Saxophonist Justin Young has been playing professionally since he was a teenager on the Detroit music scene. However, his big break came in June 2007 when he won the prestigious Capital Jazz Challenge, a competition for new and upcoming artists. Since that day, Justin has continued to make a name for himself in the smooth jazz community.  This month Smoothviews introduces you to one of smooth jazz's rising stars, Justin Young.

Smoothviews (SV): A few years ago, one of my Smoothviews colleagues and I attended the Capital Jazz Festival.  You were the opening act for the festival.  You opened for Boney James that night.  This was as a result of you winning the Capital Jazz Challenge Competition which they hosted for a few years running.  The Capital Jazz Fest is a very high profile event, so that was great for you to win it.  I know the competition was very tough.  They always have a lot of talented musicians who compete in that challenge.  Can you tell us about that experience?
Justin Young (JY): Sure.  I had written with Tom Schuman, the keyboardist from Spyro Gyra, on my On the Way album.  His wife Yvonne is such a nice person.  She told me, “You should enter this contest held by Capital Jazz.” I submitted my CD and I heard back from them a couple of weeks later.  They wanted me to come down to Columbia, MD to participate.  I was so excited.  It was so much fun.   

At that time, I was still in Michigan, so I brought my entire band over from Detroit.  Each finalist performed three songs.  I performed all original music from my On the Way album, and it went really, really well.  On competition day, it was so hot.  You know that as many years as Capital Jazz Festival has been going on, it’s usually a hot day out there, so it was hot again.  They had a nice stage set up with a very large jumbo screen monitor.   Greg Karukas, Maysa, and Keith Killgo were among the panel of judges.  They are just awesome musicians, and I was honored to be performing in front of them.  I was actually the second performer in the contest.  After everyone performed, I believe there were five or six finalists competing.  After the last finalist competed, they announced who won the cash prize of $5000.  When they said my name, I was so excited.  The winner of the competition got to perform the following day at the very beginning of the show.  I got to warm the crowd up for Boney James and Brian McKnight.  It was so much fun.   I sold so many CD’s that weekend.  It was amazing how many CD’s I sold.  We did really well.  Out of that competition and that performance, I later did the Capital Jazz Super Cruise and that was a blast as well. 

SV: They’re not doing the competition this year.  That’s a shame because they’ve always had some really talented musicians entering that competition.  Also, it was an incredible opportunity for upstart musicians to get their music heard by a large audience.
JY: Maybe they’ll pick it up again next year.  It was just so much fun to be in that.

SV: That leads to my next question.  It’s really hard for up and coming musicians to get their music heard these days.  It’s even hard for established musicians to be heard nowadays.  There is no radio. Promoters are not taking chances on people that they don’t perceive to have a guaranteed audience/fan base attached to them, and they’re trying to package everybody to get more bang for their buck.  But there are other sources; internet, and other technological means of getting the music heard.  In that respect, sometimes musicians can just become one of the pack, so to speak.  You have to stand out from so many others.  How are you doing it?  You seem to be getting your name out there and getting your music heard.  People are noticing and they like what they hear.  You’ve generated some buzz.  How are you doing it?
JY: I’m always working on my craft.  I’m always practicing and I’m always writing.  Last year I released two albums; one was entitled Nothin’ But Love, which is a collection of great original songs plus some well known cover songs.  I also released my first holiday album called Home for the Holidays.  I was so excited to do a Christmas album.  I’m always working on my craft.  I’m always continuing to push ahead.  It is getting out there.  I’m getting great reviews on it.  I’ve had a review on JazzTimes on both of these new releases.  That’s been going very well.  Online sales are doing well.  I’m always moving forward.  I have some video footage of some of the recording sessions that we did on Nothin’ But Love that I am packaging together with the CD.   There’s a lot going on.  There’s a lot of new stuff.  I had Ricky Lawson on drums and Alex Al on bass.  Those two guys are an unbelievable rhythm section. 

I’m working on a new album.  This will be number five for me.  It’s been great.  The feedback I’ve been given is great.  Some of the internet stations are still playing it.  I know Capital Jazz has an internet radio station and they’re playing it.  I’m just looking forward to the future.  It’s a really fun time to create music right now, with all the technology and everything going on in the music world.  I’m excited to be a part of this era right now.  I’m always working on it so it’s.  Everything happens in due time.  I firmly believe that.  I was recently at a fundraiser that Chaka Khan hosts.  It is her annual fundraiser here in California.  It was for The Good News Foundation, and she was there as a special presenter.  The event was held in an airline hanger.  I remember her words; they spoke loudly to me.  She said that “people can see through it.”  What she meant by that was, own your craft and own what you do.  I firmly believe that.  She’s such an unbelievable singer.  I think she was trying to say that once you own it, it’s not like anybody else can come and do it.  There may be a million people out there trying to sing like her, but she owns her craft.  She’s able to rise to the top.  She’s the cream of the crop.  I kind of put that in my own little world.  I always work on my craft and continue to get better. 

SV: Shortly after you won the Capital Jazz Challenge was when you released On the Way, mixed by Paul Brown, which is quite impressive.  You also had Tom Schuman on that CD who is such an amazing musician, and Gail Jhonson, and you’ve got Noel Hall and Rod Long.
JY: Noel Hall is primarily a gospel producer.  He’s very well known.  He works with Fred Hammond and Martha Minuzzi.

SV: Who are both very talented.
JY: Oh yeah.  He’s always out there.  That was a blessing to work with him.  I also worked with Tim Bowman.  We performed together on a song called “Hanna,” on the On the Way album.  I also worked with Beyonce’s Musical Director Kurin Brantley.  He played synth and regular bass.  What’s interesting with Kurin is he used to play bass for Grover Washington, Jr.  This album has a lot of great people on it.  I’m really blessed to get a lot of this accompanying cast.  They are really unbelievable. 

SV: How did it come to pass that you worked with these people, especially the gospel producers?
JY: I played in church a lot.  When I was younger I played drums in church.  I love gospel music.  My Dad had met Noel at a music store and Noel came over and started playing.  We wrote a song that day.  That’s how I came to meet him.  It was a blessing.  He’s such a powerful player.  And Rod Long, he’s another gospel producer.  He also played and produced with Fred Hammond.  That gospel feel is great.  I just love that.

SV: You’re a professional musician and you have a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering.  That’s a serious degree.
JY: My Dad has been a professional musician since as long as I can remember, since I was little.  That’s all I wanted to do because that’s all I heard growing up.  He’s had many bands.  He’s performed all over the world, on aircraft carriers in the Philippines, and on USO tours.  He told me, “You want to do music?  That’s great.  You can do that, but I want you to get a degree.”  My other passion growing up was always playing with Legos.  What is like playing with Legos?  I knew the music thing already, so, I got into mechanical engineering.  I got a chance to see Herbie Hancock at Capital Jazz Festival the year that I played.  I didn’t know this, but Herbie Hancock has a degree in mechanical engineering.  It’s like the music and the math side of the brain click.

SV: That, to me, seems a little strange because it seems so different – technical vs. creative.
JY: I guess I can see that, but not so much for me.  The way that I see it is, with the Legos, you’re putting something together.  It’s the same way you’re putting together a song.  The elements that you use, and that you put together are kind of like the elements that you would use in a song.  For me, composing is like putting it together, kind of like mechanical engineering. (Laugh)

SV: I’ve found that people who are creative in one area are often creative in other areas.  Are you creative in other areas besides music? 
JY: No. I wish I could draw.  (Laugh)  I wish I could paint.  I don’t unfortunately.

SV: But that’s okay.  You’ve got the engineering thing going on. I read that you’re planning to go on and get your Master’s at some point?
JY: That’s correct.  I’ve just been accepted into Pepperdine’s Masters’ in Business Management Program, for their MBA program.  I’ll be starting May 3rd. 

SV: How are you going to manage that, and, make a record?
JY: I’m used to the schedule.  I went to school at Michigan State University, that’s where I received my B.S. in Mechanical Engineering.  I would go to school Monday through Friday, and take all the classes, and on the weekends, I would play in various bands, wedding bands, or private parties, I was always working.  All of that just kind of carried over into real life.  That’s why I’m able to do what I do.  It’s normal for me.

SV: Your father is a professional musician.  Did you feel like it was a natural thing for you to go into the music business?
JY: I believe so.  I’ve always been around music for as long as I can remember.  My Dad would always bring me to rehearsals.  I was always around music, and I was always around some cool musicians.  My Dad actually mixed my Nothin’ But Love album, and he performed acoustic guitar on the song entitled “The Road to Hana.”  He’s a very gifted guitarist and keyboardist, and, a great mix engineer.  He actually mixed my albums Nothin’ But Love and Home for the Holidays, myChristmas album.

SV: Let’s talk about your latest CD, Nothin’ But Love, for a bit.  Once again, you’ve got some heavy hitters here: Sheldon Reynolds, Eddie Miller, and Noel Hall and Rod Long again.
JY: I was really blessed.   It’s a funny story.  The month prior to me moving out to California, I opened for Earth, Wind and Fire in Michigan.  I met a keyboard technician named Joe Wolf.  I didn’t know it at the time, but he’s written songs for Boney James.  He’s a producer in his own right and a great keyboardist.  I was telling Joe that I was moving to California in a month.  He said, “When you get there you need to call me.”  We’re musicians and I was getting a chance to network, so that was great.   I got to California and I called Joe.  He said, “Look Justin.  I want you to go over this guy’s house.  He’s a drummer and he has a studio.”   That was cool because I have this album that I’m working on.  I’m looking forward to getting in the studio.  He gave me the guy’s address and told me his name is Ricky.  I didn’t know who this person was, but I knew that Joe was good people.  So I knocked on this person named Ricky’s door, and Ricky Lawson opens the door.  I just about fell out.  I’ve always been a huge Michael Jackson fan.  I remember MTV showing those Budapest concerts, and a lot of live footage, so I always remember seeing Ricky there.  It was just unbelievable when he opened his door.  That’s how I met Ricky.  The year I won the Capital Jazz Challenge, I got to open for Brian McKnight and Boney James.  I met Boney’s bass player, who at the time was Alex Al.  Alex gave me his card.  I didn’t know that Alex and Ricky are really good friends and could quite possibly get them to play rhythm tracks on my album.  When that all worked out, it was great; truly a blessing.

SV: You’ve got it all on this album; alto, soprano, and tenor saxophones.  This CD is a very nice mix of music and tempos: up-tempo, mid, and some kind of quiet songs.  Actually, I like the “Interlude.”  It’s just a short, sweet piece of music. 
JY: It is sweet.  That was performed by Noel Hall.  He’s one of the most gifted keyboardists I’ve ever played with.   He’s got so much feel, and when he wrote that piece, I decided that I was going to play very little sax on it, but, what I’m going to play is going to be really good.  It’s a great piece in a different spirit and a different mind.  It’s beautiful.

SV: It is, though I wish it were a little longer.
JY: We can make that happen.  We can turn that into a full song.  I’ll be working more with Noel, so that will happen.

SV: And, “Today, Tomorrow,” I like that one a lot too.
JY: That one features a musician by the name of DC.  He produced the latest Peter White CD.  He’s unbelievable.  We did some great stuff with that. 

SV: You wrote or co-wrote a lot of the songs on this album.  Original music is always great.
JY: I love to write.  I’m always writing.  I’m not only writing for myself, but I write for other artists as well.  It’s something that I’ve always loved to do.  This past year alone I’ve written a lot of material [for other people.]   I wish I knew for sure which ones were going to go on their albums.  I got into this writing mode where I wrote so much material.

SV: The holiday album released this past Christmas in December 2009.  There are so many Christmas songs, holiday songs out there, and everybody has their favorites.  How do you decide which ones you’re going to include?
JY: Wow!  Well, I love Christmas music to the point that I must have 100 Christmas songs at home.  I’m a huge Christmas fan.  These were just some of my favorites.  There’s a great song from the rap group TLC, it’s called “Sleigh Ride,” that I did an instrumental on.  It’s track #10 on this album.  I love all types of Christmas songs, but I will say, for this Christmas album, that I’m also a huge fan of funk music.  I’ve always been a huge fan of Morris Day & the time.  There’s a lot of Morris Day & the Time influence on my version of “The Little Drummer Boy,” and “Jingle Bells.”  It’s a lot of fun.  You wouldn’t think that these Christmas songs would come out of that type of genre.  I’ve also got a couple of traditional style songs as well.  A lot of the song versions on this album are really different; they’re very new and fresh.  It’s great stuff.  I can’t wait to play some Christmas shows.

SV: So, you were basically working on two CD’s at the same time?
JY: Yes.

SV: You worked simultaneously on two CD’s, while writing, playing gigs, and promoting.  You’re like the Energizer Bunny.  You keep going!
JY: I’m fortunate.  I have a lot of support from my family and from other musicians.  If it’s something that you love to do, you will always find a way to do it.

SV: I have one more question.  We’ve touched on it a bit during this interview.  You’re working on a new CD – five down and number five in process.  You’re playing and you’re promoting.  What else can we expect from you in the near future?
JY: You can expect the fifth album, that’s going to come.  And, some video footage of behind the scenes of Nothin’ But Love.  I’ll just say that I’ve got some new stuff coming out, but I don’t want to let it out of the bag yet.  This hasn’t been done before.  If I say it now, it will be out of the bag.  I’m really excited for this next year. (Laugh)

SV: Well, now I’m intrigued, but I guess we’ll just have to be surprised.  We’ll all be surprised when it happens. (Laugh)
JY: It’s going to be a fun journey for the future.

SV: It certainly sounds that way.  I’m glad things are happening for you, and your music is going well.  We certainly wish the best for you and hope to see you on the east coast again soon.  Thank you for chatting with me this evening.
JY: Thank you so much.  It was my pleasure.