Miles Davis

Ron Carter’s name is listed in every jazz encyclopedia as a major influence on the bass.  He recorded and performed with many of the greatest players in modern jazz and spoke with great detail about the instruments he uses and the style he has developed.  At the end of the interview he listed what he feels are the three most important things for a young bass player to consider: practice long and hard, get to know your instrument, the strings you play and all other parts of the sound you make, and listen to other bass players.  

Billy Cobham is the acclaimed drummer who was inducted into the Percussive Arts Society’s Hall of Fame in 2006. Billy was born in Panama but moved with his family to New York where he performed with his father as early as the age of 8. His long list of performed back by Billy’s beat include Horace Silver, Miles Davis, Oscar Peterson and the Saturday Night Live house band in the 1980s and Peter Gabriel for a tour in the 1990s. His smooth style can be heard on the Roberta Flack recording of “You’ve Got a Friend."

Herbie Hancock’s career as a musician and performer spans six decades. He was a member of the legendary Miles Davis Quintet and super group Weather Report, and gave the world “Head Hunters” (jazz’s first platinum album) and other crossover hits such as the Grammy winning “Rockit.” Interestingly enough, what Herbie wanted to talk about most was his love for technology and how he has used electronic musical instruments to create new and different sounds.

TM Stevens is a well known character within the music industry who is respected for his design and endorsement of products as well as his mega career as a musician. TM is also beloved for his drive and passion for encouraging young students to become active music makers and has worked long and hard on this mission for many years. His impressive music career has included projects with Miles Davis and James Brown as well as his own group Shocka Zooloo. TM is also a noted record producer and a songwriter who works on his own material as well as projects with other artists, both the known and soon to be known.

Toots Thielemans has enjoyed an incredible career as both a jazz guitarist and a jazz harmonica player. In fact, it is Toots who is credited for bringing the harmonica to jazz. He has performed with nearly every great jazz icon of the century including Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and Herbie Hancock. Toots is also the composer of the jazz standard “Bluesette” and “Ladyfingers.” With a laugh and a smile Toots recalled his life, ending with “I believe in music, don’t you?” His interview was completed in Hollywood, CA on November 9, 2005.