Jamey with cellist Yo-Yo Ma
do you see your role as a percussionist when
performing with such a diverse range of artists?
The natural evolution of music and the jazz
experience in particular, tuned up the planet for those
early recordings of Miles Davis and others in both the
The way I view it now is that people get culturally
jazz and classical world, who tried to mix up styles,
imprinted from a young age, and those lessons come
cultural, classical and folk forms. For my money, it
naturally, no matter how complex the language or the
wasn’t until the late 60’s that the band Weather
music or the sport; if you have any talent at all, it just
Report, with Joe Zawinal and Wayne Shorter,
comes naturally. It takes practice but it is never
demonstrated that finding common ground to paint a
considered hard. I really thought I had a thing for so
panoramic impressionistic picture with like-minded
many cultural styles of music because I understood
musicians was possible, without sounding corny or
some form and surface information about them. In
contrived. They told stories, not just circular forms
truth, almost any of the music styles I have come to
based on show tunes. That format was getting worn
love and explore are much deeper than I ever
out and they saw the magic in the world’s music.
imagined. Although I may know more about them
Master musicians from many countries entered into
than the next guy, the player who is truly of that
their world and the genie was out of the bottle.
culture knows intuitively that I do not have the
Weather Report flew me out to California from
inherent natural subatomic boogie that is their
Cleveland to audition with them in the mid-70’s… I
indigenous music.
did not get the gig – I was more focused on learning