I was always told by my family that I could sing before I could talk. I'm not sure how true that is, but it sounds nice. As long as I can remember I have always loved music. Most of all, I have always loved jazz.
When I was about thirteen years old I began to write poetry. Every time I would write something, though, I always had a melody in my head for it. I remember one tune that had a distinctive swing to it and a little bit of scat. I had taken piano lessons on and off since I was five years old and started guitar at about fourteen. I wanted to learn how to tern these melodies in my head into real songs.
Early on in my life, when I had first started writing I was told, "You can't sing Jazz! If you sing it, it's Blues." I liked the blues, but I was disappointed that I couldn't sing the music that I loved so much. Of course, the very fact that I believed such a statement proves that I didn't know much about the art form of jazz at the time. This would soon change.
On My 15th Birthday, It was a Sunday morning, I turned the television before church at was about to change the channel when I heard the words 'Jazz Singer'. I then saw, after the commercial break, something would change my life forever. Kurt Elling! Within the first five minutes I was saying, "That's what I want to do!" I bought his record as soon as I could afford it, the fist CD I ever purchased. Within a few months I could sing along with nearly every song and was constantly playing it along some Christian Pop I was listing to. Over the years I discoed jazz singing greats like Pops, Eddie Jefferson(The father of Vocalese), Ella, Mark Murphy, and the great Jon Hendricks. I even tried writing some music.
My first attempts at writing went more along the lines of the Christian Pop I was listening to. This was mostly because I did not understand jazz enough to be an affective songwriter. I started many rock band singing and playing guitar/keyboard, learned a lot of Goo Goo Dolls songs(This is how I really got good at the guitar), and really began to write. Still, I wasn't finding fulfillment in the music I was making. As much as I enjoyed listening to Rock and Christian Pop, it just wasn't the music I was supposed to be playing.
Later I found myself at UAA(University of Alaska, Anchorage) studying music. The Jazz director/Chair Person of Music and the all around glue that holds the department together, Karen Strid-Chadwick, took me under her wing and began to educate me in Jazz. She helped me increase my skills in all three of my instruments and has continued to be a guide in my venture into the Jazz realm. From her I learned about Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, and the three great Tenor Sax players, Jon Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, and Wayne Shorter. Along with her great efforts I have had the privilege of learning from Alaska's great composers, Phil Munger, George Belden, and my person mentor, Craig Coray. Since the beginning of my time and the University I have learned much about composing both Classical and Jazz music.
In the summer of 1994 my sister, Julie(a woman who was always like a mother to me), was diagnosed with breast cancer. Kurt Elling's brother passed away not long before his second record and in the closing song he pay tribute to his brother's memory. I not only bonded more closely with his music when I heard this, but found new purpose in my music. My sister was a wonderful person, and I knew that if I could honor her with song then that it what I must do. I began writing a vocalese to one of my favorite Sonny Rollins songs. I still have not finished it, because of the amount of emotion it contains.
Julie died August 9th, 2003.
I know she is with me in spirit, and I thank God for every moment I had with her. One of the last things she ever said to me was when I was telling her about my plans as a musician. She said, "I always knew you were going places and that they were gonna be big."
This is for you, Sis!
