Quote

We are journeying externally from country to country. We are traveling in historical time, from the present to the distant past. We are traveling inwardly as well, through the music of meditation.

When I'm in Senegal, I can't just sit in isolation making music. People need my help. And the Senegalese people helped create my music. It comes from the country itself.

You can tell all our songs come from us and from our artists, the people we write with and travel with.

If I make a speech, I need a translator. But music does not need a translation. People understand me through the sound. That I think is very important. This is just one planet, like one family.

I have observed, too, that the people of the many countries that I have visited are showing an ever increasing interest in the classical and traditional music of their own cultures.

Once you're in a particular country, and you're surrounded by musicians who are so adept at traditional music, you suddenly realize how much there is to explore and digest and learn and experience.

Music is not supposed to be nationalist. It is supposed to surpass language barriers. It is about generations communicating with each other.

I want my music to be everywhere, I want it to be heard. I want to give people an opportunity to enjoy my music, and maybe even hear about this beautiful truth that's in it.

With so many ways to communicate at our disposal, we must not forget the transformative power of a live music experience and genuine human exchange.

Instrumental music can spread the international language.