New Music Now Spotlight:
Mark Saltman/William Knowles
Published: January 04, 2008 9:58 M EST
By: Isaac Joseph Davis Junior
(Juniorscave.com)
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Jazz / Modern Jazz | ||
For all the Jazz lovers out there, I have a special treat for you. This
next act certainly has a neck for what Jazz music is all about with
their melodic rhythmic smooth take on the legendary genre. One
interesting point about this act is that when listening to their tracks
one is easily mesmerized by the smooth vocals or the various
instrumentals that seem to have a voice of their own. Who am I am
talking about? I am talking about the act known as Mark Saltman and
William Knowles.
Residing in Washington, DC, Mark Saltman/William Knowles is showing the
world that Jazz Music spawns from all over the world. We recently had a
chance to review their EPK (Electronic Press Kit) on Sonicbids, a music
resource community. Instantly, we fell in love with their music. Here
is an interview of the group that we wanted to present to our readers.
Isaac-Joseph: Hello, I want to tell you first of all that I am very
happy to be featuring you in our Internet Publication. Could you
expound on the members of the group and how you guys came together?
Mark Saltman + William Knowles: Thanks a lot- we are very happy to be able to chat and share with you.
(Mark Saltman)- William and I met at Umass where we were in the
composition program. We started playing together, along with a few
other folks who we liked; Charles Langford was there also.
(William Knowles)- I met Alvin at undergrad school, Howard U.
He asked if I knew Blues in F, we’ve been friends ever since. Mark
Prince was at Howard also- and we met Lori, Rob and Junebug later on.
Isaac-Joseph: One of the best parts about your music in my
opinion is how all the various instrumentals seem to blend nicely to
create a collective of melodic jazz. How are you able to work together
as a group with so many instruments involved and still produce
delightful music?
Mark Saltman- A lot of it has to do with as William calls it ‘the pen’-
it is mightier than the horn- and we try to work with people that
understand melodic playing.
William Knowles- Mark and I have been at this for a little
while now, with some of the same folks. We continue to evolve our
playing but keep the focus on melody.
Isaac-Joseph: What is it about Jazz music that you feel draws you to it?
Mark Saltman- For me, it’s a mix of places you can go, colors you can paint and the groove.
William Knowles- It gives you the freedom to speak your mind
without much restriction. I personally like the restrictions of form
and harmonic structure- I like the pliability.
Isaac-Joseph: Do you feel that Jazz Music still has the impact that it once did 50 years ago? Why or why not?
William K- I think in the earlier years it was more about good music
and the writing was much better. The industry has really had their way
with us. It chooses some kid to be the next hottest thing- A great
player on a crappy tune is not compelling- and great players are really
a by-product of good music. The writing gave us a myriad of compelling
melodies and textures to play from.
Mark S- I’ll second that- we really have to be about more than quick and flashy- but that is what is selling.
Isaac-Joseph: Although Jazz music began in New Orleans, it is
truly now Universal. Do you think that your venue (living in
Washington, DC) has hinder you in making Jazz music or do you think
that it is not the place you reside at but the artist himself/herself
that makes the music?
William K- It’s a level playing field. You can reside on an
obscure mountain and still have satellite radio, but you need to have
access to a community of musicians; people who are willing to talk to
you and take you under their wing.
Isaac-Joseph: Where do you feel Jazz music is heading or evolving into?
Mark S- Great Question! Jazz is kind of in a period much like
Classical music has gotten into. The vast majority is focused on the
past- which can‘t be ignored- but we also need to consciously move
forward with fresh tunes- the beautiful thing is that we can
incorporate all kinds of ideas into the music and make new things- so
there are definitely places to go- its really a question of can we get
by the road blocks.
William K- Melody has to come back- the writers’ day will come
again! It’s the only way to have a true voice. Millions of cats can
play fast and impressively, but what’s that got to do with good
music???
Isaac-Joseph: Iconic legends such as Billie Holiday, John
Coltrane, and Miles Davis to name a few are household names. As you
make your own music, what lessons have you learned from these musical
giants?
MS- Individualism- Trane, Miles, Lady Day- each one was unique and had their own special voice and their own ideas.
WK- They are some of the best! All of them are great interpreters of melody.
Isaac-Joseph: How important is fame? Is this something that you aspire
to or making the music and getting it across the most rewarding for
you?
MS+WK- We’d like to be well enough known to bring people out
of the house- to be able to record and play regularly in nice venues-
but having said that- the music is of prime importance.
Isaac-Joseph: Your latest effort is entitled “It’s About The Melody”.
Elaborate on what can we expect from this album and the process that it took to make it?
WK- You can expect our unique sound; melodic, groov‘n, and
subtly complex. We’ve been producing our own records and improving the
process with each one. This was our first effort with lyrics and a
vocalist, because we wanted to include the human voice as part of our
sound.
MS- It always takes living through things and having feelings
you need to express. Every record takes a lot of effort, but I think
that we have some important things to share and hopefully relate to
folks.
Isaac-Joseph: What can we expect from you all in the year
2008? What are some of the new developments you are all working on that
will tickle your fans fancy?
MS+WK- We just completed a new record that we are really proud
of- and are trying to figure out how we will put it out. We are going
to be distributed in Europe as part of a compilation on Arizona
records. We are hoping to be on tour somewhere near you, but we’ll see
if we can work that out as well.
Isaac-Joseph: We call this our Shout Out time. Give any shout outs to those who matters most:
MS- I have to give one to my wife, Diann.
MS+WK- and some of our friends- Tamir Damari, Howard ‘cat
master’ Saft, Rev Allen White, and Dahlia ‘don’t call me doogie-except
Mark’ Sokolov.
Isaac-Joseph: As we wrap this one, I would like for you to
leave us with some words of wisdoms for everyone reading this
spotlight:
Mark Saltman- Find your own voice and be yourself- form our
teacher Yusef Lateef. And Parroting is for the birds-(pianist Lawrence
Wheatley) - Parroting is okay- but only when your learning to fly.
(That parts from me, now that I’ve given it some thought.)
William Knowles- You can’t shine a turd so stop listening to crappy music! This one is from Fred Irby my old teacher.
MS and WK- Thanks so much for taking the time to listen!!!
Instrumentation
William Knowles- Piano/composer
Mark Saltman- DoubleBass/composer
Lori Williams-Chisholm- Vocals
Charles Langford/Rob Landham- Saxophones
Mark Prince/Jimmy Junebug Jackson- Drums
Alvin Trask- Trumpet/Flugelhorn
Discography
Its About The Melody- Blue Canoe Records (07)
Sandcastles- CAP records (03)
Dreamcatcher- CAP records(99)
Stop Look and Listen- Pianochoir (95)
Mark Saltman/William Knowles' EPK on Sonicbids.com
http://www.sonicbids.com/SaltmanKnowles
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