Maintaining the musical legacy handed down
from his father and grandmother, Benjamin Lapidus has been a
professional musician for the last 15 years. LatinJazzClub Magazine
talks with musician Ben Lapidus.
1) What
where your earliest musical influences?
My father, grandmother, sister, my father's
LPs
2) Does the music that you perform
today have any ties to yourchildhood?
I became very interested in salsa and
merengue as a teenager; serious interest jazz began around the
age of 12 or 13.
3) How would you characterize your
musical style?
Deep influences of many traditional
Spanish-Caribbean musics with jazz harmonic and improvisational
concepts.
4) Do you consider that there a different
between Latin Jazz performed today as opposed to 30 years ago?
That is difficult to answer. Latin Jazz
is an unspecific term with multiple meanings. As in most genres,
even traditional musics, I think that musicians always look to
the past to create something new in the present.
5) Tell us about your latest CD?
It is my favorite so far probably because
the strings/percussion concept is more expansive and the overall
sound is better. The arrangements include some of my favorite
instruments: the organ, tres, percussion, and tenor saxophone.
It is musically challenging yet very accessible to the listener.
6) What inspires you to write music?
The beauty of life provides infinte
inspiration and for me writing and making music is a highly spiritual
experience. I enjoy writing in a variety of styles that force
me to stretch and I am lucky to have the opportunity to work
with great musicians who are willing to play my music. Often
individual musicians will inspire me to write something or imagine
a musical scenario. Sometimes I am inspired by movies, foods,
people, sitting in my kitchen or in the car.
7)
What would be your ideal Latin Jazz dream team band?
The CD would be called LOS GRANDES EXITOS
DE SUPER MEJUNJE TOTALtinez Griñan, piano Dr. Lonnie Smith,
organ Don Byas, Gene Ammons, Johnny Griffin, Cannonball Adderly,
saxophones
Israel "Cachao" López, bass Maraca, flute Jerry
Medina, Miguelito Cuní, Ismael Rivera, René Alvarez,
and Ignacio Caraballo, voices The trumpet section from Estrellas
de Chocolate Tata Güines, congas Orestes Vilató,
timbales Rogelio "Yeyo" Iglesias and Andrés
Fistó "Taveras", bongó
8) What's your opinion on the current
status of Latin Jazz in the world today?
If you enjoy Latin Jazz then you can
listen to a different album everyday for a few years. Variety
is the spice of life: The music runs the complete spectrum from
bebop with mazacote all the way to the avant-garde and the world
is truly big enough for everyone's artistic vision.- So I think
that the music is healthy. I hope that all of the exposure that
Latin Jazz is currently enjoying will continue to produce an
even larger audience
worldwide.
9) What do you want most that music
fans remember when they listen to your music?
How much they enjoyed the melodies,
the groove and the sound of the music.
interview by Bobby Ramirez
BRamirez@latnjazzclub.com
Publisher
LatinJazzClub Magazine
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