Welcome to Part 2 of our interview with Jonathan Saraga. If you missed the first segment, be sure to read it for as the title states, “This is Required Reading.
Now we continue with our interview.
Do you prefer big band or combo work?
“I’ll probably have to go with combo work. I really enjoy both for different reasons. Similar to the topic on preferred forms of improvisation, both of these require me to undertake a different role as a player. I enjoy playing in a trumpet section, and trying to blend in with the sounds and phrasing of 16 other musicians. There’s something to be felt when a big band is playing great together. In a combo setting I get to solo more, which I really like. There’s also a lot more opportunity to phrase and interpret music freely. I prefer playing in a combo because that’s where I really get to express myself, stretch out, and go for some things that in big band setting probably wouldn’t be appropriate”.
Which trumpet players do you enjoy listening to the most?
“Clifford Brown, Miles Davis, Woody Shaw, Louis Armstrong, Fats Navaro, Tom Harrell”.
Rate your preferences from most enjoyed from most to least- Cool, Bop,Fusion,Free,Others.
“My preferences to what I enjoy playing the most and listening to the most are definitely different. I really enjoy playing improvisational music of any kind. I enjoy playing jazz a lot; all different forms of jazz; early jazz, ragtime, swing, hard-bop, blues, all of them really, because I appreciate the history and spiritual evolution of the art form. I love listening to jazz. I love classical music, different world music, including ancient and traditional spiritual music, and folk music. I also love film scores, operas, country, 90’s rock, ambient, and the list goes on. The bottom line though for me is that there are artists I prefer to listen to or play with over others. If I am listening to or playing with someone I love to play with or listen to, than it matters not the genre. I have a love and appreciation for people in general so I can appreciate all music; because it’s made by people. My palette is very open to different types of music because I want to learn more about music and about what I want my music to convey and sound like and what I feel is necessary for me to express through my music. For me, it’s not the style of music, it’s the people and what they bring to the music that I’m interested in”.
Would you consider yourself a melodic improviser or more of a chordal player?
“I try to be a melodic improviser even though I know that I can get caught up in more angular harmonic or chordal shape movement. Sometimes it’s right for the moment and other times I would rather have played something lyrical. Lyrical, melodic playing is really what I’m striving for”.
How would you explain to the readers how and when you know what you are going to do before each phrase?
“I don’t; well at least I don’t want to. If I’ve been practicing and playing a lot, and the horn feels natural and I feel strong, flexible and centered on the horn, than I let my ears take the music where the music wants to go. If I haven’t been practicing as much, I have to think more so my chops can prepare to do what my ears want; which I don’t like doing at all. Ideally I like playing spontaneously and allowing my fingers to move based on what I’m hearing”.
When constructing a solo, what form or structure do you strive for or does it develop as you play?
“I tend to let solos develop freely and I let the music happen naturally. I have found that this may not always be the best approach for all situations. Improvisation is spontaneous but music has form, so there is already an inseparable combination of the polarities inherent within improvisational music. I strive to let the music play itself, by giving the music what it wants from my horn. I think the overall structure should just happen if you are really listening”.
If you were able to form a combo to listen to, which musicians would be in the group (both living and dead)?
“McCoy Tyner, John Coltrane, Elvin Jones, Jimmy Garrison – Coltrane’s combo from the early 60’s, no need to change something that worked so well”.
If you were to switch instruments, which one would you pick?
“Piano”.
Your style of improvisation includes a heavy use of sequential patterns; where did you learn to play them so well and how were you able to perfect them so effectively?
“A lot of the patterns I use now, I learned from people that I’ve transcribed or from friends that I have practice with. I really enjoy experimenting with shapes and scales. This is an endless amount of material to construct language from. With all that said, I think the real challenge is playing melodically and lyrically. My goal is to shape my improvisation around the melody. I try to incorporate shapes within the context of melody”.
Do you have a drum or bass background?
“No”.
What would you like our readers to know about you?
“That I appreciate them checking this interview out”.
What are you hoping for in the future for your musical accomplishments?
“I am hoping to make people feel good with music, and I am hoping to do this to as many people as possible”.
We would like to thank Mr. Saraga for taking time to fill in some of the questions I had and we hope that you all will check out Jonathan’s Web Site to learn more about this gifted musician.
