Ra Kalam Bob Moses National Press Release

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Clif Chats with Art Edmaiston

Art went from playing for cows in the cow pasture next to his house growing up to playing for 60,000 people with Gregg Allman.

Art was raised in Troy, TN but has called Memphis his home since 1990. He began playing tenor saxophone at the age of 11 and his continued passion for music led him to Memphis in pursuit of a Jazz Performance degree. As time went on, Art began spending less time in class and more time learning from blues and soul greats on legendary Beale Street. Soon he was playing and recording with many of the Bluff City’s top musicians and bands while logging many hours performing as a member of the house band at B.B. King’s Blues Club. His talents have led him around the world providing opportunities to perform, record and jam with a wide variety of well-known musicians, producers and music legends. The short list includes Bobby “Blue” Bland, Levon Helm, Wayne Newton, Justin Timberlake, Jonny Lang, JJ Grey and MOFRO, Galactic, the Memphis Horns, the Allman Brothers Band, Will Bernard, Robert Walter, Jim Dickinson, Mason Ruffner, the Coasters, Leslie Gore, Mable John, Dr. John, Snoop Dogg, Lucero, The Mighty Souls Brass Band, the Bo-Keys, John Nemeth, William Bell, Otis Clay, Hi Rhythm Section, Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, St. Paul and the Broken Bones as well as many others.

Gregg heard Art while he was playing with JJ Grey & MOFRO and this led to his being asked to join the horn section. Art can also be seen in the film “Soul Men” backing Bernie Mac and Samuel L. Jackson with the Bo-Keys.

It’s never too late to learn new skills

Many of us have ideas that can hold us back from a worthy pursuit. Some people think they are too old to learn to play an instrument. If we have realistic hopes, we can learn something new, and get a lot of enjoyment out of it, at any age.

“If learning like a child sounds a little airy-fairy, whatever the neuroscience research says, try recalling what it felt like to learn how to do something new when you didn’t really care what your performance of it said about your place in the world, when you didn’t know what you didn’t know. It might feel like a whole new beginning.

You missed your chance to be a prodigy, but there’s still growth left for grownups.”

From The New Yorker - Is It Really Too Late to Learn New Skills? By Margaret Talbott

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/01/18/is-it-really-too-late-to-learn-new-skills

https://stringsmagazine.com/its-never-too-late-to-pick-up-an-instrument-here-are-5-tips-for-adult-beginners/

Twenty Years!?

Twenty Years!?

I can’t believe I’ve been teaching percussion for this long, almost half my life. I love it as much, if not more, than the day I began. You would think that as a professional drummer I would be able to drum all day, every day. If only that were true. When I am able though, most of the time I go to a happy place where my day to day worries are set aside. As I continue to teach. I hope to be able to share a similar experience with others.

The Pros of Technology

I love that I can work with students across the country, thanks to video conference technology. This is a video from online lessons with a student on the West Coast.

If You Love Something Pass It On

I’m passionate about drumming and playing music with people. That’s why I teach and share what I know about music. When I teach not only do I pass the knowledge and music on so that it will live but I get a deeper understanding about what I teach. When I am forced to break down a concept I not only transmit the information but I get better at it too. You don’t have to be a teacher to teach. If you love something pass it on.

Bolokada Workshops and Performance

We had a whirlwind of activity with Bolokada in town for four days of workshops, a performance and a party. It was so much fun we are already planning on doing it again next year. Thank you to everyone that was able to attend!

Music is a language...you can learn just like a child learns to speak.

As someone who teaches (and teaches kids) a lot it is often a challenging balance between structure and freedom. I tend to lean towards structure but know the value of self-discovery, expression and joy. Often in group classes there is chaos when there is no structure. Also, frequently people, young and old, learn habits that can get in the way and in some cases injure themselves. I'm curious as to what you and others think about this balancing act.

Kids that can play!

This kid is a prodigy! I wonder what environment cultivated this young child’s talent. I speculate he has grown up around professional musicians. Victor Wooten talks about how we learn to talk, we are given the freedom to experiment and make mistakes. Also, we practice with fluent (professional) talkers. how can we create such growth opportunities for our kids?