 MONTY STARK  "It's
always been there, that's the curse," says Monty Stark, in
reference to the passion that's defined his life. "I have to keep
making new music, and understanding music more. This has happened as
long as I can remember." This would explain why, as an Oklahoma-reared
youngster, Stark would find himself a child-phenom of a square dance
caller, a guitarist and a songwriter before settling into the
vibraphone - at the ripe ol' age of 14. "It was just a logical
instrument for me to play," Stark remarks. "I was primarily a writer,
arranger and orchestrator. And vibes stayed in tune." Stark
left the Midwest to attend
the Berklee School of Music in 1958. But he discovered that there was
little left for him to learn with his instrument of choice. "I went to
see Alan Dawson, he was to be my vibes instructor," Stark recalls. "He
flat out told me, 'I can't teach you anything.'" Stark laughs, then
continues, "I hate to admit it, but I was almost as good then as I am
now! I've been working at it ever since."After paying dues touring the chittlin' circuit with Red Prysock and healming jazz gigs with the Monty Stark Trio on the eastern seaboard, Stark returned to Boston in the mid 60s where he promptly found work at WGBH. "I was the guy that everybody called to do the gigs," Stark says matter-of-factly. "The on-staff music man." When WGBH asked Stark to record a big-band tinged theme for the Say Brother program, Stark formed a group and dubbed the ensemble the Stark Reality. As 1968 turned into 1969, Stark slimmed down the band to a core - largely assembled with the help of Phil Morrison. "He knew everybody, and at that point Phil and I knew each other," Stark reflects. "I just asked Phil to get me what I needed. He knew the sound I was looking for." That sound delved deep into the wide range of black, American music. "There were two separate cultures in this country at the time. 'Negro,' as it was called, and white," Stark states. "The one that was beautiful and loving and everything else I wanted to be a part of was black. So, of course that was the music I loved." And Stark put his own quirky touch to the music. For one, he sang lead vocals in a colorful, distinctly Midwestern patois. "I'm a white kid from Oklahoma, I have a country voice," Stark laughs. "I don't even know why I sang, but there were some things I wanted to say with words because it could be done." And he played his individually-miced vibes through a psychedelic series of fuzz tones and pedals that allowed him to play conventionally or in a jarring, heavily distorted manner. It's fortunate that Hoagy Bix Carmichael foresaw the possibility of the Stark Reality reinterpreting his father's children's songs, and that Stark jumped at the opportunity - though he'd never heard the songs before. "He gave me the book and I reharmonized the living daylights out of them," Stark states. His reworkings gave the songs swinging jazz rhythms or deep funk grooves, often touched by bop sensibility and free jazz's musical coloring. But this isn't to say that the band noodled without direction. "I wrote out the music. I arranged the music," Stark says. "Like on something as spacey as "Rocket Ship," I might write: 'Takes off, I'm going to be playing something that sounds tonal, but you establish your own tonality and stay there. Ignore me.'" His reworkings, well, worked. Both Carmichael's were impressed (the elder Carmichael "loved the harmonies and rhythms I gave his melodies," Stark remembers), TV Guide raved, and the band - with assistance from Ahmad Jamal and Hoagy Bix - journeyed west for gigs in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Who would have thought? Certainly not Stark. "Everything has a beginning and end. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow," Stark opines. "Then either. The Stark Reality's music is an artifact from the past which is able to express something today. It's gratifying." Here's to another beginning.    Musical Schizophrenia: MS readers... HELP Best Stones Throw Album of All Time - STMB One Whole Note, In A Bar.. STMB Egon in Swindle magazine #11 1st For A Dollar "In The Field Grail" Celebration ::: Soul Strut ::: Slang Dictionary - Salma Hayek Sub-Lib-In-Al-Mess-Age STMB I got access to the entire WGBH Archive ::: Soul Strut ::: Getting Paid is Glorious. The Glorious and The Dubious Stark Reality. Never heard it. Justified hype? ::: Soul Strut ::: Say Brother Videos (Stark Reality related) ::: Soul Strut ::: People Under The Stairs ~ Monty Stark on new LP? - putsonline.co.uk Stark Reality's New High? ::: Soul Strut ::: HEATROCK: Stark Reality Discovers... OG 2LP ::: Soul Strut ::: black eyed peas use Stark Reality on their new LP ::: Soul Strut ::: Will drop loot for Stark Reality ::: Soul Strut ::: anybody up on STARK REALITY? boards @ okayplayer.com 2002 SoulStrut Poll... "bean dip offa Stark, son." 2005 BBC - collective - stones throw label profile Cowboy In Harlem poem by Phil Morrison Holy Grails - DJ Ferrari Carmichael's Kiddie Tunes Reissued - JazzTimes.com review - thickonline This is marvelous stuff. Go an' get it. - Vukile Simelane Now? Wow! - Gil Gershman Who knew? - Franklin Bruno ... a journey well worth taking. - Bill Campbell WARNING - Tom Bojko Reality Check - Samuel Chennault Lost in the Grooves: Scram's Capricious Guide to the Music You Missed - Google book preview Stark Reality – Now - Outer Music Diary Stones Throw reissues Stark Reality concept album - TheRip.com Classic Album of the Week at Kosmik Radiation Just Blaze's most valuable vinyl record will be sampled - Remix magazine pics of me in Lalaland monty stark/ stark reality on Flickr DJ Soulero - Rare Groove Revolution A fan site dedicated to the Stark Reality on myspace  Oh! Schitt!! just got this biatch! Integrated Sampling Sequencer / Modular Synthesis Plug-in System / Real-time External Control Surface / MUSIC PRODUCTION SYNTHESIZER Recently played a couple acoustic piano jazz gigs in Scottsdale with the bassist, Dennis Sexton, and the trumpeter, fluglehornist, violinist, Devon Bridgewater. No drums. A lot of fun. Nice group. Devon said we should record, (and I listed all the reasons why we shouldn’t) - but Devon’s right. Dennis has some tunes, I have some tunes, and there’s this Hal Galper tune, Waiting For Chet, that I'd love to record with this trio. HipHopSite: What are some of your personal favorite moments on the DVD?  Roller
Coaster Ride - Carl
Atkins soprano saxophoneDreams/Comrades - Peanut Butter Wolf mix - lyrics Dreams/Comrades - J. Rocc remix - lyrics Jazz Fusion - vibes with the Buddy Miles Regiment - myspace comment Run To Me - synthesizer with Candi Staton - myspace comment Coronation - ARP 2500 analog synthesizer Escape Velocity - Fairlight Computer Musical Instrument Giant Steps - (the John Coltrane composition) - Yamaha V50 synthesizer Silent Night - keyboard & bass - changes It's Beginning To Look Like Christmas & I'll Be Home For Christmas - piano mp3s - Bella and I went swimming 
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Wax
Poetics #8