Zingaia is a musical group in the genres of contemporary World Music

World music

World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...

, New Age music

New Age music

New Age music is music of various styles intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often...

 and Ethnic electronica

Ethnic electronica

Ethnic Electronica combines elements of Electronic and World Music and was developed in the 1990s. The term Ethnic Electronica appears in music zines, in online music-related forums and blogs, and also in a title of a 2003 compilation "Another Life: A Journey Into Ethnic Electronica"...

. They have released three albums and have appeared on six compilations, including the Billboard charting album Buddha-Lounge 3.

Their music includes multi-cultural instrumentation, vocals, hand-drums and other percussion. Popular themes are mythology

Mythology

The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...

, Neopaganism

Neopaganism

Neopaganism is an umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious movements, particularly those influenced by or claiming to be derived from the various pagan beliefs of pre-modern Europe...

, Goddess

Goddess

A goddess is a female deity. In some cultures goddesses are associated with Earth, motherhood, love, and the household. In other cultures, goddesses also rule over war, death, and destruction as well as healing....

es, Shamanism

Shamanism

Shamanism is an anthropological term referencing a range of beliefs and practices regarding communication with the spiritual world. To quote Eliade: "A first definition of this complex phenomenon, and perhaps the least hazardous, will be: shamanism = technique of ecstasy." Shamanism encompasses the...

, and trance-dance. They are based in Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

. Author Oberon Zell-Ravenheart

Oberon Zell-Ravenheart

Oberon Zell-Ravenheart is a co-founder of the Church of All Worlds, as well as a writer and speaker on the subject of Neopaganism. He completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri in 1965...

 describes Zingaia's music as "techno-tantra-trance music dedicated to sacred lovers and to the Goddess in all Her many aspects."

Background

Zingaia is the project of husband and wife team, Michael and Katlyn Breene, that they started in the early 1990s. Michael creates the music in his studio, often in collaboration with other musicians and singers. Katlyn creates the album covers and writes most of the lyrics. Pianist and keyboard player by trade, Michael’s career includes a wide variety of musical styles and influences. His roots are as a jazz pianist (he toured with the legendary Sarah Vaughan

Sarah Vaughan

Sarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century."...

 and jazz greats Freddie Hubbard

Freddie Hubbard

Frederick Dewayne "Freddie" Hubbard was an American jazz trumpeter. He was known primarily for playing in the bebop, hard bop and post bop styles from the early 1960s and on...

 and Jon Hendricks

Jon Hendricks

Jon Hendricks is an American jazz lyricist and singer. He is considered one of the originators of vocalese, which adds lyrics to existing instrumental songs and replaces many instruments with vocalists...

), and later played in rock, funk and country groups, as well as large orchestras. Katlyn created the art for album covers for several other recording artists as well, including Sophia, EverStar, and Gary Stadler

Gary Stadler

Gary Stadler is an American New Age pianist, composer, songwriter and producer, specializing in contemporary Celtic-influenced themes and atmospheres. Stadler's six albums generally focus on imaginative concepts loosely based in Celtic mythology, especially stories of the realm of Faerie...

, whose wife Tamara Stadler wrote lyrics for several Zingaia songs.

According to the liner notes on Zingaia's 2000 release, Dancers of Twilight, lead vocals are performed by Abbi Spinner, who co-wrote the lyrics with Katlyn Breene. Abbi Spinner's husband and partner, stage magician Jeff McBride

Jeff McBride

Jeff McBride is an American magician from Monticello New York. He is known for his sleight of hand skills and specializes in the manipulation of playing cards, coins, and other small objects. His stage performances blend elements of kabuki, a Japanese theater form, with traditional conjuring...

, founder of the McBride Magic and Mystery School, is credited for "special guest vocal" on one of the songs.

Zingaia’s 2004 release, Soles on Earth, was co-produced by Michael Breene with David and Steve Gordon, founders of Sequoia Records. The album received the Coalition of Visionary Retailers’ Best World Album of the Year award in 2005.

Zingaia’s music was featured in the 2004 Australian film Dances of Ecstacy, produced by Luna Pictures, and in the January 2006 television documentary A Magickal Life: Jeff McBride, produced and broadcast by Canada's VisionTV as part of their series Enigma True-Life Stories.

Full length recordings by Zingaia

• Soles on Earth (2004, Sequoia Records)
• Dancers of Twilight (2000, Sequoia Records)
• Beneath the Veil (1996, Sequoia Records)

Compilations including recordings by Zingaia

• Diani Beach Lounge (2004, Prudence Recordings)
• Buddha-Lounge 3 (2004, Sequoia Records)
• Cafe de Luna 2 (2004, Sequoia Records)
• Ayurveda Lounge (2002, BSC Music GmbH)
• Buddha-Lounge (2002, Sequoia Records)
• Musical Healing (2001, Sequoia Records)