Reviews of Ron Hardy aka Tarumbae

SB Magazine
Music Notes
(August, 2002)

Ron Hardy aka Tarumbae
Unplugged and Off the Chain
Red Beans and Rice

Recurring themes from traditional spirituals ("Amazing Grace," "When the Saints Come Marching In") are woven throughout sturdy, high energy African beats and original melodies in this new release by Ron Hardy. Especially good are the rousing "Shake It," the lovely Caribbean "Boom By Yah" and "The Return" - an exotic lilting instrumental piece featuring Gordon Nurse on steel drum and Daryll Mims on flute. The CD features other Shreveport artists like trumpet player Dan Crenshaw and poet Kahlil Shakur, and several talented vocalists from the Ledbetter Heights neighborhood. The defining moments of Unplugged and Off the Chain are the social commentary pieces expressed as chanting poetry: "Don't Forget your Brother" and "What's Really Going On." Most salient is "What's My Crime," which begins with a recording of John Hardy - Ron Hardy's 83 year-old father - recalling what it was like to be black in Shreveport before the civil rights movement.

by K.D. Hopgood

Click here to read an online article at neon bridge on Ron Hardy aka Tarumbae also by K.D. Hopgood

The Times
Shreveport, LA
(Sunday, December 29, 2002)

Local rap groups produce album representin' the 'Port'

      The soul of Shreveport's inner city has gained a voice - and a heartbeat - through the release of a CD showcasing the native rap and hip-hop talent.
     More than a dozen performers bearing picturesque names such as Flu Flu, Pyqkle Head, Hoo Doo Slim, and Mr. Baw Baw have captured snapshots of life on the streets on the initial release of Red Beans and Rice Productions, the CD From the Heart of the Port City. It debuted Saturday with a signing party at Lil J's Music & More on West 70th Street. A talent showcase was scheduled to be held a few hours later at Crystal Palace Skating Center on Mansfield Road.
     "We need to get them exposure and get a good solid base in Shreveport, "said Ron Hardy, a community activist whose organization Playaz and Playettes operates the Urban Music Workshop that recorded many of the CD's artists. Playaz and Playettes, located on Hope Street in Ledbetter Heights, also provides after-school activites for children in that neighborhood and has sponsored Hope Street Festivals to get them back in the mood for school.
     "It's been so suppressed we need to blow the lid off of it," said Hardy, a Californian who moved to Finland after a stint in the Army and returned to the United States and settled in Shreveport. "Shreveport is ripe. The city is ready for it."
;     He served as executive producer of the CD and worked as a track producer alongside Sonny Gaston, Stanley Robinson, Phillip Bertrand and Earl Williams. Hardy also has a track on the CD, Love Letter, a collaborator under the name Tarumbae with fellow singer Charles McCray.
     The CD is strong stuff. Just the first few lines of the first track, C.C.'s City of G's, a paean to Shreveport and its street life, show why the CD richly deserves its "Parental Advisory - Explicit Content" sticker.
     "I'm not saying it's the streets," said local musician Julius Atkins, who performs under the name Pyckle Head and whose tune RIP (Oh My) was the first recorded for the disk. He's one of 17 artists fueling its 18 tracks. "But you have mothers not taking care of their kids. ... I grew up without a father."
     Not on the CD but on hand to lend moral support was rapper Dollar (Tha Raven), a native Shreveporter whose CD, Divide and Conqueror, came out in 1995 and who now records for Mass variety Productions out of Baton Rouge.
     "At this point the market is so saturated, everyone you're talking to is doing the same thing," he said. "We should be supporting one another."

by John Andrew Prime

The Beat
Reggae Update
(Volume 11, No. 3, 1992)

Funk and reggae mix and mingle on Tarumbae's War Zone, One half of this eight[teen]-song cassette is the reggae-funk side and the other the funky-reggae side. Urban and if not exactly angry then not exactly pleased, Tarumbae checks in with titles like "Free the People," "Voice of Africa in America," "Check it Out", "Give Thanks," "War Zone," "City Jail Dub," and just plain "Getting High," Militant rap, hip-hop, dj, and sundry other styles are elements of a style reminiscent of the Last Poets, [P.O. Box 192185, San Francisco, CA 94119-2185]

The Gavin Report
January 17,1992

TARUMBAE - WARZONE (Utopia West Creations, P.O. Box 192182, San Franscico, CA 94119)

Tarumbae is the alter ego of Ron Hardy who conceived, arranged, and produced this eighteen track song cassette packed with reggae/funk and funk/reggae. Enough can't be said about Hardy's versatility, because for a relative unkown he's put together an impressive, quality set. The messages are heavy - but hey, so are the times. Try "War Zone" ("If this don't get you, that will"), "Getting High" and "Free the People." Take it from there.

By Beverly Mire

North Posse Roundup
Reggae & African Beat
(Volume V #5/6 1986)

On the footwide 45 front: Tarumbae and the Rydim Rockers debut with "Midnight Reggae Groove"/"People Watching People," recorded and mixed at Starlight Recording in Richmond. "Midnight..." rocks steady in a late-night session with interesting rewind breaks while the flip tends more toward funk. Ron Hardy produced, wrote and arranged these tracks taken from the upcoming LP Rhythms That Make You Rock. This man knows how to title tunes to guarantee play on Midnight Dread!

By Doug Wendt

Reggae Calendar
(Volume II Number 9-Dec. 1986)

Tarumbae and the Rydim Rockers performed at the Firehouse 7 in direct competition with the Fela show going on in Berkeley on Nov.14th. The group commanded a respectable size crowd that night. The Reggae Calendar extends heartfelt thanks to Tarumbae & The Rydim Rockers for their instrumental help raising funds. The dollars were put to good use publishing the issue you now hold in your hands. Forward Tarumbae!

Janie

One World Beat
(August 21, 1986)
by Jonathan E.

Tarumbae & the Rydim Rockers "Midnight Reggae Groove"/"People Watching People." Utopia West Creations from San Francisco, this double-sider is reggae on one side and funk on the other, but both lean toward the middle to make a well balanced blend. Lots of percussion and heavy synth along with female backing vocals, chikka-chikka guitars and deep bass make "Midnight Reggae Groove" just like its title. "People Watching People" is a horn-driven stomper with relevant lyrics, sung by male and female in a well-put-together arrangement. All in all an impressive record. (Utopia West Creations, P.O.Box 880273, San Francisco, CA 94188. [415] 897-1972).