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Oberlin Portrait: Kevin Louis
Story and photo by
Michael
Chipman
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For Sundown and
Poppie |
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the Conservatory |
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faculty, staff & students |
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At his April senior recital, Kevin Louis, jazz
trumpeter and composer from New Orleans, performed seven
tunes, five of which he composed himself. The packed house
at the Cat at the Cream Coffeehouse that night spilled into
the hall, and the diverse crowd ranged in ages from infants
to the elderly.
That universal appeal is a testament to his talent and his inspirations. Louis dedicates much of his work to former teachers and family. His senior recital included "Hugh is Here" for Hugh Ragin, acting director of the Jazz Studies Program, and "Sheryl" composed in honor of his mother (who was in the audience). His most recent tune, "Cole," was written for Stacy Cole, one of his teachers in the New Orleans. And Louis was quick to dedicate his performance to Wendell Logan, chair of the Jazz Studies Program. Check out the Con Portrait audio clip to preview Louis's "For Sundown and Poppy," featured on the 1998 Jazz Studies Program CD release, performed by the Oberlin Jazz Ensemble. Currently, Louis plays trumpet in teacher of jazz percussion Greg Bandy's band "Youngsung Heroes" in and around Cleveland.
What is your first memory of
music?
My first church music experience was in an old Mission
Baptist church -- my father's church -- and I remember
growing up hearing the music there. I also remember being
around the house with my mother and father playing 70's and
early 80's R&B.
How old were you when you started
playing?
I started playing trumpet in the fourth grade, when I
was eight. Then I got into jazz right before my sophomore
year in high school. Before that I was never really into
jazz. When I was little my father used to take me to jazz
festivals and I hated to go. In my high school there was a
student band called the "Junior Pinstripe Brass Band" who
played in the streets and the clubs. When their second
trumpet player quit, the band leader/first trumpet player
asked me to join my freshman year, but my mother wouldn't
let me because she said "you're just thirteen and that is
too young to play in clubs." She really threw a fit. But
after a year of begging she let me join. That was the summer
right before my sophomore year
What inspired you to be a musician?
What keeps you inspired on discouraging days?
When I first heard that Pinstripe Brass Band, I thought
the guy playing first trumpet, Bryce Miller, was the
greatest thing I had ever heard on the trumpet. I couldn't
believe how well he played and I knew I wanted to do that. I
didn't know if I wanted to do it for a profession, but the
more I did it, the more it just chose me.
What keeps me inspired?
The people that love me, and God.
What is the most memorable
performance you have ever seen and why?
It was when I saw Elvin Jones play with his quintet in
Philadelphia during fall break of my junior year. In his
band he had Cecil McBee, Sonny Fortune, Eddy Henderson (my
favorite trumpet player right now), and James Williams on
piano. When I saw that band it blew me away.
If you could perform with one
musician living or dead, who would it be and what would you
perform?
I would perform with trumpet player Lee Morgan and I would perform
whatever he wanted. He was very influential on my playing. He died really
early when his girlfriend or wife shot him on the bandstand at 28. His
first recording was at seventeen years old, playing with Dizzy Gillespie's
big band. He comes from a long line of great trumpet players having studied
with Clifford Brown, and Fats Navarro.
If you could master another
instrument, what would it be?
If I had to pick one instrument, it would be piano, but
I'd also love to learn bass or drums.
If you couldn't be a musician what
profession would you choose? Which profession would you
definitely not choose?
I'd be a cognac connoisseur. There's nothing else I can
really see myself doing in life. I definitely wouldn't go
into the military.
What do you listen to after a long
day?
John Coltrane or anything that swings.
What do you like to read?
The Bible.
The three words that best describe
you:
Fun-loving. Considerate. Thoughtful. (My mother told me
to say that.)
