‘Ceremony’ consists of ethereal improvised instrumental pieces performed exclusively on a PanArt Hang, a double-layered metal drum with distinctive tonal and melodic properties.  It was recorded in a Geodesic dome in Joshua Tree, California, called The Integration. 

The spherical shape created a completely new recording experience for James as he explains:

“The Integratron is like a sonic ashram, it takes the sound and elevates it, and it just sounds amazing and you're elevated by the environment. I recorded everything in one day, and then layered the different performances. Every sound on this record is the Hang. Maybe you're hearing six or seven of them overdubbed, but every sound on the record was made by my fingers on this metallic drum."

The result is a mesmerizing musical journey whose effortless appeal transcends time and genre.   John Diliberto, producer of the acclaimed Public Radio program, ‘Echoes’, says in the album liner notes:

“It’s not too often you get to pioneer a new instrument…for James Hood the Hang Drum evokes a mystical quality, like standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon…his introduction to the Hang was an epiphany.”