WES profile picture

WES

Music for the Mind, Body, & Spirit

About Me

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My name is W. E. Smith, and I thank you for visiting “myspace.”   I am a musician, author, professor, lecturer, and producer who can make some mean pancakes J .  

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Check my website www.h2productions.net   and my other myspace page www.myspace.com/thewesgroup

  for my upcoming performance and lecture dates and be sure to sign the guest list.   You can also buy my three CDs and my new book from the site as well through our secure connection with PayPal .   Below is the information on my latest projects.

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Hip Hop as Performance and Ritual:  

Biography and Ethnography in Underground Hip Hop

Hip hop has had a fertile and exciting life in the underground scene There are several clubs that have nurtured the music and many individuals who have upheld the art.   Priest da Nomad is one of these formidable MCs who has kept the torch lit.   This is his story in historical, musicological and anthropological context

By looking at hip hop historically and culturally, the text investigates the apparent links between the Africanisms that exist in all other forms of Afro-Diasporic expressions such as jazz, blues, reggae, calypso, Latin Music and compares and contrasts them with hip hop.   Most intriguingly, however, the text takes a musicological approach to understanding hip hop through rhythmic transcription and syllabic analysis.

This text is full of information and fresh perspectives and is sure to be a sought after reference for hip hop scholars and lay-readers alike.

The book is available at:

www.clspublications.com

www.trafford.com

www.karibubooks.com

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A Jazz Mass

The CD is available for purchase.  

Visit our website: www.thewesgroup.com

and purchase the CD through our secure connection with PayPal.

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Under the direction of Dr. William Smith, Assistant Professor of Music at American University, The W.E.S. Group performs A Jazz Mass:   the liturgy of the worship service framed in a jazz setting with vocal interpretation of the traditional text and improvisational expression of the reverent mood.

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The CD is available at:

www.thewesgroup.com

www.karibubooks.com

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Experience the Episcopal and Catholic Liturgy in a lush jazz arrangement that will invigorate your spirit and warm your heart.

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If you have interest in sponsoring a presentation of the mass at your church please contact us at 202-526-5929 or by email at [email protected] .   If you know of any other congregations that would like to present this work, please let us know and we will contact them as well.

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My Interests

Music:

John Coltrane, Miles Davis,Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Stitt, Charles Mingus, Duke Ellington, Brian Blade, Kenny Garrett, Pat Metheny, Quincy Jones, Jill Scott, Stevie Wonder, Donnie Hathaway, EWF, Kim Burell, Commissioned, Beethoven, John Williams, KRS-One, Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, Tribe, De La, Common, Mos Def, Talib, Priest da Nomad, Ravi Shankar, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Movies:

Star Wars, Glory, Contact, What The Bleep Do We Know, Do the Right Thing

Books:

The Wind is My Mother, Autobiography of a Yogi, Mysticism of Sound and Music, Celestine Prophecy, Conversations with God, Democracy Matters, Signifying Monkey, The Prophet, By the Light of My Father's Smile, Temple of My Familiar, Healing Wisdom of Africa, Lies My Teacher Told Me, People's History of the US, Bible, Koran, Torah, Odu, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Bhagavad Gita.

Heroes:

Satya Sai Baba, John Coltrane, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Gandhi, Hazrat Inayat Khan, Paramahansa Yogananda, Duke Ellington

My Blog

The WES Group and Dr. William E. Smith Newsletter 3-08

THE W.E.S. GROUP and ..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Dr. William E. Smith Newsletter March 2008   Remember Jazz Appreciation Month is coming up in April....
Posted by WES on Thu, 06 Mar 2008 09:00:00 PST

Great documentary on Fela

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MdsIeQeKZw
Posted by WES on Sat, 08 Sep 2007 12:46:00 PST

R.I.P. Max Roach

I had the good fortune of talking with Mr. Roach on the phone and then meeting him while staying with my cousin (Warren Smith - another amazing percussionist) who was playing with him at the time...
Posted by WES on Sat, 18 Aug 2007 09:16:00 PST

BE Community Summer Music Camp in Anguilla

We are headed home in a few hours from this year's summer music camp in Anguilla.  What can I say? I had an unbelievable time here in Anguilla and look forward to coming back for next year's camp...
Posted by WES on Mon, 23 Jul 2007 06:45:00 PST

WES Group in St Lucia and Bonaire

WES Group in St Lucia and Bonaire We are back from the Caribbean Tour and there are so many stories to tell.  The music, the vibe, the people, the views were unbelievable.  I will put up mor...
Posted by WES on Tue, 29 May 2007 07:10:00 PST

Strength in numbers

This video is incredible.  In the midst of certain death a calf is saved by sheer determination and the support of the herd.   Battle'>http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.indiv...
Posted by WES on Fri, 25 May 2007 07:24:00 PST

Privatization of public utilities?

Fighting the Corporate Theft of Our Water     By Tara Lohan     AlterNet.org     Wednesday 25 April 2007 The Bush administration is he...
Posted by WES on Sat, 28 Apr 2007 12:23:00 PST

Privatization of Public utilities (my response)

Private vs. public There needs to be balance in society especially when it comes to commerce.  The push to privatize everything creates problems for people who are unable to obtain certain basic...
Posted by WES on Sat, 28 Apr 2007 12:25:00 PST

Join the IAHHE (International Association for Hip Hop Education)

We would like to invite you to become a member of the International Association for Hip Hop Education.  This organization brings together those interested in elevating hip hop to its long-deserve...
Posted by WES on Wed, 28 Feb 2007 02:32:00 PST

Happy Valentine's Day from The W.E.S. Group and Dr. William E. Smith

THE W.E.S. GROUP and Dr. William E. Smith Newsletter www.thewesgroup.com www.myspace.com/thewesgroup www.myspace.com/wesmusic   Happy Valentine's Day   May LOVE be the theme not just toda...
Posted by WES on Wed, 14 Feb 2007 07:02:00 PST