bio >T A K < statement

~november 8, 1949 columbus, ohio...thomas stephen smith [hubbell, mom]: 'breeze' entered later when i found that i can produce the sound of the wind [quite convincing-if you see me, ask & i will demo]. 'thomas' from my father and his [dad was jr.-bless him, he passed in 1989]. 'stephen' from a poet who wrote a poem about my mother. 'smith' my great-great-great grandfather, john r. smith [first generation of stone masons to live in ohio-built his home and the red bricks to construct it-6 fire places-the house still stands to this day].

i'm irish-druid-english/dutch/german from father's blood, danish-viking-german/english from mother's blood [rustic mix].

'tak' [tak is danish, my second language, it means: thanks] tak/thank you: total family [grandparents, aunts, uncles, mom, dad, brother stan, niece celia, nephew micah, son aaron, daughter-in-law brenda, grand daughters gabrielle and domiana, all of my in-laws, extra special tak to my loving wife, Cheryl], teachers i've encountered around the globe, space [outer & inner], nature, openmindedness, understanding of nothingness, meditation, experiencing creativity, the chance to know what it's like to have real, true friends and share love.

music is an integral part of our lives - melodies of birds - the rhythmic whir of an airplane - 3 dancing pitches of a sacred singing bowl in the masterful hands of a tibetan monk.

short wave radio [finding space sounds between stations & unknown languages], late night freight trains, wind howling against my bedroom window through the 4 distinct seasons of central ohio, dad playing the saw with violin bow, tv cartoon & sci-fi movie sound tracks...these from early days & even now keep my sound imagination searching, ever in the state of experi-mental.

in this realm i soon learned that rules could be bent, plus the origins of the drum was/is so fascinating, mysterious, it is the feeling-at-home where there is constant change...compelling, almost addicting, opening my inner self to new worlds of stimulation, inspiration.

my self-studies of ethnomusicology have enlightened my entire existence in ways that i will certainly always continue to discover the how/what/why of culture, connections, energy & more.

my work with improvisation has opened & exploded any notion of placing a judgement on what is or isn't: art, music, poetry... an instrument, sculpture.

design and build musical instruments from influences like dreams [smith-curse-delight], design drum set-ups & percussion set-ups for more of a sculptural/musical/textural approach, experiment in ancient marbling-book liner painting technique for revolving/viewing capability, design/build sound scuptures of various sizes & incorporating metals, woods & stones, hand carving objects for casting in bronze, write 'open' style of free poetry & try my very best to listen to & learn from what nature & the cosmos are desperately attempting to communicate.