Photo Andy Burns 1972 - on Hampstead Heath.
Visionary
percussionist and Tibetan singing bowl expert
Frank Perry was born in Hampstead London on Friday 25th June 1948. He began
his interest in music-making during his final term of school in the spring of
1964 showing an immediate, remarkably advanced facility with rhythm and drums.
In one and a half hours he was performing ‘co-ordinated independence’ (which
had taken his instructor five years!) That’s as much teaching as he ever got.
Some weeks after that he was able to execute a one-hand roll a la Joe Morello
– friends of his that were in the audience at Black Cat Bones gigs, would inform him of how the rest of
the audience were looking for the ‘other’ drummer! (Frank playing with
one hand what one would usually expect a drummer to perform with two hands). This didn’t
exactly endear him to the lead singer, whose harmonica solos weren’t always
getting the attention desired. In 1963 he affiliated himself with the ‘Beats’
(Beatniks) listening to modern jazz (Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Albert Ayler,
Modern Jazz Quartet, etc) and also folk music (Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Sonny
Terry & Brownie MaGee, Jessie Fuller, Joan Baez, etc) and later (65),
Oriental classical and religious music from India, Japan, Tibet, and China, also
hitching around the country and finally abroad in Europe ending in Morocco for
several months. Towards the end of ’64 he began playing with a rhythm &
blues band that he named ‘Abstract Sound.’ In the summer of 1966 he
joined the Chicago Blues band the ‘Black Cat
Bones,’ featuring the late great Paul
Kossoff on lead guitar of FREE fame. The group
played regularly at the famous London club ‘The Marquee’ backing top black
blues artists from the U.S.A. notably Eddie
Boyd and Champion
Jack Dupree.
The band, considered to be one of the top two blues bands at that time, had
support groups such as Jethro Tull
and Ten Years After,
whilst very often they were sharing the bill with groups such as Peter
Green’s Fleetwood Mac.
Both Kossoff and Perry left the band in early 1968. Kossoff to form FREE, and
Perry in February to explore the very cutting edge of avant-garde FREE-jazz.
Photo taken at the Marquee backing Eddie Boyd for
the 1967 New Year's Eve celebrations.
For Frank's contributive article - click below
THE PAUL KOSSOFF TRIBUTE TISSUE. click on title above.
MOVE
TO AVANT GARDE FREE-FORM JAZZ
In
the spring of 1968 Frank moved into jazz and specifically ‘free-form group
improvisation’ as this was unfolding amongst a handful of musicians in the
late sixties. He achieved great prominence in this field also and is thus part
of the ‘first generation improvisers’ in Britain. He was a member of ‘The Musician’s
Co-Operative’ (replacing Tony Oxley) with eight other original improvising
innovators: - Evan
Parker, (the late) Derek Bailey, Barry Guy, (the late) Paul Rutherford, Howerd Riley,
and Paul Lytton.
All of whom he has played with, whilst they are still active in the field of
improvised music. He regularly took part in their international events - mostly at
Ronnie Scott’s Club London, where he also did a ten-month season with Ovary
Lodge. He began exploring this new direction early in 1968 with the very
talented alto saxophonist Michael
Sullivan in a group they called Musicians
Union. Very tragically, Mike was unable to play for many years due to a
dental accident thereby denying the jazz world of one of its most spirited and
truly gifted players, for a period of time. George
Jensen, whom he had known
in ‘Abstract Sound’, joined them on electric and then on double bass.
Other musicians ‘jammed’ from time to time, for instance Roy
Harris played
double bass with the core duo of Mike and Frank for a period.
His
own unique, unconventional, and highly individual style was formed early and
through his pioneering explorations he was responsible for creating some
remarkable innovations both in style, approach, concept, and range of playing
(most notably with his work with ‘Ovary Lodge’, ‘Balance’,
and The Derek Bailey Group/Company and the Frank Perry Trio
– with Derek
Bailey and Evan
Parker). He bought his first gong in
1968 whilst his current collection totals 45 gongs. (Full list of Instrumentarium)
Photo -
Solo performance @ Ronnie Scott's Club
'73 - by Jak Kilby.
Frank
began his solo career in 1971 in a solo concert at Falmouth School of Art,
having completed a three-month summer season playing with the top jazz trio in
Cornwall – Jazz Roots (with Tony
Dickinson vibraphone and
founder/leader Goudie Charles
bass). The trio played several nights a week at The Railway Tavern in
Penzance. Since then he has given in excess of three hundred solo concerts - including
many performances at major international festivals throughout the world.
Throughout the period 1969 to 1974 Frank played regularly with the leading
figures in the jazz/improvising world. From ’68 to ’70 he lived in
Mildenhall, Suffolk, and soon became the drummer with the top modern jazz group
in the Cambridge area: The Percy Seeby/Alan Broad
Quintet and he also chose to play for Henry
Cow – ultra-progressive rock group –
then in its formative phase in Cambridge. During this period he rehearsed at
weekends in the works canteen at Murrells practising for between 8 and 13 hours a day. Also,
towards the end of this time, he would visit London at weekends and play at the ‘Peanuts’
club (run by the late Harry Miller [also
bassist in Ovary
Lodge after
Roy Babbington's departure]
at Stockwell, South London) with the top
avant-garde free-jazz players such as: Mike
Osborne, Elton Dean, Marc Charig, Nick Evans, Harry Miller,
and Gary
Windo (a recent CD release of a session at
Gary Windo's home in 1974 has recently been issued "Avant Gardeners"
including Gary's wife Pam on piano).
In 1970 he moved back to North London and
that evening became house drummer at Ray Man's
Crucible Club and
then playing regularly in duos, trios, quartets, etc with leading players in
avant-garde jazz and free-form jazz: - (the
late) Chris
McGregor, Mongezi Feza, Dudu Pukwana,
Johnny Dhyani Group (these last three being
South African Zulus – all now deceased), Alan
Davie (famous Scottish
painter-musician), Derek Bailey Group/Company, also with Kenny
Wheeler, Trevor Watts, Howard Riley, Paul Rutherford,
and from thereafter featured in Keith
Tippett’s orchestras: - Centipede
and Ark, plus a solo career and playing with his own groups; - ‘I is
Another’ (piano trio with Chris
Goodie piano and the late Ron
Herman bass); The Frank Perry Trio
(with Evan Parker
saxophones and the late Derek
Bailey electric guitar), along with the
two improvising groups he co-founded i.e. Ovary Lodge and Balance.
He met the artist Alan Davie
during his summer season at Penzance in Cornwall whilst improvising at Dingle
and then continued to play with him (in what was to become subsequently the
so-called Alan Davie Music Workshop)
for the following few years - including concerts at The Tate Gallery and
also at Gimpel Fils art gallery, London. In 1973 he became an endorsee
for PAISTE, the world’s leading manufacturer of Cymbals,
Gongs and metal sounds. During 1979 he utilised their special metal for five
of his own inventions - creating by hand his collection of Petalumines,
Pyrahermeezees, Pyrotahermeezees, Trianguhermeezees, Ufoms, Sun Rays, and
Spirotapetals. Named in honour of Harry
Partch, the Petalumine in particular, are unique in the world of
percussion, the largest ringing on for some five minutes after one strike! Check
out the Inventions page for
more. A collection of some 19 of these featured in his second solo album
recorded for and commissioned by Eckhart Rahn
owner of the
American Celestial Harmonies label titled NEW ATLANTIS, on
Side One TEMPLE OF SOUND (released on LP & MC in 1983 and now available as a
Double CD alongside DEEP PEACE - to view further details click HERE). These remarkable and astounding instruments,
alongside his Sun Ray (Soundplates - or Rectangular Bell Plates) and Planicerv
(adapted Tuned Sound-Discs), provide him with sounds of incredible
sustaining resonance, thus enabling him to continue his explorations into
extended time-duration and the ‘sounds hanging in space’ for which he is so
rightly famous.
(Photo - Jak Kilby - Frank Solo performance @ Ronnie's)
Reaching
a climactic creative crisis in 1974 he stopped playing with everyone in order to
concentrate fully upon his unfolding meditation music begun in 1968. The main
intention was to unfold a new vocabulary of sounds and approaches to playing
more in keeping with his spiritual disciplines and objectives and for this
reason it was necessary to spend time away from playing in situations
incompatible with these specific aims. At this time he collaborated with certain
gifted persons (clairvoyants) in studying the inner-world creations of his
meditative improvisations. This was largely brought about through the
increasingly more sacred instruments coming into his safe keeping. He needed to
unfold a completely new manner of approach towards listening to his
sounds/instruments. At this time he also largely moved away from using those
instruments of his that were of short sustain. During late
’75 to ’78 he worked in a duo which he had co-founded with David
Toop (on flutes) called TEE-PEE.
He is now largely known for his solo work. After moving to Ringwood in 1983, in
1990 he began working with the local poet Owen
Davis (then living in Swanage)
alongside Pool Of Sound (the now defunct duo of Chas
Dickie – cello/keyboards & Cathy
Stevens – viola/violin) - see their CD
OUT THERE. In 1993 he
formed a duo with the yidaki (didgeridoo) player Martin
Brunsden, he also co-founded a
group called Tura with cellist Chas
Dickie, clarinettist Roy
Mitchel and Martin
Brunsden on double bass, yidaki,
musical saw, etc, he also co-formed a vocal group Enchanter - initiated
by Mike Steer
– a quintet exploring group overtone singing, which went on to become a
trio under his own direction called Stargate, which latter group features
on the CD RAINBOW
HEALING PEACE.
At
Midday on the Summer Solstice of 1975, during the heat-wave, he was married to Janet
Christine in a White Eagle marriage ceremony conducted by
the founders of The White Eagle Lodge, Mr. and Mrs. Cooke, at The White Temple
around 15 months after they got together. They honeymooned on Iona - also
blessed by the heatwave. Frank had seen clairvoyantly all three of his children four years before the
first of these were born whilst also seeing them as a colour ray within the womb
two weeks after their conceptions. This colour ray was then later confirmed by the
astrological forces of their individual horoscopes. These three children are: -
Raphael in 1977 (pictured left in Highgate Woods, North London - photo Janet
Perry), Rose in 1980, & Gabriel in 1982. Each child
was given a Leboyer home-birth and breastfed (highly controversial and mostly
unheard of in 1977) whilst Rose and Gabriel were delivered (Gabriel by Frank
himself!) in the living room in
front of Frank's equipment and listening to the sounds of DEEP PEACE (the
only music his wife could tolerate whilst giving birth!). He dedicated
himself to family life, consciously cutting down his musical work in order to be
present with them and take a leading role in their upbringing. At this time he
concentrated more upon his astrological consultations giving hundreds of birth
chart readings along the lines of spiritual karmic astrology. He trained in the White
Eagle School of Astrology but his teacher, Mrs. Joan Hodgson (Founder of the W.E.
Lodge Astrology School and Daughter of founders Mr & Mrs Cooke) freely gave
him permission to practise without the need to complete the Advanced Course. He
does hope to find a future opportunity to accomplish this some time. He also
worked as a plumber and builder training with his artist-philosopher friend Roy
Bowden when necessary, enabling him to personally install central heating in
both of his family homes alongside other building work. He learnt wood-turning
in order to produce wands with which to play his bowls - coming up with his own
original design. During this period he
also received the assistance of several patrons - most notable among these were
Werner and Elsi Achermann, Jack Samuel (all now deceased), and David Kossoff (on
behalf of The Paul Kossoff Estate - also now deceased). Each child has been
given a White Eagle christening whereby they were dedicated
to the service of the Great White Brotherhood at The White Eagle Lodge in
London. In 1983 the family moved out of London to Ringwood in Hampshire, both to
be close to the Bournemouth White Eagle Daughter Lodge (where Frank went on to
officiate at public services and in the Brotherhood) and in order that the
children might benefit from a Steiner education (at Folly Farm School
since renamed the Ringwood
Waldorf School) - this being the only somewhat complementary alternative to 'state education'.
Frank familiarised himself with the spiritual and occult principles behind the
education - although he was already largely familiar with these, being as they
are rooted in Theosophical teachings (of the Theosophical Society of
which Steiner had been a member - and leader of the German branch). This alongside of his astrological
knowledge (their charts were erected within hours of birth - at the first
opportunity after the clearing up and settling in process was over) enabled him
to give each child what they required individually. In 1993 he felt that he
could re-emerge from his time away - right in the middle of a recession and
after all the damage done to the arts by the Thatcher regime! Raphael has
completed an HND in acting, Rose plays cello and drums and is now (2001) in the
middle of a three-year course in Fine Art at Falmouth College of Art, whilst
Gabriel played drums and guitar and completed a two year course in furniture
making and now works full-time for Sunseeker in Poole (builders of Yachts). In 2003 Janet Christine divorced Frank after
providing 18 months of an acrimonious and intense legal campaign riddled with falsehoods
but, thankfully, she settled out of court. She is now very happy as a born-again
materialist.
MIXED-MEDIA WORKS & PERFORMANCES
In
the early 1970’s he also rediscovered his interest in photography (initially
taught by his uncle in his early teens). This
manifested in Nature photographs (colour transparencies) and later in the decade
he began his own large collection of slides of the paintings of the Russian
artist Nicholas Roerich that he has used consistently since then
both with his own music or with the orchestral music of the late (2,000)
American composer Alan Hovhaness. He also worked with various
dancers, most notably June
Marsh and Shelley
Lee. And so, too, at this time he
evolved various mixed-media international events including: - CALL TO THE
HEIGHTS (with Roerich slides and his live music for MUSIC CONTEXT
international festival – London Musician’s Collective); THE MAGIC OF SOUND
& COLOUR; A MEDITATION IN SOUND & COLOUR (with his music & nature
slides – Olympia ‘Mind, Body & Spirit’ festival); THE
PATH OF THE SOUL (with dance, acting, his music, & the nature slides – Olympia
‘Mind, Body & Spirit’ festival); plus providing the music for the
following mixed-media events COSMIC BEING (slides/movement/music – for World
Symposium for Humanity Festival – Wembley); TREE CYCLE (dance &
music – ICA & Royal Commonwealth Institute); THE STORY OF
CREATION; ASTROLOGY, INITIATION & THE FOUR ELEMENTS; BECOMING – THROUGH
THE MYSTERIES OF ANCIENT EGYPT (speech/movement/slides/music – Olympia);
THE HALL OF MAAT (directed by actress
Ann
Boman with Chrysalis Theatre
& Rosicrucian AMORC group members – Covent Garden - pictured
left); plus THE
LEGEND OF SHAMBHALA; RIVER OF LIGHT; LAND OF THE SHINING ONES; & ALL MEN ARE
BROTHERS (his Roerich slides with the orchestral music of Alan Hovhaness).
In
the years since then he has created further mixed-media A/V (audio-visual)
shows/events largely featuring his Roerich slides and either his own music or
that of Hovhaness: - TREASURE OF THE MOUNTAINS; ZODIAC; REALM OF LIGHT; SECRET
TREASURE OF THE CATHARS; SANCTA SERIES; SHAMBHALA DAIK; HIMALAYAS – ABODE OF
LIGHT; and also MOUNTAIN OF CAVES (featuring the art of Roy
Bowden);
THE SINGING BOWLS OF TIBET (A/V presentation featuring his photos, and the live
sounds, of Tibetan Singing Bowls with related images accompanied by a
lecture/talk) and various other A/V lectures on Nicholas Roerich, Arhip
Kuinji (Roerich's first teacher), & the late Svetoslav Roerich
(Roerich's younger son – also an artist); and PSYCHIC DANCE. These have featured in various
international events, one-day workshops, and he has also toured the UK, Russia,
and parts of the USA with these.
TRANCE
MEDIUMSHIP & SPIRITUAL PATH
During
1965 Frank discovered that he was a ‘trance medium’ (light trance, or ‘overshadowing,’
now perhaps included under the term ‘channelling’) and that his father was
also already a trance medium, and that psychic
ability/gifts are traced back through several generations in his family on both
sides. He subsequently attended the re-formed family séances in 1965 for a number of
years and learnt spiritual healing until he moved back to London in 1970. In
conversations with his parents at the time it transpired that from early
childhood he had demonstrated natural clairvoyance in the seeing of many members of the
spirit group, although his parents had neither brought this to his attention nor
encouraged his development at the time. As a baby, Frank was christened in a Spiritualist
Church in South Hampstead and given the spirit name of John ('the
voice of one crying in the wilderness'). As a child
Whitefeather (the spirit guide of his father) called him fleet of foot but upon joining the circle
(family séances) in 1965 he bestowed upon him another name - as with anyone who joined
his circle - and has recently given him yet another name. When Whitefeather
initially spoke through his father Frank E Perry 11 in the 1950s, he stated that
he was a member of the Great White Brotherhood and from the very highest plane
and that there were few persons upon that plane. This was confirmed by many top
mediums - including Grace Cooke (medium for and founder of The White Eagle
Lodge). Frank's guide is also a member of the Great White Brotherhood and also a
Comanche. During the second of the
re-started family séances in 1965, the spirit Leader
of the circle, a Comanche called Whitefeather (here painted by Frank in
1967), asked Frank to abstain from smoking, alcohol, or any drugs on the day of
the ‘sitting’. Frank concluded that if these activities weren’t suited to
that day, then, they weren’t suited for any other day. And so he, there and
then in 1965, made a lifetime commitment to forego such habits.
Soon after this return move to London in 1970, he joined The White Eagle Lodge where he learnt their spiritual healing, meditation, and spiritual astrology and in which group he continues to serve unto this day. White Eagle is described as a spokesman for the Great White Brotherhood. In 1980 Frank was initiated, alongside his wife Janet, into the ‘Inner Brotherhood’ in the Lodge and has officiated at a number of services e.g. public healing services, funerals, marriage ceremonies, and Brotherhood meetings. He was given yet another name by White Eagle, by which he is known by the White Eagle brotherhood. He sang bass in the London Lodge choir for over 12 years and went on to include vocalisations in his solo work and with Ovary Lodge. Unfolding his vocal explorations led to a spontaneous ability to sing the deep Tibetan tantric chanting in 1973 and Mongolian overtone singing in 1980 - which he later also incorporated into his musical work.
The results of discovering his
inner-world connections with members of the Great White Brotherhood (or ‘Star
Brotherhood’; or otherwise known variously as the Trans-Himalayan Occult Brotherhood; or
the White Lodge) in 1965 had a profound effect upon his life. The two gifts
which he had at that time; namely, painting and music, he dedicated in service
to the brotherhood and so he began to seek ways of spiritualising his creativity
and also to incorporate something of his ‘altered states of consciousness’,
experienced through communion and channelling such high spiritual
consciousnesses, into New creative musical forms. His natural inclination was to
penetrate to the very origins of Sound; to get right back to the Essence
of Sound, and from there discover and unfold in a completely relaxed and natural
way his own uniquely individual and highly original manner of creating through
Sound. A typical thought from this time was: “What would the music be like if
‘I’ weren’t in the way of it?” In other words; this didn’t simply mean
ridding oneself of all ‘ego’ but, rather, also the question: ‘what is music like
for beings living in other dimensions/planets?’ If he hadn’t been
conditioned by Western forms of music (melody / rhythm / harmony), then, what
would he naturally create? Very fortunately for him, music
had previously played an extremely small part in his life. Some ‘pop’ on the
radio, music on TV, and the awful ‘singing’ that passed for music lessons at
school, and otherwise precious little music played on records by his parents in
the home - leaving him fairly free and unconditioned to explore these ideas
within the realm of free-form improvisation relatively unimpeded.
In
1964 he began his interest in oriental – world music, especially the sacred
music of these Asian & Far Eastern cultures (India, Tibet, Japan &
China). He also began his studies in
comparative religion and Far Eastern philosophy studying the works of Swami
Vivekananda - on the several main yoga paths - and various authors on Vedanta,
Advaita, various yogas, Buddhism and Zen Buddhism and then, upon joining The
White Eagle Lodge, he expanded his researches to include Theosophy, The
Rosicrucian Fellowship, Esoteric Christianity, Numerology, Astrology, Colour
theory and Symbolism, Symbolical Philosophy, Sacred Geometry, Freemasonry and
the Anthroposophical writings of Rudolph Steiner. In 1972 Frank began studying
Spiritual Astrology going on to join The White Eagle Lodge School of Astrology
and has been practising (with the blessing of the then Head of the White Eagle
Astrology School, the late Mrs. Joan Hodgson) as a Spiritual/Karmic Astrologer, using his
clairvoyance to see into his clients past lives, since 1974. He has also
pioneered a way of using Astrology to assist in directing his musical
improvisations utilising certain correspondences which he found (using his
psychic / clairvoyant / clairaudient gifts) to exist between certain of his
sounds/instruments –and/or the astral colours which he observed them producing
– and the Astrological Planets or Signs of the Zodiac. An aspect of this
technique could be seen as a chart for the concert becoming a kind of graphic
score. He often uses
astrological terminology in order to describe both the philosophical foundations
of, and the subtle influence of, the sounds of his very large collection of
sacred antique musical and ritual instruments from the Far East - e.g. a certain antique Tibetan
Singing Bowl being attuned to the Planet Venus, the Great White Brotherhood, the
Mahatma KH, the Third Eye Chakra, and the colours of White and Blue; yet another
(12th century) Tibetan Singing Bowl being attuned to the Sun, the
Master Jesus (Bodhisattva Issa), and the Heart Chakra, and producing the astral
colours of Gold, Rose Pink, and Madonna Blue; a certain PAISTE Symphonic Tuned Gong is
attuned to the Astrological Sign of Virgo, whilst yet another is attuned to the
Sign of Taurus, etc.
In
the late ‘70s he joined The Francis Bacon Society and gave a
series of highly innovative lectures there along the lines of the esoteric
(spiritual / Rosicrucian) aspects of Bacon's work. In the early ‘70s he encountered the
beautiful paintings and spiritual philosophy of Russian artist Nicholas
Roerich (1874 - 1947) and he also began an in–depth study of the
complete works of both Dane
Rudhyar – Renaissance man – astrologer, composer, philosopher,
writer, artist, poet, psychologist, occultist and musician (1895 – 1985), and Manly
Palmer Hall –
philosopher, writer, lecturer, astrologer, poet, psychologist and humanist (1901
– 1990). Undoubtedly, these are two of the Western world's greatest thinkers,
philosophers, and spiritual men of the 20th century, both of whom lived in
California.
In
the early ‘70s Frank also worked to provide music for The Yates Theatre
Group (‘At the Hawks Well’) and The London Theatre Company (Stephen
Birkoff – production of Agamemnon) and with dancer June Marsh
plus the improvising dancer Shelley
Lee. In 1978 Frank invited the ex-Eurythmics
flautist Tim Wheater
to join him for a duet at The White Eagle Lodge HQ London and later at
the Festival of Mind, Body & Spirit at London’s Olympia. In 1982 he
met David Hykes
and Alain Presencer
in a shared public performance of solos followed by an improvised trio arranged
by entrepreneur Richard Temple (of
the Temple Gallery). Having thus
befriended the Tibetologist Dr. Alain
Presencer (specialising in
Tibetan singing bowls, horns, and vocals) they swapped instruments and shared
several performances. In the summer of 1982 David
Hykes (stunning exponent of harmonic
singing and founder of The Harmonic choir of New York) arranged for two
evening performances as part of the Almeida Festival, featuring solos by
both artists followed by an improvised duet. Whilst performing and taking
workshops at Oak Dragon Camps in the eighties and early nineties he also
provided the music for ‘Psychic Dance’ with Colin
Harrison and Sue
Barnett (a leading shamanic
practitioner / psychic in Glastonbury), and he also worked in a duo with pianist composer
Lawrence Ball. In 1972 he joined The White Eagle Lodge choir singing bass
and, as previously mentioned, soon went on to introduce voice into his solo performances. He discovered in
1973 that he could immediately perform the extremely difficult vocal technique
of the Tibetan Tantric School – the famous Gyudto chanting – and in 1980
similarly found an instantaneous ability to execute the additionally demanding
vocal technique of Mongolian overtone singing and he has incorporated these into
his music ever since.
Self portrait of previous incarnation in Tibet (over 800 years ago) - Frank Perry 1973.
WORKING WITH ANCIENT TIBETAN RITUAL PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS
He
began to use ancient Tibetan Ritual instruments in 1973. This was initiated by
receiving a visit by a yogi from Tibet who gave him a sacred Tibetan Meditation
Cymbal (Ting-shag) in excess of 800 years old (pictured
left by Trevor Taylor). This precious gift arrived
precisely one day before his
25th birthday and completely changed both his life and his music –
opening up a whole new chapter! At this time he also discovered for himself the
Drilbu (Tibetan hand bells). He now has a collection of over 240 Tibetan
Singing Bowls, 31 Tibetan Handbells (Drilbu), plus 14 pairs of Ting-Shag (invocation
cymbals), 4 Tibetan Meditation Cymbals. Several of the above being antiques
originating in the 12th & 13th centuries – when he
was last in incarnation there and previously owned by himself then. Yet another example is to be found in his
receiving an extremely rare, precious and ancient ritual bowl (Talking Bowl)
from the great Nyingma Master H.H. Dilgo Khyentse
Rinpoche in 1983. He has given over three hundred lectures on these
sacred instruments and music since 1978 at countless places all over the UK,
Europe, Russia, and the USA including Universities, Colleges, spiritual centres
and ‘New Age’ groups, et al.
Soon after receiving the magical 12th century Ting-shag in 1973 a Tibetan master in sound (living in the spiritual dimensions - not in earthly incarnation) joined him to assist in his exploration of the inner dimensions of sound. He gave his name as Lom Phook Trenglam and was from thousands of years ago prior to Buddhism entering Tibet. Frank was told by Whitefeather that this guide had been drawn to working with him because of the colours that were produced upon the inner planes whilst he was playing his sounds. Since then three further spirit guides in music have joined him. One from ancient China, ancient India, and Mongolia.
Below is Frank's portrait of Lom Phook Trenglam
He
has given solo concerts at The Wigmore Hall, Palais des Beaux Arts – Brussels,
The Purcell Room, ICA, Olympia, Wembley, Royal Commonwealth Institute, Ronnie
Scott’s Club, The Albion Club, The Crucible Club, Cockpit Theatre, Unity
Theatre, Collegiate Theatre, Little Theatre Club, Tate Gallery, Gimpel Fils
Gallery, Serpentine Gallery, Arnolfini Gallery, Falmouth School of Art,
Middlesex Polytechnic, Ealing Poly, Reading Poly, Cambridge University, Bradford
University, Bangor University, Leeds University, City University, University of
Avalon, Harper Adams Agricultural College, Goldsmith College, Emerson College,
The Serpentine Gallery, Bridport Arts Centre, Windsor Arts Centre, Cornwall Arts
Centre, St James Church Piccadilly, etc…..
Being interested in the healing application of music since 1966, he began to further explore this aspect in 1972 using his ever-growing large collection of Eastern sacred percussion instruments. In 1977 he began to unfurl his own particular form of sound healing (SPIRITUAL SOUND HEALING) which, in 1982 incorporated some of his Tibetan Singing bowls and, since 1984, has meant unfolding another one of his own unique and highly original methods of sound healing pioneering the exclusive use of a collection of almost 70 specially selected Tibetan Singing Bowls. His form of sound healing blends spiritual healing, spiritual colour healing, clairvoyance, intuition, and psychoacoustics whilst concentrating upon the Chakras using a special selection of ancient singing bowls that work upon the chakras.
Check out the
three articles on SOUND
HEALING.
He
is also a director of several companies. In 1977 he founded his own Record
company GOLDENHAWK PUBLICATIONS, which released five cassettes. In 1988 he
founded his second Record company MOUNTAIN BELL MUSIC, which has released 6
cassettes, and 25 CDs. In 1983 he founded THE NEW FOREST NICHOLAS ROERICH GROUP
– which gives audio-visual presentations/lectures about the artist and related
subjects plus selling postcards and reproductions of Roerich’s paintings
(mostly at public events). He
is also an honorary member of THE BRITISH HARRY PARTCH SOCIETY and honorary
member of THE SOUND RESEARCH GROUP. He is a member of IAST - International
Association of Sound Therapy. He became an endorsee for PAISTE in 1973
(major world producers of Cymbals, Gongs, and metal sounds).
Frank has appeared on 97 releases (LPs, MCs, & CDs) with 55 of these being solo albums alongside several Videos plus music for Videos and three Library albums. He composed and performed the soundtrack to the award-winning film TEN BULLS (winner of the Da Vinci best experimental film award 2006) released on DVD. He was also commissioned to compose special music for an installation in the Millennium Dome.
© Copyright Frank Perry 1982. All rights reserved.
© Frank Perry, 1982. All of these articles are copyright. They may individually be copied and shared with others in a spirit of knowledge-sharing and fair play, but they may not be sold, printed or reproduced in quantity or changed in form without the permission of the copyright holder. None of this material may be reproduced in workshops or lectures of any kind unless quotes are credited or properly attributed.
Magazine and other editors may e-mail me for permission to reprint. E-mail:
Revised 1999 & updated 2007
He
has worked with the following eminent persons: -
Joel Andrews
(veteran New Age musician/harpist/metaphysician)
For GOLDEN FLUTE
Records.
Steven Berkoff
For the London
Theatre Group (‘Agamemnon’)
Evan Parker (Improvising Saxophonist - Soprano & Tenor saxes)
In the Frank Perry Trio and the Alan Davie Music Workshop
Derek Bailey (Improvising guitarist - deceased Christmas Day 2005)
In the Frank Perry Trio and Company (Derek Bailey's group)
Chris McGregor & Mongezi Feza (the late)
Chris McGregor groups - trios and duos.
Chrysalis
Theatre Group (Peter
Bridgemont – School of Steiner Acting)
For ‘The Hall
of Maat.’
Alan Davie (famous
Scottish artist)
In various
improvising groups – mostly duo.
Keith Tippett (piano and composer)
Co-founding the improvising jazz group Ovary Lodge and in Ark and Centipede (performances).
Julie
Driscoll (Tippetts
– pop singer & fashion model - now working with her incredible Voice)
In Ovary Lodge,
Ark, & Centipede.
Tony Duhig (group
JADE WARRIOR – Island Records - deceased)
For JADE ISLES
RECORDS
Brian Eno (Roxy
Music)
For the album
Obscure No.4
Robert Fripp (King
Crimson)
For 2 Ovary Lodge
RCA/Victor albums & 2 for Fripp's own label.
Paul Horn (veteran
new Age musician/session man)
For GOLDEN FLUTE Records: 'Inside the Magic of Findhorn'.
David Hykes (Harmonic
Choir of New York)
For Almeida
Festival & Temple Gallery concert (cassette tape).
David Kossoff
(the late -
actor-speaker - 2005)
Collaboration ‘Bible
& Blues’ Liverpool 1967 (with Black Cat Bones).
Paul Kossoff (the
late – FREE & Back Street Crawler)
With Black Cat
Bones 1966-1968 (Chicago Blues band).
Russell Mills
(Artist)
Co-composing with
David Sylvian the music for His Tokyo Installation.
Willie
Rushton (the late -
celebrity) at Ronnie Scott’s Club
For a performance
of ‘The Tibetan Book of the Dead’.
David Sylvian
(pop singer – solo
artist & group ‘Japan’)
For Virgin
Records
David Toop (musician, writer, and critic on music)
For TEE-PEE with three releases in the late 70s.
Tim Wheater (ex-Eurhythmics
& New Age flautist)
For ALMO Records
PARIS Television
BBC Royle Progress
BBC It’s
Your New Life
For Windsor
Arts Centre Solo concert - Local TV
Swedish TV
Interview and Solo Concert.
Channel 5
Espresso
BBC
Radio 3 – Jazz in Britain
Five broadcasts with Ovary Lodge & one with
Ark
BBC Radio 3
– Jazz in Britain
Solo performance of Deep Peace
BBC Radio 3
– The Works
New Age feature – interview & music
BBC Radio 4
– Science of Sound series
Interview with Toyah Willcox
KPFK
California Imaginary Landscape – Carl Stone
3 individual 2-hour specials on ‘The
Music & Philosophy of Frank Perry’
BBC Radio
Glasgow
Interview
BBC Radio –
Shrewsbury
Interviews.
BBC Radio 4 'Music & Mysticism'
Series.
Interviewed by Max Steer.
Wessex FM The
Eric Peters Show
2 hour show with interview & music.
BBC Radio
World Service
For Science & Healing series.
BBC Radio
World Service
For the Power of Sound series - for Music
Review.
A Circle of
Light
The White Eagle
Lodge and its Work.
Music.
The Oak Dragon
Experience
Gaia Video
Communications
Interview
The Singing
Bowls of Tibet.
Aberdeen
Spiritualist Church
Workshop.
Music and the
Psyche
Conference #1
1995
Lecture
Sound Healing
with the Singing Bowls of Tibet.
Aberdeen
Spiritualist Church
Workshop
The Singing
Bowls of Tibet
WESSEX Research
Group
Audio-Visual
Lecture
SHAMBHALA, The
Legend and the Mystery.
WESSEX Research
Group
A/V Lecture
SHAMBHALA and
the Ancient Wisdom Teachings.
WESSEX Research
Group
A/V Lecture
A Tai Chi
Experience. TCE01
The Tai Chi
Learning Company
Music
The Songs and
Rhythm of Life
Satchidananda
Trust
A/V Concert
- Performance
Limits of Belief
(Part One in the Series: JOURNEYS IN INNER SPACE)
Third Eye Vision Films
Music
DVD
TEN BULLS
Kim Bour Productions
Music - before the film score was ever started.
Various
others undocumented (e.g. Findhorn Community, Glastonbury Festival, BBC TV –
performances)
Drums and
Percussion. July 1974.
Improvising
Percussionist Frank Perry
Melody Maker, April 23rd 1977
Sound
International. February 1979
ROCK Magazine.
Issue 6, 1981 (Japanese Magazine)
One Earth.
Findhorn Magazine. Volume 2, Issue 4.
VIDA
Alternativa. 1994. (Spanish Mag)
CUEPOMENTE.
February 1994. (Spanish)
Il Cittadino di Lodi. Wednesday March 29th 2000 (Italian)
Soluna
14. Volume 3, No. 2
DEEP PEACE
New
Life Magazine. Volume 1, No. 2.
MUSIC OF THE
SPHERES.
THE GUARDIAN.
‘Cymbolics’
Jonathan Sale
Publisher uncertain.
Music
& Mysticism Issue. Volume 14. Part 1.
Towards a new
sonic consciousness – the music of Frank Perry
Eddie Franklin
Bournemouth
Advertiser.
Centre Spread.
Mystical musician's journey to the soul.
The Music of Frank Perry. Wilde Ones
Lincolnshire Free Press. 7 October 1997
Listen
to the Sound of Tibetan Magic.
Cambridge News. 5th February 1969
Lonely Drummer’s Canteen Blues
Mudeford (details?)
Microphone, New Music in Britain. No. 3
April 1972.
Microphone, New Music in Britain. No. 5
June 1972
Percussion Issue.
MUSICS. No. 5 December 1975
MUSICS No. 21 March 1975
Issue featured responses to Questionnaire
on ‘Practising’.
New Life, Volume 1. No. 5
Kindred Spirit. Volume 1. No. 8. 1989
Sacred
Music. Mystical Studies in Music (Revised)
Fountain Magazine. Issue 6. Spring 1992
Chanting – Solar Winds.
AVANT Magazine. Issue 6. Spring 1998.
Temple of the Ancient Magical Presence.
Spectrum Magazine (British Wheel of Yoga).
Autumn 1998
The Stone Path. September 2003 Vol 1 Issue 3
The Mystery of the Singing Bowl.
BOOKS &
PUBLICATIONS FEATURING FRANK PERRY: -
Music
& Mysticism Issue. Volume 14. Part 1.
Towards a new
sonic consciousness – the music of Frank Perry
Eddie Franklin
INNOVATIONS in
British Jazz. Volume 1. 1960 – 1980
John Wickes
LEONARDO MUSIC JOURNAL. Volume 11 2001
ARTICLES BY FRANK PERRY PUBLISHED
ON THIS WEBSITE: -
Temple
of the Ancient Magical Presence.
(Revised)
ONE WAY TWO PLAY 1972
WEBSITES FEATURING FRANK PERRY: -
Music and the
Psyche
http://www.musicpsyche.freeuk.com/index.html
Under Writings
Celestial
harmonies.
http://www.harmonies.com/releases/14007.htm
For DEEP PEACE
Celestial
Harmonies.
http://www.harmonies.com/releases/13025.htm
For ZODIAC
Ambisoncs.
http://s2n.org/Articles/Ambisoncs.html
Under New Age piece.
Guest of Honour
at Theosophical Society Summer School. Nottingham University 1994.
Guest of Honour
at Theosophical Society Summer School. Leicester University 1995.
Guest of Honour
at British Wheel of Yoga annual Conference. Harper Adams Agricultural College
1997
Guest of Honour
at Life Foundation International Summer School. Bangor University. 1997
Guest of Honour
at Axminster Awareness Group annual Weekend Conference. 1999
Guest of Honour
at Theosophical Society HQ St. Petersburg. 1993
Guest of Honour
at Museum of Mankind Moscow. 1993
Guest of Honour
at Ishwara Nicholas Roerich Museum, St. Petersburg. 1993
Guest of Honour
at Nataraja Yoga Institute, London, 1978 & several years
Guest of Honour
at Middlesex Polytechnic. 1979
Guest of Honour
at Falmouth School of Art (University) 1970 & several years
Guest of Honour
at ‘The New Milton Experience’, Stanstead Hall (Spiritualist Centre) 1993
& several years running.
Guest of Honour
at Satchidananda Yoga Retreat.
Guest of Honour for British Wheel of Yoga Northern Conference Durham University 2001
Guest Lecturer at
Cambridge University Music Department for a series of lectures titled ‘The
Music of Tibet and the Far East’
Guest Lecturer at
City University, Music Department. London
Guest Lecturer at
City of Strathclyde University.
Guest Lecturer at
Edinburgh University. Department of Religion.
Guest Lecturer at
The College of Psychic Studies. London for Sound Forum.
Guest Lecturer at
The College of Psychic Studies. London, Weekend Workshops
Guest Lecturer at
The College of Psychic Studies. London. 3 years running.
Guest Lecturer at
‘Music & the Psyche’ conferences Nos. 1,2 &3
Guest Lecturer at
Shielling Community (Anthroposophical community) Dorset.
Guest Lecturer at
International Festival at Bishops Waltham, several years.
Guest Lecturer at
The White Eagle Lodge HQ London for series ‘The Spirit and the Arts’
Guest Lecturer at
St James’ Piccadilly several times.
Guest Lecturer at
Botton Village (Anthroposophical community) Yorkshire.
Guest Lecturer at
Life-Ways (alternative health Centre) Stratford-upon-Avon. Several years
Guest Lecturer at
The Festival for Mind, Body & Spirit. London. Several years.
Guest Lecturer at
the Francis Bacon Society. HQ London. Two lectures.
Guest Lecturer at
International Festival of Improvisation. Pisa, Italy.
Guest Lecturer at
Salisbury International Festival of Light. 1992
Guest Teacher on
the Music Faculty of Emerson College (Anthroposophical College) International
Summer School – several years running.
Guest Speaker at
Northern Light – Global Conference International Festival at Bradford
University, 1996
Guest Speaker at
The Twelfth Darwin College Lecture Series 1997 Cambridge University.
Guest Speaker at
Orientation (alternative health centre) Neals Yard, London
Guest Speaker at
Healthworks (alternative health centre) Stirling
Guest Speaker at
Findhorn Foundation
Guest Speaker at
Theosophical Society Glasgow several times
Guest Speaker at
Theosophical Society Edinburgh several times
Guest Speaker at
Theosophical Society Dundee
Guest Speaker at
Theosophical Society Inverness
Guest Speaker at
Theosophical Society London One Day workshops - several years
Guest Speaker at
Theosophical Society Cardiff
Guest Speaker at
Theosophical Society Bournemouth several years.
Guest Speaker at
Lucis Trust Bournemouth.
Guest Speaker at
Aberdeen Spiritualist Church - several years.
Guest Speaker at Stirling Spiritualist Church - several years.
Guest Speaker at
Southampton Spiritualist Church many times
Guest Speaker at
Shirley Spiritualist Church several times
Guest Speaker at
Parkstone Spiritualist Church several times
Guest Speaker at
Ringwood Spiritualist Church
Guest Speaker at
Branksome Park Spiritualist Church
Guest Speaker at
Portsmouth Temple of Spiritualism. Several times.
Guest Speaker at
Hythe Spiritualist Church
Guest Speaker at
Bitterne Spiritualist Church several times
Guest Speaker at
St James’ Piccadilly several times.
Guest Speaker at
The White Eagle Lodge Temple, Hampshire several times.
Guest Speaker at
The White Eagle Lodge London several times.
Guest Speaker at
The White Eagle Daughter Lodge Bournemouth several years.
Guest Speaker at
The Church of The White Eagle, Los Angeles.
Guest Speaker at
The White Eagle Lodge Bishops Waltham.
Guest Speaker at
Rosicrucian AMORC HQ London. Several one-day workshops.
Guest Speaker at
Rosicrucian AMORC Bristol Group. One day workshop.
Guest Speaker at Sound Healing Conference London. Caduceus. 1999
Guest Speaker at
Shielling Community, Dorset
Guest Speaker at
WESSEX Research Group, Yeovil
Guest Speaker at
WESSEX Research Group, Bournemouth.
Guest Speaker at
Windsor Arts Centre. Several times
Guest Speaker at
Windsor Arts Centre International Conference.
Guest Speaker at
The Dove Centre, Belfast - twice
Guest Speaker at
Kingston Positive Living group.
Guest Speaker at
Ringwood Positive Living group.
Guest Speaker at
Bournemouth Positive Living group.
Guest Speaker at
Festival of Tibet, Shrewsbury
Guest Speaker
International Festival of Mind, Body & Spirit London.
Guest Speaker at Nataraja Yoga Centre North London. 2005
Guest Workshop
Leader at the International Festival for Mind, Body & Spirit London for
several years.
Guest Workshop
Leader at Hourne Farm Sound Research weekends.
Guest Workshop
Leader at Gaunts House Spring & Summer Gatherings many years
Guest Workshop
Leader at Gaunts House Weekend and 4 day workshops.
Guest Workshop
Leader at Findhorn Foundation Arts Festival 1981
Guest Workshop Leader at Northern Light Global Conference & International Festival Bradford University 1996.
Guest Workshop Leader at the 9th International Life Foundation International Conference Bangor University 1997
Guest Workshop Leader at the Caduceus Sound Healing Day 1999
Guest Workshop Leader at the Caduceus Day Conference on THE HEALING POWER OF SOUND & MUSIC 2000
Guest Workshop Leader at MUSIC & HEALING series Lewisham.
Guest Workshop Leader at the Healing Sounds Festival, Brighton, 2000.
Guest Workshop Leader at Reiki, Leicester University, 2003.
Guest Workshop Leader at British Wheel of Yoga, Northampton 2003.
Guest Workshop Leader, Sussex Spiritual Healers, at the Harry Edwards Sanctuary, 2003
Guest Workshop Leader at Nataraja Yoga Centre, North London.
Guest Performer
at Caduceus Sound Healing Conference. London. 1999
Guest Performer
at Emerson College several years running.
Guest Performer
at the Twelfth Darwin College Lecture Series. Cambridge University. 1997
Guest Performer
at Gaunts House for several years since its inception.