Friday, February 26, 2010

Marvin Bu Ga Lu Concert 2/23/10 Series 26 #'s 1,2,3,4

February 23rd,2010 Marvin Bu Ga Lu Smith Series 26 songs 1,2,3,4 The Truth Be Told, "Better than Hollywood". Comments by Mr. STEVE HABIB also note Mr. Steve Habib on: stevehabib.blogspot.com

Beneath the Multitudinous and even conflicting desires of men we can see the one desire which gives UNITY and MEANING,FORCE AND DECISION to all human desires. All men seek what they seek for one reason: THEY THINK IT WILL SATISFY THEM. They believe that the accomplishment of their desires will make them happy. We all know that happiness is the goal of all our activity, it is FREE FLOWING and we deliberately want others to feel our joy but some folks are SELFISH and when that SELF ISH enters it means ONLY ABOUT SELF, even when a musician trys to copy the good of another musician, he endangers himself by being so influenced because of EGO that he risks never learning enough about his own life to be able to communicate that which is truly him to others both musicians that he performs with and the listeners that never get to see the real him. A good example is when a musician practices to learn technique but falls into the TRAP of wanting to become exactly like an ELVIN RAY JONES, ART BLAKEY or MARVIN BU GA LU SMITH. When a person finds out that the inner power of each of those masters lie in the knowledge they have within themselves and who they are and how UNIQUE they are, then and only then can the player communicate that individualism that is the gift given to them. Losing the ego and becoming a servant to both the other musicians and the listener who is feeling all of the artist's emotions, becomes TRUE UNITY,TRUE HAPPINESS AND TRUE SATISFACTION. We have then learned to BE A GIVER and GIVE WITH COMPASSION. THAT IS WHAT IS BEING DONE HERE TONIGHT in Marvin's concert through these four songs. It is documented and is available for all to study including those who performed.

Tonight I have been absolutely AMAZED at the gifts and talent of the young,25 year old Sax Player Mr. BEN NEWSOME. I see a sensitive man serving all his brother musicians and the listeners and doing it with beautiful tones of INNER EXPRESSIONS so easy to relate to as he lays down harmonics in the simplest most easy to understand way and takes each one of us on a journey,adding to the basic simplicity, colors and more colors and more colors and even more colors of expression, to the HEIGHTS OF PASSION WITHIN HIMSELF then GIVING THIS JOY TO ALL. He is one of those SPECIAL MUSICIANS THAT COME ALONG WITHIN ONE GENERATION. HE IS LIKE A YOUNG JOHN COLTRANE OR "PREZ" or SONNY STITT or WAYNE SHORTER OR DEXTER GORDON or JONNY GRIFFIN or GEORGE COLEMAN or ON and ON. I can say that because John Coltrand,George Coleman and many many others were my early on friends. I grew up on Long Island and went to John Coltrane's Dix Hills, Huntington home many,many times. I tell you now, you will be hearing much about this young talent, BEN NEWSOME because I will personally see to it that everyone becomes knowledgeable about him just the way I let everyone know about my brother Marvin Bu Ga Lu Smith.
Along with Marvin tonight, is Mark Hagan, and all of you know how highly I regard Mark Hagan as one of THE PREMIER BASSISTS ON THE SCENE. Mark swings so powerfully but also in the most gentle way. When he takes a solo, he NEVER LOSES THE LISTENER as he is considerate and selfless,never putting himself ahead of anyone else. His bowing is so beautiful and his overall bass playing puts him up on top in my opinion as one of the finest bass players today.
Chris Pasin is a wonderful trumpet player and has been at the session many many times before. He has such a smooth tone.
Pay attention tonight on song #2 and one of my favorite songs, #3 Softely As In A Morning Sunrise where Mr. BEN NEWSOME TEARS IT UP or as Marvin says,"BURNS IT UP". Also, song #4, Days of Wine and Roses shows such beautiful bass work with the solo using Mark's Famous Bowing Expressions. Marvin Bu Ga Lu Smith has put together, as usual, another concert night of players blending together for UNITY and THE GOOD OF IT ALL, THE TRUTH,THE PEACE and most importantly, LOVE. HE HAS GIVEN IT AWAY WITH COMPASSION and drawn everyone,including myself into the CENTER OF THE BANDSTAND WITH HIS WORLD CLASS AUDIO MIXING and VIDEOGRAPHY which we all know will make BUMAR RECORDS and THE NEW 48 TRACK STUDIO, THE ABSOLUTE,WITHOUT QUESTION, THE BEST THERE IS. That is because Marvin Bu Ga Lu Smith's ears are that of a GREAT MUSICIAN. NOBODY CAN ENGINEER OR HAS THE ABILITY TO ENGINEER HIS MUSIC LIKE HIM BECAUSE UNLESS THEY'RE A PLAYER OR PERFORMER, THEY CANNOT ACHIECE THE SAME INTONATION OR LEVEL OF DEPTH. YOU MUST BE A PLAYER TO HAVE THE EARS TO HEAR THE SUBTLE INTRICACIES THAT EXIST IN THE MUSIC . THE SAME HOLDS TRUE FOR A WRITER WHO WRITES ABOUT THE MUSIC. UNLESS A PERSON DOES IT AND IS A PLAYER HIM/HERSELF, HE REALLY DOESN'T KNOW "WHAT'S HAPPENING"! Again, Thank you for allowing me who is ONLY A STUDENT OF LIFE, to comment on the music and the performers.

LOVE ALWAYS,
HABIB

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

I AM HONORED TO BE PART OF OUR MUSIC HISTORY

I am writing this today, February 23,2010 and letting all of you know how honored I am that so many of you have selected me,a composer,performing artist,drummer,percussionist,student of the art-form, to write about your music. I can hear you everytime I listen to one of your tracks. I only speak TRUTH based on my own experiences with music and being a musician myself, I know I can do so much more for your music,helping you to communicate it and helping listeners who are not artists, better understand it.

My first project has been one that I've been involved with most of my life, Marvin Bu Ga Lu Smith,his music and his life-force. Marvin and I have been friends for over 40 years. He was a teacher of mine a long,long time ago and we recorded together,played gigs with many,many people together. We as friends, have been through alot and have similar backgrounds. We have enough in common that I became qualified to represent his musical expressions in writing. It's almost like I enter inside his spirit when I'm either playing music with him or writing about what he or others are playing. I guess that's the difference between writing about something you have experienced by doing or you are simply an observer or critic and we don't need that because the person writing MUST understand the inner workings of the music and must be "A DOER"