Charles Williams & Tom Teasley

Poetry, Prose, Percussion and Song (2003)

Poetry, Prose, Percussion and Song is an inspired collaboration between Charles Williams and Tom Teasley that explores the intersection of language, rhythm, and spiritual expression. This project continues their acclaimed Word-Beat partnership, expanding their palette into a deeply poetic territory. Williams, with his commanding voice and storyteller’s cadence, delivers a powerful array of original texts, traditional spirituals, and African proverbs, all supported by Teasley’s genre-blending percussion and improvisational soundscapes.

The album’s compositions are carefully structured to allow each word and rhythm to resonate. Whether interpreting the work of Langston Hughes or delivering his own prose, Williams brings emotional depth and cultural weight to every phrase. Teasley matches that energy with a global array of percussion instruments, woodwinds, and electronics, creating an aural environment that is meditative one moment and electrifying the next. Together, they move fluidly between spoken word, melody, and rhythm — dissolving the boundaries between performance and ritual.

What makes Poetry, Prose, Percussion and Song so compelling is its emotional authenticity and musical diversity. The duo navigates themes of identity, justice, memory, and transformation with clarity and conviction. Each track stands on its own as a unique piece, yet collectively the album forms a cohesive, soul-deep journey. It’s a work that honors both tradition and innovation, rooted in the African-American cultural lineage while embracing a modern global aesthetic.

This recording is more than just an album — it’s an offering of presence. Through voice and rhythm, Williams and Teasley create an experience that invites the listener to pause, reflect, and feel. It’s a reminder that poetry and percussion have long been tools of storytelling, resistance, and healing — and that in the hands of masterful artists, they still are.