SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH Saxophonist, LUMMIE SPANN
Lummie performs with Dezron Douglas and New Jazz Workshop, Wednesday Dec. 12 at the Hyatt
NBJP: What instrument, other than the one you are known for playing, would you like to be able to play?
LS: : piano, trumpet, clarinet, flute, vocal… i wanna learn drums for real.
NBJP: If you could only own one CD, what would it be?
LS: Jackie McLean – Jackie Mac Attack
NBJP :If you were about to have your last meal, what would it be?
LS: Oxtail w Rice and Peas w Fried Chicken and Ribs and French Fries… Yes… that is one meal.
NBJP: What’s your favorite jazz club (anywhere in the world) to go to if you’re going just to hang?
LS: Small’s Jazz Club
NBJP: What’s your favorite non-musical pastime?
LS: kickin’ it with a woman… a good looking one of course… No butter-faces please.
NBJP: What quality do you like least about yourself?
LS: l procrastinate
NBJP: What’s your favorite non-jazz tune?
LS: Prince – Let’s Go Crazy
PLUS ONE: When did you decide you were going to become a professional musician?
LS: When l met Jackie McLean.
SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH FLUTIST ANDREA BRACHFELD
NBJP: What’s your favorite (G-rated) guilty pleasure?
AB:Eating dark chocolate with almondsNBJP: What’s the worst (non musical) job you ever had?
AB:Sales clerk at one of those budget stores at 34th street in the cityNBJP: Who’s your favorite non-jazz musical performer?
AB: Take 6NBJP: How old were you when you first played in front of an audience (beyond your family)?
AB:15NBJP: If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?
AB: play betterNBJP: If you were about to have your last meal, what would it be?
AB: Brown rice and vegies with tahiniNBJP: If you could only own ONE CD, what would it be?
AB: Love Supreme- ColtranePLUS ONE: When did you know you wanted to be a professional jazz musician?
AB:16
Seven Questions with Guitarist Bob DeVos
NBJP: If you were about to have your last meal, what would it be?
BD: My Grandmother’s pasta with sparerib sauce. Since it would be my last meal to heck with the cholesterol!
NBJP: What’s your favorite jazz club to go to if you’re just going to hang?
BD: It would all depend on the band that is playing, I can have a good time in most environments, but overall I would have to say that Smoke has been the best hang for me.
NBJP: What living musician has influenced you the most?
BD: I’m good friends with John Abercrombie. Besides for the music that we share, it’s good to hear his perspective of the jazz world as a profession. It’s helped me to focus on being myself in a musical sense, and having a personal sound.
NBJP: What instrument, other than the one you play, would you like to be able to play?
BD: Definitely the piano. I’m a big fan of Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea and I’m probably leaving out some of my other favorites.
NBJP: What’s your favorite non-musical pastime?
BD: It’s a tossup between going to art museums with my wife who acts as my personal docent; photography, one of the few activities where I can forget about the musical notes; and high end audio, but I guess that’s a musical pastime.
NBJP: If you weren’t a musician, what would you likely be?
BD: That’s difficult to say, I’ve never had a job outside of being a musician.
NBJP: What quality do you like most about yourself?
BD: I generally have the ability to separate between the things that are important in life and the superficial elements that many people get impressed with.
PLUS ONE: When did you know that you wanted to be a professional jazz musician?
BD: When I began touring as a teenager with the legendary organist Trudy Pitts and realized I was actually a professional jazz guitarist. Things just kind of fell in place for me at that time and there I was, there was no choice that had to be made.
Seven Questions with BASSIST DEZRON DOUGLAS
Dezron performs Thursday September 27 at Makeda!
NBJP: How old were you when you first played in front of an audience (beyond your family)?
NBJP: What’s your favorite jazz tune?
DD: I have many favorite tunes that stick out to me for various reasons, but if I had to pick one it would be “Floogeh” by late great alto saxophonist Jackie McLean. From the first note you can feel the essence of JAZZ.
NBJP: You are a musician, is there another art in which you’d like to be accomplished?
DD: I would love to be able to speak many different languages. I think linguistics is the pathway to a lot of history and philosophy throughout the globe.
DD: I used to work a summer job at the Hartford Conservatory of Music and one of my duties was moving pianos. I did that for 3 summers. Moving Pianos Sucks.
DD: Estoril, Portugal…..The Beach….The Food…..The beautiful People, and a very well cultured arts scene.
DD: I own way too many T-shirts. Sports, music, whatever…..I own a lot of T-shirts
SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH DAVID GIBSON
Dave plays Thursday September 20 at Makeda!
NBJP: What living musician do you admire most? Why?
DG: Branford Marsalis is one of the most honest humans I’ve encountered. I see him challenging himself to perform in new and diverse settings. He’s a keen observer of people, music and culture and he’s very good at articulating his observations. I aspire to that level of communication.
NBJP: You are a musician, is there another art in which you’d like to be accomplished?
DG: Ever since listening to an interview with Oliver Sacks about music in the brain, I’ve been fascinated by the topic. I have a host of diverse interests that all exhibit the drama of human behavior….whether politics, music or baseball, I’m interested in the reactions of people.
NBJP: What’s your favorite (G-rated) guilty pleasure?
DG: Over the years, I’ve loved going to Yankee Stadium for a Wednesday afternoon day game and sitting alone for a few hours. I could watch the game on TV, but I love seeing the entire field and all the player movement that gets missed in a broadcast.
NBJP: If you were about to have your last meal, what would it be?
DG: The only important component of my last meal would be spice. I like anything spicy.
NBJP: Who’s your favorite non-jazz composer?
DG: J.S. Bach set the bar pretty high, early on. He created a skeleton of logical thought that is bedrock for me. He does sound like a bebopper sometimes, though.
NBJP: What’s the worst (non musical) job you ever had?
NBJP: Finish this sentence: If I can, I try to avoid DG:negative thinking.
PLUS ONE: When did you know that you wanted to be a professional jazz musician?
DG:I got my first taste of performing with musicians who were better than me, when I was 15. I was inspired by these musicians’ ability to communicate with the audience. I wanted to do that, too.
SEVEN QUESTIONS with PIANIST, MARK SOSKIN
MARK SOSKIN PERFORMS WITH ROSEANNA VITRO WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22 at the HYATT
NBJP: Other than the instrument you play, what’s your favorite instrument to listen to?
RE: My favorite instrument to listen to besides the piano would be the Cello
NBJP: What’s the worst (non-musical) job you ever had?
MS: The non musical job which was the worst lasted but 1 day so I guess this would be the worst- working in a toy store when I was about 15. I quit. The only other non musical job I’ve had was when I worked in a supermarket. This didn’t last too much longer than the toy store job.
NBJP: If you could only own one CD what would it be? (This is one I know might have a different answer on a different day ;)! )
MS: If I could own only 1 CD, as of today, that would be The Chopin Polonaises- Vladimir Horowitz performing.
NBJP: Who’s your favorite non-jazz composer?
MS: Non jazz composer favorite of mine- Bach
NBJP: What’s the last book you read?
MS: Last book read- Original Zinn, Conversations On History and Politics by Howard Zinn with David Barsamian
NBJP: What’s your favorite (“G” rated!) guilty pleasure?
MS: My favorite guilty pleasure is eating too many Brother Kane’s baby back ribs potato chips. They’re to die for(hopefully not literally).
NBJP: What musician do you believe has influenced you the most? (so far)
MS: Musician that has influenced me the most up until now- Of course all of the great pianists be it in jazz, classical, Brazilian, Latin music, etc. have influenced me but if it’s one here I’d say Bill Evans.
PLUS ONE: When did you know that you wanted to be a professional jazz musician?
MS: I knew that I wanted to be a professional musician at around the age of 18.