He held his guitar and felt its mysteries before he could tune it.  

Beginning in his early twenties, for almost two decades, the open road and its siren song was his stand-in, his poor man's substitute, for solid ground. He played a worn Takamine and later a new Larrivée as he traveled along the west coast ocean zones, ever on the move.He took a lesson or two from Count Dutch, tackled the tablatured song books of Huddie Ledbetter and Cotten, James Taylor and Elton. As much driven to play his  six-string, he was always hard bent to move on, to go. Finally, around the time he was perfecting his harmonic tuning, he heard a new sound. He heard his guitar speak in a voice all its own! From that day on he was never alone when his guitar was near.

They collaborated and they dreamed, they played and they worked things out  and they never compromised. They drew nectar from the passing clouds and Howard  molded his passion for life into musical poetry, dried tears of happiness and heartache in the warmth of his fingertips' dance, painted prayer into  song.  

He carried his guitar for years, then set it down. The songs had arrived,  been masterly recorded, well-wrapped and placed lovingly into a box. Time held other pressing matters; corduroy waves came calling, life needed a garden, organic food.... 

            "Tend Sandwich Isle ginger, harvest corduroy waves come calling."  

Time flew ever faster, as is its wont, and when the box of music was finally opened thirty years later;  out came the songs, much as they had gone in:  the delicate bones of "The Ocean Waves Suite".  

 

"Thanks for the sweet and restful sounds"   

"Wonderful music and great words"   

"Warming nutrition for the ears;  dreams without sleep"     

"Softly smiling we go into the night; sweet sounds we carry with us"  

"Thanks for being quiet in the midst of the rolling surf, for sharing a grandpa's tears. I like those songs"        

 

THE OCEAN WAVES SUITE

R. Howard Baley

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R. Howard Baley
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  1. 1
    Oak Grove 3:15
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    Oak Grove

    R. Howard Baley

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  2. 2
    April Rain 3:45
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    R. Howard Baley

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  3. 3
    'Lizbeth Ann 5:11
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    'Lizbeth Ann

    R. Howard Baley

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  4. 4
    Eyes Born and Raise to Wander 2:47
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  5. 5
    My Grandaddy's Eyes 5:10
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    My Grandaddy's Eyes

    R. Howard Baley

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  6. 6
    I'll Never See Mournin' 4:29
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    I'll Never See Mournin'

    R. Howard Baley

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  7. 7
    The Moon and The Butterfly 5:45
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  8. 8
    Oak Grove Reprise 3:14
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  9. 9
    Nayarít 4:07
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    Nayarít

    R. Howard Baley

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  10. 10
    Soldiers of Fortune 7:38
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    Soldiers of Fortune

    R. Howard Baley

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  11. 11
    Sueño 1:59
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    Sueño

    R. Howard Baley

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  12. 12
    Wind Out On The Ocean 3:57
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    Wind Out On The Ocean

    R. Howard Baley

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  13. 13
    Stars in the Sky 2:46
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    R. Howard Baley

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  14. 14
    My Grandaddy's Eyes Reprise 4:16
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    R. Howard Baley

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  15. 15
    Nayarít Reprise 5:24
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  16. 16
    Tobey's Lullaby 3:42
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    R. Howard Baley

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  17. 17
    Silver Tiger 4:42
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    Silver Tiger

    R. Howard Baley

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"I greatly admire the subtlety and understatement in your music, and how it creates a more atmospheric connection than more bombastic or over-the-top music. The control you have of the guitar, combined with the subtle introduction of the other instruments—such as the violin and cello on “I’ll Never See Mourning” or the “Oak Grove Reprise”, or the harmonica on “Wind out on the Ocean”—was a joy to behold. 

Additionally, I was very moved by your skill with language. The simple yet abstract lyrics achieved an abstract poetic effect, where they felt very personal without being explicitly so. 

"You are a skilled artist and it was an honor to hear your craft. Thank you very much for sharing your music with me,  I hope it can be shared with many more! "

 

The box of DATs was placed in the hands of the original recording engineer, Neville Pearsall, in the parking lot of a small post office on the Olympic Peninsula in the fall of 2021 and, together with the suite's composer, R. Howard Baley, and a group of very talented musicians, the songs were much considered, some fitted with marvelous improvisation, mixed, polished, mastered and now await a ready ear.    

   

R. Howard has worn many hats over the years, each with a different name.  For music, he wears his middle name, Howard, after his uncle, who died young of kidney disease, having never touched the feral sea, having never got the Parsons, Kansas' dust off of his shoes; yet he played guitar like the fields that surrounded his house were on fire. 

So, R. H. played his guitar as Howard Baley.  Said it was "all he knew to do to keep his uncle alive".  

   

When still quite young, Howard asked his mother for the origin story, the reason, for his birth name, his "English" name. She told him he was named after a  neighbor's baby.  

   

Auwē!  The news felt a strange burden to a sensitive little guy who’s father had just told him he was Cherokee!  

Growing up, he always thought  his name should apply to who he was or to that which he aspired.  

So,      

Years later, after the Navy had sent R. Howard over the Pacific and back, after he’d found April and they had made their way back to Kaua'i, while walking beside  Ka’a  Ka’a  Niu  Road (Rolling Coconut),  there came to him the name ‘Ohana  (Family).  Yes, he could easily wear this name, because he felt he had always been this name.  

 Oh,...and  

Uncle Howard's older brother, George, did make it out of Parsons, Kansas ...                 in time to greet the Japanese  at Pearl Harbor as a Chief petty officer aboard the destroyer U.S.S. Aylwin.    

 

                                                     

 - THE  NARRATOR -   

Welcome To  

"THE OCEAN WAVES SUITE"

The Music of R. Howard Baley

            

              "Welcome to our stage in the clouds, held in the hands of time."

The thin narrator is dressed in silhouette black. He wears a shoe named click and a shoe named clack.  He carries a dancer's body:  erect,  limber,  ready to fly at a nod.  Narrow, articulate hands slowly butterfly betwixt his powdered face and that uppermost on his mind.  

                 "The deck is swept, swabbed, the dance wax cast."  

The stage is empty aside from our man in black and a single microphone on its stand, downstage center. The air is warm, the windows all stand open. 

                        "As you see, the backdrop is a dreamscape".

The narrator tilts his head back towards the set upstage. It's obvious that he cannot speak without the continuous, fluid use of his hands.   

              "If you happen to realize that you missed the entrance or exit of a musician during this performance;  it may be because we employ a  charming Japanese Kabuki technique to facilitate such 'spacial adjustments'.  When required, two stage hands (kurogo),  dressed to 'blend in',  each hold a vertical pole that supports one side of a mute cloth panel. On cue, the panel slowly advances across the stage, covers from sight  any distracting movements, then retreats, unseen." 

  

                  Introduction of those who brought this music into being: 

 

NEVILLE PEARSALL:  Recording Engineer.  

Neville has been involved with music, recording and live sound for most of his life and is a graduate of the University of Washington Ethnomusicology program. In 1979 he moved with his family to the Port Townsend WA. area and in 1985 built a studio in an addition to his house naming it Synergy Sound. In 1993 the studio moved to Fort Worden State Park. He has engineered over 200 CD projects.  A partial list of musicians he  has recorded is ... Bud Shank, Erin Corday, Dumi Mararire, Jay Thomas, Maria Muldaur, Del Rey, Hank Bradley, Harper Tasche, David Michael, Jami Seiber, Scott Cossu, and many more.

 synergysoundpt.com

  

CAMELIA JADE:  Audio Engineer and Musician.

Since 2006, Camelia has worked in audio production for music, radio, podcasts, analog and digital preservation, independent film, live sound reinforcement and on-location recordings as well as youth audio workshops, gallery installations and more.  

As a musician composing on guitar, charango, rhythm and voice, Camelia weaves tradition and innovation into songs that are lush and percussive, joyous or bittersweet.  Camelia (pronounced kah-MEL-ee-ah) creates instrumental explorations that become a living soundtrack and sings with a voice that is both soothing and strong.

cameliajade.com

 

Musicians: (in order of appearance) 

  

R. HOWARD BALEY:   Guitar player and singer,  composer of  "The Ocean Waves Suite".  First saw light of day in 1947,  then  saw ocean waves, heard university lectures,  exchanged naval salutes and finally saw more ocean waves;  all with his guitar near by. He has played his songs from Homer, Alaska to the state of Nayarit in  Mexico, from Na Pali on the Garden Isle to an apple orchard in  Wenatchee, Washington.  In Port Townsend  he was part of a group called "Baley Montana"  that  included Tim, Lou and Michael, (referred to as The Band on this project). They can be heard on tracks  3, 14, and 15.   

  

TIM LONG:   mandolin and guitar player. Born (1955) and raised in Kent, Ohio.  Tim has a strong hold on a peaceful approach. He and Howard met with mandolin and guitar in the laundromat of the Port Townsend Boat Haven years ago, and spent many musical hours speaking the language of strings.  He is most at home in his garden, where he is rightfully proud of his beautiful garlic. 

  

LOU ANN MONTANA:  A singer-songwriter who has served the Port Townsend community as a nurse for many years.  Lou Ann  loves to sing harmony and to showcase her songwriting ability when performing her own compositions.  She sang backup for the Blue Ringer Band, performed with Baley Montana, and with  Fred Epstein and Mike Mallon in a band called "You, Me and Lou" which consisted of banjo, harmonica and guitar and performed at the Northwest Folk Festival.  You can hear her voice weave throughout "'Lizbeth Ann".    

  

DAVID REEL:  David was a tall man. Maybe that's why he always seemed to see just a little farther over the horizons than most. 

 

SAGE COY & MARINA ROSENQUIST

 

SAGE COY:  Sage Coy is a cellist, strings instructor and performing and recording artist living on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula.   She performs as a solo Cellist, with chamber ensembles, and collaborates with local musicians, crossing genres to create unique musical moments. Sage believes that music has the potential to serve as a healing tool for all who interact with it. Her music seeks to reflect the rhythms and mysteries of nature, and hold the listener in a meaningful moment.  

sagecoy.com 

 

MARINA ROSENQUIST:  The soundscapes of home inspire violinist Marina Rosenquist equally in her classical music endeavors and improvisational creations.  A recipient of a Bachelor of Music  in Violin Performance from Lawrence University, Rosenquist feels her instrument is her freest voice. Rosenquist has great enjoyment in spending time teaching her violin students, being a mother and wife, and in the little things. 

linkedin.com/in/marina-rosenquist

  

MICHAEL MALLON:  Harmonica. Soft-spoken and precise, Michael was known for years to ply the waters off Port Townsend in his ship-shape little live aboard "The Missy".   During the 80’s, 90’s and early 2000’s, he played harmonica in the Grammy-nominated  Seattle-based alternative rock/country band “Blue Ringer”.  Since then he has performed with various folk groups in the Port Townsend area.  His tastes include baroque and early classical, jazz, blues, soul, reggae and more; music for children is a special interest.  He also plays acoustic bass and guitar, and does vocals and percussion.       

 

All music, prose and poetry composed by R. Howard Baley

Oak Grove

Howard Baley - Guitar

 

As the fire burned lower and lower,

and mates fell to sleep one by one 

Rastaman needed my guitar riff

to back his sacred journey into night.

 

I felt duty to Bob and my sleepers to go and to go

till finally my man slept 

And I wrapped myself in warm Oregon

and my fingers walked  off into the Oak Grove.    

 

 

April Rain   

Howard Baley - Guitar and Vocals 

 

Lyrics: 

"Last time I saw you tears fell down.  

Oh Lord, they was a fallin' from my eyes like April Rain.  

Said that you loved me most of all...  

Said you was leavin' just the same.  

 

Well I know bird's gotta fly,  

And I know that ocean's gotta roll,  

An' I been told there's a time we all must die...  

So I s'pose there's a time for you to go.  

 

Won't you come...be my mornin' sunshine,  

Won't you stay...an' be my evenin' rain.  

Oh you know I'm going to love you honey, 'til the end of time.  

I'll stay beside you until then." 

 

 

A First Love  

 

A first love can stretch the weight of being 

so that the next winds pass through and not against.

 

 

May they return

 

When your love has to go

On to a world we’ve yet to know, 

May they return to say hello 

In the smile of dawn’s new glow, 

In soft rain that damps your head 

And dances with the tears you’ve shed.

 

 

'Lizbeth Ann 

Howard Baley - Guitar and Vocals 

Lou Ann Montana - Guitar and Vocals       

Tim Long - Mandolin 

David Reel - Drums 

 

Lyrics: 

Joseph picked up 'Lizbeth Ann right after school one day,  

He said that he needed a feminine point of view.  

Rain started fallin', they got stuck in slippery clay,  

An' the bells of St. Mary came a crashin' down on 'em in a most unusual way.  

 

An'  'Lizbeth Ann loved her Jollie, hung on every word he said.  

If she couldn't be with her Jolie, she'd much,much rather be dead.  

 

Well now some girl's dolls cry only at suppertime, others just before dawn,  

But 'Lizbeth Ann's poor Jolie, he cried all day long.  

 

An' 'Lizbeth Ann loved her Jolie, hung on every word he said.  

If she couldn't be with her Jolie, she'd much,much rather be dead.  

 

If she could only dry them ol' tears her Jolie cried,  

There'd be an ocean of hope for us all,  

There'd be an ocean of hope for us all. 

   

 

Last of Her

 

He wondered if it would have mattered 

if he'd known  

that his last view of her 

would have been his last view of her.  

 

Methinks it's for the best he didn't know  

as he stood and watched her go,  

that this look, as he watched her go,  

would be the last of her he'd ever know.