Subject: definition please
Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2000 17:27:47 EDT
From: trader@coolnet.net
To: Revmosier@cs.com
for us with roots in the blue ridge, appalachians, and adirondack mtns~~~ whats the revmo definiton of zambi? my take is its another word for fun, am i missing something?
peace and zambi n' shit~~ ==============================================================
Jeff Weinberg - Hillbilly From Philly - Personal E-mail
CDr Bootleg Music Trades http://trader.coolnet.com
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Subject: Re: definition please
Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2000 17:27:47 EDT
From: Revmosier@cs.com
To: trader@coolnet.net
To: Mr Jeff Weinberg
From: "rev" Jeff Mosier
Thanks for asking the question. I will attempt as so many have ask me. Please share this if necessary. It's for you and those who may want to know.
Through Col. Bruce Hampton, his present and former bandmates and friends, there has a developed over some years now a phenomenon that has sparked the curiosity of many. Though I feel it somewhat UN-sacred to try and define what only can be experienced, I will take the chance and in a synopsis attempt to the best of my ability explain this amazing and life changing idea.
My first level of understanding came when the Col. had me watch the movie "Being There" starring Peter Sellers. Ironically bassist Oteil Burbridge was in the movie as well. This movie must be watched if you are at all serious about coming to a full understanding. Once I understood the role of Chauncy Gardener and realized that by doing nothing he in effect was doing everything, I began to understand more.
My second discovery came when the Col. stood in front of the Atlanta restaurant "American Roadhouse." He stood on the curb looking off into space with no facial expression and absolutely no movement. He then looked and me and began to laugh hysterically. He called it "platorum." If I recall he defined it as "giving great attention without reactive thought, or a state of non-action." Even then I did not realize what I was in for! Up until this time I had only played only one gig with the Col.
The next thing that happened caused me to quite my job and join this new group that the Col. named the Aquarium Rescue Unit. I was honored as everyone in it, but me, were amazing players and very accomplished on their instruments. As I began to play this insane no-setlist , performance art oriented , mental ward soundtrack sounding mix of American-rootsy noises and musical sounds that up until then sounded like devil music to me, in some strange, but beautiful, way my playing and life began to change in an amazing way. Then I moved to the next step.
Finally one day the Col. told me the story of Joe Zambi, a parasitologist who lives in Norcross who Bruce met in Fla. some years back. For whatever reason this man represents a modern day Chauncy Gardener to the Col. He is a musician, but the Col.'s obsession with him doing and being nothing and everything has created , through Joe Zambi, a kind of modern musical manifestation of the Tao in so many people that know about Zambi. He is just a guy, but not really. He doesn't and hasn't done anything, but really has done so much that words can't describe. Here's where I step in and try to the best of my ability explain, on the surface and in a nutshell, how much this means to me personally. It means everything to start. Everyone who has played with the Col. has been profoundly effected in many ways. Some more than others. On an earthly level it would be easy to give the Col. the credit. I do a lot on stage, but I know he doesn't want it or need it. He has in my opinion been a channel for so many, including me, by which we have discovered the meaning of very important musical ideas that most music schools don't teach. These ideas are about "flow" and "intention." All we were expected to do on stage with the Col. was to play ourselves and play with a mix of what he called "recovery" and "release." "Recovery" being the way you move in and out of improvisational corners and how you get yourself out of musical fixes as you try to intuitively make the music real by making your mistakes your art. Col. would say "there are no mistakes." Imagine hearing that as a musician! "Release" is the sense of urgency, emotion and intention by which you play. If you play with "butt-intention" as the Col. said, it was YOU. If you play "face-intention" then you are playing to please others and not yourself and usually that is what he would call "cheesefrog." "Cheesefrog" could be any music that was played for every reason but for the music and for the intention of playing. It is "cheesy" in the sense that it will work to gain acceptance from an audience above all else. Ironically though, the Col. would see some "cheesefrog" that was SO "cheesefrog" that he would consider it Zambi. He would say of those artist "they are laughing their ass off" or "they know." "To know" is hard to define. I think it means to know that all is "no-thing." No-thingness is the ultimate element of any music that is considered Zambi. To not be a "thing" is to be oneself and to be oneself is art. He would point out bands that he said had "hope." That means they were banking on action and ego and "hope" in something. Having "no hope" in your music and having "hopeless" music are two different thing. Having "no hope' seemed to be the key and being "hopeless" was deemed as self-pity as I understood the Col.
The Col. has affected so many with this idea that the names and bands if listed would be staggering. I for one was able to play the banjo with freedom for the first time in my life after I met the Col. My given Zambi name is "rev" Mosier from the hills of Tennessee and I will always use it on stage. I hate the name as I am intrinsically ashamed of the reputation of most reverends. But as time goes on I see more and more that it is "me" and keeps me humiliated at the proper level. I went to theology school and do have faith, but am embarrassed about what so many people do in the name of God. This name on some type of Karmic level reminds me from where I came and keeps me in the "Zambi" way. All Zambi names are humiliating in some way or another. It's not bad, it just the truth. The Col. calls it "going below." But I like many, do give the Col. credit as we are so drenched in the western notion of "respect." The Col. would not allow us to give him credit and said "respect is an evil that corrodes the mind."
Zambiland Orchestra as a modern day musical notion has been spear headed and carried on by Apt Q-258 or drummer Jeff Sipe. He has in effect created the world sickest "company party" where all of us can go and NOT be from the band that the public associates us with, see each other and play unrehearsed flow based music. Of course the "rock star" thing will always draw the masses, but the Zambiland Orchestra is a serious attempt to create a very special and spiritual moment that will allow all of us to follow the flow of the moment and not try to perform formulated and planned music to impressed anyone. The music is often "out" and sometimes "in." But when it is "in" the combination of people and instruments make it fresh and real. Everyone attempts to yield to one another in a special way. Blueground Undergrass is the Zambi name for Bluegrass Underground and we will always have within our music a Zambi influence. The Col. often calls that element the "treat of vomit." It's music that sounds like it could go anywhere all at once. It could sound dangerous and gentle and has elements of the flow of the universe that will connect to an audience in a deep and spiritual way. It seems to be driven by what he often called "the invisible whip" We don't always accomplish that in BGUG but as the band leader I do keep that in mind with every set list and tune. I would not be playing music if the Col. had not told me about Zambi and trusted that I would not only "get it", but "go with it". Zambi is about the flow of life and the emptying of oneself that is necessary to live life to the fullest. I will not be happy until I one day write a complete thesis on the subject as this definition only scratches the surface.
The Col. has plans to move away from Atlanta in the near future and all of us here in the city will miss him. Though he will be around and we have plans to all play shows together , I will greatly miss eating and laughing with my dear friend and mentor the Col. Bruce Hampton ret. Thanks for asking about Zambi Jeff . It gives me great joy to share it with you. Share it with others. Peace and Zambi !
"rev" Mosier from the hills of Tennessee
Sept 30, 00
Truly, "rev" Jeff Mosier
Blueground Undergrass
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