SOURCE - NOV 6

ABSOLUTE TRUTH / ETERNALMIGHTY 

This Exploratory began as a collaboration between Frank & I musically bantering back in forth with me playing some beats on an old Roland TD9 kit I have in my basement studio. We were intentionally trying to be difficult just to spite ourselves, but Frank soon took off and took the tune to another dimension. Quickly realizing my limitations, I took to my strengths and set about cooking us a huge breakfast!

In about three days, with Frank working in his own space, he came back with an eerie arrangement for me to prop up with a rhythm arrangement. Since the demo began with the TD9, I decided to keep that type of sound embedded into the DNA of wherever it was we were going. Somehow we always knew that the ending needed to be a departure, completely separate from the original structure. And that required a drum solo. We also decided to leave a huge hole in the center of the tune, not exactly knowing what to put there.

Now I will be the first to admit that I am no soloist. The drummers I look up to, admire and respect are among the 'who's who' of the very best. Even most of the regional Ohio cats tap their toes with more dexterity than I. While as a Younger Man, I may have been prone to Comparing, Complaining and even Criticizing, my age has mellowed me and I've accepted the amount of the gift I've been blessed with and have chosen to use it to the best of my ability. But I digress...

While whittling away at the heart of the tune, both Mitch & Frank decided that a duet over the B section would cover more ground that them taking turns at bat. When Jon came to town, with limited time, we cut the pianos and strings and encouraged the maestro to fill in the gaping emptiness with his genius. Without exaggeration, it took him about nine (9) minutes to compose the 88 seconds of sun shining through the heart of this composition and throughout sections of the entire disc.

Mitch wasted no time sharing his heart and spirit and we are all humbled by the results. 

We titled the song 'Absolute Truth' early on because we wished to make a statement smack dab in the middle of the puddles of mud, lies, innuendos and obfuscating euphemisms (to quote Dr. Frances Cress Welsing) that there is Truth. Truth cannot and never will bow down to anything less than Absolute Truth. No amount of rhetoric, debate, lecture, sermon or propaganda will be able to thwart it. We Stand For Absolute Truth in the clearest, sincerest, purest, biblical definitions. 

Fading into the beginning of this project with 'Eternalmighty' was intentional as a concept, but couldn't be fully realized until Jon downloaded the 88 seconds of orchestration in 'Absolute Truth' then we could begin. Drawing inspiration from Colossians 1:15-19, we had to state the Truth of the Person & Diety of Christ as the Source of Life and Cornerstone of this project. As stated before, you will hear shards of this music in various forms all through the journey.

Studio Time 

The band has been in back-to-back studio sessions to get SOURCE ready for release! Take a look at what's happening behind the scenes. 
        

The Title Track 

Early Morning Prayer Walks provide me ample time to Commune with God.

I Give Thanks, Reflect, Confess and Still My Heart to Receive More of the Many Musical Downloads God Generously shares from His Throne room while several of my neighbors prepare to rise.

One such drizzly, chilly May Morning, The Lord was so gracious to do this again. I had long known that this project would be called "SOURCE," but had not yet written the title track. If you recall, "Perseverance" & "Endurance" bore no such track and the memory of my dear friend and mentor, Corny McKnight, doggone near demanded "Inspire."

But I had no idea what I wanted "Source" to sound like. I planned it to be succinct, figured it would more than likely be Instrumental, but wanted it to really be the complete acknowledgement of The Lord God as Thee Source of All - period. I figured that the best thing to do was ask, since the song was to, for and about Him - why shouldn't it come FROM HIM (since everything already does anyway, but you know what I mean...!!)

So, please try to imagine my surprise when these three little - my opinion - elementary, rather mundane chords dropped out of the sky. "Uhm, kinda looking for something a little more aggressive, perhaps funkier and...uh, interesting," I muttered.

Ding, Dring, Ding...
Dring, Ding, Dring...

It wouldn't let go.

I know what this means. Obedience is Better than trying to be Brilliant, or even Ordinary.

When I got home, I immediately went downstairs and fired up the Funk Machine. 

Ding, Dring, Ding.

Words. Blam!!! - Faster than I could write them...Slow Down Lord!  But He Would Not. There!

A tiny little drumbeat here. Nothing too complicated, keep it simple. The Bass Line is the most subdued I'd ever played. But Less is More and you barely need strings here.

My 14 year old, Ayana  - who - well...accepts her daddy's music for what it is, but...she's 14. She likes it! She listens, twice.  
I 'mock' sing her the lyrics and she smiles. "OK," I Think - "This is NOT anywhere near jazz, and I'm down with experimentation, but..."

Yet, I had been smitten. There was something about it.

Jerry Thompson came through a few days later. I played it for him. Silence. The response I expected. And Deserved! This Song is Confirmation that I had went a little nuts. Maybe A Lot Nuts.

"But God gave it to me," I began to defend. Silence. This is Jerry's usual response when he dislikes one of my grooves.

I sat about looking for the perfect voice. Right now - my opinion - It's a 'white, teen-aged girl pop tune' that most 50 year old men like me turn away from with furled brow. But if this is the trail I am on, let me at least search out a worthy navigator.

Days later I let the guys hear it. Everyone was very kind, but you can see it - and feel it. "Where Are We Going with This?!?"

I thought about Mikel Lagaris. No, he's not a teen-aged girl and the fact that he's white is purely circumstantial. He has an incredible voice that carries the tone of pure anointing. He would be great and I remember even mentioning it to him. But Michaela stopped by. 

By now, I could tell my Prayer Walk Story in 20 seconds or less and I hit the Start Button. I shoved the lyrics in front of her face before she could really hear the music - as if I am setting up my defense before she giggles over the simplicity of it all. Then she begins to sing the melody. Insert BLAM Here.______________

I Never Looked Back. The Next Time we were in the studio - at the end of the session, I dialed up "Source" and asked her to step into the booth. She didn't have the lyrics, so Jerry recorded her mumbles and hums, so I could work around it.

Frank's brother, Jon Thomas, who had played keys with us at the 2013 Youngstown Jazz Fest was back in town from New York. Late last year, he had put some things down on a few of the tunes for this project and I needed his help here. 

"I Am Thinking Herbie Hancock's 'Imagine Project' here," I told him. "Jazz Over Pop." And like that - just two takes later, he was on it.
I Mean -DONE!

Michaela came back in - and this time with my Ayana to lay down the vocals. I asked Uncle Jerry to put a little 'Jamaica Mon' in it for spice and everyone agreed that This was the Tune. A tiny bit of Mute Trumpet sprinkled on like icing and suddenly I needed to apologize to God - The Source - who had answered my prayer within the first few seconds I had asked Him. But I thought I knew what I was doing and I'm grateful I didn't stick with my plan for long.

I've got one final edit to do - just reducing a little reverb - and I will upload the track for you to hear. It's different. It's definitely another direction for SD - but in the whole scope of things, it's exactly what we are about - Giving God the Glory through the Gifts He's Given Us! 

Covering a Cleveland Classic  

A New Approach for this "Source" Project will be our very first Studio Recording of Covering a Pre-Released Tune. All of Our previous Releases have been 100% Original Material. When we're onstage, there is a fair mix of our stuff and songs we've always admired of other Artists from days gone by. For those of you who've been with us from the beginning, you'll remember that we included the Joe Sample's brilliant "7 Years of Good Luck" featuring Cliff Barnes & Mike Austin and Sonny Rollins' stalwart "St Thomas" on our now Out of Print "SD Live" CD - but since it was a Performance disc chronicling our debut tour, it doesn't count.

We thought long and hard about the prospect of introducing a 'Cover Tune' on Source, rather than following our usual trajectory. 

Here's What Happened...

My Good Friend & SD Baltimore Alumni, trumpeter H.Wade Johnson phoned me during the Christmas season of 2014. On the line with him was a guitarist named Eric Tyus that Wade said I MUST Meet and MUST begin working with "eeemeeediately!!" to quote H verbatim. 

Now I'd never heard him -  or of him. I remained polite and let the guy talk and tell me who he had played with, yada - but also mentioned having performed with my brother, bassist Chris "Thumbper" Rhodes, also in the BMore area. Problem was, Eric is from Spartanburg, SC and I'm in Youngstown, OH. I guess we could Skype, or he could send me a disc of his work, which he agreed to do and I agreed to listen to but chances were slim that I would be able to dive in. When it arrived, I popped it in and was "eeemeeediately!!" taken aback by the depth & dexterity this brother offered. With the exception of a few production tweaks, mainly the drums, this might be a situation that could happen!

Turns out that another great friend of mine, Ross Lytle, who was a major guide in helping me think through the process of forming my Record Company, Niayana Recordings, had recently relocated to of all places, Spartanburg (!) to head up programming of several local TV stations there - so perhaps the distance between us would not be such a hindrance since Ross was in the area to bring proximity. Once "Thumbper" told me that he had the times of his life on stage and off with Eric, I decided to go deeper.

After several conversations with Eric and his team, I decided to do some post production on his rendition of Bobby Womack's
"Stop On By" which was smoking - except for the drums - but with a few minor twists and turns, we could make this happen for him.

I'd always loved the tune, although I was more familiar with Chaka's version on Rufus' "Stompin' At The Savoy" album. The fact that Bobby was an Innovative Ohio native, whose music continues to make waves and Eric had put a distinct, personal twist on it, made my wheels begin to spin.

Starting with the drums, I quickly moved on to the bass, ultimately recruiting Dylan Waters to completely Funk It Out. Frank Walton is responsible for stripping all of my keyboard work down to the wire and rebuilding a beautiful structure to support the steady eagerness of Eric's magnificent artistry. The Icing on the cake is Mitch Lawrence's fiery sax, taking the song to another level while threatening to burn the whole building down! Once we were in - we got ALL IN! It was then that we decided it had to go on the project and that we could showcase the brilliance of Eric Tyus to the world.

Not Only will "Stop On By" be a dynamic feature on "Source," but will be Aired Nationally as a Single, July 6 across the Airwaves and on Satellite. When You Hear It, Contact the DJ and say "Play That One Again!" 

The Science of Selah 

After Releasing "After All" in December, I began to hone in on a track that had been sitting around the studio since late 2012.

One of My Best Friends, Engineer & Fellow Studio 'Cabbage Head' Jerry Thompson had doodled with a groove in my home studio and came up with something that was hauntingly funky. We really didn't know where to go with it, until Jerry kept repeating the word "Selah." While I began to hone in on the rhythm and beat, Jerry went to work on the lyrics.

Taking a cue from the book of Psalms where King David would say something profound to The Lord, he'd put a musical cue in there for the Worship Leader to take a Selah - pause, reflect and think. So using that as a foundation, Jerry wrote from the perspective of the Busyness of Life and how Important it is for Us All to do the same. The funk just sat there for weeks. I kept tweaking the drums, experimenting with 103 different bass sounds and kept adding sounds to represent an attitude of 'Infectious Serenity'. Soon Jerry went into the Vocal Booth and began to Mumble out a Melody loosely based upon his Lyrics.

We didn't know who we wanted to sing it - if anyone - or if it would remain an Instrumental, in spite of the fact that Lyrics were ready.

In Summer of 2013, we were scheduled to play the Unity Fest in New Castle PA. Our dear friend Angel Lopez (who recorded the guitar on "Inspire" and our New Remix of "Meant2B") dropped by to introduce us to his nephew, flutist Jeremy De Jesus the day before the show. He jammed with us and we invited him to gig with us the next day. Forget the description, Jeremy tore it up and somewhere in my vault is the funkiest version of "YoYo" featuring a soaring flute solo that I must dig out!

Since he would be here for a few more days, I decided to snag him into the studio and he graciously put down flute lines on "Meant2B" and this Selah Thing that was occupying studio space. His contribution became the catalyst for breathing life into the tune. Listening to the Melodic Mumbling Jerry had done gave him a basis to bring the full Melody to Life - it became sensational again. I stripped down the drum track and began again. I tried as much as possible to center my newly formed bass line and percussion sequences around Jeremy's vibe. It became a Pseudo Middle Eastern - Latino Flavored Undercurrent. Jerry built on that by adding Hubert Clardy's tasteful piano in the middle of the flute solos. I was going to have Jeremy cut the Verses but Jerry's Lyrics were the right contrast needed. So we had to find a singer.

Young Sheldon Grayson is a dynamic Worship Leader at the Liberty Campus of Victory Christian Center. His soft spoken tenor hides a power and finesse that can be summoned in the blink of an eye. Drawing from the foundations of Phillip Bailey, we urged Sheldon to experiment with phrasings outside of his comfort zone and got far more than we expected. Jerry's wife Bea, and sisters Darla & Felicia West rounded out the vocal space. 

We dropped previews via Social Media on February 12th and the response was overwhelming. The sound is different and doesn't fit the mold of traditional Soul, R&B or Jazz. We are Explorers at heart and wish to maintain Complete Originality with every offering. "Selah" certainly fits that bill.

In March, we partnered with author Gregory Trent, who released a book of the same title.    

Overdue But Not Outdone! 

Yes. I Know.

The Deadline Has Passed, But We Are Hard at Work with what will be our Fourth Studio Release, appropriately entitled "SOURCE!" And We Are Extremely Excited.

If You've been following along since about October, when I first put my Size 10 in My Mouth to say SOURCE would be out in the Spring, you'd remember that we began releasing singles to sorta start the engines and get into gear. We released "After All" featuring Michael Austin on Sax. We had never recorded this soulful
Jim Couchenour ballad, although we had released it on his own Quiet Canvas II CD, which I Co-Produced and Mike had played the original sax.

We had always wanted to take the version up a notch, especially when a Grammy Award Winning Sax Guy agreed to record the song. Promises were made and Broken on their end, but we soldiered on and kept Mike's take contrasted against the new arrangement and with the exceptions of a few tweaks, we couldn't be happier with the mix. It Will Be on SOURCE.

Before going further, let me explain the concept of SOURCE

It's a 3D Concept and probably one of our most outspoken Faith-Filled projects to date - although we've never shied away from our Spiritual base, Musically or Otherwise.

SOURCE is written from these Three Dynamics:

The Almighty God, Creator of All, Worthy of Highest Praise is also SOURCE of All.
All Life. All Gifts. All Talent. All Dreams come from Him. 
It is To Him, For Him and With Him that we Present Our Music to You.

Our Families, Friends and Experiences; Great & Small / Good & Bad, have Helped Shape and Form Us
It is Through These that we Express Our Hearts to You.

Musical Influences and Artistry We've Enjoyed, Learned from & Grown through Lives Inside of Us
It is Because of These that We Celebrate with You. 


The Main Musicians on SOURCE are Young Brothers whom I've had the Esteemed Pleasure of Performing with & Learning from over the past three years. I am grateful to finally be able to document our growth together. They have kept me on my toes (and sometimes on my knees!) but we ALWAYS have gallons of fun. If You've not fallen in love with them on stage at an SD gig, You Will do so on This Record.

Frank "Alowishus" Walton - Our MD, Keyboardist and Trumpeter. He has written a wonderful tune entitled "Neoma" which is sure to be the Next Jazz Standard.
We played it at the 2013 Youngstown Jazz Fest and the Audience went wild! You will Too!

Mitch Lawrence - Saxophonist Extraordinaire! There Are Several Incredible Tunes He Has Brought to The Table. We Don't Yet Know which ones will make it on to the project...or perhaps they will be bonus cuts, because I can't decide which ones win!!!

Dylan Waters - Bass Funkateer whose becoming one of the most in-demand thumpers in Cleveland Venues! His Flow is Infectious and if he would only tell us the title of the Fiery Funkbalster he's submitted to the project, we'll tell you! On Stage we've been calling it "Dylan's Song!"

We are blessed to have a wonderfully wide array of Special Guest Artists and SD Alumni making their own Wonderful Contributions to SOURCE.

I'll Introduce You Next Week!

Peace & Blessings!

Jere B