“He who has ears, let him hear”
Matthew 11:15
IF YOU EVER WENT TO SUNDAY SCHOOL, YOU WERE TAUGHT THAT “A PARABLE IS AN EARTHY DESCRIPTION OF A HEAVENLY TRUTH”. NOT EVERYONE MAY UNDERSTAND IT.
IN FACT, THE BIBLE STATES THAT JESUS OFTEN TOLD PARABLES SO THAT MOST PEOPLE, USUALLY THE ‘CULTURED ELITE’ WOULD NOT UNDERSTAND THE MESSAGE.
WHY?
BECAUSE MANY PEOPLE ARE NOT READY FOR THE TRUTH. REMEMBER JACK NICHOLSON IN “A FEW GOOD MEN”? MANY PEOPLE CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH.
GROWING UP IN CHURCH, VIBIST JOEL ROSS HAS USED PARABLES FROM HIS YOUTH AS A LAUNCHING PAD FOR HIS LATEST ALBUM, THE PARABLE OF THE POET. THE SONGS ARE A LITURGICAL TAPESTRY, WITH TITLES AND MESSAGES READY FOR THE IMBIBING, FOR THOSE WHO THIRST.
WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO CATCH UP WITH MR. ROSS, WHO SHARED HIS MUSICAL AND SPIRITUAL VISION.
YOU GREW UP IN THE CHURCH WITH YOUR FATHER. WHAT DID YOU LEARN MUSICALLY AND SPIRITUALLY IN THAT ENVIRONMENT
Both my parents were involved. We grew up in a Baptist church, which became non-denominational.
I’m a twin, so my brother and I both, when we were two or three we gravitated towards the drums. We had a god parent who was one of the musicians in the band at the church that played drums; we’d go and sit behind him and watch him.
My dad is one of the marriage counselors in the church, and he also used to direct the choir. He also teaches in the Sunday School class; my mom serves at the church, too. That’s our spiritual foundation right there.
We’d play with the band when we could on Wednesday nights. That was our primary music life up until elementary school we joined the elementary school concert band.
Dad was the choir director, but he wasn’t classically trained or anything.
My brother and I learned from the church band how to do improvisation. Spontaneity. Being ready. Definitely playing a music that isn’t about us, but playing for a higher purpose
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“Definitely playing a music,,, isn’t about us, but playing for a higher purpose”
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YOU SAID YOUR FATHER WAS A MARRIAGE COUNSELER. HAS HE GIVEN ANY ADVICE ON FINDING A WIFE AND BEING A HUSBAND?
He taught us biblically. He hasn’t exerted on us what he teaches adults, but he’s definitely taught us to respect women and love them.
HOW HAS THAT FOUNDATION AFFECT YOU TODAY AS A MUSICIAN AND A MAN?
My faith is how I try to live, in so that it comes out musically, but also as a person. I’m a believer, so I try to live that way, to compose and express myself that way.
IT SEEMS THAT YOU SEE YOUR MUSIC AS A KIND OF MINISTRY
That’s what I’m accustomed to doing. It’s my job to share the Good News in any way that I can, as best as I can. It is a ministry of music.
THIS LATEST ALBUM IN PARTICULAR (THE PARABLE OF THE POET) IS PARTICULARLY STRAIGHTFORWARD IN ITS MESSAGE, WITH TITLES LIKE “PRAYER”, “DOXOLOGY” AND “BENEDICTION”. WHAT WAS YOUR MOTIVATION TO MAKE THIS LATEST ALBUM ALMOST A REFLECTIVE RECITATIVE?
It’s actually just how the music naturally formulated. I didn’t pre-decide anything. All of the music were based on improvisations, either by myself or with a friend of mine that naturally set the idea of the ensemble in that it’s not about the rhythm section or the horns separately. It’s not about solos or anything, but it’s about how we can all accompany each other and play this music and support the music so that the message of the music is always present, meaning the melody.
That’s really the only information that we’re working on, and we’re interacting and conversing with each other developing those ideas around it. That’s the idea of the band.
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“I’m not shy about (my faith); it’s my way of bringing people closer to Christ”
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THERE IS A KIND OF LITURGICAL SENSE AND PROGRESSION TO THE SONG TITLES. WHAT THAT CONSCIOUSLY DONE?
Over time it came together. I didn’t do it on purpose, per se.
I composed the music for a commission by a venue in Brooklyn, Roulette Intermedium. I composed most of it for that; not everything had titles.
It was based on my personal experiences; the improvisations were really connected with certain of my feelings at the time.
I tried to right them down and get the band to play them, to emote them as best as we could musically
IT’S A BIT LIKE A SERVICE; YOU OPEN IN PRAYER, YOU CONFESS YOUR SINS AND YOU CLOSE WITH A DOXOLOGY AND BENEDICTION
It is a parable
I had my dad write the liner notes, and he talks about each title.
I’m not shy about it; it’s my way of bringing people closer to Christ.
My dad and I were talking about it. We don’t want to include so much biblical text as to keep people from listening to it, but keep it clear cut. Like a parable. There is this message, but there is openness to interpretation
I’m going to give you the titles, but I’m not going to tell you exactly what it’s about. I want you to listen to it and formulate your own opinion and experience . And, if you so wish read the liner notes and see how it connects you more to the music.
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“I’m going to give you the titles, but I’m not going to tell you exactly what it’s about. I want you to listen to it and formulate your own opinion and experience”
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“THOSE WHO HAVE EARS, LET HIM HEAR”
Yeah!
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PARABLE IN THE BIBLE?
The most impactful for me is The Prodigal Son, because both my brother and I moved away from home as soon as we graduated.
All of my life, I was told about paying attention about going into this industry, and how evil the world can be. Like the parable, just going out and experiencing the “fast life” of a musician and the arts industry has been important to keep that parable close to heart.
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“it’s about how we can all accompany each other and play this music and support the music so that the message of the music is always present”
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AFTER LISTENING TO YOUR ALBUMS, WHICH TEND TO BE SUBDUED, I WAS SURPRISED BY THE ASSERTIVENESS OF YOU AND YOUR BAND IN CONCERT.
With the first half of Who Are You?, I did try to capture the feelings of the set we were playing at the time. We basically just recorded our songs all the way through with few stops in between. That was just capturing who we were in that moment.
It’s hard to recreate the “live” experience in the studio. But, I’m also looking at the ability that we have in the studio as opposed to a “live” setting. We can stop and decide certain things. That process is forever changing.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM YOUR TIME WITH STEFON HARRIS?
A plethora of things.
He helped me edit my technique. He got me to start thinking of breathing as a percussionist. Thinking about that has helped me thinking about that in the music and compositionally as well; how to interpret a breath in the score, to take a breath and to put breathing into the music score.
I’ve learned a lot of technique things; so as not to harm myself, as it’s such a physical instrument. It’s hard to remain calm.
We’ve worked a lot on a form of theory that he teaches to help anybody learn how to improvise based in a more natural feeling in that you hear something, and you’re then able to identify it, react and play a ^^^^more original melody that is not just based on previously learned licks or anything like that. It’s a more organic improvisation.
That involves a lot of ear training work, so we did a lot of that.
We talked a lot about being a black man, and a man of faith; he grew up in the church as well. He was and still is an important mentor to me.
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“(Stefon Harris) got me to start thinking of breathing as a percussionist… how to interpret a breath in the score, to take a breath and to put breathing into the music score”
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YOU SEEM TO HAVE HAD SOME GOOD TEACHING. WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE SOMEONE’S GIVEN YOU?
Bobby Hutcherson told me to write about my life when composing music. Everything that I experience.
I was able to go to his house one day and have a private lesson with him. He just pointed to the sky and said “You can write about that; you can play that.” That really got to me about how emotive the music can be.
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“(Bobby Hutcherson) just pointed to the sky and said “You can write about that; you can play that.” That really got to me about how emotive the music can be”
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YOU MENTIONED EARLIER ABOUT BEING A BLACK MAN. CAN YOU DEFINE “BLACK MUSIC”?
Music derived from black culture, black history.
All black music comes from slavery, when our drums were taken away, but at some point we were able to congregate on Sundays where we could clap and stomp our feet and sing and praise . That’s where the blues came from. Then, once we were able to make drums and congregate, the rhythm came from that and all national black music comes from that.
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“All black music comes from slavery, when our drums were taken away”
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WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT YOURSELF FROM THE COVID LOCKDOWN?
To try to be less selfish.
ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU’RE SINGLE
I’ve been with my partner and her family in Brooklyn. She’s a woodwind player, Gabriel Garro. Her family doesn’t live to far from me, so I was blessed to spend a lot of time with them
WHEN YOU TOUR, WILL IT BE WITH THIS NEW BAND ON THE ALBUM, OR THE OLDER GROUP?
It’s hard to take 8-9 people on the road, but we’re trying to see what’s possible.
TELL ME A COUPLE BOOKS YOU WISH EVERYONE WOULD READ?
First, the Bible. To have the right perspective.
As Serious As Your Life by Val Wilmer
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“We’ve worked a lot on a…more original melody that is not just based on previously learned licks or anything like that. It’s a more organic improvisation”
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ANYONE IN HISTORY YOU’D LIKE TO SIT FOR AN EVENING AND PICK THEIR BRAIN?
That could be anyone from Miles Davis to Milt Jackson to Martin Luther King.
WHAT FUTURE GOALS DO YOU HAVE?
To be able to compose for film.
I love film. I love stories told in that medium
I love thrillers, anything that makes you think. Anything that has a good story, however it’s told, and in any medium
WHEN YOU WATCH A BAND, WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR?
I look for people I enjoy being around. Almost all of the people I play with are my friends.
What I learn is not so much about the instrument, but from the people themselves. **** These are the people I enjoy spending time with: like-minded individuals who are pursuing the same goals that I am as to being the best at their craft.
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*I look for people I enjoy being around. Almost all of the people I play with are my friends”
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THIS IS A DIFFERENCE WITH OLDER GENERATIONS, AND IT’S A BETTER ONE. BEFORE, PEOPLE GOT TOGETHER LESS BECAUSE OF A FRATERNITY, BUT RELATIONSHIPS ARE MORE IMPORTANT WITH YOUR AGE GROUP. I THINK THAT’S A BETTER IDEA.
I think that where the people are like-minded in the pursuit of a goal, that it matters more than doing anything with complete people you don’t have a connection with. Music is so based on a human connection that the stronger that connection is, the better the result.
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“What I learn is not so much about the instrument, but from the people themselves”
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“A CHORD OF THREE STRANDS IS NOT EASILY BROKEN”
WHAT GIVES YOU THE MOST JOY ?
When It feels like we’re working together and the music is transcending ourselves.
HOW OFTEN DOES THAT HAPPEN?
I couldn’t tell you exactly when it does or doesn’t. I try not to think about doing it, but being open to be ready for that.
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Music is so based on a human connection that the stronger that connection is, the better the result.
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JOEL ROSS TAKES THE MANTLE FROM A LONG LINE OF STORY TELLERS TO POINT PEOPLE INTO AN ETERNAL DIRECTION. PEOPLE IN THE PAST HAVE USED VARIOUS WAYS TO GIVE THEIR MESSAGES, LIKE PLUMB LINES, ANIMAL SKINS, AND EVEN BONES TO MAKE THEIR POINTS. ROSS IS USING HIS MALLETS AND VIBES IN ORDER TO SPREAD HIS MESSAGE, AND IT IS ONE THAT LITERALLY RESONATES.