Live at Transition East
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Archaeology is the study of materials left to posterity that will give insight to the nature of a peoples culture whose legacy will forever be scrutinized and valued. This is the context that this recorded document of African American artists should be reconciled years from now. I conclude that the contribution in the fields of art and literature and our influence and impact on the evolution to the human family is recognized, however for a far more diabolical reason it is not given the accessibility it so deserves and thereby its value is not appreciated by the masses.
I am an artist; my work and narrative are deeply rooted within my cultural consciousness. My music and compositional concepts will proceed far after my physical transition. I’ve coined a phrase using Art as an acronym “A REVOLUTIONARY TOOL” I feel this is most appropriate to the time in which we live, and the need for the disenfranchised African to approach our art with this intention. I strive to live a life that acknowledges that there is a force far more potent than myself, and this force permeates all things.
The conundrum is I am not a religious man; frankly, I think religion is the source of man’s problem preventing us from maximizing the great resources found in our universe, and the spiritual reservoir within each one of us.
I affirm my ancestors whose blood I share and their experience that continues to inform me with the sensitivity and passion that evolve within me. I commit my life to the science of music and acknowledge that my soul’s intention is to tap into this science that has the essential properties to impact the environment and ourselves.
This fact is what I submit is what archaeology consistently leaves out and this omission will continue to prevent the profound and intrinsic nature embedded in the art of African’s in America.
“Mshindani” Paul Alexander an enigmatic personality in Chicago by way of New Orleans grounded in his African ness is a musicologist, writer, a prolific thinker of broad and seemingly diverse areas of concentrations, and just a great brother. I’m honored to call him a friend. Over the years Mshindani often talked to me about a friend of his in New Orleans, saxophonist AumRa Frezel that reminds him of me. So, the opportunity arose when AumRa’s musical activity found him coming to Chicago to perform at the Gallery Guichard with the visual artist Marcus Akinlana. The stage was set for our first person to person encounter, and upon our initial meeting, I felt we should take advantage and solidify this spiritual connection by recording our musical visions.
As a result of my intuition, this meeting rewarded me with the most exciting and unexpected recorded documents of my musical journey. The week of August 12 -17, 2012 we miraculously recorded three sessions that would not have been possible without the connection and service provided by my Brother in Spirit Mshindani. AumRa while in Chicago stayed with Mshindani’s family, so Mshindani became AumRa’s driver and facilitated things that took much of the pressure off me as I tried to prepare for this much anticipated, yet scary recording session. Prior to the start of these sessions my task was simple yet difficult, get some musicians together and see if we could luck up and get some good archival material. My responsibility was to find musicians available yet pliable enough to work within the context of improvisational music without rehearsals, sight unseen and sounds unheard.
My first call went out to Shafahtyah Ben Yehudah a world-class drummer whom I’ve been blessed to have lived and worked with in the middle 80’s before my Journey took me to Germany in 1988, meanwhile his spirit led him to Africa where he lived for twenty years. Next, I reached out to Guitarist, Spike Rebel whom I’d recently met and had worked and recorded with. Spike with his usual enthusiasm for anything musical committed to this project. My first choice for bass was unavailable, bass players are hard to find especially on such short notice. I had just met Frederick Key a bass player, through my relationship with Spike, an understated spirit that I was not sure could meet the requirements of improvised music, anyway I made the call and Fred courageously accepted my invitation, however he made it known to me that he was not experienced in improvisational music. I’d be remiss not to say here that it was Fred’s humility, openness and willingness to venture into the unknown within himself that contributed to these recordings the real and valuable ingredients that make spirit music come alive. The musicians were in place and the date and time was set for Sunday, August 12th to come together to see and hear what we could do together. In hindsight, I realize the impossibility of what happened especially juxtaposed to what I expected, but this is spirit music, and in its domain, anything is possible and what we created far exceeded my wildest imaginations. The precursory qualities of how unique these sessions were validated at the first session, within the hour of the scheduled time of arrival, everyone was present, and introductions were warm and genuine. The focus of each musician quickly shifted to acclimate themselves to the acoustics of the room, their instrument, and the unknown work before us. AumRa quickly found his position on stage, unpacked his horn and started a series of long tones that set the atmosphere. I could hear his control, his tenderness, his serpentine tonal quality, as I toiled setting up the studio recording protocols, I was concentrating on centering my emotions before I approached my instruments.
So, the moment was here, everyone and everything was ready to record, immediately I noticed all eyes and ears were fixed on me in submission to what our directions were to be. I proceeded by articulating the nature for each composition by introducing thoughts, concepts, feelings, and the key. These were the tools that each musician was given to find his own interpretation and way in to create each composition, no false starts, no second takes, no working out forms, and definitely no preconceived harmonic motion. Consistent with the courage that Fred has, he is heard first laying out a pedal tone focused foundation for all to follow as “Initial Contact” begins. Spike quick minded as usual lays a harmonic palette that I respond to and AumRa follow right behind me. The description of what happened next is for each listener to decipher.
As engineer whose responsibility is to mix and balance each instrument and put all sounds and frequencies into a cohesive soundscape, it became quickly apparent that we had tapped into the sacred place where humility, pure intention, and a spiritual quest we all shared became the fuel that made this music the conduit that once we submitted to it took us beyond our ego and transformed us into useful vessels transmitting virtues of respect, acceptance, projection, and unity. I realized after repeated listening to what we recorded goes beyond analytical analysis, those that have ears that hear and hearts to feel will get what is encoded within this music.
“The Power of Redemption” VOL. 2
The second of the trilogy of recordings was on Thursday, the 16th of August; personally, I thought we had accomplished a great work that produced the “Gathering of Forces” session four days earlier. I would’ve been satisfied and thankful for what we had accomplished after the first session. If it were not for the excitement and enthusiasm expressed by all I wouldn’t have been comfortable asking the musicians to commit to another session. What inspired me to ask each musician to record a second day was AumRa’s comment on the chance to redeem his initial performance. AumRa unbeknownst to myself had personally approached each musician privately and apologized for what he felt was his unsatisfactory contribution. So, four days later from the first session everyone was on board for a 2nd session “The Power of Redemption”, and this document stands as we all took the opportunity to redeem our initial work, not understanding that we put in motion something larger than our individual thought of bettering our first attempt as individual contributors. I’ve worked the majority of my musical life in the context of spontaneous collective improvisational music, however this experience with these musicians took on an energy that is far more accessible to the listener yet retaining the freshness of discovery. Music’s mission must have within it a visceral effect on the listener. How else can the human experience be conveyed in such raw and transparent ways save music? The very principles of music are built upon systems designed to transmit emotions, but more importantly in the skilled hands and serious minds of musicians that are courageous enough to take the leap of faith to challenge the mundane human experience by insinuating that there is a spiritual experience even greater, the quest for inner enlightenment and peace on earth. It’s important to emphasis that each member of the group have their own cultural, psychological and spiritual concerns. It is the collective energy that gives this music the vitality that it does. As we started the 2nd session I suggested that we pay homage to our interest and continuing quest to connect with the source of our ancestry thus, “Calling to The Motherland”. I reached out to Rick Gardner a conga player of renown in the Chicago area to join us for the second session and his contributions were consistent for the last two sessions. The composition starts with Rick, Spike, guitarist who also play percussion here, Frederick Key’s acoustic bass and AumRa’s alto enters, a straight alto in which I had never encountered, AumRa’s sound is very sinewy yet tender searching to find that unified frequency, the search gets deeper and agitated as I enter also on alto a dialogue of horns engage briefly before AumRa exits and Shafahtyah enters as I continue with jagged and disjointed phrases exploring sounds until AumRa re-entering until the percussion dialogue takes over onto end. By the time we got to the last composition of the evening “Last Call” the energy in the studio was more urgent, primordial (existing at the beginning of time or the development of something, essential or basic to something) distinguished from sophisticated (to make somebody more cultured or worldly, especially by educating out or destroying his or her naturalness, naiveté, or innocence) The “Power of Redemption” session not only validates metaphysical theories but reveal that it is the core energy behind all physical manifestation. Very rarely are musicians inspired to the point where they collectively agree to come together as we did, and everyone eagerly looked forward to the next day, the third and final session of the week.
Peace & Blessings
Eliel Sherman Storey
The second of the trilogy of recordings was on Thursday, the 16th of August; personally, I thought we had accomplished a great work that produced the “Gathering of Forces” session four days earlier. I would’ve been satisfied and thankful for what we had accomplished after the first session. If it were not for the excitement and enthusiasm expressed by all I wouldn’t have been comfortable asking the musicians to commit to another session.
What inspired me to ask each musician to record a second day was AumRa’s comment on the chance to redeem his initial performance. AumRa unbeknownst to myself had personally approached each musician privately and apologized for what he felt was his unsatisfactory contribution. So, four days later from the first session everyone was on board for a 2nd session “The Power of Redemption”, and this document stands as we all took the opportunity to redeem our initial work, not understanding that we put in motion something larger than our individual thought of bettering our first attempt as individual contributors.
I’ve worked the majority of my musical life in the context of spontaneous collective improvisational music, however this experience with these musicians took on an energy that is far more accessible to the listener yet retaining the freshness of discovery. Music’s mission must have within it a visceral effect on the listener. How else can the human experience be conveyed in such raw and transparent ways save music?
The very principles of music are built upon systems designed to transmit emotions, but more importantly in the skilled hands and serious minds of musicians that are courageous enough to take the leap of faith to challenge the mundane human experience by insinuating that there is a spiritual experience even greater, the quest for inner enlightenment and peace on earth.
It’s important to emphasis that each member of the group have their own cultural, psychological and spiritual concerns. It is the collective energy that gives this music the vitality that it does. As we started the 2nd session I suggested that we pay homage to our interest and continuing quest to connect with the source of our ancestry thus, “Calling to The Motherland”.
I reached out to Rick Gardner a conga player of renown in the Chicago area to join us for the second session and his contributions were consistent for the last two sessions. The composition starts with Rick, Spike, guitarist who also play percussion here, Frederick Key’s acoustic bass and AumRa’s alto enters, a straight alto in which I had never encountered, AumRa’s sound is very sinewy yet tender searching to find that unified frequency, the search gets deeper and agitated as I enter also on alto a dialogue of horns engage briefly before AumRa exits and Shafahtyah enters as I continue with jagged and disjointed phrases exploring sounds until AumRa re-entering until the percussion dialogue takes over onto end. By the time we got to the last composition of the evening “Last Call” the energy in the studio was more urgent, primordial (existing at the beginning of time or the development of something, essential or basic to something) distinguished from sophisticated (to make somebody more cultured or worldly, especially by educating out or destroying his or her naturalness, naiveté, or innocence) The “Power of Redemption” session not only validates metaphysical theories but reveal that it is the core energy behind all physical manifestation.
Very rarely are musicians inspired to the point where they collectively agree to come together as we did, and everyone eagerly looked forward to the next day, the third and final session of the week.
“Thank You: Beyond Words” VOL. 3
I can’t fully express my feelings to these musicians for their contributions to my life, and in the making of this music. I feel as the result of our sacrifices in coming together three times in six days the name “Thank You: Beyond Words” is appropriate. These sessions have allowed me to assess my journey, to hear where my musical development have brought me, giving me the opportunity to appreciate that it is the journey that is the blessing. “On The 3rd Day (We Rise)” aptly titled led off this day. The energy is apparent, and our sound had evolved from the cautious and probing “Initial Contact” to a place where there is a comfort and trust that comes across that each musician had invested in the other to create urgent, vital, vibrant, now music from the African in America’s perspective. “On The 3rd Day (We Rise)” starts with a tribal drive that proves how quickly we had found our way to each other. Immediately Shafahtyah, Fred, Rick, and Spike find a groove that inspires AumRa to lift off to a very expressive solo. I’m next up with my alto in hand to make a statement and the contrast that AumRa and I have is very striking, after my solo Spike enters with an elegant and tasteful take on the proceedings. As Spike’s solo ends AumRa and I trade phases behind a rhythm section that is on automatic, solid as a rock. The cohesiveness of this group is real and has been fortified with each session. From the first note of the first session to the last note of the last day there was a chemistry that was apparent, and each musician noticed that we had accomplished a great work. I realize this project has blossomed into an opportunity to become a worthwhile and vital band. As in water seeking its level, unaware of what our individual contributions are and to what degree that contribution is. We all look forward to what’s next in our collaborative work together. Other than the therapeutic properties that I can testify to, and the validation to what the latent power within music is. I can simply say this music transcend any imaginations that I’ve had concerning what I could be a part of musically. I stand witness to the reality that in all art forms there’re hidden agendas that are designed to transport the human consciousness to a place where our minds, body and environment are manipulated into a new way of looking at things and sometimes changing what we thought about things most intimately.
In closing, I pray this music is qualified to be a viable resource in the healing sounds and vibrations of the universe for our inevitable union with our eternal source and potential. I’ll give my impression of the compositions that I found most intriguing as I’ve grown to accept and, in some cases, even like.
Peace & Blessings
Eliel Sherman Storey
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