| Influences | Now here's where my fingers would bleed if I was to type all influences. I guess the first was Wanna Be Like You and Bare Necessities from Jungle Book. As a very young child I would listen to them over & over. Years later I made the connection to Jazz: I realized I'd been listening to Louis Prima & some amazing playful Jazz greats. My Dad would play Jim Reeves & Harry Belafonte, my Mum & Grandma played old Tamil film songs. As a child you just soak it up without preconceptions, good music is a global phenomena.
I got into the whole Black music ting from Rock & Roll, to Soul, Funk, Hip Hop, Jazz, (pretty much in that kinda order) & from Jazz started hearing some Indian Classical so I have also pursued some studies in that area (& will continue to with my mentor Prof TVG, the greatest musician I've heard). Life is inspiration, being inspired is living.
All very well but people want to name names, you know, specifics. I guess so they can nod their heads in agreement or frown with disapproval. So here's a list, edited, so u get da gist.
Prince (pre Graffhiti Bridge), Public Enemy, Pharrell, Arvo Part, Portishead, Pablo Gad, Peggy Lee, Pharoah Sanders, Pharcyde, Pete Rock, Charlie Parker, Pink Floyd, DJ Premier, BDP, Paris, Phil Spector, Parliament, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Sean Paul, Cole Porter, Augustus Pablo, .... Guess I done the "P"s I'm Off!. |
