173. Lakecia Benjamin, interview | "We Dream": Jazz, Hip-hop & Community | Jazz à Vienne | Memory Lane : Secrets de Scène & de Studio

Description

From John Coltrane to De La Soul, Lakecia Benjamin explores the deep connections between jazz and hip-hop, two cultures born from the same roots and shaped by a shared spirit of creativity, resistance and community. In this conversation recorded at Jazz à Vienne, she discusses her album We Dream, the power of musical heritage, and the role of artists in keeping these stories alive.

Dans cette interview, Lakecia Benjamin, saxophoniste et compositrice nominée 6 fois aux Grammy Awards, parle de son nouvel album : « We Dream », ou l'urgence de rêver ensemble

Quelques instants avant de monter sur scène à Jazz à Vienne pour ouvrir la soirée Hip-Hop aux côtés des légendaires De La Soul, nous avons retrouvé Lakecia Benjamin dans les coulisses du théâtre antique.

À l'occasion de la sortie de son nouvel album We Dream, la saxophoniste new-yorkaise, nommée à six reprises aux Grammy Awards, nous partage une conviction forte : face à un monde qui encourage toujours plus l'individualisme, la musique reste l'un des derniers espaces où il est encore possible de penser et de construire collectivement.

« Tout le monde est mon peuple. »

Au fil de cette conversation, Lakecia revient sur le sens du morceau Mi Gente, sa collaboration avec Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah (anciennement Christian Scott), sa vision d'une culture qui dépasse les frontières et son attachement profond aux racines communes du jazz, du gospel, du rhythm & blues et du hip-hop.

Pour elle, ces musiques ne sont pas des genres distincts, mais les différentes branches d'un même arbre, nourri par une histoire commune et une mémoire africaine partagée. Une réflexion qui prend tout son sens à quelques instants d'un concert aux côtés de De La Soul, groupe emblématique dont elle admire autant l'héritage musical que la connaissance du jazz.

L'artiste revient également sur l'un des souvenirs les plus marquants de sa carrière : une jam session improvisée avec Stevie Wonder lors des célébrations de l'investiture de Barack Obama. Un moment suspendu qui continue d'alimenter sa vision de la musique comme un espace de transmission, de joie et de guérison.

Enfin, Lakecia nous partage son retour d'expérience des Grammy Awards.

Une rencontre lumineuse, enregistrée dans l'intimité des backstages de Jazz à Vienne, où Lakecia Benjamin nous rappelle que, plus qu'un album, We Dream est une invitation à réapprendre à rêver ensemble.

Crédit photographie : Pannonica Studio

Abonne-toi à la newsletter pour ne pas manquer le prochain épisode : https://shorturl.at/EsurF

Instagram : @soundssobeautiful

Site web : soundssobeautiful.net

YouTube : Sounds So Beautiful

On a tous une histoire qui vaut la peine d'être écoutée.

"We've all got a story worth listening to".

Jingle composé par Sam Cassegrain Extrait de l'album POETICALLY YOURS, par Marcus Gon.

Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Transcription

Speaker #0
My name is Marcus. I'm the editor-in-chief of the media that is called Sounds So Beautiful. And it's a media focused on jazz, of course, but neo-soul as well, and hip-hop, and jazz, and gospel, actually. And I really discovered you and your music thanks to this festival, Jazz Avien. Welcome here, and congratulations on the last album, We Dream.
Speaker #1
Thank you.
Speaker #0
Beautiful album. I wanted to dive a little bit in the... In the meaning of this album for you and for the people that you're rapping, you say like We Dream, it's like a collective effort. There are tracks like Mi Gente. Yeah, So who is your gente?
Speaker #1
Everyone is my people, you know, but I made the album We Dream because I felt that all over the world, everyone is focusing on kind of the self right now. My country is better than your country. My food is better than your food. Yeah, thanks. You know? Even with the music, it's like, it doesn't matter if you're playing music, it matters to make AI music. I won't go to a restaurant and eat and have a date at Uber Eats. You know, so everyone is kind of isolating and I feel that in order to get the better kind of world that we need, we need a collective kind of response. I cannot just do it by myself, even if we had Nelson Mandela up from the grave. It's not going to work, you know what I mean? We need everybody kind of on the same page. Everyone is almost fighting for their own survival. and forgetting that we have a planet together we need to be on. Do you want to get in here?
Speaker #0
I'm not. You're not in there. Let me set it in the picture. No,
Speaker #1
now you come. Come on, you're still not there.
Speaker #0
I'm a bit shy.
Speaker #1
There you go, there you are. There you go, there you go. All right, all right.
Speaker #0
Now be in. Boom. What's up?
Speaker #1
There you go.
Speaker #0
I don't know if you know this being from Los Angeles Coast Country.
Speaker #1
What's the name?
Speaker #0
Coast Counter.
Speaker #1
No, I don't know them.
Speaker #0
You should check him. I'll check it out. You should check him.
Speaker #1
I want to hear some new music. I would love to.
Speaker #0
Yeah, Mi Gente. I love the people that you pick and choose to be part of your people, of your collective. And for this particular track, you picked Christian Scott, who made the album Diaspora.
Speaker #1
Yeah,
Speaker #0
yeah. He said something really interesting. I'm going to read you, and I want to have your take on this. He said, Um... Yeah, we're trying to highlight the sameness between seemingly disparate cultures of sound as a means of showing a broader reference and love for the people who create the sound and the experiences that lead them to those places. And what's your take on this? How much do you relate to this?
Speaker #1
To me, the first time I even met Christian Scott, I was in a jazz festival in Brazil.
Speaker #0
Oh, right.
Speaker #1
He was playing there, too, the day before me. Okay. And he was in the lobby. I said, where are you going? He said, he's going... into the village to meet the musicians to find out the real authentic Brazilian sounds. And when he leaves, he's going to Ghana to find the real sounds. And when he leaves there, he's going to India. So I feel that he, like me, respects all the cultures of music and what it takes. In order to learn more about music, you have to really respect and identify with another person's culture and experience and why they're doing it. You cannot just say, I love John Coltrane. You have to know, what did John Coltrane eat? what did he smell like why did he like alice coltrane what made him fall in love and those are the things that uh bring that too so i put him on mi gente because i'm from washington high which is a dominican neighborhood yes so i felt that he could best amplify what it means on the track for everyone
Speaker #0
in the world being my people okay so you uh you put in on dominican culture the merengue yeah yeah yeah i put him on the song that i felt you you
Speaker #1
Dominican culture, everything, it's all African.
Speaker #0
True.
Speaker #1
So you can, you know, play different ways around it and bring your take on it. So I wanted to put him on the track where I felt that that's where he really excels, in cultured music. Yes, yes. You know, so I wanted something that we share that together, that kind of energy.
Speaker #0
All right, all right. In this album, and I'm hoping that what we're going to get on stage, you share some poems as well.
Speaker #1
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker #0
And I love your poem in Ascension. There's some balls like smiting through the thunder. or like in the plus and like smelling through the thunder i couldn't help but think of the the land of michael jackson i want to be studying something uh the pain is the tender what does that point mean to you uh yeah what does it mean to you to
Speaker #1
me every time i do spoken word in the album it's more of a vulnerable space i'm trying to because the music you can get so lost in it. It's so happy, exciting. you can forget the message. So I always try to put the poem there. So almost like you're in a movie, and now the movie's being narrated to you. So making the listener think, what is the shape of peace? What is the thunder that's around me? So they can visualize what I'm walking through as I'm going. Almost think of it as I'm starting one place, walking through different parts of the earth, finding different guests to play with. So as we're taking the journey there, we're reminding the audience through the poetry. to the lyrics, everything of where we are now.
Speaker #0
Now you're moving with your crew, with amazing musicians such as, let me not misspell the name, Elias Bailey, Oscar Perez, Jonathan Barber, Jazz Room of the Year, by the way. And you are playing tonight at Jazz Avien on a special night that is called the Hip Hop Night. And that is something in France. Because we love to separate jazz and hip-hop, but you studied Coltrane. Coltrane has a huge influence on jazz, but hip-hop and soul as well. Yeah, totally. I can mention Erykah Badu with the real shot intro that samples So What.
Speaker #1
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker #0
So what is your take on this? How do you stand between jazz and hip-hop? Is it the same for you? Is it different for you?
Speaker #1
For me? I'm black American right so all of the music starts same place Africa it goes first of the blues then it goes to jazz then it goes to gospel then it goes rhythm and blues which is why we call it R&B now. Poetry you know rhythm and poetry you know that's why it's rap so it's all part of the same culture but it's hard to say at one point in time hip-hop was influenced by jazz they were sampling jazz things and when I play with P-Rock he knows I took this from Dave Grueson. I took this from Bob James. I took that from Donald Byrd. And now, for the first time, we have it where jazz musicians are taking the hip-hop people's songs and making jazz albums out of them. My friend Casa Oro has made an album off of that. So the influence has now gone both ways. And De La Soul is a band that really knows jazz. And they really admire it and appreciate it. But they're also, from this generation that we have, we grew up listening to them. We were singing along, watching their music videos as we're coming of age. It's almost a monumental thing for me to be here playing for such legends that have hit songs that I know the words for, I know the raps for. The reason I'm rapping is because I've heard them. I've heard like, you know, all the guys, Q-Tip,
Speaker #0
all the stars.
Speaker #1
So they are together now, you know.
Speaker #0
Yeah, I heard someone and he was right. You can't mention jazz and hip-hop without mentioning Trap Call Quest and Q-Tip. Yeah, yeah,
Speaker #1
of course.
Speaker #0
so and hence your collaboration with uh casa overall yeah yeah sure a nice surprise in the album because all jazz and a little bit of spoken word but i was surprised by the presence of yeah and singing and actually finally you're on the sax but yeah you're mc actually how about that yeah there's gonna be somebody tonight for sure but all right all right well final question then um uh maybe two uh if you you back to the moment in your musical journey that you could simply relive. and not change but just experience like a second time? What would it be?
Speaker #1
One moment, only one.
Speaker #0
Maybe two if you wish.
Speaker #1
You know, if I do one moment, I do the first one. The first time I got to do a jam with Stevie Wonder.
Speaker #0
Oh, okay. I got you.
Speaker #1
He was going to get an award, and they told us if we come play, we can be the band for him. So we thought, yeah, whatever. It's not going to happen. But after playing for one hour and a half, he came up, got his award, and he heard us playing. So he sat at the piano, played a song with us. We thought, okay, we play one song with him, great to go. He stayed and played for two hours. And if this is me, this is where the piano was.
Speaker #0
Okay.
Speaker #1
So the whole time I'm playing with him, feeling around, and the last song we played was All I Do. Okay. And I know that it has a big saxophone solo. So I told the piano player, you take the solo. I was looking at him, go, go, go, because you got us the job, right? But the solo came and he never took it. And Stevie Wonder says, oh, somebody solo. So I just start playing the solo from the CD just to show him that I know it. And he's like, ah And the whole audience is like, ah So the whole room goes crazy. And after that show, he called me to the side and said he wants my phone number. And we started playing together. But that was during Barack Obama's inauguration. So two monumental things are happening. And we're all surprised in America to be having Obama as a president. And then boom.
Speaker #0
Historical.
Speaker #1
Yeah, yeah, for sure.
Speaker #0
Wow. So many things to share. I would love to digress on the Grammy journey, like what it taught you. As a person and a music person, as well as a musician and as a music person.
Speaker #1
You mean the Grammys?
Speaker #0
Yeah, the Grammys.
Speaker #1
It's a two-headed sword with that. In one place, you're always proud to be seen. In three years, to be seen six times.
Speaker #0
Yes.
Speaker #1
When they didn't look at you at all before is amazing, right? But it also reminds you to try to focus on what is real. Because all six, except for maybe two, I've lost to someone that has passed away, that has died.
Speaker #0
Oh, okay.
Speaker #1
You know, so it teaches you to be patient, to remember that the ultimate goal in life is the music and the work. And the prize has come, but the work is what most is seen. And the fact that your peers are seeing you and the audience is seeing you means you are doing things in God's timing, you know?
Speaker #0
Your peers and your mentors.
Speaker #1
Yeah, you know.
Speaker #0
My last question. What would you like people in the audience to feel from your music, your peeps on stage?
Speaker #1
For me, I always exhibit a lot of joy, a lot of happiness, a lot of, you know, let go. You know, I leave the room. If they want to be sad, they can be sad. If they want to be happy and dancing, they can be dancing. If they want to cry, I don't tell the audience how to feel. I respond to how they are feeling. So it's my job almost to be some kind of therapist. You know, so I, but I'm hopeful that.
Speaker #0
they will want to party i think so i think yeah yeah this is the party night so so many rhythms from the the latin rhythms yeah yeah yeah energy and the emceeing i'm sure we're gonna have a lot of fun so yeah totally thank you very much nice to meet you marcus nice to meet you too

About Memory Lane : Secrets de Scène & de Studio

Wait... Did you hear that?

Comment Écrire LA chanson ?

Que ressent l'artiste une fois seul.e au studio ?

Que faut-il pour jouer sur LA scène de ses rêves ?

Quelle est THE place to be pour aller voir ses artistes préférés ? .

Autant de questions auxquelles on répond depuis 2021 dans ce podcast : Memory Lane, Secrets de Scène et Studio.

Memory Lane est ton émission musicale qui capture les coulisses de l'industrie musicale et te fait revivre des moments forts, vécus sur scène et en studio.

Les secteurs opaques du Divertissement et de la Culture regorgent de secrets qu'on aimerait bien connaître.

Je suis Marcus Gon, rédacteur en chef à Sounds So Beautiful, et je vous partage tout ceci, au gré d'interviews inspirantes, de débats de société, et des décryptages exhaustifs d'albums et de clips, tout ça, avec un brin de nostalgie.

Chaque épisode immortalise des souvenirs de concerts et festivals, et des confidences de musiciens.nes, producteurs.rices sur leurs créations en studio.

LISTEN CLOSER

"Écoutez leurs voix, leurs histoires, et leurs savoirs".

Podcast animé par l'équipe éditoriale de Sounds So Beautiful, votre média spécialisé culture Neo-Soul, et plus largement, Rhythm & Blues (Hip-Hop, Jazz et Gospel Soul/R&B)

Depuis 2021, ce podcast est la plateforme pour promouvoir son actualité musicale et culturelle, sensibiliser, éduquer, et véhiculer plus d'authenticité dans ces métiers.

Au programme :

Des interviews exclusives avec des artistes récompensés aux Grammy Awards, comme Samara Joy, ou des pionniers du Hip Hop français comme Saïan Supa Crew, ainsi que des artistes R&B émergents à Londres, Paris, Lyon, ou Los Angeles.
Des débats pour promouvoir la sortie d'ouvrages de journalistes et de philosophes comme Nicolas Rogès ou Benjamine Weill
Des reportages qui capturent l'ADN de festivals iconiques comme Jazz à Vienne ou émergents comme Lyon Gospel Festival
Des leçons de vie et des retours d'expériences du métier de compositeur avec des grands noms du Jazz et de la Soul comme Ben l'oncle Soul, Chassol, Lee Fields, Michael League, and more.

Visitez le studio Sounds So Beautiful !

***** ENGLISH*****

"Pause... t'as entendu ça ? "

How do you write *the* song? What does an artist feel when alone in the studio? What does it take to perform on the stage of your dreams? Where is *the* place to be to see your favorite artists?

These are the kinds of questions we’ve been answering since 2021 on this podcast: *Memory Lane: Secrets of Stage and Studio*.

Memory Lane is your music show that captures the behind the scenes of the music industry and makes you relive strong moments, experienced on stage and in the studio.

Behind the closed doors of the Music industry dwell many secrets that we would like to know.

I am Marcus Gon, editor-in-chief at Sounds So Beautiful, and I share all this with you, through inspiring interviews, social debates, and exhaustive decryptions of albums and clips, all this, with a touch of nostalgia.

Each episode immortalizes memories of concerts and festivals, and confidences from musicians, producers on their creations in the studio.

"We all have a story that is worth listening to".

Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

About Memory Lane : Secrets de Scène & de Studio

Wait... Did you hear that?

Comment Écrire LA chanson ?

Que ressent l'artiste une fois seul.e au studio ?

Que faut-il pour jouer sur LA scène de ses rêves ?

Quelle est THE place to be pour aller voir ses artistes préférés ? .

Autant de questions auxquelles on répond depuis 2021 dans ce podcast : Memory Lane, Secrets de Scène et Studio.

Memory Lane est ton émission musicale qui capture les coulisses de l'industrie musicale et te fait revivre des moments forts, vécus sur scène et en studio.

Les secteurs opaques du Divertissement et de la Culture regorgent de secrets qu'on aimerait bien connaître.

Chaque épisode immortalise des souvenirs de concerts et festivals, et des confidences de musiciens.nes, producteurs.rices sur leurs créations en studio.

LISTEN CLOSER

"Écoutez leurs voix, leurs histoires, et leurs savoirs".

Podcast animé par l'équipe éditoriale de Sounds So Beautiful, votre média spécialisé culture Neo-Soul, et plus largement, Rhythm & Blues (Hip-Hop, Jazz et Gospel Soul/R&B)

Depuis 2021, ce podcast est la plateforme pour promouvoir son actualité musicale et culturelle, sensibiliser, éduquer, et véhiculer plus d'authenticité dans ces métiers.

Au programme :

Des interviews exclusives avec des artistes récompensés aux Grammy Awards, comme Samara Joy, ou des pionniers du Hip Hop français comme Saïan Supa Crew, ainsi que des artistes R&B émergents à Londres, Paris, Lyon, ou Los Angeles.
Des débats pour promouvoir la sortie d'ouvrages de journalistes et de philosophes comme Nicolas Rogès ou Benjamine Weill
Des reportages qui capturent l'ADN de festivals iconiques comme Jazz à Vienne ou émergents comme Lyon Gospel Festival
Des leçons de vie et des retours d'expériences du métier de compositeur avec des grands noms du Jazz et de la Soul comme Ben l'oncle Soul, Chassol, Lee Fields, Michael League, and more.

Visitez le studio Sounds So Beautiful !

***** ENGLISH*****

"Pause... t'as entendu ça ? "

How do you write *the* song? What does an artist feel when alone in the studio? What does it take to perform on the stage of your dreams? Where is *the* place to be to see your favorite artists?

These are the kinds of questions we’ve been answering since 2021 on this podcast: *Memory Lane: Secrets of Stage and Studio*.

Memory Lane is your music show that captures the behind the scenes of the music industry and makes you relive strong moments, experienced on stage and in the studio.

Behind the closed doors of the Music industry dwell many secrets that we would like to know.

Each episode immortalizes memories of concerts and festivals, and confidences from musicians, producers on their creations in the studio.

"We all have a story that is worth listening to".

Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Description

Dans cette interview, Lakecia Benjamin, saxophoniste et compositrice nominée 6 fois aux Grammy Awards, parle de son nouvel album : « We Dream », ou l'urgence de rêver ensemble

« Tout le monde est mon peuple. »

Enfin, Lakecia nous partage son retour d'expérience des Grammy Awards.

Crédit photographie : Pannonica Studio

Abonne-toi à la newsletter pour ne pas manquer le prochain épisode : https://shorturl.at/EsurF

Instagram : @soundssobeautiful

Site web : soundssobeautiful.net

YouTube : Sounds So Beautiful

On a tous une histoire qui vaut la peine d'être écoutée.

"We've all got a story worth listening to".

Jingle composé par Sam Cassegrain Extrait de l'album POETICALLY YOURS, par Marcus Gon.

Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Transcription

Speaker #0
My name is Marcus. I'm the editor-in-chief of the media that is called Sounds So Beautiful. And it's a media focused on jazz, of course, but neo-soul as well, and hip-hop, and jazz, and gospel, actually. And I really discovered you and your music thanks to this festival, Jazz Avien. Welcome here, and congratulations on the last album, We Dream.
Speaker #1
Thank you.
Speaker #0
Beautiful album. I wanted to dive a little bit in the... In the meaning of this album for you and for the people that you're rapping, you say like We Dream, it's like a collective effort. There are tracks like Mi Gente. Yeah, So who is your gente?
Speaker #1
Everyone is my people, you know, but I made the album We Dream because I felt that all over the world, everyone is focusing on kind of the self right now. My country is better than your country. My food is better than your food. Yeah, thanks. You know? Even with the music, it's like, it doesn't matter if you're playing music, it matters to make AI music. I won't go to a restaurant and eat and have a date at Uber Eats. You know, so everyone is kind of isolating and I feel that in order to get the better kind of world that we need, we need a collective kind of response. I cannot just do it by myself, even if we had Nelson Mandela up from the grave. It's not going to work, you know what I mean? We need everybody kind of on the same page. Everyone is almost fighting for their own survival. and forgetting that we have a planet together we need to be on. Do you want to get in here?
Speaker #0
I'm not. You're not in there. Let me set it in the picture. No,
Speaker #1
now you come. Come on, you're still not there.
Speaker #0
I'm a bit shy.
Speaker #1
There you go, there you are. There you go, there you go. All right, all right.
Speaker #0
Now be in. Boom. What's up?
Speaker #1
There you go.
Speaker #0
I don't know if you know this being from Los Angeles Coast Country.
Speaker #1
What's the name?
Speaker #0
Coast Counter.
Speaker #1
No, I don't know them.
Speaker #0
You should check him. I'll check it out. You should check him.
Speaker #1
I want to hear some new music. I would love to.
Speaker #0
Yeah, Mi Gente. I love the people that you pick and choose to be part of your people, of your collective. And for this particular track, you picked Christian Scott, who made the album Diaspora.
Speaker #1
Yeah,
Speaker #0
yeah. He said something really interesting. I'm going to read you, and I want to have your take on this. He said, Um... Yeah, we're trying to highlight the sameness between seemingly disparate cultures of sound as a means of showing a broader reference and love for the people who create the sound and the experiences that lead them to those places. And what's your take on this? How much do you relate to this?
Speaker #1
To me, the first time I even met Christian Scott, I was in a jazz festival in Brazil.
Speaker #0
Oh, right.
Speaker #1
He was playing there, too, the day before me. Okay. And he was in the lobby. I said, where are you going? He said, he's going... into the village to meet the musicians to find out the real authentic Brazilian sounds. And when he leaves, he's going to Ghana to find the real sounds. And when he leaves there, he's going to India. So I feel that he, like me, respects all the cultures of music and what it takes. In order to learn more about music, you have to really respect and identify with another person's culture and experience and why they're doing it. You cannot just say, I love John Coltrane. You have to know, what did John Coltrane eat? what did he smell like why did he like alice coltrane what made him fall in love and those are the things that uh bring that too so i put him on mi gente because i'm from washington high which is a dominican neighborhood yes so i felt that he could best amplify what it means on the track for everyone
Speaker #0
in the world being my people okay so you uh you put in on dominican culture the merengue yeah yeah yeah i put him on the song that i felt you you
Speaker #1
Dominican culture, everything, it's all African.
Speaker #0
True.
Speaker #1
So you can, you know, play different ways around it and bring your take on it. So I wanted to put him on the track where I felt that that's where he really excels, in cultured music. Yes, yes. You know, so I wanted something that we share that together, that kind of energy.
Speaker #0
All right, all right. In this album, and I'm hoping that what we're going to get on stage, you share some poems as well.
Speaker #1
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker #0
And I love your poem in Ascension. There's some balls like smiting through the thunder. or like in the plus and like smelling through the thunder i couldn't help but think of the the land of michael jackson i want to be studying something uh the pain is the tender what does that point mean to you uh yeah what does it mean to you to
Speaker #1
me every time i do spoken word in the album it's more of a vulnerable space i'm trying to because the music you can get so lost in it. It's so happy, exciting. you can forget the message. So I always try to put the poem there. So almost like you're in a movie, and now the movie's being narrated to you. So making the listener think, what is the shape of peace? What is the thunder that's around me? So they can visualize what I'm walking through as I'm going. Almost think of it as I'm starting one place, walking through different parts of the earth, finding different guests to play with. So as we're taking the journey there, we're reminding the audience through the poetry. to the lyrics, everything of where we are now.
Speaker #0
Now you're moving with your crew, with amazing musicians such as, let me not misspell the name, Elias Bailey, Oscar Perez, Jonathan Barber, Jazz Room of the Year, by the way. And you are playing tonight at Jazz Avien on a special night that is called the Hip Hop Night. And that is something in France. Because we love to separate jazz and hip-hop, but you studied Coltrane. Coltrane has a huge influence on jazz, but hip-hop and soul as well. Yeah, totally. I can mention Erykah Badu with the real shot intro that samples So What.
Speaker #1
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker #0
So what is your take on this? How do you stand between jazz and hip-hop? Is it the same for you? Is it different for you?
Speaker #1
For me? I'm black American right so all of the music starts same place Africa it goes first of the blues then it goes to jazz then it goes to gospel then it goes rhythm and blues which is why we call it R&B now. Poetry you know rhythm and poetry you know that's why it's rap so it's all part of the same culture but it's hard to say at one point in time hip-hop was influenced by jazz they were sampling jazz things and when I play with P-Rock he knows I took this from Dave Grueson. I took this from Bob James. I took that from Donald Byrd. And now, for the first time, we have it where jazz musicians are taking the hip-hop people's songs and making jazz albums out of them. My friend Casa Oro has made an album off of that. So the influence has now gone both ways. And De La Soul is a band that really knows jazz. And they really admire it and appreciate it. But they're also, from this generation that we have, we grew up listening to them. We were singing along, watching their music videos as we're coming of age. It's almost a monumental thing for me to be here playing for such legends that have hit songs that I know the words for, I know the raps for. The reason I'm rapping is because I've heard them. I've heard like, you know, all the guys, Q-Tip,
Speaker #0
all the stars.
Speaker #1
So they are together now, you know.
Speaker #0
Yeah, I heard someone and he was right. You can't mention jazz and hip-hop without mentioning Trap Call Quest and Q-Tip. Yeah, yeah,
Speaker #1
of course.
Speaker #0
so and hence your collaboration with uh casa overall yeah yeah sure a nice surprise in the album because all jazz and a little bit of spoken word but i was surprised by the presence of yeah and singing and actually finally you're on the sax but yeah you're mc actually how about that yeah there's gonna be somebody tonight for sure but all right all right well final question then um uh maybe two uh if you you back to the moment in your musical journey that you could simply relive. and not change but just experience like a second time? What would it be?
Speaker #1
One moment, only one.
Speaker #0
Maybe two if you wish.
Speaker #1
You know, if I do one moment, I do the first one. The first time I got to do a jam with Stevie Wonder.
Speaker #0
Oh, okay. I got you.
Speaker #1
He was going to get an award, and they told us if we come play, we can be the band for him. So we thought, yeah, whatever. It's not going to happen. But after playing for one hour and a half, he came up, got his award, and he heard us playing. So he sat at the piano, played a song with us. We thought, okay, we play one song with him, great to go. He stayed and played for two hours. And if this is me, this is where the piano was.
Speaker #0
Okay.
Speaker #1
So the whole time I'm playing with him, feeling around, and the last song we played was All I Do. Okay. And I know that it has a big saxophone solo. So I told the piano player, you take the solo. I was looking at him, go, go, go, because you got us the job, right? But the solo came and he never took it. And Stevie Wonder says, oh, somebody solo. So I just start playing the solo from the CD just to show him that I know it. And he's like, ah And the whole audience is like, ah So the whole room goes crazy. And after that show, he called me to the side and said he wants my phone number. And we started playing together. But that was during Barack Obama's inauguration. So two monumental things are happening. And we're all surprised in America to be having Obama as a president. And then boom.
Speaker #0
Historical.
Speaker #1
Yeah, yeah, for sure.
Speaker #0
Wow. So many things to share. I would love to digress on the Grammy journey, like what it taught you. As a person and a music person, as well as a musician and as a music person.
Speaker #1
You mean the Grammys?
Speaker #0
Yeah, the Grammys.
Speaker #1
It's a two-headed sword with that. In one place, you're always proud to be seen. In three years, to be seen six times.
Speaker #0
Yes.
Speaker #1
When they didn't look at you at all before is amazing, right? But it also reminds you to try to focus on what is real. Because all six, except for maybe two, I've lost to someone that has passed away, that has died.
Speaker #0
Oh, okay.
Speaker #1
You know, so it teaches you to be patient, to remember that the ultimate goal in life is the music and the work. And the prize has come, but the work is what most is seen. And the fact that your peers are seeing you and the audience is seeing you means you are doing things in God's timing, you know?
Speaker #0
Your peers and your mentors.
Speaker #1
Yeah, you know.
Speaker #0
My last question. What would you like people in the audience to feel from your music, your peeps on stage?
Speaker #1
For me, I always exhibit a lot of joy, a lot of happiness, a lot of, you know, let go. You know, I leave the room. If they want to be sad, they can be sad. If they want to be happy and dancing, they can be dancing. If they want to cry, I don't tell the audience how to feel. I respond to how they are feeling. So it's my job almost to be some kind of therapist. You know, so I, but I'm hopeful that.
Speaker #0
they will want to party i think so i think yeah yeah this is the party night so so many rhythms from the the latin rhythms yeah yeah yeah energy and the emceeing i'm sure we're gonna have a lot of fun so yeah totally thank you very much nice to meet you marcus nice to meet you too

About Memory Lane : Secrets de Scène & de Studio

Wait... Did you hear that?

Comment Écrire LA chanson ?

Que ressent l'artiste une fois seul.e au studio ?

Que faut-il pour jouer sur LA scène de ses rêves ?

Quelle est THE place to be pour aller voir ses artistes préférés ? .

Autant de questions auxquelles on répond depuis 2021 dans ce podcast : Memory Lane, Secrets de Scène et Studio.

Memory Lane est ton émission musicale qui capture les coulisses de l'industrie musicale et te fait revivre des moments forts, vécus sur scène et en studio.

Les secteurs opaques du Divertissement et de la Culture regorgent de secrets qu'on aimerait bien connaître.

Chaque épisode immortalise des souvenirs de concerts et festivals, et des confidences de musiciens.nes, producteurs.rices sur leurs créations en studio.

LISTEN CLOSER

"Écoutez leurs voix, leurs histoires, et leurs savoirs".

Podcast animé par l'équipe éditoriale de Sounds So Beautiful, votre média spécialisé culture Neo-Soul, et plus largement, Rhythm & Blues (Hip-Hop, Jazz et Gospel Soul/R&B)

Depuis 2021, ce podcast est la plateforme pour promouvoir son actualité musicale et culturelle, sensibiliser, éduquer, et véhiculer plus d'authenticité dans ces métiers.

Au programme :

Des interviews exclusives avec des artistes récompensés aux Grammy Awards, comme Samara Joy, ou des pionniers du Hip Hop français comme Saïan Supa Crew, ainsi que des artistes R&B émergents à Londres, Paris, Lyon, ou Los Angeles.
Des débats pour promouvoir la sortie d'ouvrages de journalistes et de philosophes comme Nicolas Rogès ou Benjamine Weill
Des reportages qui capturent l'ADN de festivals iconiques comme Jazz à Vienne ou émergents comme Lyon Gospel Festival
Des leçons de vie et des retours d'expériences du métier de compositeur avec des grands noms du Jazz et de la Soul comme Ben l'oncle Soul, Chassol, Lee Fields, Michael League, and more.

Visitez le studio Sounds So Beautiful !

***** ENGLISH*****

"Pause... t'as entendu ça ? "

How do you write *the* song? What does an artist feel when alone in the studio? What does it take to perform on the stage of your dreams? Where is *the* place to be to see your favorite artists?

These are the kinds of questions we’ve been answering since 2021 on this podcast: *Memory Lane: Secrets of Stage and Studio*.

Memory Lane is your music show that captures the behind the scenes of the music industry and makes you relive strong moments, experienced on stage and in the studio.

Behind the closed doors of the Music industry dwell many secrets that we would like to know.

Each episode immortalizes memories of concerts and festivals, and confidences from musicians, producers on their creations in the studio.

"We all have a story that is worth listening to".

Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

About Memory Lane : Secrets de Scène & de Studio

Wait... Did you hear that?

Comment Écrire LA chanson ?

Que ressent l'artiste une fois seul.e au studio ?

Que faut-il pour jouer sur LA scène de ses rêves ?

Quelle est THE place to be pour aller voir ses artistes préférés ? .

Autant de questions auxquelles on répond depuis 2021 dans ce podcast : Memory Lane, Secrets de Scène et Studio.

Memory Lane est ton émission musicale qui capture les coulisses de l'industrie musicale et te fait revivre des moments forts, vécus sur scène et en studio.

Les secteurs opaques du Divertissement et de la Culture regorgent de secrets qu'on aimerait bien connaître.

Chaque épisode immortalise des souvenirs de concerts et festivals, et des confidences de musiciens.nes, producteurs.rices sur leurs créations en studio.

LISTEN CLOSER

"Écoutez leurs voix, leurs histoires, et leurs savoirs".

Podcast animé par l'équipe éditoriale de Sounds So Beautiful, votre média spécialisé culture Neo-Soul, et plus largement, Rhythm & Blues (Hip-Hop, Jazz et Gospel Soul/R&B)

Depuis 2021, ce podcast est la plateforme pour promouvoir son actualité musicale et culturelle, sensibiliser, éduquer, et véhiculer plus d'authenticité dans ces métiers.

Au programme :

Des interviews exclusives avec des artistes récompensés aux Grammy Awards, comme Samara Joy, ou des pionniers du Hip Hop français comme Saïan Supa Crew, ainsi que des artistes R&B émergents à Londres, Paris, Lyon, ou Los Angeles.
Des débats pour promouvoir la sortie d'ouvrages de journalistes et de philosophes comme Nicolas Rogès ou Benjamine Weill
Des reportages qui capturent l'ADN de festivals iconiques comme Jazz à Vienne ou émergents comme Lyon Gospel Festival
Des leçons de vie et des retours d'expériences du métier de compositeur avec des grands noms du Jazz et de la Soul comme Ben l'oncle Soul, Chassol, Lee Fields, Michael League, and more.

Visitez le studio Sounds So Beautiful !

***** ENGLISH*****

"Pause... t'as entendu ça ? "

How do you write *the* song? What does an artist feel when alone in the studio? What does it take to perform on the stage of your dreams? Where is *the* place to be to see your favorite artists?

These are the kinds of questions we’ve been answering since 2021 on this podcast: *Memory Lane: Secrets of Stage and Studio*.

Memory Lane is your music show that captures the behind the scenes of the music industry and makes you relive strong moments, experienced on stage and in the studio.

Behind the closed doors of the Music industry dwell many secrets that we would like to know.

Each episode immortalizes memories of concerts and festivals, and confidences from musicians, producers on their creations in the studio.

"We all have a story that is worth listening to".

Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Embed

You may also like

Description

Dans cette interview, Lakecia Benjamin, saxophoniste et compositrice nominée 6 fois aux Grammy Awards, parle de son nouvel album : « We Dream », ou l'urgence de rêver ensemble

« Tout le monde est mon peuple. »

Enfin, Lakecia nous partage son retour d'expérience des Grammy Awards.

Crédit photographie : Pannonica Studio

Abonne-toi à la newsletter pour ne pas manquer le prochain épisode : https://shorturl.at/EsurF

Instagram : @soundssobeautiful

Site web : soundssobeautiful.net

YouTube : Sounds So Beautiful

On a tous une histoire qui vaut la peine d'être écoutée.

"We've all got a story worth listening to".

Jingle composé par Sam Cassegrain Extrait de l'album POETICALLY YOURS, par Marcus Gon.

Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Transcription

Speaker #0
My name is Marcus. I'm the editor-in-chief of the media that is called Sounds So Beautiful. And it's a media focused on jazz, of course, but neo-soul as well, and hip-hop, and jazz, and gospel, actually. And I really discovered you and your music thanks to this festival, Jazz Avien. Welcome here, and congratulations on the last album, We Dream.
Speaker #1
Thank you.
Speaker #0
Beautiful album. I wanted to dive a little bit in the... In the meaning of this album for you and for the people that you're rapping, you say like We Dream, it's like a collective effort. There are tracks like Mi Gente. Yeah, So who is your gente?
Speaker #1
Everyone is my people, you know, but I made the album We Dream because I felt that all over the world, everyone is focusing on kind of the self right now. My country is better than your country. My food is better than your food. Yeah, thanks. You know? Even with the music, it's like, it doesn't matter if you're playing music, it matters to make AI music. I won't go to a restaurant and eat and have a date at Uber Eats. You know, so everyone is kind of isolating and I feel that in order to get the better kind of world that we need, we need a collective kind of response. I cannot just do it by myself, even if we had Nelson Mandela up from the grave. It's not going to work, you know what I mean? We need everybody kind of on the same page. Everyone is almost fighting for their own survival. and forgetting that we have a planet together we need to be on. Do you want to get in here?
Speaker #0
I'm not. You're not in there. Let me set it in the picture. No,
Speaker #1
now you come. Come on, you're still not there.
Speaker #0
I'm a bit shy.
Speaker #1
There you go, there you are. There you go, there you go. All right, all right.
Speaker #0
Now be in. Boom. What's up?
Speaker #1
There you go.
Speaker #0
I don't know if you know this being from Los Angeles Coast Country.
Speaker #1
What's the name?
Speaker #0
Coast Counter.
Speaker #1
No, I don't know them.
Speaker #0
You should check him. I'll check it out. You should check him.
Speaker #1
I want to hear some new music. I would love to.
Speaker #0
Yeah, Mi Gente. I love the people that you pick and choose to be part of your people, of your collective. And for this particular track, you picked Christian Scott, who made the album Diaspora.
Speaker #1
Yeah,
Speaker #0
yeah. He said something really interesting. I'm going to read you, and I want to have your take on this. He said, Um... Yeah, we're trying to highlight the sameness between seemingly disparate cultures of sound as a means of showing a broader reference and love for the people who create the sound and the experiences that lead them to those places. And what's your take on this? How much do you relate to this?
Speaker #1
To me, the first time I even met Christian Scott, I was in a jazz festival in Brazil.
Speaker #0
Oh, right.
Speaker #1
He was playing there, too, the day before me. Okay. And he was in the lobby. I said, where are you going? He said, he's going... into the village to meet the musicians to find out the real authentic Brazilian sounds. And when he leaves, he's going to Ghana to find the real sounds. And when he leaves there, he's going to India. So I feel that he, like me, respects all the cultures of music and what it takes. In order to learn more about music, you have to really respect and identify with another person's culture and experience and why they're doing it. You cannot just say, I love John Coltrane. You have to know, what did John Coltrane eat? what did he smell like why did he like alice coltrane what made him fall in love and those are the things that uh bring that too so i put him on mi gente because i'm from washington high which is a dominican neighborhood yes so i felt that he could best amplify what it means on the track for everyone
Speaker #0
in the world being my people okay so you uh you put in on dominican culture the merengue yeah yeah yeah i put him on the song that i felt you you
Speaker #1
Dominican culture, everything, it's all African.
Speaker #0
True.
Speaker #1
So you can, you know, play different ways around it and bring your take on it. So I wanted to put him on the track where I felt that that's where he really excels, in cultured music. Yes, yes. You know, so I wanted something that we share that together, that kind of energy.
Speaker #0
All right, all right. In this album, and I'm hoping that what we're going to get on stage, you share some poems as well.
Speaker #1
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker #0
And I love your poem in Ascension. There's some balls like smiting through the thunder. or like in the plus and like smelling through the thunder i couldn't help but think of the the land of michael jackson i want to be studying something uh the pain is the tender what does that point mean to you uh yeah what does it mean to you to
Speaker #1
me every time i do spoken word in the album it's more of a vulnerable space i'm trying to because the music you can get so lost in it. It's so happy, exciting. you can forget the message. So I always try to put the poem there. So almost like you're in a movie, and now the movie's being narrated to you. So making the listener think, what is the shape of peace? What is the thunder that's around me? So they can visualize what I'm walking through as I'm going. Almost think of it as I'm starting one place, walking through different parts of the earth, finding different guests to play with. So as we're taking the journey there, we're reminding the audience through the poetry. to the lyrics, everything of where we are now.
Speaker #0
Now you're moving with your crew, with amazing musicians such as, let me not misspell the name, Elias Bailey, Oscar Perez, Jonathan Barber, Jazz Room of the Year, by the way. And you are playing tonight at Jazz Avien on a special night that is called the Hip Hop Night. And that is something in France. Because we love to separate jazz and hip-hop, but you studied Coltrane. Coltrane has a huge influence on jazz, but hip-hop and soul as well. Yeah, totally. I can mention Erykah Badu with the real shot intro that samples So What.
Speaker #1
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker #0
So what is your take on this? How do you stand between jazz and hip-hop? Is it the same for you? Is it different for you?
Speaker #1
For me? I'm black American right so all of the music starts same place Africa it goes first of the blues then it goes to jazz then it goes to gospel then it goes rhythm and blues which is why we call it R&B now. Poetry you know rhythm and poetry you know that's why it's rap so it's all part of the same culture but it's hard to say at one point in time hip-hop was influenced by jazz they were sampling jazz things and when I play with P-Rock he knows I took this from Dave Grueson. I took this from Bob James. I took that from Donald Byrd. And now, for the first time, we have it where jazz musicians are taking the hip-hop people's songs and making jazz albums out of them. My friend Casa Oro has made an album off of that. So the influence has now gone both ways. And De La Soul is a band that really knows jazz. And they really admire it and appreciate it. But they're also, from this generation that we have, we grew up listening to them. We were singing along, watching their music videos as we're coming of age. It's almost a monumental thing for me to be here playing for such legends that have hit songs that I know the words for, I know the raps for. The reason I'm rapping is because I've heard them. I've heard like, you know, all the guys, Q-Tip,
Speaker #0
all the stars.
Speaker #1
So they are together now, you know.
Speaker #0
Yeah, I heard someone and he was right. You can't mention jazz and hip-hop without mentioning Trap Call Quest and Q-Tip. Yeah, yeah,
Speaker #1
of course.
Speaker #0
so and hence your collaboration with uh casa overall yeah yeah sure a nice surprise in the album because all jazz and a little bit of spoken word but i was surprised by the presence of yeah and singing and actually finally you're on the sax but yeah you're mc actually how about that yeah there's gonna be somebody tonight for sure but all right all right well final question then um uh maybe two uh if you you back to the moment in your musical journey that you could simply relive. and not change but just experience like a second time? What would it be?
Speaker #1
One moment, only one.
Speaker #0
Maybe two if you wish.
Speaker #1
You know, if I do one moment, I do the first one. The first time I got to do a jam with Stevie Wonder.
Speaker #0
Oh, okay. I got you.
Speaker #1
He was going to get an award, and they told us if we come play, we can be the band for him. So we thought, yeah, whatever. It's not going to happen. But after playing for one hour and a half, he came up, got his award, and he heard us playing. So he sat at the piano, played a song with us. We thought, okay, we play one song with him, great to go. He stayed and played for two hours. And if this is me, this is where the piano was.
Speaker #0
Okay.
Speaker #1
So the whole time I'm playing with him, feeling around, and the last song we played was All I Do. Okay. And I know that it has a big saxophone solo. So I told the piano player, you take the solo. I was looking at him, go, go, go, because you got us the job, right? But the solo came and he never took it. And Stevie Wonder says, oh, somebody solo. So I just start playing the solo from the CD just to show him that I know it. And he's like, ah And the whole audience is like, ah So the whole room goes crazy. And after that show, he called me to the side and said he wants my phone number. And we started playing together. But that was during Barack Obama's inauguration. So two monumental things are happening. And we're all surprised in America to be having Obama as a president. And then boom.
Speaker #0
Historical.
Speaker #1
Yeah, yeah, for sure.
Speaker #0
Wow. So many things to share. I would love to digress on the Grammy journey, like what it taught you. As a person and a music person, as well as a musician and as a music person.
Speaker #1
You mean the Grammys?
Speaker #0
Yeah, the Grammys.
Speaker #1
It's a two-headed sword with that. In one place, you're always proud to be seen. In three years, to be seen six times.
Speaker #0
Yes.
Speaker #1
When they didn't look at you at all before is amazing, right? But it also reminds you to try to focus on what is real. Because all six, except for maybe two, I've lost to someone that has passed away, that has died.
Speaker #0
Oh, okay.
Speaker #1
You know, so it teaches you to be patient, to remember that the ultimate goal in life is the music and the work. And the prize has come, but the work is what most is seen. And the fact that your peers are seeing you and the audience is seeing you means you are doing things in God's timing, you know?
Speaker #0
Your peers and your mentors.
Speaker #1
Yeah, you know.
Speaker #0
My last question. What would you like people in the audience to feel from your music, your peeps on stage?
Speaker #1
For me, I always exhibit a lot of joy, a lot of happiness, a lot of, you know, let go. You know, I leave the room. If they want to be sad, they can be sad. If they want to be happy and dancing, they can be dancing. If they want to cry, I don't tell the audience how to feel. I respond to how they are feeling. So it's my job almost to be some kind of therapist. You know, so I, but I'm hopeful that.
Speaker #0
they will want to party i think so i think yeah yeah this is the party night so so many rhythms from the the latin rhythms yeah yeah yeah energy and the emceeing i'm sure we're gonna have a lot of fun so yeah totally thank you very much nice to meet you marcus nice to meet you too

About Memory Lane : Secrets de Scène & de Studio

Wait... Did you hear that?

Comment Écrire LA chanson ?

Que ressent l'artiste une fois seul.e au studio ?

Que faut-il pour jouer sur LA scène de ses rêves ?

Quelle est THE place to be pour aller voir ses artistes préférés ? .

Autant de questions auxquelles on répond depuis 2021 dans ce podcast : Memory Lane, Secrets de Scène et Studio.

Memory Lane est ton émission musicale qui capture les coulisses de l'industrie musicale et te fait revivre des moments forts, vécus sur scène et en studio.

Les secteurs opaques du Divertissement et de la Culture regorgent de secrets qu'on aimerait bien connaître.

Chaque épisode immortalise des souvenirs de concerts et festivals, et des confidences de musiciens.nes, producteurs.rices sur leurs créations en studio.

LISTEN CLOSER

"Écoutez leurs voix, leurs histoires, et leurs savoirs".

Podcast animé par l'équipe éditoriale de Sounds So Beautiful, votre média spécialisé culture Neo-Soul, et plus largement, Rhythm & Blues (Hip-Hop, Jazz et Gospel Soul/R&B)

Depuis 2021, ce podcast est la plateforme pour promouvoir son actualité musicale et culturelle, sensibiliser, éduquer, et véhiculer plus d'authenticité dans ces métiers.

Au programme :

Des interviews exclusives avec des artistes récompensés aux Grammy Awards, comme Samara Joy, ou des pionniers du Hip Hop français comme Saïan Supa Crew, ainsi que des artistes R&B émergents à Londres, Paris, Lyon, ou Los Angeles.
Des débats pour promouvoir la sortie d'ouvrages de journalistes et de philosophes comme Nicolas Rogès ou Benjamine Weill
Des reportages qui capturent l'ADN de festivals iconiques comme Jazz à Vienne ou émergents comme Lyon Gospel Festival
Des leçons de vie et des retours d'expériences du métier de compositeur avec des grands noms du Jazz et de la Soul comme Ben l'oncle Soul, Chassol, Lee Fields, Michael League, and more.

Visitez le studio Sounds So Beautiful !

***** ENGLISH*****

"Pause... t'as entendu ça ? "

How do you write *the* song? What does an artist feel when alone in the studio? What does it take to perform on the stage of your dreams? Where is *the* place to be to see your favorite artists?

These are the kinds of questions we’ve been answering since 2021 on this podcast: *Memory Lane: Secrets of Stage and Studio*.

Memory Lane is your music show that captures the behind the scenes of the music industry and makes you relive strong moments, experienced on stage and in the studio.

Behind the closed doors of the Music industry dwell many secrets that we would like to know.

Each episode immortalizes memories of concerts and festivals, and confidences from musicians, producers on their creations in the studio.

"We all have a story that is worth listening to".

Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

About Memory Lane : Secrets de Scène & de Studio

Wait... Did you hear that?

Comment Écrire LA chanson ?

Que ressent l'artiste une fois seul.e au studio ?

Que faut-il pour jouer sur LA scène de ses rêves ?

Quelle est THE place to be pour aller voir ses artistes préférés ? .

Autant de questions auxquelles on répond depuis 2021 dans ce podcast : Memory Lane, Secrets de Scène et Studio.

Memory Lane est ton émission musicale qui capture les coulisses de l'industrie musicale et te fait revivre des moments forts, vécus sur scène et en studio.

Les secteurs opaques du Divertissement et de la Culture regorgent de secrets qu'on aimerait bien connaître.

Chaque épisode immortalise des souvenirs de concerts et festivals, et des confidences de musiciens.nes, producteurs.rices sur leurs créations en studio.

LISTEN CLOSER

"Écoutez leurs voix, leurs histoires, et leurs savoirs".

Podcast animé par l'équipe éditoriale de Sounds So Beautiful, votre média spécialisé culture Neo-Soul, et plus largement, Rhythm & Blues (Hip-Hop, Jazz et Gospel Soul/R&B)

Depuis 2021, ce podcast est la plateforme pour promouvoir son actualité musicale et culturelle, sensibiliser, éduquer, et véhiculer plus d'authenticité dans ces métiers.

Au programme :

Des interviews exclusives avec des artistes récompensés aux Grammy Awards, comme Samara Joy, ou des pionniers du Hip Hop français comme Saïan Supa Crew, ainsi que des artistes R&B émergents à Londres, Paris, Lyon, ou Los Angeles.
Des débats pour promouvoir la sortie d'ouvrages de journalistes et de philosophes comme Nicolas Rogès ou Benjamine Weill
Des reportages qui capturent l'ADN de festivals iconiques comme Jazz à Vienne ou émergents comme Lyon Gospel Festival
Des leçons de vie et des retours d'expériences du métier de compositeur avec des grands noms du Jazz et de la Soul comme Ben l'oncle Soul, Chassol, Lee Fields, Michael League, and more.

Visitez le studio Sounds So Beautiful !

***** ENGLISH*****

"Pause... t'as entendu ça ? "

How do you write *the* song? What does an artist feel when alone in the studio? What does it take to perform on the stage of your dreams? Where is *the* place to be to see your favorite artists?

These are the kinds of questions we’ve been answering since 2021 on this podcast: *Memory Lane: Secrets of Stage and Studio*.

Memory Lane is your music show that captures the behind the scenes of the music industry and makes you relive strong moments, experienced on stage and in the studio.

Behind the closed doors of the Music industry dwell many secrets that we would like to know.

Each episode immortalizes memories of concerts and festivals, and confidences from musicians, producers on their creations in the studio.

"We all have a story that is worth listening to".

Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Description

Dans cette interview, Lakecia Benjamin, saxophoniste et compositrice nominée 6 fois aux Grammy Awards, parle de son nouvel album : « We Dream », ou l'urgence de rêver ensemble

« Tout le monde est mon peuple. »

Enfin, Lakecia nous partage son retour d'expérience des Grammy Awards.

Crédit photographie : Pannonica Studio

Abonne-toi à la newsletter pour ne pas manquer le prochain épisode : https://shorturl.at/EsurF

Instagram : @soundssobeautiful

Site web : soundssobeautiful.net

YouTube : Sounds So Beautiful

On a tous une histoire qui vaut la peine d'être écoutée.

"We've all got a story worth listening to".

Jingle composé par Sam Cassegrain Extrait de l'album POETICALLY YOURS, par Marcus Gon.

Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Transcription

Speaker #0
My name is Marcus. I'm the editor-in-chief of the media that is called Sounds So Beautiful. And it's a media focused on jazz, of course, but neo-soul as well, and hip-hop, and jazz, and gospel, actually. And I really discovered you and your music thanks to this festival, Jazz Avien. Welcome here, and congratulations on the last album, We Dream.
Speaker #1
Thank you.
Speaker #0
Beautiful album. I wanted to dive a little bit in the... In the meaning of this album for you and for the people that you're rapping, you say like We Dream, it's like a collective effort. There are tracks like Mi Gente. Yeah, So who is your gente?
Speaker #1
Everyone is my people, you know, but I made the album We Dream because I felt that all over the world, everyone is focusing on kind of the self right now. My country is better than your country. My food is better than your food. Yeah, thanks. You know? Even with the music, it's like, it doesn't matter if you're playing music, it matters to make AI music. I won't go to a restaurant and eat and have a date at Uber Eats. You know, so everyone is kind of isolating and I feel that in order to get the better kind of world that we need, we need a collective kind of response. I cannot just do it by myself, even if we had Nelson Mandela up from the grave. It's not going to work, you know what I mean? We need everybody kind of on the same page. Everyone is almost fighting for their own survival. and forgetting that we have a planet together we need to be on. Do you want to get in here?
Speaker #0
I'm not. You're not in there. Let me set it in the picture. No,
Speaker #1
now you come. Come on, you're still not there.
Speaker #0
I'm a bit shy.
Speaker #1
There you go, there you are. There you go, there you go. All right, all right.
Speaker #0
Now be in. Boom. What's up?
Speaker #1
There you go.
Speaker #0
I don't know if you know this being from Los Angeles Coast Country.
Speaker #1
What's the name?
Speaker #0
Coast Counter.
Speaker #1
No, I don't know them.
Speaker #0
You should check him. I'll check it out. You should check him.
Speaker #1
I want to hear some new music. I would love to.
Speaker #0
Yeah, Mi Gente. I love the people that you pick and choose to be part of your people, of your collective. And for this particular track, you picked Christian Scott, who made the album Diaspora.
Speaker #1
Yeah,
Speaker #0
yeah. He said something really interesting. I'm going to read you, and I want to have your take on this. He said, Um... Yeah, we're trying to highlight the sameness between seemingly disparate cultures of sound as a means of showing a broader reference and love for the people who create the sound and the experiences that lead them to those places. And what's your take on this? How much do you relate to this?
Speaker #1
To me, the first time I even met Christian Scott, I was in a jazz festival in Brazil.
Speaker #0
Oh, right.
Speaker #1
He was playing there, too, the day before me. Okay. And he was in the lobby. I said, where are you going? He said, he's going... into the village to meet the musicians to find out the real authentic Brazilian sounds. And when he leaves, he's going to Ghana to find the real sounds. And when he leaves there, he's going to India. So I feel that he, like me, respects all the cultures of music and what it takes. In order to learn more about music, you have to really respect and identify with another person's culture and experience and why they're doing it. You cannot just say, I love John Coltrane. You have to know, what did John Coltrane eat? what did he smell like why did he like alice coltrane what made him fall in love and those are the things that uh bring that too so i put him on mi gente because i'm from washington high which is a dominican neighborhood yes so i felt that he could best amplify what it means on the track for everyone
Speaker #0
in the world being my people okay so you uh you put in on dominican culture the merengue yeah yeah yeah i put him on the song that i felt you you
Speaker #1
Dominican culture, everything, it's all African.
Speaker #0
True.
Speaker #1
So you can, you know, play different ways around it and bring your take on it. So I wanted to put him on the track where I felt that that's where he really excels, in cultured music. Yes, yes. You know, so I wanted something that we share that together, that kind of energy.
Speaker #0
All right, all right. In this album, and I'm hoping that what we're going to get on stage, you share some poems as well.
Speaker #1
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker #0
And I love your poem in Ascension. There's some balls like smiting through the thunder. or like in the plus and like smelling through the thunder i couldn't help but think of the the land of michael jackson i want to be studying something uh the pain is the tender what does that point mean to you uh yeah what does it mean to you to
Speaker #1
me every time i do spoken word in the album it's more of a vulnerable space i'm trying to because the music you can get so lost in it. It's so happy, exciting. you can forget the message. So I always try to put the poem there. So almost like you're in a movie, and now the movie's being narrated to you. So making the listener think, what is the shape of peace? What is the thunder that's around me? So they can visualize what I'm walking through as I'm going. Almost think of it as I'm starting one place, walking through different parts of the earth, finding different guests to play with. So as we're taking the journey there, we're reminding the audience through the poetry. to the lyrics, everything of where we are now.
Speaker #0
Now you're moving with your crew, with amazing musicians such as, let me not misspell the name, Elias Bailey, Oscar Perez, Jonathan Barber, Jazz Room of the Year, by the way. And you are playing tonight at Jazz Avien on a special night that is called the Hip Hop Night. And that is something in France. Because we love to separate jazz and hip-hop, but you studied Coltrane. Coltrane has a huge influence on jazz, but hip-hop and soul as well. Yeah, totally. I can mention Erykah Badu with the real shot intro that samples So What.
Speaker #1
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker #0
So what is your take on this? How do you stand between jazz and hip-hop? Is it the same for you? Is it different for you?
Speaker #1
For me? I'm black American right so all of the music starts same place Africa it goes first of the blues then it goes to jazz then it goes to gospel then it goes rhythm and blues which is why we call it R&B now. Poetry you know rhythm and poetry you know that's why it's rap so it's all part of the same culture but it's hard to say at one point in time hip-hop was influenced by jazz they were sampling jazz things and when I play with P-Rock he knows I took this from Dave Grueson. I took this from Bob James. I took that from Donald Byrd. And now, for the first time, we have it where jazz musicians are taking the hip-hop people's songs and making jazz albums out of them. My friend Casa Oro has made an album off of that. So the influence has now gone both ways. And De La Soul is a band that really knows jazz. And they really admire it and appreciate it. But they're also, from this generation that we have, we grew up listening to them. We were singing along, watching their music videos as we're coming of age. It's almost a monumental thing for me to be here playing for such legends that have hit songs that I know the words for, I know the raps for. The reason I'm rapping is because I've heard them. I've heard like, you know, all the guys, Q-Tip,
Speaker #0
all the stars.
Speaker #1
So they are together now, you know.
Speaker #0
Yeah, I heard someone and he was right. You can't mention jazz and hip-hop without mentioning Trap Call Quest and Q-Tip. Yeah, yeah,
Speaker #1
of course.
Speaker #0
so and hence your collaboration with uh casa overall yeah yeah sure a nice surprise in the album because all jazz and a little bit of spoken word but i was surprised by the presence of yeah and singing and actually finally you're on the sax but yeah you're mc actually how about that yeah there's gonna be somebody tonight for sure but all right all right well final question then um uh maybe two uh if you you back to the moment in your musical journey that you could simply relive. and not change but just experience like a second time? What would it be?
Speaker #1
One moment, only one.
Speaker #0
Maybe two if you wish.
Speaker #1
You know, if I do one moment, I do the first one. The first time I got to do a jam with Stevie Wonder.
Speaker #0
Oh, okay. I got you.
Speaker #1
He was going to get an award, and they told us if we come play, we can be the band for him. So we thought, yeah, whatever. It's not going to happen. But after playing for one hour and a half, he came up, got his award, and he heard us playing. So he sat at the piano, played a song with us. We thought, okay, we play one song with him, great to go. He stayed and played for two hours. And if this is me, this is where the piano was.
Speaker #0
Okay.
Speaker #1
So the whole time I'm playing with him, feeling around, and the last song we played was All I Do. Okay. And I know that it has a big saxophone solo. So I told the piano player, you take the solo. I was looking at him, go, go, go, because you got us the job, right? But the solo came and he never took it. And Stevie Wonder says, oh, somebody solo. So I just start playing the solo from the CD just to show him that I know it. And he's like, ah And the whole audience is like, ah So the whole room goes crazy. And after that show, he called me to the side and said he wants my phone number. And we started playing together. But that was during Barack Obama's inauguration. So two monumental things are happening. And we're all surprised in America to be having Obama as a president. And then boom.
Speaker #0
Historical.
Speaker #1
Yeah, yeah, for sure.
Speaker #0
Wow. So many things to share. I would love to digress on the Grammy journey, like what it taught you. As a person and a music person, as well as a musician and as a music person.
Speaker #1
You mean the Grammys?
Speaker #0
Yeah, the Grammys.
Speaker #1
It's a two-headed sword with that. In one place, you're always proud to be seen. In three years, to be seen six times.
Speaker #0
Yes.
Speaker #1
When they didn't look at you at all before is amazing, right? But it also reminds you to try to focus on what is real. Because all six, except for maybe two, I've lost to someone that has passed away, that has died.
Speaker #0
Oh, okay.
Speaker #1
You know, so it teaches you to be patient, to remember that the ultimate goal in life is the music and the work. And the prize has come, but the work is what most is seen. And the fact that your peers are seeing you and the audience is seeing you means you are doing things in God's timing, you know?
Speaker #0
Your peers and your mentors.
Speaker #1
Yeah, you know.
Speaker #0
My last question. What would you like people in the audience to feel from your music, your peeps on stage?
Speaker #1
For me, I always exhibit a lot of joy, a lot of happiness, a lot of, you know, let go. You know, I leave the room. If they want to be sad, they can be sad. If they want to be happy and dancing, they can be dancing. If they want to cry, I don't tell the audience how to feel. I respond to how they are feeling. So it's my job almost to be some kind of therapist. You know, so I, but I'm hopeful that.
Speaker #0
they will want to party i think so i think yeah yeah this is the party night so so many rhythms from the the latin rhythms yeah yeah yeah energy and the emceeing i'm sure we're gonna have a lot of fun so yeah totally thank you very much nice to meet you marcus nice to meet you too

About Memory Lane : Secrets de Scène & de Studio

Wait... Did you hear that?

Comment Écrire LA chanson ?

Que ressent l'artiste une fois seul.e au studio ?

Que faut-il pour jouer sur LA scène de ses rêves ?

Quelle est THE place to be pour aller voir ses artistes préférés ? .

Autant de questions auxquelles on répond depuis 2021 dans ce podcast : Memory Lane, Secrets de Scène et Studio.

Memory Lane est ton émission musicale qui capture les coulisses de l'industrie musicale et te fait revivre des moments forts, vécus sur scène et en studio.

Les secteurs opaques du Divertissement et de la Culture regorgent de secrets qu'on aimerait bien connaître.

Chaque épisode immortalise des souvenirs de concerts et festivals, et des confidences de musiciens.nes, producteurs.rices sur leurs créations en studio.

LISTEN CLOSER

"Écoutez leurs voix, leurs histoires, et leurs savoirs".

Podcast animé par l'équipe éditoriale de Sounds So Beautiful, votre média spécialisé culture Neo-Soul, et plus largement, Rhythm & Blues (Hip-Hop, Jazz et Gospel Soul/R&B)

Depuis 2021, ce podcast est la plateforme pour promouvoir son actualité musicale et culturelle, sensibiliser, éduquer, et véhiculer plus d'authenticité dans ces métiers.

Au programme :

Des interviews exclusives avec des artistes récompensés aux Grammy Awards, comme Samara Joy, ou des pionniers du Hip Hop français comme Saïan Supa Crew, ainsi que des artistes R&B émergents à Londres, Paris, Lyon, ou Los Angeles.
Des débats pour promouvoir la sortie d'ouvrages de journalistes et de philosophes comme Nicolas Rogès ou Benjamine Weill
Des reportages qui capturent l'ADN de festivals iconiques comme Jazz à Vienne ou émergents comme Lyon Gospel Festival
Des leçons de vie et des retours d'expériences du métier de compositeur avec des grands noms du Jazz et de la Soul comme Ben l'oncle Soul, Chassol, Lee Fields, Michael League, and more.

Visitez le studio Sounds So Beautiful !

***** ENGLISH*****

"Pause... t'as entendu ça ? "

How do you write *the* song? What does an artist feel when alone in the studio? What does it take to perform on the stage of your dreams? Where is *the* place to be to see your favorite artists?

These are the kinds of questions we’ve been answering since 2021 on this podcast: *Memory Lane: Secrets of Stage and Studio*.

Memory Lane is your music show that captures the behind the scenes of the music industry and makes you relive strong moments, experienced on stage and in the studio.

Behind the closed doors of the Music industry dwell many secrets that we would like to know.

Each episode immortalizes memories of concerts and festivals, and confidences from musicians, producers on their creations in the studio.

"We all have a story that is worth listening to".

Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

About Memory Lane : Secrets de Scène & de Studio

Wait... Did you hear that?

Comment Écrire LA chanson ?

Que ressent l'artiste une fois seul.e au studio ?

Que faut-il pour jouer sur LA scène de ses rêves ?

Quelle est THE place to be pour aller voir ses artistes préférés ? .

Autant de questions auxquelles on répond depuis 2021 dans ce podcast : Memory Lane, Secrets de Scène et Studio.

Memory Lane est ton émission musicale qui capture les coulisses de l'industrie musicale et te fait revivre des moments forts, vécus sur scène et en studio.

Les secteurs opaques du Divertissement et de la Culture regorgent de secrets qu'on aimerait bien connaître.

Chaque épisode immortalise des souvenirs de concerts et festivals, et des confidences de musiciens.nes, producteurs.rices sur leurs créations en studio.

LISTEN CLOSER

"Écoutez leurs voix, leurs histoires, et leurs savoirs".

Podcast animé par l'équipe éditoriale de Sounds So Beautiful, votre média spécialisé culture Neo-Soul, et plus largement, Rhythm & Blues (Hip-Hop, Jazz et Gospel Soul/R&B)

Depuis 2021, ce podcast est la plateforme pour promouvoir son actualité musicale et culturelle, sensibiliser, éduquer, et véhiculer plus d'authenticité dans ces métiers.

Au programme :

Des interviews exclusives avec des artistes récompensés aux Grammy Awards, comme Samara Joy, ou des pionniers du Hip Hop français comme Saïan Supa Crew, ainsi que des artistes R&B émergents à Londres, Paris, Lyon, ou Los Angeles.
Des débats pour promouvoir la sortie d'ouvrages de journalistes et de philosophes comme Nicolas Rogès ou Benjamine Weill
Des reportages qui capturent l'ADN de festivals iconiques comme Jazz à Vienne ou émergents comme Lyon Gospel Festival
Des leçons de vie et des retours d'expériences du métier de compositeur avec des grands noms du Jazz et de la Soul comme Ben l'oncle Soul, Chassol, Lee Fields, Michael League, and more.

Visitez le studio Sounds So Beautiful !

***** ENGLISH*****

"Pause... t'as entendu ça ? "

How do you write *the* song? What does an artist feel when alone in the studio? What does it take to perform on the stage of your dreams? Where is *the* place to be to see your favorite artists?

These are the kinds of questions we’ve been answering since 2021 on this podcast: *Memory Lane: Secrets of Stage and Studio*.

Memory Lane is your music show that captures the behind the scenes of the music industry and makes you relive strong moments, experienced on stage and in the studio.

Behind the closed doors of the Music industry dwell many secrets that we would like to know.

Each episode immortalizes memories of concerts and festivals, and confidences from musicians, producers on their creations in the studio.

"We all have a story that is worth listening to".

Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

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