Sonosphere spoke with Rachel Grimes about her score for the film The Doctor from India. Rachel talks about the composition and the ways this film has inspired her to pay closer attention to the way she lives her own life. The interview took place via telephone on April 4th, 2018 and Rachel talks about the importance of this date. Enjoy!

An ethereal and meditative soundtrack album from pianist and composer Rachel Grimes (Rachel’s, King’s Daughters & Sons), The Doctor from India features piano, Scott Moore on violin, Jacob Duncan on saxophone, interspersed with harp, strings, and ambient sound design. Created for a new documentary film by Jeremy Frindel, this score provides a thematically unified soundscape to support the inspiring story of Dr. Vasant Lad, a holistic health pioneer whose approach centers around the ancient practice of Ayurveda. The immersive, contemplative track “Moving Into Night” is streaming now on Bandcamp, and you can also pre-order the album.

The film had its world premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on February 2, 2018. Zeitgeist Films, in association with Kino Lorber, will be screening theatrically throughout the spring alongside a VOD release. The film tells fascinating story of one man’s mission to bring the ancient healthcare system of wellness called Ayurveda from India to the West in the late 1970s. In this meditative, immersive portrait, with interviewees including Ayurvedic practitioner Deepak Chopra, Frindel documents the life and work of Dr. Vasant Lad who, fulfilling his destiny as foretold by his family guru became a holistic health pioneer, helping to bring Ayurveda, which was almost unknown when he first arrived in the west, to become one of the most prominent alternative health systems in the world today. Check out the film site and watch the trailer.

Heralded as “one of American independent music’s few truly inspired technicians” by WIRE magazine, Rachel Grimes is a pianist, composer, and arranger based in Kentucky. Widely known for her role in the groundbreaking chamber ensemble Rachel’s, (six albums on Quarterstick/Touch and Go), she has since toured worldwide as a solo pianist, and as a collaborator with various artists.

Her work has been performed by ensembles such as the Louisville Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, A Far Cry, Longleash, Portland Cello Project, Amsterdam Sinfonietta Trio, Dublin Guitar Quartet, Borusan Quartet and Önder sisters. Releases include Through the Sparkle (with astrïd on Gizeh Records 2017), The Clearing (Temporary Residence Ltd. 2015), Book of Leaves, Marion County 1938, and Compound Leaves. Collaborators include Matthew Nolan, Erik Friedlander, Loscil, SITI Company, Joan Shelley, Nathan Salsburg, Jacob Duncan, Scott Moore, astrid, Chris Wells, and Julia Kent with the artist Peter Liversidge. She is also a member of Louisville band King’s Daughters & Sons (Chemikal Underground). She scores for film and multimedia installations (Donna Lawrence Productions) and has licensed music to numerous film and TV works internationally.

Tracks (The Doctor from India):

The Doctor Arrives

The Flowering of Arurveda

Sacred Knowledge

The Art of Listening

Quackery

I Do What I Love