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Harold E. Smith In The Valley Of Sacred Sound
It is no wonder that drumming was banned during the slave-holding years in America. Drums were tools of communication, perceived as able to telegraph messages indecipherable to slave owners and as the richest, most telling connection to African religion. Drumming, or more broadly speaking percussion, remains communicative as both medium and message for spiritual religions. Percussion is ultimately about pulse, breath and the cadences at which meditation and enchantment occur. And percussion permeates and powers the spirituality of In The Valley Of Sacred Sound. Philadelphia-based drummer Harold Smith switched to the didjeridoo, gongs, conch shells, and small percussion, and joined them with the pulsations of two master musicians—Badal Roy on Indian tabla and Steve Turre on trombone and conch shells—to create pieces at once environmental and structured, where pulsing rhythms, some of which drove funk and Miles Davis and others of which are as natural as breathing deeply, prove meditative and invigorating. Atop, within, and intimately a part of the rhythms are the didjeridoo, trombone and conch shells, instruments used to create heart-reaching tones and seemingly-Tibetan-like chants, not really melodies but nonetheless songs. And albeit meditative, this is rarely somnolent—the pulses are intense, indeed racing, even while spiritual. Jazz? Somewhat, as there is clear improvisation and at times a funk that ultimately is rooted in swing. International? Of course, as disparate religious, ethnic and national elements are joined. Successful? Undeniably. This is a beautiful work on the musician’s own label, one that deserves a good listen and certainly rewards and sustains. — Jules Epstein, January 2001
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Exotic CD Released By Harold E. Smith Percussionist, didjeridoo-player and pursuer of multicultural and spiritual musical expression Harold E. Smith, has recently released an unusual and evocative CD entitled "In the Valley of Sacred Sound" on his own label. Accompanied by Steve Turre on trombone, conch shells and percussion and Badal Roy on tabla, the Philadelphia-based Smith adds his own battery of percussion instruments, gongs, conch shell and didjeridoo to the mix for a totally engaging foray into a world of ethnomusicological exotica. First brought to my attention by close friend and Peabody Award-winning documentarian Steve Rowland, the music is best described in Steve’s liner notes: "(This music) sounds so good because it hits the spirit center. And that interchange of parts - which cycles from the breath, to the beat, into the heart of the vibration - through that cosmic, funky groove, and finally to the soul. Your soul. Our soul. Soul music." Deeply rhythmic, heartfelt and beautifully performed with great sensitivity, "In the Valley of Sacred Sound" offers collective improvisation at its best and most provocative, with swirling soundscapes created by three musicians who truly demonstrate the meaning of synergy. Smith, who has performed with many fine artists, most notably the great saxophonist/flautist/composer/theoretician Sam Rivers, has been focusing lately on the didjeridoo, a long-deeply resonant instrument from New Guinea made from the hollowed-out bamboo-like stalk of the Century Plant. It’s dark, haunting sound is reminiscent of the East African Bung’o horn or Tibetan trumpets. Roy, best known for his work with Miles Davis and a veteran of many boundary-crossing musical fusions, and Turre, who leads his own Sanctified Shells group and has performed with everyone from Dizzy Gillespie and Tito Puente to Lester Bowie and the "Saturday Night Live" Band, are ideal companions for this delightful musical experience. To purchase the CD or for further information, you can contact Harold E. Smith at P.O. Box 18837, Philadelphia PA 19119. George Lane Sun Nov 12 2000 (8:07:22 PM )
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