Interview with Sheldon Zandboer: Music’s longevity is not determined by the mind but by the soul: Video

Jazz interview with jazz keyboardist Sheldon Zandboer. An interview by email in writing. 

JazzBluesNews.Space: – First let’s start with where you grew up, and what got you interested in music?

Sheldon Zandboer: – I grew up in Calgary Alberta Canada. My Dad was a professional trombonist/drummer. One day at the age of 4 I was slapping the top of the kitchen table and next thing you know I remember them moving a piano into the living room. (Be careful what you do kids) I was always around music as my mom did some singing with a country band.

JBN.S: – What got you interested in picking up the musical instrument? What teacher or teachers helped you progress to the level of playing you have today? What made you choose the musical instrument?

SHZ: – I really was too young to develop my own interest in piano. I got started before I knew what was really happening to me. I started with a nun, then moved on to the neighborhood piano teacher who in turn handed me over to top concert pianist in Calgary at the time by the name of Gloria Saarinen. I then in turn went to university and the teacher that was most sympathetic to my jazz leanings was Marilyn Engles. She tailored her teaching to what she thought would best serve my jazz studies as I was about to move to Toronto.

JBN.S: – How did your sound evolve over time? What did you do to find and develop your sound?

SHZ: – My sound came from consuming vast amounts of music. I already had years of listening to my dad’s library and I just started at the Beatles and went from there. An important “angel” was a guy named Tony Lambert who worked at Kelly’s Records, which was the largest record store in Calgary. Once a week I would head down to the store and he would have a disc already prepared for me to buy. He set me up with the best music at the time, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Lee Ritenour, the CTI catalogue. He was really into top session players from NY and LA. I got to know important behind the scenes players most people never hear about. So my playing turned very funky as I was listening to a lot of music coming out of LA. Another major discovery early on was Pat Metheny and his cohort Lyle Mays. That just branched out my sound to melodies and going for emotional impact.

JBN.S: – What practice routine or exercise have you developed to maintain and improve your current musical ability especially pertaining to rhythm?

SHZ: – I have developed a system the last 20 years that synthesizes the aspects of playing jazz called the “Tao of Jazz Improvisation” It’s based on the training method Bruce Lee used to train his students but I applied it to jazz and it works amazing. It’s designed to simultaneously train the ear, mind, and body; and to increase the symbiotic relationship of the three.

Train the ear to guide the player more efficiently and quickly.
Train the mind to process musical stimuli/information at a faster rate.

Train the body to react and execute the desired information coming from the ears and mind at maximum efficiency.

This method deals with training the musician on the performance of jazz as opposed to the study of jazz. All the studying in the world won’t help, unless you can apply the skills for the desired task. It’s been selling very well for the last 5 years on Amazon.com too.

JBN.S: – Which harmonies and harmonic patterns do you prefer now?

SHZ: – Right now I’m working on the obliteration of tonal centers but still retaining the piece of music’s integrity. II V7’s are far and few between. On this particular album the melodies completely dictate the harmonic movement which often don’t follow a logical path.

JBN.S: – What do you love most about your new album 2018: <Tipping Velvet>, how it was formed and what you are working on today.

SHZ: – I love that the album has emotional impact. I love that women love the album and play it often. It easily approachable but all the intricacies are not overt and everything is done to support the actual melodies. It’s not an album to impress but to invite and enjoy. Most of the music was written abroad. IE: about half of the album was written in Barcelona. Some was written in the Tobago keys and in the interior of British Columbia. Every tune came from the seed of “melody”.

JBN.S: – What’s the balance in music between intellect and soul?

SHZ: – Soul is first and foremost for me. Music’s longevity is not determined by the mind but by the soul. How it makes you feel at the time of listening. That has been the primary force behind this album. I don’t care if you’re not impressed but did you walk away with something in your heart or did a melody stay with you through your day?

JBN.S: – Please any memories from gigs, jams, open acts and studio sessions which you’d like to share with us?

SHZ: – I’ve done far too many gigs to recall a particular one at this time. It’s been a trip overall.

JBN.S: – How can we get young people interested in jazz when most of the standard tunes are half a century old?

SHZ: – Not play standard tunes. Write new tunes. Play newer tunes. Standards were the tunes of the time. Play good tunes (yes, they’re harder to find) that are currently being written.

JBN.S: – John Coltrane said that music was his spirit. How do you understand the spirit and the meaning of life?

SHZ: – I cannot separate music from my life as it is a way of life for me. I’ve never been without it. I’ve hated it, loved it, struggled it, but never have I left it. I don’t know what that’s like. I can’t exactly say music is the penultimate aspect in my life. Music is a reflection of my passage through time.

JBN.S: – If you could change one thing in the musical world and it would become a reality, what would that be?

SHZ: – For artists to be paid fairly so their art can support themselves. The breakdown of music on the internet has forced musicians to struggle to make ends meet and because music is everywhere the actual “value” of the art form is next to zero.

JBN.S: – Who do you find yourself listening to these days?

SHZ: – I’m loving Robert Glasper. His integration of a fluid hip hop and jazz style. Uri Caine’s “Bedrock 3” album is brilliant. Knower is totally fun for shits and giggles.

JBN.S: – Let’s take a trip with a time machine, so where and why would you really wanna go?

SHZ: – If I had to do it all again. I would have moved to LA and joined the players at the Baked Potato. I really love NYC but I love the funk of LA. Hopefully I wouldn’t have to sleep in my car too long though. I would love to play with Vinnie Coliauta at the Baked Potato with Abe Laboriel and the rest of the LA crew. I loves me some of that ol’ school funk.

JBN.S: – I have been asking you so far, now may I have a question from yourself…

SHZ: – Do you think players are aware how precarious jazz is in the world? Is it hanging by a shoestring? Is it’s birthplace USA still a healthy place for the artform?

JBN.S: – Thank you for answers. 🙂 Jazz is born in the US, but mostly played in Europe …

Interview by Simon Sargsyan