The
experience is that I had to prepare me for being an artist are somewhat vague
because I became a professional artist very late in life so I had no idea of
any kind of preparation I became a bass player at 24 years old however I played
music from the time I was five playing the piano played organ in church for
seven or eight years I started on the heaven v3 in hindsight there are a lot
of things that prepared me so we lived in a place was called the projects you
know as known as a ghetto now but we had tulips and grass so we were a little
different a little different I would say that the world war two planes flying
over my house watching soldiers go off to war just to block away on trains
because even today those experiences I use a subject matter when I play the
music I think on those things I think sometimes about my grandmother who was
very dear to me and if I have a moment where I'm lacking creativity sometimes
I'll use her a subject matter if I think about her then I'm off and running I'm
creating a plane music
the collaboration with other musicians starts with my propensity to want to
listen to other musicians play I would rather listen to other musicians play to
play myself I mean listening to the music and being enlightened by the music
no matter what the quality is in my mind's eye and so one thing that I teach
my kids is it don't look to music to give you anything this is a one-way love
affair music is music you love it it does not love you back
when I got to the Idol Arts Academy then I realized something else that music to
me was a gift because of not having formal training as a musician I knew
that the gift that I have music is from God and I always give something that I
would always want for myself so mentoring a child is easy in my minds I
know one shoe fits all so I try to ask pertinent questions to young musicians
so that the answers will reveal their needs each child has to be approached
differently body language eye contact if he's can look you in the eye then I
know that there's some sincerity there that's why I asked pertinent questions so
that that child will reveal their needs and in turn once they acquire that
confidence then they mentor me
