Mm-hmm.

Um, and it was a Ray Charles blues that you could play all on black notes.

He was a self, um, sort of self-taught guitarist, played the blues, kinda gospel, Southern tradition, but he knew this one, one song on piano.

Um, and I always mention this, is that, um, you know, years, years later, I'm studying, you know, at these places and, you know, advanced studies in piano pedagogy and all of these things, and, you know, they t- one of the things they teach you is about, um, the white keys and the black keys and, um, playing something only on the black keys and how students can learn and, you know, the rainbow and the arc and all of, all of these things.

And, um, that's an important connection for me because, um, n- now that I'm in the academy, you know, to not forget that that first piece I learned was pedagogical brilliance.

Um, and that part of my training is equally as important and valid as what I'm being taught here, um, and was first.

I wouldn't be here without, without that.

... called classical pieces too, so.

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[piano music] I think for me, the through line, if I, if I were to say one thing, is just heart, of how do you put your heart and, and soul into this? That whatever, um, the task is, uh, that you're accomplishing, how do you shine through? How is it something that you feel proud of and something that you feel like you're giving your soul to?

In this conversation, we explore virtuosity, improvisation, composition, contemporary music, and what it means to bring your full musical self to the stage.

I think in this concert, it was just a matter of bringing my full musical self.

And then im- improvisation o- offers you the n- unique opportunity to be totally present with that experience and that audience, and what the spirit in this room right now, what r- what, what is it I need to do that speaks to the spirit right now? Finding and, um, sort of, uh, living into, uh, are two different, uh, different things maybe.

All of those elements of my musical life had always been in the picture and been there.

They can live together, and that's, that is my authentic musical self.

All of those things, they can find a way to, to live together in, um, my identity as an, as an artist.