Bill Laurance Unplugged: Candid Conversations about Life, Music, and Everything in Between

Bill Laurance is a composer, pianist, keyboardist and original member of the 5x Grammy Award winning funk fusion outfit Snarky Puppy as well as the founder and CEO of London-based record label Flint Music.

The gang discusses minimalism in music, paying an homage to the greats while forging your own path, the evolution of jazz music, and the joy and freedom of playing solo, among other things.

Bill had a mushroom margarita pizza with homemade vegetable soup and salad for lunch.

• Yellowjackets - Imperial Strut | 1
• Henry Mancini - Experiment In Terror | 2
• Chick Corea Trio - Matrix | 3
• Jahari Stampley - Amazing Grace | 4
• Lettuce - Vamanos | 5
• Klur - Entangled | 6
• Maurice II - Luhvit | 7

1.  Fan Pick by Kyle Hollingsworth from The String Cheese Incident
2. Fan Pick by Robert Walter from The Greyboy Allstars
3. Guest Pick by Bill Laurance from Snarky Puppy
4. Fan Pick by Bo Koster from My Morning Jacket / Roger Water / Ray Lamongtagne
5. Fan Pick by Kunj Shah from Live For Live Music
6. Fan Pick by Aron Magner from The Disco Biscuits and Billy & The Kids
7. Fan Pick by DOMi from DOMi & JD Beck

This episode was originally recorded live on October 18th, 2022

Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00:00):

Oh, good morning to you here in the US and good afternoon to you in the uk. It's a wonderful start to our day. Why? Because we're doing another episode of Galaxy Jams Reacts, where we listen to handpicked and fan picked music and react to it, along with wonderful special guests like our guest today, bill Lawrence, solo artist and member of Snarky Puppy. I am ej. I'm over here with my friend, uh, and cohort in crime. Mike.

Speaker 2 (00:00:28):

So excited to

Speaker 1 (00:00:29):

Be here. And also a wonderful co-host, Kai. Hey, what's up guys? And a guest, our guest, bill Lawrence, solo artist and member of Snarky Puppy. How are you doing today, bill?

Speaker 3 (00:00:38):

I'm very well, thank you. It's good to be here.

Speaker 1 (00:00:41):

Yeah, awesome. Really

Speaker 2 (00:00:42):

Excited to have you. Yeah, we are so excited to have you. You know, we have like a million questions we want to ask you. Like I was saying before the show, you're really such a prolific composer and you do such a great job with Snarky Puppy. So many things we want to ask you, but there is one thing that we just have to know. Bill, bill, what did you have for lunch today,

Speaker 3 (00:01:02):

<laugh>? Uh, I, I don't always do this, to be honest. It's, it caught me off guard here, but I had a pizza, can't believe <laugh> with, with salad and soup, but it was, it was delicious actually. Uh, homemade soup and it was a margarita pizza with mushrooms. Oh my. So good. My wife's vegetarian. She's vegetarian, and so I'm, I'm trying to be,

Speaker 2 (00:01:24):

That means you're a vegetarian <laugh>

Speaker 3 (00:01:29):

Until un, until I, until I go on tour. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (00:01:31):

<laugh>. Yeah. What kind of soup, uh, what kind of soup did you have at the pizza?

Speaker 3 (00:01:36):

Uh, vegetable soup.

Speaker 1 (00:01:38):

It's like vegetable soup with the vegetable pizza. I love margarita pieces.

Speaker 2 (00:01:42):

Oh, yeah. I love putting mushrooms on my pizza. That's like my favorite thing to put on pizza, actually, like mushrooms and pepperoni is my go-to. Uh, ej what did you have for breakfast?

Speaker 1 (00:01:52):

Oh, well, I had a, uh, I don't know. Do you have Chick-fil-A over there in the uk? Oh yeah. Oh, you do?

Speaker 3 (00:01:56):

Well, actually, sorry, we don't have it. We, we don't have it in the uk, but I I know what you're talking about.

Speaker 1 (00:02:01):

Yeah. So

Speaker 3 (00:02:03):

I'm

Speaker 1 (00:02:03):

Fan Chick-fil-A biscuit with, with some cheese. Yeah,

Speaker 2 (00:02:06):

That's it. That's what we all had. That's what we all had <laugh>. We all had Chick-fil-A, uh, <laugh>. You know, we just, we just wanna see what's powering this conversation, what's fueling it. Yeah. We wanna see what's keeping this conversations going. So, uh, yeah, we have a, a great lineup of music ahead of us. Uh, so I guess we're just gonna jump right into it. This first song is a fan pick from Kyle Hollingsworth from the String Cheese Incident. So how familiar are you with the String Cheese Incidents music bill?

Speaker 3 (00:02:33):

Uh, I can't say I'm particularly familiar, honestly.

Speaker 2 (00:02:36):

Well, the String Cheese Incident is a really prolific jam band from Colorado, and Kyle Hollingsworth is their keyboard player. Uh, so we're going to be listening to the Yellow Jackets, which is an American Jazz fusion band, founded in 1977 in Los Angeles. This album actually reached number 16 on the Billboard Jazz charts. Kyle had this to say, he said that he stumbled across this track recently and totally dug the intro piano line. He's amazed how one player can pull this off, and it reminds him of Richard t. So we're here with, uh, very special guest, bill Lawrence from Snarky Puppy. We're listening to the 1981 album, yellow Jackets. This is Yellow Jackets with their song Imperial Strut. I like how they're jumping right into it. That piano part is crazy, that bass player is killing it too.

Speaker 4 (00:04:19):

Cool.

Speaker 2 (00:04:20):

Tasy progression. I like that. Ooh, we're we're getting deep now.

Speaker 5 (00:04:33):

You guys are tight, man. Tight.

Speaker 6 (00:05:22):

Who's that one guitar,

Speaker 1 (00:05:24):

Uh, guitar is Robin Ford

Speaker 4 (00:05:30):

Ford. Hey, he's

Speaker 2 (00:05:34):

Killing. I know. He's quick. He's got like such a vintage prog rock sound too,

Speaker 1 (00:05:52):

Man. Jimmy Haslip on that bass is just killing it. He is absolutely awesome. And, uh, Robin Ford and Guitars, that's who it was. And Russell Fete on Keyboards Amazing. And Ricky Lawson and Drums. Great.

Speaker 2 (00:06:05):

Yeah, that sounded really, really good. And one thing that I also noticed is that they have those super compressed drums, which I think Volf Pack does now, like in the future. And I really like when funk bands have those really, really tight drums because it makes it so every single other part of the band can shine. I also noticed that they did a really good job of like showcasing each member's prolific talent. Yeah. Like, we're already, what, like two minutes into this thing mm-hmm. <affirmative> and every single member has showed us that they got the chops. And it's hard to write that into a song that early without seeming like, too pretentious about it, or that you're really trying to do that. And I feel like they do that like really, really naturally with this, uh, song.

Speaker 7 (00:06:40):

Yeah. And I think that, um, even though say like the piano part in the beginning is pretty, pretty awesome going, you know, going down it never really let up. Once everybody else came in, I was kind of expecting it just to go to like, whatever bass chords they were doing, Uhhuh, <affirmative>, but it just kept going and Right. The cool thing is I could still hear all the different parts and it's not all muddled together, even though everyone's doing really busy stuff, so, mm-hmm. <affirmative>, uh, what did you think, bill?

Speaker 3 (00:07:00):

That's it. That's it. I think you, Michael, you, you, you nailed it. It feels like it's actually often a hard balance to strike when you, you are putting in quite sort of technical stuff and not making it feel kind of overly technical or kind of almost that there's still a sort of strong sense of a concept there. And I like, as you said, I, you know, from the, the first moment, there's a very technical <laugh> piano part. <laugh>, I, I've got, in fact, I kind of wanna hear that intro again. That was like, hang on, how is he actually playing that <laugh>? But, but like, there's, they're so tight, uh, they're so kind of collectively together, um, and it feels like such a kind of tight, it, it's, it's so well articulated. Um, and they're all on the same page that you, uh, you are totally with them from, from the first downbeat. Yeah. It's super cool, man. I like it.

Speaker 2 (00:07:46):

Yeah. I feel like really I'm in the palm of their hands right now mm-hmm. <affirmative> with this recording. And then another thing that I was thinking about while listening to this is like the, the teeter-totter that Prague bands have to do, you know, to be able to operate within the constraints of that genre, right. By doing weird time signatures or by doing kind of crazy things while not sounding too pretentious and too sterile at the same time. It's really, really hard to make something that sounds complicated without sounding like too fully yourself and letting your soul shine through and connecting with your audience and yourself. And I think, at least for the first couple minutes, yellow Jackets is doing a great job of capturing that moment while still doing something that's really, really fundamentally hard to play.

Speaker 3 (00:08:24):

I agree. I agree. Yeah. <laugh>, let's hear

Speaker 7 (00:08:35):

That piano part is crazy.

Speaker 2 (00:08:40):

He's just like jamming out, you know, like both hands,

Speaker 7 (00:08:43):

Like Yeah. It sounds like there's two piano players.

Speaker 2 (00:08:45):

That's crazy. Yeah. There's like no bandwidth, you know, it's like broadband connection between his brain and his fingers right now. I could hear that piano part forever and still be okay with it.

Speaker 7 (00:09:20):

<laugh>.

Speaker 1 (00:09:21):

It's amazing.

Speaker 2 (00:09:23):

So is he looping himself right now?

Speaker 1 (00:09:26):

What you mean looping?

Speaker 7 (00:09:27):

He's looping that bottom part that, that bottom part while doing the planet.

Speaker 2 (00:09:30):

Oh my God.

Speaker 1 (00:09:31):

That's, there's no looping back then. Holy

Speaker 2 (00:09:33):

Insane

Speaker 7 (00:09:34):

<laugh>.

Speaker 3 (00:09:39):

Yeah. That's super consistent, man.

Speaker 7 (00:09:44):

That's, that's, yeah. <laugh>

Speaker 3 (00:09:45):

Def definitely not, definitely not easy to play.

Speaker 2 (00:09:48):

Yeah. Keyboard is to Russell Fete,

Speaker 4 (00:09:54):

Russell

Speaker 3 (00:09:55):

Fete

Speaker 2 (00:09:55):

Thing. Let me look 'em up.

Speaker 3 (00:09:59):

How these guys from,

Speaker 2 (00:10:01):

Uh, Los Angeles.

Speaker 4 (00:10:12):

That's

Speaker 7 (00:10:13):

So good. Oh, the base is matching it now. Ooh. Ah, man.

Speaker 2 (00:10:34):

It reminds me of Brand X, who's like Phil Collins band.

Speaker 1 (00:10:38):

Yeah. His guitar almost sounds like a violin. Has a really unique tone to it.

Speaker 2 (00:11:11):

I love those hits.

Speaker 1 (00:11:16):

That's a beautiful song. Wow.

Speaker 2 (00:11:17):

Yeah. It's so crazy how it was like a technical Prague deadly, but then with those hits, it really kind of brought back and it sounded so like regal and theatrical almost. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, you know, I love how the different dynamic that those hits brought to the song.

Speaker 7 (00:11:28):

Yeah. That was really, really good. Uh, that's a one hell of a first pick for the day. Yeah. Like, it's good. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (00:11:35):

It was a really good pick from Kyle. Uh, I can't wait to listen to more. And that was just their debut album. And I think that they're a really prolific band. They have like nine or 10 records.

Speaker 3 (00:11:44):

That's super time, man. Super time.

Speaker 2 (00:11:46):

Um, why don't we, uh, jump to the next one? Sure. Ej, why don't you tell us all about it?

Speaker 1 (00:11:51):

Sure. Uh, hey, bill, you know, uh, a lot about Henry Mancini. Oh,

Speaker 3 (00:11:54):

Yeah, yeah,

Speaker 1 (00:11:55):

Yeah. This is from, um, the fan pick from Robert Walter, founding member of the Gray Boy All Stars. Have you heard of them?

Speaker 3 (00:12:02):

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Nice.

Speaker 1 (00:12:04):

Uh, so he wanted to, uh, bring this one along. He said, this song has amazing sonics and orchestration. It's like a 1960s score music. Um, it's from the album Experiment in Terror movie soundtrack from Henry and Mancini from 1962. Uh, this one is called Experiment in Terror, and you're listening to it here on Galaxy Jams. Reacts. It sounds like a western,

Speaker 2 (00:13:10):

Like a western no r

Speaker 3 (00:13:13):

It,

Speaker 7 (00:13:14):

Yeah, it is like a Western noir

Speaker 4 (00:13:18):

<laugh>.

Speaker 3 (00:13:26):

I love the instrumentation.

Speaker 1 (00:13:53):

I bring those sixties strings. Those are 60 sounding strings to me. Yeah. And those are

Speaker 7 (00:13:58):

Not vsts,

Speaker 1 (00:13:59):

Those are Oh, yeah, of course. Those are real recorded strings. That's cool.

Speaker 3 (00:14:02):

Absolutely. <laugh>

Speaker 1 (00:14:04):

1962. I didn't know what VST was, right? Yeah.

Speaker 3 (00:14:06):

<laugh>. Uh, yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (00:14:08):

So, um, what experience, so what, what things do you like about Henry Mancini built?

Speaker 3 (00:14:12):

Oh, man. I mean, that, that the instrumentation, I mean, just that orchestration there, the, the melody in the strings is glorious, man. Um, yeah, I'm a, I'm a massive Henry Mancini fan. I, I, I feel like I was kind of, uh, in many ways I got into orchestral music through cinema mm-hmm. <affirmative> initially. So Mancini is a big part of that. I mean, obviously John Williams too, but like these kind of big overarching melodies and, and you know, I think music for me was always about escapism from the beginning. And, and I think mu movies were, was a big part of that. So when I'm writing, I'm, I'm trying to create a world, you know, I'm trying to create a kind of, of a, somewhere kind of take the audience somewhere, you know, trying and take them to physically out of where they are, you know? Yeah. I mean, obviously, you know, pink Panther and all, all the classics. Oh yeah. He was like, he was the kind of the the go-to guy, right?

Speaker 1 (00:15:06):

Yeah, absolutely. I love the Pink Panther music. Pink Panther movies and music. I remember growing up on that and listening to those. And, um, I, I was very much into that myself. And you've done some film scoring yourself, right? I know you've done, uh, you did recently. You did something for David Crosby, correct?

Speaker 3 (00:15:22):

I did, yeah. I did. Um, uh, I, I, I co-wrote the score with a, uh, a guitarist called Marcus Eaton, and we did, we did the score for his documentary, uh, which was great, actually. Um, it's a very different discipline though, like writing for, you know, scoring for film versus mm-hmm. <affirmative>, uh, making albums. Obviously you, you know, the, it's kind of really just about realizing the, the vision of the director. That's, that's the goal. So you kind of have to be aligned with the director and, and, and, you know, be on, be on the same page, and then you're kind of working as a team to, to realize the, the story, you know, reinforce the story, which is a, is kind of a very different way of coming, coming at the music versus just kind of back in the music that, that, you know, that kind of the first thing that comes into your head, you know?

Speaker 3 (00:16:12):

Or at least, or when, when, when I'm making my own records. It's like the concept has to come from the album as opposed to the film, right. So it's like you have to kind of double down on, on what the music's trying to say if it's, if it's my own record. Whereas when you're scoring a film, it's like you're just reinforcing the story. So you, you just, you, you're, you know, you are the characters, you know, each, each melody represents. I remember like, you know, there were certain themes associated with certain characters, and you just kind of really try and get, really go deep on the character and, and just try to kind of, you know, be the character yourself and, and imagine them as a piece of music, you know, which is very different to just,

Speaker 1 (00:16:51):

Do you get a copy of the film and then you start writing for the film while watching it. How do you go about doing that when you're scoring for a film?

Speaker 3 (00:17:00):

It depends, man. Um, I mean, it can go lots of different ways. I mean, I, I often depends on budget initially, but like, um, ideally, you know, you are there from the beginning when as the script is being written, then you are kind of, you're sort of, you know, you, you are part of the process from from, from the very beginning. Uh, I mean, but that's obviously a long process, a long drawn out process. I mean, the films I've done, um, I've, um, basically been scoring to the first edit. So we already have a sense of, you know, the, how it's gonna feel visually. Um, and then you're kind of basically like writing to, to a, to a kind of provisional cut. So, which actually, you know, debate B is also easier cuz you are, obviously, it's all about hitting the cues and hitting transitions and stuff.

Speaker 3 (00:17:47):

And so ideally that all needs to be set in stone, uh, so that, you know, you can kind of sculpt around what the edit that's there as opposed to kind of going back the other way. But, um, yeah, it can go either way though, honestly. Um, I love, I love going deep on this stuff. Like, I love kind of, you know, just trying to get under the surface of the character and or of the story. Like what is the, what's the story here? And, and, you know, how can you kind of, uh, tell that story musically,

Speaker 2 (00:18:17):

Right? Because I feel like when you're writing your own album, you're the picture, but when you're writing a music for a film, it's kind of like the film is the picture and you're the frame around the picture, and you have to kind of operate in the constraints of, you know, the budget and you know, what the other people want and how it all fits with the movie, which I feel like exercises an entire other part of your brain when it comes to composing.

Speaker 3 (00:18:39):

Absolutely. Absolutely. But I guess that's also the kind of beauty of it in the sense that it opens up every single genre or right instrument under the sun. Um, I did a score for this Cuban film called, uh, the Translator in Traktor, which is a true story. These twin brothers, they were, it was the first film they, they directed, and it was about the true story of their own biological father had been a translator for child victims of the Chin noble disaster Oh, wow. Who flow from Russia to Cuba. And so he had to translate, um, in like Russian for, for these Russian parents, what was going on with their kids in this hospital. And so these, these, these twin brothers made this film about, it was a true story about their, what had happened to their, to their own dad, their biological dad. Mm-hmm. Um, and so there was one of the lead characters was this Russian little time, uh, this Russian boy who was kind of the, the, the lead guy that, um, the, the father figure kind of ended up befriending through the film. And so I, I kind of researched different Russian instruments and I found this Oh

Speaker 2 (00:19:45):

Wow.

Speaker 3 (00:19:46):

Interesting Russian sort of string instrument that was kind of his, uh, instrument that, you know, followed whenever he, he was on screen, you kind of, there was, there was that instrumentation in there. And, you know, I'm just trying to kind of, you know, represent these cultures and, and, you know, these different, um, sounds, you know, um, that again was, you know, where I not have to be doing film music. Like it's film music opens up that, that world in a, in a whole way, you know?

Speaker 2 (00:20:13):

Yeah. Because when you're writing a regular album, there's not that many scenarios where you'd need to think that kind of way. Or let's say there's like a sad moment or a happy moment, and you have to compose, you know, to augment that. There's not a lot of ways that when you're making like a studio album that you're gonna be thinking that way unless it's like a concept album type of deal anyway. Mm-hmm.

Speaker 3 (00:20:32):

<affirmative>, that's it. Although actually I would say, you know, I think a lot of writing for film in inspired me to actually become more focused on, on concept in terms of an album because as just as you said, it's, it's like, if there isn't a film, and if, if you're just making an album of your own, then you kind of have to make a, it's like you're making a film by yourself, right? Yeah. That's kinda how I see it. And so without any pictures <laugh>, right? So like, you know, I'm trying to tell that kind of story. I'm trying to get that sense of escapism when I'm, when I'm, when I'm creating something. And so now I find, like conceptually I'm much more, uh, there's, there's a, um, I'm, I'm more focused on trying to have a clear concept before I actually start writing, and then I give myself a kind of clear parameter within which to create. And then that kind of sets the tone and that, and that leads me down the path. And it kind of allows me to write more prolifically in a way, I think, by giving yourself a kind of a brief within which to, to write,

Speaker 2 (00:21:36):

You know? Thank you so much for that insight, bill. Let's jump back into the song.

Speaker 1 (00:21:54):

Yeah. Imagine seeing like a, a, a wet street at night. It kind of reminds

Speaker 4 (00:22:00):

Me of

Speaker 1 (00:22:02):

Like New York City.

Speaker 3 (00:22:04):

Oh yeah. Take our,

Speaker 2 (00:22:07):

Yeah. <laugh> smoking a cigarette and looking at like, the hazy neon from like

Speaker 1 (00:22:12):

By lamppost.

Speaker 2 (00:22:13):

Yeah. Lamppost down the street. <laugh>.

Speaker 4 (00:22:21):

Ooh.

Speaker 1 (00:22:25):

What instrument is that? Right there at the end?

Speaker 3 (00:22:28):

Uh, some kind of zither, I think. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (00:22:31):

Um, it's a nice touch.

Speaker 1 (00:22:32):

Really

Speaker 7 (00:22:33):

Cool. Yeah, that song definitely paints a picture, just like you guys were talking about. Like, the imagery on that is just really strong. Yeah. Neon, neon sign. We Wet street. You know, you can see that without you guys even having to mention it. It just comes to mind. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (00:22:44):

It's cool. And, uh, another thing I was thinking about when we were listening to this is that it was film, it was recorded in 1962, and you can tell there's so many artifacts in there, which can demonstrate the constraints of the technology, right? Oh yeah. And I feel like in modern days, there's a lot of people that are chasing that sound now, you know, whether it is like adding like tape hits or mm-hmm. <affirmative> adding, like those little boobs and bleeps that come with like a record that's been played way too much. And I feel like it's hard, it's so in endearing to listen to something like this, which has all of those artifacts in it. And, uh, just like thinking about how so many people try and replicate that sound even today

Speaker 3 (00:23:22):

Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, it is interesting, isn't it? Why? Like, why is that? What are we trying to go back to? Because, because everyone, like, you know, I, I'm, I've got, I've just got this new, uh, piano, um, I think it's called Tone Audio, and it's like, it's a piano vs t, but it's got like a, a wobble on it, you know? And once you, it's like as soon as you put it on, it's really, really hard to take it off. Mm-hmm. You know, uh, and there's just, yeah. Like, it's kind of like a return to, uh, we just, you know, it's just wanting to go back to that sort of analog, I think. But with everything, but having become so digital, I think there's this now renewed sort of desire to, to, for things to be more real. And I think that's about, that's about the kind of vinyl kind of wobble, right? Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, it's about things being more tactile, more tangible. Um, I don't know, man, I dunno why, why we, why we crave it.

Speaker 2 (00:24:19):

Yeah.

Speaker 7 (00:24:20):

We're we're seeing that in the synth world too. Like, a lot of people are going back to analogs since I'm seeing like a lot of interest in that as opposed to just sticking with digital. And I, I'm guessing that's the same phenomenon as people just wanting to go back to that analog sound. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (00:24:32):

Really. And I feel like when you're sitting in the studio and you're working on a snare sound for 50 hours, you, you lose, you get like this kind of like sterile, you lose like a lot of the essence of like what songwriting is. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, I feel like people focus so much on the micro, but before it was like a macro type of process and I felt like it kind of made it more human. Mm. Uh, when the songwriting process before, you know, computers and quantization and things like that

Speaker 3 (00:24:59):

Mm-hmm. <affirmative> mm-hmm. <affirmative>. See, just we, we, we are craving the, the real, you know, we're craving the, the real, uh, the, the thing that makes it feel alive, you know?

Speaker 2 (00:25:10):

Yeah. Um, uh, I feel like people get caught up in making things like a puzzle and they're trying to, you know, put that puzzle in like all the perfect pieces in the perfect places instead of taking a look back and seeing like what the puzzle, like the image behind the whole puzzle is, should be more important than making sure every single puzzle piece is like exactly where it's supposed to be.

Speaker 3 (00:25:29):

That's it. And I, I, I feel more and more that's actually what I'm trying to kind of access with on stage and in the studio actually is, is the kind of the vulnerable places where things aren't quantized and things aren't, you know, grid locked. Right. And, um, where, you know, cuz that it's the, it's the space in between where the magic is. I think it's, and it's mm-hmm. <affirmative>, you know, and, and certainly where like things aren't cer there's like a lack of certainty. Uh, I would say certainly in terms of forming both with my band, but also with Snarky Puppy. Like, uh, it's like what we're trying to do is, is create moment where no one really knows where we're gonna end up, you know? And it's like, that's kind of what we're, we're actually trying to get. That's what, that's what we're kind of aiming for. And it's like, you know, just trying to kind of, that's, we're talking more about from, from a kind of improvisatory point of view, but like, it's about this aspiration to sort of not always be in control of things and actually just kind of allow things to, to happen naturally. <laugh>,

Speaker 2 (00:26:38):

Thank you so much for that Bill. And up next we're gonna be listening to a very special pick by our guest, bill Lawrence, solo artist and member of Snarky Puppy right after this.

Speaker 3 (00:26:59):

Okay. So this is a track, um, that has been inspiring me for as long as I can remember. Um, by the late Great Chick career, this is a track from his trio record. Um, now he sings, now he sobs, um, and it's called Matrix. And I, I, I, we were lucky enough to meet him a couple of years ago. Uh, well maybe it's three years ago now. Um, uh, snarky Puppy was supporting him at the, uh, Tokyo Blue Note Jazz Festival, and we were, we got a chance to say hello after this show that he performed where he just kind of obviously brought the house down. Um, and I got a, I managed to have a little chat with him, and I was saying, you know, how do you do that? And he said, man, I've been practicing like the last three and a half, four weeks just for this show.

Speaker 3 (00:27:48):

And he was obviously in his kind of mid to late seventies, uh, and still, you know, shedding, you know, just as hard as ever. And it's like, um, it, it kind of re reminded me, it doesn't really matter wherever you kind of get to, there's always, there's always more you can, you can do. And it was just super inspiring to see somebody like that still kind of grafting in the way that he was, you know? Um, and this track is a brilliant example of his technical facility, um, back, back in a way back, I mean, this kind of record sort of in, in Debatably one of the, the album that kind of put a big spotlight on him. And, uh, I, I've just, I've, I've, every time I hear it, it's, I, I'm, you know, inspired to, to want to play like this.

Speaker 1 (00:28:40):

All right, well, let's get into it. This is Chick Korea trio with Matrix here in Galaxy Jams, reacts.

Speaker 2 (00:28:54):

It's got those like old jazz sounding drums where everything's like really open

Speaker 7 (00:28:58):

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 4 (00:28:58):

<affirmative>.

Speaker 7 (00:29:00):

Oh man, that piano part's crazy too.

Speaker 3 (00:29:09):

It's all, it's all about the piano solo man. Yeah. He start when he, when he lets go, just feel like he could play anything, puts his mind to,

Speaker 2 (00:29:20):

And I like how the ride lasts forever.

Speaker 7 (00:29:30):

That upright base part's pretty cool. That's like, just as crazy as the piano part.

Speaker 2 (00:29:35):

Oh my God. He's quick. I got my jazz face on my God. They're getting deep as hell.

Speaker 8 (00:31:11):

Goodness, grace.

Speaker 2 (00:31:13):

I love how Chick is playing all over the keyboard and not just sticking to like, you know, one part.

Speaker 4 (00:31:22):

That's nice.

Speaker 3 (00:31:31):

Think he,

Speaker 3 (00:31:57):

Uh, I've had, I've had various chats with guys in the band about like the, like this aspiration has been kind of been completely free in the moment. And like, I, I talked to Corey Henry about it as well. He, um, one of the keys players in Snarky, and he, you know, I asked him like, do you feel like you can play anything in your, in your head? Like, is there, like, you can, there's kind of a perfect through line, um, of the idea to your, to your fingers. Uh, and he was like, yeah, that's, that's, that's what I'm doing, man. That's, that's kind of what I'm, that I, I, yeah, I can do that. And, and that's what I'm always aiming for is to, any single idea that I can think of, um, is no, is viable. And I I should be able to access it immediately.

Speaker 2 (00:32:46):

Yeah. And, uh, you know, one thing I was thinking about also is like how they come out the gate swinging, because I feel like a technique that a lot of bands do is they kind of like spoon feeded you, like the, the tools and the toolbox mm-hmm. <affirmative>, you know, like, for example, they'll start off with this and then they'll add something. But I feel like with Chick Korea in this song, like right out the gate, like they show like all of their bag of tricks. And so it's kind of just an exercise and just enjoying, instead of just like, wondering like, what's really the next thing that's gonna come next. And another thing that I really like is there doesn't seem to be like a lull in the music. It's like normal music has like ebbs and flows, ups and downs and teases and things like that, but they just kind of feel like, it feels like, uh, you know, instead of like waves, it's like this whole rushing river that just doesn't stop. It's like right when it starts, it's this whole entire thing that just keeps going and going and going. And it really gives you like, almost a chance to relax and then just really absorb the music as opposed to using parts of your brain to like wonder like what's like, the next big movement.

Speaker 7 (00:33:45):

Yeah. And I, I really like the fact that he fills up space. Like, just like you said, Mike, he fills up space like the entire time, but I think you had said it, uh, bill, that he like, takes off again. So in my mind, that was where the ebb and flow happened was he was always doing something in filling space with his, with just, like you say, Mike, how he, how people bend the rules. He's just bending the rules of like, what works in a song. But he never stopped. And I, me as a piano player, I, of course, I could never match that kind of skill, but I just can't imagine filling that much space with that many notes for that longer period of time. It's pretty crazy.

Speaker 2 (00:34:17):

Right. Especially to have a trio, you know, that doesn't have vocals in it. It's really, really hard to fill out that sound. And a lot of trios, especially nowadays, rely on a lot of modern techniques and backing tracks and things like that to keep things going. And it's really amazing how, especially with things like it's, they don't have like delay or they don't have like, looping, like it's literally just three people, uh, you know? Absolutely. Going for it. Uh, what did you think ej?

Speaker 1 (00:34:41):

Oh, I mean, there's a reason why this guy is, you know mm-hmm. <affirmative> 25 time Grammy winner. Right. And this isn't the beginning of his career, well, not very beginning of his career, but definitely in the beginning. And he's played with so many people. Like, uh, I've watched his career throughout the years and he's always amazed me with his technique, how he builds upon his, uh, where he's going. Just keeps building and building and it takes you in a different direction. And his pure energy that he's producing in this track with the, with his key is, uh, with his piano playing is, is truly amazing to me. I'm really enjoying it.

Speaker 2 (00:35:14):

Um, Hey, bill, uh, how did you first start listening to Chick Career Trio? When did Chick Career come on your radar as someone that you're watching, uh, in terms of like augmenting your own play?

Speaker 3 (00:35:26):

Um, so I've been a fan of Chick for years. Um, I mean, return Forever was like, um, a big record, um, both for me and for the band. Like when early on with Snarky Puppy, that record would be doing a lot of, uh, the rounds on the tour bus. Um, and then I guess it was kind of, I mean, you know, if it's, if it's Chick or Herbie, I'm probably a Herbie guy. Um, Herbie's like my, my go-to and has kind of always been, um, and, uh, you know, it's, it's, it's like, I think the thing about those guys is, is they, the thing that interests me is, is how wide, um, a a spectrum of genre they cover. Right. And, um, you know, I mean, Keith Jarrett's, another one mailed out, Brad Mailed Out is another, um, where, you know, they're, they're, I mean, they, you know, they can play and they have released classical recordings, um, extensively, but then obviously they're incredible jazz musicians and then have also, you know, dive deep into the kind of realms of synthesizers and, and electronics and stuff.

Speaker 3 (00:36:38):

So, you know, and I, I've always kind of been interested in that, um, that, that element of just the variety, you know, of just kind of being able to cover just lots of different kinds of sounds. Um, and interestingly now, I'm, I'm, I've been listening to a lot, um, to a lot of Keith Jarre actually. And because I, ah, I'm do, I'm doing a piano solo show tomorrow in Stockholm, and I've, I'm going out there for the, for the, um, Stockholm Jazz Festival. And I, you know, I've been touring solo piano with a bunch of gear where I'm, I kind of put, um, a bunch of effects pedals and Luke stuff, and a drum machine on top of the piano. Cool. Um, which has been cool. But I, I, I'm, I'm now kind of, I've sort of jumped into that world for a while and like, I loved kind of creating these big epic soundscapes, but now I'm also kind of now coming back to the piano, like we were talking about before, about just kind of trying to get back to the purity of it.

Speaker 3 (00:37:37):

And, uh, and now I'm just playing solo piano. Um, well, there's a few extra little toys, uh, involved, but I'm, I'm, I'm kind of trying to strip everything back and be able kind of hold water with just the instrument and, and, you know, it's like just trying to get to the purest, um, sort of side of it. Um, and, uh, and I've found that to be really inspiring actually, to kind of basically just come back to the instrument and, and try and let the instrument, uh, do what it's designed to do and, and, and allow that to be enough. You know? And I feel like, yeah, having spent the, the small amount of time I have with both Chick and Herbie, um, like, I, you know, that's something I kind of took away from hanging out with them, is just that how, how much integrity they have really as, as artists, you know, and, and, um, the, like, everything they do has carried so much weight to it and so much, uh, artistic sort of sense and purpose, um, which I, which I'd love to hang around.

Speaker 1 (00:38:39):

Well, I know you, uh, you got the chance to talk to Chick. Have you, um, had a chance to talk with Herby Hancock one-on-one?

Speaker 3 (00:38:45):

Yeah, I, I did actually. We were supporting Herby and Wayne Shorter at the Disney, well, Disney Hall in, in la. Um, and Dang, that's clear. Bizarre enough, I couldn't, yeah, it was great, man. I mean, bizarrely enough, I couldn't believe it. We were share, we ended up sharing the same catering, and I was like, oh,

Speaker 1 (00:39:04):

Wow.

Speaker 3 (00:39:04):

So then all of a sudden there's this chance to just kind of have a meal with Herby. And so I just sat up next to him and, and, and without even really trying, we, within about five minutes, we were talking about, um, Buddhism <laugh> Oh, wow. Before the show. He said, like, would you, he, he asked if I'd be up for doing some chanting after the show, and I was like, oh my God, man, chanting with Herbie, you're kidding me. <laugh>. Um, but then obviously inevitably it, it never, uh, it never happened. Cuz, you know, going off siding mech and, and, you know, as were we, and it was just all, yeah. We didn't catch him afterwards. But, you know, by all accounts, every everybody always said that he was such a personable, easy to talk to person. And, and no doubt, man, he's, he's just, um, that was almost the most inspiring thing was that somebody, like, he genuinely my number one kind of like, if there's a, if there's an idol up there, like he's, he's the guy, you know? And, and then to meet him and realize that he, you know, he's just a kind of a human being, you know, and, and that's how he kind of sees himself as a human first, then a musician. And he talks a lot about that. And, uh, and it was just so humbling to kind of beat your idol and discover that they were, they were just trying to make it work, you know, just like we all are. And, and like, um, that was, that was powerful.

Speaker 1 (00:40:24):

Very nice. That was a great story. Thanks for Yeah. Thanks for sharing that.

Speaker 3 (00:40:28):

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 1 (00:40:28):

Sure. Let's get back into more of this Chicka, I want hear some more. I wanna hear some more. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (00:40:32):

Then Yeah, <laugh>

Speaker 2 (00:40:50):

Nothing like a good old base solo. And it sounds so stringy too, the way that he is plucking it.

Speaker 3 (00:40:58):

<laugh>. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (00:41:07):

Ooh, what a great line you start to play.

Speaker 2 (00:41:38):

I feel like I'm getting a massage right now. <laugh>

Speaker 9 (00:41:43):

A musical massage.

Speaker 2 (00:41:45):

I like how they just all jump back into it.

Speaker 9 (00:42:04):

Drum solo ta,

Speaker 3 (00:42:06):

That's, uh, that's, that's Miraslav, um, vi on, uh, upright Base, and that's Roy Hayes and

Speaker 4 (00:42:14):

Drums,

Speaker 3 (00:42:15):

And they're both, I mean, they just feel like they're all just, just going broke, you know? Absolutely. Like, there's no holes. Barr just like, like all in

Speaker 2 (00:42:26):

His snare work is so precise. You can tell he's hitting different parts of the snare, even when he is doing multiple hits at once, to get kind of like a varied sound. What's a nice resolution right there?

Speaker 9 (00:43:42):

Wow.

Speaker 2 (00:43:42):

Wow. That was a nice ending too. So much

Speaker 3 (00:43:44):

Jazzy. It's beautiful. I love it.

Speaker 2 (00:43:46):

Yeah. And I, I liked how they went from sounding soul, like detached from each other mm-hmm. <affirmative> to do, like slamming together and doing these really, really tight changes, and then just kind of breaking off and doing their own thing. And I felt like they did it so naturally. Mm-hmm.

Speaker 3 (00:43:59):

<affirmative>. Absolutely. And, and I think the thing for me about, it's, it's just, it represents, it feels like what I, I feel like I'm shooting for all the time is just like, uh, freedom. Like, like how, how to be as free, like in the, in the moment in the idea. And these, these, these three guys, they're just, just so free man. They're just, they, they play with such inhibition, you know? Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Um,

Speaker 2 (00:44:22):

Yeah. It did sound limitless for sure.

Speaker 3 (00:44:26):

Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (00:44:28):

Very, very strong pick. Thank you so much for bringing that and sharing that with us on the show. Bill. We're very, very excited that we're able to listen to Chick Carillo Trio together with you. And, uh, up next we have, uh, another song. And this is from the artist, Jahari Stampley. So, Jahari Stampley is a Chicago born pianist, and at the age of 18, he was recognized and being followed by many world renowned musicians like Yba Smith, Robert Glassberg, Corey Henry, Jacob Collier, Isaiah Sharpley, Sharky, and a few others. Um, and so this song was actually suggested for you by Bo Coaster of My Morning Jacket, and he also plays with Roger Waters and Ray LaMonte. And, uh, so we're going to be listening to Jahari Stampley from Live at the Yamaha Artist Services. Uh, Bo actually had a message for you, bill, and he said that I'm just curious to see what Bill thinks about Jahari's playing. I find there to be a very innocent childlike approach, which is juxtaposed with a very deep intellectual understanding and curiosity. I would love to hear how, uh, his influences, but how it also feels so fresh. So, uh, we're here with Bill Lawrence, solo artist and member of Snarky Puppy, and we're listening to Jahari Stampley with Amazing Grace right here on Galaxy Jams. Reacts

Speaker 2 (00:47:05):

Those tones ring out.

Speaker 7 (00:47:30):

I love the full tones of, of Grand and Baby Grand Pianos. So good. Oh, man,

Speaker 2 (00:47:55):

The mixings really good too. It's crazy how like gigantic justice piano sounds, especially when he is not even doing like, you know, something hyper-technical right now, but it still sounds great. It sounds so lush. What an interesting rhythm.

Speaker 1 (00:50:24):

One of the things I love about music in general, but especially jazz music too, is when there's traditional song, we all know amazing Grace and how different it can be played through someone's personal interpretation, and it makes it so new every time you hear it, you know? Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And that's just something I, I just absolutely love. The other thing I couldn't imagine, like being, just playing a solo show, how freeing it would be, because you're not, you don't have to rely on anybody else. You can go anywhere you want to. You can, you know, express yourself how you want to express yourself. You don't have to give cues to people. I think that would be a really amazing, uh, thing to be able to do as a musician doing a solo show.

Speaker 2 (00:51:01):

It makes me think about that conversation that we were just having and how you were doing your own solo show. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And the more that you are using a lot of toys, the more that you're thinking about the freedom that you're gonna have when you strip everything back. And it kind of made me, you know, look at this person that's literally just playing a piano, but it just seems so free. And I'm thinking of like, all the different toys from all the different artists that we've ever listened to on the show. And it's like, all of that, like, can just be expressed with just someone's soul and one simple piano. And it's so amazing how this artist is able to really put his whole song and feeling into a song that everybody already knows anyway.

Speaker 7 (00:51:38):

Yeah, definitely. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And, uh, like I was saying before too, uh, just as my, myself as a pianist touching a baby grand piano or a grand piano as opposed to like a standup or even a synth, like, I just feel so connected with that instrument when I play it. Like it fills the room. It's a tactile thing. It is. And even the sound that comes out of it is just such a warm filling sound. Um, I don't know. Do, do you, do you get that same feeling when you mess around with like, baby grands or Grands? Uh, bill,

Speaker 3 (00:52:03):

100%. Yeah. I mean, I, I, you know, I feel very lucky to kind of ended up playing the instrument that is like undoubtedly the best instrument, <laugh>

Speaker 7 (00:52:14):

<laugh>.

Speaker 3 (00:52:16):

It's, uh, I mean, it's just, it's the most complete instrument, right? Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, you know mm-hmm. <affirmative> into, to a degree. And like, you know, if you do a degree in music, they kind of tends to be the, the requirement to have some knowledge of the piano. It's like a, it's just such a fundamental instrument that, that allows you to kind of provides, you know, the foundation for, for particularly with composing and the fact that everything's kind of laid out in front of you. You can, you can just access and it's, it's so sort of, it makes so much sense. You go that way, it goes down, you go that way, it goes up and it's all there in front of you. And so, yeah, I think it's aboutI. I, you know, I feel so lucky to, to be playing solo shows and it, it, I think going back to your, that original point of, of, of, you know, that it is really the most, uh, ultimate kind of freedom I've ever experienced.

Speaker 3 (00:53:06):

And I, I have to say, I'm, I'm, I'm kind of addicted to it because you, you are able to, uh, you, you, you are, I guess you're kind of forced to have to access part of your creative self that that isn't, doesn't really happen when you play with a trio or, or with a quartet or, or anyone else. Like, when you're playing solo, you, you really are able to kind of, it's just such, it's, it, it is true freedom, you know? Um, and this guy has that in spades, man, I, I, I love how much, uh, rumor he leaves at the beginning, you know, it's just that OneNote the whole way, and it's just all on the melody and the kind of purity and simplicity of that, you know, allows for then the piece to develop in the way that it does. And, and he, you know, when he, when he starts going out of the key center, um, in those little cheeky little moments, they're, they're just, they're glorious when he does it.

Speaker 3 (00:54:01):

Um, um, yeah. What a wonderful player. Um, but I, I, you know, I, I do, I feel like performing solo is the, is the, is the ultimate sort of experience really on stage. But, you know, and I, and in a way, you, it's almost like you kind of ask yourself to become, sort of be removed from the room. You kind of, it's like you, you just let the, it's almost like you, when you're playing solo, it's like you kind of have to let the instrument tell you what to play, you know? It's almost like you're just kind of giving in to the instrument, um, in a way that you don't, when you're playing in with anyone more than just your, you know, just by yourself. It's, it's, it's, it's because it's because of the sort of solitary nature of it, there's something really kind of profound about it that means it's just, it's just you and the instrument. So you, so you, you know, kind of having a conversation together, but, you know, so there, there's a, it is a profound connection you have with the instrument. And it's, it's because it's just, it's such a complete instrument. It's, it's a powerful when it, when it works, it's, it's a really powerful thing. Sure.

Speaker 2 (00:55:11):

I feel like he's literally taking us to church right now, and I'm feeling the gospel.

Speaker 4 (00:55:34):

It

Speaker 3 (00:55:34):

Is like an exam. Looks like there's somebody like writing on the,

Speaker 2 (00:55:37):

Huh,

Speaker 3 (00:55:38):

Mark.

Speaker 2 (00:55:43):

I wonder what they're writing. It's like when you watch boxing and you see the people in front of the ring and they write things down. I'm like, what are they writing? <laugh>? This guy is amazing. Yeah. That's all I, that's all I'd be able to write. Yeah. He's playing some notes. Very good. Yeah. Oh man. So fast.

Speaker 1 (00:56:38):

Broke it down to rudimentary.

Speaker 2 (00:56:40):

I like how it's bringing us all back. Yeah. It really is limitless. He can do anything, you know, it's crazy.

Speaker 3 (00:56:49):

Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, if he wants to turn, like, if he suddenly decides he wants to stop playing this melody, he, he can <laugh>. You know? And it does, like, it's like,

Speaker 2 (00:57:00):

I feel like when you're that fluent in speaking the language, you can't really say a wrong, it's hard for you to like say the wrong thing.

Speaker 3 (00:57:13):

Yeah. Quite. It's, it's, it's, it's really just about, as I said before, just kind of like being open to the moment. Like I'm, what I'm trying to get used to now. That was beautiful, man. Yeah. Amazing player. Um, uh, I'm trying to get used to now like almost trying to dare myself to get on stage without a set list.

Speaker 1 (00:57:35):

Ah.

Speaker 3 (00:57:36):

Um, oh wow. Like, you know, and because, you know, the Col concert, the, um, Keith Jart, um, Kong concert solo piano ended up being, I think at the time it was the bestselling solo piano record of all time. And, and the story behind it. Um, how many of your listeners will, will, will know this story, but it's an interesting one. Cause he, he, he arrived at this venue in col in, uh, cologne, and it wasn't the right piano, and it was really harsh in a particular register. Uhhuh <affirmative>, they, he flat out refused to play the show. And then, and the promoter, it was sold out and the promoter said, just basically pleaded with him, said, you know, you please, please can you play the show? And eventually persuaded him. So he played this show on this piano that was really brittle sounding. Mm. Because it was brittle sounding in a particular register. He just stayed in one, uh, register of the, of the piano and ended up playing like, the first piece is like, you know, 20 minutes long. He's just sitting in a vamp cuz it's the only part of the piano that he likes, <laugh> that, that he felt inspired to play. Wow. And this, and this ends up being the best selling solo piano record of all time. You

Speaker 2 (00:58:40):

Know, how interesting, funny how it works out like that

Speaker 1 (00:58:43):

<laugh>, did he ever write, did he ever, like, uh, in an interview, like say what he actually thought about that after, afterwards like,

Speaker 3 (00:58:51):

No, I haven't actually heard his take on it. Um,

Speaker 1 (00:58:54):

That'd be interesting.

Speaker 3 (00:58:55):

It, it, it's, yeah. Totally. Totally. I mean, just the kind of analysis after the fact. There's a Ted talk about it actually. Um, but, and it, it just talks about improvisation and how like, you know, it's about not trying to kind of control the moment, um, just be open, just be open to what, how you might feel and what might happen. And that's where magic is, you know, and, and, and really it's, as you say, it's like once you kind of have a certain degree of, of technical facility, but it's about, at least from a solo piano concert performing point of view is about just kind of good gig in my mind is like, when you, you just kind of are able to access that, that state of mind very fluently, you know? Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, um, without kind of getting, you know, letting, uh, preconceived ideas of how the gig needs to go. You know, get, get in in the way.

Speaker 1 (00:59:48):

Wow. That's some wonderful insight. I'm gonna have to check that album out. Speaking about, uh, checking out other albums, we've got a fan pick. We're gonna move on into, uh, a great song from an artist named Lettuce. So are you familiar with Lettuce

Speaker 3 (01:00:01):

<laugh>?

Speaker 1 (01:00:01):

Yes. All right. Uh, well, this is a fan pick from, uh, Khaw founder of Live for Live music publication. Dememer Comes Live, Brooklyn Comes Alive, fool's Paradise, and the Days between New Orleans events. We wanted you to take a listen to this. This was released kind of brand new June 3rd, 2022 is when it came out from their album Unify. We're gonna be checking out lettuce here on Galaxy Jams Reacts. This one is called Dominal.

Speaker 4 (01:00:38):

Some

Speaker 2 (01:00:39):

Cool snare modulation.

Speaker 1 (01:00:45):

Ah, nice. This is cool. I love this how tight it is.

Speaker 4 (01:02:37):

It's

Speaker 3 (01:02:37):

Kind of got like a dub vibe,

Speaker 10 (01:02:40):

Right?

Speaker 3 (01:02:52):

I love this band, man. We're a snarky puppy. We're, we are good friends with, uh, Nigel Hall. We often cross paths with, with these guys on the road's. Always a great hang man.

Speaker 7 (01:03:14):

I love the Big horns. That's cool.

Speaker 1 (01:03:30):

Love everything about this song and that bass is just relentless. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Yeah. I really like it. It just sounds really good. It's like a mashup between like Middle Eastern Latin influence, also kind of like a electronic version of a spy movie soundtrack <laugh>. Yeah. It's got it all in there. It's

Speaker 7 (01:03:46):

Got it all in there. Spa beginning. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:03:47):

Yeah. I really like the, uh, modern elements they're putting on the drums too. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, uh, really, really changing it up. And I think the Atoms doing a really good job of like playing along with that, right? Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, especially in funk bands. So the drums tend to be a little bit more purist and I like how lettuce is messing around with changing up the snare and adding electronic elements and things like that. Really, really interesting take.

Speaker 7 (01:04:07):

I like how the horn hits change every so slightly whenever they're going through those sequences. So it really does, it, it, I was trying to see if it was predictable and the first like, two or three or not. So I was just saying, that's really cool. But you can still follow along with the Melody Alliance. That's

Speaker 3 (01:04:21):

Cool. Definitely. Yeah. I'm, I'm into it, man. I'm into it. It's a really nice groove, a really nice groove. Um, yeah. I love this band, man. They're, they're, they're, honestly, I, I was saying before, they, we've crossed paths, paths with them a lot on the road and they're, um, it's always a great hang. Nigel Hall is an amazing, I mean, they're amazing musicians. Nigel's an incredible keys player, plays everything. Amazing singer as well. Um, he's, he's in, he's incredible. I'm, I'm fascinated by this artwork as well, man. What's,

Speaker 2 (01:04:48):

It looks almost like Mayan Aztec, yeah. Almost.

Speaker 1 (01:04:52):

Yeah. Mine. Aztec Space Laser. Yeah.

Speaker 7 (01:04:54):

Visualize <laugh>. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:04:56):

It's quite, yeah, it makes you kind of listen to it differently. When I was looking at the artwork, I was like, oh, wow. Yeah. It's like another, okay, there's another dimension to it, you know? Mm-hmm.

Speaker 2 (01:05:05):

<affirmative>. It's cool. Yeah. A good visualizer really lends itself to the music.

Speaker 7 (01:05:07):

Absolutely. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:06:49):

This is cool. It's interesting. I like how they're like taking their time and making it so atmospheric.

Speaker 11 (01:07:23):

Oh, that's cool. I like that.

Speaker 4 (01:07:36):

Bringing

Speaker 2 (01:07:37):

It all back. It does sound like a spy movie.

Speaker 1 (01:07:39):

Yeah. New oh oh seven soundtrack. Wow. Really

Speaker 2 (01:07:59):

Cool. Cool. Yeah, it's fun. I think that lettuce is another one of those prolific instrumental jazz fusion bands, you know? And, uh, I'd be surprised if you guys didn't know each other. So it's really cool that y'all are running in circles together. And I also really, really like Nigel Hall. I think that he does a great job with that band.

Speaker 1 (01:08:15):

Tremendous.

Speaker 3 (01:08:16):

Mm-hmm. <affirmative> for sure. For sure. Yeah, it's great to hear that too, man. I was having an interesting chat with, um, Bobby Sparks from one of the keyboard players in Snarky Puppy and talking. That sounds, that reoccurring conversation that seems to crop up at the moment about the jazz is dead or not, you know? No. How like, um, you know, there aren't many people, jazz musicians kind of making like, straight ahead Jazz anymore. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, it's likes, like the tendency is to go more on the kind of head nod, groove vibe, you know, which I'm, which is what I'm doing as well. Like, you know, it's kind of, we're all, we're all doing it. And it's just interesting like, and I was kind of trying to debate with Bobby cuz Bobby was like, he grew up playing like Charlie Parker and stuff and Right. Playing with Roy Hargrove and Roy was, you know, playing with that stuff.

Speaker 3 (01:09:10):

And then he, he had Roy Hargrove's, um, RH Factor, which was obviously like, you know, more recent. He's always is Robert Glasser. You know, where you've got was like, you know, a kid is a, a killing jazz pianist and then decided that, you know, he wanted to kind of win a, a wider spectrum of, of, of stuff. And, and you know, and that, that seems to be kind of where the next generation of listeners at least and, and players kind of headed, you know, it's just that sense of um, like a more just a, a stronger backbeat I guess.

Speaker 1 (01:09:47):

I think though that's a great introductory, uh, thing for the younger generation for jazz now though. Cuz I think that they'll go back and listen to the originals once they've heard, you know, you guys Gogo Penguin or Mammal Hands or something like that, you know, I think they'll get into that and be like, oh, okay, well where did their roots come from? And then I think they'll revisit that. And I'm actually kind of excited, even with the youngest, youngest of generation out there, like Domi and JD Beck who are doing, uh, you know, they did that thing with Anderson Pock and they're coming out and they're becoming popular and they're so young and it's, uh, really exciting to see that. I

Speaker 3 (01:10:19):

Think it's true. It's true. I mean, there are, you're right there, there are generation things, I guess it's like just that more traditional, like the straight ahead traditional

Speaker 2 (01:10:28):

Thing, right? And even those that are playing straight ahead, traditional, they gotta be branded like a certain way now for people to kind of pick up on it for sure.

Speaker 1 (01:10:34):

Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Yep.

Speaker 2 (01:10:35):

They gotta be, uh, you know, doing that little bit of extra, uh, we know that we are, uh, you know, we really appreciate your time. Do we have time for just one or two short more, uh, songs? Bill?

Speaker 3 (01:10:46):

Go for it, man.

Speaker 2 (01:10:46):

Thank you so much. Thanks. We really appreciate that. And so, um, we're going to be listening to a song pick, uh, from Aaron Magner of the Disco Biscuits and Billy of In the Kids with Bill Krutz from The Grateful Dead. And, uh, so, uh, this is, so Aaron Magner has this to say, he says, check out this track by an artist that I have really been digging recently clear. He's a young still being discovered Swedish producer. What's so compelling to me about his music are his chord progressions, simple, yet powerful, a chord progression that has the ability to last the entire track without another section or even much variation yet continues to keep you engaged and excited. Uh, so this is clear, and he has a single that came out January 6th, 2022. We're listening to music here with Bill Lawrence, solo artist and member of Snarky Puppy. And this is clear with his song Entangled.

Speaker 7 (01:12:29):

I love how lush everything sounds

Speaker 2 (01:12:31):

Yeah. And how he's using really simple elements to just keep opening it

Speaker 7 (01:12:34):

Up. Yeah. It's such an emotional sound. I really like, it

Speaker 2 (01:13:31):

Has almost like a side trance, like Gallup to it.

Speaker 1 (01:14:01):

It's so full and lush.

Speaker 2 (01:14:02):

Yeah. You know, it was hard to figure out

Speaker 1 (01:14:04):

Where to stop it. Yeah. I, I didn't, I it is hard on those kind of songs. It's like, it's like <laugh> very hard to figure out where to stop that song. Yeah. I just love the sound of that. Um, it's just very, very warm and inviting and, and very interesting, Mike.

Speaker 2 (01:14:19):

Um, I think that I really like the, the juxtaposition of this song from all of the things that we've been listening to and the discussions that we've been having on this show. I feel like that we started with a lot of like older generation, right. And we're talking about like, more traditional music. And then as we're going forward, we're seeing like younger people and just like we were touching on, like how they're able to like, keep bringing the genre to the forefront and all the different tricks and marketing that they have to do to keep audiences engaged. And I feel like this young producer is just like another way that, uh, people can access sort of like funky jazz sentimentality, but packaged in an entirely different way and even going in another direction. And so it makes me just think of like all, all throughout like the years of music, how people are using marketing and using technology to keep twisting and changing these different foundations to create things entirely on their own. And I think that Claire's doing a really good job of taking obvious inspirations. Like to me, I hear like Tyco or, uh,

Speaker 1 (01:15:18):

Calm Trues.

Speaker 2 (01:15:19):

Yeah, calm trues. I really, really like Calm Trues. And then also, um, oh God, I have it like on my refrigerator and when I say them all the time, <laugh>, I don't remember. But, uh, definitely a lot of different things that I can hear. And it's really interesting the different influences that tend to pop out when, uh, you're playing your music.

Speaker 7 (01:15:35):

Yeah. I, uh, this is my first time ever hearing of Claire before, but I really like his music so far that, uh, it falls more in line with what I listen to on like the EDM melodic Ed M Sound. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And I love lushness. I love almost that melancholy sound with things that are still upbeat that you can bob your head to. So this tick a lot of boxes for me. Um, what did you think, bill?

Speaker 3 (01:15:54):

Mm mm Yeah, I agree. I I really liked it. Um, it feels very, and like what we were saying before about take you somewhere else, I mean, this track really does that. Um, it kind of takes you into another world. And, and like we were saying, the guy at the, at the beginning about this, this progression, you know, I think it's often it's, it is very, I've, I've, I find one of the hardest things in composing is to write a core progression that is kind of, uh, never ending without, um, being repetitive or predictable. And, um, it definitely, it definitely has that, like, and, and yeah, the, the sonics of the mix is mm-hmm. <affirmative> feels really kind of, um, encompassing. Yeah. It's, it's a, it's a nice vibe. I like it.

Speaker 2 (01:16:38):

Boards of Canada was who I was thinking of

Speaker 1 (01:16:40):

Boards of Canada. Oh,

Speaker 3 (01:16:41):

Definitely. Oh man. Yeah,

Speaker 2 (01:16:42):

Because it kind of has that almost like really, really super textural, but like really laid back and almost like minimalist, ambient type of vibe to it. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. But he has this like really soft tones dancing on top. And, uh, I really like how much it matches the artwork. Mm.

Speaker 3 (01:16:57):

Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:18:05):

Very cool. And, um, uh, Aaron Magner also had a question for you. He says, as a musician with a masterful understanding of your art form, can you please, uh, quickly discuss simplicity, what can be learned from minimalism and how to incorporate that as a musician with so much technical prowess? So I think we were talking about that before. When you're talking about your setup to do solo. Would you mind speaking to that a little bit, bill

Speaker 3 (01:18:32):

<laugh>? Yeah, I mean, I think, uh, it's a great question and, and you know, I, I'm finding more and more like we've been discussing that less is more. And actually if you can, if you can compose, uh, with less elements. In fact, you know, one thing I've just been doing, um, we've just, it's, it's coming out next year, but I've done a duo record with Michael League, um, the bass player in Snarky Puppy, and the really the founder of the band. Um, and we, we decided to do this duo. We ended up doing a duo tour, um, because it was kind of out off the back of, um, the, the pandemic. Uh, and so we kind of did this tour together as a duo, and then it went really well. And we thought, why don't we make a record, uh, of, you know, the two of us playing if Mike's playing Ed and Bass, and I'm playing piano.

Speaker 3 (01:19:22):

And so we wrote this record of music for just Ed and piano and, and like all of a sudden we didn't have a drum kid to hide behind. We didn't have, uh, a vocalist. We didn't, I mean, not that we, I mean, we all, we basically mostly do instrumental music anyway, um, but we didn't have any effects. We didn't have any massive kind of post-production. So, you know, to, to write, to be able to write for piano and melody or Piano man and, and for the composition to kind of carry water was really challenging. But it, but what was really interesting about it was it, in focusing the lens like that, it meant that you just had to kind of, um, uh, be so much more economical about your compositional content. So every single idea had to just, uh, carry, just have, have a sense of gravity to it, you know?

Speaker 3 (01:20:15):

And, and I've, I've found this kind of like reducing of everything and just purifying everything down to be a really eye-opening kind of experience as a composer. And, and now when I come back to kind of adding all the layers back in, like, I've just done a, a, a, a record. I've just recorded a new album with, um, a string orchestra and like suddenly we've got all the layers back. And, but now I'm being a lot more sort of, um, careful about the choices I'm making in, in how to implement those, those instruments. Um, you know, I think basically when you are forced to have to work with less, it, it really kind of, you know, um, makes you sort of focus in on the, on the, um, you know, on the, on the compositional content. And, and I, I feel maybe it's just a kind of inherent thing of like getting older, but like, I feel as I get older, I just, I like things to be simpler and kind of, um, yeah, less is more, you know, and trying to kind of find the truth in, in the, in a simple idea, you know?

Speaker 3 (01:21:12):

And, and then, and then once, because once you have a simple idea, it's kind of easier. You're just giving yourself more room to, to develop it. You know, if you, if you start with lots of convocation, uh, than, than you're kind of, you know, I, I, I think it's about giving yourself the, the kind of bandwidth with within which to, to, to express. And I, I, I feel like a simple idea developed simply is arguably more powerful than a really complicated idea developed further. You know, that's

Speaker 7 (01:21:44):

Really, really insightful. And, uh, speaking of which you're familiar with, uh, Domie and JD Beck, right? Bill?

Speaker 3 (01:21:51):

Yeah, for sure. Yeah.

Speaker 7 (01:21:53):

Well, Domi has a pick for you, and that's actually our next song. And her message to you is actually, uh, about this song called Love It by Maurice Second. Are you familiar with them?

Speaker 3 (01:22:02):

Yes, yes, yes, yes. She, wow. I amazing man. I've ne I've never met Domi. I've, I've always wanted to meet her man.

Speaker 7 (01:22:08):

Well, as you, as you were saying, EJ before Domy and JD Beck are getting really, really big. We've listened to them multiple times on, uh, on this show. And funny enough, talking about simplicity in songs and still making them very, very compelling. This is a message from Domy to you, bill. I picked this song because it's a good example that we can make interesting and intricate music that still sounds easy and groovy. And the song that she picked is Love It from Mauricea Second's album. Love It. We're listening to this on Galaxy Jams. Reacts.

Speaker 2 (01:23:58):

Wow.

Speaker 1 (01:24:26):

Wow. It sounds like, uh, just you're just taking a whole bunch of different parts of songs and putting 'em together in a very, very unique way, very avant garde. What do you think, Mike?

Speaker 2 (01:24:35):

So, when I listen to Domi and JD back, one thing that I usually use to describe their music is hyper maximalism. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. It's like how you can cram like as much things into something as possible. I also sometimes use that to describe bands like the Mars Volta, uh, where it's kind of just like, they're like taking it like, as far as they can into the limits. And I feel like what we're listening to, it kind of reminds me of like a scrapbook of different memories that you're sort of flipping through mm-hmm. <affirmative> and, uh, it sounds like disjointed, but at the same time mm-hmm. <affirmative>, it has some kind of flow going on. And, uh, it just really keeps me like, engaged the whole time. Like, essentially I'm flip flopping to like, what am I listening to <laugh> to, like, is this greatness or not? And, uh, I'm still like, like the whole thing just makes my brain like think of, you know, like, what is music and like, what's the purpose of it? And like, what kind of mood are you trying to set? And like, how can you use the tools, uh, on hand to really project like your own self into yourself and into the audience that you're wanting to listen to it. And, uh, with this song, I just feel like it just sounds so new age and just sort of like, uh, all over the place, you know?

Speaker 7 (01:25:37):

Yeah. The hits were coming in at such a interesting, I don't know if it's a, it's a strange time signature or if it's just that those hits are coming in at very, very interesting and

Speaker 2 (01:25:45):

It was like on purpose,

Speaker 7 (01:25:46):

Like on purpose, yeah. It was repeatable. But when you listen to JD Beck and you listen to the drum parts when they're playing, I'm not surprised that they, that, that, uh, that domi would pick something like this because the, the drum part is just so interesting. And, uh, I, I don't think I've ever heard anything else like it. Uh, what did you think, bill?

Speaker 9 (01:26:01):

Yeah, I

Speaker 3 (01:26:03):

Absolutely love this. I, and just for the reason you say it, I, I don't, I don't think I've ever heard anything like it. And, and, you know, I feel like that's kind of the hardest thing to do as artists now. Just, you know, it feels like every rock has been lifted, man. Like, you know, so to try and create a sound that is, you know, genuinely original, um, is, is the task at hand. And, and this, this is, this is that man. It's just, it's, but, and yet there's enough there to to, to keep you with it. Um, yeah. You know, it just, it's, uh, I just, I find it super kind of, um, uh, ambitious and, um, just inspiring. This is, this is an amazing track. I, I'm, it makes me wanna write some classical music, like this

Speaker 2 (01:26:48):

<laugh>. Yeah. Oh, that'd be interesting. I like, I like what you mentioned about that. It just gives you enough to go with it. It sounds like you're in this gigantic whirlpool and there's like this very, very thin fishing line. That's the only thing you have to hold onto <laugh>. And I feel like they created this song to put like the, at the most bare minimum that they possibly could to keep you like, you know, like kind of like on the, on the ride with them, right. Even whether it is like a little jump part or like a tactfully placed transition. It's kind of just like, you know, on paper it sounds all over the place, but when you listen to it intently, they give you little clues that like, kind of, you know, it's like a maze where it's like a little puzzle to like keep your brain of like, oh, like what is this song and how am I making sense of it? And, uh, they're strategically giving you like the precise tools to like, let you do that.

Speaker 3 (01:27:34):

Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Exactly. Exactly.

Speaker 4 (01:27:55):

So

Speaker 2 (01:27:55):

Cool. Reminds me of Jacob Collier, the way that the vocals are layered.

Speaker 4 (01:28:54):

Love those harmonies.

Speaker 3 (01:29:03):

What

Speaker 1 (01:29:04):

Kinda reminds me of, I'm gonna, I'm gonna put it in a different place. What kind of reminds me of is if you had a whole bunch of different tracks, right? And you're like, I'm gonna make a song outta these different tracks and I'm gonna put 'em together and I'm gonna make it work. It's almost like modern art of music sounds

Speaker 7 (01:29:16):

Sampling. Oh, that's a good way to

Speaker 2 (01:29:17):

Put avantgarde sampling. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:29:19):

Like a modern art collage of music.

Speaker 7 (01:29:22):

Collage is a good word.

Speaker 3 (01:29:23):

Yeah. It's, yeah. Feels like just next generation music, you know, it's just like so, so fresh man. Yeah. Amazing.

Speaker 2 (01:29:31):

And it, it's really fresh and like the most literal sense of the word, because when we're listening to this, I was thinking like, I don't really listen to like, anything like this. And like, I don't know that many people that do. And, uh, I feel like it's like the job of younger generations to lead the pioneer and pass the torch to different types of music and things like that, because there's still something to be said to, you know, make an homage mm-hmm. To the greats. Mm-hmm. But you also have to make your own way too. Absolutely. And, uh, you know, using tried and true methods and, uh, you know, different things that work well in the past and have been commercially successful is a good blueprint. But it's like, you know, diving deep and doing something that's like off the beaten path is like, uh, you know, how you really get your own voice to

Speaker 7 (01:30:10):

Shine. Definitely. And I mean, you, you can even imagine that from freeform jazz before that mm-hmm. <affirmative>, right? How, how it hit the ears of people that had never heard anything like that before. And they're like, what is this? I can't even follow.

Speaker 2 (01:30:20):

A lot of them were just like, this just sounds like. That

Speaker 7 (01:30:23):

Sounds like noise. Know

Speaker 2 (01:30:24):

What? Yeah. It sounds like straight noise, but you have to really listen to it with a certain year and you have to like be on the ride with

Speaker 3 (01:30:30):

Them. Exactly. Yeah. And I was gonna say, just, it, it, it feels like the kind of thing that like every, like all the next younger generation are gonna be into in like, you know, a few years. I mean, you know, it's like everyone, and this is gonna be the new, the new cool thing, you know, like in a few years it's like, it's, yeah. It's, it's kind of that far ahead of, it's, it feels like it's just ahead of its time, but, but like that time is coming, you know,

Speaker 1 (01:30:51):

It's gonna be that along with the brain chips. Yeah.

Speaker 7 (01:30:54):

Yeah. <laugh>, everybody's just listening to it. <laugh>

Speaker 1 (01:30:57):

This just entered my head like, you two, they, they put it on your phone automatically, it's gonna go on your brain ship.

Speaker 2 (01:31:02):

It sounded like AI music almost. It sounded like if you went to a computer and you told the computer to make music, that's what it would make,

Speaker 7 (01:31:10):

Make the, make songs the kids would like. And they're like, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:31:14):

I want you to make things that the children would enjoy. Enter, yeah.

Speaker 7 (01:31:18):

<laugh>. Well, I enjoy, I enjoyed that a lot. That was very unique and like you said, very fresh. I feel like it kind of like cleansed my brain for a bit with different, with a different style of music. So, uh, thanks again Domi for, uh, bringing that to us. Yes. That was awesome. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:31:34):

Thank you Domi. Amazing.

Speaker 2 (01:31:36):

Uh, so, uh, we're getting to the end of our time and I know that you just were talking about some movie scores that you did and you're doing solo shows and you're doing snarky puppy shows. Is there anything coming up in particular that you're excited about that you want to, uh, let us all know about?

Speaker 3 (01:31:52):

Um, I guess there's a few things. Uh, so I have a, I've got a solo show in Stockholm tomorrow, if anyone's in Stockholm

Speaker 2 (01:32:00):

<laugh>, I'll be there tomorrow. <laugh>. Um,

Speaker 3 (01:32:02):

Yeah, <laugh> playing Stockholm Jazz Festival, solo piano. And then I'm going from there to Amsterdam for the cello bien. I've written a double cello concerto for the cello bi anni that the Metropolitan or performing on the 26th of October. And then, and a couple of days later, my solo piano album comes out, affinity mm-hmm. <affirmative>, which is just me. It's the first time I've, first thing I've recorded in, in this studio at home. This is my home studio here. Um, and, uh, on that grand piano there with them, I dunno if you can

Speaker 1 (01:32:36):

See that, but very nice. Yeah. I've got a,

Speaker 3 (01:32:37):

A, a, a bunch of flint, uh, sorry, um, felt on the, uh, between the hammers and the keys on the ground, so you get the full tone of the ground, but it's a soft, soft tone. Um, nice. And it, it, it, and that's what led to the title Affinity, cuz as soon as I put the felt on, I couldn't take my hands off the piano <laugh> because it was so much fun to play. Um, so that's the new record coming out on the 28th. And then, and then I start a solo piano tour across Europe, um, through November, uh, culminating in a, uh, with a show, um, in Istanbul, the c r r, um, orchestra out in Istanbul. So, and then I'm home for December, so Wow. So that's, that's

Speaker 1 (01:33:17):

Me. That's gonna be a lot of fun. That's a lot. I have, uh, listened to your new single sirens and what a beautifully contemplative piece. I really, really liked it. And I'm looking forward to Affinity coming out. Um, you're also, uh, gonna be getting together again with Snarky Puppy next year, right into 2023. I do believe you're gonna start a tour.

Speaker 3 (01:33:34):

Yeah. I literally just yesterday came off the tour. We've just finished, uh mm-hmm. <affirmative>, well, they're, they're carrying on for a month, but, um, um, yeah, so I just got back from, they're, they're carrying on through Europe, uh, but I'm joining them again I think in South America, um, in May. And then we're probably doing, I think there's a festival run through the summer as well. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Um, and then I've got a trio, my own trio tour in March.

Speaker 1 (01:33:58):

Nice. Um,

Speaker 3 (01:33:59):

Then, uh, I've got a new orchestral record coming out late next year with them where I, I, again, talking about setting a brief, I kind of wrote, uh, I made the decision to kind of not write for rhythm section, so it's just strings and piano. So all the strings are providing all the groove. So it's like Steve Reich, Philip Glass, very rhythmic, uh, stuff coming from the strings and then lots of improvisation at the piano obviously. Um, and so that's coming out later next year with a, a tour next autumn. Um, that's exciting. So yeah. Lots

Speaker 2 (01:34:33):

Man. You are extremely busy. Super exciting. And I know that, uh, I speak for all of us here when, I just wanna thank you so much for your time and for being on this show. I wanna also thank, uh, our co-host and co-producer ej. Thank you. I wanna do a good job of thanking our co-host, Kai. Thank you. I wanna do the best job of doing a good job to thank myself. Oh, thanks. And I also, again, uh, wanna thank you Bill. Thank you again so much. We hope that you had a good time listening to music with us.

Speaker 3 (01:35:02):

It was great to hang with you guys. Thanks for having us, man. It was a lot of

Speaker 2 (01:35:05):

Fun. Yeah. And we hope that you don't mind if we work our very hardest to reach out to you in, uh, four or five months to see how we can work hard to listen to music again together sometime.

Speaker 3 (01:35:18):

Sure thing. Sure thing. Hey, what's up man? Anytime.

Speaker 2 (01:35:20):

Very good. We want to thank every single person that's listening in the chat and, uh, has been commenting and putting what they think about the music. And we will see you right here at the next time of Galaxy Jams reacts. See you then. Bye everybody. See you guys. Bye-Bye.