EXPERIENCE THE SONGS AND SOUNDSCAPES
We've put together a sampler compilation of the music and forest sounds that make up Tropical Forest Project: Ecuador.
ARTISTS PROTECTING FORESTS
Mastered at Abbey Road Studios, the album features forest soundscapes recorded in Ecuador, and exclusive new acoustic versions of songs, some written specifically for this project.
A UNIQUE AND BEAUTIFUL ITEM
Accompanying the album is a lavishly illustrated book in English and Spanish, featuring wildlife photography, song lyrics, poems by Homero Aridjis and Rebecca Elson, and articles by biologists working on the forest frontline in Ecuador.
We’ve been blessed to work with 16 internationally renowned artists from around the world, including Margarita Laso, Vânia Bastos, Kate Walsh, David McAlmont, Dobet Gnahoré, Devon Sproule and Jorge Drexler, who have donated their time and their art to the project.
And if you move fast enough, you could get one of the few copies available that has been signed by one of the artists featured on the album.
THE PROJECT
These songs and soundscapes were recorded to raise awareness of the biological importance and unique nature of Ecuador’s forests. Your pledge will support World Land Trust’s work in Ecuador – every song streamed raises money which will be used to expand Nangaritza Reserve in Southern Ecuador by several square metres, protecting forever its unique cloud forest ecosystem.
ECUADOR: AN ARK ON LAND
Straddling both the Andes and the Equator, Ecuador is place of unparalleled biological diversity. 4,000 of the world’s 20,000 species of butterfly live in the country. Many live nowhere else, but this biological richness is under intense pressure.
The Upper Amazon is now being opened up for oil exploration with potentially dire environmental consequences. And on the Pacific slopes and mountains, deforestation rates are high with habitat reduced by 90%.
So what remains is a vital ark – for the future of thousands of animal and plant species.
World Land Trust (WLT) is a conservation charity based in Suffolk, UK. Since 1989 WLT has been working to preserve some of the world’s most biologically important and threatened habitats. To date, it has helped protect over 200,000 hectares in Asia, Central and South America and the UK.
WLT works through local partners and non-governmental organizations, providing finance to help those groups to buy and manage land so it is protected. WLT also helps with technical expertise, equipment, even publicity, all to encourage small-scale, sustainable development.
To find out more about the WLT and its work, visit worldlandtrust.org
INTRODUCING THE ARTISTS
All of this has been possible thanks to the time, talent and generosity of our brilliant artists. Some you might have heard of, others we’re delighted to introduce to you.
Vânia Bastos
Since the release of her eponymous solo debut album Vânia Bastos has become widely recognised...
Dobet Gnahoré
Recording in over eight languages, Grammy Award winner Dobet Gnahoré’s pan-African sound draws on the...
Nathan Ball
A finalist in MOJO Magazine’s New Voice Award, British singer Nathan Ball initially performed as...
Morgan Szymanski
Born in Mexico City, classical guitarist Morgan Szymanski studied at the Royal College of Music,...
Jorge Drexler
A multiple Grammy award nominee and an Academy Award winner for his contribution to the...
Devon Sproule
Winner of Rolling Stone magazine and ASCAP Foundation Sammy Cahn awards, Devon Sproule grew up...
David McAlmont
David McAlmont’s career includes both solo albums and collaborations with Suede guitarist Bernard Butler, James...
Alan Lacroix
With his roots in punk, London-based guitarist and songwriter Alan Lacroix has a unique acoustic...
Margarita Laso
Born in Quito, singer, writer and poet Margarita Laso’s repertoire includes the songs of Ecuadorian...
Martha Tilston
Martha Tilston was nominated Best New Act at the 2007 BBC Folk Awards for her...
Valentin Gerlier
Born in Brussels, Valentin Gerlier’s music draws on acoustic pop, Brazilian and Cuban rhythms and...
Cecilia Zabala
Born in Buenos Aires, Cecilia Zabala draws on Argentinian folklore, jazz, tango and Brazilian music....
Cibelle Cavalli
Studying guitar, piano, percussion and theatre from the age of six, Cibelle Cavalli was born...
Federico Aubele
Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentine singer Federico Aubele is signed to Washington DC’s...
The Nextmen
>The Nextmen fuse soul and reggae with hiphop. The duo’s albums have featured collaborations with...
KATE WALSH
Originally from Essex, Kate trained as a classical pianist before turning to the guitar. Her...
INTRODUCING GINKGO MUSIC
Ginkgo Music is a nonprofit organisation set up by a group of people from various backgrounds, including science education, music, art and design, sport, charity and business. We’ve come together with a shared passion for the extraordinary and colourful range of life inhabiting this planet, our desire to help those who protect it, and a belief that music can play a part in that.
OUR MISSION
Ginkgo Music was founded to protect and restore forest ecosystems worldwide.
Uniquely, we do this through projects linking music and ecology.
We work in partnership with existing and local NGOs on the ground, supporting their work by raising awareness and money through sales of albums of our music projects.
THE TEAM
Say hello to the Ginkgo Music team.
Suzanne Pool
Formerly a lawyer for the world’s largest independent music group, Suzanne now works as a business consultant and coach, supporting businesses in protecting their intellectual property and then growing revenue streams from this asset base.
Ray Bush
Founder and managing director of Music Royalty Company, Ray started his career in cinema, performing royalty calculations and accountancy, and remained in film for 12 years before joining Cooking Vinyl & Essential Music in 2011, where he was appointed Head of Finance and tasked with creating and heading a royalty department.
Elton Uliana
Born in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Elton works in marketing translation (EN-PT) and recently gained a BA in English Literature. He is currently working towards an MA in Translation Studies at UCL, London. His passion: music.
Mthoko Madonda
A social entrepreneur and international consultant with 17 years experience, Mthoko has worked across the world helping organisations use sport as a tool for development and social change.
Renee Edwards
Renee is a film producer, director and editor with 15 years experience as editor for the BBC and Channel 4 on current affairs series such as Panorama, Dispatches and Unreported World. Her award-winning new film about New Orleans musicians, One Note at a Time, will be released in 2018.
Rishi Dastidar
Rishi is a copywriter, brand strategist and poet. A fellow of The Complete Works programme for BAME poets in the UK, his debut collection Ticker-tape was published by Nine Arches Press in 2017. His work for charities includes helping CoppaFeel!, Jewish Museum London and Create Arts.
DAVID CAMPBELL
David is a volunteer engineer and co-presenter at Resonance 104.4 FM radio station, a longstanding member of the Lucky Cloud Sound System loft party team, and has over a decade’s experience as a manager in London’s social housing sector.
DOMINIC SEDGWICK
Dominic founded Ginkgo Music with his friend Paul Travers. A science teacher and songwriter, he is interested in how music and ecology can illuminate each other.
