Right.
It's just‚ you know‚ whatever you say about it is just sort of‚ you can never really get to what it really is.
And it never quite does it justice.
Yeah‚ and it's also‚ it's so … like I don't even know what I'm hearing‚ like when I'm in the midst of doing it‚ whether it's either writing it or playing it‚ I sort of just get into this zone‚ where you're just in it and it's happening and you're not thinking about what it's called‚ certainly not anything about a title. You know‚ you're just in the midst of the music. And so the same thing happens‚ I think‚ when people listen to it. Like one person will hear it one way and another person will hear it another way‚ and what might sound sad to one person‚ might be happy to another person. And I don't like to try to pin it down. Or even with the titles‚ it's sort of … I mean‚ that's cool that the title kind of resonated with what you were hearing‚ but I like that each person can have their own experience with it‚ and I don't want the title to dictate what the person sees in their mind when they listen or something.
Sure.
It's cool if it just stays open‚ somehow.
Right. Yeah‚ that's a good point. Well‚ if we could just go back to what you were talking about‚ like when it's really happening and you're in that zone‚ what kind of things‚ you know‚ besides words‚ but is something happening visually or are there sounds that display certain colors?
I mean‚ again‚ that seems like it's always one step away from what it actually is. There is something like that. I guess there could be shapes or some kind of architecture or some almost like drawing things but it's not … well‚ I believe that‚ too. Like there are certain instincts we have just as humans‚ like to fill in… Like when I was a kid I used to draw a lot‚ you know‚ like dinosaurs or hot rods‚ and I never really stuck with it very long‚ but I loved drawing. And I have a lot of friends that are artists or cartoonists and stuff‚ and I think that there's an instinct to do that that's coming from maybe the same place‚ where whatever makes you want to make music. So for me‚ I guess there is some kind of visual thing there. That's a hard question too! [laughter] Because it's … I just don't know. When it is happening‚ I really don't know what's happening. I'm just in there. But sometimes when I'm listening to stuff‚ I'll sort of see … I don't know whether it's colors or shapes or something. I think I'm avoiding the question.
[laughs] Well‚ I realize it is probably a little bit difficult to explain‚ unless you experience it. But what about‚ if you have something in your head‚ a sound you're going for? And like you were saying before‚ the guys you're playing with‚ you've played with them a lot‚ but how do you communicate to them what you're hearing? Like in terms of….
Oh‚ well‚ with these guys it's instantaneous. We've played together a lot‚ but then also these are people that‚ all of them‚ when I played with them for the first time‚ it was already there. I don't have to really talk about anything with any of them. We just play and it just works. We're looking at each other for one thing. There's just this constant current of electricity going around amongst everyone‚ and just with the slightest change in a note or something‚ it'll impact the whole thing‚ really what anybody does at any time. And that's just the best feeling in the world‚ you know‚ when it just sort of happens on its own.
Yeah! Do you feel like you get there regularly?
With these guys‚ yeah. You know‚ there are other things that come into whatever happened that day‚ or it's always something coming into the music‚ like nonmusical things. Well‚ it all becomes musical things‚ I guess. But I mean‚ you know‚ there's always ups and downs‚ but generally‚ I think that's also why I'm so happy with this album; it's because everyone on there‚ I feel like I have at this moment in my life … It's the very closest friends. And just to get that on a record feels really good.
Yeah‚ that chemistry. That's good to hear you're feeling that.
Yeah. And I hope it'll keep going. We don't really have any plans for having this whole band together‚ you know? It's hard to get that many people just financially and schedule-wise and everything‚ but I'll still be playing with everybody in sort of a smaller setting. I just did a bunch of gigs with just the strings‚ and then I'm always playing with Tony and Kenny or different combinations of everybody.
I've been really taken by Jenny's [Scheinman‚ violin] playing. I know you worked with her quite a bit.
Yeah‚ she's amazing.
So she brings out a lot of cool things in you?
Yeah. And I've played on a lot of her records. Well‚ it's true with everybody‚ really. She's got so much of her own music happening‚ too‚ and she invites me to play on that. She has two new records coming out -- I'm not sure if they're out yet or they're just coming out -- and I play on those. And there's all this cross-incestuous stuff. [laughter] I'm on her records‚ and Kenny Wollesen's on her records‚ and Ron Miles is on her records‚ and I'm on Ron Miles' records. I'm on Tony Scherr's record‚ and Jenny's on Tony's record‚ and Tony's on Jenny's record‚ and‚ you know‚ all that kind of stuff. So we're all just playing together‚ all the time.
Is it just like‚ Who's gonna be the director‚ sort of‚ in that situation?
Yeah‚ I guess. It seems like everybody knows when to defer to whoever's thing it is. And then it really takes on a different life. You know‚ everybody's music sounds different‚ and whoever's the leader‚ it sort of takes on their personality.
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