Mark de Clive-Lowe: Ask Me Anything

[uvwxVinyl]

cheers! glad you're enjoying the sounds. the ronin arkestra project is a special one too - and the album just got mastered

yes, i'm well aware of what's going on in the UK. a large part of the blueprint for what's happening now is what we did in the west london/broken beat scene 1998-2008. if that hadn't happened, i believe a lot of what you're hearing now wouldnt be happening. key to to the new movement as well is the jazz refreshed crew which came directly out of the west london scene. kaidi tatham and i were the first artists to play that event and certainly helped establish it. my freesoul sessions clubnite was a fully improvised live event that featured the likes of richard spaven, jason yarde, bembe segue, kaidi tatham and more - there's an album of recordings from it on my bandcamp if you're curious. things like that laid the blueprint for sure.

shabaka hutchings is the stand out artist there for me - his three projects are all fully realized - great writing, concepts, execution and he, as an instrumentalist, composer and band leader, is fully realized. i'm excited to hear him evolve. i played the jazz refreshed festival a few years ago and had shabaka and soweto kinch on horns with me - that was super fun. last year's uberjazz fest i hosted a session with makaya mccraven and we had shabaka, theon cross, nubya and others join us on some freestyle vibes - there's always connections. 10 years ago i brought united vibrations into studio to collab with me and they had an amazing young - then unknown - drummer named yussef dayes. he was killing then too. i've had moses boyd on drums with me for a london show too. there's so much talent there and i'm always about collaboration. of all of them shabaka and moses are the ones i'd want to get in the studio with first. jason yarde too - he's my age, but still for me, the illest sax player to ever come out of the UK. my only reservation about the UK jazz explosion is that i hope the hype doesnt dilute the artistry. there's a lot of young players in it and they're mostly super capable - in some cases i do want to hear deeper work compositionally and conceptually excited to see it all grow tho!

all time top 3 ?!?!?!?!??! you're crazy. some faves tho off the top of my head...

ahmad jamal - the awakening
cesar mariano - sao paolo brasil
robert hurst - robert hurst presents
flood - herbie hancock ( pretty much ANY herbie tho!)
my funny valentine/four and more - miles davis (same - ALL miles!)
welcome to detroit - j dilla (and all dilla)
fantastic vol.2 - slum village
roni size - reprazent
carl craig - innerzone orchestra
keith jarrett - death and the flower

Thanks for taking the time to answer that and thanks for the "history" lesson. Definitely going to check out the recordings on your bandcamp - I really enjoy the scene and we're all big fans on here of the artists you've mentioned I.e. Shabaka, Nubya, Makaya etc. I don't know much about Jason Yards but with praise like that I'm going to need to check him out.

Agree with your point / worry about the artistry being diluted. Hopefilly it continues to head in the right direction and leave a lasting legacy rather than fizzle out as a fad.

Great selections for your 'top 3' as well

 

[ByersVinyl]

Great you joined us Mark - I. Really enjoying both Heritage I & II on Vinyl - Any New releases you would recommend from 2019. Also Do you have any upocming gigs in North West UK ?

 

[Mark de Clive-Lowe]

Mark,

Congratulations on completing such a interesting and complex project like the two Heritage albums. When I see projects like this I marvel at the effort that it must take to put something like this together. There must have been some ups and downs.

Could you talk about a time when you experienced some adversity, on this project or just as an artist in general, and what you did to overcome it?

Also, I was around in LA when it was a jazz wasteland compared to what it is like now. What do you think has fostered this community? Who are some people behind the community that don't get the recognition they deserve?

Thanks for showing up and taking the time to answer our questions!

thank you! this project was particularly easy for me. in composing the material, i'd just lean into a feeling of an experience of my japanese-ness and write some music. the melodies, harmonies and rhythms came out super organically and then i'd know straight away that each sketch matched the feelings and memories perfectly. there was no second guessing and nothing i threw out. when it came to performing and recording i have such complete faith and trust in my band and the space - there's something magical about the blue whale that really helps music come to life and find its magic.

last time i had "writers block" was almost 10 years ago. everything i was making sounded like a pastiche of what i'd already done and i hated it all. eventually i sat down at the rhodes and laptop and said i wouldnt get up until i'd made something i liked. i found a groove and a vibe, posted a snippet on twitter with a "who wants to jump on this" and singer sy smith hit me straight back. she had a vocal back to me almost immediately and that became 'truth' - the lead single from her album 'fast and curious' which is all produced by me. i loved what i created with 'truth' and it broke the writers block mentality completely. now if i'm writing/composing/producing and it's not what i want to hear i just move on with the next idea. the creativity well is infinitely deep and i really get that now.

on top of all that, now i understand the value of self care and time away from the work. a road trip, a couple of days in nature, great food, great company, great conversation, great sex... it all feeds the soul which feeds the art

LA - i dont know if it's ever been such a wasteland, i think it's more about knowing where to look. the world stage in leimert park was established by billy higgins and kamau daaood in 1989 and has been a big part of raising the scene - horace tapscott would play there, kamasi washington cut his teeth there... educator reggie andrews has been part of the story - teacher to patrice rushen, the pharcyde, terrace martin, kamasi and many more... in terms of the current wave i think the LA bass music scene has a lot to be thanked for. carlos nino was a big part of that happening - encouraging ras g to release his first releases. carlos is in fact a huge reason the scene is why it is - his build an ark project brought past and present generations together on record and he's definitely a big link to the elders. brainfeeder/low end theory/flying lotus has been a big part in growing the scene and of course the blue whale - an intimate 150 cap jazz club in downtown's little tokyo - has had profound impact. dr dre, snoop dogg through to kendrick and his crew too - there's countless reasons why the west coast is killing the game right now! (imo lol)

 

[Captainfog]

One last question from me: I saw you # Pax on instagram. I've got one of those too! What's your favourite strain of green?

Edit: actually one more serious question. If you're writing music do you actually write the music down like a traditional composer? Or do you just record the good ideas as they come?

 

[Mark de Clive-Lowe]

hello @Mark de Clive-Lowe... i have an interesting question for you

i've been loving the album and was wondering, what would you think are some good albums to listen to afterwards. whether they have been influences that inspired your album or other albums that are very similar. what albums would be good further listening material if you like these albums

oooh - great question! tbh, i dont know of any albums that are similar. not saying that from a perspective of ego, i just really dont. but related to my own musical dna... check the list of my favorite albums i posted on another reply - keith jarrett's american quartet is definitely one to check (survivor's suite, death and the flower). there's also a really strong link between japanese and ethiopian traditional music - my piece 'the silk road' is about that - the scales used in traditional music from those two countries are not just similar - they're IDENTICAL. i put that down to art and culture traveling the silk road of old. so in saying that, check Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou's Ethiopiques, Vol. 21 and music by the godfather of ethiopian jazz, Mulatu Atstatke.

also (i'm biased) recommending the ronin arkestra EP 'first meeting' (where you can also hear an earlier version of Silk Road)

some japanese artists who may be of interest:

jazztronik
sleepwalker
kyoto jazz sextet
soil and pimp sessions
cro-magnon
wonk

enjoy!

 

[tvham]

@Mark de Clive-Lowe thanks for the chat! I'm hoping to catch you Friday in SF - will you be selling vinyl at the show?

 

[Skalap]

Hello Mark ! First of all thank you for giving us some of your time and being here with us today. Thank you also for such detailed replies, that is exactly what I was hoping to happen during this AMA so I am super happy

When I introduced Heritage to our N&G family, I wrote that it was, at least for, one of the best album released this year and a serious contender for album of the year. I really mean it and I am happy to read that the people here are enjoying your music as well. I feel that there is much more than music in Heritage, there is an important part of you as musician of course but also as a person. It's moving and beautiful! Congratulations!

I had a question related to your Japanese roots but you answered it perfectly (thanks @Selaws) so, still connected to Japan, here is my question : I've been listening to a lot of Japanese jazz classic records in the last months but haven't found the gateway to discover new artists/bands. Would you help and share a few names I should listen to?

Thank you again!

PS: N&G fam, it warms my heart to read all your questions and see your reactions, thank you all!!!

 

[SKOT FREE]

Mark De Clive-Lowe

I don’t have a question but more a comment. First off you name Dropped Leimert Park, Little Tokyo,etc in your last comment and amazingly that vibe is what I got listening to your album. It’s an utterly amazing album and one I will cherish because I’m from L.A. now living in Atlanta, and I used to frequent Leimert Park(Kaos Network, World Stage, 5th street Dicks) and Little Tokyo all the time just to chill and vibe. Again Thank you for this amazing album.

 

[Mark de Clive-Lowe]

Hi Mark! Thanks for joining us. I saw you play last week at LACMA and it was a wonderful performance. I was curious how long you had been working on the compositions that make up the Heritage albums and when the idea first came about. Thank you!

cheers! always a real pleasure for me to play with the master teacher dwight trible. for those not hip: his album Mothership is recommended listening too btw - in a whole other vibe. think leon thomas/pharoah sanders spiritual jazz

most of the compositions were written for my Mirai no Rekishi (the history of the future) show at grand performances which was in august 2017. a show i was commissioned to do to explore my japanese roots. i had my band plus guests on traditional japanese instruments (koto, shinobue, taiko) plus rapper Shing02 on effects and rhyming a bit. i wrote that material over a couple of weeks. Ryūgū-jo from that show is on youtube too - . after that show i shelved the concept for half a year until i was asked to perform at YBCA in san fran and in revisiting the material i realized that there was an album (i didnt know at the time it was actually two!) that needed to be recorded. i wrote a few additional pieces and it was ready to manifest!

 

[Thackeraye]

Hi @Mark de Clive-Lowe!

Thanks for doing this, really appreciate it.

My question is about the flow of the 2 records. Did you compose the pieces separately and then decide on the running order when they were done, or did you always have the flow over the 2 albums sorted in your head?

 

[Mark de Clive-Lowe]

Favourite ever live show you have done? And why?

The worse ever live show you have done? And why?

LOL

the last heritage show is my most recent favorite ever show - performing this material, and sharing the stories behind it, is so much more meaningful to me than any other live shows i've done. other times i feel like i'm either going into jazz mode, or going into beats mode; whereas this feels like i'm pulling from my soul and connecting with my ancestors bringing all that into the here and now. the last show was extra special because i had the full live band, plus strings, two post-contemporary dancers, an amazing VJ and in an incredible venue (the aratani theater in downtown LA's little tokyo)

worst ever live show... ummmmmm lol. maybe the one in chicago in the mid 2000s when i couldnt hear myself through the monitor so was dead in the water, asked the engineer over the mic to turn me up in it, he failed to do so a few times and i lost my patience and my temper at him - over the mic - mid gig - in front of the audience. fortunately i know how to handle that one better now!!

then there was the time i took the band all the way to south africa to play the capetown jazz festival, probably 2005ish. i was using the MPC3000 at the heart of my rig - a classic analog sampler/drum machine. we setup in front of the audience, line checked, and walked off stage to walk back on. as i'm walking off someone says "bro! the mpc is SMOKING!". i turn around and there's black smoke coming out of it. someone switched the voltage transformer and blew it. we still played and people were complimentary but the show we played was really NOT the show we traveled half way around the planet to do!

things go wrong for me mid-gig all the time. it's the bane of using a lot of technology and not having a 'hit spacebar and let the session play' approach. however, every time something goes wrong, i kind of like the challenge of making the most of a situation and working out a solution on the fly. i've had to restart the laptop mid song while playing piano with the other hand and hoping everything starts up again ok. which incidentally at the LA launch of Heritage I it *didnt*. repeated restarts of the laptop and it couldnt even find its startup disk. that was a new one... found a solution eventually tho. while the bass player took an extended solo! oh yeah.... then there was the time the laptop overheated at an outdoor summer show and the clock (bpm/tempo) in ableton sped up and slowed down of its own accord. not cool. lol

 

[Mark de Clive-Lowe]

I saw you comment on Robert Glasper's instagram post about Brandford Marsalis's comments on him and Kamasi. Do you think there's a line between jazz and jazz-influenced music, or do you see it all as part of the same evolution? Where would you place your music in this context?

man. i LOVE branford. and kenny kirkland is an all time inspiration for me. crazy people music is one of my favorite albums (forgot to mention that before!). it was a super disappointing thing to read him say. i'd actually heard about him saying that before in private and was more surprised to see him go public with it. i DO see his perspective but i dont agree with preserving something in stone. the music has to breathe, evolve, grow and change. miles, herbie and coltrane all lived by that and if it's good enough for them, i'm pretty sure it's good enough for anyone!! my music isn't jazz by a marsalis definition. i'd say it's "jazzy" by their definition. for me tho, it is jazz. not by way of verbatim language but in spirit and ethos.

also, re that quote - branford's vocab is limited too. everyone's is. it's a defining factor in having your own sound/voice!

 

[Mark de Clive-Lowe]

Any fun rider requests you want to share? Do you make them bring you M&Ms with all the green ones taken out?

hahahahaha. my rider is pretty simple these days. i dont like to drink a lot (leave that to my younger years!) especially on a heavy tour schedule. i love good quality weed (altho that's sometimes a hard one to put on an official rider). i think these days it's mainly about washed fresh fruit, water, herbal tea and i am partial to a top shelf mezcal or whiskey now n then. peggy gou got me thinking too - i think im going to update my rider to stipulate no plastics. we have to look after the planet every way we can !

 

[Skalap]

Another question: the next Rugby World Cup is to be held in Japan from September to November. Being half Japanese and half New Zealander, which country will you support ?

And a last one: any plan to play in Paris soon?

 

[agutierrezb]

i am partial to a top shelf mezcal or whiskey now n then.

Man, come down to play do Mexico City, and I'll promise to welcome you with a bottle of the best mezcal you've ever had.

There's a ton of super talented jazz musicians down here, and I'm sure you'd enjoy playing with them. Check this guys out if you have the time.

 

[Chucktshoes]

cheers! always a real pleasure for me to play with the master teacher dwight trible. for those not hip: his album Mothership is recommended listening too btw - in a whole other vibe. think leon thomas/pharoah sanders spiritual jazz

most of the compositions were written for my Mirai no Rekishi (the history of the future) show at grand performances which was in august 2017. a show i was commissioned to do to explore my japanese roots. i had my band plus guests on traditional japanese instruments (koto, shinobue, taiko) plus rapper Shing02 on effects and rhyming a bit. i wrote that material over a couple of weeks. Ryūgū-jo from that show is on youtube too - . after that show i shelved the concept for half a year until i was asked to perform at YBCA in san fran and in revisiting the material i realized that there was an album (i didnt know at the time it was actually two!) that needed to be recorded. i wrote a few additional pieces and it was ready to manifest!

This video is the first piece of your music I listened to yesterday. Phenomenal. I’m giving Heritage I a first listen as I’m typing and it’s taking longer than it should because I keep getting pulled away into the music. I’m admittedly not huge into jazz, or very knowledgeable about it, but I’m really digging the hell out of it.

I was heavily into electronic music during the late 90s through the late aughts and often heard folks claim that electronic music was “jazz for the modern age” and never gave it much serious thought. I haven’t seen much of folks bridging the two, (I’m sure they are, it just hasn’t ever been my wheelhouse) but I’m blown away by how natural the traditional jazz and the electronic elements are melded together.

There’s no questions in this, just my brain dumping out its thoughts.

 

[Mark de Clive-Lowe]

Do you think the current resurgence in vinyl is a huge bubble about to burst (and we'll be able to buy records for ten bucks again) or is it here to stay?

Also, what was the last record you bought?

i love vinyl but tbh, i worry about the environmental impact/carbon footprint of it. in that respect i cant see it being sustainable unless 3D printing gets up to speed with it. economically it's unsustainable and most labels/artists see it as a loss leader / marketing expense that you might break even on if you're lucky. i understand the love the fans have for it and there is nothing quite like listening to an album on wax. that satisfaction of dropping the needle and anticipating the world of sound you're about to dive into.

i rarely buy vinyl these days, but certain record i'll buy every time i see them - cesar mariano's sao paolo brasil being one of those, ahmad jamal's tranquility being another. i buy most of the international anthem releases on vinyl, and heard there's a new moodymann 12" about to drop - need to find that for sure. actually just bought a CD because the release isn't on vinyl and i felt like it was an important one to support - Horace Tapscott's 'Why Don't You Listen?'

the last actual record i bought was in japan by 70s drummer ponta murakami

 

[Mark de Clive-Lowe]

Great you joined us Mark - I. Really enjoying both Heritage I & II on Vinyl - Any New releases you would recommend from 2019. Also Do you have any upocming gigs in North West UK ?

cheers!

off the top of my head...

Tommaso Cappellato - Butterflying
Ronin Arkestra - First Meeting
Shun Ishiwaka - CLNUP4
Horace Tapscott - Why Don't You Listen?
Resavoir - album forthcoming
Myele Manzanza - A Love Requited - about to drop
Culross Closs - Forgotten Ones
Dwight Trible - Mothership
Kassa Overall - Go Get Icecream and Listen to Jazz
Brandee Younger - Soul Awakening
Ryuichi Sakamoto - Black Mirror soundtrack
14KT - For My Sanity

and plenty more i'm sure!!

UK dates - tbc, there's a handful of dates still to be booked for 2019. best to check my website or track me via songkick or bandsintown - https://bandsintown.com/markdeclive-lowe

 

[Mark de Clive-Lowe]

One last question from me: I saw you # Pax on instagram. I've got one of those too! What's your favourite strain of green?

Edit: actually one more serious question. If you're writing music do you actually write the music down like a traditional composer? Or do you just record the good ideas as them come?

lol. love the pax!!! i just converted to the pax recently and loving it. i prefer a sativa unless i'm jetlagged and need to crash out hard. XJ-13 is a good go-to for me, but i'm open minded if it's top shelf !

 

[Mark de Clive-Lowe]

Hello Mark ! First of all thank you for giving us some of your time and being here with us today. Thank you also for such detailed replies, that is exactly what I was hoping to happen during this AMA so I am super happy

When I introduced Heritage to our N&G family, I wrote that it was, at least for, one of the best album released this year and a serious contender for album of the year. I really mean it and I am happy to read that the people here are enjoying your music as well. I feel that there is much more than music in Heritage, there is an important part of you as musician of course but also as a person. It's moving and beautiful! Congratulations!

I had a question related to your Japanese roots but you answered it perfectly (thanks @Selaws) so, still connected to Japan, here is my question : I've been listening to a lot of Japanese jazz classic records in the last months but haven't found the gateway to discover new artists/bands. Would you help and share a few names I should listen to?

Thank you again!

PS: N&G fam, it warms my heart to read all your questions and see your reactions, thank you all!!!

thank you and my pleasure! it's great to connect with such a passionate community. you're all making the world a better place!

i listed a few in another reply, but check out my project ronin arkestra - each person in the band has their own projects that are good gateway starters. ... wonk, kyoto jazz sextet, kyoto jazz massive, sleepwalker, cro-magnon, and shun ishiwaka's new release. none of those are of the straight marsalis variety, more with a twist of FUN lol