Kellerman praised by local music gurus

Local flute player Wouter Kellerman won a Grammy award for the best new age album, in New York, USA, on 8 February.
The Linden resident’s Winds of Samsara was inspired by the lives of Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi. The album was recorded with Indian composer Ricky Kej as their debut collaborative album. Last year, Winds of Samsara debuted at Number One of the Billboard New Age Chart and continued to be in the Top 10 for 12 weeks. It also climbed to number one on the ZMR World Radio Charts. The album speaks through themes of world peace and positivity, spinning together forward-moving harmony, progressive composition, and technical prowess.

“Mr Kellerman succeeds in creating a soul-soothing symbiosis sonically embodying the sincere appreciation for two great legends (Ghandi and Mandela),” said Francois Bezuidenhout, owner of the Phoenix Benedict Music Academy, which is based in Linden.

“His rhythmic pulses and coaxing melodic layers affirm a musical authenticity that moves and stills the soul at once. His music represents a refuge from the grinding exhaustion most of us experience daily.” Heinrich Vass, manager of Music Mate Cresta, said that he was priveleged to see Kellerman perform live about six years ago. “It was not exactly my cup of tea but in that genre I was quite impressed,” he said.

Vass added that the Grammy award is a global award so “it is fantastic for him [Kellerman] to have that feather in his cap”. After receiving the award, Kellerman said, “Wow, this is a life-long dream come true… We wrote the music for Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi and their ideals of love, peace and tolerance, and we were hoping that it would bridge barriers and speak to people across the ocean.”

Details: Phoenix Benedict Music Academy info@phoenixbenedict.com or 082 346 9776;
Music Mate Cresta cresta@musicmate.co.za or 011 478 5006.