Interview with Matthew Alec
Matthew Alec is a Jazz musician.
Why did you want to do music professionally?
After so many years, I'm not sure that I truly remember why. I think that I was so enamored with the sound and style of jazz as a teenager that I romanticized a life committed to it. It's possible that I still do. That said, I've been playing long enough now that it is simply a part of me. It identifies me. I can't imagine a life without music at this point. With that comes a lot of baggage. Some good, some bad. You learn to live with both.
What inspires your music?
All kinds of things. I look at each tune that I write as a sort of vignette that captures some aspect of an experience that I've had or an idea that I have. Each one is different! I have a lot of thoughts as it turns out and some of them aren't cohesive with others, go figure. My music is exactly the same. Not all of the pieces I write and/or record are cohesive with one another. I like that. I can't stand it when an artist's music all sounds the same. I do not aspire to be one of those artists. As a human, I am eclectic and so in my music.
What things get you in the mood to write songs, or do lyrics come spontaneously?
Since I'm a jazz artist, most of the things I've written don't have lyrics. Although a couple of my pieces thus far have and a number of the tunes I have in the works also have lyrics. When it comes to melodies, they often just pop into my head, either randomly singing them or playing an idea on the saxophone. When they do, I try to make a quick recording of them, so I remember them later on. I then figure out the chord changes later on.
How do you want your music to affect people?
My answer to that question would depend on the specific album and specific song on that album that we're talking about. This latest album Live at the Bop Stop! For instance, I just want people to enjoy it and have fun listening to it. It's a fun album simply for music's sake. There's nothing original about it. I think that's okay because that's what I was trying to do with it. The Cleveland Time studio release along with the other studio releases I have planned are more about making a statement as an artist for me. There's the hierarchy of an album, which is a grouping of songs that are trying to make an overall statement, and there are the individual songs that are each trying to carve out their little part of that overall statement. One song might just be about feeling the groove and enjoying the moment, and another might be trying to convey a specific message or idea.
Whatever that is for any of them, I just hope that I'm able to connect with the audience. I suppose that's the greater goal.
Do you test out your songs before releasing them? How do you do this?
You know, I really don't. The band played most of the songs on the studio album Cleveland Time for the very first time in the studio on the day we recorded them! "Give What You Take" was a song that we had been performing for a few months before the album was recorded, but I think it was the only one. That didn't happen because I wanted it to, it just worked out that way. Ideally, we'd be performing any of the new material for a release for at least a few weeks before we recorded it. Things don't always work out ideally, unfortunately. I'm hoping that the next studio album has more preparation put in place before we record, but we'll see. Admittedly there is a positive to being spontaneous in the studio, especially in jazz, and that's that the material is still fresh to you. Your ideas are fresh. If you've been playing a song for a long time already, you have a tendency to rehash the many things that you've already played previously.
That can't happen if you've never played something before.
The band I used to be a part of, Winslow, did a great deal of prep work before we recorded our two studio albums. We made demos, had various people listen to them for feedback, etc. I can see positives and negatives to both approaches.
How do you prepare for a gig?
For the most part, I spend about a week prior to the performance going over the set list.
Typically, this includes listening to the song through headphones and playing along with it on my horn. I don't do reading gigs all that often, but if there is sheet music, I'll read through it a few times and then attempt to memorize as much of it as I can. I'll focus on the most challenging material first and go from there. If there are chord changes that are particularly difficult, I'll spend a few minutes each practice session trying to commit them to memory and blow through the changes. I spend maybe an hour a day or so doing this.
What is your favorite song that you'e written?
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, the tune "Blues for McCoy" that I composed is my best piece thus far. It's a hard bop jazz tune composed in a 12 bar minor blues form that borrows some quartal harmony elements a la McCoy Tyner. It's a homage to the classic John Coltrane quartet with maybe just a bit of funk mixed into the sound.
Has there been a reaction to one of your songs that you've been surprised by?
Well, I've had at least one review of the tune "Butterfat" from the latest Live at the Bop Stop! Release that more or less referred to the performance being lifeless. Ha! Was the reviewer correct? I don't know. Maybe he has a point. It was a live performance and it felt great when we played it. Listening back on the mixed version of it, it sounds pretty good to me. I can tell you that Tom Malone who's played with just about every famous act on the planet (And played trombone on the original studio version of "Butterfat"!) told me the band sounded great. I'll let listeners decide the rest for themselves. If he was referring to the composition itself, I didn't write it! He can take that up with David Sanborn...
What are some ways that you promote yourself?
I run as many ads as I'm able to across all the social platforms. I run them to gain more followers and fans, to promote individual performances, and to advertise songs and videos. They're relatively inexpensive and they work. I recommend that all artists out there come up with an advertising budget that works for them and do this. I have a mailing list as well, that's growing.
What would you say has been the biggest challenge of your career?
I'd say being persistent and continuing on. I've been working on all aspects of my music career for almost twenty years now. I can't say I'm where I want to be just yet, but that's alright. Staying positive and working towards my craft as hard as I can is a daily challenge.
What have been your favorite places to tour?
Well, I'm working on some tours right now that would take me to Europe and Australia, so it's possible this answer will change in the near future! However, based on my past experiences touring around the U.S., I think I've had the best experiences in New Orleans, Miami, Austin for SXSW, and Nashville. Lots of great festivals around the Midwest, too.
Are there advantages to being an independent musician?
Absolutely. The biggest advantage is that you can let your creativity rule your decision making. When you produce your own music and music videos, then there is no one else that has any creative control over what you're producing. Personally, I like that. Of course, there are disadvantages, too. I'm going to try to focus on the positive aspects!