Wayne, Hayden & The State Philharmonic Of Brno
Symphony #2; Reggae
As idiomatically specific as the Minuet, Waltz and Two-step, Reggae's double-time/single-time identity, where the downbeat supplants the backbeat, has taken its place in music. Percussionist extraordinaire Stewart Copeland's micro-time led me to the heart of Reggae. I was resistant at first, being a "dyed-in-the-wool" Rhythm and Blues devotee. I initially thought of Reggae as middle-of-the-road R & B, a non-committal approach rather than the in-your-face darkness of R & B's soul. But as I got deeper into its processes, I not only felt its lightness of being, but its limitless ability to transform anything that sat on its rhythmic astonato. The first movement of SYMPHONY #2-REGGAE, which along with SYMPHONY #3-HEAVY METAL and SYMPHONY #4-FUNK comprises a trilogy, was begun on May 8, 1984. I continued working over the next three years and completed the symphony on May 20 1987. Jamaican in origin, this rock music, with its blues style, often with a political or religious message, was derived from Rastafarian beliefs, a sect devoted to Halle Selassie, former Emperor of Ethiopia, who believed himself to be a descendant of Sheba. Espousing love, peace and ganja (marijuana) Rastas wear their hair in dreadlocks, rope-like boya strands.