New Hampshire–based guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer Randy Armstrong earned critical acclaim for his 2017 album, The Conference of the Birds as well as his 2015 collaboration with Volker Nahrmann, Beyond Borders. Now, in 2025—after releasing several albums for Kitaro’s DOMO Records—Randy returns with what may be his finest solo work to date: Echoes Of Tomorrow. This 11-track CD, LP and DL was released in 2025 on Randy’s own UMP Records label.

In contrast to the multi-faceted Conference of the Birds, which featured numerous guest artists, Echoes of Tomorrow is very much a personal statement—a guitar lover’s dream. Entirely instrumental, the album blends New Age, Jazz, World Fusion, Americana, and Folk, with each track seamlessly drawing from all of these influences.

Randy’s “guitar arsenal” includes an array of electric and acoustic guitars, along with his skill on sitar-guitar, South African marimba, and the occasional Native American flute. Providing rhythmic support is Miami-based drummer José Duque.

Echoing some of the smooth, melodic guitar stylings of artists like Pat Metheny, Echoes of Tomorrow offers heartfelt, restful, and meditative music. In addition to mostly original compositions, the album includes two unexpected covers: Keith Jarrett’s “Memories Of Tomorrow” (1975) and a fresh interpretation of an excerpt from Finlandia, composed by Finnish classical icon Jean Sibelius in 1899.

While Randy Armstrong is often regarded as a global music ambassador—performing on guitars and diverse instruments from around the world—Echoes of Tomorrow takes a more direct, stripped-down approach. Without the sprawling concepts of his earlier albums, his lyrical guitar work shines with clarity. Crisp melodies, intricate arrangements, and emotional depth make this album a must-listen for both longtime fans and instrumental guitar enthusiasts.

 

Roots Music Report speaks with Randy Armstrong

RMR: Last time we spoke you had just released your soundtrack to The Conference Of The Birds back in 2017, following your 2015 Beyond Borders album. Now in 2025 you have just released Echoes Of Tomorrow. Just as a prelude to the new album, what were you up to musically between 2017 and the new album? I saw you also released some music on Kitaro’s DOMO Records label. Can you fill us in on your recent activities?

Randy Armstrong: After the release of The Conference Of The Birds and Beyond Borders, I had the opportunity to accompany the all-women’s chorus Voices From The Heart on a concert tour of South Africa in 2018. One of the highlights of that tour was the honor of performing a concert attended by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his family.

At that event, a vibrant young group of South African marimba players performed a mix of traditional songs and popular tunes that had the entire audience singing and dancing together. Even “Papa Tutu” joined in, dancing to “Pata Pata”—the classic made famous by South African legend Miriam Makeba—played brilliantly by the marimba band.

The experience inspired me to commission a set of handcrafted South African marimbas from ethnomusicologist Gavin Coppenhall of African Ethos Instruments in Cape Town. The instruments arrived at the Port of New York on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2018—marking the start of an exciting new chapter.

In 2019, I formed Randy Armstrong & WorldBeat Marimba, and since then we have released the album Ziya Buya Africa along with several singles, including “Nhemamusasa”, “Baba Mudiki”, “Siyahamba”, and most recently, “Amaxoxo”. All of these works are available on major streaming platforms through the UMP Records label.

WorldBeat Marimba was fortunate to safely continue exploring the music of South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana during the Covid pandemic. In my early studies of world music, I had the privilege of learning from master mbira player Ephat Mujuru of Zimbabwe, which later led me to study ethnomusicologist Paul Berliner’s seminal book The Soul of Mbira. Many of WorldBeat Marimba’s songs are direct transcriptions of traditional mbira music.

Our repertoire also includes popular songs such as “Pata Pata”, made famous by the late, great Miriam Makeba, and Paul Simon classics. We even perform a lively version of “Waka Waka” by Shakira! Learn more about WorldBeat Marimba here.

From 2017 to 2025, I have also conducted numerous African Drumming, World Percussion, and Global Music artist-in-residence programs throughout New England. With over 40 years of experience leading arts residencies, I have dedicated my work to teaching the beauty and richness of musical traditions from around the world. I believe that introducing children, youth, and adults to the incredible diversity of global music and instruments can foster cultural understanding and contribute to a more peaceful coexistence in these challenging times.

 

RMR: Is Echoes Of Tomorrow your most guitar-centric instrumental album? Have you recorded other pure instrumental guitar albums in the past? What other albums of yours can you draw a comparison to? And why did you call the album Echoes Of Tomorrow? 

Randy Armstrong: Twenty years ago, I recorded a mostly guitar-oriented solo album entitled No Regrets, released on the DOMO Records label. In many ways, Echoes Of Tomorrow serves as a 20th-anniversary follow-up to that earlier work.

Over the past few years, I have composed and recorded a collection of songs that I felt ready to share with the world. The title Echoes Of Tomorrow reflects my belief in—and hope for—peace, love, and unity with each new day.

 

RMR: Tell us about working with the album’s percussionist / drummer José Duque, how did you meet José and what does he bring to the table musically? Did you record with him in the studio?

Randy Armstrong: I have been performing with my good friend and talented drummer/composer José Duque since we first met around the release of my album No Regrets in the early 2000s. Born and raised in Venezuela, José came to the United States to study at Berklee College of Music in the mid-1990s, graduating in 1997. We met in the Seacoast region of New Hampshire, just north of Boston, and have collaborated on numerous projects over the years, including the Beyond Borders Octet.

José’s versatility in Latin, jazz, rock, and world music has been an invaluable asset to my work. We also share a deep appreciation for the music and artists of the ECM label. Now a U.S. citizen and a professional musician based in Miami, José traveled to my Beauty Hill Studio in New Hampshire to record on many of the tracks for Echoes Of Tomorrow.

Also appearing on the song “Courage” are two longtime collaborators: Marty Quinn, from my days with the Do’a World Music Ensemble, performing on North Indian tabla, and bassist Volker Nahrmann, with whom I have worked in groups such as Unu Mondo and the Beyond Borders Octet.

 

RMR: Are the songs on Echoes Of Tomorrow new or did you go back into your catalog to dust off tracks that might have been overlooked and that would fit into this concept? Are they all recently recorded? Considering the wide world-beat scope of your other recent albums, is Echoes Of Tomorrow the guitar instrumental album you have wanted to release?

Randy Armstrong: All of the songs are original compositions written over the past several years, with two exceptions. One is my guitar arrangement of “Memories Of Tomorrow” by Keith Jarrett, a piece he famously performed as the encore to his masterpiece album The Köln Concert. The other is an instrumental all guitar orchestra arrangement of the beloved work by Jean Sibelius, “Finlandia – Song of Peace”. Several of the tracks also revisit and reimagine motifs from my earlier compositions, this time with the guitar taking center stage as the primary melodic voice.

 

RMR: Tell us about the “Choose Love Suite”. The first tracks on the Echoes Of Tomorrow album were taken from Choose Love – The Musical. How did you become involved with that theater production?

Randy Armstrong: Tracks 1–5 make up the “Choose Love Suite”, commissioned in 2022 through a grant from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. The music was originally composed for the theater production Choose Love – The Musical, written and directed by Emmy Award–winning playwright Dr. Trish Lindberg.

These original compositions were inspired by the work of the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement, an international educational program founded in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy. The program focuses on fostering the core values of courage, gratitude, forgiveness, and compassion.

 

RMR: What was the Choose Love musical like and were there actors involved?

Randy Armstrong: The musical was performed by both youth and adult actors and dancers at the Flying Monkey Performance Center in Plymouth, NH. Sponsored by The Common Man, the event was also part of a larger humanitarian effort that raised over $3.5 million for the Common Man For Ukraine relief fund.

For Echoes Of Tomorrow, the tracks from the Choose Love Suite were re-recorded in the studio, giving them a fresh interpretation while preserving the spirit of the original performance.

 

RMR: Is there a way to draw a comparison on the influences on Echoes Of Tomorrow? I was thinking fans of Pat Metheny might really like this album but some of the tracks sound inspired by 1960s guitar music. Did you set out to sort of “woo” the guitar lovers of the world? What guitarists do you think might have helped inspire this new album?

Randy Armstrong: Any comparison to the prolific guitar master Pat Metheny is truly an honor. While I think the sensibility of Echoes Of Tomorrow might be compared to some of his solo and duo work, I would never place myself alongside his extraordinary genius as a musician. Over the years, I have been influenced by many remarkable guitarists and musicians, each leaving their mark on my playing.

I hope that my immersion in World Music instruments and global influences has helped me develop a unique voice—but ultimately, I leave that judgment to the listener. I didn’t set out to “woo” any particular audience; my only hope is that my music contributes in some small way to the musical landscape of our time.

I’m reminded of something Paul Winter once said about our Do’a Ornament of Hope album back in the 1970s: “Listen well, and savor: music can nourish a hungry soul.”  If Echoes Of Tomorrow can do that for even a few listeners, then I will feel I’ve succeeded.

 

RMR: How many guitars do you play on Echoes Of Tomorrow and can you say something about the way you recorded the album? Were there overdubs added?

Randy Armstrong: On this album, I performed using two of my handmade six-string acoustic guitars by Michael Jacobson-Hardy, a PRS Hollowbody II Piezo, a Jerry Jones Sitar-Guitar, a G&L ASAT Hollowbody Telecaster, and a Guillermo del Pilar classical guitar. The project was recorded as a multi-track overdub album, with me playing all of the instrumental parts. José Duque recorded his drum tracks as overdubs on each of the songs he appears on.

 

RMR: The track “Choosing Love” is a great way to open the album. It’s got a great melody. Who’s playing with you on that track and can you say something about the track’s history? Is it a new composition and what’s the sentiment behind the song? Instrumentals sometimes have a story of their own that can reflect the emotion behind the title? How did it fit into the musical?

Randy Armstrong: “Choosing Love” is the opening track of the Choose Love Suite, with all instruments performed by me, except for José Duque on drum set. This piece originally served as the opening instrumental for Choose Love – The Musical, accompanying dance performances and projected images during the theater production.

For both the album and the stage presentation I wanted Choosing Love to set an uplifting, melodic tone—inviting listeners and audiences into the spirit of the work from the very first notes.

 

RMR: “Courage” follows suit with another infectious melody with the percussion driving the melodic edge. How about “Courage”? Is there a tabla on that track? It does have some exotic percussion.

Randy Armstrong: “Courage” is the most World Fusion–inspired piece on the album, featuring multiple guitars, Persian santoor, djembe, and an array of world percussion. Marty Quinn performs on North Indian tabla, Volker Nahrmann plays bass, and José Duque provides the drum set rhythms.

 

RMR: Does the track “Together” kind of echo some of your World Beat music? Can you say something about the instrumentation on "Together”? Does it have a kind of “call and response” between you and the percussionist Jose?

Randy Armstrong: “Together” is a reimagined version of an original dance score I composed for a Phillips Exeter Academy dance concert. The piece features a trance-like rhythm built on cajón, drum set, mouth and hand percussion, as well as keyboards, bass, and guitars. I performed all the instruments, with José Duque adding the drum set part. An ostinato pattern—played on my South African marimbas and classical guitar—runs throughout the piece, giving it a hypnotic pulse that ties the arrangement together.

 

RMR: I did not know Keith Jarrett wrote “Memories Of Tomorrow”. Does that echo the kind of “tomorrow” theme of the album? That song goes back 50 years to Jarrett’s live in Köln concert? What does that song mean to you and when did you first hear it? 

Randy Armstrong: Listening to Keith Jarrett’s Köln Concert on ECM Records in 1974 was a transformational musical experience for me, and it continues to inspire me every time I hear it. I have long been influenced by many of the artists on the European ECM label—brilliant music, recorded in the legendary Oslo, Norway and Munich, Germany studios. Truly revolutionary.

My arrangement of “Memories Of Tomorrow” takes a more straight-ahead approach, performed on both acoustic and jazz electric guitars. While I can only hope to do justice to Keith Jarrett’s masterpiece, it was an honor to interpret this remarkable work in my own style.

 

RMR: I was kind of surprised you revived a classical piece by Sibelius, called “Finlandia – Song Of Peace”. How did you excerpt the piece as you play it on the album? Also the next piece is called “Ode To Sibelius”, is another tribute to Sibelius. Even though you play on acoustic guitars there is an undeniable rock energy on it and that vibe is enhanced when the drums kick in. It’s very full sounding and it’s a definite highlight of the album.

Randy Armstrong: In 2007, I toured Croatia as an accompanist and soloist with Voices From The Heart. During the trip, the choir raised funds to help de-mine a farmer’s field that had been left unsafe after the tragic war in the region. One afternoon, we traveled to the farmhouse overlooking the field, which would need to be painstakingly and carefully cleared before it could be farmed again.

There, in front of the farmhouse, the women of Voices From The Heart sang Finlandia – Song of Peace for the farmer and his family as a gift and dedication. It was an incredibly moving moment—there wasn’t a dry eye in sight. Today, the field is clear and once again producing food.

I have always loved this song, and it inspired me to record an all guitar orchestra instrumental arrangement of the beloved choral work by Jean Sibelius. My composition “Ode to Sibelius” was likewise inspired by Finlandia.

 

RMR: Following “Ode To Sibelius” is “Light Of Unity”, which is another melodic masterpiece. Does that hark back to some of your early albums with D’oa? It has a kind of World Beat groove sound. Tell us about the percussion on that track.

Randy Armstrong: “Light Of Unity” was composed while I was playing a handpan, built upon a traditional West African 12/8 rhythm and accented by guitar. The piece was inspired by the Bahá’í quote: “So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.”

 

RMR: Echoes Of Tomorrow closes with “Born In Appalachia” a track that has a real earthy sound. Tell us what instruments you play on “Born In Appalachia”? At first it sounded Indian with a sitar like sound but it’s very much Americana in nature. What was your M.O. on that track and what does it say to you?

Randy Armstrong: I was born in Elkins, West Virginia, and spent my early years surrounded by the beautiful hills, mountains, and valleys of Appalachia. My earliest musical memories are filled with the sounds of bluegrass, old-time, and classic country. My mother was a devoted fan of Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline.

Elkins has long been home to the Augusta Heritage Festival, a celebration of traditional arts and music that has been running for more than 50 years. While my own musical path eventually took me in other directions, my roots remain deeply shaped by the acoustic Appalachian traditions and the heritage of my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents—immigrants from Switzerland and Scotland who settled in the small West Virginia villages of Adolph and Mill Creek.

“Born In Appalachia” is my homage to my birthplace. On this track, I play banjo, mandolin, and acoustic guitar, with touches of sitar-guitar, North Indian tabla, and hand percussion.

 

RMR: What musical plans do you have for 2025 and even into 2026? Be great if you could do another album like Echoes, at least for the guitar fans at some point, but I know you have listeners of all stripes and persuasions from all over the world. What directions are you planning as far as new recordings, albums, soundtracks and even live music?

Randy Armstrong: I plan to continue touring, leading artist-in-residence programs, and creating music for the rest of my days. Recently, I was commissioned to compose a contemporary score for a production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth at Phillips Exeter Academy, scheduled for November 2025. The timing feels fortuitous, as I had just returned from a tour in Scotland this past June, where I had the unique opportunity to perform music on the Isle of Iona—the burial place of Macbeth.

After over 50 years as a professional musician, composer, guitarist and world fusion music explorer with over 60 published albums, film and theater scores, I’m just going to keep on movin’ forward…

For more information & discography, please visit: https://randyarmstrong.com