Welcome to Episode 003 of the Glitter and Sage podcast! In this episode, I hang out with world percussionist Arjun Bruggeman and his sweet dog Mooji at The Omega Institute for Holistic Studies. Arjun had just finished playing tabla with Grammy nominated artist Krishna Das at the Kirtan workshop Ecstatic Chant. As Arjun and I throw Mooji his bunny toy, we have an inspiring conversation.

In this episode: 

INTRO 

-I share about how I met Arjun at the retreat center I was living/working at 

-I give an update on Arjun’s offerings since we recorded the interview over a year ago, including upcoming album releases and virtual percussion lessons INTERVIEW 

-Arjun explains Kirtan music -He shares about his Guru, Siddhi Ma, and his time in India 

-Arjun talks about touring in a punk rock band at the age of 14 

-We both talk about our connections to our animals, and Arjun shares how Mooji came into his life -Arjun talks about importance of having a morning practice and the experience of spaciousness 

-He shares about his improvisational music 

-Mooji sings for us and inspires a new musical project 

-Arjun plays for us on the bendir frame drum 

ARTIST BIO 

“Arjun Bruggeman, world percussionist, drummer, composer and session recording artist, is highly acclaimed for his unique hybrid of East-meets-West rhythms. 
At the age of 9 Arjun started playing guitar, bass and drums. By the age of 14 he embarked on a touring career playing drums with punk rock bands. His interest in early progressive, metal and jazz rhythms led him into a creative journey and later found himself enthralled by world percussion. Simultaneously, Arjun practiced many forms of Eastern spirituality. Through these explorations he merged the inner quest with the exterior expressions of sound and found himself supporting spoken word with Coleman Barks and David Darling. Arjun recalls, “I wanted to go deeper. I wanted to support something that was bigger than me.” This profound experience led Arjun to meet Krishna Das and a connection with Neem Karoli Baba. Soon thereafter he began touring with Krishna Das worldwide and over the past decade has shared the stage with noted musicians Sting, John Densmore, Mark Egan, Jerry Morrata, Steve Gorn, Jackson Browne and David Crosby and Graham Nash. In 2016, Arjun released his self-titled debut album Arjun. The six-track album features all original compositions exploring the musical journey of the soul. In June 2019 Arjun has released his follow-up offering of world percussion centered on improvisation and other worldly soundscapes with friends Mark Egan, Shane Theriot and David Darling called Otherworld.  Additionally, he has partnered with renowned jazz artist Mark Egan, the duo’s album "Dreaming Spirits" was released in 2018 in which he was rated #3 for best percussionist for that year by Jazz Station LA.” 

RESOURCES: 

My Instagram: @glitter.and.sage 

Arjun Instagram: @arjun108b 

Website: https://www.arjunbruggeman.com/ 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2nIOY5jfkuhF4f6aYiQrjP?si=Q-GiaoxWR_CXwo06zrrKeg 

His dog Mooji’s Instagram: @moojipupmania 

Krishna Das Instagram: @krishnadasmusic 

My favorite Ravi Shankar video at Monterey Pop: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lk60ObnbIOk 

Glitter and Sage podcast sound engineer/video editing: David Atwood Instagram: @mratwoodmusic https://open.spotify.com/artist/4vSKrFQnV2MfsilThMT9Tc?si=gPCRB7E4QQWTqke-37K4TA 

Intro/Outro Music: “Drishti” by Cosmal Instagram: @cosmal.live https://cosmal.bandcamp.com/ 

Thanks for tuning in and joining our conversation, next week’s episode features an interview with musician/songwriter Adam Fichtelberg. See you next time, friends