Musicalist: a music enthusiast with a mission.
TRACKS:
1) "WIND CRIES MARY" - (feat. Caron Wheeler on Vocals and Vocal arrangements), with: Jimi Hendrix on Vocals and 95% guitars (Yes, the man himself! See if you can guess what bit he DIDN'T play!); Meshell Ndegeocello: Electric Basses and Keyboard Bass; Will Calhoun: Drums; Jimi Randolph: Keyboard Bass; David Maskrey: additional Guitar;Derek Johnson/Musicalist: Keyboard bass, Drum Programming, Sampling arrangements; Beautiful People: Sampling arrangements (Taken from Caron Wheeler's album:Beach of the War Goddess.)
2) "THERESA" - (feat. Cleveland Watkiss on Vocals);Derek Johnson/Musicalist:all instruments. (From the album:Migration Stories.)
3) "KINGDOM OF KINDNESS" - (feat. Tunde Jegede on Kora and Orphy Robinson on Vibraphone) all other instruments: Derek Johnson/Musicalist. (From the album:Rising Son.)
4) "MONSTERS" - (feat. Amy Newton: all Vocals, all Guitars); Jose Joyette: Drums; Alpheous Little: Electric Bass. (Taken from Amy Newton's album: Lost For Words.)
5) "YOU CAN'T RUN" (feat. HKB FiNN on Vocals); Jose Joyette on Kit Drums and Djembe; Jorge Joyette Chorus Vocals; Derek Johnson/Musicalist on Acoustic and Electric Guitars and Piano. (Taken from HKB FiNN's album:Spoken Herbs.)
6) "BLESS-ED TRAVELLER" - (feat. Alpheous Little: Fretless Bass and Ray Carless: Saxaphone). All other instruments: Derek Johnson/Musicalist. (Taken from the album: Rising Son.)
All TRACKS PRODUCED BY DEREK JOHNSON aka MUSICALIST
Born in London, England in 1965 to Jamaican parents, number seven of eight children, Derek Johnson (Musicalist), has been involved in the arts most of his life.
His prime instruments are: Guitar, specialist Drum Programming, Flutes and Electric Bass.
Though playing live from eleven, he started his recording career on guitar at sixteen with the UK group Loose Ends. Over the years, as well as composing for film and theatre, he has worked with a wide variety of international artists, bands and organisations that include: Caron Wheeler (UK/USA), Oumou Sangare (Mali), Kasse Mady Diabaté (Mali), the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (UK), Alton Ellis (Jamaica), Tunde Jegede (UK), Marcia Griffiths (Jamaica), Cleveland Watkiss (UK), Blacksmith (UK), Salt ’n’ Pepa (USA), John Holt (Jamaica), Asheber (UK), Eternal (UK), Mighty Diamonds (Jamaica), Kwame Kwei-Armah (UK), Sai-Sai (France), Ton-Ton David (France), Jah Mason (Jamaica), Eric Roche (UK/Ireland), Wumni (Nigeria/USA), HKB Finn (UK), Meshell Ndegeocello (USA), Amy Newton (UK), Ultra Nate (USA), Donna Marie (UK), Johnny Clarke (Jamaica), Mica Paris (UK), Pauline Oduro (Ghana), Steel Pulse (UK), Eugene Skeef (South Africa), Bheki Mseleku (South Africa), Sonti Mndebele (South Africa), Shorty Rogers (USA), Leon Ware (USA), the Random Dance Company (UK), Tippa Irie (UK), Alpheous Little (UK), the Temba Theatre Company (UK), Scientist (Jamaica), The Soothsayers (UK) and many, many more….
His personal ongoing major musical interest is the development of his particular modern twist on folk-roots inflections from around the world. As a producer, composer and musician, this influence is ever-present in his work to some degree or other. He is also part of a particularly vibrant scene of creativity based in London that has brought forth many talented people who are also dedicated to mixing folk music sounds from all over the world and weaving their own contemporary influence through it. These include: Asheber, the Children of Aya, HKB FiNN, Tunde Jegede, El Crisis, Ade Sose Wallace, Eugene Skeef, Caron Wheeler, Jason Yarde, the Soothsayers, Cleveland Watkiss, Byron Wallen, Sona, Orphy Robinson, Jazz Jamaica, Skatronics, Ray Carless, Courtney Pine and Bheki Mseleku - to name just a few.
Drawing from his wide experiences over the past two decades, he has created the sound Blu-Dub - consisting largely of the spiritual, rhythmic, melodic and harmonic sentiments of Jamaica, the Acoustic Blues of the American South and the music of North-West African Griots, all wrapped in the relentless, driving pulse of the modern-day London experience. (See HKB FiNN’s recent Spoken Herbs album for just a few examples.)
Soon to be completed are two solo albums by Derek Johnson as Musicalist: Rising Son (instrumental) and Migration Stories (with voice) – featuring guest vocalists that include: Cleveland Watkiss, Caron Wheeler and Kwame Kwei-Armah – all singing melodies (no lyrics), with the point being to free the songs to the listener – beyond the barriers of national languages.
He has also been a holistic educator in music and music business since 1989, teaching over 5000 individuals in many major institutions including: the Academy of Contemporary Music (Surrey), City University (London), the Cass Business School (London), the Dulwich Music Academy (London), the Cultural Industries Development Agency (London), The Gateway School of Music (Kingston University) and Westminster University (London). He specialises in the field of human psychology, revealing how the everyday expressions of this area deeply affect (subjective) artistic creativity, as well as (objective) professional practices in business within the music industry.
Derek is the author of a new book: The Roots of Our Game: Decoding the Culture and Philosophies That Built and Drive the Music Industry (watch this space for availability!) – a 650-page piece on the collisions (the bruises and the victories!) between human behaviour and developing culture; music history; and the music business. In 2007, he appeared at the 41st Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland discussing the contents of this major work. The author also interviewed Jamaican legend Horace Andy in conjunction with this session, examining the artist's career as a creative; his views on the music world; and his opinions of the music business. All questions were based on the philosophies that are at the core of this book.
Current ongoing live and/or recording musical projects include: the Dub Asante band, the Soothsayers, the Drovers Street Band with HKB FiNN, Horace Andy, Asheber, Children of Aya as well as continued works with the Bese Saka Arts Foundation, the film company Rice N Peas and his own solo career....
