Donald Rafael Garrett

Inspiration exploding

from mysterious soft depths of Spirit

Convex convolutions of Soul

Illuminated by brilliance

and long clear vision

Warm seer exuding life

Rich with wide experience

Gentle with wide unbitterness

Transcending the inevitable sorrow

of today and tomorrow

in inneffable beauty

Yearning in the Cosmic Sea

Freedom transpiring in Sacred Humaness

 

Zusaan Kali Fasteau

San Francisco, 1971

A great teacher, Mr. Garrett inspired and encouraged many musicians with his profound insight and innovative approach to the creative process. His passionate intensity and exuberant energy, and the rich warmth and profound beauty of his voice and music will be cherished in our hearts forever.

My first Ney teacher was an afroamerican man from Chicago, Donald "Rafael" Garrett.
He had played with major names such as Rhasaan Roland Kirk, John Coltrane, Archie Shepp, Sun Ra, the Art Ensemble of Chicago; he was the one, with Muhal Richard Abrams, who got the idea of A.A.C.M. (Advanced Association for Creative Music) in Chicago. He was a friend of the great John Coltrane.

In the Seventies he left the jazz showbusiness and travelled around the world, going in Africa, Asia and Europe. He also lived a year in Turkey, wandering with the famous WV van and living in a tent, playing in the streets with his wife, the poli-instrumentist Zusaan "Kali" Fasteau.
He himselfwas playing many instruments: double bass, clarinet, flute, saxophone, and all the ethnic instruments which will become fashionable later, in the 80ies and 90ies, such as the didjeridoo and the shakuhaci.
In Turkey he learned the Ney from the famous neyzen Aka Gunduz Kutbay.
Then he came to Europe and began to give concerts again, with the highly experimental duo with his wife, called "The Sea Ensemble".
Then, he settled in Italy, in the town of Pisa where I was living, for three years, greatly improving the musical scene there, teaching, playing with, and encouraging, young musicians.
With Rafael, I saw a ney for the first time, and learned to build it and play.
We became friends and in his last year in Pisa, 1983, we met almost every day in order to study, practice, play and share philosophical views about existence and reality.
From and through Rafael, I learned invaluable breathing techniques for wind instruments, which came from great master musicians such as Coltrane and Aka Gunduz.

All this happened in the early 80ies.

In 1983 Rafael felt the call of America again, and went back to live in Chicago. He left the phenomenal side of the veil on August 14, 1989.

Heruka Fabio Pellegrini

 

photos taken during a concert in Pisa, San Zeno abbey, 1983

 

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Donald RAFAEL GARRETT - Biographical Notes:

Rafael Garrett was closely mentored by Sonny Rollins for two years during the mid-1950's. He also collaborated closely with Muhal Richard Abrams in the late 1950's and early 1960's during the founding of Chicago's famous A.A.C.M.

Rafael's early appearances on record include "Introducing Roland Kirk," Rahsaan's debut album, and "Look to the Red Star," with Dewey Redman. In 1965 Rafael moved to San Francisco, where he established a group called The Sound Circus, with drummer Oliver Johnson and the late multi-reedist Gerald Oshita. While on the West Coast, he recorded four albums with the great John Coltrane: "Om," "Kulu Se Mama," "Selflessness," and "Live in Seattle." (Rafael is probably the only musician who recorded with Coltrane and is not widely known through this work because the producers in New York didn't get a photo of Rafael, who lived in California, to put on the albums.)

Rafael performed and recorded with most of the great jazz artists of the time, including Archie Shepp, Sonny Rollins, Gene Ammons, Johnny Griffin, Pharoah Sanders, Sonny Simmons, Bobby Hutcherson, Roy Haynes, Shirley Scott, Sonny Stitt, Joe Henderson, Chris Anderson, Eddie Harris, Beaver Harris, Clifford Jordan, Letta Mbulu, Frank Wright, Eddie Moore, Douglas Ewart, Mwata Bowden, Billy Bang, Frank Lowe, Joseph Jarman, Jean-Luc Ponty, Butch Morris, and too many more to list here.

In 1971 Rafael began his collaboration with Zusaan Kali Fasteau. In 1972 they set off on their world travels, performing in Senegal, Congo, Morocco, Haiti, France, Holland, Turkey, Italy, Greece, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Yugoslavia and America. At times, they also toured with Archie Shepp, and for about a year, the late Glenn Spearman and Jay Oliver augmented their duet.

Rafael was a brilliant artist, way ahead of his time.

In addition to his total mastery of the mystery of music-making, his incredibly beautiful sound on his instruments, and his very warm, graceful, intense, spirited and high-energy performance style, he had vast knowledge and expertise in the most advanced cultural developments. Bamboo flute-making, Tai-Chi Chuan, extended string techniques, the keys to woodwind vitality, macrobiotic health and cuisine, and Buddhism were some of these treasures that he shared generously with a great many people. While Rafael was one of the very best 'walking'(bebop) and avant-garde arco bassists of all time, he enjoyed stretching the definitions of music to the max, and played it all with tremendous emotion and feeling.

 

FLYING NOTE Records is proud to announce an historic double CD of never-before-released music composed and performed by KALI Z. FASTEAU and DON RAFAEL GARRETT, entitled "MEMOIRS OF A DREAM."

Disc One of this archival double CD, entitled "STREAMING LOVE," was recorded multi-track (2 layers) in Leiden, Holland in 1975.

Disc Two, entitled "COME FROM DEEP" was recorded Live-in-Concert in Ankara, Turkey in 1977. RAFAEL GARRETT plays Contrabass, Bb Clarinet, Sol Clarinet, Shakuhachi, Nai & Kaval Flutes, Sheng, Zurna, Sanza, Balafon, Conch, Voice and Percussion. KALI FASTEAU plays Piano, Cello, Nai, Shakuhachi & Kaval Flutes, Sol Clarinet, Cumbus Tanbur, Sheng, Conch, Sanza, Moursin and Davul Drum.

The music on both discs totals 92 minutes. This is one of the few and best recorded examples of the artistry and genius of the late composer and multi-instrumentalist Donald RAFAEL GARRETT, particularly in the context of The Sea Ensemble, his duo with his wife, KALI Z. FASTEAU. We are releasing this double album as a tribute to Rafael, to share his musical genius with a wider audience.

FLYING NOTE Records

Website: WWW.KALIMUSE.COM

E-mail: zkfasteau@msn.com

Phone: (914) 568-6191; Fax: (914) 569-2159.

Distribution: Forced Exposure [fe@shore.net]; North Country [northcountry@cadencebuiding.com]