Good Medicine - Ig-Bo Duet: Joseph Bowie & Adam Rudolph

Adam Rudolph: handrumset (kongos, djembe, tarijas, zabumba), sintir, cajon, thumb pianos, cup gongs, bells, gongs, cymbals, kongo slit drum, selya overtone flutes, vocal, percussion

Joseph Bowie: trombone, brass-electronics, vocal, harmonica, congas, balaphone, shakers, waterphone, thumb pianos, cowbell, shekere, caxixi, percussion

1) SPIRITIZED 8:19
2) ATMOS 9:21
3) Y-DO-U TREAT ME SO BAD 3:33
4) SOUL-CELESTIAL 3:37
5) AJA’S LANGUAGE TEMPLE 10:46
6) WATER TO LIGHT 4:15
7) ALL ALONE BLUES 4:15

Ig-Bo - Joseph Bowie & Adam Rudolph’s musical relationship of high mutual respect culminated over 10 years ago with Yusef Lateef for a series of concerts and recording celebrating Dr. Lateef’s 80 years. Joe later joined Adam’s Moving Pictures, the musically provocative and pivotal group enhanced in Adam’s magical world of rhythm expertise. In Moving Pictures Joseph was motivated and encouraged to further develop his experimental “Brass-electronics” techniques merged with traditional musical forms and traditional instrumentation. As family, they explore futuristic development of ensemble performance characteristic in the tradition of modern improvised music. The two musicians are born from a wide and diverse range of experiences… where World & African rhythms/advanced composition meets R&B & Funk/Dance/vocal/Electronica. Mr. Rudolph is a Master Percussionist and composer with an understanding of timing and rhythm that is multi-culturally un-paralleled. Joseph has developed new approaches to brass performance with “self-controlled electronics” fused with rhythm and his charismatic approach and sensibility making this duo union truly “Ancient to the Future”. JB

GOOD MEDICINE - what we strive for our music to be. The natural reverberations of earth and sky. From time before time humans have been creating music for healing: to balance psycho - emotional pathways, to harmonize the cellular vibrations of the body, to expand consciousness itself. This way of wisdom was shared with us by the elders of this music as the essential approach to creativity.

THE MIX – bands of tin are wrapped around the tongue keys of the thumb piano, the metal sarsara rattle is inserted into the end of the Gnawa sintir, a gut string is strung across the skin of the brekete drum. Throughout much of Africa musician-healers have used these and other methods to complexify the voice of their instruments so when played, a parallel “shadow line” of sound is heard. These rhythm overtones are sometimes called “the voice of the ancestors” and are linked to the transcendent quality of the music. In recent years, artists like Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, Joe Bowie and Congotronics used newer technologies for this.

The music on this recording was mixed with this idea in mind. The sounds of the instruments are allowed to resonate into deep space, creating a shadow world of harmonic colors. As the music unfolds each instrumental voice sings into this space adding to the dance of orchestration and form. AR

All music composed by Adam Rudolph and Joseph Bowie

Published by Migration Music BMI/Defunkt Music Publishing (ASCAP/GEMA)
Thanks to: Bill Laswell, Glenn Siegel, Bernard Lyons, Bobby Hill, Steve Pierce, Don Glasgo, Mark Christman, Hennie Bowie and Nancy Jackson