Musical Projects of Malcolm Smith

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Contact details
Education
Experience
Future Performances
Recent Performances
Solo Compositions
Current groups: The Alpha Males, St. Albans Djembe Group, Vitae Drummers

CONTACT DETAILS

Please send drumming-related
emails to drummingisfun.co.uk

Website: www.thesmith.org.uk
Phone: 01525 240 937

EDUCATION

A composer and percussionist, I studied Electronic Music at The University of Hertfordshire with Ian Dearden and Javier Alvarez, and studied African Drumming with David Oladunni and many many other master drummers over the past twenty years. My 2006 trip to Senegal allowed intensive study with Jean-Marie Keita and Malo Sonko. In 2009-2010 I completed the Sing Up Take The Lead course learning how to teach vocal workshops.

I was awarded a bursary from the Holst Foundation to visit the 1999 Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. I attended the Dartington International Summer School three times: first in 1999 as percussionist for David Bedford's PRS Total Eclipse Project, when I also sang in the choir under Ivor Bolton. In 2000 I was sponsored by the William Glock Foundation to study composition and percussion at Dartington with Edward Dudley Hughes and Ensemble Bash; I also sang Haydn's Creation under Robert Tear. In 2001 I studied Ghanaian drum music of the Ashanti court with Johnson Kwadzo Kemeh, sang with Scott Stroman's African Gospel Choir, attended Rolf Hind's piano masterclass, and played percussion with a jazz quintet.

EXPERIENCE

I began compositional experiments while still at school, using early home computers and keyboards with the synth band ERA. A fascination for electronic sounds led to some house music tracks recorded in various professional studios with the band Elevator Man between 1989 and 1992. I performed and recorded with many student groups at University, including Cosmic Slop (space funk rock), Spliced (punk funk dub), The Waltons (ethnic free improv), before forming The Canopus Percussion Ensemble (1994...1996). During that time I was also involved with music therapy projects and sound engineering for the University Big Band. I even designed an Additive Synthesis system for University compositions and performance. In 1996 I joined the Watford Percussion Project under South African bandleader Molefe Pheto, supporting John Martyn at The Rainbow Festival, and also performed as percussionist for Tabula Rasa Dance Company in Oxford and St. Albans Abbey, and as DJ Spock with Karmatosed sound system at many venues.

Over the years I have accompanied African, Indian, Tai Chi and Butoh dance workshops and theatre productions. The nice people at BBC Training have made several short films featuring me playing music and discussing my life at Michael's Folly (these have not been broadcast on television, but I was interviewed on BBC1's Countryfile programme). More recently I led my drumming group Secret Bass and also played Tibetan singing bowls and percussion with The Naked Truth, and dun duns with Africa Junction.

Nowadays I hold regular drum classes in Hertfordshire, teaching djembe and dun duns, and give private and group drumming tuition in schools and businesses as leader of my own company Drumming Is Fun. For many years I taught the first (to my knowledge) University evening class in African Drumming, then my own Bedford Djembe Group and a community-funded group in Milton Keynes called Moribayassa Drummers. I currently perform with my St. Albans Djembe Group, plus Vitae Drummers in Bucks.

As well as drumming, singing is an increasing passion. I now teach songs from Africa and around the world, and sang and played percussion with African master harpist Sidiki Dembele (see below for album news). From 2014...2016 I performed as bass soloist with Raise The Rafters choir in Aylesbury until we tragically lost our beloved leader Jenny to cancer.

I am making slow but steady progress in the (long) process of setting up my home studio to resume recording and composition, and ultimately form a music production company.

>>> Hear some free downloads of my music

FUTURE PERFORMANCES

RECENT PERFORMANCES

2019-09-14 Vitae Drummers at Waterside Festival, Aylesbury, followed by an evening gig at The Elgiva Theatre, Chesham.
2019-08-25 The Alpha Males at Bledlow Village Hall with support act: Glockenspiel. I played piano, organ & percussion again with our quintet of flute, guitar/percussion, cello/drums & bass/piano/glockenspiel, performing a diverse array of cinematic melodic progressive art rock chamber music by Jon Samsworth (including JACK), and I also composed a piece specially for Bledlow Ridge :-)
2019-06-22 Vitae Drummers on The Beacon Stage at Beacon Festival, Watlington Hill, Oxfordshire .
2019-06-21 Vitae Drummers played the sun down and danced for Summer Solstice atop Coombe Hill, Wendover (like every year), to a happy crowd of hundreds.
2019-04-27 Solo Piano Unconcert showcasing some of my unheard compositions; similar events will follow in future...
2019-03-23 The Alpha Males supporting Haystack Monolith and Rookery at Antenna Studios, Crystal Palace, London. I played grand piano & percussion again with our lineup of Jon Samsworth (bass/piano/percussion) and Mark Browne (saxes/guitar/percussion) now joined by original band members Rachel O'Mahony (flute/voice), Anthony Palmer (cello/drumkit) and guest star Rob Price (sax/voice).
2018-08-02 Jon Samsworth at London's first co‑operatively owned pub, Ivy House, Nunhead, SE15 3BE, supporting Kerry JK I played acoustic piano, vintage analogue synths and dun duns with our previous quartet lineup of violin, bass/piano/percussion & drums now expanded by Swiss guitarist Joel Urner. We performed a 45-minute set of Jon's excellent compositions, some from his EP "Without Words".
2018-07-14 Thresholds experimental dance performance at The Clophill Centre in Bedfordshire MK45 4BT. A fusion of Butoh dance and sound exploration performed by Fabrizia & The Cardinals (aka Fabrizia Verrecchia, Ruth Ford, Chrissie Martin and Malcolm Smith) around the Treehouse at The Clophill Centre. A wonderful opportunity to witness experimental dance theatre and soundscape at a unique site-specific space. Voyage through the portals of dark and light, weaving a bridge between the seen and the unseen, the sublime and the grotesque. A dreamlike journey of the surreal, the bizarre, tuning into our inner world... .
2018-07-01 My St. Albans Djembe Group performed before Chrissie's gong bath in the beautiful woodland setting of The Clinton-Baker Pinetum at my old University's Bayfordbury Campus near Hertford, at their annual event raising money for the upkeep of this magical place.
2018-06-23 Structured Disasters at Bucks County Museum in Aylesbury, HP20 2QP. Jon Samsworth's original quartet expanded to include violinist Chloe Tennant.
2018-05-26 Structured Disasters at Milton Keynes Gallery playing dun duns and percussion with Jon Samsworth's eclectic quartet, alongside amazingly multi-talented drummer Viktor Volaric-Horvat and saxophonist+guitarist Mark Browne.
2018-05-27 Vitae Drummers at Frogfest in High Wycombe High Street.
2018-06-15 Vitae Drummers on The Beacon Stage at Beacon Festival, Watlington Hill, Oxfordshire.
2017-12-10 Limina by Cafe Reason Butoh Dance Theatre Company at Freud's Cafe, Oxford. This was a very surreal "cabaret" evening (in the strangest sense of the word!), celebrating the group's twenty years of performing. I played singing bowls and percussion alongside cellist Bruno Guastalla in a piece we first did in 1999 with dancers Fabrizia Verrecchia and Ayala Kingsley, plus some other larger group pieces with flautist Pete McPhail and composer Malcolm Atkins.
2017-06-25 My St. Albans Djembe Group performed on the Main Stage at The Alban Street Festival to a very merry crowd packing the streets! :-)
2016-04-16 Songs Of Peace And Pieces Of Cake afternoon concert by our protest choir Raise The Rafters at The Friends' Meeting House in Aylesbury, which raised £227.01 for Peace Direct and Migrant Offshore Aid Station.
2014-11-22 WEST AFRICA SPECTACULAR fundraising concert at Arts4Every1 in High Wycombe, singing backing vocals and playing percussion with Sidiki Dembele, supported by our groups Africa Junction and Vitae Drummers.
PLUS: we just finished recording and mixing Sidiki's album of six sublime African songs plus a bonus track of his incredible solo djembe playing. The album was released at the above concert, with profits going to the music school he sponsors for orphans in Africa. The concert raised £1910 and CD sales raised £1200 which in Africa is a fortune!
2014-02-01 Inaugural performance of Raise The Rafters protest choir at The Limelight Theatre in Aylesbury
2013-09-15 Directing and performing music for voices, wind wands, singing bowls, gong, drums and percussion for a massive art project called We Are Now about charming the Wind with storytelling and dance and hundreds of people processing in costume and launching a house-sized kite atop Dunstable Downs in a gale = EPIC!
2012....now Various Bedford Djembe Group and Vitae Drummers gigs.
2011-05-30 Ghanaian drumming with Yaw Asumada at African Beats Camp.
2009...2010 A steady stream of Vitae Drummers and Africa Junction gigs.
2009-07-29 Playing percussion and singing with Watford Palace Theatre Community Choir.
2008-12-05 Vitae Drummers played at an Arts4Every1 Community Party and Creative Showcase at St. John's Church, High Wycombe.
2008-09-27 Vitae Drummers celebrated their tenth birthday at Loosely Row Millennium Hall, Lacey Green, Princes Risborough.
2008-09-07 Vitae Drummers played at African Linx Festival at Cropredy near Banbury.
2008-07-20 Vitae Drummers played for a third time at The Chilterns Show near Amersham.
2008-07-19 Vitae Drummers played at Steve's Barn Party.
2008-06-21 Vitae Drummers played atop Coombe Hill again to celebrate the Summer Solstice.
2008-06-20 UH Staff Society drumming group played at the annual Staff Garden Party.
2008-06-14 Vitae Drummers played at Thame Festival again.
2008-06-01 Secret Bass performed again at Hertford Castle Fun Day.
2008-05-17 Vitae Drummers played for a third time at the Wycombe Arts Festival.
2008-05-03 Vitae Drummers played at Linda's party at Studley Green Community Centre.
2008-04-26 Vitae Drummers played at Jean's Party.
2008-04-19 Secret Bass and Fabrizia performed for charity at Essendon International Evening.
2008-04-05 Vitae Drummers played again at The Eden Centre, High Wycombe.
2008-04-05 1980's Pop Nite with DJ Spock still in birthday mood.
2008-03-29 Malc's Birthday Party featuring DJ Spock.
2008-03-15 Vitae Drummers played at the new Eden Centre in High Wycombe.
2008-01-26 DJ Spock presented the music of Faust.
2007-12-31 DJ Spock spun some tunes at a jolly New Year's Eve party.
2007-12-08 Vitae Winter Party at Studley Green Community Centre.
2007-11-24 Vitae Drummers and Justine Hart played for Tony's Birthday Party at LA Fitness Health Club, Slough.
2007-10-20 Vitae Drummers played at Tasha's parents' 40th anniversary party.
2007-09-23 Secret Bass, "Nameless", and others performed at Garden Party #1.
2007-09-08 Vitae Drummers played for Ana's Celebration at the White Lodge Centre, Surrey.
2007-09-07 Secret Bass played at a charity event for the Multiple Sclerosis Trust in Letchworth.
2007-08-11 Vitae Drummers played again at The Drawing Room, Chesham.
2007-07-25 Vitae Drummers vs. Towersey Morris Men at The Three Horseshoes pub in Towersey near Thame.
2007-07-22 Vitae Drummers returned to The Chiltern Show near Amersham.
2007-07-14 Vitae Drummers returned to Astonbury Festival.
2007-06-30 "Nameless" played at the Triangle Festival in Hitchin.
2007-06-30 Vitae Drummers performed for some visiting Kenyans.
2007-06-16 Vitae Drummers played to end the street parade in Thame celebrating 1000 years of history in Oxfordshire.
2007-06-10 Secret Bass played at Hertford Fun Day within the castle grounds.
2007-06-09 Vitae Summer Party at Studley Green Community Centre.
2007-06-03 Secret Bass performed on Little Berkhamsted village green.
2007-05-19 Vitae Drum Circle performed once again at the Wycombe Arts Festival, playing outside The Church in High Wycombe town centre.
2007-05-12 Cosmic Sound Chamber performance for Tibetan singing bowls, voices and swimmers, given at midnight at Bonhayes Farm, Dorset.
2007-01-21 Vitae Drum Circle played at a fundraising gig for the Africa Link festival in Gambia at Cropredy Village Hall near Banbury, along with a kora player.
2006-12-16 Vitae Drum Circle played at their Vitae Winter Party at Studley Green Community Centre.
2006-12-11 Vitae Drum Circle played again at The Guild Of Complementary Therapists' Christmas party, Rosetti Hall.
2006-11-11 Vitae Drum Circle played at The Polish Club, Amersham.
2006-11-04 Vitae Drum Circle played at a Druid Camp after Julie's Party.
2006-10-21 Vitae Drum Circle played at Chesham and Amersham Libraries.
2006-09-30 Vitae Drum Circle played at The Drawing Room, Chesham, HP5 1DG.
2006-09-02 Vitae Drum Circle played at Steve's Barn Party, near Tring.
2006-08-19 Vitae Drum Circle and Secret Bass played at Art In Penn Woods, between Amersham and Hazlemere.
2006-07-16 Vitae Drum Circle played at The Chiltern Show, Great Missenden.
2006-07-15 Vitae Drum Circle played at Astonbury Festival, Aston Abbots, Buckinghamshire.
2006-07-02 Vitae Drum Circle played at M.A.D. About Waddesdon at Waddesdon Manor.
2006-06-25 Vitae Drum Circle played at the Festival of Football and Prestwood School Fete.
2006-06-23 Vitae Drum Circle played at a Charity concert at Maidenhead Town Hall.
2006-06-21 Vitae Drum Circle played atop Coombe Hill for the Summer Solstice celebrations.
2006-06-17 Vitae Drum Circle played at Ted's Naming Ceremony at The Village Hall pub in Chalfont St. Peter.
2006-05-06 Vitae Drum Circle performed at Wycombe Arts Festival, playing outside The Church in High Wycombe town centre.
2006-05-01 Vitae Drum Circle performed at the Spirit of Prestwood Fete on Prestwood Common, off Honor Road.
2006-04-01 Played dun duns with Vitae Drum Circle and percussion with Justine Hart at Ailsa's Pink and Purple 50th Birthday Party (my birthday too! :-)
2006-03-12 Played dun duns with 25(!) djembe players from Vitae Drum Circle at The Wycombe Swan Theatre in High Wycombe.
2006-03-04 The Naked Truth played at a Free Tibet Benefit Gig at Molly Malone's bar in Hitchin.
2005-12-19 Played dun duns with some of the djembe players from Vitae Drum Circle at The Guild Of Complementary Therapists' Christmas party at Rosetti Hall near High Wycombe.
2005-11-19 Played dun duns with 20 djembe players of Vitae Drum Circle at The Beacon Theatre in Beaconsfield .
2005-07-23 The Naked Truth really enjoyed playing at the second Festival of Song, Drum and Dance on Saturday evening in the magical woodlands at Cuffley Camp, near Potters Bar, along with Fabrizia and Secret Bass.
2005-04-23 The Naked Truth played at a benefit gig for the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY campaign in Hitchin Market Place.
2005-02-13 Although you can hardly believe much of what you see in the media these days, and despite the fact that We rarely give interviews ;-) there was a short fragment of Naked Truth aired on BBC television's Countryfile programme about Epping Forest on BBC1 at 11:30am on Sunday morning. Do not adjust your sets. Normal broadcasting resumed shortly thereafter...
2005-01-23 The Naked Truth played a short set at Rhythms Of The World - Tsunami Benefit gig at Club 85, 74 Whinbush Road, Hitchin.
2004-12-18 Played congas with Salsa Natyam dancers at a Sri Lankan charity event at The Settlement in Letchworth.
2004-11-19 Played congas with Salsa Natyam dancers at Hitchin Ethnic Minority Forum.
2004-09-04 Mundo Pequeno at La Gran MeGaFiesta at Club Colosseum, 1 Nine Elms Lane, Vauxhall, London SW8.
2004-07-24 The Naked Truth played at Festival of Song, Drum and Dance in the magical woodlands at Cuffley Camp, near Potters Bar.
2004-07-10...11 Rhythms Of The World festival, Hitchin on Saturday and Sunday afternoons:
- 12:30 on both days in St. Mary's Church: played Tibetan Singing Bowls to create some harmonious vibes for the Sri Lankan Buddhist monk, The Venerable Samitha, who welcomed in the festival with some chanting for peace.
- 3:45pm Saturday on The Willow stage: played percussion and flute with The Naked Truth
- 4:00pm Sunday in the Marketplace: played congas and flute with Latin band Mundo Pequeno ('small world') featuring Katrina from Katrina & The Waves!

SOLO COMPOSITIONS

COMPLETED WORKS

Deep Space for processed piano & electronics (1992)
Additive Synthesis Project for samplers & electronics (1993)
Majestic for synthesiser (1993)
Song of The Goddesses for sampler & computer (1993)
Mirror for sine waves (1993)
She Looked Becalmed for flute & piano (1997)
Sonata for piano & flute (1993...98)
Night Studies for piano (1992...99) [recorded at Dartington International Summer School in 2001]
Message for piano (1994) [premiered & recorded at Dartington in 2000]
Hymn for piano (1998) [recorded at Dartington in 2000]
LIV for flute, clarinet, violin, cello & piano (1998) [premiered & recorded at Dartington in 1999, and later performed there in 2001 with members of The Fibonacci Sequence]
Tone Control - a collection of recorded songs & drum rhythms (1999)
Homage To Alfred for piano (1998/9) [presented to Irina Schnittke at London's Wigmore Hall on 1999-12-20]
Violently Calm Entrancement for piano (1999) [recorded at Dartington in 2001, and presented to Roxanna Panufnik on 2011-09-17]
Sir Duncan's Pavane for solo double bass (2000) [premiered & recorded at Teatro Dona Maria II, Lisbon on 2002-10-19]
Valiant Steps for oboe & piano (2000)
A Time On My Island of Art for clarinet & cello (2000) [premiered & recorded at Dartington in 2000]
The Wounded Nurse for harpsichord & voice (1999/2000) [recorded at Dartington in 2000]
Melon Variations On A Theme By Alfred Schnittke On The Name B-A-C-H for piano (2000)
A Breath of Fresh Air for clarinet, shakers, vibraphone & piano (2000) [premiered & recorded at Dartington in 2000]
Canopus for voices & percussion (1996/1997/2007)
Ashley's Song for voice & piano (2007)
The Beat Elite - rap for voices and drums (2009)
Loving Yew (for Chrissie) for harmonium & voice (1998/2011)

WORKS IN PROGRESS

New music is going online as fast we can edit it! [listed above in bold]