JCF Fellow David Darling's 2009 album, "Prayer for Compassion," with its themes of social and environmental consciousness, has earned David his first Grammy. Ten years in the making, the instrumental "Prayer" strikes David as more an example of "contemporary classical" or "world-ethnic music" than "New Age."

Why so long to complete?

In David's words, ""It's like sculpting something: it just takes us a long time to figure out what we want each piece to do."

In addition to a successful career as a recording and performing artist, David Darling is also the co-founder of Music for People, a nonprofit organization that promotes a humanistic approach to the way music is taught, performed, and appreciated. (Music for People is especially noted for their improvisational workshops.)

JCF congratulates David Darling, who embodies in his art the wisdom of Joseph Campbell's advice to "follow your bliss."

Read customer reviews of Prayer for Compassion in the JCF Bookstore.