Eric Darius has been on the scene since he was seventeen years old.  His recordings and his live shows have progressively shown growth, innovation, emotion, and forward-thinking.    And now this 20-something year old saxophonist has taken off with his latest release, and Shanachie debut, On A Mission.  In between cross-country tour dates, I was able to catch Eric on a rare night at home to talk about his new album, his career, and what he envisions for the future.

SmoothViews (SV):  Welcome, Eric!  It’s been several years since we’ve featured you here on SmoothViews and we are so glad to have you back!
Eric Darius (ED):  Well, thank you!  I appreciate your having me.

SV:  You have been a very busy guy lately, but first I want to talk about seeing you this spring at the Berks Jazz Fest.  It had been a while since seeing a live performance of yours, and you just blew everyone away.  It was almost like seeing a totally new Eric Darius.  To what do you attribute this new attitude?
ED:  Wow!  I don’t know.  I think every single time I perform on stage I always give it my all.  I always look at it like it’s the last time I’ll be on stage and always give 100% of myself.  There’s something about that Berks atmosphere, too.  The people are just there for the music and are so enthused and excited about the music that I just can’t help but get overwhelmed with joy and excitement.  And sharing the stage with Nick Colionne…we have such a great chemistry on stage together and it was just so much fun to be on stage with him.  I just really feed off of the crowd’s energy and that really pushes me to that next level.

SV:  Berks is one of the best festivals.  They always have a fabulous lineup and the people are there to listen to the music.  It’s not like an outdoor festival where you’ve got everyone partying out on the lawn.  I’m sure that makes a huge difference for artists.
ED:  Exactly.  It makes a huge difference.

SV:  You mentioned Nick Colionne, and I know you’ve been doing some shows with him recently.  That’s some high energy show!  How did that come about?
ED:  Well, Nick and I have been friends for years.  He’s my big brother and he calls me his little brother.  We’ve always had this really close friendship and every time we’ve had the chance to share the stage together, it’s been electric.  We just really feed off each other’s energy and it’s so natural.  Nothing Nick and I do onstage is really planned.  It all just kind of happens.  We like it that way and like to keep it spontaneous and loose, and let the music go where it’s going to go.  So, we’ve always been talking about having the opportunity to do some more shows together and finally this year we’ve had several opportunities and it’s been great.

SV:  Let’s jump over to talking about the new CD, On A Mission.  The album has a different feel then your previous releases and seems to allow for more expression in many different areas.  You explore new territory here and not pigeonhole yourself into any one type of music.  Was that the intention?
ED:  Absolutely.  That’s part of my mission to reach out to every age demographic and race, and just transcend all of the boundaries of music to make music that everyone can relate to.  I don’t like to pigeonhole myself into any one style and I continue to try and stretch myself musically and evolve.  I look at artists like Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock and throughout their entire careers, they continuously stretched themselves and tried new things.  They weren’t afraid of the unknown.  That’s what is exciting to me about making a new album.  It’s the time to reflect on everything I have done before and to reflect on my experiences and just do something I’ve never done before.  That’s part of my mission, to just go to a new territory, try new things, and let the music take control.
SV:  Well, it worked and it’s great how throughout the CD you’re going from one type of music to another, but yet it still flows and it’s all cohesive.

SV:  You pair up with some pretty heavy hitters here, between writing partners, producers, and guest artists.  Tell us about each of the producers you used and what they brought to the feel of this CD.
ED:  This is the first time I did an album where I used so many different producers, and I think that was part of the excitement for me.  To explore different sounds with different people, and I think each producer brought out a different side of me.  I was really able to express myself and stretch myself musically.  They each brought something different to the table and brought something out of me that the others weren’t able to.  That’s what really completes the whole sound and movement of this album.  That’s why every song is different, but still cohesive.  It’s still me. I’m still being true to myself.  I had the opportunity to work with Rex Rideout, who, as you know, has produced a lot of great albums like for Ledisi, Angie Stone, and a ton of others.  We did the song together “Jean Marie’s Groove.”  We wrote that together and it was just so exciting to work with him.  I have always admired his style and sound and he really captured that neo-soul, R&B vibe that I grew up listening to and really wanted to incorporate that into this project.  So, he was a perfect match.  Micah Otano, who produced four tracks on my Going All Out album, is a younger guy…I think he’s 24…he’s an incredible, up-and-coming producer and has worked with Fantasia and other R&B artists.  He captured this younger, R&B, hip-hop vibe inside of me.  You know, when I was growing up I listened to a lot of jazz, R&B, hip-hop, rock, gospel, pop, and I really wanted to incorporate all of those elements and styles.  He was really able to bring out this youthful, pop, energetic vibe that I really wanted to convey on this album.  Also, there was Chris Andrew, who is an incredible piano player out of Canada.  I worked on a couple of tracks with him, including “Butterfly,” which features Rick Braun.  I chose the song “Butterfly” because I’ve done several R&B covers in the past, like the Alicia Keys song, Mary J. Blige, and Ne-yo, and really wanted to go in a different direction this time.

SV:  It’s funny because I was going to ask you what made you pick that particular song to cover.  For me, I think it’s the standout cut on the CD.  You really took some chances with this and not only made it your own, but made it so hypnotic and stirring.  And to me, it really showed a completely different side of your playing and abilities than what most people are used to hearing from you.
ED:  That was really the goal of that song.  I think most people are used to hearing the high energy, action-packed, real fiery type of playing.  I don’t think a lot of people have heard a lot of the other side of my playing, which is the soulful, stirring type of playing.  That was what I was really going for on this type of song.  I really feel like the word butterfly really reflects who I am at this stage in my career.  I started out as the larvae, then a cocoon, and now the butterfly.  I’m ready to just spread my wings and fly and go somewhere I’ve never gone before!  So, other than it just being an incredible song to play, it was really a great representation of who I am.  And I had a great time recording with Rick Braun.  You can’t get much better than that!

SV:  “Uptown Swagger” to me feels likes it most expresses your personality.  Cool, young, and a guy who really knows who he is!  Did you feel that way when recording it?
ED:  Yeah, absolutely.  James Lloyd of Pieces of a Dream has been a good friend of mine for years.  We’ve always talked about the opportunity of recording together, but never had that chance.  But finally when it came to doing this record, I called him and said we just have to do something together.  So he sent me several tracks that he had been working on, and there was on in particular that I just feel in love with, and it was “Uptown Swagger.”  He didn’t have a name for it yet…at the time it was just called “C-Sharp Thingy!” (laughs)  We always come up with random names for songs, and naming them is the last thing we do.  It’s so hard to come up with titles for songs, especially with no vocals.  In most cases I come up with titles based on a feeling or what I picture when recording.  But it just was so much fun recording this in the studio, like a party.  I could just see myself performing this song on stage, even before recording it.  James came up with the title and I thought it was perfect!

SV:  I know you are very religious and started your music career in church.  How does your faith play into your music writing?
ED:  It plays a huge role.  I started playing in church when I was ten years old and that’s where it all started for me.  When I play music, it’s more than just playing notes or more than just having a good time.  There’s a very deep spiritual connection with my instrument.  I really feel that God has blessed me with a gift and He gave me this gift to share with the rest of the world.  So, whenever I make music, it’s bigger than just about making a great song, it’s about making an impact and touching people’s lives.  I really just want people to really feel my soul and emotion when I play.  It’s really a higher power that comes through my instrument.  I can try to take credit for every single thing I do, but I can’t.  I’ve really been blessed with a gift.  It plays a huge role in the music I play and the music I write, and everything I do.

SV:  You can hear that in the song “Prayer for Haiti.”  I know that Haiti has special meaning for your family.  I’m sure that was a pretty emotional song to be writing and recording.
ED:  For sure.  It was probably one of the most difficult songs for me to record.  Obviously the earthquake in Haiti deeply impacted me and my family since my Dad is from Haiti and I still have a lot of relatives there.  Thankfully, they were all okay.  My family is from Croix des Bouquets, which is about 15 miles outside of Port Au Prince, and we didn’t hear from relatives for weeks at a time because all of the lines of communication were down.  There was a lot of panic, and a lot of emotions we were going through.  That really inspired me to write a song to reflect the pain and the sorrow of the Haitian people, and my family.  But at the end of the song it really builds to this very powerful, strong song that is about hope.  Even despite everything that Haiti has been through, that they are going to be okay, and on the road to recovery.  It was very emotional because it has so much meaning.

SV:  You recently traveled with Jason Miles to Tokyo to play the Blue Note and bring his Grover Live music to the audiences there.  How was that experience?
ED:  It was incredible.  I’ve played with Jason several times on several different occasions, and he invited me to play on this tour with him to go to Japan and play Grover’s music.  Grover Washington, Jr. has always been an inspiration to me and always been one of my favorites.  I never had the opportunity to meet him, but his music has impacted me in such a way that it’s a main staple in my music and my playing.  When they invited me to join on this tour and go to Japan, I was so excited.  I was also honored to pay homage to someone who paved the way for me and so many others who play today.  So, Jason and I had a great time.  It wasn’t about me and it wasn’t about Jason.  It was about all of us coming together and playing music to celebrate the life of Grover Washington, Jr.  So, we had an incredible time.

SV:  How were the audiences in Tokyo?  Were they receptive?  Were the shows well attended?
ED:  I think almost every show was sold out.  We had a great response from the people there.  It was so funny, we would have Japanese people come up to us after the show and say “We love Grover’s music and hearing you guys play it felt like Grover was right there.”  We captured that soul and emotion that really touched these people.  It was amazing.  The Japanese people really have a love and appreciation of jazz.

SV:  You, like several other artists, feel so strongly about kids and music programs.  And I know that you were lucky to have a great program when you were young.  How do you see today’s artists today helping get their music to young kids to encourage them?
ED:  Well, that’s another part of my mission with my music, is to reach out to the younger generation.  Most people my age and younger don’t really listen to jazz and are not exposed to it.  When I was growing up, my parents would play Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Stevie Wonder, George Benson, David Sanborn, and Grover Washington, Jr.  So this was the music I grew up with.  Most kids nowadays don’t hear this type of music.  I grew up in the music system in school, went to an incredible high school of performing arts, and studied music at the University of South Florida.  So I was fortunate to be in that environment.  But part of what I do with my music, is to make music that younger people can relate to.  You’ll hear a lot of the R&B and hip-hop elements that people my age and younger listen to.  I try to incorporate that into my music so they can enjoy it and appreciate it.  It’s definitely part of my mission to take my music to younger people and inspire them and show them that jazz can be really cool.  You can still dance to it like you can to hip-hop music.  It doesn’t have to be about words.  It doesn’t have to be about all of these bad messages. It’s just good, positive music that they can enjoy listening to and play, also.  I’d love to see younger people embracing jazz and learning to play instruments.  Hopefully over the years, we artists can unite and make a major difference in the schools and bring music back to schools.  I think it’s a vital part of everyone’s education.

SV:  Do you see many youngsters at your concerts?
ED:  I am starting to see more, which is very encouraging for me.  I really feel that it is my responsibility to keep inspiring younger people and keep bringing them to my shows.  I’m starting to see that change, so it’s a really beautiful thing to see.

SV:  What lies ahead for you now?  Hitting the road doing a lot of touring this year?
ED:  Yes, definitely hitting the road and doing a lot of touring.  I am pretty much on the road nonstop.  I just did a CD release party in Atlanta and Tampa.  Did Jazz Fest West, heading to Melbourne on Wednesday, Houston on Friday, Orlando on Sunday…(laughs)  Just going to stay busy promoting the album.  There is nothing better than playing this music live.  It’s very encouraging to go to these shows and still see people so passionate and enthused about music.  Despite what everyone is saying about the Smooth Jazz industry and radio, the fans are there.  The people are there.  Their passion and enthusiasm hasn’t changed one bit.  So it’s great to get on the road and play this music for them.  The fans are really the ones that keep us going.  There’s no us without all of you, so I plan on continuing to perform, hit the road and would love to do a lot of other things, also, down the road.  I would love to start my own charity organization, which would be geared to providing instruments to less fortunate kids, and maybe even opening up my own music school here in Tampa.  Start locally here in my home town and maybe branch it out.  I really want to make a difference with my music and feel like I have been put in this position for a reason. 
SV:  I like that a lot.  We need more people like you.
ED:  Thank you…but it would be a scary place!!! (laughs)

SV:  Well, Eric…all the best with the new CD and your many, many tour dates.  Thank you so much for your time and hope to see you out on the road.
ED:  Thank you so much.