2026 0417 – Rough Mix of complete song. Maybe some additional percussion tweaks but it seems close
2026 0412 another edit
2026 – 0409 – Rough mix with vocals. Still intending to refine mix and add guitar lead.
2026 0405 – After a visit to the Yale Contemporary Museum, and a walk through the Afrian exhibit, seeing a number of powerful ritual wooden headdress, I came up with this lyric for the song:
Ornamental Weight
V#1 – Masquerade of spiritual systems
CiWara . D’mba . Epa
V#2 – The Great Mother, Warrior, Priest
She dances through history, summoning the deceased
Chorus – Blind to the ornamental weight, her dance is endless
Timeless, selfless dedication, like the great mother
V#3 Not a spirit — but an abstraction
Carrying impossible spiritual traction
V#4 – Drawing the ancestors in the midst of trance
The continuance of community — through the dance
2026 0402 – Revised Edit – Additional Lead Synth Part
2026 0330 – Complete edit – Added deep percussin parts, maybe there is room for an acoustic percussion part. Also maybe a guitar lead.
2026, 0214 + Recovered Ted’s Sax parts, added echo, started reworking mix. Reorganized and color coded tracks.
Replaced Labs tracks with Splice (a new sample player I just signed up with), replacing Moon Guitar and Swell. Big save on this…
February 8, 2026 – Revisit version
Music Master 2026/revisit/ornamental weight/ornamentalweight26/Ornamental Weight 2026-0208
March 30,2022 – Working with Ted Hefko:
Music Master 2022/Ornamental Weight/Ornamental Weight Ted/
Draft February 14, 2021 Developed over 3 days recovering from hip surgery.