JTA - The Jazz Transcript Authority: Faruq Z. Bey

SOUND PROJECTIONS

AN ONLINE QUARTERLY MUSIC MAGAZINE

EDITOR: KOFI NATAMBU

WINTER, 2021

VOLUME NINE NUMBER THREE

FARUQ Z. BEY

Featuring the Musics and Aesthetic Visions of:

William Parker

(January 23-29)

Jason Palmer

(January 30-February 5)

Living Colour

(February 6-12)

Charles Tolliver

(February 13-19)

Henry Grimes

(February 20-26)

Marcus Strickland

(February 27-March 5)

Kendrick Scott

(March 6-March 12)

Seth Parker Woods

(March 13-19)

Kris Bowers

(March 20-26)

Ulysses Owens

(March 27-April 2)

Steve Nelson

(April 3-9)

Steve Wilson

(April 10-16)

https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/ulyssesowens

Ulysses Owens, Jr.

Biography
Articles
News

Multi-Grammy Award Winning drummer Ulysses Owens Jr., is a native of Jacksonville, Florida and a Juilliard graduate with a Bachelor of Music degree with concentration in Jazz Studies. He has performed with world-class musicians including Patti Austin, Terence Blanchard, Benny Golson, Russell Malone, Wynton Marsalis, Mulgrew Miller, Maceo Parker, Nicholas Payton and Dianne Reeves to name a few.

In 2010 Ulysses received his first Grammy Award for his performance on Kurt Elling's Dedicated To You,and in 2012 his second Grammy Award for Christian McBride's Big Band Album The Good Feeling. Currently, Ulysses is touring as the drummer for Grammy Winning Artists Christian McBride,Nnenna Freelon, and Ted Nash.

His 2009 debut recording It's Time For U featured several original compositions and arrangements. Critics shared “It's Time For U not only elicits Owens talent to keep the music mobile and ramp up the songs dynamics with well-positioned solos, but the use of vocals on some of the tracks deepens the album's luster”. His second album, Unanimous, released in 2012 on European jazz label Criss Cross features Christian McBride, Nicholas Payton, Jaleel Shaw, Mike Dease and Christian Sands. Unanimous has been hailed by critics and audiences alike as “...the best jazz album of 2012” selling out performances at Jazz at Lincoln Center Dizzy's Club Coca Cola and the Exodus to Jazz Series in Rochester, NY.

Education and community services are also staples of Ulysses career. He is the Co-Founding Artistic Director of Don't Miss A Beat, his family's non-profit organization. Don't Miss A Beat's core mission is to blend music and art with focus on academic achievement, civic engagement and to inspire and empower inner city students to strive for their dreams. In addition to his work as a performer, composer and educator, Ulysses is establishing himself as a producer working with artists Matthew Rybicki, Mike Cottone, and Jeremiah Abiah. His work on these recordings has resulted in rave reviews. This year Ulysses will produce five emerging vocalists who's albums are to be released and distributed nationally in the spring of 2013.

Ulysses Owens Jr. continues to further his vision of healing the world with the gift of music, inspiration and education.

https://www.usojazzy.com/

https://www.usojazzy.com/about

One of the most sought-after drummers of his generation, Owens sets the mark. From GRAMMY award-winning performances with Christian McBride’s acclaimed Trio and Big Band to world tours with Kurt Elling and Joey Alexander, Owens’s artistic command of percussion has earned him positions in some of the most successful jazz ensembles of the 21st century. Owens’s reverence for tradition distinctly manifests in his straight-away playing style, but it is the versatility of his talent— his unique ability to manipulate texture and create penetrating musical shapes— that attracts the attention of jazz’s heavy hitters. His performance catalog includes collaborations with Nicholas Payton, Wynton Marsalis, Monty Alexander, Dianne Schurr, Renee Fleming and Mulgrew Miller, just to name a few.

A burgeoning force in the industry, Owens has been named a Rising Star by DownBeat’s Critics Poll for five years straight. He is a recipient of the 2013 ASCAP Plus Award, a Gold Medal winner of the 2014 Global Music Awards, a 2015 Jazz at Lincoln Center Swing! Awards Honoree, and 2019 “3rd Runner-Up,” in Classic Jazz Category in the Modern Drummer Magazine Readers Poll. Still, most notable of Owens’s accomplishments are his performances on the 2010 GRAMMY award-winning Kurt Elling live album, Dedicated to You, and the 2012 GRAMMY award-winning Christian McBride Big Band album, The Good Feeling. His work with Joey Alexander, the Christian McBride Trio, and Gregory Porter have also received recognition by the Recording Academy, garnering GRAMMY nominations for the albums; My Favorite Things, Countdown, Out Here , Live at the Village Vanguard, Nat King Cole and Me.

At the heart of Owens’s work is a passion for creation and the desire to reach new audiences. On and off stage, music emanates from every inch of his being, and no performance goes unmarked by Owens’s signature smile. Owens is a gifted bandleader, claiming five successful albums of his own (It’s Time for U, Unanimous, Onward and Upward, Falling Forward, Songs of Freedom.) and four self-produced albums with the New Century Jazz Quintet (Time is Now, In Case You Missed Us, Arise, and Soul Conversion), a skillful group he co-leads with pianist Takeshi Ohbayashi in Japan. Owens’s band-first philosophy ensures that all conversations with an audience remain fluid and focused, another stamp of his seasoned expertise and professional sophistication.

Amidst touring, Owens is regularly involved in special projects. In 2015, he served as Artist-in-Residence at the Park Avenue Armory Conservancy where he presented Ulysses in 3. This multi-disciplinary performance piece showcased the literary masterpiece Ulysses by James Joyce, the work of celebrated choreographer Ulysses Dove and Owens’s own original compositions, weaved together through the mediums of music, dance, spoken word and visual art. That same year, Owens was commissioned by Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art to compose a work for the Museum’s Summer Garden Series. The final result was a seven-movement suite entitled Stages of Us reflecting on the African American experience.

A strong believer in community engagement, Owens has ardently supported cultural institutions. From 2012 to 2015, Owens served as the Jazz Vesper Series Artistic Director at the world-renowned Abyssinian Baptist Church. He was also appointed Artistic Music Curator for the legendary Minton’s Playhouse, at the request of chef and restaurateur Alexander Smalls, producing over 85 shows for the jazz club during its 2015 Fall season.

Owens has also been making a name for himself in production circles, having accumulated over 40 producer credits in just a few short years. His production of Olivia Foschi’s Perennial Dreamer was described by JazzTimes as “fresh, innovative, and refreshingly uplifting…appealing to a new generation of listeners, while still honoring jazz as a tradition.” The Owens-produced Abiah album, Life as A Ballad, debuted at #20 on the Billboard charts, and his production of Candice Hoyes’s album, On a Turquoise Cloud, was named one of the best albums of 2015 by SoulTrain.com. Co-producing, GRAMMY winning singer, Alicia Olatuja’s album’s “Timeless,” and her most recent album “Intuition, Songs from the Minds of Women,” released in February, 2019 and has been receiving rave reviews.

Owens’s steadfast belief that “music is a universal language with the ability to heal the soul,” coupled with his commitment to disseminating art, is encapsulated no greater than in his lifelong career educating music’s next generation of leaders. Owen’s C.V. includes positions at music schools across New York City and countless speaking engagements hosted domestically and abroad. In 2016, Owens was invited by Wynton Marsalis and Aaron Flagg of the Juilliard School’s Jazz Studies Program, Owens’s alma mater, to join the institution’s esteemed faculty as an instructor for small ensembles.

Despite spending the greater part of his calendar year on the road, Owens also remains tightly connected to his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida where his family founded Don’t Miss a Beat, Inc., a non-profit organization empowering young people to dream big and give back to their communities through a blend of musical, artistic, academic, and civic engagement programming. As DMAB Artistic Director, Owens has created programs for children and teens, including a cross-cultural exchange that gives students the opportunity to experience art and culture abroad. Having had the fortune of dedicated mentors throughout his career, Owens’s interest in investing in young people’s education and self-esteem is a deeply personal cause and one essential to his vision of pushing art forward.

As an educator Owens’ has delved into the realm of being the co-creator of his online jazz drum video course, “Finding Your Beat,” distributed and produced by Open Studio Network, and has amassed hundreds of subscribers globally that desire to learn more about his performance and teaching philosophy. He has most recently been asked by Hal Leonard Publishing company, to write his first drum instructional book set for release by January 2020.

Owens’ most recent album, “Songs of Freedom,” features the music of Abbey Lincoln, Joni Mitchell, and Nina Simone; released by the Resilience Music Alliance record label. This album has been selected by JAZZIZ Magazine of one of 10 Jazz albums to listen to in March 2019. The album features bassist Rene Marie, Alicia Olatuja, and Theo Bleckmann as the featured vocalists, and David Rosenthal, Allyn Johnson and Reuben Rogers in the band.

Ulysses remains consistently in demand for new projects as an Artist, Producer, and Educator, remaining one of the most sought-after drummers and thought leaders of his generation. Yet what matters to him consistently is giving back and continuing to be grateful for a new day, to make a difference in the lives of others.

https://www.usojazzy.com/education

Be More Than A Drummer

Be More Than A Drummer is a course for drummers/musicians who desire to become more and expand their talents beyond the drums into varying artistic avenues/platforms and create multiple streams of income for their careers. I remember being frustrated when people told me that all I ever had the power to do was play the drums and I knew that I had a drive to also excel in business, education and entrepreneurship. Many times being a drummer is what kept people from hearing my thoughts and allowing me to venture into new terrain to develop those ideas, however I persisted and have been able to build a career indicative of those desires based on my own drive and ingenuity.

Education

Education is a huge passion of Ulysses’ career, and he has been very fortunate to maintain several positions that give him the ability to make a great impact in the area of Jazz and Performing Arts education around the world. He is in demand as Lecturer, Clinician, Professor, Consultant and maintains a position as Artistic Director at his family Non-Profit Organization, Don’t Miss A Beat in Jacksonville, Florida and is a professor at the Juilliard School in the Jazz Studies Department.

https://www.usojazzy.com/projects

Songs of Freedom

FEAT. THEO BLECKMANN, ALICIA OLATUJA & JOANNA MAJOKO

First presented under the auspice of Jazz at Lincoln Center, the 1960s are explored through the work of three prolific artists: Joni Mitchell, Abbey Lincoln, and Nina Simone – all of whom have made an indelible mark in music. Each artist expressed freedom in various ways. Joni composed and sung about the freedom of love, Abbey expressed freedom of her individuality and race through her lyricism, and Nina Simone demanded freedom politically through song. The project is under the musical direction of Grammy Award-winning drummer, Ulysses Owens Jr.

Download PRESS KIT

Songs of Freedom - Ulysses Owens Jr. Introduction

Posted on October 18, 2016

Unlimited Myles

Saturday, September 24, 2016

Jazz at Lincoln Center presents

Songs of Freedom

Ulysses Owens Jr., Music Director & drums

Dee Dee Bridgewater, vocals

Theo Bleckmann, vocals

Alicia Olatuja, vocals

David Rosenthal, guitar

Allyn Johnson, piano and Fender Rhodes

Larry Grenadier, bass

The Appel Room Jazz at Lincoln Center

Generation y

Generation Y is a quintet comprised of the most dynamic young jazz musicians on the scene. This group is dedicated to moving the music forward, with a love of the jazz tradition. Ulysses Owens Jr., has been the driving force behind such great artists as Nicholas Payton, Christian McBride, Wynton Marsalis, Mulgrew Miller, Joey Alexander and many others. Through his relationship with these great bandleaders he learned of the legacy of Art Blakey and Betty Carter, both of whom were renowned for their own bands (which became educational institutions) and launched the careers of many of today’s paradigm-shifting musicians on the jazz scene.

In the past five years, Ulysses career has shifted from being a "young lion” to grooming the next generation of talent via his performance, production and educational career. In the tradition of Blakey and Carter, Ulysses introduces “Generation Y”, paying it forward by selecting a new crop of a talent through his professorship at The Juilliard School as well as young musicians he has discovered. Generation Y is a dynamic group that conveys the power of the jazz tradition by showing that the future of the music is in good hands.

Ulysses Owens Jr.’s Generation Y features:

Alexa Tarantino- Alto Saxophone, Flute

Drew Anderson- Trumpet

Luther Allison-Piano

Philip Norris-Bass

Ulysses Owens Jr. Big Band

Drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr. This high-octane big band is an expansion of the acclaimed New Century Jazz Quintet, which already features five of the best rising star musicians from New York City and Japan: Ulysses Owens, Jr., Tim Green, Benny Benack III, Takeshi Ohbayashi, and Yasushi Nakamura. Over the past few years, the Quintet has performed to enthusiastic New York audiences at Dizzy’s Club and throughout Japan, leaving no question that they’re all key players in the future of jazz. The big band configuration adds 11 worthy instrumentalists to the mix, giving a platform to even more top emerging voices in jazz. The group’s varied repertoire includes originals and a range of original compositions by Ulysses, and such artists as Michael Jackson, John Coltrane, and Mulgrew Miller, offering a strong foundation for improvised solos and big band fireworks. This band has is also contracted for various high profile artist’s, where Ulysses serves as Music Director and has this great cast of players joining him.

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/ulysses-owens-jr-at-the-jazz-corner-ulysses-owens-jr-by-martin-mcfie.php

Ulysses Owens Jr. At The Jazz Corner

view slideshow

by MARTIN MCFIE
February 24, 2019

Ulysses Owens Jr.
The Jazz Corner
Songs of Love
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
February 15-16, 2019

It was a pleasure to hear a group of skillful, energetic, and highly-educated young musicians at Hilton Head Island's Jazz Corner, led by master musician and two-time Grammy winner (including one for his work with Christian McBride) Ulysses Owens, Jr.. Bassist Philip Norris recently completed his studies at Juilliard and is now touring around the world, while vibraphonist Jalen Baker is still working on his master's degree and pianist Liston Gregory III is finishing his education. Guest singer Kiaya Cash joined the musicians, dressed in a stylish red evening gown and performing a standout swinging samba version of Grover Washington Jr.'s "Just the Two of Us."

The content of this performance was premised on St. Valentine's Day, achieving a balance of jazz and soul music. Soul music is derived from rhythm and blues with a heavy influence of gospel. The levels of each ingredient may be different in jazz and soul, but neither style strays far from the same African American heritage. They sit comfortably together, 80 years apart.

Gregory's piano and Baker's vibes alternated the melody. In the rhythm section, Norris's precise bass lines were forcefully punctuated by Owens. Norris also delivered wide-ranging, concise solos on bass to great applause. Bass players always seem to get strong praise because of the effort required to muster their quiet sound, but this time it was genuinely deserved for inventive solos of considerable length and detail.

Owens opened the Stevie Wonder tune "These Three Words" with a long cymbal solo and weighty rat-a-tat drum hits surprising the audience. The elegance of the vibraphone enunciated the mood and melody of electrifying fast pieces while the tempo varied to a slow, deliberate, and mellow reverb in ballads. In the refrain to Wonder's piece "All I Do Is Think About You," an impromptu choir of friends started in the audience and made an excellent backing group, dancing in their seats and drawing smiles from the musicians.

The second set moved along with the Duke Ellington classics "Mood Indigo"(from 1930, the first tune Ellington wrote for radio) and "In a Sentimental Mood" (1935), particularly suited to the ethereal vibraphone. Gregory took the lead on the Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley song " Save Your Love for Me." The audience became progressively quieter, spellbound by Cash's voice, which had grown in confidence throughout the performance. She turned up full power for a soulful "My Funny Valentine" (Rodgers and Hart, 1937) which won an ovation and ended the evening.

The quality of these young musicians was a joy to hear. Notes sounded out clearly and skillfully, and solos were varied and intricate without going too far from the melody. The juxtaposition of smooth vibes with powerful piano and cracking drums was supported by excellence on the bass. Owens is an exceptional musician, leader, and teacher. He led a band of bright hopes for the future.

Photo: Martin McFie

https://www.outsideinmusic.com/pressreleases/soul-conversations

New Album: May 7th, 2021 | Ulysses Owens Jr.: Soul Conversations

“Soul Conversations captures... the electricity of a large ensemble that expertly balances excitement with subtlety, and polish with unbridled innovation.”

Download Press Release

Consummate Drummer and Composer Ulysses Owens Jr. Announces the Release of His Eagerly-Awaited Big Band Debut, Soul Conversations, Out May 7th on Outside in Music

Outside in Music is thrilled to announce the May 7th, 2021 release of Soul Conversations, the fiery tour-de-force from jazz luminary Ulysses Owens Jr. Soul Conversations marks the renowned drummer’s recording debut with his exciting new 19-piece outfit, the UOJ Big Band, as well as the artist’s first release on Outside in Music. With his unimpeachable drum mastery Owens Jr. is heralded for augmenting the ensembles of such eminent figures as Christian McBride, Wynton Marsalis and Kurt Elling. Owens Jr. has also proven his excellence at steering and magnifying his own ensembles, including his New Century Jazz Quintet. With Soul Conversations, he demonstrates a fresh and ebullient approach in large ensemble jazz. Alongside Owens Jr., Soul Conversations features trumpeters Walter Cano, Benny Benack III, Summer Camargo and Giveton Gelin; trombonists Eric Miller, Gina Benalcazar, Wyatt Forhan, Chris Glassman, Seth Weaver and Michael Dease who also serves as the album’s associate producer; alto players Alexa Tarantino and Erena Terakubo, tenor players Diego Rivera and Daniel Dickinson; and baritone player Andy Gatauskas as well as pianist Takeshi Ohbayashi, bassist Yasushi Nakamura, vocalist Charles Turner III and special guest vibraphonist Stefon Harris.

Recorded live at Dizzy’s Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center in early December 2019, Soul Conversations captures a jubilant performance from the big band, documenting the electricity of a large ensemble that expertly balances excitement with subtlety, and polish with unbridled innovation. The story of the band’s inception began two years prior on the very same stage when Owens Jr. assembled the group to fill out his renowned New Century Jazz Quintet for one night of a week-long run at Dizzy’s. This outfit, at the time billed as the ‘New Century Jazz Big Band’, received tremendous praise, reportedly even giving Wynton Marsalis and The Lincoln Center Orchestra’s performance in the Rose Hall a “worthy run for their money”. Owens Jr. recalls “Everybody kept asking if [the big band] was coming back for the rest of the week.”

Upon the band’s return two years later, audiences were greeted with a working ensemble with a burgeoning repertoire of exciting material and the beginnings of a new musical institution modeled after the iconic bands of yesteryear most notably Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. “The band became a cradle for not only young musicians but for young arrangers who wanted to get their work played,” says Owens Jr. The UOJ Big Band is as multigenerational - the members’ ages range from early 20s to their early 40’s - as its multi-gender and multi-ethnic, and the group’s repertoire contains compositions by a multitude of the group’s members.

Soul Conversations opens appropriately with some snappy rim shots before Owens Jr. ignites “Two Bass Hit” with a pithy arrangement that was inspired by both Roy Hargrove’s Big Band rendition from the late-2000’s and Miles Davis’ up-tempo reading of the piece from his 1961 date at San Francisco’s Black Hawk nightclub. The UOJ Big Band then showcases one of its splendid originals – the pneumatic groover, “London Towne,” written by Benack. It originally appeared on the New Century Jazz Quintet’s Time Is Now album. For this version, Steven Feifke provided the simmering arrangement as the composer delivers a satiny, conversational solo followed by a shimmering vibraphone improvisation by Stefon Harris.

The band leader composed three pieces featured on this release, “Beardom X”, “Red Chair” and the title track “Soul Conversations”, penned by Owens Jr. and Ohbayashi. “Beardom X”, is a masterclass in dynamics, with quiet episodic moments and majestic highs. The piece was penned by the leader in tribute to two of his artistic and political guiding lights, visual artist Romare Bearden and civil rights activist Malcolm X. Rivera provided the expansive arrangement heard on this release. The decidedly modern sounding “Soul Conversations” has soul-jazz leanings and a laid-back arrangement provided by trumpeter Jonokuchi. The composition imbues a certain cinematic splendor and features Gelin and Tarantino as soloists.

Aside from innovative original material, the album features impressive arrangements of classic compositions including John Coltrane’s titanic piece “Giant Steps”, Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature”, and Neil Hefti and Bobby Troup’s “Girl Talk”. Rivera’s arrangement heightens the devilish suspense as it allows the saxophone section to ricochet timeless melodies with the trombone and trumpet sections. As the composition builds steam, it becomes a delightful showcase first for Rivera and Dickinson to volley brilliantly inventive solos and then for Gelin to wax a flaring aside. “Girl Talk”, arranged by Nakamura, allows Gelin to unfurl a sensual melodic improvisation, while the other horn sections quietly accompany, sometimes with the soothing harmonies one would expect from a doo-wop group. Owens Jr.’s dramatic rhythmic bombs were inspired by drummer Sonny Payne, who played on Count Basie’s immortal 1966 version.

This formidable introduction of the UOJ Big Band documents the exuberant, soulful sound of the outfit as well as the genuine love and enthusiasm emanating from the leader of the group. Owens Jr. remarks, “I finally feel like I have a record that is emanating a sound that I can confidently create forever.”

Derived From Liner Notes By John Murph

MORE ABOUT ULYSSES OWENS:

A drummer who “take[s] a back seat to no one” (The New York Times), performer, producer and educator, Ulysses Owens Jr. goes the limit in the jazz world and beyond.

Claiming four successful album releases as a bandleader, (It’s Time for U, Unanimous, Onward & Upward, and Falling Forward.) Owens has also gained special attention for his performances on the GRAMMY award-winning albums Dedicated to You (Kurt Elling) The Good Feeling (Christian McBride Big Band.) GRAMMY award-nominated albums; Giant Steps,” and Countdown (Joey Alexander) Out Here, Live at The Village Vanguard (Christian McBride Trio) and most recently, Nat King Cole, and Me (Gregory Porter.)

Owens’ most recent album, Songs of Freedom, was released on the Resilience Music Alliance label, and selected by JAZZIZ Magazine as “One of 10 Jazz albums to listen to,” in March 2019, and also listed as one of the “Best Albums of 2019 “by Rolling Stone Magazine. He is the co-creator of the online jazz drum video course, “Finding Your Beat,” and “The Art of Swing” with Open Studio Network. His first instructional book, “Jazz Brushes for the Modern Drummer: An Essential Guide to the Art of Keeping Time,” has been published and distributed by Hal Leonard in 2020. His second book “The Musicians Career Guide: Turning Your Talent into Sustained Success,” is published by Skyhorse Publishers, and will be distributed by Simon and Schuster, on April 27, 20211.

As an educator, Owens was asked by Wynton Marsalis and Dr.Aaron Flagg to join the esteemed Faculty at The Juilliard School and has served in the role as Small Ensemble Director for over five years. He is also the “Educational Artist in Residence,” at Savannah Music Festival Jazz Academy.

Owens also remains tightly connected to his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida where his family founded Don’t Miss a Beat, Inc., a non-profit organization empowering young people to dream big and give back to their communities through a blend of musical, artistic, academic, and civic engagement programming. As DMAB Artistic Director, Owens creates programs for over 500 children annually.

More from Ulysses Owens Jr.:

Ulysses Owens Jr | Soul Conversations | Single

March 5, 2021

Ulysses Owens Jr. | Drums

February 22, 2021

https://www.usojazzy.com/author

Ulysses Owens Jr.

AUTHOR

Heralded as a “powerhouse of a showman” (Glide Magazine), a “legitimate jazz triple threat“ (Critical Jazz) and drummer who “take[s] a backseat to no one” (The New York Times), performer, author, and educator Ulysses Owens Jr. goes the limit in the jazz world and beyond.

Ulysses’ writing journey began back in October 2016 when he desired to chronicle his touring experiences on the road to his audiences. Partnering with editor Geveryl Robinson, he was able to start finding his voice by starting his blog, “Words from U”, initially making his blog available on his website. He now publishes his blog on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter and has over 40,000 followers that view them monthly.

In November 2018, when he was approached by Downbeat Magazine to write a “Masterclass” Piece on what students need to know about being successful post college, and designing their own career. The editors asked Ulysses to expand the piece and featured (2) articles in one: “Designing Your Career, The Missing Link in Jazz Education” and this article became his first published piece. During the height of the Pandemic in June 2020, when musicians were seeking new strategy with regard to navigating the new economic climate when performance art was deemed no longer essential. Jazz Times Magazine reached out to Ulysses, and he penned his second published article titled “Pandemic Entrepreneurship for Jazz Musicians”.

Ulysses was also approached by Hal Leonard Publishing Company and was asked to write a book about the art of playing brushes for new generation drummers. As of May 2020, Ulysses released his new Brush book, “Jazz Brushes for the Modern Drummer, An Essential Guide to the Art of Timekeeping,” and it has been receiving rave reviews globally.

His passion for career development and creative entrepreneurship has taken him around the world as a lecturer helping students identify their purpose, and how to navigate this ever changing terrain entrepreneurially as a creative. Ulysses first published book “The Career Guide for Musicians: Turning Your Talent Into Sustained Success” will be published by Skyhorse Publishing, and distributed by Simon d Schuster, on March 2, 2021.

This is an incredibly exciting moment for Ulysses writing journey, because it started as a mere passion and means for expression. In addition to music, Ulysses states “Writing, is still the most comfortable tool I can express myself through, because the relationship between writing, and music are very much intertwined to me.”

https://jazztimes.com/features/columns/pandemic-entrepreneurship-for-jazz-musicians/

Pandemic Entrepreneurship for Jazz Musicians

Seven keys to retooling careers in the age of the coronavirus

by Ulysses Owens Jr.

June 22, 2020

JazzTimes

Ulysses Owens Jr. (photo: Rayon Richards)

“The thing about the blues is it puts a groove on a bad situation.” —Wynton Marsalis

We can all agree that we are living in a moment in time that none of us have experienced before and that many of us never imagined. Living in a pandemic that has shut down the entire economy is not something that has occurred in the U.S.A. since 1918, when our nation experienced the so-called “Spanish flu.” With all of our technology and social media, all of the advances we’ve made leading up to 2020, nothing could have prepared us for the coronavirus. However, during these trying times, jazz musicians and creatives who have been affected by this pandemic must now think differently and develop tools to navigate unusual terrain.

First, I have to acknowledge the loss of some great pioneers within the jazz community and beyond like Ellis Marsalis, Wallace Roney, Lee Konitz, Bucky Pizzarelli, Henry Grimes, Bootsie Barnes, and so many others, unfortunately. As we are grieving the sudden loss, we are also lamenting the complete absence of work and the ability to cultivate a livelihood through our music, temporarily.

The first major tragedy that I lived through in New York City was September 11, 2001. I had been a New York resident for a mere three weeks, a new student at the Juilliard School as part of their inaugural jazz class. However, though the city and the world were affected by the terrorists’ attacks—traveling did become more difficult, and more security precautions were put in place—this did not eliminate our music and creative industry at large or our ability to make a living. We could still actively be jazz musicians and share our talent with the world.

The COVID-19 crisis has temporarily shattered our industry, as well as others like Broadway and virtually any performance art that relies on a large public audience. We are now limited to operating and consuming products from “essential” businesses and entities.

This pandemic has taught me so much. It has made me completely retool my approach to being a jazz musician and creative in society. Looking at how many of the economic stimulus and relief packages within the country don’t include any support for artistic entities, venues, artisans, or organizations is truly eye-opening. However, even though most creatives have been left out, I am a believer that when difficult times arise, we must create a new way and write a new script to adhere to.

An entrepreneur, angel investor, and friend of mine, James Harris, recently penned an article for Medium titled “The Rise of the Pandemic Entrepreneurs.” In it, he challenges entrepreneurs to think differently during this time. He also created the terms “Pandemic Entrepreneurship” and “Pan-Entrepreneur,” which define a person who organizes a business that takes on greater than normal financial risks during a pandemic.

Most musicians and creatives are entrepreneurs by design, given the level of risk we take daily to follow our passion for the arts and create a career from it. We are a business, and the most successful artists have mastered certain business principles to create sustainability and success with their craft.

Below I’ve created a list of what I call “7 Keys to Pan-Entrepreneurship for Jazz Musicians,” but it’s really for all creatives. These keys are things we need to consider as we find new ways to make a living while continuing to build our careers in the face of this crisis.

7 KEYS TO PANDEMIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP FOR JAZZ MUSICIANS

1. Make Music with A Purpose
For the artist, music is always essential, but for our audiences, I think we have to figure out how to create a more essential theme and connection to the world. Gone are the days of art for art’s sake, at least for the moment. It’s important for us to use our music to connect and heal, and not just create something that is personally gratifying.

2. Create Music Based in Reality
Much of our focus now must be on fully acknowledging our new reality. Is our music going to create a temporary escape from that reality, or help others to deal with it creatively?

3. Embrace and Accept the Virtual World
Because of the high risk of contracting the virus, Zoom meetings are the new normal, and online learning, even for brick-and-mortar institutions, is the primary teaching mode for at least another year, or until a vaccine is in place. As artists, we are not used to teaching and working virtually because so much of the power of our craft is experienced best in person. However, COVID-19 is making all of us focus on how to become more interactive and create an impactful virtual approach to our music and pedagogy—and as we’ve seen, many artists are inviting audiences into their homes and studios to keep them engaged.

4. Learn How to Pivot Creatively
This might be a moment for some to make use of skills they have in other industries to garner work. I have personally been working for a business and earning income assisting them, and it’s not a job that has any connection to music. However, it’s allowing me to make money so that in my off time I can continue to create art without the stress of lacking income.

5. Guard Your Mental Health
Even for those who aren’t directly affected by COVID-19, the level of death and trauma we are experiencing globally will require lots of therapy. Losing so many people in such a short period of time is incredibly unnatural and difficult for the human mind to comprehend. I found it challenging myself to get out of bed when I had no work, meetings, or anything artistic to look forward to. We must make sure we check our mental state daily because the stress of what’s happening now is serious—which is why it’s important that, in the midst of social distancing, we don’t lose our overall connection with others. Whether you connect with someone via Zoom, texts, FaceTime, phone calls, etc., it’s important to interact with those you love, even if it can’t be in person.

6. Develop a Pan-Entrepreneurial Mindset

Though I am not able to engage artistically in the ways that I used to, there are many other things that are now possible. Everyone in the entire world is home, so I’ve been using this opportunity to gain knowledge and insight from others about this new season, and using the quiet time to learn and acquire new skills that will be helpful to me as an educator, writer, and musician when activities resume. I used to lament often while touring that if I had more time, there’s so much I would do just to perfect my craft. Well, now I have the time. The mind is the most powerful tool anyone has, especially the creative, and I believe it’s time to spend more time flexing that muscle.

This new mindset will allow us to adapt to the new principles listed above and create a new path. It also means that, by accepting this new reality, we can find new entrepreneurial ways to thrive. As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention; much of what we consider standard in society arrived at the beginning of a situation that caused us to change.

7. Adjust to Our New Normal
Many people are saying that they can’t wait to go back to a “normal” life. I believe that we are now so far from the “normal” life that we were accustomed to that what was once considered normal is no more. So let’s create a “new normal.” Let’s be anxious for nothing, and exercise patience as we wait on things to unfold in a positive direction.

As one of my favorite artists, H.E.R., sings, “I’m not okay,” and it’s okay to not be okay. We have to adjust to our new normal at our own pace, so give yourself permission to not be fine for a while. Embrace whatever season you are in during this time. But don’t remain in that negative space.

Wynton Marsalis has a weekly online series via Jazz at Lincoln Center, where he addresses issues with a large body of viewers. One particular week he addressed COVID-19 and offered some advice for jazz musicians and others watching. A few things he said stick with me:

“Reach for community.”

“Create your community based on your interests and concerns, not based on geography.”

“Give yourself a break from reality.”

“The blues is survival music.”

Every time I speak with friends and colleagues who are musicians, presenters, agents, managers, etc., we all collectively agree that we don’t know when this will end and when our chance to create again will begin. However, what has allowed me to keep my sanity is the fact that we are all united and fighting the same enemy.

People will always need to experience live music; therefore, we will always have a job. I have always been a person of faith, and just like many other tumultuous situations in life that I have been through, and that you have been through as well, we will get through this. That’s why Pandemic Entrepreneurship, in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, is the way to survival that will sustain us until we are able to fully thrive again.

Originally Published June 1, 2020

Ulysses Owens Jr. is a drummer, composer, educator, author, and blogger. His most recent album is Songs of Freedom, released by Resilience Music Alliance in 2019. His book Jazz Brushes for the Modern Drummer: An Essential Guide to the Art of Timekeeping was published in May 2020 by Hal Leonard and will soon be followed by two more: Musings (Amazon, Fall 2020) and The Career Guide for Musicians: Turning Your Talent into Sustained Success (Skyhorse/Simon & Schuster, January 2021).

https://www.unlimitedmyles.com/ulysses-owens-jr

Ulysses Owens Jr.

“A legitimate jazz triple threat... Ulysses Owens Jr. is indeed the real deal.”

— Critical Jazz

Heralded as a “powerhouse of a showman” (Glide Magazine), a “legitimate jazz triple threat” (Critical Jazz) and a drummer who “take[s] a back seat to no one” (The New York Times), performer, producer and educator Ulysses Owens Jr. goes to the limit in the jazz world and beyond.

Owens has established himself as a leader in his generation of jazz artists, admired for his sensitive, fiery and complex playing, vivid display of textural nuance, and gift for propelling a band with charisma and integrity. Both humble in person and imposing behind a kit, he is a graduate of the inaugural Jazz Studies Program at The Juilliard School, a two-time Grammy® Award winner, and he earned his stripes as a member of bassist Christian McBride’s acclaimed trio and the driving force of McBride’s big band.

Ulysses received his first Grammy® in 2010 for his performance on Kurt Elling's "Dedicated To You", and his second Grammy® for the Christian McBride Big Band album "The Good Feeling." In addition to the two Grammy® Awards, he has also received four Grammy® nominations for his work with Christian McBride and Joey Alexander.

Owens is incredibly versatile and has toured and recorded with artists including Christian McBride, Wynton Marsalis, Kurt Elling, Diane Schuur, Renee Fleming, Monty Alexander, Russell Malone, and Mulgrew Miller.

Ulysses has released three albums of his own beginning in 2009 with “It's Time For U”, which featured four original compositions and arrangements. His second album, “Unanimous,” was released on the European jazz label Criss Cross, and “Onward and Upward” was released in 2014 on the D-Clef Record Label. As co-leader of New Century Jazz Quintet, he has released two albums with the Japanese record label Spice Of Life, “Time is Now” and “In Case You Missed Us”.

In the summer of 2015, he was recommended by Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center to compose a work for the Museum of Modern Art Summergarden Series, and he premiered “Stages Of Us”, a seven-movement suite, at their sculpture garden. Ulysses has been honored with a 2015 Jazz At Lincoln Center Swing Award, 2014 Global Music Award, 2013 ASCAP Plus Award, was designated a 2014 Downbeat Rising Star, and appeared as a TED X Jacksonville performer. He continues touring extensively and remains in demand for new projects.

Owens’ most recent album, “Songs of Freedom,” features the music of Abbey Lincoln, Joni Mitchell, and Nina Simone; released by the Resilience Music Alliance record label. This album has been selected by JAZZIZ Magazine of one of 10 Jazz albums to listen to in March 2019. The album features bassist Rene Marie, Alicia Olatuja, and Theo Bleckmann as the featured vocalists, and David Rosenthal, Allyn Johnson and Reuben Rogers in the band.

Owens is now embarking upon a new quintet project called “Generation Y” that features trumpet, alto saxophone, piano, bass and drums in the tradition of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, where Ulysses will introduce incredible “Under 30” musical talent to the broader music community.

https://downbeat.com/news/detail/ulysses-owens-vision-of-freedom

Ulysses Owens Delivers Poignant Messages on Freedom

Interview, News, From the Magazine, Ulysses Owens Jr.

by John Murph

August 17, 2018

Downbeat

Ulysses Owens Jr. has released an album, Songs Of Freedom, based on his touring show. (Photo: Rayon Richards)

Clear, purposeful communication has anchored Ulysses Owens Jr.’s artistry since he was a kid playing drums in church. While growing up in a family of ministers and musicians in Jacksonville, Florida, Owens observed how both music and oration reached people. “What I love about great preachers is that they understand what they want to say, first, and then they’re able to drive the points home in so many dynamic ways,” the 35-year-old, Grammy-winning drummer and bandleader said. “Church is so much a part of what I do and how I do it.”

For the past two years, Owens has been delivering poignant messages with his captivating Songs Of Freedom project, which has resulted in an excellent album of the same title. For both the staged project and disc, Owens explores the repertoire of Abbey Lincoln, Joni Mitchell and Nina Simone with themes centered on freedom.

The idea for Songs Of Freedom came after Jason Olaine, director of programming and touring for Jazz at Lincoln Center, approached Owens and trumpeter Riley Mulherkar in 2015 to work on the concert hall’s “100 Years of Song” celebration. Inspired, in part, by the frequent news reports of unarmed black and brown people being assaulted or killed by police officers, Owens decided to focus on material from the ’60s that evoked the civil rights movement. “I’ve always had a love affair with Nina Simone and Abbey Lincoln,” he said. “I always wondered what would have happened if the two of them had done a project together. Then I thought about Joni Mitchell. So basically, the idea was bringing these three prolific women together as if they were hanging out at a rally.”

To reinvigorate the classics, Owens recruited three spectacular singers for the project’s September 2016 premiere: Alicia Olatuja, Theo Bleckmann and Dee Dee Bridgewater.

Owens explained that he was attracted to Olatuja’s ability to convey any concept to an audience and Bleckmann’s inventiveness. Jazz at Lincoln Center suggested Bridgewater.

“It worked well because of the breadth and level of expertise that Dee Dee brought to the project,” said Owens. “She had a lot of instances with Abbey and Nina; she was Abbey’s goddaughter.”

After the project received critical acclaim, Owens’ manager and booking agent encouraged the drummer to broaden it and take on the road. Bridgewater couldn’t make all of the tour dates, so Owens transformed her role into a revolving spot, which has been occupied by René Marie and Joanna Majoko, both of whom appear on the album, alongside Olatuja and Bleckmann. Owens steers an empathic quartet with bassist Reuben Rogers, pianist Allyn Johnson and guitarist David Rosenthal through arrangements that highlight each singer’s interpretive prowess.

A key element of Owens’ M.O. is being authentic, which enables him to better reach audiences. For him, retaining authenticity involves vigorous research into whatever music he’s exploring, as well as establishing strong bonds with his bandmates, on and off the stage.

“When I work with people, I try to become intertwined with their personalities,” Owens said. “So, when I get ready to perform with them, I can really tap into their core. I want to make the most in-depth connection with them, so that what we do is tangible, beautiful and real.” DB

https://www.newmusicusa.org/profile/uowensj/

Ulysses Owens, Jr.

New York, NY

Despite spending the greater part of his calendar year on the road, Owens also remains tightly connected to his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida where his family founded Don’t Miss a Beat, Inc., a non-profit organization empowering young people to dream big and give back to their communities through a blend of musical, artistic, academic, and civic engagement programming. As DMAB Artistic Director, Owens has created programs for over 300 children and teens annually, including a cross-cultural exchange that gives students the opportunity to experience art and culture abroad. Having had the fortune of dedicated mentors throughout his career, Owens’s interest in investing in young people’s education and self-esteem is a deeply personal cause and one essential to his vision of pushing art forward.

As an educator Owens’ has delved into the realm of being the co-creator of his online jazz drum video course, “Finding Your Beat,” distributed and produced by Open Studio Network, and has amassed thousands of subscribers globally that desire to learn more about his performance and teaching philosophy. He has most recently been asked by Hal Leonard Publishing company, to write his first book, “Jazz Brushes for the Modern Drummer: An Essential Guide to the Art of Keeping Time,” set for release by January 2020. His second book, “The Musicians Career Guide:Turning Your Talent into Sustained Success,” by Ulysses Owens Jr. with Arlen Gargagliano will be released by Skyhorse Publishers, January 2021.

Owens’ most recent album, “Songs of Freedom,” features the music of Abbey Lincoln, Joni Mitchell, and Nina Simone; released by the Resilience Music Alliance record label. This album has been selected by JAZZIZ Magazine as one of 10 Jazz albums to listen to in March 2019. The album features Rene Marie, Alicia Olatuja, and Theo Bleckmann as the featured vocalists, and David Rosenthal, Allyn Johnson and Reuben Rogers in the band.

Ulysses’ new band “Generation Y,” is a quintet full of the most dynamic young jazz musicians on the scene under 30 years old and is a diverse group of musicians dedicated to the evolution of jazz music; paying homage to its early roots while fearlessly propelling the music forward. “Gen Y” has been awarded the “South Arts Touring Grant,” for 2019-20 season, that will be utilized for their Spring, 2020 Southeast Tour.

Ulysses Owens Jr’s New Century Big Band 2018

Live at Dizzy’s in NYC

Ulysses Owens Jr’s New Century Big Band: drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr.; pianist Takeshi Ohbayashi; bassist Rodney Whitaker; vocalist Charles Turner III; saxophonists Lakecia Benjamin, Alexa Tarantino, Daniel Dickinson, Michael Thomas, and Carl Maraghi; trombonists Michael Dease, Tom “Bones” Malone, Eric Miller, and Wyatt Forhan; and trumpeters Andre Cano, Benny Benack III, Giveton Gellin, Paul Tafoya.

https://www.brevardmusic.org/institute/faculty

Ulysses Owens, Jr.

2021 Programs

Jazz Institute

Ulysses Owens Jr. is an artist "who takes a backseat to no one" – The New York Times – seems to describe his remarkable ascent as one of today's premier drummers, or perhaps, his evolution as a producer, composer, educator, and entrepreneur.

Owens has established himself as a leader in his generation of jazz artists, admired for his sensitive, fiery and complex playing, vivid display of textural nuance, and gift for propelling a band with charisma and integrity. Both humble in person and imposing behind a kit, he is a graduate of the inaugural Jazz Studies Program at The Juilliard School, a two-time Grammy® Award winner, and he earned his stripes as a member of bassist Christian McBride's acclaimed trio and the driving force of McBride's big band.

Ulysses received his first Grammy® in 2010 for his performance on Kurt Elling's "Dedicated To You", and his second Grammy® for the Christian McBride Big Band album "The Good Feeling." In addition to the two Grammy® Awards, he has also received four Grammy® nominations for his work with Christian McBride and Joey Alexander.

Owens is incredibly versatile and has toured and recorded with artists including Christian McBride, Wynton Marsalis, Kurt Elling, Diane Schuur, Renee Fleming, Monty Alexander, Russell Malone, and Mulgrew Miller.

Ulysses has released three albums of his own beginning in 2009 with "It's Time For U", which featured four original compositions and arrangements. His second album, "Unanimous," was released on the European jazz label Criss Cross, and "Onward and Upward" was released in 2014 on the D-Clef Record Label. As co-leader of New Century Jazz Quintet, he has released two albums with the Japanese record label Spice Of Life, "Time is Now" and "In Case You Missed Us".

In the summer of 2015, he was recommended by Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center to compose a work for the Museum of Modern Art Summergarden Series, and he premiered "Stages Of Us", a seven-movement suite, at their sculpture garden. Ulysses has been honored with a 2015 Jazz At Lincoln Center Swing Award, 2014 Global Music Award, 2013 ASCAP Plus Award, was designated a 2014 Downbeat Rising Star, and appeared as a TED X Jacksonville performer. He continues touring extensively and remains in demand for new projects.

https://jazzdagama.com/music/ulysses-owens-jr-songs-of-freedom/

Music

Ulysses Owens Jr: Songs of Freedom

by Raul Da Gama

March 1, 2019

Jazzdagama

Ulysses Owens Jr has made what ought to be one of the most noteworthy – if not the most important – albums of 2019. Songs of Freedom documents a project that was first premiered in September 2016 and included renowned vocalists Theo Bleckmann, Dee Dee Bridgewater and the young and phenomenally rising star, Alicia Olatuja. The recording comes at a critical point in history and draws attention to two equally important aspects of the time in which we live.

The first is political. America is being held hostage by a government that seems to have very little value for the freedoms that all of the composers represented on Songs of Freedom stood for. At the time when the songs were written, while white nationalism was seemingly in a state of half-slumber, racism was rampant in America. The country was at war against a people with whom it had no real quarrel. This was destroying the warp and weft of a society that was founded on principles of freedom and it produced the imperative for Nina Simone, Max R9oach and Oscar Brown Jr, Abbey Lincoln, Bernard Ighner and Randy Newman to write and perform the songs so magnificently reprised on this disc.

The second – and equally important – aspect of this recording is cultural and has to do with – like it or not – the plight of African-American society, how it is treated as well as how it perceives itself. In this regard the artist-as-activist often plays a lesser role to what it once did when Nina Simone, Max Roach, Oscar Brown Jr. and Abbey Lincoln practiced their craft even after their anger and hurt subsided somewhat later in life. This aspect of the art of jazz and what it stood for has often been forgotten; even discouraged among musicians and sadly even among African-American musicians to the extent that the work of figures like Wynton Marsalis and Stanley Crouch has often been disparaged like the work of Amiri Baraka and others including Angela Davis and The Panthers once was.

And then there is the music itself and how Mr Owens Jr has put together this programme. Clearly what he has strived for is something monumental; the creation of a musical palimpsest to a whole era that is in danger of being all but buried in a chapter of a history book that is not guaranteed of being part of a young student’s syllabus. (The media’s coverage of a group of students from a Catholic School in the US in heckling response to an Indigenous elder’s protest in Washington DC and the fallout thereof is further proof that what is being studied does not bode well for what a new generation of students is bringing to politics).

And so Mr Owens Jr begins this disc, naturally with “Everything Must Change”. Not just any version of the iconic song but one with a star turn by the magnificent Alicia Olatuja. This young woman has revealed herself as an artist of the first order stemming from an innate grasp of The Blues and broadening out into Gospel and Jazz vocalastics. Her instrument is gorgeous, lustrous and precise. Her musicianship is fierce as she digs into the meaning and expression of each word, bringing ceaseless variety to intense dynamics and gives every phrase a special grace. The latter is osmething she wears like a second skin in “Everything Music Change”.

The performances of René Marie and Joanna Majoko are just as magnificent. Miss Marie gets to reprise “Driva’ Man”, one of two iconic songs that the legendary Abbey Lincoln sang on We Insist! Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite one of the musician and drummer’s greatest contributions to the library of Jazz. The honour of re-imagining Miss Lincoln’s other song from that album by Mr Roach – “Freedom Day” – is given to Miss Majoko. Both are magical. Miss Marie’s dark-hued version is impeccable and she shows not only sensitivity and technical adroitness for the challenging harmonies and tricky intervals which are raptly encompassed but she also makes the iconic song very much her own. Meanwhile Miss Majoko exhibits a gleamingly tonal quality which she blends into the music together with an articulate engagement with the lyrics.

It must be said that Nina Simone’s celebrated “Mississippi Goddam” is one of the other high-points of the disc. Miss Marie’s ferocious and focused version brings attention to the visceral, wounded original like no one else’s (other than Miss Simone’s, of course). Meanwhile the great Theo Bleckmann is cast in a role not usually like the one he often finds himself in; perhaps would even one in which he might choose to be. His otherwise almost dreamy-textured vocals are here exchanged for something infinitely darker. His brilliant renditions of “Balm in Gilead”, Joni MItchell’s “Baltimore” and “Borderline” are laced with careful texturing and yet carry the greatest impetus of the “heartache” words.

It must bear mention that interludes comprising the voices of Abbey Lincoln and Joni Mitchell speaking to the very aspects of “freedom” that this music and, indeed, this life of every human being, is all about make this recording immensely powerful. This is, of course led off by Miss Simone’s owen introduction before the music even starts. This was (oddly) not part of the track list on (my) copy of the recording. It ought to have been; just as the greater attention that ought to have been paid to the veracity of the listing itself, which was also incorrect on the printed back-end of the package. It’s a pity, but ultimately does not diminish the recording one iota; besides listeners will surely figure that one out.

The musicians are hugely sympathetic to this recording, which is essentially a vocals-driven one. The wizardry of keyboards specialist Allyn Johnson, guitarist David Rosenthal and bassist Reuben Rogers is on full display – both when they are invited into the limelight and when they recede into the background. Each of them – and, of course the vocalists as well – is fully attuned to the masterful artistry and vision of Mr Owens Jr (especially) in his role as musical director. Together they pull off a masterful performance. Clearly, however, things are just getting started for Ulysses Owens Jr. His art, as Billy Strayhorn might easily have put it, “is a lovesome thing”.

Track list – 1: Nina speaking; 2: Everything Must Change; 3: Mississippi Goddam; 4: Balm in Gilead; 5: Be My Husband; 6: Baltimore; 7: Joni speaking; 8: Both Sides Now; 9: Freedom Day; 10: Driva’ Man; 11: Borderline; 12: Abbey speaking; 13: Oh Freedom;

Personnel – The Vocalists René Marie (2, 10), Alicia Olatuja (1, 5, 8), Theo Bleckmann (4, 6, 11), Joanna Majoko (9); The Band Allyn Johnson: piano, Hammond B3 organ and Fender Rhodes; David Rosenthal: acoustic and electric guitars; Reuben Rogers: contrabass; Ulysses Owens Jr: drums and musical director

Released – 2019
Label – Resilience Music Alliance
Runtime – 52:31

https://wavemagazineonline.com/powerhouse-jazz-drummer-bim-owens-returns-home-lead-clinics-perform-campus-march-2-3/

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Powerhouse jazz drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. returns home to lead clinics, perform on campus March 2-3

Powerhouse jazz drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. returns home to lead clinics, perform on campus March 2-3

February 27, 2017 All Sections, Alumni, Arts and Culture, Events, Student and Campus Life

World-class jazz drummer and band leader Ulysses Owens Jr. will stop in with his award-winning group to clinic with jazz students and perform a concert at Jacksonville University March 2 and 3.

Originally from Jacksonville, the virtuoso musician, who The New York Times says “takes a backseat to no one,” will conduct a jazz clinic with the JU jazz ensembles at 3 p.m. Thursday, March 2, in Phillips Fine Arts P-19. He’ll then lead a professional masterclass at noon Friday, March 3, in newly renovated Terry Concert Hall. Both events are free to the public.

Owens will perform in concert with his trio and the JU Jazz Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 3, in Terry Concert Hall, with some very special guests. Admission to that event is $25 for the public, and free to JU staff, faculty and students with ID; to other area students with ID; and to music directors.

JU students will open the Friday evening performance with the Jazz Combo I and JU Jazz Orchestra, with Owens and JU Jazz faculty performer Ricky Kirkland playing along on drums with the Jazz Orchestra.

“Owens has reached a level of uncompromised ability and creativity,” said John W. Ricci, JU Director of Jazz Studies in the College of Fine Arts. “He has toured and recorded with major names such as Christian McBride, Russell Malone and Wynton Marsalis, and has now recorded and released three of his own brilliant and innovative projects.”

When not on call with any variety of top names, he is hard at work with his own project groups. Along with one of his highly innovative ensembles, he will stop in to teach and share his talents.

Owens remains tightly connected to his hometown of Jacksonville, where his family founded Don’t Miss a Beat Inc., a non-profit organization empowering young people to dream big and give back to their communities through a blend of musical, artistic, academic and civic engagement programming. As DMAB Artistic Director, Owens has created programs for more than 200 children and teens, including a cross-cultural exchange that gives students the opportunity to experience art and culture abroad and gain self-esteem.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit jutickets.com or call (904) 256-7370. All free tickets must be picked up at the box office and cannot be redeemed online. More information on Ulysses Owens Jr. can be found at www.usojazzy.com.

https://vinylwritermusic.com/an-interview-with-ulysses-owens-jr/

An Interview with Ulysses Owens Jr.

by Andrew Daly

Since he was a young child growing up on Long Island, NY, USA, Andrew has always loved writing, music, drumming and collecting music on CD, tape and vinyl. After losing his life-long vinyl collection in 2014, Andrew began his vinyl collection from scratch again when he met his future wife Angela in 2015. Andrew’s love of music only further blossomed as his collection spanned all genres possible. After amassing over 3,000 albums in under two years, he knew it was time to finally follow his dream of being a music journalist, and thus, Vinyl Writer was born.

Andrew’s not only the go-to friend for music trivia, but his intricate knowledge of the ins and outs of the music industry allows him to develop engaging questions that really tap into each artist and individual to deliver insightful and enjoyable interviews. He’s proud to share his love of music with the world through his writing, and the result is nothing short of beautiful: articles and interviews written by a music addict, for fellow music addicts.

Andrew lives on Long Island, NY, with his wife Angela and their four cats, Oliver, Patrick, Charlie and Kevin. Andrew’s collection of over 4,700 vinyl albums, plus several hundred tapes and CDs, tells the story of his passion for all that is music. Andrew works as a Horticultural Operations Manager by day and runs the Vinyl Writer website by night. Andrew is also the admin of several Facebook groups dedicated to music.

When I was growing up, I was fascinated by all things music. You could say I was obsessed. Listening to my cassettes, CDs and records wasn’t enough. I had to plaster my walls with photos. I had to own T-shirts. Soon, that wasn’t enough either. At that point, I wanted to play music. It was around this time that my dad purchased me an Epiphone guitar from Sam Ash, or Guitar Center, or whatever cookie cutter chain store you can name. I can’t remember. I was excited to begin my journey toward Rock stardom, but there was one issue- I couldn’t play.

Yes. It seems my fingers simply didn’t move in the way a guitarists fingers are required. More so, the chords didn’t make a lot of sense to me either. Not to be deterred, I moved onto the drums and it was there that I found my musical home. The Christmas of 1999 was a joyous one indeed as my dad had gotten for me my very own drum set. I remember it well. It was a wood grain burgundy Pearl Export series from the late 80s. With it came a set of Zildjan cymbals. Probably some type of starter series. I can’t recall now. After that, I was off to the races and basically spent all of my free time playing drums. My friend Joe and I even started a “band” called Black Mamba. There’s more to that story, but it will have to wait until another day.

Ulysses Owens Jr. & Generation Y Band - SmallsLIVE

So, as you can see, the drums mean a lot to me. That’s why I made this week the “Unofficial Drummer Week.” You may be wondering why I waited until the end of the week to inform you all of this rather than the start. Like most drummers, I go to the beat of my own…drum. How Punk Rock is that? I digress. Today, I’ve got the incredibly talented and generally awesome Ulysses Owens Jr. “in the house.” If you’re a fan of Jazz, old-school or new-school, I think you’re going to dig what this guy is putting down. That said, if you’d like to learn more about Ulysses Owens Jr. and his music, you can head over to his website here. Lastly, I would be remiss to not mention the wonderful work Ulysses is doing with Don’t Miss A Beat, which is an organization that helps suspended youths not only stay in school, but finish school. The organization has also branched out and now also helps youths with performing arts, civic engagement, and job training skills. If you would like to learn more, head over to their website here. This is a really cool one guys. Oh, and happy “Unofficial Drummer Week.” Enjoy!

Andrew:
Ulysses, thank you for taking the time to speak with us. It’s been a very weird year, hasn’t it? What have you been doing to pass the time?

Ulysses:
This year has been weird but in many ways, it has provided such clarity for me. In many ways, it’s allowed me for me to focus on things that being on the road has prohibited me from like:

I am in Grad School now at SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design).

Built my production studio in Florida, which I have been wanting to do for a really long time.

Building the program at Don’t Miss A Beat, my family’s non profit organization, and establish new virtual programming, and the team for our 1st annual Don’t Miss A Beat Jazz Festival, in July 2021.

Also, just slow down, rest, and become more certain about what I really want.

Andrew:
Tell us a bit about your musical origins. What’s your backstory?

Ulysses:
I first fell in love with music at age 2…in the gospel church. My mother was a choir director and sat me next to the drummer in rehearsals, and that’s how I got exposed to the music. My cousin Kevin Sibley exposed me to Jazz via Oscar Peterson. But at Age 16 I first heard Miles Davis, Milestones. After that I decided that I wanted to move to NYC and pursue Jazz as a profession and completely immersed myself into the music, and began studying drummers like Lewis Nash, Kenny Washington, Greg Hutchinson and many others. I understood that I wanted to be a Jazz drummer that people loved to work with, which is what made me pursue Juilliard.

Andrew:
You began playing the drums at the age of 2. That’s pretty impressive! What drew you to the instrument at such a young age?

Ulysses:
The Black Gospel Church is an amazing setting for the discovery of music, and it’s a conservatory in many ways for musicians of color. In the church you learn how to play for a higher purpose and serve the music. Many talented musicians learn first at church, so it’s incredible and it’s a common journey for me musicians to have gained their “Stripes” this way.

Andrew:
What led you down the path of playing Jazz? What was it about that genre that spoke to you?

Ulysses:
Miles Davis’ Milestones…as mentioned earlier. Jazz gives a musician the ability to master the music. To play jazz on a high level, you have to really seek a command of your instrument and study the craft. Jazz also makes a pathway for self discovery and also you learn how to tell a story through your instrument. I have always been drawn to that quality, and it’s such an incredible lineage of musicians to study, and I have always been totally into to that idea of studying musicians that came before me. I also love the global connection that Jazz offers.

Andrew:
Some of the greatest drummers of all time were Jazz drummers (Elvin Jones, Buddy Rich, Max Roach). More so, many Rock drummers are actually Jazz drummers in disguise! Who are some of your favorite drummers? Which ones have informed your style the most?

Ulysses:
The list is too long, but i will name a bunch.

Ricky Kirkland, Elvin Jones, Max Roach, Philly Joe Jones, Art Blakey, Art Taylor, Al Jackson Jr., Lewis Nash, Willie Jones Jr., Bruno Carr, Gaylord Birch, Steve Jordan, Billy Drummond, Herlin Riley, Jeff Tain Watts, Sonny Payne, Papa Jo Jones, Vernell Fournier, Greg Hutchinson, Brian Blade, Joey Baron, Paul Motian, John Hollenbeck, Ari Hoenig and many more…

Andrew:
As a drummer, it’s easy to mimic what others are doing, but you’ve definitely developed a singular style. How did you go about setting yourself apart from the pack?

Ulysses:
I stole from the rich first…you gotta copy kats, because that’s how you get the script as to what you are supposed to play, man. Otherwise, how else do you find out what to play? In terms of my unique style, I think everyone is born with a unique God-given signature voice. We can’t avoid it. I think the goal is to recognize it early on, and develop it and not run from it. I also know that many of my peers in Jazz are more on the “modern side of things.” So, I am one of the kats that still is fully trying to keep the tradition alive of the kats that came before me. I want their sound to remain alive in my sound.

Andrew:
We know you’re a big fan of Jazz, but which style speaks to you the most? I am personally a huge fan of Modal, Hard Bop, Free Jazz and Fusion. How about you?

Ulysses:
I LOVE IT ALL!!!!! So I can’t choose a side here, but of course the world likes to label people, so people consider me more of a Hard Bop drummer. I love and play it all, but I have built more of a reputation around being a traditional kat.

Andrew:
You were the drummer on two Grammy Award winning albums, Kurt Elling’s Dedicated to You: Kurt Sings the Music of Coltrane and Hartman, and on Christian McBride’s The Good Feeling. What were those experiences like?

Ulysses:
I was also the drummer on McBride’s Grammy Nominated Out Here trio album, Gregory Porter’s Nat King Cole and Me, and just today John Beasley’s Monk’estra plays John Beasley.

All of the experiences were really different, but what is a singular approach was that each artist knew what they wanted from me. They wanted me to show up as Ulysses and serve the music. What I found with the Grammy related projects is that each artist had a serious concept and chose musicians to bring that concept to life. Versus, other albums where musicians sort of just put a record together randomly. Also all of these projects really focused on high level/quality production. All of these projects had great teams, and labels that spared no expense at making sure the albums were executed with excellence.

Andrew:
You’re also the co-founder as well as the artistic director for the charity, Don’t Miss A Beat. Tell us about that and why it’s something that is meaningful to you.

Ulysses:
As an African American male, I am first a guy that really wants children to make the world better than what it is now. Dedicating my life to these kids have made me a better person, and artist. I believe that when you sacrifice for others, it makes you better. I have had to learn how to focus and multi-task. I am also committed to a higher purpose and that I feel has positively indirectly impacted my musical approach. Drummers have to be responsible and committed to the band, so I feel that my life really allows me to have the same approach to everything on and off the band stand.

DMAB’s mission is to utilize the arts as a bridge to a better life for children, so I am all in man, and really excited about seeing how these kids develop.

Andrew:
As an artist, where do you draw inspiration from the most?

Ulysses:
I draw inspiration from being AUTHENTIC. Obviously there is my study of many great musicians, but I find that all of that study and analysis has to blow through some authentic energy, otherwise, you are just someone who plays the drums. I also spend a lot of time thinking about being a musician, not a drummer. Being a drummer is very instrument focused, and “I” focused. However, being a musician allows you to become committed to the music. Nothing is greater than the music to me.

Ulysses Owens Delivers Poignant Messages on Freedom

Andrew:
What does music and more specifically, what do the drums mean to you as a means of self expression?

Ulysses:
I am a writer, and now I have a lot of leadership positions, so I am constantly speaking and writing my truth, and agenda. The drums allow me to be quiet and let the instrument speak for me. So it helped me to find my voice, and self ultimately.

Andrew:
Let’s talk gear for a moment. What type of drums, hardware and equipment are you using these days?

Ulysses:
Tama Star Maple (I LOVE THESE DRUMS).

They are handmade in Japan which is rare…so many drums are being crafted in Taiwan and China, even the top companies. The drums are open, and sing and truly have a great quality sound live and in the studio.

20×16 BD (For Big Band, and other genres).

18x 14 BD (For more straight ahead stuff).

16×16 Floor Tom.

14 x 14 Floor Tom.

13 x 8 Tom.

12 x 8 Tom.

10 x 7 1/2 Tom.

14 x 5 1/2 Snare Star Maple.

14 x 8 Star Bubinga Snare.

14x 6 Maple Starphonic.

14 x 5 1/2 Starphonic Aluminum.

Tama Modern Classic Hardware.

Zildjian Cymbals.

16 Avedis Hats.

19 Extreme Crash.

18 K Constantinople Crash.

19 K Cluster Crash.

20 and 22 Prototype Ride Cymbals (20 w/Rivets and 20 without Rivets).

Remo Coated Ambassadors on all drums.

14 Kentville Kangaroo Head on 14 Starphonic Maple.

Remo Black Suede Ambassador on one snare.

Remo Powerstroke 3 Coated on 20 Batter.

Remo Fiberskyn on 18.

R Tom Moongels.

LP Assorted Mini Timbale, Cowbells, and other stuff.

Warm Audio 67, 47 JR , WA 84 Condensers for recordings.

Andrew:
Do you collect vinyl? Tapes? CDs? Or are you all digital now? Where do you like to shop for music?

Ulysses:
I collect CDs and LPs. I LOVE LPs, you get to hear the music as it was recorded in my opinion. But mp3s and wavs for quick access.

Andrew:
Once COVID-19 settles down (if it ever does) what’s next for you?

Ulysses:
Finish my GRAD degree.

Successfully fulfill Multiple Educational Positions at:
Don’t Miss A Beat
The Juilliard School
Savannah Music Festival Jazz Academy
Douglas Anderson School of the Arts

Also push my new Brush Book from Hal Leonard. (Jazz Brushes for the Modern Drummer: An Essential Guide to the Art of Keeping Time).

Jazz Brushes for the Modern Drummer - An Essential Guide to the Art of Keeping Time | Hal Leonard Online

Prepare for the release of my music biz/career development book (The Musicians Career Guide: Turning Your Talent into Sustained Success).

Andrew:
2020 has been an odd year, but we’ve still seen a ton of incredible music released. That being said, what are some of your must have albums of the year?

Ulysses:
Marquis Hill – The Love Tapes

Common – A Beautiful Revolution

Walter Smith – Still Casual

Tiwa Savage – Celia

John Beasley – Monk’estra Plays Beasely

PJ Morton – The Piano Album

SAMOHT – Clear

Stefon Harris – African Tarantella

Kiaya Cash – Comes to the Light

Tiana Major – At Sixes and Sevens

P Valley – Soundtrack

Gregory Porter – All Rise