Die kunst und die Wissenschaft von meinem persönlichen Ju Ju: Kapitel Null Filmed primarily during my time actually living in the fine city of Grand Rapids, Mich. The conversation section of this little video journal was shot outside the wonderful "Mexicains Sans Frontieres" -- with special thanks to the magnificent Hugo Claudin and Judas. I must admit, I tried to send this to Hugo for his approval but, alas, technology. . . Hope this is cool with you, hermano!
I Saw the Whole Thing -- The Clown Stabbed Him (Warning: Contains explicit lyrics!) Some people think clowns are funny. Others KNOW clowns are dangerous! Yes, there's more to this these days. Just ask "My Idiot Friend. . .
It's Hell Being a Clown Some folks have a clown fixation. After all, I did work in politics for a while, so I should know. . .
The Last Time Willie Brown Left Time Named in honor of poet George Kalamaras who inspired this. If I remember correctly, this is the third entry into the infamous "Clown Trilogy," the rest of which lies somewhere below. Oh yeah, I've got this thing about banjos. . .
Blues: What shade? Yes, I know the words are a bit scattered in a sense, but this song about the horrors of alcoholism.
The Last Song She'll Ever Sing Folks occasionally talk me into writing acoustic tunes. They usually turn out like this -- good and morbid.
13th Request for Secrecy . . .or something along those lines. If you figure it out, let me know!
An Apartment Full of Ghostly Companions I must admit, I haven't been in the mood to write music. Stories have been the thing lately. Here's a rough reading of one for you. (Okay. So I'm back in the mood. What can I say?) There's another piece of prose included at the very end of "13th Request for Secrecy" in case you missed it or just thought it better to ignore it.
815 Please. . .
. . . and while we're at it, here's an advance part of a book of short stories I just finished. This little selection is called "'The Story of My life,' by Octavius Junior Clancy" Oh well!
"Ich werde das Lied von die Kinder ewig singen" Für Karlheinz Stockhausen. May he rest in peace. Voices by children from the Three Rivers Jenbé Ensemble, with special thanks to Lucinda and TréShell for their lovely singing and Osiris for his interpretation of the alphabet. I wrote this some time ago as a gift for Professor Stockhausen after he e-mailed me in response to a note I had sent him. After I sent him a copy of my composition thanking him for his inspiration, he sent me the lovely gift of a handwritten note and a signed copy of Engel-Prozessionen. Please, check out his music. It epitomizes the idea of restructuring to rechannel human consciousness for ascension. I only regret that I did not get a chance to travel to Germany and study with him at his camp before his passing late last year.
Basquiat For Jean-Michel who chronicled syncretism in the so-called new world. . . Afrikan Nanotechnology is the wave of a future many cannot recognize. . . Ancient Clouds mark the horizon in new biological colors painted by a triumvirate of sightless rodents. . . 13 Photonic Elements raise questions regarding the possibility of time travel. . . Symbols Won after all else was said and done. . . The Smell of Society was a motivating factor in all this. . . Nightfall & Ebony changed the way those elected saw life. . . Old Words Again Spoken Six words from the Book of Creation. All was brought into existence through word. This particular version of this piece was played by the band Om, circa 1998-1999. The personnel is Jimmy Coleman, currently of Philadelphia on drums, Dave Streeter on sax, Jack Patton on vibes, Omowale-Ketu Oladuwa on percussion and myself on bass. It was recorded by my friend Craig Harding former owner of Ajax Recording Team in Fort Wayne, Ind., now owner of the Portland, Ore.-based September Audio. This is a rough version that Craig recorded for us during a rehearsal in a local high school recording studio. Several other recorded versions of this tune exist, including an acoustic guitar version i recently recorded at home and an older solo bass version.
Arcane Astronomi "¡A kjdfau lkur idkj a llikd frjo roia;j ag uad ppjat ioutrado!" (Dedicated to Lights)
A Conversation with a Lunatic Daeh ym ni era sdnuos eseht yhw rednow i semitemos.
I Dreamed I Was In the Nigerian Army A true story, and a foray into the world of the banjo...
Do Not Rejoice When Thine Enemy Falls Taken from the Ethics of the Fathers. There are numerous political leaders of all persuasions who would do well to heed this advice, because every dog has his or her day!
Ethics of the Fathers A companion piece to Do Not Rejoice When Thine Enemy Falls. Like the other pieces, this one again is guitar oriented. Perhaps it's a phase...
Francis Part 1 Named for my father. This is one of two themes in a collection called Four Variations on Two Themes, available on ItsAboutMusic.com. This is the primary incarnation of the piece. Hmmm. It's rather lengthy, so it will require patience to hear it in this format. I'm not sure what else to say about all this. I suppose it really doesn't matter. It means whatever you think it does at this point.
Outside the Juke Joint I don't really know how to play the blues like they do where they make it do what it do, but this is a tribute and the introduction to a much longer piece about only jukin' for my baby, if you know what I mean. And, if you do, tell me, because I'm not sure I know what I mean. It's just one of those things.
Ol' Joe Shows Another Side of His Personality There's an old saying: "All looks are not a like. . ." That most likely had very special meaning in this country during the time of slavery. Sometimes a slave's smile is not a warm as it looks! That's what the evidence found on this ancient recording suggests. The complete account can be found in the document "Pathology of Dominance."
Hoodoo Man Oh, what can i say. Sometimes i think of the oddest things that aren't really so odd when you get right to it. The world can be manipulated in the strangest and most wonderful ways. Actually, you might ask my wife more about this stuff, you know.
Jimi's Electric Buck Dance Like Miles, Hendrix was a master at mixing the ancient and arcane with the modern and electric. I have been told that the buck dance was a way in which some of us preserved the sacred rhythms of the drum when they became forbidden in times of slavery. Jimi's music always hinted at something very traditional in it's underpinnings, even in it's most electric form--incantations that hold deep secrets accessible only to those who know. This piece is from 1999 and opened my first attempt at a "solo record." Once available on MP3.com. . .
The Wisdom of Palm Wine In Nigeria, elders can be found drinking palm wine to discuss the affairs of the community as they socialize. Ask Chief Ogunsusi!
Spooks Yes, this means exactly what you think it means, whatever you think it means! Perhaps it's again time to take one's place at the door. As they used to say, "Right On!"
Voids A portion from the research paper "Africentric Studies in N.A.S."--a reference to the work of cyberpunk novelist William Gibson who defined Nerve Attenuation Syndrome. If you don't like to read, check out the film Johnny Mnemonic. It might not be a great interpretation of Gibson's work, but it's a start down the road to understanding what the near future might hold. This was one section in a much larger musical work again, alas, on MP3.com. . . T'was fun while it lasted!
Gateways: Primes (See Sefer Yetzirah) and. . .
Gateways: A Sonic Allegory (Do the math.)
The Idle Boys. Some time ago, Kent Klee, Paul Stephens and I embarked on a journey to, well, let's be truthful--we decided to sit around and goof off together on Tuesday evenings, initially with the thought of throwing together a looseknit acoustic unit with Paul on guitar, Kent on congas and percussion and me on upright bass. Well, we got sidetracked and started writing some tunes. We were going to use the songs as demos for a possible album. Anyway, everyone got busy, etc., etc., yada yada. We did however, get a few things done, including a piece with John Loveman-Krelle, a British guitarist who for a time lived in Fort Wayne before moving his family to Cali for greener economic pastures. Bottom line is we ended up with these "lost living room tapes," which since have surfaced at Itsaboutmusic.com thanks to the support of Dean Sciarra, who is an all around good guy. Rather than post the songs here, just click on the Idle Boys link and you can here several complete songs or sample the entire collection. If you like what you hear, don't be shy about buying the CD or a download version of it or various songs. I'm usually not this pushy about asking folks to buy, but Kent and Paul (and John) did some great work and it would be nice if they could enjoy the "fruits" of that labor. Tell us what you think. By the way, the artwork was done by the incomporable Brad Ferrier. If you haven't already, check him out. And, musicians, he's open to doing more work for other people. And, I'm happy to say, I've been seeing the fellas a lot more since I returned to the Fort, especially given that MONSTER bass player Tim Beeler graciously has allowed me to fill in for him in Fawn Lebowitz (which is REALLY my favorite rock band -- if you ever get a chance to hear that band's recordings or see them live do it!) while he's on the road with Flynnville Train (or at Myspace.com), one of the hot new country bands signed to Toby Keith's Show Dog Nashville label. Fawn Lebowitz is Kent Klee, drums, Paul Stephens, guitar and vocals, Tim Beeler, bass (when he's not on the road!), Todd Jordan, keyboards, Susan Stephens, vocals, Steve Wright, guitar, percussion and the man on top of the sound, and most recently Dave Streeter on sax and flute. Oh yeah, and I get to hang out with them from time to time too!
The Question of the Soul Born of a conversation with a young friend. Too many people on this planet worry about what will happen to their souls after they die, not stopping to realize that what they do in this plane of existence is the telling factor. To serve the Creator is to serve the Creator's creations with love and truth. A teacher once asked how a man could love God, whom he has never seen yet hate his neighbor whom he sees daily. Perhaps the solution is to "worry about the living, not the dead". . . The dead are beyond our reach. The time to help one's brother or sister in need is while they still have breath. The time to give flowers to a loved one is while they yet live. (My apologies to those of you who kept getting this answer when you actually were seeking clowns!)
(You can find at least one more short film I've created and, soon others, and gain access to tons of other interesting videos at Youtube.com)
The Annunaki Trasmit An Urgent Message to My People: A third revelation & revisionist view of Interstellar prophecy and politics. Everyday, I hear another horror story born of the violence that infects this world like a plague. I cannot believe the things people do to children, let alone other adult human beings. Such horror cannot go on forever or there will be none of us left on this planet. This is a revision of a theme that came upon me some time ago, but I could not let it go. The warnings are everywhere. . . This version is slightly different from the one I posted earlier thanks to some wonderful sound enhancements courtesy of Craig Harding, my partner and mentor, who heard the original mix and wanted to make sure I didn't damage anyone's dental fillings from the midrange edge! So, this one has a bit more audio punch and a smoothness. Ahh, yeah! You might check him out if you want to talk about, or better yet, actually tighten up the sound on your favorite recording projects. Check his resume! It's an honor to have him look out for me from time to time, especially given his super busy schedule.
A Very Short Journey Through A German Forest in West Michigan.
The Muse Predicts the Future Yesterday.