As for the symphonic activities... when I was a student at the Eastman School of Music, I became exposed to a lot more musical forms, elements, opportunities, and I fell in love with strings and their uses. |
I write music people enjoy playing and listening to, and I have a group that loves playing the music. |
I made many studio albums and I think the danger of studio recording is that if you do not watch out, you come out with a perfectly sterile performance. |
I was blessed to work with The Jazz Messengers when the two piano players were Keith Jarrett and Chick Corea. |
Music is meant to be a beautiful thing. |
1972 was a year of many pleasant and rewarding experiences for me: |
To pay 60 musicians for rehearsal and performance is quite something, and I decided I wouldn't be able to handle that kind of situation financially again, unless somebody else was taking care of that end of it. |
My music has always been strong in melodic content. |
My goal was never to sell many records. |
We may play in a contemporary rock vein, use standard bebop themes, and many other things besides. |
I can count on one hand the number of instrumental hits there have been over the last ten years. |
The hiatus you spoke about happened in 1998. I was somewhat numb from being out on the road every night. I had to stop because I was emotionally and physically drained. |
Most recently we've been working in concert situations rather than clubs. because there aren't too many rooms there like Ronnie Scott's, that are pure music rooms, where people come specifically to listen to music. |
Because I don't believe music can be free unless it has something to be free from. |
With four people you can create one very strong kind of energy, but if you can get 65 people working together, and swinging together, that's a whole other kind of energy. |
Not compromising the music, but there is a way, by just showing the people that you're sincere and honest with what you're doing, and by talking to them. |
I find it very difficult to compose when I'm not playing. |
A studio recording is perfection, but emotion and passion come only when you turn on the machine and go for the groove. If you do that with no mistakes, it sounds beautiful. |
Then I loved the fact that we were actually recording live. |
Whether it's string writing or whatever, I try to write for what each instrumentalist can do best. |