|
Worlds CD Liner Notes and .mp3 cuts
by Scott Swearingen
|
| Dumbeck Tang |
A tasty little
number that lets Cedric do his thing on top of a basic Baledi/Saidi
combination. Scott, Brett dumbeks, Sonya zills. Scott: synthesizer. Cedric: strings. |
| Shiko |
The shiko is one of the
traditional African rhythms, although we are playing slower than you
would hear it in Arica. The melody is carried on a bataphone, an
African marimba with its own unique sound. Scott: djembe, bataphone. Brett: congas, bass. Sonya, djembe. Nicole: duns |
| Baby
Fishmouth |
Brett and I wanted a kind of
afro-cuban thing, more on the cuban end, and this is what came out of
it. A nice danceable little rhythm, and allows brett to do neat
things on the congas. Scott; djembe and bell. Brett: congas. Sonya: djembe |
| Dream Bali |
This is our "wierd time
signature" piece for this CD. It is actually a Balinesian rhythm, in
14/8, but we are playing just a little bit differently than you would
hear it there (it is used for an orchestra of gongs and cymbals
there). We arranged it with all sorts of instruments. Sonya
created a dance to go with it that we used when we performed, and we
used to offer a reward to anyone who could correctly identify the time
signature at the shows. No one ever could. Scott: paho and toere (bass and log drum from tahiti/hawaii), chimes. Brett: dumbeck. Sonya: zills. Nicole: duns |
| Jungle Talk |
Another traditional African
rhythm structure, played more or less in the traditional manner, though
with a couple of modern percussion instruments and an American Indian
flute thrown in. This is a 12/8 structure, one of my favorites,
and allows all sorts of fun solos and talking between the drums in the
ensemble. We play it every show (it is getting slightly modified
every year), and Sonya's American Tribal dance troupe, the Typsy
Gypsys, dance to it. Scott: djembe, percussion. Brett: congas and duns. Sonya: djembe. David: flute |
| Persien
Waltz |
I wanted to write a waltz for
drums. Dont ask why. I just did. Here it is.
The gong was sitting at the studio when we recorded it, and as we
messed around with it I figured out how to use it. Quadira made
up a really cool dance to go with it, and when I can convince her to
come perform with us these days I always try to get her to do it again. Scott: djembe. Brett: dumbek. Sonya: zills. |
| Dr
Scott's Boogie |
I made this one up on djembe,
and was showing everyone else how to play
it, and we were thinking up various parts to go with it. Everyone
was
offering up ideas about the low end, when Brett got this look in his
eye and said, "no, it goes like this": he got on the duns and
played
it out and we all just kind of dropped, it was so right. It sounds even
better on the recording. Scott, djembe and percussion. Brett, congas. Sonya, djembe. Nicole: duns |
| Concedric
Circles |
This is a live take from a
peformance sometime in 2002 at Ruta Maya in Austin. As I
recall, I just wanted something to let me, Brett, and Cedric play solos
off each other, and told everyone on stage, OK just do it. You
hear how it all started off here. But at the end of the song
during the actual performance Cedric ended up blasting off the riff
that serves as the melody - it is some kind of celtic fiddle thing that
absolutely refuses to leave my head - I sometimes walk around the house
singing the damn thing out loud. After hearing the take we
decided to include it on the CD. I always wanted to take
that riff and make a song out of it. I even tried to get Cedric
to work it up into a new song, but we never really managed to do
that. So when I got together with Tim to re-edit and remaster the
CD, I showed Tim what I was thinking, and this is what came of
it. Tim figured out a way to do pretty much what I wanted with
it. So now we have a live song that is more about Cedric and his
strings, his riffs, his talent. We are just banging away behind
him, giving him space to play. And I still walk around the
house singing that riff. Scott: djembe. Brett: duns. Sonya: djembe. Nicole: percussion. Cedric: strings. |
| Mahalo
a Hawaii |
I lived in Hawaii for a semester
when I taught at UH-Hilo as a visiting professor. While I was
there I was privileged to be invited to play with an Hawaiian halau - a
traditional drum and dance troupe performing tahitian music.
There I learned enough of the style to play it with a Hawaiian halau
here in Austin. I taught it to the rest of Belaharr, and we used
to play it live with the Hawaiian dancers when they
performed. This take is recorded outdoors, where the sound
of these instruments is best heard. The water is from a fountain
that David was able to record and add in. It is my way of saying
thanks - Mahalo - to the people in Hilo who were so kind to me during
my stay there. Scott: paho (bass drum), toere (log drum). Sonya: toere. Ikaika Kerr: toere and conch shell. |
| Winter Hills |
The Texas Hill Country can be a
magical place, especially when you are camping on top of a hill, with
the stars burning away above you, a fire warming you, and the crisp
winter night freezing away the booze that threatens to lull you to
sleep. You start thinking about the history of the place at times like
that, about all the different peoples that have lived here; how the
land shaped the people, and the people shaped the land. I dont
remember what year I wrote the poem, but I wrote it on one such night,
with my small son sleeping next to me and my friend Robert playing his
Indian flute next to the fire. When David Atherton (who recorded
the CD) and I were discussing the idea of a poem for the CD, I had the
drum part in my mind. But David took the poem and the rhythm and
added so much to it; the result is as much his as mine. Scott: poem, drums, percussion. David: drums, flute, effects. |