Michael Da Costa

vicissitudes of a would-be spiritual aspirant

'This book is like nothing you have read before. Food for the heart, tears and laughter, pain and joy, it is about 'Being Human' and seeking divinity within. It is about a personal relationship with God in human form, and all that entails. From the Nowhere of unconsciousness to the Now Here of realisation, the journey unfolds and is mostly about the ups and downs of the place in between; in the awakening of an imperfect consciousness, here and now, the daily 'Interactions with My Self.'

in 2008 Michael took his one-man show - full of songs, poems, dramatic monologues and dialogues, jokes, and even raps - on a tour of some of the Meher Baba venues in the US to great acclaim. This performance was filmed at the Sufi Center, Walnut Creek, California, and is now available on DVD.

Some of the songs in this album are among the most popular and two of them - Everything and Nothing, and I Shall Return - are frequently sung at Meher Baba's Samadhi at Arti time. The words to the song, To the Glory of Love, were written by Mani, Meher Baba's sister, for Mehera, Baba's most Beloved. The Love Flows On was included in the second of the British Baba albums produced in 1974 by Pete Townshend; the backing is provided by Pete on guitar and drums, (the late) Ronnie Lane (of the Faces) on bass guitar, John McLagan (of the Faces) on piano, with Michael on Saxophone and vocal.

Da Costa is a writer who uses music as a prop rather than as an end in itself. The best tracks here bear a patina of agelessness - as if we are listening to archival recordings of George Brasson before he was famous. One song, 'From my heart to Your Heart to You' , evokes the pre-Sun Records Elvis, and might, if commercially produced, become a huge crossover hit.

Michael Da Costa has the poet's ability to stand his ground and put over a story; overcoming the listeners prejudices and teaching him something new - and sometimes surprising - in the process.

13 of the tracks on this cd continue to record in a variety of ways the ups and downs, the joys and the laughs and the frustrations involved with living with Meher Baba as guide and friend. The Ocean Waves tracks are instrumental, with three clarinets and guitar, all played by Michael. It is in three 'movements'; the first, Ripple and Swell evokes little waves eternally rippling, rising and falling, ebbing and flowing; the second, Passing Storm is an angry swirling squall creating great turbulence over the water until it eventually passes. Finally, Still Waters is the calm after the storm, when all is at peace.

This cd includes the song The Old Man Says for which the backing is provided by Pete Townshend on guitar, (the late) Ronnie Lane (of the Faces) on bass guitar, John McLaggen (also of the Faces) on piano, and Michael on saxophone and vocal. This was recorded in Pete's studio in 1974 and is available here for the first time.

In this collection of six dramatic monologues and one song, the listener has the impression of hearing an explicit, externalised rendering of his own internal ego-chatter. The effect is funny, vain, denuding at at times maddening - just like the ego itself. This compact disc, completed in 2001, not only entertains but enlightens.

This is surely one of the most original Baba works currently in distribution.

This album is a collection of pieces which live best on the breath, although they also appear in the book. They are performed on this cd by Michael himself.

This is a long meditation on the nature of love, bringing together the spiritual and the interpersonal aspects of experience in a free-flowing poetic form.

The booklet of the text is included free with this cd.

This songbook includes 49 songs with lyrics, fully annotated for voice with guitar chords.