Series # 106 Marvin Bu Ga Lu Smith MASTER SESSIONS

Series #106 PART 1 "BETTER THAN HOLLYWOOD" THE MASTER SESSIONS Of Marvin Bu Ga Lu Smith
Featuring The Great John Esposito and Master Lew Scott.

Mona Lisa smiles of John Esposito were so gentle and yet powerful just like the music that said so much during the 32 minutes that I listened. GOOSE BUMP CHILLS WENT DOWN MY SPINE AS MASTER MARVIN BU GA LU SMITH PLACED HIS SENSITIVITY ACROSS THE TIME-LINE AND DEVELOPED COLOR AFTER COLOR THROUGH THE GROOVES THAT WERE LAID DOWN BY HIM AND MASTER LEW SCOTT. I believe that John Esposito is one of the MOST SPIRITUAL PIANO PLAYERS THAT I EVER HEARD and when combined with Marvin Bu Ga Lu Smith and Master Lew SCOTT, it's no wonder that this music took me on a dynamic trip into a zone that I haven't explored since the days when I sat on McCoy Tyner's piano bench next to him during the LIVE AT BIRDLAND sessions of John William Coltrane with Elvin Ray Jones and Jimmy Garrison. McCoy was playing so much piano that I was taken away into another land, another dimension and that's exactly what happened here, tonight at the Marvin Bu Ga Lu Smith Talmadge Street Session in his NEW 48 TRACK RECORDING STUDIO. "STATE OF THE ART SOFTWARE" is being used here. Listen to the dynamics captured by the COMPASSIONATE SOUND and MOTION STUDIO. Yeah, this music is OFF THE HOOK and some of the finest that I've ever heard. I never imagined that music could make me feel this happy and joyful. WOW! I love these guys. They get right into the center of my soul. They are such MASTERS. Playing with these CATS is a LUXURY. I mean, just sit back and allow this music to take you there. I've NEVER HEARD anyone get such a unique sound out of drums and cymbals as Marvin and John's playing is TOPS. HE'S what I call an ABSOLUTE M-TH_R FU__ER! There are few words that can be written about this group. IT'S UNIQUE. Lew Scott can stimulate anyone who plays with him, so can John but Marvin is an entity in himself, a TRUE DRUM GENIUS, ENGINEERING GENIUS, COMPOSING GENIUS AND TALENTED LEADER OF ANY GROUP HE PUTS TOGETHER as well as EDUCATOR, GREAT TEACHER. Listen to his solo work, how harmonic and creative. It's like listening to the wind blowing over the hills and the ocean. It's like riding on the sail of a sailboat. The deep thrusting beats that are created on those TOM TOMS are so hollow and deep, deep sounding, EXPLODING BUT YET ALSO CARESSING THE SPINE. Folks, this music is truly HEALING MEDICINE, IT SWINGS and SWINGS BEYOND YOUR IMAGINATION. Yes, it will produce goose bumps on your skin and give you BRAIN FREEZE JUST LIKE ICE CREAM DOES TO A LITTLE KID. It touches all your senses, I SAID, YES,YES,YES, IT TOUCHES ALL YOUR SENSES. This music carries forward the essence of what TRADITIONAL JAZZ REPRESENTS. IT'S DEEP BLUES and IT'S ROOTS are always there in every chorus. What a tribute to American Jazz Music: Marvin Bu Ga Lu Smith and his trio of John Esposito and Lew Scott.
I LOVED THIS SESSION TO THE MAX. BY THE WAY, I'M SURE MAX and ELVIN ARE LISTENING, DON'T YOU THINK SO?

LOVE ALWAYS and ALWAYS LOVE,
HABIB

MARVIN BU GA LU SMITH A GENIUS TO PAY ATTENTION TO

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 1,000 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