Attracted by the innovation brought about by outsiders
When I was in high school, there was a jazz cafe in every town. And there were a lot of mysterious old men there who taught me music. They were like the local Miles Davis (laughs). They would get together and form bands, and I would sometimes join in on guitar.
I had almost no knowledge of jazz at the time, but the II-V progressions and tension chords in the early songs of Original Love were a direct result of that influence. It wasn't until I started learning jazz guitar in my late 40s that I was finally able to properly incorporate the mechanics of those chords and rhythms into my songs.
It's nothing new, but it's fascinating to see outsiders in the jazz world combining soul and hip-hop to create innovative music. Seeing them makes me feel like there's still room for me to take on new challenges, and it's always inspiring.
