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A year ago, live music on television helped our nation heal. Having millions of individuals tuned in to the same focus of conscious attention reminded us of the power of sound. It reminded many of us that "music is a carrier wave for consciousness." And it reminded us that there are many varieties of expression through which healing can manifest.

As we continue to contemplate 9/11, may we all remember to call on that power on a basis more frequent than once a year.

As the rhythms of life shift from summer to fall, we notice changes in the sounds of nature outside our windows. And this year, in addition to the annual baseball pennant race and the US Open tennis championship, TV brings us American Idol. Whether you watched a little or a lot or none at all, I believe this show represents a cultural breakthrough.

Can you recall another championship competition involving music on TV--let alone one that garnered over 20 million viewers?

Consider several parallels between the American Idol format and the tennis championship. Unlike team sports like baseball or football, these are one on one. When it's your turn, you are totally on your own. Both are generally won by younger participants (Sampras and Agassi were anomalies, as we were often reminded). In the case of American Idol, the age of contestants was actually limited to a ceiling of 24 or 25 years of age.

More than ten years ago, there was a wonderful film called The Competition, starring Richard Dreyfuss and Amy Irving. And of course, several years ago there was Shine. I recall that in each film, there was a moment when one character remarked, "These competitions are blood sport." Granted, the music involved was classical, not pop. But the observation was accurate. It was interesting that only the British judge, Simon Cowell, brought that frame of reference with him.

Regardless of what you thought of the performers or performances, I'll go on record as saying it was a good thing for the public to get exposed to so many wonderful vocalists. Which brings up another question: what is the likelihood of a competition for instrumentalists? Imagine if jazz instrumentalists, as well as classical, were allowed in? And what about some of the great rock masters? Ah, maybe on some cable network, or on the Internet, when it truly comes of age.

I wish there were a way to measure the increase in singing in the shower since American Idol came on the air! I'd love to see those stats (as long as they didn't combine that with the Big Brother format).

Kudos to Chicago

This year marks the 35th anniversary of one of the greatest American bands, Chicago. They are currently on tour, as they've been for decades, and still sounding great.

(Interestingly, early reviews of the band lamented the fact that they lacked a real standout vocalist. It's a nice balance to the focus on solo singers, isn't it?)

They have had 20 Top 10 singles and albums, and sales of over 120 million records worldwide. They belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of fame, and I hope they'll be inducted in the near future.

Rhino Records is re-issuing all their old discs, but each one will be taken from the original master recordings, so they should sound much better than earlier versions. You'll be seeing a lot of promotion for them in print, on TV, on radio, and they deserve it. (Visit www.chicagotheband.com for details.)

They got together in 1967, and were one of three revolutionary rock and roll bands with horns (trumpet, sax and trombone). Along with The Butterfield Blues Band and The Electric Flag, Chicago was an inspiration to horn players everywhere. I know: I was one of them.

In fact, before Chicago exploded nationwide, a number of creative and frustrated jazz rock musicians were asked to provide music at various political demonstrations and teach -ins. That was the genesis of the New Chicago Lunche, a legendary band in Buffalo, New York. (We took our name from the only restaurant that would serve our integrated band after a long night of concertizing.)

In any case, I'll never forget the first time I saw Chicago in person. They blew everyone away. Their guitarist screamed like Clapton, their bass player, Peter Cetera, sang better than their lead singers while simultaneously playing incredible bass lines, and their horn section played jazz phrases as hip as Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. After the set, my band was invited backstage.

I had a great conversation with James Pankow, the trombonist who wrote most of the horn charts. He said something to me that I always remembered--so imagine my surprise and delight when James said those very words virtually verbatim in the recent Billboard Spotlight. He said "The reality is, we're capable of being a lot more adventurous and experimental than what you may hear on records or in concert." (Based on what we heard that night in concert, I say, Amen to that!)

"But we're in the business of entertaining people. Sure, there was a time when we could jam with the best of them, and it was an incredible era. But, as for now, we stay right in the pocket. It's not about just satisfying ourselves, which is why we've been able to take our music into the millennium.'

My band did not feel that way, which was the beginning of the end for us ... but the beginning of my evolution into playing the meditation and healing music I have focused on ever since.

If you haven't heard their music since the last time you dusted off your scratchy vinyl LPs, or were disappointed by the poor sound quality of previous CDs, you may want to treat yourself to these Rhino releases. I know I will.

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Steven Halpern is one of the world’s leading composers of music for healing, wellness, and inner peace. His most recent releases are Inner Peace II and Perfect Alignment, (The latter features Grammy winner Paul McCandless. ) Hear samples at www.stevenhalpern.com

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