“Silence is the soul of music.”
The Key of Inspiration
I had my first encounter with music when I was seven or eight. My mom sang in a choir and would play our piano when she practiced. In my youthful curiosity, she gave me beginner lessons. This led to being taught by a graduate from the Julliard School of Music. I have always had an awkward relationship with the piano, lasting to this day. In my teens, I would occasionally play it in an improvisational way, which sounded much like schizophrenic jazz. I was not interested in musical structures yet drawn to exploratory sound. Instead of modern mimicry, I was inspired by the sonic journey of self-expression.
Wood and Strings
We had an old, acoustic guitar in the house. Once in a while I would pull it from our closet and pluck on the strings, given its mysticism to me as an instrument. In grade school, I had brief stints with the recorder and trombone yet drifted from ensemble-based music. When I was fifteen, I purchased a Lotus electric guitar and an amplifier, then retreated to my bedroom with excited abandon. It enchanted me in ways distinct from the piano, though through the years I have grown to appreciate the keys. At the time, I had a stereo system with a record player, and would play along to the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd and many others.
Theme from the Bottom
My brother picked up an old Gibson electric bass guitar. We never played together, though I would take it from his room, plugging it into my guitar amplifier and playing along with several of my favorite groups. I was mostly inspired by Paul McCartney, John Klingberg from Van Morrison’s band, Roger Waters and eventually Phil Lesh. Though I loved the simplicity of the instrument in comparison to the guitar, I was more into its melodic and harmonic elements, discovering a polyrhythmic and tonal style. All the while, I kept a solid footing with singing and rhythm and lead guitar, occasionally returning to the piano.
High Time
My friend played drums in high school, and we would meet at his house in Leland to jam blues, rock and improvisation for hours. After we graduated, a few of our friends joined us: one on bass, another on rhythm guitar and a second drummer. We spent the Summers of 1991 and 1992 at our friend’s house, rehearsing on the deck overlooking Lake Leelanau. We would also gather on Whaleback with our acoustic instruments and play into the wee hours of the morning. My brother would occasionally join us on vocals, and the zenith of our experience was our first official gig at the Old Art Building in Leland on the 4th of July.
“Our song is the signature of our soul.”
The Art of Inspiration
I began writing music when I was 19. After a few years playing with the hometown group, I would move to the Metro-Detroit area and begin performing my original music as a solo artist in coffee shops. I gravitated toward bluegrass, folk, jazz and improv. I met a friend in Royal Oak who was a saxophonist and student at Wayne State University. He had free time in their studio, and we spent our evenings learning how to engineer, produce and record. I wrote my first musical suite around that time. This became the focus of our recording project. We also performed together and networked with musicians from around the area.
SoulSun
A few months later, I met a lead guitarist from a recently separated band. He invited me to audition for a new group they were putting together. We settled on the name “SoulSun,” and feverishly practiced for a weekly gig in Greektown, which was to begin in two weeks’ time. Soon after our residency started, we added some of my music to our rep and in a matter of months, our setlists were built with our songs. A few months later, we were filling venues and travelling, all while recording our original music. We eventually disbanded yet came back together a couple of years after to finish the CD and perform at the release party.
En Fuego
Near the end of SoulSun’s run, I met a percussionist who played Congas. He would sit in with our group on occasion. A couple of years later, I would run into him, and he invited me to join a local Latin Jazz Band. My focus shifted to discovering a different style of music. During this time, I was also learning traditional Afro-Cuban and Latin percussion, primarily Congas, Cajon and Guira. After several performances with the Latin Jazz Band, they separated yet I continued to play these instruments, writing music inspired by Caribbean culture. Over a decade later, I would record them for some of the songs on my CD “Lakshmi.”
The Pryde
After the Latin Jazz group, I connected with another songwriter who was a graduate of music. We established an all-original duo, recording multiple genres and performing in the coffee house circuit and art festivals. Within a year, we recorded and released our first CD, all while feverishly writing new material and performing all around Michigan. The musical evolution between our first and second offerings was extraordinary, as I learned to bring melody, harmony, structure and theory to my songwriting. After our third CD was released and having performed on a weekly basis for three years, we parted ways.
Lakshmi
As The Pryde was ending, I began to write more intimate music with a universal message. In essence, I found my voice, my sound and my truth. My songwriting and performing became more multidimensional. I returned to the studio to record the “Lakshmi” CD. 12 songs, featuring 15 diverse genres on which I performed 17 different instruments. I also assisted in the engineering and mixing process, as well as conducting most of the production. Lakshmi shifted me into a new era of songwriting. In my honest observation, it is the best representation of my sonic artistry in my 36-year musical odyssey.
A History of Music
Music was never my endeavor for fame or fortune. It is too sacred an experience to be defined by compensation, imposition or promotion. Though I was surprised it did not become my personal destiny, I have learned that artistry is not a commodity for ego, but a soul expression. Since “Lakshmi,” I have written enough material for another 2 albums and continue to compose music. All through my musical history, there has been one common tone. Music connects us with each other unlike anything else in the world. Our creativity is what relates us with our soul, and the source of it all.
“Music is the voice of the universe.”
The Lakshmi Suite (composed for my wife Laura)
Iam Saums 