to play traditional jazz, and I was not playing with a
instruments of my choice. I learned so much in that
big sound or experienced at it. I wanted to be the
period. My confidence grew playing with Dave, and
drummer in the Bill Evans trio at that time, but I did
the worldwide Jazz community had a chance to hear
love Weather Report and I was sad to not get that gig.
me too. There was so much positive energy around it
In the 1980’s the virtuosic Wynton Marsalis
was hard not to want to take it as far as you could
attempted to bring his brand of jazz integrity into the
musically.
mainstream and return Jazz to its roots. Fortunately
the genie was and continues to be out of the bottle.
Can you tell us in particular about the part you
Wynton on the other hand continues to develop and
played in the “Back to Our Roots” project with
encompass other genres, including world music now.
Sergio Assad?
All the leaders you mentioned in your question
changed my life, but none more than saxophonist
Yes, the Brazilian-born brothers, Sergio and Odair
Dave Liebman. Dave is a jazz master and he
Assad, along with Sergio’s daughter, the
believed in me. I played in his band for 11 years. He
composer/pianist/vocalist Clarice Assad, and
never told me what to play and always gave me
Lebanese vocalist Christiane Karam, (current
enough space to orchestrate the music with any
Berklee Faculty member) invited me to participate in