Your Lore Chapter 8: Jason Crosby
YOUR LORE CHAPTER 8: JASON CROSBY
(Crazy Fingers)
Reid: You and I were set up on a blind date by our mutual friend Lucy Chapin. We met at your apartment in NYC to sniff each other out and see if we had the chemistry to make music together. In the wake of your generosity in regards to steak and vodka, I was too ah, "full" to actually play music. That said I recall feeling really comfortable interpersonally and just having a sixth sense that we would find some commonality musically. Whats your recollection?
Jason: Yes! Lucy definitely set us up as two NYC dwellers that were a good fit for some jamming. I remember us hitting it off personally right away and having lots of mutual friends. That did lead to us to not jamming much that night (is steak what the kids call it these days?), but I do remember this line from you when I asked you to play me one of your tunes... “I can’t seem to remember any of my songs, why don’t you play me one of yours.” HA!
Reid: I recently got this cool coffee table book called “Music” and in it there is a picture and a quote from Kenny Rodgers who says, “I am music, everything else is what I do." I think of you as music. It's not something you do, it’s something you are. How do you visualize music as you parse yourself?
Jason: Thank you for saying so. I wouldn’t be so bold as to say I “am music,” but I would say that it is as comfortable and natural to me as anything in my life.
Further “Cumberland Blues” Featuring Jason Crosby on Fiddle
I’m extremely lucky to have absolute (aka perfect) pitch, and that eliminates a lot of thought and visualization when it comes to the practice of playing alongside people. Hearing things in real-time, it allows me to shut my eyes and allows any improvisational ideas to brew freely.
Reid: I know you started playing Violin at 4ish? Did you take to it right away or did it take some doing? When did you fold in Piano? Which do you consider your main instrument these days?
Jason: I started violin at age 2 technically, but it was just before my third birthday that I started taking lessons. I started piano at 4. I would say the piano is my main instrument at this point, but I also think my career would not be the same if I didn’t also play the violin.
Reid: You started with formal classical music training. When did you first start to break the rules and apply your musical ability to other genre's? What were some of the first songs that led you away from classical music?
Jason: I didn’t really start really listening to non-classical music until my teens. I saw Pink Floyd when I was 13 and that changed my life, but I never really applied it to my music. I was still entering classical competitions, touring around the world with a youth orchestra, and honestly not really thinking I would be a professional musician!
In 1990/91 I saw God Street Wine at the Wetlands and then things changed. I had just started listening to Phish, GD, and others of that ilke, but never seen it live. I don’t know, maybe it was the “steak”, but when I saw that show at the Wetlands I heard all of these keyboard ideas in my head while they were playing. It was a revelation. I decided at that moment I wanted to play in bands.
Reid: One of the things about classical music is that the interpretation is very nuanced, the room for personal expression is limited. You must play the right notes at the right time but how you play them, how you feel them is what distinguishes you and gives you voice. You have a voice as an instrumentalist both on piano and violin. Did you realize you had that in the classical setting? Does that voice come to you more easily on one of the two instruments?
Jason: I think i got my classical voice from my teacher who got hers from Vladimir Horowitz. There are sections of classical pieces in which you can emote, and in some cases take musical liberties as well. I enjoyed this aspect of classical a lot. However, it is very strict overall. I only had one piano teacher from age 4 to 17, and I remember her telling me towards the end of our run “what are you doing, you’re swinging Chopin!”
Reid: You actually don't play the Violin, you play a hybrid with an extra string. Can you describe what the hell that instrument is? Why and how you came to play it? Where you got it?
Jason: It is a six string violin. The top four strings are the same as violin, with two lower strings. The instrument stays in fifths, so continuing down from the violin is a C string (Viola) and a F String (Cello G tuned down to keep in fifths).
It’s a custom instrument made by Richard Barbera out of Staten Island, NY. I had two violins of his (a five string and a baritone 5 string) back in the day and they got stolen. I couldn’t afford to replace them both right away so I bought the six string so I still had most of the range of the two I lost for recording sessions etc. I intended to eventually replace the other two, but he has since stopped making violins! But I have become attached to the six string, and it’s basically been my only violin I’ve used for the last 10 years.
Reid: What other instruments do you play fluently?
Jason: Over the years I’ve played Trumpet, French Horn, Baritone Horn, Viola, Guitar, Bass, Mallet Percussion, and other stuff in addition to keys and fiddle. I don’t know how fluent I am but can still make sounds out of a bunch of stuff.
Reid: When you expanded your musical life beyond classical to include jazz and rock, was it hard to color outside the lines and jam or did it come naturally?
Jason: It was real tough at first. I would learn a band’s material by writing out what I wanted to play and then memorizing it. I remember one of the first bands I was in changing singers and being mortified at having to learn the entire catalogue in a new key. But in time it has become second nature.
Reid: Are there musical devices, tactics or even psychological approaches to music that you find obviously present in rock music that might not be obvious to the average person? Are there elements of classical music that you wish rock bands had more of?
Jason: I’m not sure how the “average person” hears things, but I’m imagining that it’s really also about how they feel things (as they are hearing things). So when the band suddenly gets quiet and then there is an eruption of volume and lights...that brings out emotions. Or a repeated chant/chorus that they can sing with their buddies.
I think the really good rock bands already have those elements of classical that are appealing to me. You hear it in the Dead, Phish, God Street, it’s there...
Reid: You can and you do play any and every style of music with the highest caliber musicians, and yet you too have a special love for The Grateful Dead. People have written books upon books, movies, blogs etc. In 5000 words or less, what is it about that band and that songbook that calls to you?
Jason: My brother Brett followed the dead as a taper from 1986-1995. So my childhood was one that had GD cassettes everywhere, and I think it was just engrained in me. I saw them a few times, but was honestly at the time more drawn to the younger scenes of Phish and GSW because that’s where my friends were. And no disrespect to the fellas, but maybe because I was listening to 90’s GD, I was not yet aware of the magic that they made in their heyday.
But eventually they got their hooks in, haha. And once I started playing with them it was a whole new ballgame. Those guys literally changed my life. Their approach to music and jamming is so unique and special. It’s truly amazing to be that close to it.
Reid: When you moved out West both Phil and Bobby noticed your talent and welcomed you as a peer. Do you think the fact that you and Phil both have classical training is part of what he found appealing in you as a musician?
Jason: I don’t think they knew much about me at first but liked what they heard. Phil thought I only played violin at first. I’ll never forget his face when Jeff Chimenti had me play double keys on the encore at my first PLF gig at the Welmont in 2012! I think once he saw I could do both, he was really down to get into some shit!!
Bob recruited me at TRI based on how I could play with him in a duo setting. Guitar/Violin, Guitar/Keys, Guitar/Guitar... and even one time when Phil was a guest he had to leave early I got to play Bass!
Phil and I have definitely talked a lot of classical since then. He recently requested I learn a Brahms piece, which I did and then recently performed at Terrapin Crossroads for their first ever classical show! We both have perfect pitch, and grew up playing the same instruments, so there definitely is a classical music bond between us.
Reid: One of the things everyone loves about you is how comfortable you are with being you. How modest you are given how much you have to brag about. You've played with more incredible musicians in more incredible bands, in more incredible places than anyone I know. There are way too many exceptional moments to list but a few are: touring as a member of Susan Tedeschi Band, Robert Randolph Band, Blind Boys of Alabama, Phil and Friends, Oteil and the Peace Makers, Jenny Lewis, Jimmy Herring and the Invisible Whip and probably most impressively John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra - where you played jazz violin. You've played every late night TV show, opened for Clapton, hung out with Beck. If there was one thing, one musical moment you'd want me to reference at your funeral, in the unlikely event that you croak before I do, what would it be?
Reid: Thanks Reggie. I try to stay as grounded as I can. Sometimes people will call me a rock star, and I honestly can say I don’t feel like one. I do feel like I have some rock star friends that I hang with for sure. But myself, I truly just look at myself as an extremely fortunate working musician.
I don’t know if I can pinpoint one musical moment. There truly have been so many that It’s hard to say one would be above the rest. I think I get a lot of joy from the reactions of the other people on stage and audience. Especially when it’s people I’m close with. To see how happy it makes my brothers, parents, and friends when they see me trading licks with Santana or McLaughlin is magical to me. And to have Phil or Bobby react to something I play and play it back at me (or vice verse) is something I never thought would happen growing up.
Reid: In addition to being one of the most accomplished instrumentalists I've ever met, you are also an amazing singer-songwriter. You recently put out a solo record called Cryptologic. What was your creative vision for that record and how did you distill the web of musical fabric in your brain into 10 crisp tracks? The fine fellows from The Mother Hips played a role in actualizing that vision, how did you guys work together?
Jason: Cryptologic started as a collection of songs that I had written towards my last days living in NYC. It was pretty melancholy and dark, but I hoped to make it hauntingly beautiful a la Sea Change by Beck.
Upon living here, I became close friends with Tim Bluhm and The Mother Hips, and Tim and I did some writing sessions in Sonoma and Kauai. The idea was that I was going to scrap half of the tunes and instead write “chapter 2” of my story with a little more of a hopeful feel.
It ultimately worked well, and I had The Hips back me on the tunes and I’m grateful for the experience.
Reid: Are there 2 or 3 of the songs you've written or albums you've played on that you're most proud of? Why?
Jason: My favorite songs I’ve written are usually instant tunes. “Final Step” I wrote in Hawaii on the beach using a friend’s ukulele and “Roads are Torn” I wrote in NYC at 4am in a few minutes. Both of those came out on the recording exactly the way I heard them in my head, and I’m proud of them both.
As far as other studio recordings go, it’s definitely an honor to have my name next to Clapton’s on Robert Randolph’s version of “Jesus is Just Alright.”
Reid: What are a half-a-dozen musical influences or at least guilty pleasures that your fans would be surprised you love?
Musical Influences…. Everyone I’ve ever played with, Aquarium Rescue Unit (All lineups), Stevie Wonder, Michel Camilo, Pink Floyd, Beck
Not sure if it qualifies for guilty pleasure, but some may be surprised at what’s in my current rotation.... Father John Misty, Dawes, Frank Sinatra, Louis Prima, Norah Jones, Beck
Reid: In my next life I want to come back as a Jazz guitar player like Wes Montgomery. However being the singer-songwriter dude in the jamband land certainly doesn't suck. You are many things to many people. Do you prefer playing a supporting role or fronting a band? How does each role differ? In your next life would you like to be a Beck-like musical character to my Wes Montgomery?
Jason: I feel very comfortable in a supporting role. I think it’s my biggest strength, and it’s an important piece to make a group elevate from good to great. I do love putting on the occasional JC and Friends show (which you’ve contributed to!), and it’s super fun to front a band for a night or two. Yeah man, we can have our next life Beck/Wes Duo shows!
Reid: The first time I ever heard of you was when you were playing at High Sierra in the late 90s billed as The Jason Crosby Band. I assumed you were David Crosby’s son. So when we started playing together in Assembly of Dust, I spawned a rumor that you were in fact his son by announcing you as such on stage every night. I felt the joke was over when David Crosby finally tweeted, "For the last time, I am not Jason Crosby's father." I know that was a bit of a rub, but it gave me endless pleasure so thanks for manning up for the cause. I know I take things too far on occasion but come on - I'm funny as shit and we laugh a ton. Is there one moment you recall from our years of banter that sticks out as downright hilarious?
Jason: Wait a minute... I’ve never been to High Sierra...haha. Reggie, you’re hilarious! I would cringe at that joke though, because people already thought it to be truth!! Jam Band Fake News you are!!!! Ha.
Reid: One of the things I admire about you is how easily you toggle back and forth from playing a support role to leading a band. From where I sit it takes a certain phycological strength (read: the ability to tuck one's ego away) as well as musical ability to go back and forth. Do you just hear harmony sitting there for the taking or do you have to work at it? Do you prefer leading a song to supporting one or do you like the mix?
Jason: Thanks man. I hear the harmonies, and if there’s one missing I’ll fill it! I’m happy to lead/support or both.
Reid: I know you play both acoustic and electric guitar. Is there one your feel more comfortable on? Do you play other instruments?
Jason: I’m more experienced with Acoustic Guitar, but was stoked to play an Electric Solo on my record. A first!
Reid: I think of myself as a singer/songwriter who happens to play guitar vs say a guitar player who also sings and writes songs. Do you feel the same?
Jason: No, I feel like an instrumentalist who has challenged himself to try and be a singer/songwriter at times.
Reid - Thanks for visiting J - see you in a few weeks broseph. Folks, visit Jason at: https://jasoncrosby.com/
Peace…!