The latest in digital state-of-the-art recording is housed in the Palm Springs studio of Paul Gilman, composer, producer and performer.

Here, on the second floor of an old Spanish building in the heart of downtown Palm Springs, are the 21st century keyboards and computers that have allowed him to work with musicians from around the world and produce dozens of musical scores for motion pictures, videos, CDs and commercials.

However, he is now on what he describes as a spiritual quest.

A recognized pioneer in electronic music, Gilman is using 21st century film and recording technology to bridge the communication gap between humans and mammals.

"I was inspired after swimming in Hawaii with dolphins and turtles," he explains. And then adds softly, "Music is a universal language."

It is a belief that inspired him to travel to Hawaii, Canada and the Kingdom of Tonga to communicate through music with whales and dolphins.

The result is "Ocean Odyssey," a sound and visual symphony. Gilman's 40 reels of underwater high-definition footage is inspiring as we watch him play a keyboard in a cave 64 feet below the ocean surface.

"I listened to the songs of the mammals with hydrophones and responded via keyboards through underwater speakers, creating a musical dialogue," he says.

On a kayak, he played a Native American flute in the midst of a whale pod and drew answers from the sea mammals.

"I had been told not to get into the center of a whale pod, that it would be dangerous. But I did not chase them or offer them food. I sat in the kayak and played the flute and they came to me. They surrounded me and swam alongside me. It was as if they invited me into their pod."

The footage was recorded digitally and edited in Gilman's Palm Springs studio. The a mesmerizing show featuring high-definition footage shows whales and dolphins as they respond to Gilman and his music. The show features Gilman's original compositions from his CD "Ambassadors of the Sea," and behind-the-scene footage captured by videographer Valerie Gill.

The International Whaleday Committee voted Gilman its 2001 Artist of the Year.

Steve King, president of The Whale Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to whale research, education and conservation, says of Gilman, "Paul's heartfelt desire to explore the possibilities of interspecies communication via music is the sort of exciting work which may yield future breakthroughs."

Gilman says he could not have made "Ocean Odyssey" without the help of the technical wizards who accompanied him. They include Vince Pace, who was his photographic director and also provided the underwater photography for James Cameron's "The Abyss" and "Titanic." CJ Silver, audio engineer, coordinated the topside and underwater speakers and provided the above and underwater audio configuration.

Gilman, 51, is planning to stage an "Ocean Odyssey" tour, combining live concerts with his video and film footage.

Those who attended last January's Nortel Palm Springs International Film Festival were given a brief preview as Gilman played the keyboard in the Annenberg Theater of the Palm Springs Desert Museum accompanied by his footage. Strong winds canceled an "Ocean Odyssey" performance scheduled to open La Quinta Arts Festival's new outdoor amphitheater last March.

"I have been talking to National Geographic," he said, "As well as the possibility of introducing 'Ocean Odyssey' in Boston with the Boston Symphony."

A Palm Springs resident for the past 15 years, Gilman's wavy brown hair reaches the bottom of his neck. He wears blue jeans and a jacket. His voice is soft as he speaks, not only of his life commitment to furthering interaction between mammals and people, but of the Gyuto Monks of Tibet who stayed at Gilman's home in Palm Springs during their World Peace Tour with the Dali Lama in 1996.

"While they were in Palm Springs, they recorded several chants including 'Word of Truth,' a chant to release negativity," Gilman says.

He composed 32 tracks of music for the chant. When the Gyuto Monks returned to Palm Springs a year later, they formally blessed Paul and the music.

Gilman started his musical career as a student at the Boston Conservatory of Music. He was chosen to perform on national television as a guest of Aretha Franklin and this led to an extensive touring and recording career plus his introduction into the commercial music arena where his clients included Maybelline, Soloflex and Jantzen.

He gave the first solo electronic concert at Boston Symphony Hall. During the 1980s he was a composer-in-residence for the Metropolitan Symphony of Boston. The orchestra folded in 1989 and Gilman's project, which was to develop a composition combining traditional orchestra and electronic music elements did not materialize, said former symphony music director Christopher Blair.

His recording label is named Full Circle and his facility has been chosen as a test site for Apple computers. With its multitrack capabilities and 16 keyboards, he says, "I can do an entire feature film here."

It was this talent that brought the late John Phillips and Eddie Kendricks of the Temptations to Gilman, who co-produced three albums with Phillips, including "Papa John and Friends" with Phillips and Rolling Stones Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Mick Taylor.

Asked about the future of music in the 21st century, Gilman says it will find incredible sounds coming from a combination of acoustics and electronics.

But still he admits, "With all the great electronics, a nine-foot Steinway turns me on more than a whole pile of chips."

Art: PHOTOS

Caption: STEVEM MEDD

THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE'

1. Paul Gilman plays the keyboards to a group of dolphins off the coast of Maui in this photo from Gilman's video "Ocean Odyssey."

2. Paul Gilman: "Music is a universal language."

Zone: ALL ZONES

Edition: 
Section: ENTERTAINMENT
Page#: F10