Interview with Taru Alexander: The Blues and life of what’s going on in the world now: Video

Interview with jazz drummer, an ungrateful and problematic person Taru Alexander․ An interview by email in writing.

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

Taru Alexander: – My father, one of the greatest saxophonists that ever lived, Roland Alexander, worked and recorded with all the greatest musicians. He took me to a lot of his concerts, and I ended up around all the jazz greats at a very young age. I was born in Brooklyn New York on December 18th, 1967 and was basically born into this music that’s called JAZZ. I prefer to call it Afro-American music. At a very young age I was listening to my father’s records and one of my favorite records I have listened to was McCoy Tyner’s albums with Freddie Waits on drums. I loved his sound and started playing on pots and pans and beating out the great rhythms I heard. Soon afterwards my father brought me some drums and I totally fell in love with them. I grew up in the great Brooklyn New York that also had a lot of great musicians where I use to live.

JBN: – How has your sound evolved over time? What have you been doing to find and develop your own sound?

TA: – Well, since I started playing drums at an early age, my sound or I should say anyone’s sound evolves over the years. I studied music for years and years and worked on my sound for years.

JBN: – What routine practices or exercises have you developed to maintain and improve your current musical proficiency, in terms of both rhythm and harmony?  

TA: – I will say this. Sometimes it’s good to leave your instrument alone and when I decide to practice again, I play brand new ideas.

JBN: – How do you keep stray, or random, musical influences from diverting you from what you’re doing?

TA: – To not discriminate different styles of music. I always play all kinds of music. It keeps my mind fresh with new musical ideas.

JBN: – How do you prepare for your recordings and performances to help you maintain both spiritual and musical stamina?

TA: – I can’t really prepare to do a record or even a concert. I must follow my heart and never allow myself to get caught up in the drama of the microphones in the studio. Definitely have to shed on the music ahead of time before a recording date or a gig. But I must follow my heart before I do any kind of performing or a recording date. Stamina is place on the musical level of the musicians that’s in the band. That’s really important. It depends if it’s going to be hard work or FUN.

There could be talk or advertising about your CD

JBN: – In your opinion, what’s the balance in music between intellect and soul?  

TA: – There is music. Then there is music. Then there is MUSIC!!! I can’t really answer this question…. FROM THE HEART IS ALL I CAN SAY!!!

JBN: – There’s a two-way relationship between audience and artist; are you okay with delivering people the emotion they long for?

TA: – Individuals in the audience have their own ears. You can’t satisfy everyone. When it’s time to go on the bandstand some people know the real difference when the band is swinging. But people definitely know when the band is SWINGING!

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

TA: – That not the problem. The first thing is we need more music programs in our schools. But there was a difference when my father was growing up. It was mandatory for kids to have piano lessons or study some kind of instrument. Nowadays they don’t have to, and you have too many families that don’t have any kind of disciplinary studies in the household. Younger people need much more programs in our schools and more outside educational concerts to be brought in different places like libraries, after school programs and more outdoor educational music concerts.

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

TA: – In my life is music and music is life. I live and breathe this music.

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

TA: – To have Jazz in the forefront just like all the rest of music.

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

TA: – I listen to all the greats in this music.

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

TA: – The blues and life of what’s going on in the world NOW.

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

TA: – I would want to go back in time and wish I had the chance to play with Charlie Parker and Billie Holiday… Enough said.

JBN: – So far, it’s been me asking you questions, now may I have a question from yourself…

TA: – Do you think my answers give the next person a little insight about this music that was given the name {JAZZ}?

JBN: – Definitely not your answers, there is no insight in them.

JBN: – At the bottom line, what are your expectations from our interview?

TA: – I just hope that people who reads this will dig what I had to say. I feel that this music needs to be treated with much more respect and more integrity inside and outside of the realm and the state of a downfall of who really deserves more attention and totally ignoring the real Diamonds of this music.

Interview by Simon Sargsyan