Interview with Brian Patneaude


Q: Please tell me something about yourself. Who has influenced your music and who or what inspired you to become a musician?

Brian Patneaude: I started playing the saxophone when I was in the 5th grade. Like most kids I knew, I was initially enthused about playing a musical instrument but my interest waned as time went on. Luckily my parents made me stick with it through middle school and when I got to high school I had a teacher that introduced me to the music of Michael Brecker and David Sanborn. After hearing them, I had a renewed interest in the saxophone and began to investigate this music known as jazz. Initially I was very enamored of jazz fusion artists such as Sanborn, the Brecker Brothers, Steps Ahead, Spyro Gyra, Yellowjackets, etc. It wasn't until I got to college, where I majored in music education, that I began to listen to more straight ahead players like Hank Mobley, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Horace Silver, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, etc. In terms of current listening and influences, I'm still very much into most of the artists I mentioned as well as other contemporary saxophonists such as Seamus Blake, Chris Potter, and Mark Turner. I've also been obsessed with the music of E.S.T. and artists on the ECM and Fresh Sound New Talent labels for the past few years.

Q: You don't limit yourself to straight-ahead jazz with the BP Quartet and are part of various music groups/collaborations. Which one of your participations is the dearest to you and why don't you try to fuse all these influences into one sound?

Brian Patneaude: In addition to my group I also perform salsa/merengue with Alex Torres y su Orquesta, big band jazz with the Empire Jazz Orchestra and participate in a genre blending collaboration with a DJ and live instrumentalists dubbed Nouveau Chill. I also freelance with various other groups whenever possible. Of all the groups I perform with I'd say my quartet is the dearest to me. Within this group I've tried to incorporate influences from my work with Alex Torres as well as the Nouveau Chill project. The DJ involved with the project (DJ Michael Campion) has introduced me to many counterparty electronica and trip hop artists that have influenced the way I compose and arrange for the quartet. That being said, it's refreshing to work with a variety of musical groups and have the opportunity to perform so many different styles of music.

Q: Please tell me how you've met the other musician's of the Quartet and describe the musical vision that connects you.

Brian Patneaude: I've known guitarist George Muscatello for over ten years now. We met while I was a student at the College of St. Rose in Albany, NY. George had recently moved back to the area from Manhattan and was playing his original music with his trio at various venues. I had the opportunity to sit in with the group several times and developed a deep respect for his playing and writing. Drummer Danny Whelchel and I met 7 or 8 years ago when he moved to upstate New York from Louisiana. When we first met Danny was primarily a percussionist but over the years made the transition to drum set while freelancing around town. Both of these guys became two of my closest friends and when I was ready to put together my own project I knew I wanted them to be involved. George introduced me to bassist Ryan Lukas rightaround the time when the group was starting to come together. The two had been playing together in various trio configurations on Monday nights as part of George's weekly residency at a local venue. The four of us came together and all began writing music for the group. I'd venture to guess that the prospect of performing original material has been the musical vision that has kept us together over the years.

Q: I'm very impressed with the song Alone and the mood you and your band have created. Please tell me how this song came into life and what you had in mind when writing/recording it.

Brian Patneaude: I wrote Alone one winter night when I was feeling, for lack of a better word, alone. I was coming to grips with the end of a long term relationship and tried to channel the emotional state I was in into the composition.

Q: Please tell me more about your motivation to set up the albanyjazz.com website.

Brian Patneaude: A few years ago I remember hearing about an incredible jazz concert that taken place in the Albany area a few days earlier. I had missed the performance but if I had known it was happening I would have made plans to have been in attendance. It was at that time that I realized how useful it would be to have a centralized site online that contained a listing of all the jazz goings on of our area. The idea blossomed to include a data base of local venues that present jazz on a regular basis and the musicians that perform it. I contacted as many local musicians and venues as I knew of and asked them to submit information for the site as well as spread the word to others. Over the years the site has evolved to include photo exhibits, concert and album reviews, interviews and an interactive bulletin board system. It is my hope that this site will not only keep jazz fans informed but help to foster a community of sorts between listeners and musicians alike.

Q: On your website you also offer full length mp3 files of your songs (e.g. the live version of Distance). Most artists seem to be reluctant to offer either a large number of songs or full length versions on their site for downloading. What was your purpose doing this?

Brian Patneaude: The live songs I've posted on the website are culled from a performance we did as a quintet (with the addition of pianist Dave Payette) to celebrate the release of Distance. The majority of the songs are from the new album, but they are quite different versions than those on the record. I wanted to offer a glimpse of what our live shows are like and I felt like that night's performance was a good one to share.

Q: What do you think if these mp3 files appear on p2p networks? What's your opinion as an artist about p2p? Do you think this will hurt you regarding the sales of your albums? Or do you think it's just a modern and more global version of trading one's favorite music with one's friends?

Brian Patneaude: I wouldn't be upset if the live mp3s end up on a p2p network. Without a major label and distribution deal behind us it's a little difficult to get the music out to a wider audience. If someone hears a live version of one of the tunes and then does some web research to find the website, perhaps they will be interested in purchasing a CD. If tracks from the actual CDs start popping up on a p2p network then yes, I would venture to guess that sales of the actual albums would be affected.

Q: Distance was released by WEPA Records. I've never heard of this label before. Are you in any way involved with WEPA records (other than they are releasing your music of course)? And would it be an option for you to sign with a major label?

Brian Patneaude: WEPA Records was started several years ago by the leader of the Salsa band I perform with (Alex Torres) and the pianist of that group (Nicholas Lue). Originally the label was started to release recordings by Torres' group exclusively however the WEPA Records roster has grown to include other upstate New York artists such as pianist Adrian Cohen, jazz fusion group the Erftones and myself. At this point I suppose it would be possible for me to sign with another label however I'm not sure I would choose to do so if the offer arose. With the advances in digital distribution and the internet in general I've had fairly good luck releasing my first two records independently through WEPA. Between local stores, performances and online outlets such as CD Baby and iTunes I've been able to move quite a few units.

Q: What artists are you listening to right now? Alternatively name a few artists you can recommend the readers of jnj may not have heard about so far. Or name you all time Top 10. Or if you like you can answer all of these three alternatives :-)

Brian Patneaude: Lately I've been listening to a lot of E.S.T. (Esbjorn Svenssen Trio) and Erik Truffaz. I really enjoy what these artists are doing to incorporate sounds and textures of modern pop music into jazz. I've been checking out many of the current artists that record for ECM such as guitarist Jacob Young, pianist Tord Gustavsen's trio, trumpeter Tomasz Stanko and his working group, the Wasilewski/Kurkiewicz/Miskiewi Trio. I'm a big fan of many of the artists that record for Spain's Fresh Sound New Talent label - saxophonists Seamus Blake, Chris Cheek & Bill McHenry, organist Jesse Chandler, bassist Alexis Cuadrado, and countless others. Outside of the jazz realm there is plenty of Coldplay, Radiohead, Thievery Corporation, Zero 7, Bebel Gilberto, John Mayer, Jaga Jazzist, Willie Rosario, and Jimmy Bosch on my iPod. In terms of all time favorites, chances are if a record has Michael Brecker on it it's on my list. I can never get enough of the self titled Steps Ahead record from the early 80's or any of his solo releases.

For more infos visit brianpatneaude.com, cdbaby.com and read my review of Distance.