Interview with Sefi Zisling: The soul and heart are always the true leaders and the intellect is behind them: Video

Jazz interview with jazz trumpeter Sefi Zisling. An interview by email in writing.

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

Sefi Zisling: – I can think think of a few key points along the way but I believe that the most significant one is when I was about 13 years old – one of my brothers was living in NYC, it was early  90’s and I was just starting to play the trumpet for a year or two.

He got the bug of jazz music as well as funk and soul while working the on the “Giant Step ” group.. and he used to constantly send as loads of CD’s like The JB’s , John Coltrane , all those funky compilations from the Blue Note catalog like blue break beats and more. I was immediately hooked… for good.

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

SZ: – I was born in the northern part of the country in a Kibbuts which is a kind of a communal agricultural based village.

I started playing the trumpet when I was 10 years old. I left the Kibbuts when I was 15 to finish  school in a prestigious arts high school  near Tel Aviv called “Thelma-Yellin”.

I chose the trumpet under the influence of one of my older brothers, who was playing the trumpet as a child and i thought it was very cool.

I remember importent moments from every techer i’ve hed along the years, they were all importent to me.

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

SZ: – listening to a lot of great trumpet legends  was a key part. When playing the trumpet breathing and relaxing while playing is crucial so i did a lot of that as well.

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

SZ: – I think that the right balance between technical drills, improvization and learning the Language of the jazz, funk world and just playing around and using my imagination was the right path for me.

JBN: – How to prevent disparate influences from coloring what you’re doing?

SZ: – It takes time, at the begining – the influences you embrace have to be a big part of your music, and than, slowly you take them off like you take off your clothes and then your discover who you are as a creative person and what you have the say to the world.

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

SZ: – I’m not shure how to put that with numbers but soul and heart are ALWAYS the true leaders and the intellect is behind them.

JBN: – There’s a two-way relationship between audience and artist; you’re okay with giving the people what they want?

SZ: – When people are coming the hear your music and see you live one should always be greatful, and out of that i try to give them something extra and to send them home with with new stuff in their ears.

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

SZ: – I had so many a long the way … since i started my solo project i cam say that the first show was a moment i won’t forget, i was surprised how something so ordinary for my like go on stage can be also very new when it is my music now and i’m on the front. I was shaking!!!

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

SZ: – I think jazz today is many things and there is a lot of new mixes between diffarent music ganres and artist and a lot of young people are hearing some formes of jazz without knowing even.

When listening to artist like thundercat,snurky puppy, kendrick lamar to name a few.

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

SZ: – I think music is the vassel through my self and others like me can pass to the world our inside energy and as clear and true amd honost i will be with myself my music will reflact that and touch people the most beacuse it’s all about energy and it’s movment.

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

SZ: – I would make it eassier to musicians to travel with their insturmemts.

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

SZ: – Roy Ayers and Lee Morgan.

JBN: – What is the message you choose to bring through your music?

SZ: – Open and sincire heart is the best heart.

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

SZ: – I think i would go before the time of industrial revoltion, i imagine everthing was super slow amd chill back than and people tok their time.

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

SZ: – What do you want?

JBN: – Normal jazz musician but not like you …

JBN: – So putting that all together, how are you able to harness that now?

SZ: – I’m realizing that for a lot of years i didn’t asked myself that question and i owe it to myself.

Interview by Simon Sargsyan