I decided to call this album "Extension Of A Man" because I am in
the process of expanding and developing styles. I love music, period.
So, consequently, I would like to record as many styles as humanly
possible for one person. The following is a sketch of the album.
When I was growing up, I used to hear, in my church. Black
chants of devotion to God. They had been written by Dr. Isaac
Watts, who was one of the anthem innovators of his time.
There were various modes to sing the anthems on- according
to the leader of the chant. They were based on the pentatonic scale,
either major or minor in concept; for example:
In the midwest and the south (Alabama, Louisiana, etc.), the minor
mode was used often to express the pain and anxiety of the hard
times suffered by the people.
I chose, however, to depict the anthem, or chant, if you wish, in
the major mode, which is more jubilant in sound. (You might hear
the churches of that era singing the major chant after taking in five
or six singers who had decided to repent of their "sins.")
My composition is called I Love The Lord and is very "impressionistic"
in sound - a style taken from the Romantic Period, where composers
painted musical pictures (tone poems) of life and nature in general -
birds. trees. hillsides, etc. Composers famous for this kind of writing
were Debussy, Ravel, Satie and others during the late 1800's and early
1900's. (My writing was also inspired by George Gershwin.)
The words shaping my writing go as follows:
'I Love The Lord; He Heard My Cry
And pitied every groan
Long as live while trouble rise
I'II hasten to his throne"
Section A: Andante
The tone poem is divided into two sections; the slower section
being the andante. The theme is stated, then developed by 45 men
in the orchestra. Section B: Allegro (Jubilation)
The second section is written in five/four (5/4) meter, which is
broken down even further to 21/2/4. The melody is restated in the
allegro with a solo by yours truly.
It is then segued into a song I wrote entitled, Someday We'll All Be
Free, which is basically a tune of "standard" quality, in my opinion.
Come Little Children: While reminiscing back to my childhood days,
I remember playing a game called "Hide & Go Seek," where a group
of kids would hide while one kid would close his eyes and chant:
"Last night the night before
Twentv-four robbers came knocking at my door
I got up; let them in
Hit them in the head with a rolling pin"
To bring this idea to life in song, I again chose a 5/4 rhythm,
which is definitely Black oriented; broken into groups of 2 & 3
rhythm patterns.
The bridge, where the chord changes, goes to 4/4 time. A theoretical
point here is that, technically, even though the rhythm is changed to
4/4, the feeling is still 5/4 (five measures of 4/4 equals 4 measures of 5/4).
For one who can't dance, I feel very proud about the dance I
created for the kids! I hope they like it.
I was earlier inspired by my environment to write The Ghetto (ATCO
SD 33-332 and SD 33-386). I felt it was a song that all Black people
could relate to. Consequently, I have written a sequel to The Ghetto-
The Slums. It is of the same idiom as The Ghetto- being happy, lively
and reflecting on the joys of a people in a suppressed area. I recruited
the entire Atlantic gang to rap some of that "good ole alley talk" that
has made the Ghetto a haven (as well as a hell) shared by all included
in the immediate area just around the corner from the suburbs!
Love, Love, Love, a basic Motown groove, is also included,
exemplifying another extension of style. Stevie Wonder and Marvin
Gaye, among others, are the inspiration for the arrangement and
concept to this composition, which was written and originally
recorded by J. R. Bailey.
I had the good fortune of being included on a recording session
with Danny O'Keefe, a very prominent and growing Atlantic artist.
I was so impressed with a song he wrote entitled, Magdalena, I decided
to record it on my album. It reminds one of the roaring 20's" when
singers used to use megaphones to sing to their audiences, with two
clarinets, a tuba, trumpet and trombone, plus rhythm section, depicting
the sonority of that era. It's about a whore who was so dynamic as to
"make a preacher bite his tongue and leave him with the mumbles!"
I can't forget the blues! Loving someone more than they'll ever know
is definitely right in the pocket of "blues grooves." An Al Kooper song,
recorded when he was with Blood, Sweat and Tears, it is a very slow,
bluesy song, typifying the pains that go with a one-sided love affair.
For those with some acquaintance with mind changing
substances, you will be especially interested in Valdez In The Country
a Latin-rock instrumental.
I have written various compositions with other artists in
mind. An example of this is Flying Easy, which I wrote basically
for Herb Alpert & The Tuana Brass. I ran into two very hep fellas
in Chicago who wrote the words. It comes under the category of
"easy listening" for those who like that.
Finally, I Know It's You, a song which Jerry Wexler, Executive
Vice-President of Atlantic Records, found and suggested I cut. I
feel this song has a special, romantic quality and it provides a loving
note on which to close the album.
DONNY HATHAWAY
