HELLO AND WELCOME TO MY WORLD, MY NAME IS MANIFEST AND I'M A LYRICIST WHO BECAME AN ENGINEER, WHO IS NOW A COMPOSER AND PRODUCER AND ALTHOUGH THIS WAS THE NATRUAL PROGRESSION IT WAS BY NO MEANS PLANNED........WE ALL KNOW ABOUT HIM MOVING IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS. I'M NOT REALLY HERE TO TALK ABOUT ME IT'S MORE ABOUT A PERIOD IN MY LIFE THAT HELPED TO SHAPE MY SOUND WHICH I CALL THE DA GROOVE; AND THE MAN WHO CHANGED THE WAY I LISTEN TO AND FEEL MUSIC FULL STOP. I MET JOHN SANDERSON WHILE I WAS WORKING AS AN ENGINEER, IT WAS ONE OF THOSE PRESS BUTTONS, MOVE FADERS AND SMILE SESSIONS, JOHN WAS THERE TO DO SOME OVERDUBS. ALL THROUGH THE SESSION I COULD'NT HELP BUT THINK THAT THIS SAXOPHONIST SHOULD BE RECORDING HIS OWN ALBUM INSTEAD OF DOING THIS KIND OF WORK, AND BY THE END OF THE FIRST SESSION I LEARNED THAT HE FELT THE SAME WAY TOO. OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS WE BEGAN TO TALK AND JOHN EXPLAINED THAT HE CAME FROM A JAZZ BACKGROUND (JAZZ MUSCIAN OF THE YEAR 2 YEARS RUNNING) AND THAT HE ALSO TAUGHT SAX PART-TIME; I TOLD HIM I USED TO LEARN SAX BUT FELT THAT I WAS BETTER AT WORKING OUTSIDE THE RECORDING BOOTH. IT WAS JOHN THAT TOLD ME ABOUT CHARLIE MINGUS, WAYNE SHORTER, SUN RA AND PHAROAH SAUNDERS; HE EVEN GAVE ME RECORDINGS OF THEIR MUSIC TO SHOW ME THE DIFFERENCE IN THEIR RESPECTIVE STYLES. UP UNTIL THEN THE DEEPEST I'D BEEN INTO SAX PLAYING WAS GROOVER WASHINGTON Jnr (RIP), AND I THOUGHT THAT NAJEE WAS REALLY EXPERIMENTAL JAZZ. AFTER THIS EDUCATION, ALL MY THEORY'S WENT OUT THE DOOR AND EVEN AFTER THAT PROJECT ENDED JOHN USED TO COME TO LONDON TO REHEARSE WITH A BAND HE PLAYED WITH (I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT JOHN LIVED IN DERBY). JOHN USED TO SIT IN ON MY SESSIONS AND IT WAS ON ONE OF THESE OCCASSIONS THAT HE MADE ME THIS OFFER. HE SAID THAT IF I HELPED HIM PUT AN ALBUM TOGETHER WHERE HE COULD PLAY WHAT HE WAS FEELING, HE WOULD TEACH ME TO PLAY THE SAX.....TO WHICH I SAID BETTER STILL, IF YOU PUT SOME SAX ON A SESSION I HAD COMING IN LATER ON, I WOULD LET HIM CHOOSE 12 TRAX OUT OF MY LIBRARY TO USE AS THE CANVAS FOR HIS ALBUM, WHICH WOULD ALLOW HIM TO JUST PLAY WHAT HE WAS FEELING AT THE MOMENT I PRESSED RECORD. THE ALBUM SAX LINES AND ANALOGUE TAPE TOOK 2 YEARS TO RECORD AND WE ARGUED ABOUT FREE STYLE, HOOK LINES, SONG STRUCTURE AND THE FLUIDITY OF JAZZ, AND HOPEFULLY WE MET SOME WHERE IN THE MIDDLE. TO THIS DAY THIS HAS BEEN THE MOST CHALLENGING AND MOST REWARDING PROJECT I HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN, AND ALTHOUGH THROUGH THINGS AND TIME I'M NO LONGER IN CONTACT WITH JOHN, I HOPE THAT IF HE HAPPENS TO PASS BY THE MYSPACE CONTINUEUM AND HE READS MY RAMBLING THOUGHTS, HE SHOULD KNOW THAT OF ALL THE PEOPLE I'VE WORKED WITH HE MADE THE BIGGEST IMPACT! I NO LONGER TRY TO FIT INTO SOME BOX THE RECORD INDUSTRY CREATED SO AS TO EXCLUDE PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF WHO HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY, NOT JUST FROM A LYRICAL POINT OF VIEW, BUT MUSICALLY TOO! AS A PRODUCER, I TRY NOT TO MAKE THAT "ONE SIZE FITS ALL" STUFF YOU HEAR EVERY DAY, AND I TELL YOU THIS BECAUSE I NO LONGER LISTEN TO RADIO OR WATCH MUSIC VIDEOS. IF I WANT TO HEAR WHATS REALLY GOING ON IN OUR INDUSTRY I LOG ON TO MYSPACE! I HOPE TO EFFECT THE WAY THAT YOU LISTEN TO MUSIC BY GIVING YOU MY MUSIC.
PS: I MUST ALSO THANK JOHNNY DEE FOR HIS AMAZING LIVE KEYBOARDS, ANOTHER VITAL INGREDIENT THAT MADE MY POT TASTE LIKE IT DOES.......MANIFESTMyspace Layouts - Myspace Editor
