The Grass Sessions: A kiss of air on feathers of grass

Sambodhi Prem shares how the waving of grass has inspired him to create this album, and the influence that restoration of grasslands are having on climate change.

For me, making music is about absorbing what is in my surroundings and giving a musical face to what I discover. What would grass sound like if it could sing? If the wind, blowing through its blades, were to find a tone… and then another… forming a chord, even? Would the sound reach our ears if we were ready to listen? Would it harmonise with the cello, like birds sometimes do, when their luscious song disperses into the airwaves?

For music can indeed be described as a dispersion of air particles set on a path to find a listener’s ear.

In The Grass Sessions I have tried to create lush and sinuous atmospheres of sound, making melodies pirouette through space like twinkling, airborne fairy lights. I tend to record my tunes with richly orchestrated guitar, cello, piano and spacious sound textures to create that smooth and uplifting landscape. A kiss of air on feathers of grass, or a feather of air on a cushion of grass.

As I am interested in ecology and climate change, the ecologist Allan Savory, inevitably came to my attention. In a video on ted.com he talks about ancient carbon cycles. He says that the planet’s vast grasslands are turning into deserts, which then constitute a major contributor to climate change.

These marginal areas, as humans see them, cover about a third of Earth’s land surface: the Eurasian Steppe, a belt of grassland extending from Central Europe all the way to Manchuria in China; the African Savannas, which take up half of that continent; and the Great Plains of North America, the broad expanse of prairie grasslands east of the Rocky Mountains, all the way from Canada to Mexico, which, before colonization and desertification, were home to massive herds of bison.

Grass is one of the species these places all have in common, Mr Savory explains. Large groups of herbivores used to roam these plains. These herds were a key element in sequestering carbon into the soil; at a fast clip. Their comeback could even now reverse the trend of this semi-arid land turning into desert.

This is how it works: in an amazing natural cycle, the manure of the herds, when trampled into the earth together with the tall carbon-rich grass, feeds soil microorganisms. These spring into action when the seasonal rains come, fertilising the soil. This microbiology promotes prairie grasses to grow again, robust and strong, and through their photosynthesis (breathing in CO² from the air) the grasses bring down carbon en masse, all season long.

The cycle repeats the following season when again the large herds roam through the plains to feed on the tall savanna grasses and squash manure and grass into the earth once again.

Mr Savory explains that this activated biology keeps the carbon fixed in the earth – where it rightly belongs and where we want it to be (not in the sky) – thus providing a practical solution to runaway climate change.

To sum up: Savory’s talk suggests a path forward where well-managed livestock in large numbers can make a positive contribution to the problem of climate change, by changing marginal land into carbon-sequestering soil. That would help redress a lost carbon balance between earth and atmosphere. (Elsewhere he also talks about resilience and being firm with one’s principles even in the face of adversity.)

That his method of regeneration would inspire someone, like me, to sing his praises with instrumental music, would probably surprise him. But his vision is worth celebrating. With its practical tools of holistic management, it offers hope to a world obsessed with technological solutions. There are even products that come out of Savory’s regenerative agriculture (for which a new regenerative certification has been created): shoes made from leather produced by regenerative agriculture; meat, and clothing made from the ever-renewing grass fibres.

As you can see, as a musician I have been deeply inspired by Allan Savory’s talk and his work. Grass is a beautiful plant that grows in abundance all over the world. It has a poetic quality, the way the wind, playing with each blade, can look like an invisible hand stroking a mono chord. And the sound that it makes….

I hope you find time to explore Allan Savory’s vision and that my music can accompany you on your journey.

The Grass Sessions
Piano, electric guitar and sound modules — Sambodhi Prem
Drums and percussion on ‘Revisiting the House’ — David Jones
Mastering — Bernie Grundman