Banco de Gaia

Banco De Gaia (Tony Marks) is most certainly always in the forefront of my listening menu.

I have almost all of his music including my two personal favorites “The Magical Sounds Of Banco De Gaia” and “Igizeh”.  But its not only just for the incredible quality of his music that we listen.  Mr. Marks tells story’s in his music. Stories of the world and of the things we are slowly losing as a world community.  Stories of peoples, lives and skills lost. 

His cd “Last Train To Lhasa” is an example of that very thing, discussing the Tibetans and the suffering under Chinese cruelties.

One has to learn to “read” Banco De Gaia’s music to understand what he is saying about his view of our plight.  Learn to read his music and his words such as following his myspace page.

It is also just as easy to get caught up in his music alone, and there is nothing wrong with that.  Indeed that’s exactly what I did until I started reading what his music was about.    My first Banco cd was The Magical Sounds Of Banco De Gaia, and I fell in love instantly with his music.  While it is ambient in nature, much of is made with familiar instruments and real voices.  Well, real voices to the degree that the music conveys a certain authenticity to the story the voices tell.

Banco de Gaia has a nice long discography, with 15 massive sounding cd’s.

My personal choices are, were you to want to buy one:

• The Magical Sounds Of Banco De Gaia
• Last Train To Lhasa
• Igizeh
• Farewell Ferengistan

Try some Banco De Gaia.  You wont be sorry.