An Interview With Gene

Where are you from?

I am from a small town in Florida about halfway between Disney World and Tampa called Plant City. We are distinguished a being the “Winter Strawberry Capitol of the World”.  I don’t know where the “Summer” strawberry capitol is (laughs).

Growing up in a small town as opposed to say New York, how did you find jazz music and who are some of your influences?

I really didn’t have a concept of different kinds of music when I was younger.  Everything was just …music! My first exposure was Southern Baptist church music from the old Broadman Hymnal.  The music we listened to around the house--Elvis, Charley Pride, Tijuana Brass, and Andy Williams--comes to mind.  At the age of nine I received my first saxophone (it is featured on the cover of Outside the Box) and although I didn’t know how to play it yet (lessons started a week later), I managed to play along with the radio right away.  That was when I first got into the Motown R&B sounds…The Jackson Five, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Al Green, etc.  I did the usual school thing, mixed in with sports.  I thought I would surely be a major league ballplayer when I grew up!  I played all through grade school, middle school, and high school.  In high school I was a member of The All County High School Band where we got to back up Blood, Sweat, and Tears and Saturday Night Live Saxophonist, Lou Marini.  He was amazing! This was the moment I started to think about taking “this sax thing” seriously.  I had never heard anybody in person that was much better than myself.  So, boy was I floored!  I will never forget the time his backup music for “The Shadow of Your Smile” did not arrive. So, he played it all by himself for about ten minutes!  Unbelievable!  After that I went looking for every instrumental record I could get my hands on.  Charley Parker, Chick Correa, John Coltrane, Phil Woods, Cannonball Adderley, John Klemmer, Dizzy Gilespie, Miles Davis and so on.  I started practicing hard and decided to be a music major at the University of South Florida.  Other major influences have been Grover Washington Jr.; David Sanborn; Spyrogyra; Earth, Wind, and Fire; Chicago; Billy Joel; Elton John; Boston; Frank Zappa; Boots Randolph; Ray Charles and Bill Monroe.

Tell us about your family….

Well, my grandparents on both sides came down to Florida during the land boom of the 1920’s.
My grandfather on my dad’s side is actually from Florida and grandmother from Kansas.  Mom’s parents were from Kentucky and my grandmother recently passed away at the age of 99!
I have two sisters Cathy and Janice, and a brother David.  I am the second child.  Dad was a welder who worked in the phosphate mines in central Florida and Mom a homemaker, first, and later became a registered nurse.  They still live in the house I grew up in, in Plant City, Florida. I have a wonderful son named Adderly who is almost 4 years old.
No one in my family that I know of was a professional musician, but we all share an intense love of music.

Your Demo CD has three songs on it. Starting with St. Augustine, give us a little background on each song.

Okay, St. Augustine started as a jam tune that Brad Trumbull and I came up with while performing at a Tampa Bay Devil Rays game.  I took it to producer, Allon Sams, and we wrote a chorus and arranged the tune. 

That’s What You Do was written several years ago in Allon’s studio. This song is my favorite live song,  It’s fun to break it down and beak it up!

Outside the Box was a song originally written by my friend, Brad Trumbull, for Richard Elliot. Richard recorded it but never put it on an album.  Allon and I added the chorus it has now and updated it a bit.  Brad had titled this song “Slow Day,” originally.  It referred to a slow day at the music store where he works and in which he came up with the tune.  I changed the name to “Outside the Box” because that is the name I wanted to call my CD and Brad ok’d it.  Thinking “Outside the Box” is a common salesman term, but it actually refers to a line that Donald Trump used on “The Apprentice,” one of my favorite shows (first season, that is).  I felt that was what we would need to do to get this music heard.....think "Outside the Box" (and possibly get Donald Trump to back us).

What do you consider your highlights as a musician?

There are many levels of that.  As far as professional, I’d have to say that performing with Peter White in 2002 at the House Of Blues was one.  Allon Sams got me the gig when Peter’s sax player could not make the date. Opening with Allon Sams at the 25th Anniversary of the Clearwater Jazz Holiday…a very special event.  Running my band Solution/Channel One for ten years and all the great people I worked with at home and on the road was another.  Placing second in the Saxophone Journal’s jazz competition in 1982 was another.  The many recording projects, commercials, national and local. Opening for some of my heroes like George Benson and the Average White Band, among others.  Playing for my sister’s weddings, my Uncle Carl’s and Granny Rice’s funerals. The three CD’s Allon and I have done together.  Playing the Star Spangled Banner and performing with Brad Trumbull at the Devil Rays games (I always wanted to make it to the big leagues!).  Being able to travel and meet all the people I have.  My job as a staff musician at The First United Methodist Church of Brandon.  The people there appreciate me like nowhere else….except for my son!

What do you think about when you play?

Mostly, I’m in a zone that’s more about feel.  I’m mostly aware of myself and the players around me.  I’m often unaware of my body movements and have often been surprised when seeing videos of myself!  I feed off of audience reaction.

Do you have advice for younger players?

Yes, I do.  Number one.  Find a teacher.  You will progress 100 times faster than if you try to do it on your own. 

Number two.  Expose yourself to all forms of music.  Don’t be a prude about different forms….whether it’s country or rap.  

Number three.  Don’t compare yourself to players around you, but to the players that have made it.  These can be found on any nationally sold CD, as a rule.  Your favorites are a personal preference issue.

Number four.   Practice!  Practice!  Practice!  Practice not only reading notes on the page, but also playing along to your favorite tunes with no sheet music.

Number five.  Take piano lessons.  You’ll be glad you did!  Piano opens up your ears to new possibilities and makes writing and arranging easier.

Number 6.  Have FUN!  If it stops being fun, you are doing something wrong!

Any Last words?

I just hope that others will be as fortunate as I have been to be doing what they love.  If you love it and it’s your passion, it’s not work!