Lessons in Leadership and Jazz | Jesse "JTJazz" Thompson

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One thing that grabbed me about jazz, freedom, liberty, and how I was raised and taught is that one band, one sound.

To know your place, not to outshine or try to outdo one another. Let's go.
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This is The Way. Hello, everyone, and welcome back to the show.
We have a tremendous conversation for you today with Jesse JT Jazz Thompson, a multidiscipline composer, pianist, keyboardist. In this episode, we relate working in a jazz band to how we operate as leaders inside of a team, how we manage the flow, and how we integrate different ideas in a kind of real-time nature.
We talk about the business of music and we dissect the differences between Jesse's solo career to being part of a band, what that looks like and how you take both the kind of self-oriented nature of being a solo artist and integrate that into and how you can use those skills to be a better member, a more productive member, a more integrated member of a band. All of this relates back to how we operate our businesses, how we operate our life, and it is so much fun for me when we're able to bring in individuals who come from disciplines such as the music industry and take their stories, their ideas, their insights, and apply them back to how we improve our business and our life.
Jesse is an exceptional guy. I really enjoyed this conversation, and I know you will too.
If this is your first time here, make sure you subscribe to the show wherever you're listening or if you're watching on YouTube. If you have thoughts, comments, if you want to just give Jesse a shout out, leave that in the reviews or in the comments if you're on YouTube.
Appreciate the hell out of you for listening to this show. I love you for listening to this show.
Let's get on to Jesse Thompson. Jesse, phenomenal to have you on the show, man.
Excited for our conversation. What's going on? Thank you, man.
I'm blessed to be here. Thanks for me it's an honor yeah so we you know my i mentioned my good buddy uh you know we're friendly competitors mick hunt you were on his show mick unplugged so yeah um you know we got to find some space in here where we can uh we can one up one up your conversation with him and uh for all the listeners at home you guys know that uh m a buddy of mine, and I highly encourage everyone to listen to the Mick Unplugged show, too, which Jesse was on.
My first question for you is, why jazz? What was it about that particular genre of music that just grabbed you and said, you know, this inspires me. This is a place that I want to put some time in.
Well, you know, um, first of all, it started, believe it or not, it started with gospel, um, church because my mom was a church working as pianist. And then my dad, by him being a retired, um, uh, professional jazz drummer, he was deeply into the church as well.
Um, so I did a lot in the gospel area there with church. Um, but dad by him being a professional jazz drummer that kind of like leaked me into that field right playing field and so we would always listen to you know count basie duke ellington uh uh richard groove holmes jimmy smith charles erland all these different type of lps back then um and eight tracks believe it or not yeah so as a, we're sitting there listening to stuff and he's having me study stuff and I just enjoyed it as well as we had other genres in the house playing.
But it was something about jazz. One thing that grabbed me about jazz, one word I can say is freedom, liberty.
With jazz, you're able to go different places without maybe, for me anyway, without feeling constrained or without feeling like, oh, I got to keep it right here. It allows me to express myself a little bit more.
So that was one thing that really grabbed me. And then also found out that it also involved a lot of different other types of genres, kind of like a melting pot full of ingredients.
You can trickle into jazz, whether it be some gospel, classical, and then different forms, maybe some rock, little R&B, whatever. So I really like jazz and I like the way that it allows me to express myself.
So it really grabbed me. Well, it's the original American art form.
I mean, we invented the genre. I mean, that's one of the things that I love about it.
And I love, you know, the other thing I love about jazz. And so, you know, I have this enormous and wide-ranging appreciation for music, yet I am one of the least musically inclined humans.
Oh, you don't sing or nothing? You don't play anything. I mean, I sing, but not well, I have a guitar that I have tried to learn how to play many times and just never seem to make it make the sounds, but, uh, uh, but I have this appreciation for it.
And one of the things that, um, has always, uh, and I enjoy jazz. I won't say that I have as, as deep as I wish I did, but I've always been enamored by the blues and particularly the Deep South blues.
I love it. And I fell in love with like Taj Mahal and some of these other guys and all of them come back to being inspired by and spending time in jazz in some way, shape or form.
And, you know, I guess I'm going to ask you a bunch of esoteric questions. I'm just so interested in this and your creativity.
Like, you know, how when you're when you're when you're taking in, say, another genre, like maybe maybe you hear a blues riff that that someone plays you know it feels to me like the beauty of jazz is that it allows you to have this form and then pull in these other forms as as they fit and as and as you're inspired to do so and that's a very unique quality is that am i describing that properly yeah no yeah you're right on it um you know with jazz like you said you can you can pull different pieces right from different um other elements if you will music elements and you can make and you can really make it work so for example like um the different types of instruments that are out there you know i mean of course have the piano, but then we have different type of woodwind instruments that we can incorporate in there. And it's almost, it's really like orchestration, right? We can orchestrate different things to make it work, to make it have our freedom of expression musically.
And, you know, plus we can add in the different syncopated rhythms, which is a lot of fun.

Mixed meters, then stuff is like, wow, that it doesn't make sense, but it does, you know. And so it's just, yeah, you're right.
It's it's allows you to pull in different things and just do things created to, you know, very in a creative form and have fun with it, too. Yeah, I was in New Orleans a few years ago and, you know, one of my favorite things to do after probably having a few too many cocktails is finding like the most like backroom jazz, you know, live jazz that I can find.

I try to stay off. I mean, there's there's great stuff on Bourbon Street, but men, you get some really cool stuff.

If you you ask the right person, you know, that looks like they've been there for a while. They can usually point you in a good direction.

So – I mean, there's great stuff on Bourbon Street, but man, you get some really cool stuff if you ask the right person, you know, that looks like they've been there for a while.

They can usually point you in a good direction. So I did that and went with a couple of friends and we sat down and we're listening.

And what someone like me, who is not musically inclined, appreciates but struggles to understand is how a group of musicians in a jazz band can play off each other. Like as much as you can, I would love for you just to explain how you guys work off of each other because you'll hear, say the pianist, well, bam, it goes off and he's doing his thing and you can tell he's got the lead and everyone's just kind of following him.
And then some moment that I can't understand, but obviously the band can, the trumpeteer will take over or then the saxophonist. And then now the guitar will take over.
And then, and then they'll, then the pattern, it's not like a pattern. Then, then maybe it'll bounce back over to the Trump.
And you're like, it's brilliant. I mean, you appreciate it so much, but I have no understanding of how you're able to do that.
Yeah. So, you know, you say the key word, band, and how I was raised and taught is that one band, one sound, meaning to know your place, not to outshine or try to outdo one another there's a time to step out this is time to step back um and one way of making sure that that's done creatively is is where you know like you're saying we're bouncing off another it's a form of communication uh and one word i love to use is called connection right so we're connected um And so musically, we can feed off of one another.
We communicate. And it's just sometimes it's indescribable because it's such a vibe that, you know.
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If it's a tune, let's say it's a tune I'm leading off playing piano. I got bass, guitar, you know, and drums and sax, something like that.
And so I may be leading it off. And then it's like everyone knows their place.
So maybe the saxophonist will come up and do a little solo riff off or whatever. And then it goes off, pan off to whoever else.
And then it may be like a free pool, as I call it. And that's when you really get the vibe going off of each other.
Um, it's just amazing. It's, it's really just a normal, another form of communication.
Um, and being able to bounce off of one another is so key and, uh, and listening, you know, part of really listening is key too. So, I mean, it's a lot of fun.
And it allows you to know one another even more. And, you know, the funny thing about with music is, like I tell people, it's a universal language.
It's a way of bringing people together. So, I may not know you from Adam or from whenever, but if we sit down and we're playing something together and this has happened quite a bit automatically we connect it's like music is that nucleus it just attracts and it just make things cohesive and it makes it work and it's it's amazing uh it's it's amazing to me yeah I I joke all the time the question but no no you definitely did did.
So I live where I live, the greatest horse racing track in the entire world, Saratoga, is in, you know, for anyone who lives in Kentucky, Churchill Downs is a dog track compared to Saratoga now. No, I just joke.
But I make this joke all the time that there's only two places that you can see a woman dressed to the nines and ten thousand dollars worth of clothes uh sitting next to a guy with a pit stained wife beater that he's owned for 20 years and that's the horse track and a really good live music performance like that that's the only two places right like it doesn't matter where you're from what you believe, you know, the horse track and a live music performance.

Everybody's just there to appreciate and share and feel the vibe and energy and everything.

It's so wonderful.

You know, another thing I love about conversations like this with people like yourself is that you could replace everything you just said with a business context, with a sports team or a community group context or a not-for-profit or,

or any type of thing that, that connection, listening,

knowing where you fit in, understanding when to take the lead.

You know, what was that like in like when COVID hit and you guys weren't able to play together? Did you feel that loss of connection? What was that like when COVID hit and you guys weren't able to play together?

Did you feel that loss of connection?

What was that like for you?

Yeah, so when COVID hit at that time, that was before I decided to become a solo artist.

So I was playing with a lot of different other artists in different bands, like Eric Darius, Nick Coleone before he passed, Jeff Koshua, Althea Rene, just to name a few.

And so when that happened, I actually had a show that was scheduled to play with Eric Darius and it was like, yeah, this show was canceled. I'm like, okay, canceled.
Okay. And then the next one, the next one, the next one, and it just, and it was like,, wow.
And then that's when the announcement came about, you know, COVID. So at that moment, everything was at a standstill.
At that time, I was still working a nine to five. So I really wasn't impacted as much as a lot of my other fellow musicians and artists were.
So I was fortunate. But however, you know, it still was a major impact.
It was just like a ghost town. So at that moment, that's when I was led.
It was like God was just telling me, and I was saying, I got to do something that's like make you happy, make people inspired, kind of get their mind off of this craziness for now. So that's when my first single weekend groove, that's how it was created.
And it was just about energy, about, you know, promoting, you know, good, good stuff, you know, taking people to another realm and positivity. So during that time, that allowed me to become more involved with doing things as an artist and doing more online things so the other thing is although it was a catastrophe it wound up birthing or illuminating virtual connection for artists and musicians so it allowed us to become more interactively involved remotely and virtually so at that moment it was like hey um i need to add this base can you add this baseline yeah send it to me right email it to them or whatever they do it they send it back we were still able to create and get things done which was really really beneficial without leaving our homes without paying for a player a plane ticket or you know or a transportation company right So that really allowed us to really grow and to do things that way.
Did you see, was the creative process different? Did you see any new aspects of creativity coming out of the limitations of not being able to sit in the same room and create together? I think it brought about another level of boldness of being able to do something that you always

wanted to do without feeling restricted.

And it also allows you to have more versatility and diversity in dealing with, you know,

collaboration, right?

Because there are some people who may not have been available, but guess what? Hey, Ryan's available. I'm going to hit up Ryan.
Ryan said he'll love to do it. I'll have Ryan do this part, right? And then it allowed us to grow.
So it also brought, to me, it helped strengthen relationships a lot. So although I may not have been able to hang out with whomever by us doing the things together as a collaboration it really you know strengthened the relationship and built it even more yeah yeah yeah yeah the availability and access probably because everyone's looking for something for some place to play and and contribute and work on projects is you you know, I, I watched, um, uh, I like, I like Pink Floyd.
Probably most people do like that genre. Oh yeah.
And I was watching the dark side of the moon documentary and what I found. Okay.
So, uh, in dark side of the moon, the actual song, uh, there's that, that saxophone part is just, you know, it's like, you're going through this song and the buildup and they're and they're changing keys and you're, I'm going to butcher some of this. They go from like a four tempo to an eight or an eight to a four or something, which is very unique for rock and roll.
And then this saxophone hits, right? And it's like this epic saxophone. You hear it.
You know exactly what song it is, exactly what band is. The guy that did that solo for that song was like the sixth guy they called.
The guy they wanted wasn't available. And they started going down this list and they just got to the next guy who could come into the studio.
And you think about that and you're like, wow, would that song be different? Would it have sounded different? Would it be as epic if this particular individual who they had no intention of being on the record was just available showed up and played it the way he played it and now it's this epic you know you know one of the greatest uh albums ever created probably um amazing and you're just like man being available being open your word networking, like these are core aspects for for for everything, not just a business context where it tends to sit. It's like, man, in your world, just people knowing that, hey, man, if I if I need if I need a track on the piano, someone who's really going to think about it and get me something back.
Man, man, Jesse's there. I can just send this over to him.
He's there. He's there he's available we can get this done that's that's a wonderful thing yeah yeah it is it's a great thing and and and then it also like you said it's networking um and collaboration and you learn off of one another and you know and it's it's like a another it's a classroom model i you know, I was to say it, right?

You know, you learn off of each other and you learn some things to do, what not to do. And you also learn some new techniques and skills, which is really cool.
So, oh, yeah, it's I think the COVID thing, I hate to use the term blessing and a cursing, But I think it was a good lesson that helped us all to become stronger and to persevere through things and to and to bring us all together, unify us more and to let, you know, let things go. you know what I mean? And just say, hey, you know what, we're human.
And unfortunately,

that experience with COVID, it kind of dehumanized us as far as the sensitive emotional touch type of feel. So that's why now it's, you know, things are coming back, which is good, but you have some people who are still reserved in, you know, shaking hands, giving a hug, you know, because of that.
And really, that's what we were born to do. We were born to interact with one another.
We're born to feel one another, you know, emotionally and say, hey, you know, what can I do to help you out, right? Or this person's going through something or hey, I'm so glad to see you. Uplift one another is so key.
And, you know, to have that kind of shut down for, what, two years or three whatever it's pretty tough on us it's like wow what just happened um but you know fortunately things are starting to come back and you know we're able to go out more and do more things together you know as as a human human culture which is really good talk to me a little bit about the experience of creating your first solo single and then an entire album, right? You created, you ended up being an entire album. Like, what was that like having never gone through it before? You know, did it feel like a grind of filling up the tracks or were you just, was it just pure inspiration or, you know, having never created something like that before, what is that process like? I had already had libraries of tunes that I just didn't do anything with and didn't know what to do.
But this project, so the single Weekend Groove was definitely something that was inspired by what was going on, what we're going through. To take some people people get their minds off of the stuff and just say, Hey, let's do something that helps to promote a good time, you know, of us, you know, going out, hanging out, doing whatever.
So that was definitely an inspiration. And then the rest of the songs on the album were also inspirations.
I think there was maybe only one song on there that I had in the library uh but the rest of them were really all fresh so to go through that as an artist was was kind of different for me at first because i was so used to being the guy behind the scenes or on the sideline and it's like wait a minute all of a sudden now you're the quarterback you know in football right it's like oh man you're the quarterback it's like what you know um but it you know it was it's fun it's fun and it also showed something about myself um as a leader and as a people person and as someone who loves to orchestrate and put things together because on my project I've pretty much collaborated with almost you know I think every song was a collaboration with someone um And I love doing that because to me, I feel like, you know, Ryan, we're in this together and it allows us to help one another in so many different ways. And so, you know, going through that process was, it was, it was different, but it was fun.
And I did have a couple of challenges, you know, dealing with, you know, limited with the technology or with the instrument, the virtual instruments, but I was able to overcome it and then, you know, able to, you know, work with other people who were able to help me out. So that worked out really good.
But, you know, the number one thing for that, I think the cause for that was money, right? You know, the finances as an indie artist, it artist, it, it, it can be financially challenging at times. Uh, but when you have, you know, you, you know, you just have the love of the people who love music and who supports you.
Uh, I mean, that's a blessing within itself. So that, that goes a long way.
So, um, but yeah, that experience doing with my own project, um, it definitely wasn't anything just to fill up space. It was something to say, hey, this is my first coming out, my little inauguration of who I am, the man behind the keys.
Welcome. Yeah.
Yeah. What does the, like, how do you get that out into the market? Like, what's the process? How do you market your own album? Like, what does that even look like, especially when you're an indie artist?

Yeah, yeah.

So internet.

Internet is really good.

You deal with different distribution companies.

I don't know if I'm allowed to name some, but there's some distribution companies out there.

You can look up and research.

As well as having social media is so key, you know, very key in having that presence and helping you out and having a website and definitely word of mouth. But yeah, getting that out there marketing wise is, you know, it can be a little bit challenging depending on what your funds are like.
But thankfully, we have, you know, different tools online now with different social media outlets that can help us do ads, can help us do stories, can help us do, you know, video clips, that sort of thing, which is really good. But once you land into a distribution, whoever that might be, they all hit all of the major stores stores um online stores so that's key um you can still you know i still get cds printed today and and usbs um because a lot of people still want something tangible uh i am thinking about doing a vinyl of some sort because i love vinyl and and vinyls are still hot over in the UK.
I mean, they never left. And so are cassette tapes.
Really? I mean, yeah, cassettes are even coming back more because you can put more on a cassette tape, and it has that little nostalgic type of organic vibe, right? So it's really a cool thing. But, yeah it's amazing how things are like revolving back to what they used to be.
Yeah, so I mean, but it's also good for us artists because streaming is okay, it gets you a presence, but you get better pay when someone actually purchases the actual material. That makes sense.
So that helps out. Yeah.
I was, uh, some, obviously my, my kids being 10 and eight, they've grown up with Spotify and they built their own Spotify playlist and they add songs to it and they, all this kind of stuff. Um, yep.
But I was explaining to them the other day about how we used to make mixes when I was growing up in the eighties where like, I was like, you used to sit by the radio with a cassette tape and you're like waiting for the, you know, trying to figure out what the song was as the host is bringing it in. And then you'd like press the button real quick.
And every song had like, was like kind of cut off at the front, kind of cut off at the end. And then you'd always have like the DJ's voice on it in between songs.
I was like, and then you'd have like these mixtapes that you created and so hopefully one of your friends had one of the dual cassette players that you could then transfer the mixtape and copy i was like trying to explain that and they're looking at me like they're like what are you talking about like that sounds awful like i can just press my finger on this little piece of glass here and play any song that i want. It's funny.
But see, that's what, that's, that's what, that was one of the things that made our generation so unique and, and able to do multiple things at once and able to look forward to building something with our hands, because we were, we were mixing this, putting this here, putting that there and flipping this and then like you said um it's I think it was a part of engineering it was another level of engineering right I mean we're able you listen to the radio you got a cassette tape you hit record you record that and you and then you try to hit pause or stop it before the radio commercial comes on and then the next song comes on you hit that and then like you said you make a mixtape and you kind of and then we used to splice our own stuff back in the day um and then it's just it's just it was a lot of fun and it and it and it kept your mind going and thinking what can you do next or how can you do it differently so it was it was really cool it may seem like busy work to our generation today but but man in our day that was the way to do it i mean yeah i remember um so we didn't have like when i was growing up which kind of sucks i i love i loved i loved hip-hop even from you know like even the early early stuff but uh obviously the 90s hip-hop is epic um and i remember someone had a cousin who lived in New York city. So they had hot 97 and they got a juicy from notorious big BIG on their

cassette tape and then dubbed, you know,

copied it and got it to my friend.

And he walks into, I remember I was like,

I can't remember what grade I was in.

I don't even think it was high school.

It was like middle school or whatever.

And he walks in with this cassette tape over his head going,

I got BIG on cassette.

Like,

Thank you. I remember I was like, I can't remember what grade I was in.
I don't even think it was high school. It was like middle school or whatever.
And he walks in with this cassette tape over his head going, I got B.I.G. on cassette.
Like you would think he was like the king. Like people just like swarmed him.
Like everyone like wanted to, hey, can I get a copy of that? Because he had this one song on this cassette tape that his buddy had dubbed off a Hot 97. And it's just like those experiences, like they'll just never understand what it means to like you know this song exists you've heard of it but like you can't get on the radio where you live and oh my god it's amazing and they were they were talking shit one day and uh and i have a uh my dad gave me his record collection and then i've kind of i i've built my own over time and um i remember one day they were talking, they always like to bust my chops like I'm old and I don't understand.
And I was like, all right, I'm going to play you. I go, you, so parenting decisions aside, I decided to introduce my kids to what I would consider good music very early.
And the first band that I introduced them to, really the first three bands that I introduced them to were Pink Floyd, Taj Mahal and Wu-Tang. So those are the first three.
Wow. This got the first three sets that I went through.
So I wanted blues. So and I love Taj.
So I went with Taj Mahal and then Pink Floyd for rock and then Wu-Tang for hip hop. So they're talking shit one day and I said, okay, put, put your favorite Wu-Tang song on, on Spotify, play it, play it right now.
So they play it and you know, whatever, it's great. And then they didn't know that I had Wu-Tang vinyls.
So I go and I put the gold Wu-Tang forever on vinyl and I turn it up and I hit play. And they're like, holy shit.
Literally, my 10-year-old, that's what he said. And again, I'm a single dad, so I let my boys, I let them swear a little bit.
My 10-year-old goes, holy shit. He goes, that sounds so much better and I was like what have I been telling you I was like I was like this is the closest that you get to being with with the artist you know and uh and then I played him you know all the rest and stuff like uh I was like Bohemian Rhapsody like you haven't heard it until you've heard it on vinyl like you haven't these guys.
You haven't heard Muddy Waters until you've heard them on vinyl.

Like you haven't heard these guys unless it's in person.

You have not heard them until you've heard them on vinyl.

It's just so much different.

So I'm completely with you there.

Plus it's cool.

And they like flipping the albums and they think that's cool too.

They get bored of it after a little while, but they like that too.

So man, it's a cool look, man.

I mean, that's what's going on now.

I mean, the vinyls, man, and it's, you get, you know, the vinyl is you capture the true authentic sound analog, you know, it's like, it's like that sine wave, you're getting everything on the sine wave on a rise and fall, you know, and, you know, digital is super clean, but digital square. So, you know, what you normally get in that curve has been squared off right.
By ones and zeros, but, but you get, you know, that's why I love like the tube mics and stuff like that, you know, tube microphones and tube amps and some of the tube keyboards. And definitely, well, behind me, Hammond B3 Organ, right? Tube, I mean, it's like, I love that because it has that warm, sensitive feeling and you can, and it bends, it bends that sound in a certain way.
It's like, oh man,'s just great so you get that on the on the vinyl and i love it i love it i was watching a documentary on um rock and roll in general and uh and there was a section on amps and and the i mean i don't remember the lead i if i told you the band name you would know it but i can't remember it doesn't matter then the lead singer lead guitarist is is talking on this documentary and they're talking about how uh the question was really like why does music sound different today and one of the things that he said was we do not make uh amps the way that they used to be made and he said he said i don't even know if we can make them the same way like i don't know that the tech like the manufacturers are set up to even do it he's like so this dude and it's crazy he he now doesn't do big shows anymore he only does small shows and he said he brings his own amp gear with him because he's got all these old like 60s and 70s amps. He's like, because I don't like the sound out of the new amps.
And I was like, that's it's wild to me. And it makes sense.
But it's wild that like the era that you're producing music in is not just the culture or, you know in the moment which it obviously that impacts it but literally the technology available to you at the time impacts what you're able to create so much as well absolutely absolutely the technology and then the materials so now the manufacturers may not even have access to some of those different types of materials that we used to have access to back in the 50s 60s 70s 80s right because you gotta remember now we're living in an age where they're trying to cut down on certain metals they want certain plastic things that are cheaper to make um and and maybe easier to break you know i mean so it's you know, so it's a total different mindset now. And then people want to make things super fast, fast, fast.
It's about, you know, quantity versus quality. So they want to get a huge stuff, you know, rushed out for production.
But I mean, you're absolutely correct. I don't think, I don't even know if we really have the true capability of recreating what we did back then because the times are different.

The availability of materials are totally different.

And, you know, processing is different now.

So I get where they're coming from.

There are some things that are still somewhat available, but it's kind of also like, you know, think of it like one of these historical classic cars to collect the collector's item, right? They really can't get a lot of the original parts anymore. They come close and it looks good, but it may not be the actual original part that it was that really it was designed for from back in the day.
So it's kind of like that with the music and material and, and speakers and instruments and everything that's totally different. So what was it like? So you spend, we'll call it this, this period of time where you're forced to create on your own and you, you do your own solo album.
And now you said you're starting to play again and play in groups and bands and stuff. Did your style change at all? Did anything change going from having that period of solo time to coming back in and working with a group again? Yeah, it changed a little bit.
When working with groups, there's a certain style or puzzle piece that has to fit for that group. Or even if you're backing up another artist, there's a certain style you have to, you know, because you're accompanying the artist or or the lead of that group right so there's a little different the genres may be very similar but the actual seasoning of that genre is different um so then with me with what i do you know like i said my household we had everything from gospel blues jazz, jazz, R&B, Sugar Hill, hip-hop stuff.

All that stuff was going on in my house.

Plus my brother, who played keys for some of Dayton's hottest groups like Slave.

And then he went on to play for Parliament and stuff like that.

So I'm getting all these different sounds in my head.

So those things that I have in my head, I, I like to somehow put them out as a solo artist. Now, it may not sound exactly like those things I just named, but it's a part of me.
Um, and it's a part of what I want to express. So that's, that's where it's different.
That's where the seasoning is different on that genre for me versus me playing with someone else. So it was different and it's still different, you know, because even today when I get called to play with other artists as an MD or whatever, I have to make sure that I adapt to their sound and to what they want, their product.
That's their brand. Right.
I can't go up there like, oh, no, I'm Jesse. I'm JT.
I'm doing my way. You know, I'm, you know, no, no, no, for one, you're out of order, for two, you're not being a team member or band member, and for three, that's not a leader, that's just, it's not possible, so what you do is you have to make sure that you understand who you're playing for and understand their concept, their brand, their style, and do everything that you're supposed to do to help keep that and even polish it even more so that, you know, you're helping them.
And at the same time, it's helping you as well because it's helping you to be more versatile. And also it's a good look because they'll say, you know, hey, you know, if we're on keyboards, we got, you know, Jesse J.T.
Jazz Thompson who has a project out of blah, blah, blah. Oh, you know, some people may not heard of me.
Oh, he does me oh he does okay cool right so it goes a long way so it it it's kind of like um it's a two-way street that's phenomenal i appreciate this conversation so much uh i just a couple more questions um one answer however you want i'm just intrigued um so many like rich, and I don't mean rich in wealth, I mean rich in music, have come out of gospel. Why do you think that is? You know what? I hate to sound biased.
You can. Go right ahead.
But, you know, when you go through different hardships and you realize there is a spiritual connection and you realize that within that connection, you know, you're feeling something. There is a spirit there.
First of all, in music, if I played a C7 chord right now, it doesn't matter if it's a C7 chord in jazz, classical, or blues, or gospel. The question is, what is the intent behind the C7? So what kind of spirit am I pushing behind that C7? Am I pushing something that's telling people to go crazy and bang their heads on the wall? Or am I pushing something that C7 says, hey, peace, love, harmony, uplifting, right? Positivity.
So that there is a spiritual connection, you know, regardless. And a lot of musicians and artists, I mean, they were born and raised in a church and started there.
And then I also think it has a lot to do with our culture. It has a lot to do with mainly some hardships, some struggles,

some overcoming, some blessings,

things that just impacted people so closely.

And again, because of that connection,

and then they're able to really elaborate.

And then there's also a thing where when you play in the church,

it's kind of like your first audition.

Because now, you know, you got some people in the church that may say,

oh, yeah, that's okay, baby.

You did a good job.

You can do better next time.

And although you're talking, I really sucked.

But it encourages you to go ahead and keep going, right?

And then eventually, boom, you know, you get there.

But I think, you know, it's a lot more than what I'm saying. But just to get the nuts and bolts of it, I think it has a lot to do with a spiritual connection and a lot to do with the fact that when you're in there, you're you're exposed or you're able to expose yourself musically in an emotional kind of way that sometimes it's taken from an all level of, or I should say it's received in all areas.
And it also helps you and encourages you to keep going and keep going. And then at that moment, you may connect with other musicians or other singers in there, and then it just becomes harmonious, and then it just gets greater and greater and greater.
So, you know, I think that's where it starts. Now, as far as when musicians, if they leave the church and they never come back or if they're still there but partially, you know, that's some kind of personal thing.
But a lot of times it may be because they want to do something outside, something different.

They may feel like they're being restricted and being able to express something differently.

Oftentimes it may be where they may feel like. I need to say something else.

But because of maybe the quote unquote walls or the borders that are put up or the standards that are in place, I'm not able to. Because you have some situations, it's just like that.
So I think it has a lot to do with those variations. And it's just, man, it's really amazing.
I see young kids that are like five and six years old that are sitting

on a Hammond B3 organ, killing it on a piano, on drums, on bass, killing it. And it's like, wow.
And I think church also gives you the opportunity. Again, it's an audition.
It gives you opportunity to feel invited and to be able to feel a part.

And, you know, you may be clunking along and clunking along, but eventually if you keep at it, something will come out of it, right? And I do have a friend of mine that he was part of a group of kids when they were growing up, and they had their trumpets and they had their congos or bongosos and they would sit on the front pew and just making noises while the real musicians are playing doing services but now these guys are like phenomenal they're playing all over the place one of them is sean jones he's one of the best trumpet players out there he's played with marcus miller he played with wynton Marcelli's orchestra. And he's one of the ones, he was the ones that's sitting on the front pew, and then now he's just, he's a professor at the University of Pittsburgh, a music conservatory.
I mean, he's, you know, so you just never know. And I think it's a way of just encouraging, so.
I love that. Yeah, it's crazy.
I'd like to close actually with a personal anecdote that you shared before we went live. And I'm just I'm just interested.
I now kind of can see how it all ties together. But you said you recently sponsored a student and that it was an experience that you found tremendous joy in and that you want to expand as part of your life.
I'd love to know what what maybe the impetus was to take on something like that. Cause not many people are willing to do that and it's a wonderful thing.
And maybe how, how that died your soul. Good question.
Yeah, man. So, you know, I was I was blessed, man, to be able to mentor the student.
And so for one, you know, they're getting ready music, getting rid of music, excuse me, from schools. they're trying to close the programs out.
They're firing the music teachers or making music teachers become teachers

of some other subject.

And music... they're firing the music teachers or making music teachers become teachers of some other subject.

And music is everywhere.

Sound is everywhere.

Frequencies are everywhere.

Even for those who are deaf, they can go off with the frequencies.

Or they can just feel the vibes, right?

And it's like getting rid of music is like saying

we're getting rid of a language to me,

and this is a universal language.

So there are a lot of students who, for myself,

when I was coming up in Dayton,

music helped, was one of the things that helped save my life.

It kept me off of the streets.

It kept me off from being involved in trouble, gangs and stuff like that. It kept me away from maybe even being beat up by gangs.
And so those times back then helped me. And I want to like restore and to extend those times for today and for tomorrow.
And so, you know, I've noticed where there are a lot of students who are discouraged in school and they're discouraged in doing anything like music. And so I was very blessed and fortunate to team up with the Childwood Madison City Schools and the Virtual Academy there, Ram Country, which is right there by my home city in Dayton.
And we were able to partner and we came up with the mentoring program.

And so I was able to mentor a student.

They were having some difficulties in school, some challenges academically.

And so what we want to do is we want to make sure that we are there for the students to help them with tutoring,

with learning, for academic stuff, any financial assistance is needed for the school program because it costs to graduate. You got to pay for your robe.
You got to pay for the graduation fee. You got to pay for this fee.
And some families just are not in a financial position to do that. So my goal, our goal is to be able to help out with that as much as possible.
That being able to do that, man, it really, it really allowed me to, to see things a whole new different level, different platform for our, our, our kids, our youth. And that's what it's all about.
You know, one of my purpose here on earth is to, is to help and especially help young people. I love helping young people.
I love talking to them, doing clinics. And I also love this mentorship program that we just launched off.
It's it's it's really it's inspiring to me. Hopefully it's inspiring to others.
And what we want to do is we want to be able to at some point be able to get as many as many students as possible to impact their lives and their family lives and to let them know that it's OK. You're not alone.
You know, don't stop. Don't quit.
You may have to pause. Right.
And pausing is OK. That's allowed.
But don't quit. Don't hit the stop button.
You're allowed to pause, but you cannot stop. You got to keep going.
And as long as we can get that message into the kids and to help them understand that they are the future, they are tomorrow, that they can do it and to stay positive, then I think we're going to be on the right track. So that was a good drive for me in getting this thing going is to be able to reach out to students and just be an impact to them and help them out as much as possible man and um you know if we if i'm you know if we're not helping one another out man i don't know what are we really doing you know that's the question you know if i'm not able to inspire what am i here for you know what i mean it's just so i have to amen to that brother i i'm right there with you love it.
I absolutely love it. This has been such a pleasure.

I am so glad that we had a chance to hang out.

And so you have your album.

We'll make sure that's all linked up in the show notes and everyone can check that out.

I know you're working on a new single that's going to be coming out soon.

Where can people maybe get on a waiting list for that?

Get more of what you do?

Maybe buy your album?

Where do you want to send them?

Absolutely.

Thank you. people, maybe get on a waiting list for that, get more of what you do, maybe buy your album.
Where do you want to send them? Absolutely. They can go to my website, jtjazz.com.
And I'm on social media as well. Facebook is JT Jazz.
I also have a fan club, so you can go out there and sign up and we'll get you on all the secrets and all the behind the scenes stuff that you can get as well and i'm on instagram as well um but to buy my product and to get autographed copies and i'm sending different stuff in addition to what they buy as a thank you gift just go to jtjazz.com and uh man sign up there sign up on the email list there and i look forward appreciate you so much man thank you Let's go Yeah Make it look Make it look

Make it look

Hey there and i look forward to appreciate you so much man thank you let's go yeah make it look make it make it look easy thank you for listening to the ryan

handley show be sure to subscribe and leave us a comment or review wherever you listen to podcasts

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