"Talking To Whales" is a fascinating single from Ilka de Gast, an artist who released her debut album, Ocean of Light, earlier this year. Originally from The Netherlands and now based on the Northern California coast, Ilka is a singer/songwriter, overtone singer, sound healer, Qigong and meditation teacher, researcher, and licensed psychologist who loves to spend time on the cliffs of the Bodega Bay Headlands (an area I loved to visit when I lived in California!). The inspiration for the piece came while Ilka was sitting on an outcropping known as The Vortex that overlooks the Pacific Ocean, enjoying the company of whales and seals as well as pelicans flying overhead. As she connected with the commanding yet gentle energy of the whales, the melody and the idea for the piece flowed through her. The piece includes Ilka's (and the whales'!) wordless vocals as well as Native and American copper flutes (Tommy Graven) and synths (Graven and Hank Kalleen). Graven and Kalleen also co-composed the music (which is very ambient and ethereal) and mixed and engineered the single. It's an amazing exploration in sounds and creates a bit more than seven minutes of musical magic. I highly recommend it!

"Talking To Whales" is available from Amazon and Apple Music/iTunes as well as many streaming sites including Spotify and Pandora. Don't miss it!