"ON THE ROAD WITH JUDY!"
A Galactic Arts/Music Newsletter
"WELCOME!"
The Bones of the Homeless
by Judy Jones
Ode to Janis Joplin
by Judy Jones
"KENJI WILLIAMS"
OF ABA STRUCTURE!
by Judy Jones
I had the great pleasure of hearing
composer Kenji Williams founder and
producer of ABA Structure for the first
time in Oakland, California at 'WORLDSPIRIT'
which Kenji put on with the great visionary
artist, Alex Grey.
"WORLDSPIRIT CONCERT"
ALEX GREY PAINTING OF ALEX GREY
They were supported by a host of talented
performers, integrating storytelling, poetry,
music, ritual dance, light and video projection.
"Hand Balancer: Jade-Blue Eclipse"
Kenji Williams and Alex Greys combination of
extraordinarily unique talents made
this evening an experience I won't soon forget.
Leaving the performance my mind was wide
open to all the unchanneled creative genius in each of us.
KENJI WILLIAMS & ALEX GREY
"WORLDSPIRIT CONCERT"
Weeks passed before I realized there just
wasn't a way to describe what I had seen
simply because I had never seen nor heard
anything like it before in my life!
"WORLDSPIRIT CONCERT"
"Hand Balancer: Jade-Blue Eclipse"
Among 29 year old Kenji's accomplishments
are setting music to Alex Greys
'Sacred Mirror' paintings that will be
housed for public view in New York City.
PAINTING OF ALEX GREY
Kenji is considered the 'next level'
of electronic music and performance
and ABA Structure is re-shaping the global
and electronic music scene. ABA Structure
is the soundtrack of the journey of our evolution
and evolve you will while experiencing Mr. Williams
musical compositions!
KENJI WILLIAMS
OF ABA STRUCTURE
Kenjis original music compositions
are being enjoyed around the globe
as they help us become truly one
'Galatic Family!'
KENJI WILLIAMS
"WORLDSPIRIT"
His musical brilliance is lighting
our paths into the heavens beyond
as we make our earthly transitions
into our new interplanetarian homes
and I'm extremely excited to share
the following interview with the
very special readers of
"ON THE ROAD WITH JUDY!"
So sit back, open your minds and hearts
and let one of the budding musical
geniuses of this generation enter in!
"KENJI WILLIAMS"
"AURA: Sayoko Yazawa (Lalë)"
"A MOST SPECIAL INTERVIEW
WITH COMPOSER KENJI WILLIAMS"
ME:
Kenji your music blew me away
when I heard you live for the first
time at the Worldspirit concert premier
in Oakland, California. How did you
and Alex Grey, the painter hook up?
You both seemed on the exact
same wave length!
KENJI:
I sent him a copy of my film
titled "Moment Utopia",
together with a film proposal for a
new film called "Plenum", about
free energy and spirituality. The
Plenum film proposal envisioned
animating Alex's Art for illustrating
the connection of human energy
and free energy technology, and
I expressed how I felt such a
profound connection to his work.
I pushed for his assistant to show
the film to him, and when I was
swinging through New York on my
way back from a gig in Morrocco, Alex
finally agreed to watch the film, and
upon seeing it, invited me to his studio.
art by Alex Grey
This was our first meeting and
I must say I was buzzing. When he
said he was coming to San Francisco
a few months later, I was
shocked to find out no one was
picking him up at the airport, and
that he was going to stay at a
regular motel!
It is without question to treat
a Great Person with Greatness,
and I picked him up, and arranged
good accomodation, and even
threw a sushi party for him. Over
the next several years, we kept in
contact, and everytime he came
to San Francisco I did everything
I could to take care of him.
The third time he came back to San Francisco,
we were both invited to Adi Da's sanctuary
and I drove him up to the retreat center and
had a profund and memorable experience
together.
ME:
Did 'WORLDSPIRIT' go like you
had planned? Such positive vibes
flowed in, around & thru that concert.
KENJI:
The event was 4 months in the
making. Considering we never did
one single run through with everyone
together, it came out extremely well.
There were some technical difficulties,
resulting in the delay of the show, but
apart from this, I was actually blown
away by what happened!
ME:
The evening was pure magic.
Did you rehearse for a long time?
KENJI:
What we rehearsed was more
between me and Alex. We spent
months working on the script, the
imagery, timing, and rehearsing over
the phone.
It was quite a challenge, with me
living in Tokyo, Alex living in New York,
and Eric Kalabacos, the producer,
living in San Francisco. It was a truly
global network that created WorldSpirit.
ME:
You seem so relaxed playing.
Do you improvise your musical
compositions? And if so, do you
orchestrate them on paper or computer?
KENJI:
My violin is improvised...I of
course practice on my own,
but the actual melody and
notation in the moment is improvised.
The music behind the violin is mostly
pre-composed. I leave some tracks
open for live playing on the keyboard
and changing frequency nobs to match
the energy of the moment and the
spoken word. A lot of the effects
were live, in the sense I was dubbing
the effects in and out live.
I am also adjusting the delays and
effects on my violin live as well,
creating custom rhythms, and dub
delays synced to the beat.
Photo from 'WorldSpirit' concert
ME:
I forgot my earplugs which I
usually need at most concerts.
Amazingly, I didn't need them
at yours anyway. You do 'people
friendly music'...I felt the flow
of the love coming thru your sounds
to us, the audience. Do you do this
on a conscious level?
KENJI:
Hmmmmm....I am super glad
this was felt, because this is simply
what music should be about.
ME:
Kenji, you are conducting a whole
symphony electronically! Have you
ever conducted a large group of musicians?
KENJI:
Not really. I have played in orchestras,
and performed solo concertos (solo violin
in front of a full orchestra), which in a
way is leading the orchestra, but I have
never been 'conductor'. I have had
the experience directing projects and
films involving numerous people,
including WorldSpirit.
ME:
I heard 'classical' music in your
compositions. Did you study to be a
classical musician as a child?
KENJI:
Yes, I was trained classically
since the age of 7. I practiced classical
music for violin, and performed with
orchestras, and piano, until I left
for the University.
ME:
I know you've been asked
before, but for the readers of
"ON THE ROAD WITH JUDY!"
learning about "Kenji" for the
first time, how old were you when
you started composing music?
KENJI:
I suppose the very first composition
I ever made, was a song I wrote when
I was 9 years old. I wrote it along with
with lyrics on my paino at home.
It was a song to President
Ronald Reagan envisioning a world
without nucleur bombs, and the fear of war.
I got a response from the White House.
expressing appreciation for the composition
and talking about how the president was working
on world peace as well. I didn't think
he was going about it the right way, but
I did appreciate the letter.
Image from WorldSpirit concert
ME:
Would you consider yourself
a child prodigy?
KENJI:
I certainly won a lot of
competitions, but I also saw
many violinist better than me.
I don't think I'm in the position
to call myself a prodigy, but
other people have certainly
called me that.
ME:
Who were your musical
mentors as a child?
KENJI:
My mother is Japanese,
and she was very strict.
She was my main motivator
in practicing 2 hours a day.
Kenji and his Mom
Photo from Kenji Williams Live Photo Gallery
It was hard, and I sacrificed a lot.
I am thankful now though. But
I owe a lot to my mother, for really
supporting me in finding the right
private teacher all through my
schooling.
ME:
You lived in Japan as
a child. How did that culture
influence your music style?
Do you have a favorite country,
city, etc.
KENJI:
The Asian vibration is coming
through my music. I feel like a
lot of my self discipline and hard
work comes directly from my Japenese
roots, and the schooling I had in Japan.
I took Japanese calligraphy classes, while
living with my Grandmother and
picking tadpoles out of rice fields. All
schools across Japan make it mandatory
for all the students to do an entire school
cleaning activity once a week. That
means you and your classmates are
scrubbing the floors, together, once
a week. Simple things like this affected
my group consciousness and feeling
of self responsibility.
Exotic places for travel, I love Morrocco,
and Bhutan. For the most innovative
discussions, thinkers and cultural
creatives, I like America. For the
culture that is changing the most, and
is actually living and functioning like
a future society on a mainstream level,
I would pick Japan.
IMAGE FROM WORLDSPIRIT
ME:
Do you feel your music
is ahead of its time?
KENJI:
Thats what a lot of people say.
ME:
We always hear about tortured
musicians. Are you?
KENJI:
I am tortured, but I am also immensley
blessed. Also, I would not like to call
myself just a musician. I am also a music
producer and film director.
Don't choose to be an artist unless you are
ready for at least 10 years (maybe your
whole life) of being broke, ignored, and
people taking advantage of you left
and right - even those claiming to be
'spiritual'. Waves of immense stress
and depression are common, and truly test
your endurance. But when you can turn
the corner and learn to surf it, there is
nothing that compares to doing
what you really love to do, and making
a living at it.
PHOTO FROM WORLDSPIRIT
ME:
What is your creation 'ABA STRUCTURE'
about?
KENJI:
My formal artist name now is
"Kenji Williams" and NOT "ABA Structure"
anymore. I will be releasing all music
and press materials as "Kenji Williams".
However, I'd like to keep the mystique
of ABA Structure and think of it as my
'mothership', from which I was born.
ABA Structure is my personal BuddhaGod.
It implies a code word for evolution. It is
the journey of your life, from A to B, and back
to A, but transcending to the next level. Ie:
Re-incarnation = evolution. A self reflective
tool that facilitates the expanding of one's
own consciousness of oneself.
ME:
What musicians/groups would you
love to do a furture concert with?
KENJI:
Bjork, U2, Peter Gabriel, Zakir Hussain,
Steve Roach, Speedy J, the Orb, Underworld,
Josh Wink, Madonna, His Holiness The Dali Lama, Ken Wilber
and many many more!
ME:
Do you ever see your music as falling
into one style, like 'Oh Kenji, he's a 'trance
musician' type thing?
KENJI:
Unfortunately, that's what the music biz
gravitates towards. I suppose the trance
and progressive house worlds call me trance,
the ambient worlds call me ambient and IDM
and dub. Its frustrating, because I want to
be known as someone who makes good music,
no matter the genre. I would like to soon release
an all acoustic album. Where would that fall?
I feel my recent work with Alex Grey and
upcoming collaborations with evolutionary
and integral theorist, Ken Wilber, could
establish as an intergral artist.
photo from WorldSpirit
ME:
What is the next step in your career,
or do you just 'go with the flow' and
not push and plan?
KENJI:
I will always continue releasing music.
WorldSpirit was a huge challenge
for me, in breaking some new ground
in the world of live multimedia.
I intend to make films and movies
in the future. I've already made several
movies and music vidos that are
available on my website.
ME:
Are other members of your
family into music?
KENJI:
My sister is one of my greatest
inspirations. She started a
professional Japenese Taiko
drumming group in the UK eight
years ago, and has since taken
over the UK as top professional
Taiko group, touring and teaching
full time.
My mother and father played
violin and piano in their early
years and were big fans of all
music. My father worked for the
World Bank, and my mother
does many things from teaching
to Tai Chi. They weren't musical
performers.
ME:
Is Kenji your real name?
I love performers with
one word names. What does
it mean?
KENJI:
It's a Japenese name meaning
'Healthy Child' and can also mean
'Wise Child'..its my real name.
ME:
Your music flows from you
seemingly effortlessly? Is it?
KENJI:
The creation is effortless. It is what
I enjoy the most. The production, engineering
and mixing is NOT effortless! Sometimes its Hell!!
ME:
What are your thoughts about reincarnation?
KENJI:
Such a great question..because one of
the meanings of ABA Structure, is exactly
reincarnation!
ME:
Do you believe we pick our parents,
and they us?
KENJI:
I had this discussion with my Mother
and was blown away at the end of
our conversation when she said,
"Thank you for choosing me as your mother."
I certainly don't remember choosing which
womb, but it was probably a combination
of both, and our collective Karma.
ME:
Did you pick the right ones
for your musical path in this life?
KENJI:
Yes, I owe so much to my parents
and their undying support of my
crazy life.
ME:
Are you politically involved?
KENJI:
I would like people to put more
energy into social dynamics, changing
the vibration and frequency through
changing your inner self, becoming
the change you would like to see in others.
ME:
After being at your performance and soaking in
a great deal of love thru the music, art and
performers, I was more alive when I left,
than when I got there. Is it just me or do
most of your concerts have this effect?
KENJI:
Wow, can I quote you?! I do get a lot of
good feedback. This reaction tells me more
about you, and your relationship to your heart
energy. My music is VERY emotional, very
heart chakra oriented.....very deep. This
sometimes has the opposite effect in
someone who is closed, or who is not
ready to be touched so deeply, because
of whatever wounds they may have.
One of my favorite classical composers
thought the same:
'Debussy understood that a work of art
or an effort to create beauty was always
regarded by some people as a personal attack"
- Art of Noise
ME:
Do you feel you appeal to a certain
age group, or is what you create
timeless?
KENJI:
I really hope to all age groups. Both
the kiddy ravers, and the mom and pops.
So far, it seems to be working.
ME:
If you could change a part or
parts of your life up to now,
what would those changes be,
if any?
KENJI:
None.
ME:
After you shed your
'temporary clay shell'
how would you like people
to finish the sentence,
'Kenji .................
KENJI:
?
ME:
Kenji, your career is straight up and I
look forward to attending many more
concerts you produce in the near future!
I'm so grateful you chose to
share some of 'KENJI!'
with the many fortunate visitors of
"ON THE ROAD WITH JUDY!"
KENJI WILLIAMS OF ABA STRUCTURE
by Judy Jones
Check out "ON THE ROAD WITH JUDY'!"
article on ALEX GREY who produced
"WORLDSPIRIT" with KENJI
by clicking on link below
http://www.ontheroadwithjudy.com/alexgreydavincibyjjones.htm
"AURA: Sayoko Yazawa (Lalë)"
WORLDSPIRIT CONCERT
WorldSpirit DVD demos below
http://www.kenjiwilliams.com/video/04_WS_med.html
http://www.magneticpresence.com/ws_flash/ws_flash.html
The Bones of the Homeless
by Judy Jones
Ode to Janis Joplin
by Judy Jones
