Nurturing the Creative Musician

Nurturing the Creative Musician

The musician was Michael Brecker. The band? The Brecker Brothers. Three minutes and twenty seconds into the track entitled “Night Flight” my life was changed forever. Having only started playing the saxophone a year prior to hearing this recording, I had no idea it was possible to play saxophone that way – the sound, technique, rhythm, harmony – simply astounding! This particular solo played such an important role in my early development – in its provision of something that cannot be taught, only felt – and that is inspiration.

Over the years I’ve found that whether it’s musicians, athletes, insurance salesmen or a list of other professions, the individuals who truly love what they do can all point to a specific instance that first inspired them to pursue their path with devout focus and passion. Looking at my life in music thus far, I continually find myself inspired by other musicians around me both past and present. Furthermore, the fulfillment felt as a result of learning about so many great musicians through self-discovery, continues to be essential in keeping me inspired.

I took a rather backwards approach in this process as my ears gravitated towards musicians and bands that were of the 70’s and beyond. As I would quickly learn, the “correct” way to learn about the lineage of musicians was to start with the masters and move forward. Currently, I can say that I would not think about music and certainly the saxophone the way I do had I not “done my homework” by checking out the great masters of the jazz tradition.

However, I feel that a large part of my continual interest in the saxophone itself was due to exposure to the instrument in an array of diverse settings. It would not take me long at all (maybe six months) before my ears were at least curious about tenor sounds such as Lester Young and John Coltrane as well as other masters of the instrument. Be that as it may, my ears would have been instantly turned off to the idea of improvised music and perhaps to the saxophone if I had been exposed to an album as dense as Trane’s “Sun Ship” as a twelve year-old.

As my ears developed (and continue to develop), however, I find myself able to relate to music such as the former, as well as other recordings that in my beginning days as a saxophonist I would have been unable to connect with emotionally or mentally. A mentor, colleague, friend and phenomenal musician, John Wojociechowski told me something at a very young age that has stuck with me ever since – “remember, we are musicians, who happen to play saxophone.” As a young musician I was unable to grasp the liberation in this statement.

It soon became obvious that listening to musicians outside of my instrument would broaden my inspirational pool exponentially. Furthermore, by keeping an open mind to other genres of music – rhythm and blues, classical, reggae, rap, etc. – I could increase my potential to become inspired even more.

I have always done my best to encourage young musicians looking for inspiration to create music and/or to play their instruments at a higher level, to find one recording that really speaks to them and ask themselves this series of questions. “What is it about this recording that I like so much?” Perhaps it’s the players. Maybe it’s the groove. Perhaps it’s harmony you’ve never heard before? Whatever the case, zone in on these factors and develop a routine of checking out all of the members in the band and find other bands similar to them.

If taken to heart, this process can quickly provide one with an abundance of new material that with any luck will translate into a boat-load of inspiring information. As improvisation is a major part of what I do as a saxophonist, I’ve noticed over the years that once I have become inspired by a particular musician, I strive to learn as much from them as I possibly can – their harmony, rhythm, etc. – all factors that contribute to the “language” of improvised music. Whether it’s the saxophone solo on “Pick up the Pieces” or John Coltrane’s solo on “Resolution,” the ability of both of the musicians to perform the way that they do is a result of their understanding of the “language” for the musical context they are in.

I was extremely fortunate to have studied with Larry Harms during middle school. Without his teachings of the foundations of harmony I would have not chosen jazz performance as a career path. That said, I can vividly recall being able to absorb scale patterns, exercises, and other technical aspects of the horn with relative ease, yet I grew increasingly frustrated when unable to sound like the musicians I was hearing on recordings.

The obvious answer was to listen, listen, LISTEN, and when I was done with that, listen some more! Just how important it was and certainly continues to be to ACTIVELY listen to music all the time cannot be expressed enough. Chances are good that you are not going to absorb, for instance, the be-bop language by just listening to the records over and over again and never putting the horn to the face while doing so; yet, you will without a doubt become equipped with a deeper connection to the elements that make the music sound the way it does – groove, phrasing, articulation, swing, and the list goes on. When your ear becomes acquainted with the sound of the music, then a task such as transcribing to find out how the information translates to the instrument becomes significantly less daunting.

Finding the right place to start this process can certainly be challenging; but, it is an extremely rewarding and exciting journey for those who are up to the task. I am consistently referring back to the idea that the tools one needs to be creative, and therefore “create” music, are all part of a language, the components of which are readily accessible and open to exploration. Just as we learn a language, we start with the most basic ingredient which is a collection of letters that form a sequence called the alphabet. Once we understand the way each letter sounds, and what their functions are, we learn to put them together to form words. Words strung together then form sentences and the process continues until, as improvisers, we are able to make concise statements with control over our intent just as we do when we speak words. The information is there. The question is “Will you be brave enough to seek it?”

Until next time.

Best,

Adam Larson