Art Sherrod, Jr. has been playing the saxophone for a quarter of a century now. He’s pretty well known within the DC/MD music community that he calls home. He has played with lots of big name musicians over the years, but somehow has remained under the radar for most listeners. Now, on the brink of nationwide distribution of his latest CD, Seasons, Art Sherrod, Jr. is ready for his close-up. It’s time for DC and MD to share this talented saxophonist with the rest of the world.

Smoothviews SV): Hi Art. It’s so nice to be able to chat with you on this rainy afternoon.  For our readers who may not be that familiar with you, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself? 
Art Sherrod, Jr. (AS): I’ve been playing the saxophone for about 25 years.  I grew up in a really small town in Texas called Palestine.  I played all through high school.  My initial goal after high school was to go to school for music.  I looked at Michigan State, University of Texas, and various different colleges because I wanted to be a doctor.  My Dad introduced me to a gentleman who had gone to the Naval Academy, so I told my Dad that if I got into the Naval Academy, I’d go there, but I really wanted to go to one of those other colleges.  I got accepted into the Naval Academy, but unfortunately, there is no concentration in music.  They don’t really have a full blown music department other than a drum and bugle corps.  I didn’t play any of those instruments.  So, I went to the Naval Academy for four years and I did try the drum and bugle corps.  I tried playing the baritone (saxophone) but it wasn’t for me. 

After the Naval Academy, I started playing with some bands locally here.  I did that for a couple of years, and then, got to the point where I said I really wanted to pursue a solo career, so I put together a band.  We started playing and recording.  Back in ’04 I put out a live CD and a live DVD.  Then, in ’05, I completed my first studio project called All 4 Love.  That CD did really well.  Recently, I finished recording Seasons, which in my opinion, I definitely put it above All 4 Love, because it has a different meaning.  It has a different line-up.  Seasons features Will Downing, and Gerald Albright playing bass, Chuck Loeb, Frank McComb, Tracy Hamlin, Marcus Johnson, and all of those guys. 

I’m a very private person, very spiritual.  I’m a Christian, a church boy, and this particular CD took on a different meaning.  I was going through some life changes during the time that I started recording this record.  I actually started recording it back in ’06.  There were just a lot of things going on from a personal standpoint.  I got the title of this record from just realizing and recognizing there’s a season for everything.

SV: For everything there is a season…
AS: Absolutely.  And it doesn’t last for always.  I look at Seasons as the good days, bad days, and those ho-hum days.  Every song is a reflection of that title.  “We Fall Down,” you make mistakes, or you do something, you just feel low, and you just have to get back up and say, ‘Hey, this isn’t the end.’ Like I said, every song has a meaning.

SV: It’s interesting you should say that because as I listened to it, the first thing that struck me was the flow.  It has a really nice, logical flow to it.
AS: When you actually pick titles, it’s a process.  On my first record, my producer had a lot to do with my song selection.  On the next one, I just found it easier to do it myself.  It was kind of an emotional thing.  I absolutely love this record.  I’m very happy with it.

SV: I was really surprised to hear Gerald Albright playing bass.  I think I remember seeing him play bass once, but I’m not sure.  Somewhere in the back of my mind, I see him playing bass.  I think it may have been during the Brian Culbertson Christmas show a few years ago at the Birchmere. 
AS: There’s a story behind that.  As far as his bass playing, he used to be the musical director for Anita Baker.  If you go back and look at some of her earlier records, or, if you’ve seen her early live shows, you’ll see that he was playing some keyboards, and a little bit of saxophone, but he was primarily playing bass in her band.

I met Gerald back around ’96.  He’s always been one of my favorites.  It goes back to when we had cassette tapes.  I was in high school.  That’s when you start trying to recognize people that you want to emulate.  You take on a different appreciation of music.  I remember going out and I bought one of Gerald’s tapes.  I’d always loved his music, so, in ’96, ’97, back when Smooth Jazz 105.9 was around, they sponsored a free Gerald Albright concert at Fairview Mall.  I heard about it and knew I was going.  Leading up to that, I had actually sent him some e-mails.  We emailed back and forth.  You know, you think, I’m getting an e-mail, but it’s not from Gerald, this is just somebody answering his e-mails.  I go out to Fairview Mall and of course, he puts on a fabulous show. 

Like I said, I’m a very private person.  I was pretty shy about approaching people.  He was going back to the dressing room area after the show.  I thought, ‘Man, this is my only chance to talk to him.  I don’t know if I’ll ever be this close to him again.’  I yell out his name.  He looked up and came over.  I said, ‘Hey, this is Art, your e-mail buddy.’  He gave me a big hug and we talked for a minute.  That was really the beginning of the personal relationship.  I started off as a fan.  I’m still a fan, but over the years we’ve always kept in contact.  We run into each other playing in different places.

Now, the story behind him playing bass on the song; I call him and ask him for advice and we’ll talk.  I was getting on a plane to go to Anaheim, CA for the NAMM show.  Gerald was going to be there.  He was demoing some of the new saxophones for Cannonball Saxophones.  He said to me, “Make sure you save me a bass track on your record.”  I said, ‘Okay, you got that.’  At the time, I didn’t have the song for him.  My producer, Eric Valentine, sent this song.  We were looking at different people.  It’s funny how things happen, because originally, Gerald Veasley was supposed to record this particular tune.  Gerald and I have known each other for years. 

During the time that I was recording my record, he was just finishing up on his, and we couldn’t make it work as far as the timing.  So Eric asked, “Do you want to wait on Gerald (Veasley), or do you want to go with somebody else?”  I said, ‘Let’s call Gerald (Albright) because he said he wanted me to hold a bass track for him.’  I called him and he said, “Man, no problem.  Send me the track and I’ll get it done for you.”  A couple of days passed and he sent the track back.  It was great.  We were very happy with what we ended up with.  That’s how we got him to play bass on “Just Chillin’.”

SV: I’m one who reads liner notes, but if people don’t read them, they’ll miss the fact that it’s Gerald Albright on bass, and not sax.  That was clever, having Gerald Albright play bass.  Of course, Gerald Veasley would have been great as well.
AS: It’s all about timing, which is amazing, because everything happens for a reason.

SV: Now, about Eric Valentine; I interviewed him a few months ago for our website.  We have a monthly feature called On the Side, where each month we take a look at a different side musician and present their story.  Most people don’t realize how truly talented these musicians are, and that they have so much more going on then playing alongside the headliner.  But we interviewed him a few months ago.  He was just getting ready to go on tour to Europe for a month.  He mentioned that he had been working on your CD, but when I look at the liner notes, he’s written, he’s produced, he’s done a lot.
AS: He’s a phenomenal person, a truly wonderful cat.  He produced my first studio project.  First of all, aside from the music, he’s a great person.  From a music standpoint, it speaks for itself.  He’s an incredible musician.  It’s funny because you would never think that a drummer would be capable of the things that he does.  When we’re working on music, a lot of times I might sing him the melody.  It’s one of those things where you get an inspiration.  I’ll call and leave music on his voicemail; this is the melody, here are the chords, this is the hook, all that.  Next thing you know, I’m getting an e-mail with an MP3.  He’s played keyboards, he’s played bass, or drums, or done the background vocals, just to do a scratch track.  He’s just a great guy, a great musician, incredibly talented.  And he’s a workhorse too.

SV: He did describe himself as a workaholic.
AS: When he lived in DC, he and I typically wouldn’t start recording until around eight or nine o’clock at night.  We’d go some mornings until one or two in the morning.  And then, when I left, he’d stay up and continue working the tune, doing edits, and whatever.  Sometimes, the next day, or the next couple of days, I’d have a sample.  Yes, he’s a workaholic.  He’s always on the go, but he’s a great guy to collaborate with.  Eric is just that guy.  We’re so comfortable around each other.  Once it’s done, I have to leave it in his hands.  Sometimes when I leave the studio, I wonder if it was okay, and I worry about it.  Eric says, “I got it.  We’re good.”  When I hear that, I know we’re good. 

He helped me mature in so many ways as far as studio work.  Performing live is one thing, but performing in the studio is totally different.  You’re in a sterile environment when you’re in a studio.  A lot of times, the only thing in that studio is you, the producer, and a microphone.  You don’t have the audience to feed off of.  Sometimes it’s very difficult.  I found on my first record that it was tough to make that adjustment.  He was able to make me feel comfortable.  The second record I recorded at my own studio.  I sent all my tracks to him.  He’s helped me in a lot of different ways, to mature as an artist and as a studio musician.

SV: So, would you say that it’s harder to play in a studio versus playing in front of a live audience?
AS: For me, yes.  You don’t have the adrenalin rush you do when you’re in front of an audience.  You’re behind a wall.  You’re in a sound booth. 

I’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of great musicians.  There are a lot of great guys out there.  Gerald [Albright] is one of my favorites.  He was instrumental in me getting my endorsement with Cannonball Saxophones.  Kim Waters too; he made it easy for me as well.  That’s my buddy there!  Jeff Kashiwa is another great guy.  I’ve been fortunate enough to work with a lot of great musicians: Michael Henderson, Jean Carne, and Marion Meadows, who is probably one of my best friends in the world.  I’m one of the subs for “The Gentlemen of the night” tour.  We were talking and Marion let me know that he put me in as a sub, which is great.  That’s the kind of person Marion is.  He’s just a great guy.  Phil Perry, I worked with him, another great dude, and Will Downing. 

SV: Who is also on your album.
AS: Absolutely.  I actually performed with him back in ’06 or ’07.  He told me the same thing Gerald did, “Look, give me a track on your CD.  Just give me a call.”  I did one of the last performances with him before it was publicly known he was sick.  Actually, I had wanted him for the track that Frank McComb sings on, but he just couldn’t pull it off.  He wasn’t strong enough to do the recording.  Like I said, everything is timing.  I was collaborating with Chip Shearin, who is Marion Meadows’ musical director.  He sent me a tune that was originally intended for Marion.  Marion had it for a year or two, and nothing happened, so Chip said, “I’m going to send you this tune.  I need you to write a melody for it.”  When I got the tune, it had no melody, just Chip singing the part that Will was singing.  I spent a couple of days listening to the tune and then I came up with a melody and sent it to Chip.  He said, “Man, this is it.  We just need someone to do the background vocals, or, we can leave it as is.”  I said I would call Will.  He said, “Man, send me the tune.”  Three days later, I had his vocals done and my saxophone done.  That’s how we ended up with “Thinking of You.” 

When you’re writing melodies, especially to songs that are technically already written, it makes it a little difficult because I’ll only have certain liberties I can take, unless I want to go back in and do some different stuff on it.  A couple of months after that, Marion heard the tune.  He said, “Man, I think I want that song back.”  We laughed about it.  That’s how that song came about, from the studio standpoint.

SV: We talked a little bit earlier about you including “We Fall Down.”  You said it was part of all of the things you had going on in your life.  I thought it was an interesting choice to put in a spiritual, or gospel song on a secular album, but it fits, especially in the place that it is, as the closer.  And I’m sure there are people out there who won’t even know that it’s a gospel song.  They’ll just hear it as a great piece of music.
AS: That’s true.  First of all, it’s one of my absolute favorite gospel songs.  It’s really a personal testimony, even for me.  I remember the first time I heard it, I thought it was an incredible song.  I felt I just had to do it.

SV: You were compelled.
AS: Yes, I felt like I had to do it. I vowed that every album I record, I want to put a gospel song on there.  That’s me.  It’s just a staple that I want to do.  On my first record, I put “Center of My Joy” on there.  I want people to understand where my roots are from.

SV: Right, and that there’s really no division for you spiritually and musically. 
AS: That’s right.  I’m not going to record anything that’s vulgar or explicit.  There’s enough of that out there without me having to go out there and do something.  The whole music thing to me is an emotional and spiritual thing.  The music I record is just an extension of me.

SV: I guess it depends on where your perspective is.  Is the purpose of making music to sell music, to make a profit, or is the purpose to express yourself, to get out in the open what’s inside of you emotionally?
AS: It’s one of those things where you have to draw the line, and you have to make the decision as to how far you want to take it.  It is a business, but at the same time, every business that I get involved in, I want it to be an extension of me.  I don’t want any surprises. I feel like there are so many other ways to make money, and I believe that God is going to bless you if you just stay true to the course.  That’s why you won’t see anything that’s vulgar.  You’re not going to hear any of that stuff.  I just refuse to record it.  Some other people will do it, but I won’t.

SV: When I spoke with your manager when we were setting up the interview, he was saying how everybody wanted to work on this album with you.
AS: There were a lot of people who wanted to get on it, especially as we got close to the end.

SV: You’ve got a lot of recognizable and talented names on this project.  We’ve talked about some of them already.  You’ve also got Marcus Johnson, Frank McComb, U-Nam, Chuck Loeb, who else haven’t we talked about?
AS: Tracy Hamlin.

SV: Yes, Tracy Hamlin, who sang vocals for Pieces of a Dream for a long time. And, I should say that this CD is on the Pacific coast Jazz label.  How did an east coast guy end up on a west coast label?
AS: I took a whole different approach, even from my management standpoint.  I purposely put together a team that is not located in this area.  I found that a lot of times, that if you get people that live locally with you, they look locally.  That’s not what I wanted, especially on this record.  I spent a lot of money putting it together, and the last thing I wanted to do was to localize the music.  That’s why the record label is on the west coast, because the west coast is making a lot of noise right now.  When you do your homework, you have to make sure that the deal makes sense for you.  You don’t want to find out later on that you’re stuck with that label for the next five to ten years, and you’ve got to record three more records for them.

SV: I’ve heard horror stories about that.
AS: Oh yeah.  You just don’t want to get into that.  That’s not always in your best interest.  I think this is a good label, and I think we’re going to do well.  Donna Nichols, who is the President of the label, is a workhorse.  She’s another Eric Valentine (laugh.)  I get e-mails from her at two and three o’clock in the morning.  That’s what you want.  You want somebody that’s going to be working for you all the time.  You don’t want to be a number.  That’s one of the fears of getting with some of these bigger labels, that you’re really only just a number.  The only time they really focus on you or pay you any attention is if you’re making a lot of noise in terms of smooth jazz music.

And I have a great guy doing my radio marketing, Neal Sapper from New World N Jazz.  He’s been in the game a long time, about 20, 25 years himself. 

SV: I have one more question.  What’s coming up for you that people should know about?  And where can our readers find information on you?
AS: In the next couple of months, we have some things set up.  Reno’s coming up in November.  Just look for some big things.  As this album officially releases to stores, I’m anticipating that we’re going to get some pretty decent responses.  I purposefully chose the guest artists for that purpose, for recognition.  The normal household doesn’t know who Art Sherrod, Jr. is.  They have no clue.  Maybe they love Will Downing, and they google Will Downing and see that he is on this guy Art Sherrod’s CD, and they hear the CD, and maybe they like it, or Gerald Albright, or Chuck Loeb.  I’m hoping it will bring about the exposure.  Aside from that fact, I think it’s a great project.  I think the producers did a great job in their production, and the engineer, Dennis Wall, did a great job of mixing and mastering the project to make it sound as it does.  Over the next couple of months, I hope people see me in their city.  I hope they go to my website, www.artsherrodjr.com .  That’s my hope.  I hope to be seen on Billboard once this thing officially drops and people come out to the shows.  Hearing the record is one thing, but it takes on a whole different vibe live.  And hopefully, look for Tracy and I to do some more things together.  I know we’ll be at the St. Lucia Jazz Festival in March.

SV: When we get CD’s sent to our PO box, I really feel good when something of this caliber comes through.  I mean, we get the big name players from the labels, but people will just send CD’s to our PO box and we can’t review everything that comes in.  When yours came in, and I heard it, I liked it immediately.  It was one of the standouts.  It was the quality among the quantity.
AS: I appreciate you taking the time to listen to it.  We’re hoping that more people will just take a chance and listen to it.  Hopefully, they’ll like what they hear.

SV: I think they will.  It’s just getting it to them that poses the problem these days since radio is not as prevalent anymore.
AS: The east coast is just done.  There’s XM, and a few college stations, and some online stations.  It’s a challenge to be heard now, especially on the east coast.  Everybody’s got to find new ways to get it out there and get heard.  It’s all about marketing.  I’ve talked to a lot of guys who are trying to get their projects together.  Spending the money on your recording is incredibly important, but the bulk of your money is going to be spent on marketing, just trying to be heard, I guarantee that, because it’s harder now.  You’ve got to be creative.  You can’t always do the traditional means of marketing.  You’ve got to figure it out.  You’ve got to be on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter; you’ve got to get part of all of these different platforms.  Aside from getting on internet radio, it’s hard.  So, it’s just nice for people like you, to take the time, and take a chance on listening to something new.

SV: No problem.  It was my pleasure.  It’s a great CD. 
AS: I want people to say, “Wow!  Where did this guy come from?  And how come I’m just hearing about him?”  That’s the impression that we want to leave.

SV: Well, I certainly wish you the best with this project.  This is a fantastic CD, and I hope everyone will listen to it and enjoy it as much as I did.  Thanks for chatting with me today Art.
AS: Thank you.