WORDS & MUSIC S09: Part I

The Travelling Man

Jamaican Sunset in Negril.

[PART – I]

In the early months of 2017, I began traveling and searching for new sonic environments and experiences contained within the scope of nature in various places and enclosed mainly, by the remarkable beauty of the tropics.

My first trip, instinctively, was to Jamaica. It was primarily for business and personal family matters. Invariably, I found myself visiting not one, but two of the most famous tropical islands in the world, Jamaica and later, Puerto Rico. It was a blessing being in those two places within a two-month period. Most importantly, I needed to visit my birth land and ancestry resting place. Secondly, my wife wanted a vacation which was mandatory to maintain a family balance.

Critically, what I found myself doing, was to study and record the many sounds heard within the milieu of my present circumstances. Notwithstanding, the tranquility of space and time, and slowing down my busy activities. I’ve got an innate belief induced in me a desired sense of nature’s sound designing principles. Thus, satisfying my instinctive sense of being. It was imperative to have traveled away from all my business activities and distractions at home after a long and rough North East American winter season.

I was born in Jamaica, once colonized by the British Empire. The Island gained independence in 1962. However, it’s still connected to the British Crown, given the governor general relationship to represent the colony and who continue to reports to the Queen of England. The country remains a member of the Commonwealth with other West Indian islands and continents such as Canada and Australia and others.

It was important for me to learn a musical instrument or become a poet or someone dabbling in the arts. Evidently, I was gravitating more towards becoming a musician from an early age. Unfortunately, my Dad disagreed with my choice and wanted me to be something other than a musician. He was hoping for me to become a mechanical engineer.

I loved playing with cars, yes, but not the grease. For that reason, I found myself going to a company to learn the trade to become a mechanic each summer recess. It was okay at first going to a vocational training facility. The place was, Western Diesel Service, located in Albion, not too far from downtown the City of Montego Bay.

As a mischievous young child, in my family, I would mess around with the piano at Miss Mailer’s own private ABC, kindergarten, school. The teachers there often chased me off the piano. One of my cousins reminded me of those early days as we reminisced one evening at home. She continued to explain that, “whenever the teachers saw you anywhere near or banging on the keys, they would chase you away…,” even though I was persistent.

At the time, I was less than five years of age during that period of my life. I started going to the school at three and left when I was five plus years old. But after leaving and headed off to primary School, I was divorcing myself away from what my dad desired for me and into what fits the way I was feeling in my spirit at the age between twelve to fifteen. It was a struggle between what my dad desired and what I wanted to do with my life.

As it were, I had to get more involved in music. I joined the Boy Scout troop at the Salvation Army before I was twelve, then the Boy’s and Girl’s Club because of its music facility. I once experienced hearing music from all around since I was a child. The marching band was consistently practicing most evening after school and all day during the weekends. The sounds heard could be from miles away. It was that influential of exposure to the vast array of instrumentation that got me interested in learning a musical instrument.

I was approximately 12 years old, still, a young man living with my dad. It was during those early days that I decided my direction definitively and what I wanted to learn formally and that was music. I picked up the guitar but ended up on the bass when I was older to go out on my own. Although there were not many music schools around, there were musicians who gave private lessons. My dad tried to steer me away from moving towards music but gave in eventually.

At senior school, currently Montego Bay Junior Secondary High School, I was sent to the choir. My classroom teacher, Mr. Host, sent me to the director, Miss Hewett, during one of her practice sessions. She knew I was only there because my teacher had sent me. What I wanted most to do was to play an instrument. Nonetheless, I ended up in a choir with all singers and no instruments except the piano no one could touch except the director.

It was a very annoying group of singers to me, given the choice of songs they were learning to perform. I needed to play the piano but had no training on the instrument. Nonetheless, I learned how to sing a few songs for a short time if only to find out how to harmonize melodies and sing vocal parts with others.

As the years progressed, I began to formulate my plan and professional statement now mainly focused on becoming a professional musician. Many years passed making my rounds at and participated in the many talent shows around town. Not only was I singing but I had also tried learning to play on other people’s instruments, such as my friend Ralston Haughton until I got my own.

It was important for me to announce to everyone, even to my dad when I became a professional musician at the age of 18 years old. I continued playing all over town and away from home for weeks at times. While traveling in and out of Jamaica, and at approximate 26 years of age, I finally decided to migrate to the US. I found a second career in electronics, digital computer and became a corporate technical hardware/software training instructor holding an MA as an adult educator.

My purpose in coming to America was to play music as a bassist with some of the top musicians who I’ve heard and studied, extensively primarily, from one of Quincy Jones’ albums, “Walking in Space.” It’s one of my favorite collection of recordings still, to this day. The one musician from that album I’ve had the opportunity of recording and playing with in NYC and at the at various other venues in England and most of Europe, especially performing at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1982, in Switzerland, was the with late great guitarist, Eric Gale.

He was into experimenting with guitar sounds to mimic the Saxophone and so was I as continued to work on my compositions and with my band, at the time, Transwave.

I am always searching for new sounds wherever and whenever found. Acoustic or electronic, it doesn’t matter to me even if I have to walk manufacturer through artificial means what I am looking for buzzing me in my head. I will not rest until that I can find that unique sound. Hence, my traveling to strange and familiar places whenever possible anywhere around the world.

 

My newest album, My Pocomanian Girl, will be a vocal collection of songs based on my traveling experiences. It will reflect my past, present and also a reflection on my historical roots done in a modern musical style incorporating songs written to express my Pocomanian influences. Mostly filled with afro-tropical beats for dancing, listening and sending a message of hope out for humanity to love each other and no more fussing and fighting.

 

The CD/Download/Streaming should be out the latest, November 1st, 2017.

 

End of Part One:

Lester G Neddy Smith ©2017

NedGJean Publishing