World Groove

The Healing Drum Ready For Action

Getting Things Started

When I first set out on this project, I was sitting at a desk in Cincinnati Ohio.  I remember thinking to myself, I have had so much fun creating  World Unity, which is my most recent CD, that I would like to do another, only take this to the next level! And I do believe this is been accomplished. I have been working endless hours mixing tracks, adding more drums, trying to make the music feel the way that I feel that when I play. It is music that will unify the body and soul. Some of my friends who do ecstatic dance have listened to the tracks and expressed tremendous enthusiasm. Can’t wait for it to be finished.

Studio Time

I’ve got all of the songs mapped out and the basic tracks done. What I’ve been working on now is a more accurate mix. As I get closer to the final mix I’m also realizing the need to add other instruments to, as they say “fatten it up”. So yesterday I was in the studio laying some tracks with my friend Rich Wyman and getting closer. Rich is an amazing keyboard player who has had hit songs in Holland and Ireland as well as a huge following here in the United States. It’s awesome to have him working on the project. We actually did a song for him yesterday. I’ll post it when it gets to a point where he will allow me to do so.

Rich Wyman

About The Songs

The thing I love about these songs is that in addition to the healing rhythms, and the indigenous power of raw percussion, they also have complex melody and rhythmic nuances that draw you deep into the music and almost instantly pull you into a deep trance. I was playing some of the rough tracks in the background when some friends came over and I noticed they couldn’t stand still. Their hips began to sway their heads begin to nod and I could see that they were totally taken in by the rhythm of the music.The title track of the album is one of my favorites. It is an intense but happy song that lifts your energy creating tremendous inspiration. My other favorite is called Homecoming. For those of you who heard me with John Holland, Homecoming is the song that was played on his show.

It is a song that was inspired by my reconnection to my dear friend Malidoma Somé. I wanted to do something for him that expressed my joy in our  reunion. So what I’ve done is created two versions of the song. One will be available as an LP, a 20 min. version, on both my website and on Malidomas website. 100% of the money raised from the sale of this LP will go towards Malidoma’s nonprofit which  sponsors programs for the children of Burkina Faso and cultural preservation of the Dagara people. The other version will be the 7 min. version that you heard on the John Holland show. I’m hoping to get the LP posted on the websites in the next two weeks so stay tuned.

My Home Studio Guitar Wall

More Songs

Another song that is really fun is called “Why Not”. Why Not is a song that has kind of an unusual arrangement. It also has a very unusual selection of instruments. As I began to put the rhythms and melodies together and then began to lay the rhythm tracks I almost deleted the whole thing. Thinking to myself these things don’t go together. When another part of me jumped up and said

More of my studio

“Why not”. Thus the name of the song. Another song I’ll talk about in this particular posting is the song “I don’t know”. If there’s anything that has been prevalent in my life in the last year, it has been the realization that I don’t know. Sometimes you think life is going to go along in a certain way, when suddenly, the next thing you know you’re turned in a completely different direction and all the things you thought were gonna happen don’t, and a whole bunch of new really cool stuff comes in!

We’ll stay tuned for my next posting, I’ll tell you more about the other songs. I will also put out an announcement as soon as possible Home Coming LP is ready for sale. I would ask each and every one to download the LP version and help support the people of Burkina Faso.

More later–T