By Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck - August 13, 2018
​Reposted by Permission. Direct Link to Review

I love it when I am able to read about an artist and all their amazing accomplishments. It gets everything into proper perspective before listening. Then writing about what I heard becomes more meaningful.

Marcia Watson Bendo is a multi-talented artist that is accomplished in many disciplines including the violin and a large selection of Native American Flutes. Picking up a woodwind changed her life and her music.

Woodland Moons is her tribute to that instrument. In her own words, the artist explains what her music stands for…. 

“I strive to artistically create music that resonates with people by expressing an emotion, an image, a story, or reviving a memory.”

From where I sit, that wraps it all up in a nice package and puts a bow on it. This type of music has a magical and mystical essence that cannot be compared to any other genre that is within my realm. I know there is a lot to choose from in the globally connected world we live in, so the choices are made by personal tastes and or a drive for exploration. Back when I was a young teenager I would buy albums out of curiosity. I have not lost that part of my decision-making process I just refined it over the years a bit. In any instance, I would not hesitate to listen to music like what Woodland Moons has to offer. The feeling of discovering something new and stimulating consumed me with this album.

“Berry Moon” for instance, takes the flute and builds all the other instruments around it. The flute playing still stands out however the other music just enhances the entire track. The instrumentations and orchestrations are beautifully done and arranged. This track, in particular, illustrates the pliability of one instrument wrapping itself around everything else to create a bigger sound that reaches the listener. As I always say, it comes across differently for each individual yet it remains universal with no borders. That is the beauty and perfection of music and the one element that will never change. I am very grateful for that.

Even though each song is about a different moon, it most certainly works because of the thought process the artist goes through. We do have many moons that we see in our sky, however, looking at the varying degrees presented here gives it an entirely new flavor. This interpretation is related to nature and our precious mother earth and all it has to offer us. Also, this may serve as a reminder of how we need to take care of our planet and appreciate how it sustains all life.

Woodland Moons is twelve tracks of musical bliss that will serve every listener well. I highly recommend it for relaxing, meditation and for getting a spiritual connection. You can get a greater respect for your inner voice and purpose. If you listen enough, you will honor that inner voice and thank the music for bringing you to that realization.

Review from Jonathan Widran. Link to Review
Reposted by permission

Also of symbolic good cheer is “Strawberry Moon,” whose elegant flute and piano and swelling strings express the gathering of the “heart berries” gathered in early summer. The mystical and soulful, harp and chimes-laced ballad “Forest Moon” prepares our bodies and hearts for fall, its slow waltzy vibe enhanced by the scampering footsteps of the creatures therein.

You get the idea driving every fascinating moment. Each mood, each melody, each sonic detail and motif takes us to a different moment on the Potawatomi calendar, from the “Yellow Leaves Moon” of autumn to the “Snow Moon” in the dead of winter when everyone stayed inside and the elders told stories. Complementing the direct references to months and seasons are two bear related pieces, the adventurous, mystery-building (via a bassoon sound!) “Big Bear Moon,” where they’re seeking hibernation, and “Little Bear Moon,” a charming piece of childlike innocence conveying the birth of young cubs and the wonder they must experience during these months.
Marcia Bendo Watson is a fresh, wondrous presence on the new age/neo-classical/Native flute scene – and I predict that works like Woodland Moons will lead her at some point to share this music in a grand, multi-media setting featuring full orchestra, photos and videos and interpretive dancing.

Repost From Citizen Potawatomi Nation. Direct Link to article.

“I play with emotion, and I do sense the person who is supposedly speaking through this song, their pain or their emotion, and it is very touching,” said Native American flutist and professional musician Marcia Bendo.

In addition to her doctorate in psychology and a law degree, she performed as a violinist with the Tulsa Philharmonic for a decade beginning at age 19. She shared the stage with Doc Severinsen, Sammy Davis Jr., Roy Clark, Chet Atkins, Ella Fitzgerald, Tom Jones and Tammy Wynette through the symphony’s Pops Series of concerts and her work as a freelance violinist.

Despite those experiences, the flute holds a special place in her heart, both musically and as a part of a bigger culture. Bendo is a Citizen Potawatomi Nation member and a descendent of the Bertrand family. Her grandfather enrolled her when she was 10 years old.

“As these memories and emotions come out in the music, you’ll think about your heritage. You’ll think about your ancestors,” she said. “It may make it more alive for some people. It’s just the emotional connection.”

Excited to announce that my CD, "Woodland Moons" is about done. I've been working with famed producer and engineer, Trammell Starks ​and we are putting the finishing touches on it. Here is a little sample, posted by Trammell on facebook from his studio (Studio Magic) in Atlanta, GA.

Below is a repost from World Flute Society and taken from "Flute Paths Section of the World Flute Society's quarterly publication, Overtones!" Repost by permission. You may order a copy by clicking this link (August 2017 / Vol.3). "Thanks to Kathleen Joyce-Grendahl, Executive Director of the World Flute Society, for permission to post this article.

Thirty years ago, in 1987, I walked along the vendor’s booths lining Main Street in Tulsa, OK, during the annual Tulsa Mayfest arts festival. One vendor caught my eyes and ears. He was showing handmade flutes, pan flutes, and cassettes of his own flute recordings. I was captivated by the ethereal sound of the instruments and finally chose a 5-hole walnut flute, a rosewood pan flute, and two cassettes, Night Forest and Tear of the Moon. The man’s name was Michael Graham Allen (Coyote Oldman). That serendipitous meeting would later shape my life in a way I could not have imagined at that time.

Back home, I listened repeatedly to the unique flute music on my cassette player and attempted to play scales and melodies without notation or finger diagrams. It was a very different musical experience than what I had known growing up learning classical music on the piano and violin.  After working as a professional violinist for over a decade, I had left music behind and followed other career choices. Like people often do, I put aside creative pursuits for other life goals. While I studied and worked to become a psychologist, it was comforting to see the flute patiently waiting for me on a table next to the piano. The flute with the little Coyote was a visible reminder that one day, I would devote more time to playing it.

Many years later, my interest in the flute was renewed. Life had slowed down a bit for me, so the time was right to turn my attention to flute playing and research. After attending several Potawatomi festivals in Oklahoma, I wondered what role the flute might have had in my ancestral traditions and culture. In January of 2011, the next step on my flute path began with Cornell Kinderknecht in Richardson, TX. That was the beginning of many classes, workshops, and private lessons with Cornell, Scott August, Clint Goss, and Peter Phippen. Everyday, I looked forward to practicing, learning different flutes, and trying new scales. I enjoyed discovering a world of flutes playing historic replicas (like Coyote Oldman’s Tohono O’odham and Hopi flutes), a quena, sulings, and recorders. A lot of patience was necessary for rim-blown flutes and the ney which took some time to produce a sound. It helped to have great teachers who demonstrated their patience and interest in world flutes. I was on a path toward greater cultural awareness, unexpected challenges, social activities, and new friends.

The first challenge I encountered was to play solo in class or at a flute gathering. Performance anxiety is a heart-thumping experience that musicians try to hide and don’t like to discuss, but it can be obvious to others if your hands tremble and the flute sounds breathless. With repeated opportunities to play, tolerance of the discomfort, and supportive friends, I was able to discover the joy of playing solo and making spontaneous music with others. After playing for a year, I presented my first programs at the Citizen Potawatomi Cultural Heritage Center during our annual festival. Since 2012, I’ve performed and presented a musical history of the native flute for that annual event, the 2016 Potawatomi Gathering of Nations, and the 2013 National Congress of the American Indian. At these events, people have shared their stories with me about the healing or transformative nature of flute playing in their lives.

Another challenge appeared early on my flute path… “playing from the heart.” Having been a music reader all my life, playing with backing tracks and other musicians helped me to let go, listen more, and think less. I experimented with playing my own songs and improvised melodies which often became a written song. Gradually, I realized that there are many ways to play the flutes we love and that all are good. Every player finds a unique flute voice with their own skills and styles. I found satisfaction and comfort with my style by respecting improvisation and notated songs. That realization allowed me to grow with the flute in a new personal direction — composing my own music with hand-written notation and Sibelius notation software which prints my composition as sheet music. A song-writing workshop and private lessons with Scott August helped me to develop writing and arranging skills. During the past year, I composed and arranged a collection of songs that culminated in a CD project to be released this fall. I often wonder, how do I write this music and where does it originate? I could say it comes from my heart or my imagination, but I believe it’s a gift from the Creator.

Exploring the historical traditions of American Indian flutes has been a rewarding aspect of my flute path. As a native Oklahoman and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation,  I have a deep respect for the preservation of native heritage through music, art, narrative, language, and spiritual practices. Websites and CDs have made it possible to hear recorded oral narratives and flute songs of Belo Cozad (Kiowa), Woodrow Haney (Seminole), Woodrow “Woody” Crumbo (Potawatomi), Doc Tate Nevaquaya (Comanche), and Kevin Locke (Lakota and Anishnabe). Their stories inspired my curiosity about old flutes, construction, and the sacred nature of the flute for indigenous people. I’m also grateful for the contribution of scholars who have shared their passionate work with the flute world — Dr. Richard Payne, Michael Graham Allen, Robert Gatliff, and Clint Goss, to name a few.

The work of historical and modern-day contributors helped shape my presentations and sparked my desire to make a flute. After working with bamboo, I crafted a cedar flute with the tools and help of a nearby flute maker, Steve Petermann. That was another challenging flute experience which heightened my appreciation for the effort and skill required to craft a flute. The stories and historical knowledge have deepened my respect for flute makers who have been guided by spiritual traditions and their cultural influences as well as those who craft flutes for enjoyment.

Although it was many years before I could focus my attention on my first flute, and others that followed, the flute has impacted my life mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. It has connected me to history, world cultures, people across the country, and brought me full circle back to my love of music. My flute path continues, but I’d like to end my story here with words by Minisa Crumbo Halsey, a Potawatomi artist and daughter of flute-maker Woody Crumbo. She spoke about the importance of the flute to native people, “The flute is a caller of beauty and a speaker of beauty. And a caller of love and a massive manifestation of that beauty. The flute appears all over the world…. It’s breath — made manifest in song and breath is life.”

We are excited to announce the launch of my website. This "news" section will contain news relating to my recordings, performances, articles and more. Thank you and be sure to subscribe to my newsletter so I can keep you up-to-date.