As I’ve mentioned before, happening upon a true talent is always such a “rush” for me. Happening upon such a talent who also combines sheer charm, such a disarming sweetness, and the warmest of personalities is much more than icing on the cake. Saxophonist/flutist Lynn Riley sparkles as much through her personality as she does via her remarkable skills on sax and flute, and with the ability to conceptualize her music within the context of beautiful diversity, she brings with her the freshness and the refreshing aura always appreciated by this reviewer. We invite you to now witness the charm, humility, and pleasantness of this quality artist in the conversation below, a conversation that was truly one of a kind.
 
TSJR: You’ve often been called the "Superwoman of the Sax." To what do YOU think that’s attributed?

LR: I think I got that nickname because I play with a lot of emotion and intensity. I think that a lot of women musicians are not necessarily known for their power, and I think a lot of people are pleasantly surprised when they see me and hear me play. I’m a fairly small person physically, and people always ask “Where do you get all of that power?” (laughs) I guess it’s just all part of my personality. I tend to be quite expressive, and it comes out in m playing, I guess.

TSJR: You’re also quite proficient on flute. Do you have a preference?

LR: I like both. It depends on what I’m playing. I actually started playing flute before I played saxophone. I’d say most of my career has been playing sax because there’s more work for saxophonists than flutists in the smooth jazz world. I think, in some ways, I find the sax to be more expressive.  Being a woman and having a higher vocal range than a man, I find the sax--especially the alto sax--to be much more like a voice. I still love the flute, but I find that there is just more of a variety of things I can play on sax than on flute. 

TSJR: You were born here in DC and raised in Philly. You went to the land of our President, Hawaii, and received a B.A. in Ethnomusicology. Please explain that field of study to those of us who may be hearing that term for the first time.

LR: Sure. Ethnomusicology was something I found attractive from the moment I learned about it.  In essence, it’s like learning world music. It’s sort of a combination of music and anthropology in that you learn about different cultures of music but at the same time the context of how the music exists within the culture--for example, religious context, social context, or historic context. So, I not only learned about the music but got a chance to play a lot of different styles of music. I studied with teachers from all over the world about Korean music, Asian music, Polynesian music, African music, Brazilian music, and just music of all sorts. From a musician’s viewpoint, it was like being a kid in a candy store. (laughs).

TSJR: You’ve traveled to so many places in pursuit of furthering your style and compositional vocabulary. You’ve visited Cuba, South Africa, and other countries. What have you taken from those travels that you feel enhance or will enhance you as a musician, as well as a person in general?

LR: I think I’ve grown both musically and as a person because I’ve had the opportunity to travel and particularly because of the way in which I was able to travel. Most of the time, I was traveling with a band and performed in different places and oftentimes worked with local musicians there, combining to create bigger ensembles; so, not only was I able to perform for an audience in another place, but I was able to experience working with other musicians who come to the performing stage with different sensibilities and different styles. I’m always trying to grow from new musical experiences.

I think that, as a musician, you’re able to connect in non-verbal ways.  Not that music isn’t a language, but you can play music with someone and not even speak their language. It’s not even a problem. You’re both tuning into some common musical universe and, at the same time, you’re bringing new vocabulary to it; so, I’m learning from them and, hopefully, they’re learning from me, and we’re creating something new and richer that makes us better people as a result.

TSJR: Tell us a little about the band with which you traveled during that time.

LR: I actually traveled with a couple of bands. One was a South African band called Sharon Katz and the Peace Train, which was based half the time in the States and half the time in South Africa. Another one that I traveled to Cuba, Bolivia, and Brazil with was a Latin jazz group based here in Philly called Ellas y Amigos. We were sponsored by the U.S. State Department to play at the La Paz Jazz Festival in Bolivia. We also played at a Cuban festival where we were part of an all-women festival. It was also a very enriching experience for the reasons I mentioned earlier, just learning about different styles of music and musicians and the different cultural settings. It was just one of the greatest experiences of my life.

TSJR: You were once involved with the Women’s Jazz Festival. Tell us about that organization and your involvement with it.

LR: It was a festival in Kansas City for about 5 years, starting around 1980.  Two women, Carol Colmar and Diane Gregg, started this festival, and I was on the board of directors. I was living there at the time.  It was a great festival we’d bring in all sorts of great women musicians from all over the world, including Flora Purim and other credentialed musicians, but also lesser known musicians from everywhere. It was an amazing three-day festival. We actually had a 9-hour jam session when I was in the house band. It was a marathon for the house band, but it was so cool because you never knew who would come to sit in to play.  It operated as a non-profit organization, but, like a lot of non-profits, it ran its course.  Still, I’m so grateful for the experience of having played with all of those talented female musicians.

TSJR: Are you from a musical family?

LR: My parents are amateur musicians, so I grew up with music in the house. I don’t really have any other professional musicians in the family. I grew up listening to so much music from classical to jazz to R&B to rock. Just everything.

TSJR: With your love of such many different styles and genres, what attracted you to smooth jazz?

LR: Well, I love all types of jazz. I guess I just play smooth jazz now because there’s a market for it, obviously. It also allows me to mix my world influences and experiences and add flavor to a genre that is pretty accepting of innovation. So, that’s really my intention with the new album, Too Cool. There are obvious smooth jazz tunes there but I wanted to include my world influences, as well.

TSJR: You’ve performed with some of the most respected names in the business, including the iconic late Grover Washington, Jr.  When did you first meet Grover, and what was it like to work with him?

LR: I met Grover in Philly in 1986. I got the chance to work with him at a club there. He’s legendary, but he’s even more legendary here in Philly, since this is his hometown. He was very warm, and he is one of the home-grown phenomenon here. Of course, he maintained the tradition of quality seen in Philly musicians. I mean, there has been Coltrane and just so many that have come out of Philly.

TSJR: Are you currently on any tour to promote Too Cool? If so, where does that tour take you?

LR: No, not yet. We do have a couple of dates here in the Philly area, as well as some work with Habitat for Humanity in March here. There are also a handful of other dates on my website.

TSJR: And what is that website?

LR: It’s www.lynnriley.com.

TSJR: Any words for aspiring musicians?

LR: Keep persevering. Keep true to your art. It’s a tough business, but if you’re as passionate about your music as I am, you don’t have much choice because you’re driven to do it.  Try to be smart about it, try to acquire as many diversified skills as you can, and just follow your heart.

TSJR: Any words for your fans?

LR: Thank you for your support, and it’s really inspiring to hear that “we like what you’re doing” kind of comment. It’s so very encouraging!

TSJR: Again, thanks so much for taking this time to chat with us, and we certainly wish you and your debut release all the success in the world.

LR: Thank you so much for your support.

It’s certainly not difficult at all supporting the likes of Lynn Riley. One can only hope that she will be enthusiastically welcomed into the hearts and minds of true aficionados of innovation and the breath of freshness she brings to smooth jazz and beyond.