O is For Once You Know

“Once you know what you want, getting it requires perseverance”

- Vanessa Van Edwards

I felt sharp with excitement to be able to sit down and have a conversation about the beautiful culture of jazz with award winning NY-based jazz saxophonist, Carl Bartlett Jr.

He took the time to describe what changed the script for him to submit himself to the art of jazz that became a way of life for him which lead to his becoming a finely crafted jazz musician. Just by listening, you can hear the amount of confidence that this brilliant architect of music has, as he graced my radio show Jazz on the JNote with his time, music and thoughts.

Once I knew I wanted to find out the answer to what is Jazz, I used it as a basis for writing my college thesis which through the process, my radio show Jazz on the JNote was born at Medgar Evers College and I used it along the way as I set out to write 30 pages on jazz, identity and racism. Through writing it, I came across many books where this question is posed and no two people respond the same. I have interviewed several different artists and have received some interesting responses. And so, as I continue on with this show and am blessed with more opportunities to feature guests on the show, I will continue to pose the question because it leads to interesting thoughts worth considering; especially for me who is also a vocalists who sings jazz as well. 

As I asked Bartlett Jr the question "what is jazz?,"  he made a concerted effort to answer. He also shared his story on how he broke through in the breakthrough initiative segment and shared his thoughts on why he feels it is important for musicians to practice repeatedly, on purpose.

Bartlett Jr is a NY-Based musician who is making a difference with his music.  Jazz seeps through is pores. Everyone who listens to his music, loves what they hear. 

He has achieved great heights because once he knew what he wanted to be, he became a creature of habit and worked to the point of exhaustion to breakthrough. 

I am thankful that he was willing to share about his lifetime of experience as a jazz musician. If you are interested in listening to our interview, please click on the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25EfqdswfM4&feature=youtu.be

This episode was originally aired on Sunday, August 19, 2018 on http://theenglishconnectionmedia.com at 7PM and is definitely an inspirational treat for young musicians looking for motivation. Hope you'll check it out 

Thank you for reading my blog post. <3