Seven Questions

with featured artists

Seven Questions Blog2017-01-05T10:39:12-05:00

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH WINARD HARPER

WINARD PERFORMED SATURDAY, AUGUST 11 IN BOYD PARK  

NBJP: How old were you when you first played in front of an audience (beyond your family)?

WH: Between 4 an 5

NBJP: What’s your favorite jazz tune?

WH: Too many to even thing of one,  Star Crossed Lovers, Ugly Beauty, Moanin, Ceora 

NBJP: You are a musician, is there another art in which you’d like to be accomplished?

WH: Not sure about this one …maybe the art of finance…

NBJP: What’s your favorite non-musical pastime?

WH: Family

NBJP: What’s the worst job you ever had?

WH: Havent had it yet

NBJP: If you could live anywhere in the world where would that be?

WH: Right where I am  

NBJP: Finish this sentence –  I own too many______

WH: Bills

PLUS ONE: When did you know that you wanted to be a professional jazz musician?

WH: I was around 10 or 11 

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH MICHAEL DEASE

MICHAEL DEASE PERFORMS THURSDAY, AUGUST 9 AT MAKEDA 

NBJP: What living musician has influenced you most?

MD:  The legendary saxophonist/composer Jimmy Heath continues to inspire me as a musician and a human being.  

NBJP: What would you want to be if you weren’t a jazz musician?

MD:  That’s tough. I’ve always thought highly of investigators, so maybe a Detective or Journalist.

NBJP: If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?

MD:  I’d like to me more patient and disciplined, especially with practice time.  

NBJP: What’s your favorite guilty pleasure? (G-rated please!)

MD:  Anything scary or supernatural- like a book, movie, haunted house. etc.

NBJP: Are you a “pet person”? Dogs? Cats? Other? Not me?

MD:  I love most dogs, especially pugs.  Pugs are great in pairs, too.  

NBJP: Who’s your favorite non-jazz composer?

MD:  Here’s 4: Michael Jackson, Hank Williams, Marvin Gaye and Franz Liszt

NBJP: Is there an instrument other than the trombone that you would also like to play?

MD:  Due to my unchecked curiosity, I play most of them already.  Perhaps the drums next!

PLUS ONE: When did you know you wanted to be a musician?

MD:  I enjoyed reading music as a young kid, but it really “floored” me when I discovered that improvisation was the basis of jazz music.  I was probably 15 or so when I became hooked on music.  

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SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH ED CHERRY

ED CHERRY PERFORMS THURSDAY JULY 26 AT MAKEDA

(seven questions kept the integrity of the lower case letters used by ed)

NBJP:       What living musician do you admire most? Why?

EC: my guitar instructor bruce johnson… completely unknown to the general public but new york musicians from my generation and just before me know him or have heard of him, a fantastic, creative guitarist, coming from a love of kenny burrell/grant green as well as free music, bruce could play it all (he’d recorded with chico hamilton and enrico rava as well as 2 LP’s under his own name and one duet recording w/rodney jones).I met him thru guitarist rodney jones who also studied with him…he set me straight on what I should be practicing, on dealing with people in the business, what to listen for in a musician, the importance of writing my own music and having my own voice on my instrument…as well as being aware of current events and being creative in other areas outside of music like art or poetry –things like this. all this before I moved to new york ..I was 20 or 21 when we met…one of the reasons I moved to nyc was to be closer to him and rodney and other creative people who could inspire me to be a better musician and person.

NBJP:  You are a musician, is there another art in which you’d like to be accomplished?

EC:  painting ..which I was never really that good at…writing, I always enjoyed writing little short stories or letters to friends,etc.. ..I would be a good critic, having been in the business of music and played with some really great musicians, I feel I would be qualified but I don’t want to criticize someone else’s art, I’ll keep my opinions to myself (or my closest friends,haha)..I’ve had some pretty negative things said about me when I was a young musician trying to do the best I could playing in dizzy’s band and other projects(as well as some really nice things that fed my soul). musician’s say they don’t care about reviews but everyone no matter who it is wants to be respected by their peers and have nice things said about them in print and the bad review can destroy a young musicians morale and possibly set him on a downward spiral if they are not strong and ignore what these guys say and just keep steppin’

NBJP: What’s your favorite (G-rated) guilty pleasure?

EC: desserts. anyone who really knows me knows I like cake, pie ..things like this…candy not so much…this is one of the reasons I have to keep going to the gym so I don’t blow up like a toad …hahaa..

NBJP:       If you were about to have your last meal, what would it be?

EC: a dinner of hot buttered lobster rolls in a toasted hotdog bun ! being from new england ,that was always one of my favorite things to eat growing up..

NBJP: Who’s your favorite non-jazz composer?

EC: jimi hendrix

NBJP: Other than being a musician, what’s the best job you ever had?

EC: I’ve always played music for money since I was a kid..any other ‘job’ was always less than…

NBJP: Finish this sentence: If I can, I try to avoid

EC: negative people, music performance situations that won’t make me feel good at the end of the evening and….also…cake and pie…

PLUS ONE: When did you know that you wanted to be a professional jazz musician?

I just wanted to play music …starting with clarinet in my school band in 3rd grade(at first I wanted to be a sax player) to r&b bands on guitar in 6 and 7th grade.I loved blues and hendrix and many other rock players back in the day but tired of that and wanted know more about this music that my dad listened to religiously… so at around 17 or 18 I started going to jazz jam sessions in my hometown and loved what I heard and wanted to learn all about this musical language

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH ADRIENNE WEST

ADRIENNE WEST SINGS WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2012 AT THE HYATT

NBJP:  What’s the worst (non musical)  job you ever had?

AW: Hmmm… yeah…and the answer is….. a chemical factory office job in Atlanta, Georgia

NBJP: Who’s your favorite, non living jazz composer?

AW: Duke Ellington

NBJP:  What one word would your friends use to describe you?

AW:  Open

NBJP:    How old were you when you first played in front of an audience (other than family)? Do you remember what song  it was?

AW:       5 years old…”The Lords Prayer”

NBJP: What would you want to be if you weren’t a musician?

AW:     A veterinarian

NBJP: What food can’t you resist?

AW:    Great pasta

NBJP:  What musician has (thus far) influenced you the most?

AW      Sorry but I must name more than one but…I’ll ONLY refer to two 🙂 …Sarah Vaughn & Shirley Horn! 

Plus one – NBJP: When did you know you wanted to be a professional musician?

AW:     Age 6

What???  Over so soon?

SEVEN QUESTIONS w/KEN FOWSER

KEN PERFORMS THURSDAY JULY 19, 2012 AT MAKEDA


 

 

 

 

NBJP: What’s the worst (non-musical) job you ever had?

KF: Working in a car wash during the winter months.

NBJP: Who’s your favorite jazz performer?

KF: George Coleman, so inspiring…

NBJP: What inspires you creatively?

KF: Going out and hearing live music, speaking with like minded jazz musicians, hearing a new record that I’ve never checked out.

NBJP: If you could only own one CD, what would it be?

KF: Hank Mobley’s “Soul Station” the most perfect record ever made, in my opinion.

NBJP: What’s one liquid (other than water) we’d ALWAYS find in your refrigerator?

KF: Lately it’s been Gatorade, I play a lot of doubles beach volleyball during the summer.

NBJP: What’s your favorite jazz spot, if you’re going just to hang?

KF: Smoke or Smalls have always been my two favorites.

NBJP: What word or phrase do you overuse?

KF: Whenever I see my friends I say “dis’ guy!”  And now everyone says it.  I don’t even know where it came from.    

PLUS ONE: When did you know you wanted to be a jazz musician?

KF: My first lesson in South Jersey with my teacher, Tony Salicandro.  At the end of the lesson he played keyboard with me.  We started playing and I had to stop because I was laughing.  There wasn’t anything funny.  I just couldn’t believe that I was part of the music we were creating together.  I was so overwhelmed and happy by the experience, hearing what was coming out of my horn with the chords he was playing on the piano.. my natural reaction was to laugh uncontrollably.  When something makes you feel that good, you know it’s something special.

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH CARRIE JACKSON

CARRIE PERFORMS WEDNESDAY JULY 11 AT THE HYATT 

NBJP: What’s the worst job you ever had?

CJ: Performing In a venue with no air conditioning. 

NBJP: Who’s your favorite jazz performer?

CJ: Sarah Vaughan

NBJP: What inspires you creatively?

CJ: Originality & Spontaneity

NBJP: If you could only own one CD, what would it be?

CJ: Sarah Vaughan’s Greatest Hits

NBJP: What’s one liquid (other than water) we’d ALWAYS find in your refrigerator?

CJ: O.J.!

NBJP: If you could live anywhere, where would that be?

CJ: In my own home state of New Jersey

NBJP: What word or phrase do you overuse?

CJ: Let’s Keep It Real!!

PLUS ONE: When did you know you wanted to be a professional jazz musician?

CJ: I knew I would be a jazz musician and singer at the young age of 5 after listening parents music albums of jazz greats: Sarah Vaughan, Ellla Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, my favorites just to name a few .

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