“FIVE” is a special feature at BlackArtistNews where five questions are posed to an individual artist, curator, gallerist, collector or art lover. Why five questions? Well, there are five fingers on each hand and artists create with their hands hence one, two, three, four, FIVE.
Don Byron is a jazz musician but his discography says otherwise. The GRAMMY nominated composer and multi-instrumentalist’s heterogeneous collection of recordings (infused with elements of classical, funk, gospel, hip-hop and rock) characterize his innate ability to be hip and versatile without seeming too self-indulgent. BlackArtistNews spoke with the virtuoso about his tender, plaintive ballad “Basquiat” a composition that first appeared on Byron’s CD Romance With The Unseen (Blue Note, 1999) and revisited in classical mode on A Fine Line: Arias & Lieder (Blue Note, 2000). The Bronx, New York native’s comments packed quite a punch in this edition of FIVE:
Do you remember what inspired you to compose a song about Jean-Michel Basquiat?
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| Composer and musician Don Byron photographed September 2011. BlackArtistNews photo. All rights reserved. |
Don Byron is a jazz musician but his discography says otherwise. The GRAMMY nominated composer and multi-instrumentalist’s heterogeneous collection of recordings (infused with elements of classical, funk, gospel, hip-hop and rock) characterize his innate ability to be hip and versatile without seeming too self-indulgent. BlackArtistNews spoke with the virtuoso about his tender, plaintive ballad “Basquiat” a composition that first appeared on Byron’s CD Romance With The Unseen (Blue Note, 1999) and revisited in classical mode on A Fine Line: Arias & Lieder (Blue Note, 2000). The Bronx, New York native’s comments packed quite a punch in this edition of FIVE:
Do you remember what inspired you to compose a song about Jean-Michel Basquiat?
Well, you know, I used to see him on the street in SoHo sellin’ stuff. Course I was like a fool; I never bought anything. He was like a homeless guy who sold stuff on the street, you know. And then some years went by and you saw him: he was dee jaying and stuff… I lived in New York all through that period and I followed a lot of the downtown culture. I study in Jazz but I was into all this “downtown” music so I saw him a lot. [Also] I kind of sympathize with the plight of the black intellectual. You know where like people are dissing you because they don’t really expect you to have what you have. You know they disbelieving what you have. And then exploiting you at the same time. I’m going through that myself [Laughs] so I just really um, I just wrote something from that experience. Um, [the song] was supposed to be in a film – not about Basquiat – but that's what I was thinking about when I wrote it.
That's not surprising. The song does have a cinematic quality.
Mm-hum, Mm-hum.
So from your perspective was he a genius?
I thought that [was] established. You don’t need me to say that. Everybody knows that. Yeah, of course he was a genius. I mean whatever it means to be a genius he would be that.
The song is included on your CD called “Romance With the Unseen.” That title seems to be an appropriate metaphor for societal obsession with dead celebrities especially the ones who lived unbalanced lifestyles.
"Unbalanced lifestyles." That’s an interesting way of putting it.
Do you think it's healthy for society to buy into the notion of the artist as tortured soul?
People like that. You know before Amy Winehouse there was Billie Holiday and Judy Garland and… people like to see somebody decline in front of their eyes… they think that’s more “honest.” [Laughs] Like Paul McCartney just living a nice life, that ain’t “honest.” You know. But especially with black folks they like that especially – but not exclusively – ‘cause that Amy Winehouse thing that was way out. Somebody that young would just do that to herself. She did it to herself, you know. And everybody knew it. She was so out, a couple of bands quit on her! And she was makin’ the money! And um, when you think about people diggin’ somebody because they’re like that it says something… it's a thing we’ve seen before. Let’s put it that way. Edith Piaf. You know. We’ve seen that before. What can I say?
Are there any other visual artists that inspire you?
Um, right now?
Not necessarily.
Well, I like all kinds of things visually. I like some of that Bauhaus shit. There’s all kinds of stuff that I like. I really couldn’t pick one guy or one woman or one anything in the visual arts. I think [more] about filmmakers. I was just watching Wendell Harris Jr.’s Chameleon Street. That expresses me! That’s like "Where am I at?" That’s where I’m at.
Does art matter?
Do the visual arts matter? Yes!
However you interpret the question is fine with me.
Well, you know sound and artistic manipulation of an environment whether through architecture, whatever, they really make a lot of difference. So of course they matter. Everybody know that. You don’t have to ask me that.
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