Influences
There are so many places from which/where I draw influence in my musical life. Inevitably, I will miss many of them. . .
First and at the top of the list is my musical family. On both sides of my family, there is a high level of appreciation of music. On my mother's side, at many family gatherings, folks would sing three-part harmonies to American folk songs and other favorites. All of my mother's brother and sisters love to dance. Some of my cousins on that side are also working musicians. On my father's side is a long list of notable musicians and a history that was very real and salient for me when I was growing up. My father graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in music education. He still plays trombone in a local symphony and sings in a successful amateur Barbershop chorus. His mother was proficient on many string instruments and gave instrument and voice lessons for decades. She grew up in a very musical family with many members playing in Vaudeville troops and Dixieland jazz bands. One musician from her family played with Jack Teagarden and Louis Armstrong. Another was the youngest person to play baritone horn in the Chicago Symphony at 13 years old. On the shelf in our house was the fife that an ancestor played in the Civil War. It was not a question of if I would play music, but when.
I have to thank my band director growing up, Donald Metcalf, who is a great teacher and jazz saxophone player. He led me in the direction of jazz and its appreciation at a young age. We recently got together and played for my father's 60th birthday where I played his mint condition 1949 Selmer Mark VI Tenor Saxophone. What a charm and delight that was!
But, what about that list of influences?
SAXOPHONISTS: John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Michael Brecker, Kenny Garrett, Paul Desmond, Phil Woods, Oliver Nelson, Eric Dolphy, Cannonball Adderley, Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon, Bob Mintzer, Branford Marsalis, Joshua Redman, Maceo Parker, Skerick, Karl Denson, David Sanborn,. . . and on and on.
OTHERS (only the Top 10): Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Bill Evans, Rogers/Hart/Hammerstein, Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, John Scofield, Frank Zappa.
"OUTSIDE" THE IDIOM: Hiphop: Common, Blackstar, The Roots, The Fugees, The Coup, Rage Against the Machine, Jurassic 5 (esp. w/ Ozomatli); Soul: Erykah Badu, Brian McKnight, Jill Scott, many, many others old and new; Funk: James Brown, Soulive, Brooklyn Funk Essentials, Brand New Heavies, Jamiroquai; Rock: Steely Dan, Chicago Transit Authority (the first album only), Jimi Hendrix, Steve Vai, Sting (w. Branford Marsalis), and on and on. . .