Back To Mine with Telemakus

 

Herbie Hancock – Watch It

One of my biggest idols in music and life is Herbie Hancock. When I play with my band live and on my album I try to emulate this kind of free-flow of expression and this song captures it so well. Sometimes I think how it’s even possible the way Tony Williams and Herbie are reading each other’s minds.

 

Lonnie Smith – Sweet Honey Wine

This Lonnie Smith song makes me incredibly happy and it’s a rare find that not too many people know of for some reason. Meeting him as a young kid really shaped the way I think about jazz. He gave me a very long embrace and hug and told me to keep going. When I hear this song, I feel like he is still talking to me.

 

Utopia – DJ Harrison

This DJ Harrison cut is my favorite song of his. Just classic, groovy, perfectly structured harmony, everything.

 

Norman Conners – I Have A Dream

I found this classic Norman Connors cover of Herbie Hancock’s ‘I Have A Dream” from my brother. I instantly recognized it as the sample from one of 9th Wonder’s Beats. This reminds me of my youth growing up to his beats, but also of the fusion of jazz and funk that I love so much.

 

Asheru – Elevator Music

One of my favorite songs of Asheru. I grew up on this song and it never gets old for me. The instrumental and the timing and groove. Exceptional.

 

Dilla – Unreleased Beat (For Nas)

This Dilla beat is one of my all-time favorites. I never get tired of it. The instrumentation and chops are just sublime. He is a big inspiration to me like he is for everyone really.

 

George Benson –   Dinorah Dinorah

I love Ivan Lins. And this cover of Ivan Lins’ composition speaks to me very much. The rhodes sound is something that I go to a lot. It influenced my sound and ideas on the piano.

 

Geri Allen –  Dark Prince

Geri Allen wrote this piece for her partner Wallace Roney. Rest in peace to both of them. This song showed me how to play with my heart, but maintain so much groove and feeling.

 

Ted Taforo – Lover In Your Dreams

Ted Taforo is my favorite new saxophonist on the scene today. Im lucky to call him a friend and collaborator. This album makes me feel nostalgic of a time I never existed in. I love the way he sounds and the way his music makes me feel.

 

Chino Corvalán – Obnubilación

Chino Corvalan is a phenomenal bassist that I Work with a lot. We both love to speak the languages of melody and harmony together, and this composition by him always resonated with me. To me, he is a modern-day Jaco almost. I’m excited for you all to hear Ted and Chino play on ’The New Heritage’

 

Telemakus ‘The New Heritage’ LP (Radio Juicy)

Telemakus’ work has stemmed to highly creative composition and arrangement, generating a spirited album tackling the themes of exploration, wonder, and innocence. This album’s foundation lies at the intersection of jazz and hip hop, playing into the heritage of jazz-sampling artists who turned their hands to instruments, and discovered new musical dimensions and complexities. Fruiting from the year-long COVID-19 lockdown, the album was created virtually with musicians from 11 countries, with a focus on maintaining a live sound while exploring ideas the producer normally wouldn’t have considered.
‘The New Heritage’ represents Telemakus’ lineage growing up in the jazz scene, gigging locally in the Bay Area. Being a self-taught pianist, the artist has a unique gift for harmony which evidently translates into the LP’s tracks as a continuous flow of inspiration. Having found his own sound listening to the likes of Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, DJ Harrison, and Robert Glasper, Telemakus’ has developed a deeply personal style, as he likes to define it, “off-kilter and unique”.

Out Now… Telemakus – The New Heritage (Radio Juicy)