Scott Wilkie released his debut CD "Boundless" from Narada just recently. His CD is a nice collection of contemprary jazz fusion songs and we like it very much though we have not heard even his name before.
While our staff was talking about this CD, Scott happened to contact us by E-mail.
Here is an interview with Scott via E-mail in February '99. MH (Masato Hashi@CyberFusion) Q.1 Will you introduce your profile and career before releasing your debut CD? Scott (Wilkie) I was born in Detroit, Michigan, and I started playing piano when I was 6 years old. For many years, I studied classical piano; when I was 14 years old, I started getting interested in jazz. During high school and college, I formed several electric/jazz bands, playing my first electric piano... an old Fender-Rhodes. It was also during those years that I started writing my own music. After graduating from college, I moved to Los Angeles, and I began performing worldwide as a keyboard artist with Roland Corporation. In 1996, I put together the Scott Wilkie Band (SWB), and I started recording some demo tracks to send to some record companies. In 1998, I signed a recording contract with Narada, which is part of Virgin Records. And "Boundless" was released worldwide on February 9.
MH Q.2 Please tell us the concept of your "Boundless" CD. Scott "Boundless" is a collection of songs that I've written in the past several years. I wanted to record an album that captures some of the energy and fun of a live performance... keeping a raw funky edge to the grooves. The album was recorded at BeachMusic (my home studio), and at several other studios in southern California. All of the piano tracks were recorded at David Benoit's place, on his 7.5' concert grand. And I mixed the record at Chick Corea's Mad Hatter Studio in Hollywood, with my good friend and brilliant engineer Dave Knight. MH Q.3 Many of guest artists are playing in "Boundless". How did you choose the guest musicians? Scott I was thrilled to have some of my favorite musicians play on "Boundless." Each of them added something unique and exciting to the record, and it was fun to hear my music evolve with the addition of their creativity. Every guest artist on "Boundless" is on the record because I feel that they are the best at what they do and I really dig how they play. MH Q.4 Is sound of your regular band, SWB similar to the CD? Will you introduce the other member of SWB? Scott Yes, absolutely! SWB sounds very similar to the sound of "Boundless." If you listen to songs like 'Sporty,' 'Sailcats' and 'Water Balloons,' you will hear a very good idea of how the band sounds live. Of course, when we play live, the solos are usually longer, and we experiment a lot more. The guys in my band are: Matthew Von Doran (guitars), Nathan Brown (bass) and Dave Owens (drums). They are not only great musicians, but also great friends. MH Q.5 When did you start playing piano? How did you practice? Scott I started playing piano when I was 6. My teacher gave me lots of classical music to learn, and I practiced scales and stuff like that every day. But my favorite thing to do was to play along with my records. As I got older, I began to get more serious about improvisation and composition, and I studied both during college. But my most important musical influence comes from playing live, with other musicians. It's an exhilarating experience that is never the same twice, and it is what makes me truly passionate about music. MH Q.6 Who is your favorite jazz fusion musicians? Scott Some of my favorite jazz musicians are Dave Grusin, Russ Ferrante, Joe Sample, Jonathan Butler, Larry Carlton... and of course the guest artists from Boundless - John, Russ, Paul and Jeff. A few of my favorite songwriters are Kenny Loggins, James Taylor and Michael McDonald. MH Q.7 Please tell us your future plan? Scott I'm planning to start touring with my band this spring, in the U.S. and overseas. And we're already working on plans to bring SWB to Japan for a tour in October 99, including some performances at the Gakki Fair in Tokyo. Most of my next record is already written, and I'll probably start recording it later this year. I'll post all the latest info on my website as it happens (in English and Japanese), so stop by and say Hello! MH Thank you very much for participating in our interview. | ||||||||
