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EVOLVE! AMagazine of Evolutionary Products, People and Ideas
An Interview with Melissa Vardey "Living in Divine Time"

Weare here to administer to human hearts, to see the beauty in everyone andeverything/ Every task is a sacred one as we direct our power to spiritualpurpose/ This is the ceremony of the hunter, the hunt for peace andunderstanding, joining together with the force of love as one strong tribe....Amunya, Amunya, let's go forward together.

Thesewords, culled from the album Living in Divine Time, reflect the visionand mission of Melissa Vardey, an English-born accomplished pianist who hasspent much of her life trying to mend the divided world through music and song.Melissa considers her latest project, featuring popular R&B artist Chaka Khanand African artist Gueria Gaston, a collaboration to bring music from theMotherland to all parts of the world. Melissa recently shared her passion forsocial and economic justice with EVOLVE! Managing Editor Jenise Morgan.

 

JM: Where has music taken you?

 

MV: Allover the world. My professional life has been one of pure adventure. Travelingfor 30 years as a solo pianist/entertainer, bringing people from all walks oflife together around the piano, witnessing the healing power of music and it'sability to unite people. I've always been a seeker and a bit of a rebel. Even atschool in England when most pupils had pictures of the Beatles or the RollingStones inside their desk lids, I had pictures of Zulu warriors. I wanted totravel. I would spin the globe and stick a pin in it and wherever the pin landedI would apply for a position as a performer. I was rather naive and veryspontaneous, hopping on planes, trail-blazing for justice. I went toBoputathswana, South Africa, with the idealist goal of trying to help endapartheid. I was appalled at the treatment I saw there. I watched from the pianoas tall native elegant men and women gradually lost their smiles, dignity andspirit through maltreatment. I was asked to leave Africa after a few monthsbecause I was "fraternizing with the natives" -- that is, I was caught showing awaiter how to tie his shoelaces.

Everycountry I visited displayed the stark contrast of extreme poverty and blatantopulence. I always wanted to bridge the gap but it was like trying to save theworld; a daunting task. So now I do what I can with music and  let it mend thedivide with song.

Music isthe language of the heart. I don't actually speak another language but I couldalways make myself understood discovering that communication is one of thespirit first. I've always loved interacting with strangers. It's absolutelyfascinating: if your intention is to find a beautiful person behind anunfamiliar face or strange attire, you find a beautiful person! I was invited bythe American Embassy to be their resident pianist in London for five years,which led me to Los Angeles in 1989.
 

JM: Why was this method of bringing in African performersused?

 

MV: It was a process of integration toenhance our sense of universal connectedness. I thought it would be a nice ideato give musicians who had never stepped inside a recording studio an opportunityto record, even those who had never sung before but had something to say, tohave a chance to blend their performances with seasoned musicians (hence thechildren from Cameroon, the Ghanian tribesman, the Gambian drummers performingwith Chaka Khan). Working with African performers is always eventful andcolorful. They are uninhibited respectful generous and non-judgmental. Theirfreedom of expression is beautiful. I learned something new from them everyday.I love being with African musicians because they come from the heart ineverything they do.

Any timeI had to face something difficult I turned it into a song. The method was one ofexploration and full of the unexpected. I surrounded myself with African drums,masks and artifacts and immersed myself in the vibe of Africa. I experimentedwith my voice, singing, chanting and primal calling and a whole array of flutesand percussion instruments.  I recorded nature sounds and I spent hourslistening to nature, studying birdsong, the wind in the trees, anything thatinspired me.

Simplerepetitive phrases on wooden instruments would take hold and carry me off toAfrica, with the mesmerizing feeling of being very present and very far away atthe same time. I learned that you have to dedicate yourself to music, beprepared to give it most of your time in order to find the goodies, the buriedtreasure!

All the emotions got channeled intothe music. There were extraordinary unforgettable moments like when Bobette myAfrican-American friend came by my studio one day. Her attention was drawn to anAfrican ceremonial mask that was hanging on the wall. When she smelled the strawand burnt wood she went into a complete trance. I was playing a track at thetime and as she began singing she was instantaneously transported back to earlyAfrica. I felt her coming from this very deep place inside and luckily managedto hit the record button just in time to capture her one-take performance. Iliterally fell on the floor crying when she had finished I was so overcome bythe beauty of her soul. Because I was brought up on jazz and Africa is itsroots. It's a homage to the great influence it has had on the world. It has the universal appeal of simple melodies and complex rhythms, energy, exuberance andcelebration.

 

JM: Living in Divine Time is a musicaljourney to Africa. It's filled with African chants and drumming. What was thepurpose of this experience? Why this experience?

 

MV: The purpose of any experience isgrowth and this experience was truly one of evolution.Although a very personal journey it alsorepresents the epic journey we are all travelling ö the one of exploration,self-discovery and recovery. To me the music is really world music that'spulsating with tribal Africa as it interweaves many influences from classical tojazz  Every song, every utterance throughout the album is positive, it's abouthappiness, going higher, it's about forgiveness, reaching upwards and outwardsbeyond limitation. Every prayer is an invocation of the spirit, honoring ourancestors, respecting where we have come from, choosing the path of ascendancy.Why this experience? Well, it all began when I went to a carving workshopconducted by West African master carver Gueria Gaston. I invited him to myrecording studio and to see my African art collection. When he arrived I wasbusy working on an instrumental piece. He immediately began dancing to my musicexclaiming that this was the harvest ceremony rhythm from his tribe. As I playeddifferent pieces, Gueria kept breaking into different dances telling me that itwas a hunter dance or wedding celebration dance. I couldn't believe my eyes. Noone had responded to my music like this before! We started talking, sharing ourhopes and dreams. We talked about how music accompanies every activity inAfrica; about the suffering, injustice, fear and prejudice that is stillpervasive in this world and wouldn't it be nice if we could do something aboutit. The more passionate we got about the music the more musicians seemed toappear out of nowhere, the more inspiring things happened, which reassured us wewere on the right path. We strove to create a colorful tapestry -  with love asthe thread.
 

JM: How did you draw in someone like Chaka Khan, someone who is not usually connected with the body-mind-spirit arena?


MV: I met her in London at a recording session and we clicked. I asked her if she would like to collaborate with me and she agreed. We co-wrote "It All Begins With Love" and then our duet "Living In Divine Time." She often came over to my studio and our friendship grew. Her spirit is magnanimous in the movement for social and environmental change. She is an incredible woman , very grounded and free.

 

JM: You are donating proceeds from Living in Divine Time, which has been endorsed by Quincy Jones, to the World Literacy Crusade in innercity Los Angeles. What was the driving force for this?

 

MV: To create a beautiful uplifting listening experience and offer sanctuary. Chaka and I both wanted to raise awareness about the importance of music and art education and we began teaching children art and music at the World Literacy Crusade in Compton.  Proceeds from the album go towards The World Literacy Crusade and the Chaka Khan Foundation. We have been delighted with the response to the album and from Quincy Jones' enthusiasm and endorsement of the project. It already has had worldwide airplay, used in hospitals schools spas and workshops, heard locally on KPFK and NPR and is featured in documentary films about nature. We would like it to reach an even wider audience.

The music had actually been percolating in my soul for a long time, and when my five-year songwriting contract with Warner/Chappell expired I was ready to create music other than the obligatory commercial R&B songs. I wanted to produce music that would excite, have meaning, a social conscience and a joyous vibe. I didn't know which form that would take but I wanted to re-create the rich listening experience of my childhood and take it a notch higher. I couldn't find it on albums or on the radio at the time so I thought I might as well compose it myself! I had to take a stand against exploitation of tribes people and the cut În'paste mentality of music made from a bunch of loops and samples so I decided to do real-time recording with real musicians. I had no pre-conceived idea of what I was going to do. I just followed my intuition.
 


JM: You have performed with performed with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, Chaka Khan, George Duke, Natalie Cole, and The Living Spirit. Have you written any hit songs or ones that one would recognize?

 

MV: Yes. "With Your Hand Upon My Heart" recorded by Michael Crawford and Patti LaBelle in 1993. The song came from his album A Touch Of Music In The Night and charted No. 1 in Europe and Australia. Both artists were happy about the video breaking new ground with the two different cultures coming together in love.

 

JM: I am interested in your message.

 

MV: My message is one of love, unity and peace. We have become a sight-dominated race which has led to greed and separation and we need to come back to our souls by listening, using our ears again, not only to hear Nature's whispers but the gentle beat of our inner drum. My intention is to share my musical take on life and hope it transports listeners to the exotic lands and ethereal realms of the spirit where it has taken me. I focus on the spiritual aspect of being, as opposed to the physical world of having because without a connection to the spiritual side of life one never feels truly happy or content. A poem came to me one night as if by divine intervention. "This tide of longing, this profound nostalgia, this tom-tom in my heart...." The words poured through me onto the page. "I pause I sigh - Nature poised and dignified signifies all. I hear I touch her seasoned truth, the taste of becoming." I began fleshing out the poem in musical terms: "To greet the pulse of life, to embrace the sublime as in the beginning, so fill my soul to brimming.... as round and round the rhythm of the sound finds me dancing on sacred ground."
 

 

JM: Could you explain the album title becausepeople would say that with all that's going on in the world we are not living inDivine Time?

 

MV: Living in Divine Time isnot actually Living in Divine ÎTimes'. Living in Divine Time is non-linear time;it is the eternal Now. It is the highest state of being, the healing realm ofcreation, where demand and supply are one. It is about alchemy, the world ofmiracles, of divine order and harmony. It is the key to a happy existence. Yes,we are living in one of the most perilous times in history. Mother Earth's vitalsigns are dangerously low. However, the title is referring to transcendence, theability to rise above, to heal. It's also about envisioning where we want to beand using our spiritual eyes to get there. Everything is sacred. Ancient wisdomteaches us one of  Nature's most powerful laws - the belief in a Higher Power isin direct proportion to its response. 







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