ankles in mud -  ecstatic dancers joined the band on stage and the place was transformed from a dark muddy field into a crowd of joyous celebratory bodies singing and dancing.

Our wild ride continued as we visited the Osho Humaniversity in Egmond aan zee - what a great group of people. Blessed to be accompanied by my nephew Eli from Maui and the delectable Celine from Amsterdam, Ibiza, Bali. The concert at Osho was another high-energy gathering; sharing my music and creating such momentum for the completion of the next album. While in Amsterdam we also worked on ways to gather funds toward the finishing of this album. Studio time and technical matters eat up so much, all your support for what we do is so much appreciated!

A brief stop in Berlin, hosted by a beautiful lady who also was our chauffeur back from Leipzig to Berlin at the end of this trip. Thanks and blessings to Aina for all you do! Ancient Trance Festival in Taucha near Leipzig was amazing! I have been telling people that I'm going to my favorite festival... Ancient Trance. I've never been before, but I could feel that this was something special - and it was SO beautiful. Put together by a circle of friends, Rainbow family, musicians that are amazingly talented and come from across the world to be here. We were wowed by everything, including the blazing sunshine. This is truly one of the best festivals around. Fantuzzi and Flexibles at Ancient Trance 2012

Ease & Grace

I'm pregnant with six! This was my cry last year in Bali when one of my dear friends opened the doors of his recording studio to give me the space to begin the long and often blissfully painful birthing process for my songs.

It's a long road from conception to birth, to seeing one's offspring finally walk out the door with their own unique personalities and talents in full bloom. We are still working on encouraging them to step forth into the world and share all their beauty with our friends and family all over the globe.

Our hope is that we will be in the studio again in October, and with luck, perseverance, and a lot of support from our loving family, a new album will be on the streets. Keep connecting to find out how things go with (our working title) Ease & Grace.

Union of souls - Rainbow Fest 2012

[singlepic id=210 w=100 h=75 ]Rainbow Festival 2012 in Munich was an amazing gathering! Here I met a child whose mother had played my album Divine Inspiration throughout most of her pregnancy... and that was all her son heard for the first two weeks of his life. I'm blown away by the reception in Germany...meeting this boy for the first time, he looked deep into my eyes and lifted his head to mine, we touched souls. Thanks to Purna and all the German team who help to make these tours possible for me every year!

In LA at the One Love Festival... another event full of synchronicity, great music, fun times. Playing with some of my favorite musicians; Deon, Avi, Rob. I love coming back to LA to connect with many old friends too, even bumping into my oldest friend from Harlem days, fresh off a plane from Hawaii for an impromptu family gathering, sweet!

Back in the Bay

...for a few days... coming back from Germany and an amazing visit there, with vibes and music lifting the roof! Good to be back in the Bay with family and friends. I visited my son Kahlil's school on Friday afternoon to talk to the students and show them some drumming. It's hard to appreciate how much time and energy and pure devotion a good teacher has to expend every day to capture these kids' attention and give them something to be enthusiastic about. The most inquisitive boy before the class started was a changed character when surrounded by his peers. Interesting and fulfilling times!  

The following day we help celebrate our beloved brother Jah Levi's birthday - surrounded by dozens of amazingly talented musicians, artists, bodyworkers and healers of the highest order. This celebration was something I love to be a part of every year - always happy to be here playing with Al Torre, Rocker-T and other friends for this crowd of dazzling beings.

Next stop: LA for the One Love Festival!

Rainbow Spirit Festival, Munich

Just back in California after a great time at Rainbow Spirit Festival...playing with wonderful friends, enjoying family and community there. We hung out in the sunshine between concerts and workshops at the Festival. The workshop : "Extra-va-dance!" was a blast - everybody drumming, clapping, dancing, laughing and having a great time.

Also spent a little time with Konrad of www.momanda.de who shot this video

Munich days...

A sweet singing circle in the heart of Munich. It was a beautiful evening singing with friends, raising energy to such a place that no-one wished to leave. We stayed in the beautiful tranquil oasis in the center of the city, woke at dawn to the song of the birds. Isnai and her brother Gregor.

After a great yoga session, we played around a little before taking to the sunlit streets for breakfast at one of the local cafes.

Germany...

I woke up at dawn this morning and got blessed with a profound meditation. This still and quiet place allowed me to hear a puja from afar, so I follwed the sounds of devotion and voices, then walked into a fire cereomony chanting the gayatri mantra for hours. This all is happening at the Vidya Yoga ashram the biggest ashram in all of europe. As I sat there pouring ghee into a sacred fire I heard the voice of the mother inside of me " I am all in all, always with you" . When I opened my eyes the picture in front of me was of Ananda Mai Ma. I would love to get a copy of this picture but I hear a voice saying "why if every thing and everyone you see is me?" Love and Serve . fantuzzi yoga - dance - meditate - freedom!

Check out more photos from Fantuzzi's latest at Yoga Vidya on the GALLERY/Festivals page

Shakti Fest!

With an invitation to come down to Shakti Fest and enjoy all you beautiful people, how could I resist?

See you at Bhakti Fest in September...Ohmmm!

Back in California

Back in California again after a couple of amazing months in Hawaii rebuilding, recreating, regenerating the Sanctuary on the Big Island & sharing some great times with family and friends around the islands. It's good to be back on the mainland - playing some sweet music and enjoying 'sharemonies' with friends in Grass Valley, including spending some time with my snake friend! It was a sweet evening at the Sunrise Center in Corte Madera, playing with old friends and catching up - good to see Goa Gil there again too. Had a blast at the New Living Expo, taken to the next level by the support and presence of my sons Kahlil and Eli - thanks to them and ALL my good friends who come together to create amazing times.

Now I'm off to LA for Shakti Fest and other events. Keep your eyes open and your hearts wide! Om Shanti, Fantuzzi

Hawaii, the Rainforest Sanctuary...

I've been here in Hawaii for nearly two months, it's not often that I stay in one place this long! I've been working on the land; getting up early with the rain, building and clearing the ground, making the Sanctuary a more beautiful and comfortable place for our community to gather and celebrate, meditate, sing, dance... Built by the communal efforts of many wonderful people, this space is becoming more and more the sacred space I envisioned it to be:

We had a beautiful retreat here at the end of February, most people came to trade and help us build in exchange for a few days of yoga, thai massage, drumming and dancing. What a great group gathered here that weekend.

There have been some great celebrations here; at the Pahoa Village Museum, at the Banyan Tree Sanctuary in Kona, we have swum with dolphins and manta rays, experiences that are off the charts! Amazing dayz in the shadow of the volcano. Pele works her magic here on the island and it's be hard to leave.

But I'm excited to bring new faces into the sanctuary and leave it in caring hands as I return to the mainland to share more Fantuzzi music, joy and celebration of life with my family and friends around the world.

I'll be at the New Living Expo in San Francisco, and in Corte Madera on May 2nd - look forward to seeing you there!

Valentine's in Maui

Back in the islands of Hawaii... some Fantuzzi magic was shared at the Maui Mystic Garden Party at the end of January and now we are back on Maui for Valentine's day to celebrate in many ecstatic ways! The Valentine's Day concert was amazing - such high energy and dancing spirits came together along with some great 'flexibles' to create an evening to remember. Blue Mountain and Mariyah provide such support to share the love, it's a joy to come back here every time.

There is a small clip from some of the set here.

Last week we were back on the Big Island, back on my land; working to prepare my rainforest sanctuary for the retreat we are hosting at the end of this month. It's good to be back home and there's plenty of work to be done.  Nature has a strong grip on this island and the powers of Pele (the volcano) are felt wherever we walk... taking out the occasional lava rock can be a great workout!

For the upcoming weekend we are hosting a couple of events on Kuaii, then it's back to the pickaxe and machete for a while to keep my place in trim. There will be much more music happening on my land with some good friends who are great musicians dropping by from time to time to share the great vibes and vitality of this place.

Sunrise Center, an intimate gathering

Check out this clip from my latest:

Fantuzzi: Move it medley

Just last Saturday I played some tunes for a gathering at the Sunrise Center, Corte Madera. It is great to be back in the area and reconnecting with some old friends I haven't seen in many years. Goa Gil made an appearance and added his unique flavour to the evening. My thanks to my good friend Lori for hosting the night, providing such a warm and welcoming space in many ways.

Working on bringing together many projects right now; gathering old clippings and reviving some great memories. If you have any photos or better still, video of me anywhere in the world, I'd love to see them, just drop me a line.

Thanks for checking in, send me a comment/your feedback, I love to hear what you think about this new website.

Blessings, Fantuzzi.

New year... New Fantuzzi Music Website!

I'm pleased to have you visit my new Fantuzzi Music website... hope you like it! We will be expanding the site continually with more music and videos, and a photo gallery. Please send your Fantuzzi photos if you'd like to add them to our photo gallery... we'd love to include your favorite shots.

This year we will be traveling the globe once more bringing songs of love, bliss, and Afro-Reggae-Cuban beats that make you want to dance all night. We will be collaborating with some of the finest musicians as we travel, so be sure to check our tour schedule page often. I hope to see you at our shows and workshops this year!

Namaste.