My music is a large touch of old while introducing the new in bits and pieces. Imagine sitting at a dinner table with J.S. Bach, Chopin, Oscar Peterson, Dr. Dre, The Spice Girls and Cardi B. Everyone at this table is discussing their abilities and what makes their music sound great. At the center of it all is me taking notes and crafting an entirely new sound. J.S. Bach’s Contrapuntal Harmony, Chopin’s beautiful melodies, Oscar Peterson’s highly technical piano skills, Dr. Dre’s beats, The Spice Girls energy and the Rhythmic flow and intensity of Cardi B. Now mix this and picture it in a symphonic production. That’s my voice. Now how did I come to the decision to be a composer and why this cocktail of sound? When I was in undergrad, I was in a music history course. One of the assignments was to do research on the different fields of music. I picked up music in film. At the time, the last of the trilogy of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith was, popular because Star Wars had been around for about 30+ years. Anyone who has heard a Star Wars soundtrack at some point has had to ask, “Who writes the music?” The answer is John Williams. The piece I became captivated by is not the Imperial March (Darth Vader theme) like many or the opening credits, but a piece called Duel of the Fates that was premiered in the Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace movie that came out in 1999. The fight scene between Jedi Knights Obi Wan Kenobi and his Master Qui Gon Jinn vs. Sith Apprentice Darth Maul had me hooked. I began to look deeper into John Williams’ career, seeing that he wrote music to so many productions I’ve grown up watching. My history teacher then pointed me to Danny Elfman, who is the composer for the Batman movies. Pretty soon, I was fascinated by the life of a composer, Googling and YouTubing anything I could find; even going as far as looking at the composers who are Broadway employed. Now the question remains, HOW did I get this sound? Growing up in Washington, D.C., as a young African American I grew up listening to music my mom always listened to or music of my culture. Most of the music in our house was that of Motown or predominantly black music genres ranging from gospel, jazz, smooth jazz, R&B, hip hop, etc. I never knew who a J.S. Bach or Frederic Chopin was until I started studying piano in 9th grade. My first piano teacher taught me the basics. My last teacher before going to college, though he was Classically trained, taught me how to make music truly mine. I had sheet music books from Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Michael Jackson and many more. Particularly I favored this book by local Gospel Legend, Richard Smallwood who was a pianist who blended his gospel music with jazz and classical sounds. I would hear his music every Sunday listening to 96.3 WHUR. My teacher taught me J.S. Bach to make sure I kept up with the basics but also taught me how to be free with more popular music. Watching how he would alter the chords that weren’t on the page, really got me excited. As I matriculated through college, I learned about the other masters of traditional music while in the music department. I became hooked on G.F. Handel and his Messiah work as well as Bach’s Cantatas and Mozart’s Requiem. After graduating with my BA, I realized I lacked a lot of the skill and know-how to be a composer. I couldn’t even write a line as simple as Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Sad, I know. I spent many paychecks getting books, from The Study of Counter Point, The Study of Fugue, Orchestration and Arrangement, and Jazz Voicings books. As I became more versed in my craft, I started to experiment outside of the Bach style of writing by trying out some of my theory on arrangements that were from today’s artists or anything in the mid to late 1900s as well as the new millennium. I became excited with every success I created. I started incorporating 20th century sounds such as 9th and 11th chords to a Classical body.

Learning that masters of the past created music inspired by a colleague’s work, such as Franz Liszt, a pianist with challenging pieces created for people with fingers that must be 6 inches in length each, creating an etude based on a Paganni violin Etude. I started to do the same, wondering what happens if you take something in an Oscar Peterson Style but give it the attitude of Cardi B, but I want it to be harmonized like a Bach Organ work. These things flipped the switches in me. My method isn’t chaotic or something richly a tonal. I believe there is still a ton of material left in the Classical world that I am trying to introduce the world to. Today’s artist are being taught to create new music but it sounds the way an abstract painting looks. I don’t see doom and gloom in these new creations. What I see is a space where those abstract elements can exist in the foundation of the traditional. Making something old but giving it a new lease on life.