OUT NOW! The Tao of Muhammad Ali began as music for a podcast, but in the hands of composer D. J. Sparr, it has been reborn as an intimate commentary on an extraordinary life. Stripped of narration and reimagined for the album format, these pieces form a single arc: an invocation, a walk through the shadow of mortality, and a peaceful return. The score was originally written in collaboration with author and narrator Davis Miller, whose memoir traces his life-transforming friendship with boxing legend and larger-than-life persona, Muhammad Ali (1942-2016).
The journey opens and closes with "The Zen of Muhammad Ali." Here, a simple, resonant bell melody blooms into a breathtaking crescendo of light, before retreating into a silence that feels like reverence. In these moments, Ali is not the brash champion in the ring, but a spiritual presence—a stillness at the center of the world.
What lies between is a deeply personal exploration of his gravitational pull. The music breathes with the intimacy of a private thought. A steel tongue drum hovers, suspended in time. Handclaps in an uneven, human meter give way to a hypnotic piano ostinato and wordless, ethereal voices. The warm swell of a Hammond organ and a steady drum groove briefly part to reveal an unexpected treasure: a child’s voice, unguarded and bright, a fleeting domestic-Sparr home recording that dissolves like a memory.
Ali himself is only addressed peripherally. He is felt as a force, shaping the lives of those who orbited him. Guest dobro artist Isaac Miller provides tonal gravity, his Appalachian-inflected performances—including the co-written "Paddy’s Lament"—anchoring the album’s meditations on loss. Strummed guitars evoke old Irish airs, low drones hum with the weight of memory, and flashes of glockenspiel light pierce through a lullaby refracted by gentle synthesizers. This is a sound world of exquisite restraint, where mortality is not a tragedy, but a quiet observation.
The story behind this one starts in 2013, when I met writer Davis Miller for the first time. That meeting led to an opera at @washnatopera , and years later, a podcast about Muhammad Ali. The Tao of Muhammad Ali is the music from that podcast, and it comes out May 15 on Neuma Records.
Pre-save link in bio.
📀 @neumarecords
#djsparr #MuhammadAli #NewMusic #TheTaoOfMuhammadAli #Composer #NeumaRecords #sparrmusic #spar #sparr
"The Tao of Muhammad Ali" releases May 15 on @neumarecords . Original score from the Imagine/iHeart podcast series. Produced in my Roadrunner Garage for the Performing Arts studio in Baton Rouge. Synths, guitars, Dobro, and a boxer! @monicafelkelcreative #sparrmusic #sparr #djsparr #muhammadali #boxing
Electrified Air - LIVE is out now! I joined @solichamber as featured electric guitarist for this concert recording -- performing works by Marc Mellits, Armando Bayolo, Olivia Kieffer, Jay Mobley, Ryan Brown, and Anthony Joseph Lanman, plus two of my own compositions.
Available on Tidal, YouTube Music, and Deezer. Spotify and Apple Music coming soon. Link /electrified-air/
#NewMusic #ElectricGuitar #ContemporaryClassical #ChamberMusic #NewMusicNow #Composer
48 Hours to go! ⏳
From our 2021 "backup plan" to your 2026 headphones—the wait is almost over. Electrified Air officially drops this Tuesday, March 17.
Click the link in our bio to pre-save or follow us on Spotify so you're the first to hear it the moment it lands!
Featured Track: Hammer and Nail (Anthony Lanman)
#SOLIChamber #ElectrifiedAir #NewMusicTuesday #ContemporaryClassical #ChamberMusic #ElectricGuitar #MusicProduction #AudioEngineering
Pre-Save "Electrified Air" at the link in our bio!
When we brought our 2021 project into historic St. Mark's Episcopal Church, the room's natural acoustics became part of the performance. This space allowed us to capture the intimate, resonant sound you hear in this clip and on the album.
Huge thanks to our partners for making this possible: Damian Rodriguez (Zinc Media Pro) for his expert recording and audio engineering, and Jason Murgo (Machine Says Yes) for bringing our visual vision to life.
Hear the complete Electrified Air when it launches on March 17. Pre-saving ensures it lands in your library the moment it drops!
Featured Track: Hammer and Nail (Anthony Lanman)
#SOLIChamber #ElectrifiedAir #ElectricGuitar #ContemporaryClassical #ChamberMusic #ZincMediaPro #MachineSaysYes #AudioEngineering #MusicProduction #Acoustics #ProAudio
Sometimes the best music comes from the backup plan. ⛪️
Pre-Save the full album "Electrified Air" today - link in our bio!
In 2021, we were scheduled to be on an outdoor stage with our guest artist D. J. Sparr. Instead, a surge in virus cases and a shift in the weather forced us to find a new "home" for our concert. We found that home in historic St. Mark's Episcopal Church. Over one weekend in March, we recorded the digital event that many of you watched from your living rooms and that sacred space became our world. You can hear the stillness of the room and the energy of our group in every note of this album.
We are one week from our 5th Anniversary release. Mark your calendars: March 17, 2026 or pre-save today!
#SOLIChamber #DJSparr #MarcMellits #electricguitar #contemporaryclassical #chambermusic #SOLISoundWorks
