Post by TheWallsScreamedPoetry on Dec 25, 2004 23:55:35 GMT
entertainment: John Densmore
Sometimes music is more than just sound.
Sometimes there's a spirituality in the words, in the rhythms and in the melodies that transcend the conventions of the art form. John Densmore knows this.
From his vantage point beside Jim Morrison as a founding member and drummer for The Doors, he's seen musical barriers torn down. And now, three decades after The Doors, he's still finding ways to break new ground. He's reaching new audiences by drumming in varied and complex musical genres such as jazz and world, and has become a prominent figure in Native American music. Last November he received an honorary lifetime achievement award at the Native American Music Awards.
He'll be performing with Keith Secola and Wild Band of Indians at Ganondagan's Native American Dance & Music Festival on July 24 and 25.
Recently he talked to insider about his classic rock past and his outside-the-mainstream present.
Have you played in other Native American music festivals?
This is my first. But I've played a lot with (Native American) musicians. I played on a Burning Sky album (Spirits in the Wind, 2002). It was nominated for a Grammy. That was very cool.
What is your role as a drummer in Native American music?
I'm the medicine man doing shaman drumming.
What will you be playing with Keith Secola?
At this festival, we'll do a rock and roll set. I'll play drums, and there will be electric guitars and Indian chanting.
Will you play anything on your own?
I'll do some of my own stuff. But I'll have a lot of the other performers out with me. John Stokes will play the didgeridoo and possibly recite some poetry with me doing hand drumming. I'm hoping some other Native American performers will come around, too.
How is Native American music different from rock?
One main ingredient in their music is the flute — especially wood flutes. The warmth of the sound of a wood flute is hard to define. And their music, much like the culture, is more indigenous. It's closer to the earth. When you go to a powwow, you can't help but feel it. All of these people sitting around this large drum pounding and chanting. It's very powerful.
Has your interest in this type of music affected your own writing?
It has. My new group, Tribaljazz, is very multicultural. Our album is coming out on Hidden Beach Records, which is a small, mostly African-American label.
How did the new group come about?
I was performing at a benefit concert with Randy Newman and met up with Art Ellis, who is a jazz musician. We started to put this together. It's sort of Miles Davis/John Coltrane-type jazz reworked with world rhythms. We have lots of guest performers, like Michael Franti of Spearhead, and we've got Alfre Woodard stepping into hip-hop performing for the first time.
Are you trying to distance yourself, then, from your classic rock past?
I'm proud of it. It's a huge part of me. It was an amazing time and we made some great music.
What did you think of the representation of you in the Oliver Stone movie (The Doors, 1991)?
After I saw it, I told Oliver, “I don't remember all those naked girls running onstage.” Two-thirds of the movie is fiction. Val Kilmer was fantastic. Kevin Dillon, who played me, was good. The difference between me and the character, though, is that (the character) started out kind of stiff in the beginning. And in reality, it was the reverse. I'm a very relaxed drummer. It was as Jim's self-destruction increased that I got more tight. He was destroying himself, and it had an effect on us.
How did it affect you personally?
I had both a love for Jim's artistry and a fear of his self-destruction. I knew I was in a good band and that we were making great music, so I didn't want to leave. But seeing him like that, it broke my heart.
So you're more of a jazz musician these days than a rocker?
I've mouthed off about being a jazz drummer for years, even before The Doors. Thirty years later, I'm putting my sticks where my mouth is. And I'm proud of it, you know? It isn't called Tribal Doors. Although we do a Doors cover, you'd never suspect it. It's disguised as salsa. And no one wears leather pants.
Tim Karan
Rochester Insider 2004
Sometimes music is more than just sound.
Sometimes there's a spirituality in the words, in the rhythms and in the melodies that transcend the conventions of the art form. John Densmore knows this.
From his vantage point beside Jim Morrison as a founding member and drummer for The Doors, he's seen musical barriers torn down. And now, three decades after The Doors, he's still finding ways to break new ground. He's reaching new audiences by drumming in varied and complex musical genres such as jazz and world, and has become a prominent figure in Native American music. Last November he received an honorary lifetime achievement award at the Native American Music Awards.
He'll be performing with Keith Secola and Wild Band of Indians at Ganondagan's Native American Dance & Music Festival on July 24 and 25.
Recently he talked to insider about his classic rock past and his outside-the-mainstream present.
Have you played in other Native American music festivals?
This is my first. But I've played a lot with (Native American) musicians. I played on a Burning Sky album (Spirits in the Wind, 2002). It was nominated for a Grammy. That was very cool.
What is your role as a drummer in Native American music?
I'm the medicine man doing shaman drumming.
What will you be playing with Keith Secola?
At this festival, we'll do a rock and roll set. I'll play drums, and there will be electric guitars and Indian chanting.
Will you play anything on your own?
I'll do some of my own stuff. But I'll have a lot of the other performers out with me. John Stokes will play the didgeridoo and possibly recite some poetry with me doing hand drumming. I'm hoping some other Native American performers will come around, too.
How is Native American music different from rock?
One main ingredient in their music is the flute — especially wood flutes. The warmth of the sound of a wood flute is hard to define. And their music, much like the culture, is more indigenous. It's closer to the earth. When you go to a powwow, you can't help but feel it. All of these people sitting around this large drum pounding and chanting. It's very powerful.
Has your interest in this type of music affected your own writing?
It has. My new group, Tribaljazz, is very multicultural. Our album is coming out on Hidden Beach Records, which is a small, mostly African-American label.
How did the new group come about?
I was performing at a benefit concert with Randy Newman and met up with Art Ellis, who is a jazz musician. We started to put this together. It's sort of Miles Davis/John Coltrane-type jazz reworked with world rhythms. We have lots of guest performers, like Michael Franti of Spearhead, and we've got Alfre Woodard stepping into hip-hop performing for the first time.
Are you trying to distance yourself, then, from your classic rock past?
I'm proud of it. It's a huge part of me. It was an amazing time and we made some great music.
What did you think of the representation of you in the Oliver Stone movie (The Doors, 1991)?
After I saw it, I told Oliver, “I don't remember all those naked girls running onstage.” Two-thirds of the movie is fiction. Val Kilmer was fantastic. Kevin Dillon, who played me, was good. The difference between me and the character, though, is that (the character) started out kind of stiff in the beginning. And in reality, it was the reverse. I'm a very relaxed drummer. It was as Jim's self-destruction increased that I got more tight. He was destroying himself, and it had an effect on us.
How did it affect you personally?
I had both a love for Jim's artistry and a fear of his self-destruction. I knew I was in a good band and that we were making great music, so I didn't want to leave. But seeing him like that, it broke my heart.
So you're more of a jazz musician these days than a rocker?
I've mouthed off about being a jazz drummer for years, even before The Doors. Thirty years later, I'm putting my sticks where my mouth is. And I'm proud of it, you know? It isn't called Tribal Doors. Although we do a Doors cover, you'd never suspect it. It's disguised as salsa. And no one wears leather pants.
Tim Karan
Rochester Insider 2004