Live Jazz KC’s Series of Interviews

Stephen Martin has established himself as a uniquely gifted, and intensely spirited jazz saxophonist. Born in Champaign, IL and raised in St. Louis, MO, Martin began playing the saxophone at age 10 and thrived in a community with a musically rich tradition, particularly in jazz. Currently based in Kansas City, Martin maintains a regular performance schedule, and is on faculty at The Conservatory of Music & Dance at The University of Missouri - Kansas City (UMKC). He contributes to a thriving, exceptional local music scene as well as performing throughout the country and abroad. Check below for upcoming performances.

Live Jazz KC is thrilled to introduce our newest “Take 10” series of interviews of individuals involved in the Kansas City Jazz Scene. Stephen is both dynamic and influential in his approach. We think you will enjoy his perspective on his early life, Kansas City’s jazz scene, as well as his goals musically, professional and personally.

Thank you Stephen for your time!

LiveJazzKC

1. As a transplanted St. Louis native, what are some of the notable comparisons you can make between STL and KC from a musical perspective? (Venues, Youth Programs, fellowship between musicians, community support)

St. Louis and Kansas City both have rich jazz history, I mean, there aren’t many names in the history of the music bigger than Miles Davis and Charlie Parker - and they are both from STL and KC respectively. There are a lot of current parallels between the scenes - as far as venues, STL has the Bistro and KC has The Gem/Blue Room/Folly. You’ll find internationally touring jazz artists and amazing local artists playing at all of those places. The Jazz Museum and the Bistro have similar youth programs too, actually. I was in one of the original Bistro all-star youth groups back in 2007, I think those opportunities are invaluable to young music students. The fellowship and community support is really great in both cities, in my opinion. I sometimes hear conversations swirling around the scene here that are (in my view) overly negative about the current state of the scene, and I’m always perplexed by it. I’ve met musicians all over the country that envy at what KC has going on right now.

2. Tell me about the first "jazz" album that caught your attention? 

Well, my first exposure to jazz music was in my high school’s jazz band when I was 14. Before that I had mainly listened to music my parents listened to, they were teenagers in the 80’s so I heard a lot of 80’s pop music which I really loved (and still do). They also introduced me to Led Zeppelin, Queen, and Nirvana, and those are some of my favorite bands to this day. Anyway, in my high school’s jazz band we played a lot of Gordon Goodwin charts and several of those Mark Taylor arrangements of standards that high school jazz bands often play. It was OK, but I wasn’t super into it if I’m being candid. I can totally understand why people like that stuff, but it is a bit too cheesy for me. My private teacher at the time seemed to notice my general interest in the music and gave me John Coltrane’s Blue Train and Sonny Rollins’ Saxophone Colossus, and I was hooked. I was so enamored with what they were doing and was dying to know how to do it myself. To this day those are two of my absolute favorite records. So, I would consider those two records 1 & 1a to the first jazz album that caught my attention.

3. Congrats on the great response to your most recent release, Vision, it's a great record! What was your process like creatively on the project? How do you write tunes typically? What was your inspiration in compiling this set of music?  

Thank you! That means a lot. I’m really happy with it as my debut record, and proud of what the band was able to achieve in the studio. My creative process for that project (and in general) is focused on the dynamic of the band as a whole, and what we can accomplish as a group. It is my belief that, particularly for the style of music I like to compose and play, that the band will always be able to reach for higher levels of meaning together than could ever be obtained individually. Ultimately I am always aiming to achieve a band dynamic where the group is essentially working on a task, surrounded by and pushing back against its difficulty only to experience our subconscious take over and push us to a new plateau of performance and pursuit.

Compositionally I am concerned mostly with vibe and how the music will reach the audience emotionally. If I hear something I really like, that often inspires me to write something new and many times the music will end up writing itself, if that makes sense? I often times will put a very bare framework for a composition in front of the band and they know I expect them to bring their own unique vibe to it and make it happen. To me, creativity is less about “talent” and more about your willingness to be vulnerable.

My inspiration for compiling that set of music was centered around essentially taking a snapshot of where we all were at that point collectively, and individually. By the time we got in the studio the band had been playing together every week for over a year, as we were wrapping up a 2 year residency playing every Saturday night at Green Lady Lounge. We had been playing many of those compositions for awhile and had really developed the vibe to be very personal to us. The title track, though, was actually something we didn’t play until we got into the studio. It was very much what I described earlier about working with a bare framework and making something happen in the moment. I am grateful for the excellent musicianship and the beautiful spirits of the guys on that recording.

4. Professionally you've begun your academic career at UMKC on the faculty correct? What is your specific role / title? Do you see this as a long term career path for you with UMKC?

So the summer of 2018 I competed in an international jazz competition in Austria where I placed 2nd, and I think that combined with the success of my debut record a few months prior caught Bobby Watson’s attention. He called me about a week after I got back from Europe and offered me an adjunct teaching position at UMKC teaching applied lessons and coaching student ensembles. I was beyond excited and of course accepted. You prepare for these types of opportunities as best you can, so when they come you’re ready. In other words, I may have been surprised to get that phone call at this early stage of my career, but I felt I was ready and prepared for the opportunity. As far as a long term career path specifically with UMKC - I’m not entirely sure right now. I’m just taking it day by day (or semester by semester as an adjunct professor would say, haha), and making the most of the opportunity. I think it is important to ebb and flow with the directions the career takes you in, so I’m staying open-minded about what the future has in store.

5. Your influence as an educator is being immediately felt with the amazing string of students at UMKC, a couple of which certainly came because of you. How is the transition going? What do you feel are your long term goals in this area? How did your experience at UMKC and being under the tutelage Bobby Watson shape you in terms of how you approach the position? What is the best advice you can give a student looking to pursue a career in music (jazz or otherwise).

I am really enjoying working with the students at UMKC. They are hungry and open to constructive criticism. It may seem like all music students in professional programs would be this way, but unfortunately it just isn’t always the case. The transition is going really well. We of course miss having Bobby around all the time, you cannot replace his presence.

To be honest, I’m really allowing my long term goals in this area to define themselves slowly. I am grateful for my current role at the Conservatory and am learning with each passing semester how best to teach and serve the interests of the students. Bobby has been, by far, my biggest musical influence in all areas of my career, including pedagogy. I have tried to carry on his spirit and message of encouraging students to find their own unique voice on their instruments. So many schools fail to encourage this, and everyone comes out sounding basically the same.

As far as advice, I think it’s important for students to stay intensely focused on the music and developing their craft for many years before concerning themselves with all of the external details surrounding their careers - promotion, social media presence, booking tours, etc. Let the music humble you and lead you, that gets rid of a lot of clutter. Don’t constantly think about career moves. Strive to be an artist as best you can. Having an agenda can take you down some wrong paths that are hard to find your way back from. It's hard to do in such a money driven society, but your artistry always needs to come first. One of my favorite quotes on this subject comes from this documentary called The Universal Mind of Bill Evans, "I remember coming to New York to make or break in jazz and saying to myself, “How do I attack this practical problem of becoming a jazz musician - making a living and so on… Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that all I must do is take care of the music, even if I do it in a closet. And if I really do that, somebody is going to come to the closet and open the door and say, ‘Hey, we’re looking for you!’”

6. What other goals do you have professionally or personally that you are currently working toward? Any tours planned? Festivals? 

Currently I am in the beginning stages of my second record. Very excited about that. I won’t reveal too many details quite yet, but I am planning to have a very special guest (or 2) make an appearance on a couple of tracks. I have a few small tours planned for 2020, and my hope is that releasing another record will lead to more opportunities to book more extensive tours, and festivals too. Those are primary goals of mine in the next several years professionally, and I think releasing more music under my name will greatly further those goals.

Personally I am hoping to bowl a 300 game sometime soon, I have been bowling since I could walk and right now we have a small group of musicians who go almost every Tuesday night to Ward Parkway Lanes. We are probably more competitive than we should be, but that makes it fun. I have bowled a 278 and a 700 series in the last year, so I’m on the hunt.

7. Not including saxophonists, who would be your biggest musical influence(s)?

Great question. I would say my biggest musical influence who is not a saxophone player would be Kurt Rosenwinkel. I am obsessed with his style in his playing and in his compositions. His sound is incredible, I love how he combines his voice with the sound of his guitar. I saw him live last year at the Vanguard in NYC, I got to sit really close and it was stunning. He is one of the leading musical voices of our generation (if not THE leading voice), and my feeling is that his music/artistry will live on much like that of other musical greats like Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Thelonious Monk, and many others.  

8. What the latest thing you've been listening to? (new or old)

Lately I have had my ears on classical music by Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel (solo piano works and string quartets), records and live recorded concerts by Kurt Rosenwinkel, Walter Smith III & Logan Richardson, and releases from the last several years by Kendrick Lamar, Migos, and Drake. Ahmad Jamal and Art Tatum are always in rotation, too. Ultimately, though, I have been on an intensely deep study of the John Coltrane Quartet for some time now.... approaching about 7 years straight of primarily listening to just that group. Their music resonates with me more than anything I have ever heard. The John Coltrane Quartet Plays, Newport ’63, Live In Seattle, Ballads, Living Space, Transition, One Down, One Up: Live At The Half Note…. I could go on and on. The depth, mastered self-expression, and genuine artistic statements they built individually and collectively together - it is remarkable, and unmatched in my opinion. If you haven’t spent much time listening to that band, I highly recommend it - it will change your life.

9. What can Kansas City do, as a collective scene (clubs, listeners, musicians, etc..) to be the most impactful in continuing moving forward? Is there anything holding Kansas City back right now, from really thriving and cultivating a dynamic live jazz scene? What are potential roadblocks to be aware of?

You know, to me, KC does have a dynamic live jazz scene, particularly considering its size. It seems to be one of the better scenes between the coasts, actually. And that’s not a unique opinion of mine, I’ve heard that from several musicians who have come through here from NYC, LA, Boston, and Chicago. There is an array of world class musicians here that you can hear in various formats on a weekly basis, how many cities between the coasts can honestly say that? KC has elite musicians here that would succeed not only in the states, but abroad as well - and that’s happening right now.

In my mind we are best served by concentrating on our skills/expertise and what we can control, while maintaining a collaborative mindset and overall artistic integrity. As far as the ‘club scene’ goes, essentially what I’m saying is that musicians/artists should concentrate on the music/art, and club owners should concentrate on running the clubs. We need to be willing to work together and make concessions, but not expect that we are going to tell each other what to do, if that makes sense. Having an open mind and a positive vibe will likely yield the professional results you seek.

I think potential roadblocks could perhaps be summed up and addressed by us being real about our egos as artists/musicians/creators. We all have a complicated combination of self-pride and insecurity to deal with, and it can be very ambiguous and tricky at times. I have sensed that there is essentially a balance between positivity and negativity that individuals and communities as a whole need to try to find, avoiding false positivity and unnecessary negativity at all costs. Those extreme ends of the spectrum often cause major problems in a creative community, and I think finding balance here allows all the other details (or roadblocks) to take care of themselves. This opens the atmosphere for genuine art to flourish.

10. Final thought? Anything you'd like to add?

Go out and see live music! Support the arts in whatever ways you can. Buy an album, purchase a painting, support local musicians’ campaigns and social media pages. There’s so much creativity out there to be inspired by. And thanks for having me! You guys are doing great work with Live Jazz KC.