I recently met someone who thought what I do is some kind of paid hobby, just a bit of fun… so I need to explain something about how my life as a musician really works and what music means to me in a deeper way.
I’ve been playing various instruments for 28 years, and I’ve been playing professionally for 10 years now. As a child, music was really the only thing I understood and could relate to. As a child, people used to talk to me and I couldn’t understand what they were saying, I couldn’t understand the words, it sounded like a strange foreign language to me, but I totally understood music when I heard it. I thought in sounds and music, not words… and still do. I immediately wanted to start playing music as it was the only means of communication for me.
I was fortunate that my mother, father, grandmother were music lovers and that my step father was a musician. They encouraged me in my love of music.
I graduated from school when I was 17. Went off to serve in the United States Air Force, got hurt, returned home, went to college for a year and then dropped out. Having no real academic qualifications meant I had nothing to fall back on. I had to just do it. I had to make music work for me.
I’ve been so fortunate to have known and work with musicians that inspired me right from the beginning. Kim Burrell, Eminem, Gene Dunlap, Michael J. Powell, and James Yancey (J. Dilla).
Other musicians that inspired me that I got to know and work with were Robert Glasper, Denaun Porter, Pharoahe Monch, George Clinton, Vickie Winans… many, many more.
When you start to explore the language of music it becomes very deep. For me, the great joy of performing is when I get into that deep zone of music. I can't explain it, but anyone that knows what that is will tell you it is a truly magical place to be. That’s where I am when I’m on stage.
I feel very blessed that I am able to travel all over the world playing and producing the music that I love and am very grateful to everyone that comes to my shows and gives me the opportunity to get into that wonderful musical zone… I thank you all!
This is not a hobby… this is deep stuff.
~B.
I’ve been playing various instruments for 28 years, and I’ve been playing professionally for 10 years now. As a child, music was really the only thing I understood and could relate to. As a child, people used to talk to me and I couldn’t understand what they were saying, I couldn’t understand the words, it sounded like a strange foreign language to me, but I totally understood music when I heard it. I thought in sounds and music, not words… and still do. I immediately wanted to start playing music as it was the only means of communication for me.
I was fortunate that my mother, father, grandmother were music lovers and that my step father was a musician. They encouraged me in my love of music.
I graduated from school when I was 17. Went off to serve in the United States Air Force, got hurt, returned home, went to college for a year and then dropped out. Having no real academic qualifications meant I had nothing to fall back on. I had to just do it. I had to make music work for me.
I’ve been so fortunate to have known and work with musicians that inspired me right from the beginning. Kim Burrell, Eminem, Gene Dunlap, Michael J. Powell, and James Yancey (J. Dilla).
Other musicians that inspired me that I got to know and work with were Robert Glasper, Denaun Porter, Pharoahe Monch, George Clinton, Vickie Winans… many, many more.
When you start to explore the language of music it becomes very deep. For me, the great joy of performing is when I get into that deep zone of music. I can't explain it, but anyone that knows what that is will tell you it is a truly magical place to be. That’s where I am when I’m on stage.
I feel very blessed that I am able to travel all over the world playing and producing the music that I love and am very grateful to everyone that comes to my shows and gives me the opportunity to get into that wonderful musical zone… I thank you all!
This is not a hobby… this is deep stuff.
~B.