"NUMERICAL SOUND"®
My Sampling Recording CDs

This project of 10 sampling C.D.s has turned out to be a lot bigger than I expected. It seems that all my hard work has really paid off. According to Numerical Sound Recording Company, we not only have our first album completed and ready to introduce at N.A.M.M., but I've sent so much material, that we also have all we'll need for my second and third albums. As if that's not enough good news unbelievably, it seems that because the material which was all based on the African 6/8 rhythm, was so distinctive, and the processing of the material using LEXICON gear was so outstanding, the new C.D. has been picked by a world famous company called "Cakewalk" for exposure in its new marketing C.D.,"Pro-Audio 8, Musicians Tool Box 3", for international distribution. I'm already working on my fourth C.D., and am headed into previously unknown territory. This is an exciting time for yours truly. I can't close this section without acknowledging a few exceptional people, and their outstanding products, without which recording at this level would not have been possible for me. Mr. Joel Silverman,- Lexicon, and their new (MIX-1 sound processor and its foot pedal controller), Mr.Tom Menrath, and all of the great Monster Cable wiring, (which I used exclusively for this project) which gave my material its great transparency and really elevated it to another level. These are the best products I could find for this new recording project, and I consider it the best money I ever spent. I called these two men, to get their advice on what they thought, and then I followed it. My first C.D. has just been finished and I am absolutely thrilled with the way it sounds. I hope you will be to.

Thanks to one of my closest friends, and biggest supporters, BERNARD "PRETTY" PURDIE, I am currently involved in a project with "NUMERICAL SOUND" a Sampling Recording Co." My input is unique, in, that in over 40 years of playing, and all of the experiences that I've had, both in listening and playing Be-Bop, and "avant-guard" music, drums, percussion, and all of the influences people have had on me, such as, Harry Partch, Albert Ayler,Larry Young Jr., Michlos Rosa, Ravi Shankar, Richard Davis, Gildo Mahones, Olatunji, Tito Puente, Armando Perazza, Ray Borretto, and on through to contemporary rhythms as produced in groups like Stomp, and Crystal Method, my love, originally has had, as its roots, AFRICAN and CUBAN LATIN rhythms. This ongoing journey into the complexity of these rhythms, and all of the different knowledge I've acquired while performing, has opened not only my heart, but my imagination, as to what is truly, real excitement, generated by the sound of someone playing on a drum. This however, really depends on what idiom it comes from, and who is playing it. Now with all of this abstract, and conventional rhythm in my head, and all of these thousands of sounds that I have heard, it dawned on me, that with electronics, I could create, record, and carry them ALL in a removable hard drive. Then I could trigger (play) them live, in the same way, as I would from a set of drums. The next logical step it seemed was for me to build original sounds and rhythm tracks of my own, but from a new perspective, that could then be applied to many new styles of music. These sounds did not exist in the real world YET. Finally, - I could envision a chance to create something fresh and new, for the second time in my life. (My patent was my first original idea and was also derived because of my deep love for African rhythms) So you see my passion for all these complex AFRICAN rhythms, has become part of my very being. However, it was through my obsession for playing the 6/8 rhythm called NANIGO, that I realised, this format would be the perfect vehicle for the introduction of all of my new sounds involving electronics also. It was also the perfect vehicle, for this truly innovative, sampling recording company. I could hear these magical sounds, in my minds eye, as part of these RHYTHM patterns that I was about to build, for these new C.D.s. Because the first album in this series of 10 C.D.s (actually 3 are done) was just finished and has not been released, yet, I can't go into real details about some of the real meat of this sampling C.D. This union of "Numerical Sound", and myself, has grown into a vision of two abstract points of view, both having a love for rhythm, and what we are doing, in common. Almost always, we find each other working on exactly the same material, without saying anything to each other about it. Most importantly, when done,we find that all of our individual sounds, always maintain all the of the velocity and excitement of the originals. What a great friendship, and business venture. Working WITH someone you respect. Its always been my deep love for exciting RHYTHMS, and the fact that I can now visualise the use of ABSTRACT drum sounds to build these rhythms, that will touch that part of a drummer that was here with the beginning of the creation of man, and will always exist, because "It is the voice of GOD, speaking directly through you, to an audience, immediately as you play it." (Art Blakey)
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"ERNEST this is the image I wanted to use on my CD's It relates more to my work, and the image of REAL African beauty as I see it, as a man, a visionary, and a musician."

I would like to thank: the following: Mackie, Rane, Lexicon, Cakewalk, Cerwin-Vega,E-mu, and Monster Cable for their help.

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