i often overlook and undersell the fact that my job affords me the luxury of being able to sit down with some renowned musicians. most of the musicians i have had the pleasure of interviewing are famed in the smooth jazz genre; including dave koz, brian culbertson, gerald albright and jessy j. others are famed in many other arenas; including seal, david foster and john legend.
now, i'm not a name dropper. if anything this fraction of my job has humbled me. there is a lot of celebrity in this part of california. at times it can be very easy to become star-struck. but interviewing these musicians has given me a chance to sit back and play a role. to be on their side and to pick their brains about their craft.
today i met randy crawford and joe sample. a collaborative duo that has been in the industry longer than i have been alive. and that is by no means an insult. it's just a fact. <!--more (click here to continue reading this post)-->
when preparing for their interview i had no idea what to expect. i read up as much as i could on their careers and i found videos of them talking about the making of their new album. i prepared questions and i waited.
the thing is, with most of these interviews, it's an education for me. it's schooling. it's a learning process. i'm asking questions in hopes that the answers inspire me. i'm looking for something in these people that says this right here, this is the reason you are talking to me, this is who i am, this is why people know me.
i don't think any one of my interviews has been boring. most have been fascinating. all have been experiences that i've been happy and lucky to have had. but something about today's interview really struck a chord somewhere inside of me.
listening to joe sample tell a story is a lot like being transported through time. this man was born in 1939. he is considered the pioneer of the electric piano. he has enjoyed a successful solo career and has guested on many recordings by other performers and groups, including miles davis, george benson, b. b. king, eric clapton and steely dan.
the man pioneered an instrument. in his lifetime an instrument was created that changed the face of music and he pioneered it. that alone is a substantial merit badge. then, when i think about a career spanning through the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, into the 90s and through today and when i consider all that has changed in the industry in each decade alone, i begin to realize that the man sitting before me is a piece of american history.
when joe sample talks about his connection to the piano, it's unlike anything i could expect. he describes an intense spiritual connection that drove him and still drives him to play. he talks about his life in high school and his struggle with real jobs and how he swore he would have a career in music, that he would never again have a "boss man."
this is the part that got me, when he chose to pursue a b.a. in piano he says he knew how ridiculous it was, how he would never have any shot at other careers with such a degree, but that he could not comprehend making it his minor. that if he was going to survive the remainder of his life he had to play. that for him the piano is a sanctuary.
he talks about a time in our country's history when the radio was king and when families dreamed of having a piano in their homes. and how someone in the family had to know how to play.
all i had to do was ask a question as simple as, what sort of music influenced you when you were younger, and joe's answer was never just a list or a definitive statement. his answers are passionate stories that traverse the history of the music industry. and it's that passion that is so relative.
how he talks about his drive, his spiritual connection to his instrument, how he emphasizes his need to play in order to make anything out of his life. that if he was ever to survive his time on this planet than music needed to be a part of it. and that's just it. that's why i am here. that is what drove me out of massachusetts. that is what drove me to california. that passionate, burning feeling inside. something i had to do. something i am here to do. something few people ever understood when i was working towards a b.a. in theatre arts.
and yet, here i am. trying to survive. trying some hybrid approach at writing, poetry, film and improv. trying to keep that passion alive. hoping that when all is done and said i'll have achieved even a small fraction of what talented people like joe sample have achieved.