TELL US ABOUT YOUR CHILDHOOD
I was getting chronic pneumonia, and I had rheumatoid juvenile arthritis that was related to an auto-immune deficiency disorder. The auto immune thing was making me sick a lot with the pneumonia.
WHY WERE YOU HOME SCHOOLED?
Part of it was that I wanted to be home schooled, and part of is that at that time the principal of my school was having some sort of resentment against us, and when I missed something like 3 weeks of school (because of my illness), they said that I couldn’t come back because I’d be too far behind.” So, I started home schooling. I never liked school. I always thought that it was a waste of time. I was never a “school person.” When I went to high school, it carried over!
I got into music before that, when I was about five, from seeing a “Mister Rogers Neighborhood” show with Yo Yo Ma. I thought, “Wow! This is amazing! What is this thing he’s doing?” That’s when I first felt like I was being called. So, just from being home; the studying part (of home schooling) only took about maybe 1-2 hours a day. So, the whole rest of the day, I’d think, “Hmm. What do I do with my time?” So a lot of it was spent just messing around with instruments.
I was home by myself a lot, because my mom was a single working mom. So, there are things that you figure out when you’re that age and you just try to entertain yourself. Music is a lot more fun that way. It becomes a much better experience because no one is telling you that you’ve got to do this or that. And a lot of the things that you would ultimately get with the direction of a teacher, you instead find by yourself. So, it’s very cool.
WHAT WAS YOUR IMPRESSION OF BERKLEE?
It was a lot easier academically because I had previously gone to a classical-focused university in Portland for a year. College life was a lot easier for me.
I wasn’t into the academic part there so much as I was into the people while I was there, which means certain teachers, or famous musicians that were passing through, or just other students. I learned that one of the most important aspects of being great at what you do is kind of cross-pollinating with other people who are doing different things. We all know that theoretically, but there are actually very few environments that can actually provide that dynamic between musicians. And at Berklee, I was provided that super concentrated example of how fast you can grow with other people around you providing their input, sharing what they’ve been playing. That was integral.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR MEETING WITH PATTY AUSTIN
She held an audition. I jumped on stage and I played “How High The Moon,” because she was doing a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald. She kept me up there for a few songs, and she said, “OK, What are you doing?”
She did that for about a year and a half, and then she kept inviting me for different projects in Switzerland. It was amazing. Patty Austin is a beautiful person. An amazing singer; not just in the singing part. When she performs, she really delivers it.
THEN YOU TEAMED UP WITH JOE LOVANO. WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?
It’s very different. He has a different range of colors; a broad palate of textures, intensities and volumes. So, there is a little more freedom in that you know that you can do more spontaneous things, and he’ll be able to meet you wherever you go. It’s harder to do that with a singer. The timber doesn’t go that far. You have to be submitting and following their purpose of what the song is. You have to dedicate yourself to making their purpose work. However, with someone like Joe, or other jazz instrumentalists, you’re into a more specially collective communicative and free expression. Free, within the context of a song, of course. But they are able follow a more group conversation.
THEN YOU PUT OUT YOUR OWN DISC
I was thinking, “How am I going to showcase my bass playing?” It’s not really a solo instrument. On the songs, there is some really good bass playing, but I wanted the record to be real accessible. Most people are not really going be able to jive with a bass solo record. You can only play so many melodies, so you ultimately need someone else to be taking care of the melody. I’ve also been singing a lot more since my last record, so I thought that it was time to enter that zone, and become the leading voice of my group.
I’m always working on composing. For this record, I just chose this group of songs that I had written to put out the sound that I’m making as a musician.
YOU’RE STILL PRETTY YOUNG. HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THESE LYRICS?
I haven’t personally experienced everything in those songs. It’s just things that I’ve observed. It’s funny; songs have a character. So, in a way, the music of those songs kind of developed first, and then it sounded to me that “this is what seems like is going on in these songs.” Like, “I Know You Know” is kind of a playful and flirty melody. It’s pushing through in spite of the struggle that’s happening, so that’s what the words are about. You’re trying to be subtle and coy about something that’s so strong and obvious that there’s no way that you can pretend that you don’t know what’s happening.
All my friends have come up to me and said, “All of these songs are about love! What’s up with that?!?” I told them that I don’t know. It’s not even in my vibe. But, it’s good, because when a jazz singer is new to the scene, they have to sing standards so you can see their approach to the standards. Content-wise, “love” is like the “standard.” Love is the thing we all recognize, so when a new writer or lyricist comes around, of course they’re going to write about love. So, we have to look at how they write about love and all the dynamics. From there, once you’ve established your “sound” in your lyrics, then you can branch out, and people will recognize your “sound” and they’ll be able to hear the new directions that your sound is actually more applicable to. That’s kind of what I plan to do with the next record.
SO, MUSIC IS A CALLING
Keep at humility and diligence. I spend time every day trying to put my life in perspective to everything that’s happening in the world, and everything that’s happening to the people around me. If you function like the quiet servant who learns everything about his master. It’s funny, but it’s true. It can be serving your higher power or the music. Like, someone who has a talent for medicine does not use the medicine to serve himself; it’s for serving other people. So, if you put that on as your responsibility, with a servant mentality, you look at your life to serve others with a gift. If I’ve been given a gift, then it’s my responsibility to give it to someone else. I received a part of my (musical) gift before I even earned it. Now, it’s time for me to cultivate that gift so I can use it to serve others.
“Bible verse” To whom much is given much is required.” It’s not me. Our time on this earth is so short. I have a body and a soul, and I’m just passing through, and in this period of time, I get to do all of these amazing things. But, in a way, I have to be the most creative with all of my art. I’m surrounded by great musicians, so at the gig, I get to explain what I want in the music. But I also have enough faith in their musicianship that when they apply it, it will work.