Many years ago in Engelwood,NJ, I met Marvin Bu Ga Lu Smith, his brother Earl "BUSTER" Smith and Bobby Smith. Marvin played the drums differently than anyone I have ever heard. His older brother "BUSTER" was a great teacher of Marvin's and also a known Jazz drummer working with Eric Dolphy, Sun Ra and so many others. Buster influenced his younger brother Marvin and helped Marvin develop a great drumming gift that few of us have. Marvin is like THE WIND, THE EARTH, THE SUN, THE RAIN, THE OCEAN, FIRE,SPACE,SILENCE,STATIC,PASSION,COMPASSION,CONSTANT MOTION, HE LOOKS LIKE THE NUMBER 8 which when looked at is round, circle on top of circle. He expresses himself through 5's, 6's,7's and 8's but continues to advance time in quarters, fourths with accents of three but also five. He plays without resolving things bar after bar. He sometimes breaths twelve bars at a time before he powerfully accents in a gentle but also explosive way. You can feel his soul. Marvin IS THE MUSIC. He creates flow because he is FLOW. Marvin Bu Ga Lu Smith is a musical composer using the drums as his harmonic voice. Marvin draws all musicians that perform with him into a world of LOVE and PEACE. It is a world of healing musical medicine. I know, because when I met Marvin, I was medically ill with Heart Disease,Cancer, Chronic Osteomylitis and many other medical complications. Listening to him play was medicine in itself. His sound vibration is unique. Marvin draws souns out of his drums that I've never heard before. If you listen carefully, you'll be able to react deeply to his inner healing heart. Marvin is one of the most giving, self-less people that I have ever met. Because of his TOTAL GIVING NATURE, HE IS ABLE TO REACH SUCH HIGH SPIRITUAL LEVELS, LEVELS OF ENLIGHTENING STRENGTH. His purpose in playing music is to heal the sick and become the medicine of HARMONIC SOUND VIBRATION. In February 2011, MODERN DRUMMER MAGAZINE had a two page article that featured this drumming genius. Marvin has over 1,500 videos of his performances that are all unique because they document him teaching others both professional Master Players and young students. His teaching methods are totally unique and he reminds me of the old day traditional methods of "THE JAZZ MESSENGERS" and the way Art Blakey exposed young talented players to the bandstand in his NYC LOFT. Marvin Bu Ga Lu Smith is a living legend and AN UNSUNG HERO IN THE JAZZ COMMUNITY. Through his personal recording studio, Compassionate Sound and Motion, his record label, BUMAR RECORDS and his website: jazzdrumlessons.com Marvin Bu Ga Lu Smith has given to the Jazz Community, everything he has to offer this great American Art-Form called JAZZ. Marvin Bu Ga Lu Smith will be added to the ARCHIVES OF JAZZ MUSIC just like John William Coltrane, Charlie Parker, T. Monk, Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Ellington and so,so many others too numerous to mention but I simply had to write this article to make people more aware of this LIVING LEGEND and DRUMMING GENIUS OF OUR TIME, 2011, THE YEAR OF MAJOR MUSICAL CHANGE AND AWARENESS.
Steve Habib
No comments:
Post a Comment