Search - Darryl Simmons and David Blonski :: The Bells of Arcosanti

In memorium

Rob Simmons | Tiburon, CA | 01/25/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is less of a shameless plug and more of a memorial for Daryl Simmons, the artist and producer behind "The Bells of Arcosanti" but more importantly my brother, who lost his life October 2007 while living in southern Italy. Daryl was more than an avant-garde musician; he had a fantastic command of language, was an accomplished poet and writer, an ambitious businessman, but above all a restless, nomadic artist.



I worked with my brother on this album, providing some guitar, and vividly remember his excitement and sense of purpose during this process. He was so inspired by Arcosanti! I had visited Arcosanti along with him, at one point, and it is a fascinating, almost otherworldly place. The bells were but a minor part of this recording. He discovered music in much of the architecture of Arcosanti (for those who may not know, Arcosanti is experimental town in the desert of Arizona, built to embody Paolo Soleri's concept of arcology - the fusion of architecture with ecology). He would bang percussion mallets on the walls, railings, cables, every nut and bolt that had a musical tone to it -- there was even a bronzed sculpture that sounded much like a Javanese gamelan when played. He played it all. He then took the samples and created themes around the various sounds, mixing in flute, didgeridoo, harpsichord, voice, and guitar, and the tracks on the album are the final result. It was, and still is, quite a fantastic, highly creative piece of work and should have gotten more attention than it has -- had he been able to spend a little more time on it, perhaps take it into more of a dance genre like trance music, for example, it may have reached a wider audience but for anyone who has taken a chance and bought the album they have not been disappointed as it's very relaxing.



I can't help but think of my dear brother as I listen to him play on this album, and I like to think that his spirit resonates still, like the sound of a bell once it's been rung. It's a sound that will resonate with me, always."

AZ sounds on a CD!

J. Wilbur | Dixon, MO United States | 01/11/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As an expatriot Arizonan finding this little gem was a treat. Arcosanti bells hang in my house and now I can relax to this lovely cd with the desert sounds in the background. I love it--my AZ friends were unaware of it's existance and I have been able to find others and gift them. Thanks Amazon!"