On The Way Of Love: Inspired By Rumi

At a time when the world moves through deep shifts and transition, the timeless gifts of truth and beauty steady weary hearts. Ruby ushers in the musical expression of the 13th century mystic poet, Rumi, with the release of 'On the Way of Love.' This collection of eleven songs was born from the inspired collaboration of three artists: Lisa Ferraro, Erika Luckett and Shaikh Kabir Helminski. Along with his wife, Camille, Shaikh Kabir Helminski was one of the first to bring the wisdom and exquisite beauty of Rumi's poetry to the west. Not simply a writer or translator, Shaikh Kabir is a representative of the Mevlevi order founded by Rumi. His understanding and rendering of this ancient treasure along with the artistic depth and nuance of his partners, Lisa and Erika, create a profound musical expression and balm for the soul. If you are interested in experiencing this music now, an advance EP is available which contains five of the eleven songs. Click here for more information. As Rumi reminds us 'Let the beauty you love be what you do.' Ruby's alchemy of turning poetry into song is just that: a musical distillation of beauty and love. The Ruby is a symbol of transformation. The ruby was once just hard stone. Rumi tells this story: deep in the bowels of the earth, dense stone is being transformed into resplendent gems by the emanations of a spiritual Sun. The stone that becomes a ruby is filled with the light of the Sun. If it loves the Sun it is loving itself, and if it loves itself, it is loving the Sun. There is no difference between these two loves. The spiritual process transforms our opaque stoniness into a transparent jewel--transparent, reflective, and rich with color. These songs testify to that transformation. The group, Ruby, is the result of an inspired collaboration by three artists: Lisa Ferraro - vocalist; Erika Luckett - guitarist and vocalist; and Kabir Helminski - songwriter,author, translator of Rumi and Sufi sheikh. Each had followed their own creative path until a series of coincidences brought them together in November, 2007. Within fifteen minutes of meeting they had spontaneously composed their first song, Listen, O Drop. Their new recording, On the Way of Love, presents songs inspired by the wisdom of Rumi. The qualities that have made Rumi the best-selling poet in the world during recent decades-an earthy intimacy combined with a sublime heart--are now finding their consummate musical expression. Perhaps the greatest spiritual poet of all time, a troubadour of universal love, Rumi has been brought as never before into a contemporary musical style and idiom. Kabir was able to draw upon his many years experience translating and interpreting Rumi and convey Rumi's voice, images, and metaphors in English lyrics. Erika's virtuoso guitar, Lisa and Erika's melodic skills, and Kabir's input on tone and phrasing gave birth to eleven songs over the next six months. Then in the summer of 2008 the first recording session was set up in Santa Cruz, California. In October, another recording session took place in Istanbul, drawing on some of the great Sufi musicians Kabir knew there. Finally in December the finishing touches were completed at Lisa's favorite studio in Pittsburgh. The beauty, depth, and timeliness of this music is self-evident.