On October 11, 2011, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings will releaseThe Mickey Hart Collection to preserve and further the Grateful Dead percussionist’s endeavor to cross borders and expand musical horizons. Smithsonian Folkways will make many of Mickey Hart’s music projects available digitally (stream and download) for the first time while keeping physical versions in print as on-demand CDs.

Video

Click here to listen to 25 tracks (one from each album in the initial collection).

The Mickey Hart Collection begins with 25 albums drawn from "The World," a series Hart curated that incorporated his solo projects, other artists’ productions, and re-releases of out-of-print titles. Six of the twenty-five albums form the "Endangered Music Project," a collaboration between Mickey Hart and the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, which presents recordings from musical traditions at risk. Both "The World" and "The Endangered Music Project" were previously distributed by Rykodisc from 1988 to 2002.

The Mickey Hart Collection offers a wide variety of music from virtually every corner of the globe, recorded in a diverse range of locations from the Nubian Desert to the Papua New Guinea rainforest.

"Music is our talking book, our portal to the spirit world. I hope you will enjoy these audio snapshots of my musical journey," Hart says. "It's an honor to have my recordings at Smithsonian Folkways alongside the greatest songcatchers of our time."

For more information aboutThe Mickey Hart Collection, including the complete list of recordings and audio samples, please visit mickeyhart.net/thecollection