Tony Mantor's : Almost Live..... Nashville
Tony Mantor talks with entertainment industry people in the U.S. and internationally that have made a mark for themselves.
Conversations with those behind the scenes people that help them achieve their success along with up and coming entertainers as well.
Stories that give a deeper understanding on what it takes to achieve success in the entertainment industry.
Whether listening for entertainment or for tips on how others faced their challenges this has something for everyone.
Tony Mantor's : Almost Live..... Nashville
Patrice Rushen shares her artistic philosophy: Music comes first
Grammy-nominated jazz pianist, R&B singer, and record producer Patrice Rushen shares her journey through the entertainment industry.
She offers wisdom about musical versatility, artistic growth, and prioritizing musical excellence over fame-seeking.
• Currently working on an orchestral commission for Juilliard Prep School and Interlochen while balancing performing and teaching
• Grew up in Los Angeles with diverse musical influences including jazz, Latin, gospel, and reggae
• Earth, Wind & Fire played at her high school prom just before they became famous
• Received formative advice from Quincy Jones: "If you want to be a composer, you're going to have to be really, really, really good"
• Seamlessly transitioned between roles as composer, performer, producer, and educator throughout career
• Her hit "Forget Me Nots" gained new audiences when sampled in "Men in Black" and George Michael's "Fast Love"
• Emphasizes the importance of apprenticeship and putting yourself in situations "where you're not the best one in the room"
• Believes technology should enhance music without sacrificing the human element or emotional connection
• Enjoys strong fanbase in the UK and Europe despite touring challenges in today's industry
My career in the entertainment industry has enabled me to work with a diverse range of talent. Through my years of experience, I've recognized two essential aspects. Industry professionals, whether famous stars or behind-the-scenes staff, have fascinating stories to tell. Secondly, audiences are eager to listen to these stories, which offer a glimpse into their lives and the evolution of their life stories. This podcast aims to share these narratives, providing information on how they evolved into their chosen career. We will delve into their journey to stardom, discuss their struggles and successes and hear from people who helped them achieve their goals. Get ready for intriguing behind-the-scenes stories and insights into the fascinating world of entertainment. Hi, I'm Tony Mantor. Welcome to Almost Live in Nashville.
Speaker 1:Joining us today is Patrice Russian. She's a jazz pianist, r&b singer, record producer, songwriter, music director and so much more. At the 25th annual Grammy Awards, her single Forget Me Nots received a nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, while her instrumental song Number One was nominated Best R&B Instrumental. Both songs were from her seventh studio album, straight From the Heart. I'm thrilled to have her join us today for a lively conversation about her career updates, future plans and so much more. It's great to have her on the show. Thanks for coming on.
Speaker 2:Sure thank you. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:Oh, it's my pleasure. So let's start out with what you are currently doing at this point in time.
Speaker 2:Well, currently working on an orchestral piece. Actually that's a commission from the Juilliard Prep School and Interlochen nice cool, you know a piece for them. That's been a lot of fun to do. Of course I love doing that and then getting out playing some, doing some of the hits that people have enjoyed over the years and getting out to do some of that still teaching and kind of a mixed bag of things, but that's really the way I like it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's always nice to have the luxury of a multiple amount of things. That way you just don't get stuck into one thing and get bored.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, for me it's kind of different iterations of the same thing. You know, I love to write music but I also love to play. I love playing with people, songs and performing and all those types of things. For me it's like just different iterations of the same thing.
Speaker 1:Sure, that makes a lot of sense. So are you planning on touring this year?
Speaker 2:I don't know how much I'm actually going to be doing just yet this year, but the plan is to get out a little bit more. I enjoy doing that. Haven't done it in a while. So last year I was out a little bit and it was really enjoyable and people really loved it. So I think we're going to try to do a lot more.
Speaker 1:That's great. It's always good to be in front of people enjoying what you do and, of course, them enjoying what you do. So, after you've taken a break and then you get back on the road, what's your mindset? How do you feel about getting back on the road and going through those chops again?
Speaker 2:Well, for me it's very enjoyable. I mean I toured a lot, you know, in mid to late 80s quite a bit. When I came back, you know, I wanted to continue to work towards what my goal was was to be a composer for film and TV and work in music direction for film and television particularly Did that enjoyed that, that kind of segued into having a lot of information to be able to offer from the standpoint of teaching, especially in the area of popular music. The music that I have done over the years has sort of resurged again with a generation of people who are sampling and doing things like this with a lot of the songs.
Speaker 2:One of the biggest songs that was for me was Forget Me Not, which ended up being the basis for Men in Black and Fast Love, george Michael's Fast Love. So this created an audience that was like well, where did that come from? And then that led them back to me. So to be able to be out and tour now is be maybe being in front of people who are 10 years old right next to somebody who's 70 years old and them singing the same song, which is amazing and glorious for me.
Speaker 1:It is. It's a great thing. I've been around a lot of people and had several on my podcast that will tell me they look out and they'll see the kids, which is, of course, the grandkids, then they'll see the parents, then they'll see the grandparents and they're all singing the same song. So it is pretty cool yeah, pretty pretty amazing it is.
Speaker 1:It's a great thing and it's a great feeling for the artist and it just shows music that is done properly, recorded correctly, has a lot of heart, never ends true enough. Yeah, that's pretty awesome. Now I noticed that you had something to do with berkeley a few years ago yeah, I've been involved with Berklee School of Music for quite some time.
Speaker 2:I'm their ambassador for artistry in music education. My relationship with them goes back before that, when I would come in periodically to guest lecture and I have a lot of friends who are also faculty members and have been faculty members for a while. And then I received an honorary doctorate from them, so my relationship with them goes back quite a ways. And then I received an honorary doctorate from them, so my relationship with them goes back quite a ways.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's great. I haven't been at Berklee for several years. I went there for a short time to take a few extra classes that I needed.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay, fantastic. Well, I didn't go to school there, but I enjoyed later being part of. You know their continuous evolution in terms of them being the brand of contemporary music in most of the world.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Berkeley is a great place great school, great people in it. People from all around the world attend it. So, yeah, it's a great place to be associated with, for sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I enjoy it very much.
Speaker 1:Okay, so let's do a little time traveling. Let's go back to your early days. What do you remember? That kind of formed, your music which allowed you to grow and led you on the journey to where you are today.
Speaker 2:I was given a lot of opportunities to explore it through, you know, piano lessons and then playing in school. You know playing. I played flute a lot in middle school. That kind of taught me more actually about ensemble playing and how rich it is to be sharing music. And it was later than I, as I continued to play the piano at the same time in an ensemble setting, which allowed me then to kind of transfer into even more understanding of the music that I heard at home and the music that I heard, you know, just existing, being around and loving the radio, which was you know what we listened to all the time. I'm glad I paid attention and I really enjoyed and wanted to know. That makes me feel good. Why is that? What can I do? That would, might make others, might make others have a similar reaction. I thought that the music represented a communication and a feeling. That would be the main thing, that I was always curious and wanted to take part, with different people, in playing a role that was in service, first of all, of the music.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a really great way to look at it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a really was more about the way it made me feel I either liked it or I didn't like it. I appreciated the artistry that went into the performance of it. So sometimes it was maybe a person like Sarah Vaughan, or maybe it was Frank Sinatra, or maybe it was.
Speaker 2:Brahms, or maybe it was Frank Sinatra, yeah, or maybe it was Brahms, or maybe it was James Brown, or Stevie Wonder or Sly Storm. There were so many people in different areas and different times that would resonate with me, depending on you know what activity or what kinds of things that I was also doing. So I kind of just jumped around in the different categories. Plus, from Los Angeles, I was hearing a lot of music that was Latin influenced.
Speaker 2:I was hearing a lot of gospel music I was hearing reggae, I was hearing jazz all the time and these different things. You know all factored into, I think, part of the idea of having a vocabulary. That gave me opportunities, because what I really wanted to do, I thought, was to write. And if you're going to be a composer, especially if you're going to work in the area that I was the most interested in, which was TV and film, you never know what kind of movie you're going to get. You never know what kind of assignment you're going to get. You never know what your role is going to be to enhance the pictures.
Speaker 1:Sure, that's so true.
Speaker 2:So to have a wide vocabulary of things to choose from and find the right thing for the right time seemed to me to make a lot of sense. So I enjoyed playing and being involved in a lot of different music of a lot of different styles.
Speaker 1:So, with your first love being composing for TV and movies, then all of a sudden you're thrust out there and people are realizing you for what you do. Did that shock you? And how did that transition go from writing and composing to actually being out front and the focus is on you?
Speaker 2:Well, the two things the professional writing and composing came because of being out there.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:I mean, I wanted to do that, but nobody knew who I was.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:So it worked out that the initial uh attention that I got was from playing and people seeing that oh, okay from having records that people like and that made it not necessarily feel like a transition, but it definitely gave it a little bit more um, weight and possibilities as projects. Then because of people being fans of the music I was doing right opened up and allowed for some of those other things to ultimately happen. So it's been one kind of organic piece for me, which has been very fortunate and really a blessing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so when you think about when you first started, you always have a mentor, someone that gives you advice, gives you ideas on what you should be doing. When you think about that and you reflect upon your past, what are some of the things that come to mind about some of the advice that may have been given to you that maybe changed your life, at least musically?
Speaker 2:Well, I think I was very fortunate that in high school I was involved in a school that had a good. It was a public school but but had a great music program.
Speaker 1:Nice.
Speaker 2:And that the teachers there were very cutting edge from the standpoint of looking at what was typical high school band repertoire but also knowing we live in Los Angeles and have access to people who write music for films, people who produce records for people who are playing at jazz clubs.
Speaker 2:So in addition to our field trips that would take us to the LA Philharmonic, we also went to jazz clubs like the Lighthouse, like Concerts by the Sea, those places where jazz musicians would come in, and we also were in a city where we would see the same people that would come in and maybe coach people in the band or in the orchestra would be doing studio work, you know, at Warner Brothers or at Sony, and we would be able to go to some of those sessions to see what do you do?
Speaker 2:We saw different ways in which artists, musicians, earned and made a living. That it wasn't didn't look like one thing to us, but you had to be extremely versatile to be able to go from thing to thing. But you had to be extremely versatile to be able to go from thing to thing. So our goal as kids was we want to be so amazing that we could play in any of those contexts and feel at home and be comfortable, and many of us did actually do that. I grew up at a time where I saw the start of some amazing bands, like Earth, wind, fire, for example.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:They played my high school prom.
Speaker 1:Oh nice.
Speaker 2:They used to rehearse periodically at the school. You saw the context of the community rallying around these people who were trying to be about something.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And they played my prom and that next year they blew up.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, the rest is history. The idea is that we were around a lot of people who gave us the idea that if you're very good, you can do anything.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:And the other piece of really good advice that I got was actually from Quincy Jones, who at one of those Battle of the Bands high school contests I think I had done an arrangement of Herbie Hancock's Watermelon man and he used to see us because we did a lot of these contests and he wanted to talk to me and say, what do you want to do? Oh, I want to write for film and television, I want to be a composer. And he says, oh, you're going to have to be really, really, really good. And I was like, wow, that's an interesting thing to say to a 15 year old. You know who? Yeah, I would think so.
Speaker 2:But I think what he was telling me then was that there were going to be some interesting obstacles and obstacle course that I would have to navigate through and that the music could be the vehicle to navigate through those obstacles if you were really, really good at it and committed. And I didn't really understand exactly what he was saying until years later when I started actually coming across some of those obstacles. But I managed to make it through because the music was the first priority and that was what I really was able to use to be able to keep going. People needed what I was able to do.
Speaker 1:That's so true. Music is the focus I tell everyone I work with when I'm producing them. Pay attention to the music, everything else will take care of itself. The main thing is to keep everything that you do at a very high quality pace. Now you have done several productions, so how did it feel to go from composer to performing to now you're wearing the hat of a producer?
Speaker 2:Well, I saw a lot of great producers. You know I was involved in doing studio work as a session player and again, the idea of paying attention was a big thing. How do they get from us what it is that they need? What do they say? What don't they say? When do they say it? How is it working with a vocalist? That's different than working with an instrumentalist. These are things that I was able to kind of observe and try out because I had my own albums in which I could be involved as co-producer.
Speaker 1:Nice.
Speaker 2:So I? It wasn't like I was here and then I'm over there. I won't say it was seamless, but it felt very natural and a very natural progression that, when people then asked me to music, direct something or put a band together for something, these were the similar activities, similar parts of your brain that you use in the studio when you are involved with having to create the environment for the artist to be able to offer their best and to be able to do so. Managing time, managing a budget, managing the flow All of these kinds of things were a part of what I had observed and what I had experienced.
Speaker 1:Yes, that is just so true and so accurate. Now, with everything that you've done, what's on your bucket list? What are some of the things you still want to do?
Speaker 2:Well, that's a long list, so my bucket list is pretty long.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Among the things that I'm most interested in doing is, you know, maybe, music compositions that are of long form, that allow me to continue to traverse these different styles, but to be able to do so authentically. So it doesn't sound like, you know, you're putting this on top of that, on top of this, on top of that, learning how to do that and learning what to do to be able to continue to be comfortable in just about any musical environment and contribute in a way that offers something special and unique. Those are like ongoing situations Lots of people that I have had the good fortune to play with, and there's a lot more that I'd like to.
Speaker 2:So I'll just leave it at that. There's more to come.
Speaker 1:Well, that's a good thing to hear, because music is such a powerful tool, and it's good to hear that you have others that you want to perform with and do projects with. One thing for sure music can bring all types of people together. I know I've met lots of people that I've wanted to know what they do, and they turn around and want to know what I do just because of the music.
Speaker 2:Well, most people, whether they admit it or not, most people have music in their life one way or they're always interested in what we do and they're always interested in how we do it. I think the thing about making it look so much fun because it is, and making it so accessible to most people because it is, they forget that there's a lot of time and hours and work that's involved that they don't see. So that's the part of it that, especially as you know somebody like yourself who works with a lot of other people just to remind them that you know you do what you need to do, so you can do what you want to do. And part of that is the work that goes into really being able to build a great musical foundation on which you can have as a platform to keep doing whatever you do for a long time if you're lucky.
Speaker 1:So what do you see in the next few years for yourself? You've done all these things, and the great thing about an artist is you never know what's around the next corner. You continue to evolve, so what do you see coming? What's next?
Speaker 2:Well, for me, it's a continuation of getting better and better and better and having, hopefully, more and more platforms in order to present the different iterations of my artistry. Sometimes it'll look like in the form of a performance, sometimes it'll be in the form of mentoring, sometimes it'll be in the form of an orchestrator or something like this. So those things are continuing.
Speaker 1:For me, that's great to hear.
Speaker 2:Looking beyond that, though, what I hope will continue to happen is that the artists, the types of artists that influenced me through their excellence, are the kinds of. That's the kind of person I would like to be, for other generations To feel they have the capacity and the permission to go for their dreams. Now, it's not absolved of work.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:That's the part right there where you know we'll have to see how it goes. It is easier than ever to get information out of work. Yes, that's the part right there where you know we'll have to see how it goes. It is easier than ever to get information. It is easier than ever to be able to hear and experience different kinds of things, to be able to immerse yourself in what other people are doing across the world. These are activities now that are so much easier to do, but I think that it doesn't change the idea of being able to do it in a consciousness where you are learning and using that to grow.
Speaker 2:What it is that you're about, it's not a competition, it's community, and that part, because I believe, of so much emphasis on commerce has created the possibility for there to be this constant imbalance of it's more important to have these many friends and these many followers than it is to be able to do the thing. My worst nightmare would be to have everybody looking at me and then I can't do it, or I can only do it for 30 seconds at a time, or whatever the thing is. So what I'm hoping is that the you know we always do when we get, get technology. We go all the way one way and then we kind of ease our way back into realizing the amazing tool that it can be for the larger picture exactly and that's what I'm hoping we arrive at soon is that the larger focus of why we do music, why we love art, what it's about, that makes us human.
Speaker 2:Uniqueness uniqueness that we have, that all the beautiful technology that we have also gives us the ability to do it better, faster, with more precision but that we don't lose the responsibility of what it is is still part of what makes us human.
Speaker 1:Yes, I absolutely 100% agree with you. You have to have that feel. When I went to Berkeley I had an improv teacher. He said if you have feel, you've got everything. He said that if you've got technique but no feel, you've got nothing. So when these artists come out and they have that emotion and that raw talent, they put it all together and have that feel. Then it allows them to grow, along with the listener as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, other people influence you too.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:You have to, I believe, have the experience of working with others.
Speaker 1:I totally agree.
Speaker 2:And hopefully with others who have some things together that you don't.
Speaker 1:Right, so true.
Speaker 2:You have to put yourself in situations where you're not the best one in the room. Oh yes, so that you have the chance to grow to something, so that balance has to be there, and that's a big part of it as well is to be about that journey and be about that work.
Speaker 1:Absolutely agree with you 100%. There is no embarrassment whatsoever going into a room with five, six, seven musicians, whatever the number may be, and they all are more talented than you are. There's a reason why you are there and they respect what you do. So you work with them, you gain knowledge and just continue to grow. This will take you to another level entirely. Exactly that's what I try and do when I'm in the recording studio with these musicians, for sure.
Speaker 2:I think that one of the things that you know is missing is sometimes that understanding gets kind of lost that art requires a certain amount of apprenticeship.
Speaker 1:I'm with you on that, for sure.
Speaker 2:And it could look like you going to a lot of concerts. It could look like you asking a lot of questions. It could look like you going to a lot of concerts. It could look like you asking a lot of questions. It could look like you going to class. It could look like you playing in jam sessions, where the music and the people were there are better than you. And it becomes a test for you each week, each month, whatever the situation may be. But that part of it is easily diffused and almost obliterated by everybody wanting to be famous.
Speaker 1:Oh, so true.
Speaker 2:And if that's why you're doing music, that is probably not going to happen that way.
Speaker 1:Oh, I totally agree with you there. That was actually part of my next question to you. Okay, so you teach people about music? How do you get it across to them that they have to pay more attention to the music and not worry about the fame? Because if you pay attention to the music, do it the correct way, get out there and perform it the best you can, then usually all those accolades will come to you because of what you're doing and the integrity in which you do it.
Speaker 2:Well, you tell them and then you show them. And when you show them, they have to be able to see it through the lens of different ways in which people have become known. When you ask most young musicians who are your favorite artists and then you ask them why it takes a minute, but ultimately you get down because there's something about the music that they like.
Speaker 1:Exactly.
Speaker 2:They rarely say I love so-and-so because they wear great clothes, or I love so-and-so because they do this or that. And how did you find so-and-so? It was through the medium of, and typically it's going to be music.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So then we start talking more about that part, and I think that when we also start thinking in terms of music from the inside out, music creation which drives the honesty of a performance, even if the performer is not the writer. You know, actors say lines they didn't write and yet you believe them as actors. The acting is the art.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:So musicians and young people who want to be contribute to the music when they are understanding that you know that. That's that's. The first part is to know what you want, and for some it's the hardest question to ask what do I want?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But if it's about seeking fame, to one thing is, there are easier ways. Oh, rob, thank you.
Speaker 1:Be famous be famous yes.
Speaker 2:But the idea is, if you want to do something that has the capacity for people to be able to See it and pay attention and want to keep revisiting the feeling, as you said, then the music comes first and when we come from that place they start to get it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's so true. I tell every singer that I work with Do do it for the music, do the best you can. If you touch one person, then that is definitely a win. Then you hope you touch another one and another one and you completely evolve, because you were doing it from your heart, which was about the music.
Speaker 2:That's it.
Speaker 1:Well, because you've done it that way, you've created fans all over the world. I've got friends of mine in the UK that I told about this and they're very interested in having this program over there for their stations.
Speaker 2:Fantastic. Okay, that's a popular place for me. That's good to know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's what I understand. England seems to be very, very good for you, so have you been over there much lately?
Speaker 2:In the last couple of years I've been over, you know, a few times, great fan base all over Europe, but particularly in the UK and particularly in England, and so I've been, you know, to London a few times and it's always been really enjoyable and they've been loyal fans for years and years, so they really know the music and it's really thrilling to be able to play over there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's great. It's always good to go places where you have a great fan base and the UK is very loyal for sure. Any plans on a UK tour in the future?
Speaker 2:I hope so. I'd love to. You know, we're waiting, you know, to see what we had a really good, really good time and a great tour last last summer. Yeah, last summer, you know we'll see. There's a lot of interest, that's for sure. I think one of the things that people forget is how expensive touring can be.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:You know everybody on all sides, not just on the side of the artist that wants to come, but also for the promoters and people. You know it's not an easy proposition anymore.
Speaker 1:No, it's certainly not.
Speaker 2:You don't have the same kind of record, company support and things like that. That used to be a part of those deals back in the day, Right? So now everybody has to kind of do it a little bit differently, but you know you figure it out. Do it a little bit differently, but you know you figure it out.
Speaker 1:Take your time. Yeah, it'll all come out. So it is definitely a changed world from the 70s, 80s and 90s to now as far as touring goes.
Speaker 2:Very much so.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it sure is. I've been a part of many of them. Well, this has been great, great conversation, great information.
Speaker 2:Just a great time.
Speaker 1:I really appreciate you taking your time to join us today, thank you, thank you. Thank you for inviting me. Oh, it's been my pleasure. Thanks again, thanks for joining us today. We hope you enjoyed the show. Thanks for joining us today. We hope you enjoyed the show. This has been a Tony Mantour production. For more information, contact media at plateau musiccom.