Achickwitbeatz presents ⁠the Instrumental Intel podcast⁠, bringing you information instrumental to your artistic career including music industry news & tips, insights & interviews, and beats for your inspiration. Listen on Saturdays at 7 pm EST on ⁠⁠⁠Grander Radio⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠Achickwitbeatz.com⁠⁠⁠.
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Instrumental Intel Podcast

Achickwitbeatz brings you information instrumental to your artistic career including music industry news, insights, interviews, and beats for your inspiration. Listen on Saturdays at 7 pm ET on ⁠⁠⁠Grander Radio,⁠⁠⁠ Achickwitbeatz.com⁠⁠⁠, and your favorite podcast platform.

Transcript Generated by Riverside

00:00
Hey, thank you for tuning in to Instrumental Intel. I'm your host, music producer, Achickwitbeatz, and I'm glad that you've joined me today's episode. I'm highlighting conversations that I've had with educators about the impact of music education, featuring Deidre D.S.Sense Smith and Jetro da Silva. And as always, I gotta give a shout out to my home station, Grander Radio out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. I'm going to take a quick pause for the cause and then I'll be right back with the episode after this. Keep it locked!

00:26
Hey, I'm Achickwitbeatz, multi-genre music producer and strategist to indie artists and labels. Visit achickwitbeatz.com for resources for artists and instrumentals in various genres available for songs, vlogs, blogs, podcasts, themes, TV, film, commercials, and more. Once again, that's achickwitbeatz.com. That's A-C-H-I-C-K-W-I-T-B-E-A-T-Z.com. Let's make something happen.

00:54
I mean, what doesn't she do? She's an artist, she's a writer, she's an educator, a poet, lyricist, and like everything. I'm sure I'm probably leaving some stuff out too. But I have Deidre D.S.Sense Smith. And you know what? I just want to thank you right off the top for taking time out of your busy schedule to come and speak with me. I appreciate it. I know the listeners will appreciate it as well. But if you could kind of give them a little bit of background as to who you are.

01:24
and how you got involved with everything that you do. Absolutely. First off, thank you for having me back. It was such a joy last time. I appreciate your enthusiasm and your willingness to have me on. So thank you again. So my name is Deidre D.S.Sense Smith. I am a lecturer for the School of Music, Theatre and Dance for U of M. I'm also a cultural ambassador with the State Department and Next Level Program formally. um also, ah yes, I facilitate a workshop that is actually the course

01:54
of my um class at U of M called SYMMYS, Speak Your Mind, Mind Your Speech, Recognize and Empowering Your Words. And so I take that workshop and I teach it in elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, organizations, colleges, what have you. um Wherever I'm beckoned, I answer the call and I educate through art. And so I myself am an emcee, um sometimes a vocalist.

02:23
but don't sing as well or as much as I used to. And oh I'm also a songwriter and recently an author of a children's book that should be released pretty soon. That's so amazing. Yeah. Oh my goodness. I think that's going to be for me, the highlight of my career. But yeah, I'm so excited about that. But I'm just, I'm a Detroit girl, uh East side and I reside on the West side now.

02:53
Um, I believe in investing into the city of Detroit. So I'm big on community and so I'm back into the city of Detroit, the way that it's given to me. And I'm all about amplifying as citizens with my own, Detroit everything initiative. And, yeah, so I'm just, I'm kind of like around the way girl. I love it. So, okay. You know, right off the top.

03:17
On my Detroit Everything, the initiative is powerful. I see it all across my social media platform. So, you know, kudos to you for that. But you did say you want to sow back into the city the way it's sowed into you. How do you think that Detroit, if you could quantify it or qualify it with words, how would you say Detroit has shaped your artistry? I think that the landscape alone does something to me just to

03:47
have grown up in a neighborhood that I did on the East side and saw just intergenerational interactions with community members and citizens alike. I remember seeing both the beauty and the ugly within the city of Detroit, know, human nature at its best and worst. And I was always able to draw upon it um by just, you know, first acknowledging my own faults and my own successes and

04:16
all those things that come with age and experience and just living life. And Detroit has a way of, I always say it has the hustle and bustle of a big city, but then it quiet, quiet style like a countryside at night. And so we have all of this experience and wonderment to take on in the day, you know? And even into the evening, but then late at night into the wee hours of the morning, you have peace, have solace, you have calm.

04:45
And you have a time to reflect, no matter your situation within the city, it has a grace that allows you to be still and to be quiet. And I don't think many people recognize how blessed we are in the city of Detroit to have that. Most major cities that hustle and bustle, they don't stop hustling and bustling. They don't rest. But here in Detroit, we can get our hustle on, we can get our grind on, be on our Detroit everything. And then at the end of the day, we can rest our heads.

05:14
you know, think about, you know, what we've accomplished or what we could do better in the quietness and the stillness of that cone. And so that's really shaped the way that I approach my artistry. Even my projects, you can hear them as some such genre hopping in such uh mutable moods throughout my projects. You hear me go from street, almost gangster rap, underground rap.

05:43
more conscious rap, some singing neo-soul R&B, tinges to it, even some rock. And all those things are just uh indicative of the experiences that I've had in the city, in the places that I've been and shoulders that I've been able to rub against. And so the city has definitely, if you weren't able to quantify it and give it some kind of a weight, it holds a lot of weight.

06:13
just being here. And I think it's something in the air about Detroit. That just, if you don't think you're an artist, you can become one haphazardly almost. Just stumble into some artistry. That's just the air that it has, you know? You know, that's hilarious. um Yeah, I actually experienced that my first time performing there. It might've been my third time performing ever.

06:42
And I would not call myself an artist, but by the time I got off that stage, the way that I was embraced and encouraged, I started saying that like, okay, yeah, I can actually. So yeah, but I mean, everything that you just said about that was so beautifully poetic. mean, wow. You know, for it to have that kind of impact and for you to recognize exactly how it's kind of shaped who you are and what you do, I think is a wonderful thing.

07:11
You know, with all the different things that you've got going on in education, you've mentioned, you know, being able to stand on the people, you know, before you like your elders and everything. Is that part of the reason why you take so much time into giving back and educating the youth? Yes, yes. My love of agriculture that I had to give back to came from my grandfather and from my science teacher, Ms. Gilbert, who passed.

07:40
many years ago now, but um just from home into the classroom, we had very loving uh adults and guardians and parents, know, teachers that were uh instrumental and invested into our wellbeing and into our education. And I'm so thankful because they knew that education existed outside of the classroom first and foremost.

08:08
And so even with Ms. Gilbert, she would teach us inside of the classroom, but often take us outside of the building, out of the school building to actually demonstrate what we had just learned. And even still today, a couple of the trees that we planted are still up. The school has since closed and been boarded up and gutted and everything, but the trees are still there. that means a lot to me. Those were planted in the...

08:38
in the mid 90s, you know? And I...

08:45
feel good about being able to give back and being at an age, I'm 41 now, and I'm being at an age where I always wanted to be this age. I always wanted to be 30. And then I said, I always wanted to be 45. Now I can't wait to get 75 and all those things. I want all my years because I want all of the wisdom that comes with it, all of the nurturing spirit that comes with it. And in my classroom,

09:12
I teach more about life outside of it than I do the curriculum itself sometimes. And I really try to draw from the fact that education is, oh you know, a live thing. It really is. I mean, we can get our degrees and we do have them. But at the end of the day, nobody says, she was so awesome. She was so degreed. They might mention, you know, were, you know, degreed in this and that, whatever.

09:42
You know, everything is said and done, but for the most part, they say, she's so funny or he was so warm. He was so giving, so intelligent this way. And it's always, it's always uh far away from what you think that they would praise you for. And so classroom, I try to be all of the things that are valued outside of the curriculum and outside of academia.

10:12
And I try to tell my students that they are worth way more than the grade that they're going to get in class too. And so I think in doing that, I try to honor the lessons taught to me, the way that they were taught to me and who taught me those. And I think that that will leave a more, uh a better impact and a more lasting impact than the A's that students will get.

10:41
Yeah. And so, yeah, I just said, I told a friend last week, last week, I was coming home from class and I posted a video of some students that spotted me on campus. One currently enrolled and one that was last year's, uh you know, student. And to have that

11:09
embrace and that excitement on their faces still. I we're at the end of semester now. And then the gentleman who was on the film, you know, it's been a year. And to have that smile on his face still and to get those embraces. I always wanted to be like the favorite teacher. Like, how lucky am I? Yeah. Now I get to feel what my teachers, I hope that they felt from me. Those that were my favorite. That's a great feeling.

11:38
That's a great thing. And so, yeah, I pride myself on taking those warm, fuzzy, but also instructive and directive lessons and applying them to the way that I teach. And I think it's been OK for me. It's very real. It's very organic.

12:02
That's what's up. But yeah, especially if you're embraces at the end of the year that let you know you're doing something right for sure. I hope so. I really do. So yeah, if we could maybe talk a little bit about, you know, I think one, it's kind of like twofold to be able to kind of get in the creative head space to create for yourself.

12:26
but also even to educate others in how to get into their creative process. Can you walk us through that a little bit and maybe talk about what that's like for you and how you kind of get into both modes, either to teach the creative process or when you're about to create something. So once again, I draw up on that quiet stillness. Then I'll hear a melody first in my mind. And I'll kind of hum.

12:54
that melody and then I'll start to create like it's very staccato my cadence first. Even though I hear this like very sequential, very smooth melody, I'm kind of like non-linear and a little all over the place while I'm doing a staccato like pattern to this melody because I know that I'm gonna insert those words in those, know, kind of a scat.

13:22
like cases that I'm doing right now, you know, like, and I'm doing something and I rock. have this rock that I've been doing since I was a baby girl. I rock back and forth and it's like my internal metronome. I have about a speed of 60 BPM, I always say. That's my natural internal rhythm, 60 BPM. And so I rock at that rhythm, even when I'm doing something a little bit more fast paced in my mind. That's my internal metronome. then I

13:50
I compose that way, I see what comes out. And as far as the class, instruct students and their creative processes, I give them history, first and foremost, because of the course that I teach, which is rap history and songwriting for the purpose of performance, live performance. oh so with SYMMYS, I take you all the way from the origins of Hip Hop and... um

14:19
the influence that the states have had with him and how it's become ubiquitous. I talk about the cohesion between West African griots to the MCs of America. And I talk about the unassuming kind of bridge with Europe.

14:47
that kind of helps to uh be the glue between the states and oh Africa to Hip Hop. So I take them through that and I talk about the lived experiences of African-Americans that were actually doing Hip Hop, but they hadn't been credited for creating it. Like I showed them the Jubilair, which is a very big thing to do now in Hip Hop courses. But way back when, you know, I've talked about the Jubilairs, I'll talk about Ella Fitzgerald and her scatting ability.

15:17
and how she was so in the pocket and she'd go from singing, you know, this beautiful songs and ballads to scatting and her rhythm was very reminiscent of early rap for me. Yeah. You know, I would talk about how Hip Hop has this date on it as being 50 years old, but I can take you back at least 75 years before daddy. So we talk about that.

15:46
I take them through that because I have a very mixed demographic in my course. The only thing that is a commonality is maybe age, young, but from various backgrounds and races and cultures. And I want them to know that it's just not enough to come in the classroom and be ready to Why are we rapping?

16:16
I tell them about the principles and elements of Hip Hop. I tell them why they're necessary. I let them know that this is first and foremost a genre of visibility for those that are oppressed or marginalized. And so once they get that down, they understand the soul of it all. They understand the purpose of it all. They become more intentional. And then I work with their confidence. they know what you know. I made them right.

16:45
25 to 30 minutes out of the class, you have to write a piece. And that's not a lot of time. So your main focus is really tapping into yourself and bringing forth something that you maybe never thought you could bring forth. I get a lot of uh students that say, you know, I'm not an artist. I'm certainly not a rapper. I'm not a poet. I'm not this. And granted, they might not be some of them are neuroscientists and some of them are first-string violinists and things of that nature. And some of them just, they haven't quite

17:15
determined what they'll major in. And they come in and uh they write and we write for a few months. And then I have them for their final do a final live piece of an original work. And the purpose of all of that um workshopping, if you will, is to show them the progress of their confidence. On the last class, I had them read their week one piece.

17:45
And then I had them perform their final live performance piece. Then as a group, we critique.

17:54
their genesis and their exodus. My hope is that you will not leave this class the way that you came in here. Because if you leave it the way that you came in here, well, we wasted a lot of time. But there has never been a time when anybody has left the way they came. The nerves are non-existent. The smile is brighter and bigger. The sense of community in the class is further established.

18:25
They actually have such a camaraderie in the sense of community in the class once we finished that some of them have gone on to do collaborative works together. And these are people that you might not have known from Adam. Maybe you had plans with him before, but you never spoke to him. But by the time you finished my course, you have a sense of community and you have an original work. And not only that, but you have a whole catalog of work to draw from.

18:53
should be required to continue. So I do that approach in regards to the classroom and it's not far from what I do for myself but I haven't had to do that for myself since I was a younger woman. Now I'm as an older woman who isn't necessarily striving for what I thought success was as a younger woman but I've shifted it to the success of

19:23
my students. It means something else to me now. So I don't have the same, the same figure as I once did, but I have the same intentionality. But it's not for a student for me. Wow, that is phenomenal. uh Man, I feel like you just dropped so many gems in a short amount of time right there. Especially mentioning how, you

19:52
you're not coming in here just to rap, to be rapping, but to explain why and to give them a purpose behind it, I feel like that's, uh more of that is needed today, I would say. If you check anything online that might be Hip Hop related, you can basically see a generational divide right there. Nowadays, this, that, and the other, and there's a lot of complaining about like, oh, they don't know good music. Well, you haven't showed it to them.

20:21
Like who's supposed to teach them if, yeah. So I love the fact that, you know, that you can connect the past with the present and, you know, to have people not rapping just to be rapping, but to be intentional behind it, I think is a beautiful thing. And yeah, I just wish there were more educators like you doing what you're doing. That's phenomenal. And I commend you for that. Hats off to you for sure. Thank you. I like to say that I think they're,

20:52
there's a burgeoning group of educators, Hip Hop educators that are finally being welcomed into academia at a higher level than before. And I say that actually with a little irritation, because if you commercially accredit 50 years to Hip Hop, why are we on first generation educators? Oh, yeah. That's a point. Yes.

21:21
There's been generations, a couple of generations now that have grown up only, that have been taught through it. Yeah. And we're just now seeing Hip Hop educators. Right. Being called, we might have been able to flip, you know, some Hip Hop themes into our curriculums before as younger adults and being influenced like we were able to actually legitimize it, quote unquote, legitimize it through, um,

21:49
you know, having tenures at universities and, you know, things of that nature. That's a travesty to me. It is. Because I believe, I hope I'm not misquoting that time frame, but even Jay Rawls, I think he's only been uh teaching Hip Hop at Ohio State, like for a few years by comparison. Like, even if you look at what he's done throughout his career.

22:15
Yeah, like you said, why now? Why has it taken this long? But yeah, mean, kudos to you and the other ones out there doing what they do. Yeah, because it's definitely needed. And considering how music's been kind of stripped from, you know, some of the elementary schools and all that stuff, they don't really have the exposure that a lot of us had the opportunity to have. So, yeah, I think what you're doing is phenomenal. It's important. It's needed. uh

22:43
to kind of keep good music going. Of course, it's supposed to change, it's gonna grow, but yeah, you still need to have that foundation there because I believe that that's why a lot of the golden era Hip Hop sounded so good is because a lot of it sampled from previous eras, you know what I mean? So like we still kind of had that. Yeah, yeah, kudos to you for what you're doing. 2024 is almost out of here, but you did it.

23:11
You mentioned you got the book coming. Are there any other projects? Now saying that you got to spill the whole tea, you you don't have to give away the secret sauce, but is there anything we should be looking out for from you oh in the next coming year? Yeah, absolutely. uh Another project I've been working on. And let me tell you, when I got that beat from you. Yeah. Honey, please, I laid that song out.

23:38
I laid that song out immediately. It's recorded. Oh my goodness, yay. It's so nice. It's so, oh my goodness. I love it so much. I gotta let you hear it. All So that's gonna be on the next project. And it's gonna be real chill. really, I have a lot of great songs recorded. I just don't see where there will be,

24:06
a cohesiveness for the project just yet, but the music is there. So I think I have a few more songs to record and then I want to envision the pacing of a project and see what songs are worthy. Because right now I'm like really, I'm rapping, I'm rapping my ass off on some stuff. I'm being very laid back intentionally on some things and not being as literally dense.

24:35
I'm letting it breathe. there's a lot of variety and there always is with my projects, but for whatever reason, I don't feel like this one is quite ready. It's not quite what I like things to be like yet, but I have some great projects. It's almost like I describe like this. It's almost like I have these great songs recorded and they're like great for somebody where to call and say, Hey D, you want to be on the compilation? Sure thing. I got something.

25:05
But does it make sense as a project, as a whole, is it cohesive enough? So um I have to go back and listen to some things and see what I like and pick some things apart, maybe re-record some things if the mood fits. And yeah, we'll see. But definitely new music and definitely the children's book. And that was actually going to get sent to the press as

25:33
Last night I just I found it up. I found a faux pas in there So I had to that cleaned up really quick and hopefully I'll get it to the presses tonight or tomorrow at the latest but um Yeah, so you can expect that you can always expect me to be at um, know any place that calls me any uh university or any organization or school that calls me to uh m

26:01
Teach SYMMYS once again, that Speak Your Mind, Mind Your Speech, Recognizing the Power in Your Words, which is the workshop and course that I teach. And also I'll still be doing my cultural ambassador work wherever anyone calls me in regards to that. As a global citizen of Hip Hop, I'm always ready to link up with other global citizens of Hip Hop and rock out on this ubiquitous vibe, you know? So it just... um

26:29
Yeah, it's no teller with me. I'm so full of ideas and so full of action. I have so many things in the air at once. just, I wanted, I think I said this last time, I say it um often, I want to exhaust every talent, skill and idea that is worth bringing into the light before I leave the body here. I want to be able to say, God, I exhausted everything you blessed me with.

26:57
And I hope to have done it in a way that is a proven of them. But I want to exhaust everything. So I constantly come up with ideas for friends and proposals. I just did a proposal draft last night. I just do it on the whim. And I just compose these different proposals of ideas where I think programming should be and who should run it. And then I run it past friends who I think will benefit from it.

27:27
connect people with people that I think could benefit from each other. So I just, I want to exhaust everything before I leave a body here. next year I hope to do things bigger and better and I hope to have more partnerships moving forward. I plan to be a very lucrative woman, honey. I love it. I love it. Well, you know.

27:53
Again, I just want to thank you for taking time out of your schedule and everything that you're doing right now. So yeah, I really feel special that you came on the show and I really hope, especially with all the things you got going, that we could find some time for you to come back and keep us updated on what you got going. Oh, yes. While we still have these connections, know, we get all big and blow up. Yeah, you know.

28:20
But yeah, you know, one thing's for certain, two things for sure is uh if we vibe and it's good, the spirit's good there. Holy Spirit prompt me to be there. I'm a beater. I get like it's always Detroit for me. Y'all always gonna find me somewhere loitering. I love it.

28:41
Loitering around in Detroit streets and stuff and going about my business and my Nike slides shopping or something, know? We're on the way. We're on the way. We're gonna be here. All right, that's what's up. So yeah, before we go ahead and close out, I want to make sure that the people know where to follow you and keep up with what you got going. And also if there's any other shout-outs that you need to give or want to give, you can do that now too.

29:10
Yeah, check me out. Put in #OnMyDetroitEverything. Um Also check out DSSense on Instagram. That's D-S-S-E-N-S-E. Facebook, Deidre D.S.Sense Smith. And also on Facebook, D.S.Sense. That's D period S period S-E-N-S-E. On YouTube, catch up on some of my music, some of my latest music on YouTube. And then,

29:37
think still on Bandcamp, that's in my older works. Check that out. Yeah, I'm everywhere. And as far as uh academia, check out uh SYMMYS Ideas with a Beat at U of M for the School of Music, Theater, and Dance. And then also check out some stuff with uh Global Ties Detroit. Check out some things with Alumni Ties. Those are some places that I've sojourned through, through my...

30:07
cultural ambassadorships and yeah, check out anything. Like I'm on there goofing off or I take you from one extreme to the next. I'm either being incredibly goofy, incredibly insightful, spiritual, or just incredibly ratchet. Who knows? Just check it out. It's about diversity. Yeah, absolutely. Then the virtual building with me today is

30:35
The man known as Jetro da Silva, mean a phenomenal musician, he's got a long roster, he's an educator. I mean, you know what? There's so many things that are a part of his resume that I should probably just go ahead and hand it off to him. you know, first of all, before you even get into all that and how you got started, I want to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to come and chat with me and the listeners.

31:01
So if you could kind of give a brief background as to who you are and how you got involved with music. Well, first of all, I want to say thank you so much for having me here in this, uh, in your podcast. This is very exciting, especially learning that you come from the Midwest, the state of Michigan. So I have a dear special love for you guys. My days work with Patti LaBelle and Gladys Knight. We used to do dates and around there all the time.

31:29
And that's when I learned firsthand the relationship between Detroit and Chicago, where musicians are borrowed from everywhere, we use the same horn sections from Detroit and Chicago or vice versa. So was like, oh, that's how the Motown thing is take place. We had a better understanding by going through the whole situation. So I'm very happy to be here. So as far as myself, when I'm originally born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,

31:58
I am a, let's say, African, I'm an African-American from Brazil because those people don't care about geography, Brazil is part of the Americas. So this is the South America of the Americas. We have the North America, South America and Central America. So I'm very proud to be Alfred Sand, born and raised there. I, my beginnings in music start growing up in a Christian household.

32:28
even though we got also the Jewish heritage as well, but I grew up in a Jewish and a Christian household and then I started playing in church, in a Baptist church and that's where I was exposed. My mom singing all types of music in choir. My father was a tenor, my father passed away on September 10th, but my mom soprano soloist was in between Bach and all the classical stuff and some other pieces as well.

32:58
My uncle Moses, when I was seven years old, he was actually frustrated with the choir. So they were not getting the parts. So he asked me to sing to the choir all the parts, the soprano, the alto, the tenor, and the bass. And that impressed everybody. And then he asked, now come here, you conduct the choir. So I conduct the choir, so demonstrating that I had rhythm.

33:26
So this was on the 7th. But my beginnings as far as training didn't start until 12 because my father really wanted me to study electrical electricity, electrical technician. That's what it was, the course. They used to offer that for teenagers in Brazil. So I said, this is not my thing, but I'll go to the orientation. So I went to the orientation. Then I said, father, please give me a chance.

33:53
And said to me, I'm gonna give you 30 days. If in 30 days you're able to show up playing a hymn and one classical piece perfectly, I'll continue to invest in your music education. And I was able to do that and I was very proud to put that together. And that's when I started with music being uh influenced by family members, community. And there was an educational TV called TVE in Brazil where

34:22
That's when I was exposed to the famous, those days, famous classical concert pianists and everything. And by being exposed to that, I also used to ask the question, how come there's no black classical pianist? What's going on? So my original at those days was to one day become the first black Brazilian concert pianist. But of course, God had another plan for my life. That's the story.

34:51
Wow. I hope I answered your question. Yes, in a phenomenal way. There's so many gems in just the information you dropped. was so much to process, especially to think that you were conducting a choir by age seven before you even started with your actual training. mean, yeah, because you said you didn't do that until 12, but that's still super young.

35:20
You know, that's still so phenomenal and impressive. So especially well Well, it easy though because my parents could not afford a piano So the first time I actually practice every day with a piano when I moved to the US 1991 And I'll join birth cause of music they have piano for us this is the first time I'm every day practicing so So the fact that I got into music and play for people in Brazil and here is really

35:48
to find big time. Wow, that's really incredible. So, okay, especially for your dad to say, I'll continue to invest if you can do this and the fact that you were able to do it within 30 days. I mean, can we talk a little bit about the determination that that would take? Because a lot of people love music. Doesn't mean that they have the discipline to, you know.

36:12
do it and stick with it every day. So do you have any, I guess, maybe tips or advice for anybody that might be able to help? the first thing is the drive and the intention plays a major role because you're always going to have some type of discouragement. Maybe you don't have the transportation to go to the place. Maybe you don't have the instrument. Maybe you don't have the encouragement from the family. You can come up with many, many possible ways. I'll call that you are, we are tested to see if we really want something.

36:41
But the drive, the desire to see yourself one day doing and then starting the process, ah I think was fundamental. Because I remember I had to walk miles to that teacher in order to have the lesson. And that was the drive and like I said, the desire.

37:06
And the law from use by desire to really learn one day to become someone based on influence that I would see on TV. Like, oh, feel like this person. And then uh and not allowing the negativity or the test is all the trials and tribulations of life uh interfere, which was going to be my my purpose for destiny. And that's so tremendous. I really appreciate you sharing that.

37:35
uh So yeah, you kind of brought us into the early phases. As you started to kind of get more involved with music, what are some of the memorable experiences that you had? Had, I'm sure you've had many, but if you could think of maybe the top few that just kind of stick out uh along your career, like as you were developing some memories or performances that stuck with you.

38:01
To reinforce the whole importance of knowing you are following the dreams, I remember when Whitney Houston first performed at Mandela's birthday. she performed, I it was a Manchester concert, don't remember if was Wimbledon or Manchester, whatever concert it was. And she was very young, was performing, it was like on TV in Brazil. And we had those...

38:27
black, TVs and they used to buy, remember those, I don't know how old are you, but they used to have this color plastic. used to, if you didn't have a color TV, you would put those color plastic in front of the black and white to give it the illusion of a color. It was hilarious because pink was always in the same area, green was always in the same area.

38:50
Yellow was always in the same area, before it was like color. But anyway, watching Whitney Houston perform with her, she invited her mom, and I remember saying, I just sat out of the blue, one day I'm gonna play for her. Everybody laughed at me, because first of all, New Groove, you don't speak English. You're Brazil, you're poor, you're really out of your mind. So, years passed by. Now it's 1999. I'm calling Ricky Minor.

39:19
He was hiring me for a lot of things in Los Angeles those days for the Motown Live show. That's where I got to play for Karen Clark and all those folks. uh it was amazing show. And I called him because I wanted to submit a cassette with a track that I had made.

39:40
And I want to submit for him because he had direct access to Al Jorow, the late Al Jorow. And I just love Al Jorow. So I was like, man, I have this track, it sounds, it'd be great for him. He's like, man, the album is already released, it's too late. I was like, oh, that's very interesting to call me, Jett, because I am putting together two bands, Chaka Khan and Whitney, which one do you want?

40:04
I said to him, well, I already played for Chaka, so I guess I'm going to play for Whitney. The gig is yours. So fast forward, I have to leave the tour a little earlier because the tour got extended. I could not stay. And I had totally forgot, forgotten years, years before when I said to my family one day, I'm going to play for her. So Whitney was October 23rd, 1999. We win Austria.

40:33
uh uh we asked uh austria she in the middle of the concert she's like three of my members are leaving today san marcel is pregnant very valerie valerie pinkstone is also leaving because she has two dates with gluter

40:55
So, and Gertrude Silva is leaving. So, and she starts singing that song, yeah, Jesus loves me, yeah, whatever. She's singing that, and then I close my eyes and I'm playing, and then I feel like someone is looking at me. So, I open my eyes, she was in front of me. Oh, wow. In tears and saying to me, thanks. When she did that, my brain went all the way back to the 80s. Yeah. You remember when you said one day you're gonna play for her. Wow. Now.

41:25
is the past. So that's one of the memories I can recall and I hope is encouragement to whoever is listening to this right now. Absolutely. What an incredible story. Man. Okay, so on top of having those memories flood back in that moment, just as a musician, how did you feel, I guess, moving her to that point? Well,

41:54
uh Whitney was an amazing musician, by the way. She knew exactly which parts supposed to be there. She would call you out if you... She was very class, she would not do that, but I remember a witness that she was doing that a few times when it was pretty clear that that person had to do some homework. But she really knew... To be part of the headband was really a privilege. And to remain...

42:23
as a member was definitely a privilege because many people got the call, they never got the call back. I joined the band in 1999 and I no longer joined the band when she passed away. And I was invited to be one of the alums to play for her funeral. So that was a statement that I was part of those who marked her career. And as a musician was incredible because it was

42:53
There's a story where we were rehearsing, where I realized in 1999, we're the new band. We have this guy named Mario McKinley. Mario McKinley is a musical director for Earth and Fire. And we he was, we were playing keys, but we was different than the other gigs. Usually we have keyboard one, keyboard two, right? But this was different. This was like, we were like, do you want to play the piano this one? Or you want to play piano this one? You know what I mean? It was like that vibe.

43:23
We switch around everything. So, so, uh, uh, I remember.

43:32
that I was in an event and Juby Smith was a guitar player and Alex Evans. So I realized that all of us had totally different backgrounds. Some of us had a degree in music, some of us never had a degree in music, some of us grew up playing quartet, some of us not did it and some of us like me grew up listening to Steve Wonder at the same time, Bossa Nova and all that. So

44:02
But all of us consisted of this group. Michael Baker was a musical director. Michael Baker was a fusion jazz musician, drummer. But we had this common contribution, musical contribution, for this icon. So on the planet, you could find any musician that could be even better than all of us. However, we were the perfect one for that time, that season, for her.

44:31
as musicians with our musical contribution for her career. Wow. Yeah, that's got to feel amazing. It was incredible because we had the privilege to play for her at her best and not so quite the best in the end. So we got the, we saw the whole spectrum and we understood

45:00
The our responsibility was beyond musical contribution. Was an emotional contribution, was a spiritual contribution. All that entails as the choices of voicings that we had to support her. So uh that show how much we care for her and how much we were as a family. Not just drinking together, talking together, having fun, but also when we were on stage.

45:29
performing before millions and millions of people. Wow. That's a really um interesting thing to point out. A lot of times you can, well, with technology being the way that it is, it makes collaborations easier, but sometimes that energy can be missing. I can't help but think that it's just, you know, exactly what you described uh instead of just

45:58
the music like on connecting on a spiritual level that kind of makes everything just gel together. I think that's something that should probably be focused on more. Well, Ricky Manu usually say you can get anybody to do a gig. uh But you cannot uh force someone with a bad attitude to stay in a gig.

46:27
Because it's about playing together, it's about supporting, it's about complementing one another. And we were there, even though the show was 100 % pre-recorded, but we were the band that if the produce would go down, we could carry on the concert. And the audience would not feel the joy because we knew all the parts.

46:52
Okay, so we play on top of the part of the computer at the same time every time their time is when The computer crash or whatever we kept going and people didn't feel the difference. We we just find out about it after after the concert because the guy that was Was in charge of the the computer kept somehow the clicking our ears So we all the time we thinking that the track was happening but wasn't well, so so that was these uh

47:22
the difference from us and many other performers. Yeah, that's phenomenal. Because we've seen it and a lot of us have experienced where technology didn't go as planned. So what tips do you have for somebody to kind of recover from that? You know, when it happens to keep pushing and maybe some tips to go forward in the future to be able to continue. I would say preparation. Prepare crashes too. Prepare

47:53
simulate a crash. What would you do? Create those situations, you know what mean? Like the military. Preparation, think, is the key because it's inevitable. That can happen. I don't care how many companies you have synchronized. Something can take place where the sequence may stop. And if that happens, for the performer, it's to act like it's part of the show for the performer.

48:19
And for those who are the musician or the DJ or whatever, it should keep calm and make sure you have a plan B and a plan C and a plan D and a plan EF. Because the show must go on and people pay a lot of money to watch you and you got to make sure you are prepared. Like for example, I was invited to do, I'm the guest professor.

48:48
for one week at Oral Roberts University, which is gonna be interesting for me to be there. it is gonna, the last day of the concert is gonna be a concert with the gospel choir. So I asked them, I wanna rehearse every day. So they probably think we don't need to have to do every day, but that's precisely what I'm gonna go through. If this goes wrong, are we ready to do these songs like a Pella?

49:18
Mm. See what I'm saying? Yeah. We're ready to do that. We've got to make sure the parts are not just about knowing the parts. I'd be able to come up with solutions on the spot. And that's why I have, instead of a list of 10 songs, I have 18, 20 songs. Wow. Because even though they, know, schools are behind, they're behind of the real world.

49:44
So they ask you to send the list of songs, the order of the concert, where in a real concert, you're an experienced person, know, sometimes you don't put together the real order until you try out the first or second concert. It's like, that may not work. You watch the video again or whatever. So you're like, we're gonna have to some changes. So, but we sent to them, but I'm gonna prepare the students for any type of change that may occur, you know. Yeah. Wow.

50:14
That's a really great tip to be that thorough oh to make sure because like you said inevitably something probably will happen. so okay you mentioned being a guest professor you've been in music education for a while can you talk a little bit about kind of how you were able to work that into your schedule? Well I was a professor at Berk College of Music for from 2000

50:42
2001 until 2015, then I was a arts relations for Roland and then I went back to Berkeley in 2017, I one year. Then I worked at Holton College in New York for like two semesters, a full year. And then I'm, well, because of Corona, I got stuck in California. I don't remember those months we cannot travel. Yes. So basically I had to stay here.

51:11
So music education comes to me when I was invited to become the new, to apply for the position of assistant chair of the piano department at Berkshire College of Music, which to my surprise I I served them for a while and then I became professor on ensemble department, contemporary writing, then later in the harmony department. So,

51:40
The great thing about the transition between administration and teaching, going to teaching, was interaction with the student and really play the role of a music educator, suppose, on the administrator. And there we learned a lot about students, learning styles, and then bringing what I did, I became the bridge of the real world into the academia.

52:08
So my class, the class that I did design, they had everything to do with preparation to the real world. And today I am happy to say that I would say 75 to 80 % of the students who study with me, they are in the music business right now, doing very, very well. And they attribute to that a lot to the class they took with me. Because of the whole time they, like you're talking about, I remember what you said earlier, the preparation aspect for the concert.

52:37
So we talk about all these things. So they brought all these tools so they would show up to situations and people would have like, I had a class called Divas Live where I was the first aboraker to make students learn 20 songs per week. Now, someone may say that's not pedagogically correct. Well, when you leave the school and you start getting wedding bands, sometimes somebody sends you a recording of 120 songs and you have 72 hours to learn.

53:06
So what I was doing really was doing brain exercise and learning methodology, how to learn songs, a certain amount of songs quickly and be able to plant or to put as much information as possible in your brain. You want to be successful even though in 24 hours learning all these tunes, the person who hired you like, man, the gig is yours. I don't want to bring the other person back.

53:36
and many share that with me. that's one aspect, the other aspect of technology. A lot of them became great producers because of the whole problem solving, creating problems. still gotta make, client is helping, you lost all the data. You still gotta come up with something before they press the the ring, the belt to come to your house. The ding dong, you gotta, by the time they get in the car, whatever, you gotta have.

54:03
have four bars ready quick to say, know, work on this what you think because you know you lost all the other data. Right. So everything was based on my failures and based on my success and the lessons that I learned. So music education became very dear. And then then I pursued more training and that's when I earned I earned a doctor degree, master degree. But this came after

54:32
years teaching. So that's the music education. how did I, the last part of your question is, how did I manage to teach and still do the business, right? So at Berkeley, example, was, uh Whitney was working three or four times per year. So I use the travel of Whitney as material for the school. So every time I travel,

55:01
I made that into class material. So that made me a very popular faculty in the college. kids who signed up, I wanted to talk with him because he plays for Whitney, and he always, because the students, let everybody know, whatever. So that's how I was able to conciliate both careers at the same time. Wow, that's really amazing.

55:29
Um, yeah, I could definitely see the excitement too. You know, like every time like, okay, I wonder what he gained this time. Exactly. And if you look at professors from the major leagues, colleges, or whatever, you learn that the professor is always researching, real professors. They're always researching, always getting new material. They go to take a class with somebody. It might not be him or her, maybe an assistant.

55:55
And because that person might be in sabbatical doing more research to write a book or whatever. So that's the thing that I was doing my own way doing the same thing. Wow. Yeah, that is great. Thank you so much for sharing that. You're very welcome. Thanks for having me here. Yeah, everything that you've said so far has been, yeah, your experience has been very inspirational. And it does just kind of, you know, have that era hope. uh

56:21
for people looking for success, just the way that you were able to achieve it and stick with it. And you've even got some more stuff in the works currently, if you could talk about that a little bit to let people know what they can expect coming forward from you. Okay, right now I'm playing much more of the role of producer artist. So right now I have some cooking dates coming up, possibly some... uh

56:49
with my jazz quartet in Japan and possibly Europe. But at the same time, I'm producing the young lady named Antonio Bennett. That's Antonio Bennett's daughter. And this project is becoming very exciting. As a matter of fact, when I finish here, I'm gonna drive to Malibu. We're gonna be working on some of her vocals. And this project is basically, the theme is American music with...

57:17
Bossa Nova Twist or Brazilian Music Twist. So we caught a few already, they sound fantastic. And when we have something amazing to play, we make sure we send it to you for you to show your audience. Awesome. Absolutely love that. And I really hope that this is just the first time of many. I would love to have you back on again. I'll be honored. I'll be honored. I enjoyed speaking with you, especially a beautiful sister from

57:45
Detroit. Between Detroit and what city you said you are from? From Kalamazoo or halfway between Detroit and Chicago. That's right. Chicago. Right there. That's a very dear area. I have many great friends from there. Cats like Anthony Onze, Herbie Hancock, and to name a few. They're all from their Chicago area. So you are dear to me.

58:09
That's, that's, uh, so yeah, I hope this was just part one. Cause like I said, I really appreciate you coming on, sharing your story, um, your wisdom. So yeah, lots of nuggets for us all to kind of take and try to incorporate into our careers. So yeah, thank you so much for that. You're very welcome. Thanks for having me here. All right. And before we go, um, can you let people know where they can follow you, find you online and all that good stuff? Right now, the best way will be Instagram, uh, at Jay.

58:39
uh So that's my Instagram page. I also have Jetro Scholar at Jetro JETRO Scholar, one word, altogether. So those are where I'm going to be posting a lot of great content.

59:09
Especially now when we work in a hobby, probably do some videos today in the studio. And as soon as we get a confirmation from the manager about the dates, we make sure you guys know about our performances as a jazz trio. Quartet, I'm sorry. All right. Awesome. Thank you so much. really appreciate you. And I'm already looking forward to part two. Thank you so much. Let's just set up a date. Let's make that happen. You got it.

59:35
Alright, that's a wrap for this episode of Instrumental Intel. I've been your host, music producer, Achickwitbeatz, and I want to thank you for tuning in. Once again, as always, I appreciate the guests for coming on and sharing their insights. And I'd like to thank my home station, Grander Radio out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Make sure you come back next week. I got more goodness lined up for you. So, till next time, you know where to find me. Tune in, tell a friend, and I'll see you then. Peace.