Meet Fantuzzi, the man who believes in changing the world through music.
How long were you to bring your talent to Bali?
Since 1974, I come here. After more than forty years of traveling and visiting more than two hundred countries, Bali remains to be one of the best places on Earth! It is a cosmic vortex that brings together people from all walks of life, especially the people of intense creativity. The Bali Spirit Festival was my impetuous to come in recent years. I love playing for this event!
I just saw you at Warung Made. You had everyone dances. Where have you played here?
Earth Day, I play Zula, Ryioshi, among many other places. I played the event of Earth Day in Ubud as my good journey together. There are so many people I see who have been coming to my events for decades. Also there are a lot of young people traveling or living here now. The audience is part of a global community. My music attracts people who believe in positive change and positive expression.
Tell me about your background and influences.
I was born in New York in a low-income area where life was hard. I was one of four children. My mother had me when she was very young, just a boy, so we were always very close. My early influences were crime, drugs and violence that were the dominant elements in the streets where I grew up. I survived all this because I also grew up with the love around me. My first life has led me to be more compassionate. I know and understand the suffering and what he did for us. Being Puerto Rican I am obviously influenced by great music. Music was the positive side of the street. It helped me survive all this and make a life of traveling to the service. I look for opportunities to play in prisons, schools and benefits; pro bono.
I am one of the founders of the Rainbow Gatherings. Now these gatherings occur worldwide on an ongoing basis. At the beginning of the seventy years I was leading the band Rainbow Gypsies across Central Asia, dancing and entertainment for people of each region. In 1972, the first official Rainbow Gathering was held in Boulder, Colorado. People came from all over the world and have returned to their countries and put. I started to be a MC as well as a musician, mainly in California and Oregon, but it is not uncommon for me to finish MCing at concerts I play when asked. I MCED the Mystic Garden Earth Dance in the 25th and 30th anniversaries Woodstock. After the first I had a good formal education! I can share my wisdom "earliers" (as opposed to the term "old"). A huge influence for me was Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock, of course. He makes music that took the audience to another dimension. His music had a life. Beethoven said.. "Music is the power of life" Jimi proved
I remember seeing your picture on the cover of Time magazine when he covered the original Woodstock. Great picture!
Great time! times are tough, too. people forget that, at eighteen, boys were drafted into a terrible war. We we fought with love. It's still all about love and peace awareness, environmental awareness and unify the global community. It is our collective consciousness. When we are united, we believe that great things do and we give each other stay focused on positive changes such as helping the poor and save the environment. music is one of our greatest mediums. It is the universal language that brings people together and creates change. It is a vehicle to communicate our ideals.
Where did you visit this year?
I just returned from my seventh Kumbamela India. It was amazing! In one month, there were 85 million people in this gathering of pious souls. Thirty million people daily. My heart is drawn to be these spiritual gatherings. It is now scientifically proven that meditation groups have an incredible positive impact. In Washington DC, each year, a small group of spiritual leaders meet to lower the crime rate and lowered it 25% to 30% every year they do this practice. This is a higher rate of improvement in the reduction of crime than any other program has been able to do so. I held 'mobs meditation "to Occupy movements wisely. I am on a constant World Peace Pilgrimage. It would take a year or two to go around the world at the time. Now I go to Europe three to four times in the summer. Everything is so much faster! I go to the Philippines next after Bali.
Do you have a permanent residence? Where is he?
I do. It is on the Big Island, or Island of Hawaii. I land near Hilo where I started a house using wood Ohia which is very similar to teak. The Big Island is wilderness. Some parts resemble the moon and other parts are lush and tropical. It is the newest land on Earth. It is beautiful, strong nature. Unfortunately, right now I'm not there much. I keep traveling. The Hawaii-Bali connection is very strong. I just left Ubud where I saw so many friends of Hawaii. But Bali "esta en mi Corazon" (Bali is in my heart).
What attracts you to Bali?
The beauty, the smiles of the people with their arts and talents, the beautiful ocean, amazing food, traditional and contemporary cultures, nature ... all combine to make Bali a paradise. My next album was mainly recorded in Bali with mainly Balinese musicians, which was interesting to my roots are a mixture of reggae, latin and funk with a mystical touch. Bali for me is like home. The culture here has touched my soul for decades. I used to teach African dance on Double Six beach when it opened in the 80s After liaising with locals and travelers for decades; this is the only place where I can reconnect with all these people. It is always a joy ... Bali I love you! Bali Nomor satu di dunia!
Fantuzzi, world-wandering troubadour, is now dancing.
Visit Fantuzzimusic.com for information on upcoming events.