O Desayo (8:02)

0 DESÃYO. A Jamaican interpretation of a hail and farewell song with variations, sung by children: a group of boys responding to a group of girls in the lead. The melody, is of Angolan origin.

OGÚN BÁRA. An Afro-Cuban (Lucurni) interprétation of a chant from Recife, Brazil which originates among the Yoruba of Nigeria. It represents the type of religious incantation which precedes a performance of ritual dance for Ogún, Orisha of iron and fire; protector of hunters, warriors, blacksmiths... and spirit of their tools. Ogún holds dominion over hunting andbattle; oaths are sworn on his symbols (iron tools and weapons).

Agbadzá (extrait de 4:30)

AGBADZÁ. Originally from Dahomey a social dance derived from the traditional after-war dance called Atrikpui, among the Ewe of Ghana. Formerly, strong restrictions limited both the time and place for performance of the Atrikpui dance. It could only be danced after war, when the warriors were reaching home; and it had to be danced at the outskirts of the town or village where people would go out to meet the returning soldiers. Atrikpui is still danced, and the songs are repositories of military folklore.

Today, the occasions for Atrikpui are still ceremonial but no longer military, although male dancers must wear knives. In the absence of tribal war, Atrikpui has evolved as Agbadzá, which is now the popular dance for social recreation. As in other dances, Agbadzá songs are in two classes: Hatsyiatsya songs and the main dance songs. More than half are in the former group. Their characteristic feature is that they are free songs and are unaccompanied by rhythm. Some are semi- free: the first half is free and in the middle it becomes metrical and people begin clapping or beating time. We use such a song with free rhythm, as the preliminary song or introduction.

Changó Obarí (4:33)

CHANGÓ OBARÍ. Soloist: Leo Smith. An Afro-Cuban (Lucumi) interpretation of a chant from Pernambuco. Brazil of Yoruba origin. The chant is a religions incantation to Changó Orisha of thunder, lightning and fire, who is called upon for protection against natural elements. The lyrics to this chant are in Nago (Dahomey) dialect; an adaption of those lyrics becane popular in the United States. Changó actually was king among the ancient Yoruba - a fierce warrior-king who personifies masculinity and virility. His symbol is the double-bladed ax.

Gospel Ballade (4:44)

GOSPEL BALLADE. Soloist: Carla Bley, Charles Stevens. A somewhat traditional ballad of uncertain origin, inspired by Abyssinian Baptist Choir of New York City during service.

Sweet Oranges (1:08)

SWEET ORANGES. A somewhat traditional street vendors 's cry, inspired by a fruit and vegetable seller heard in Columbia. South Carolina.

Blues City (8:57)

BLUES CITY. Soloists: George Barrow, Ted Daniel, Dewey Redman . An extended (14 bar) blues constructed on a mode. Harlem on my mind.

In 1969, what had long been more than an interest for me in West african music became a formal and continuous study. This study was to involve both academic research and performance. I feel fortunate to have had the benefit of the wisdom, skills and experience of Professer Fela Sowande of Nigeria and Kobena Adzennyah of Ghana in these respective pursuits. It was in Algiers, also in 1969, at the First Pan-African Cultural Festival (sponsored by the Organization of African Unity), that I made first-hand contact with this music on the "mother earth".

In 1970 I briefly visited Ghana, Togo, Dahomey, Nigeria and Cameroon. Later that summer I performed in Tunisie. Growing up in New York, the easily accessible music of the Caribbean and South American countries becomes our live connector to this African heritage: particularly the music of Cuba, Haiti and Brazil.

A trip to the Caribbean in the summer of 1972 provided focus on the differences in the evolution of styles and interpretations of ancient West African origin.

Ideas which had begun to formulate as early as 1968, and which were fertilized beginning in 1969, had become a tentative score by May 1972 which was read through in a public JCOA works-in-progress workshop at that time. Ten of the orchestra musiciens, includinq five of the African rhythm section, have lived with this music from that beginning through the public workshops, private rehearsals and recording. A period of almost two years passed, during which I revised the score twice. The players are my personal choices and collectively bring wide expérience in this idiom. All are greatly admired by me, and most are friends and colleagues of long standing.

My objectives in this work have been authenticity (traditional, historic validity) and contemporaneity. The challenge of writing for and working with large, ensembles has always interested me. My first influences in this direction as a child were the big bands of Basie, Eckstine, Gillespie, Machito and Puente. Later, I had the good fortune of working with the orchestras of Sun Ra, Bill Dixon, Sam Rivers, Archie Shepp and the JCOA. This piece, conceived as a linkage of chronological and geographical themes, traces the continuum from West to North Africa, to the Caribbean, the Southeastern United States, to Harlem. Most of this music is based on indigenous source material, especially the rhythmic basic and, to some extent, melodic content as well. Essenticially, these are instrumental versions of vocal melodies, with the exceptions of Aïn Salah and Blues City. With harmony, an attempt was made to capture the essence of the varions vocal and choral styles, flavoring them with contemporary harmonic devices where this did not threaten idiomatic integrity.

The spiritual and psychological fulfillment resulting from re-establishing the relationship with the traditional ethos... aesthetic... is boundless. It continually re-energizes, re-inspires and re-affirms the sense of direction. At the same time, it serves chiefly as a balance between the inner-self and the environment. This is, in part, the role and function of music in traditional African societies and among peoples of primarily African derivation. In this connection, music is vital to both religious and secular life for the same reasons and is manifested in the same ways. It is the core and foundation, the language of both religious and philosophic thought. The spirit, which informs an object or living thing must be HEARD to be completely experienced, understood and felt. It cannot be merely described or otherwise shown... HEAR, then, the fruit of The Gardens of Harlem.

Clifford Thornton*

*Clifford Thornton is Assistant Professer of Music at Wesleyan University, Connecticut, where he founded and directs the Program in African American Music.

I am deeply grateful for the contributions of Michael Mantler, Jack Jeffers, Christine Jakobs, Manuel Amaez, Marilyn Harris, Ron Ancrum, Eddie Korvin and Fred Seibert to this undertaking. This project has been made possible with Assistance from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts.