Teen Jazz July 2005 Artist Influence
Greg Vail - Saxophonist
By Shannon Kennedy
Name: Greg Vail Profession: Saxophonist Years Playing: since the
age of 6 College/Major/Degree: BM from Cal State Long Beach, Music
Location: Orange County,
CA
Greg Vail has actually been one of my greatest influences throughout the
entirety of my saxophone playing (I met him less than a year after I first
picked up the saxophone). Not only is Greg Vail a great saxophonist to
look up to for his playing on all four saxophones (bari sax, tenor sax,
alto sax, soprano sax) and doubling instruments (flute and clarinet), but
he is a role model for individuals ubiquitously because he is also a great
person. In the Last Year, Greg Vail has been working online to reach out
and help other sax players by providing resources and information,
creating two new sites: saxophone.us - a saxophone resource site, and
saxreviews.com - a saxophone reviews and gear site. His amazing
playing and his desire to reach out and help other musicians are just two of
the major reasons Greg Vail makes an excellent Teen Jazz Influence.
When did you first begin seriously studying music? Where? With who?
Greg Vail first seriously began studying music in the seventh grade private
lessons with Mr. Stopher.
Who are your greatest influences? Name a few. How would you say that
they have affected you?
One of his greatest influences is David Sanborn for the pop concept of
playing saxophone. David Sanborn was the first pop sax player that Greg
fell in love with and tried to emulate.
Michael Brecker is another of his influences because Brecker could play
everything which taught Greg Vail how valid it was to be versatile.
Kirk Whalum is a third influence. Greg Vail got a chance to get to know
him and he feels Kirk Whalum is a really great musician, who taught him
how important it was to have a spiritual center to his playing.
Who or what gave you the confidence to pursue your art as a career as
opposed to a hobby?
Greg never felt like he was good at anything else. Since he liked music he
thought he would at least try music and if it didn't work out, he find
something else to do.
Briefly describe the difficulty to be successful in your career while remaining
true to the art form without "selling out" to popular art?
It isn't difficult, it's impossible. The business side of music is a total sell out.
Greg Vail feels he is not successful because he won't sell out. When he
was more successful, he was selling out. Now that he is not willing to play
the game, it is hard to even consider himself a part of it.
Do you believe that your gender or appearance has affected your career? If
so, how have you changed yourself to conform to your industry standards?
Has this changed over time?
Greg started off very conformed with image in mind. Since then, he has
tried to be an original and all he has done is break every image rule to have
a career over the last ten years. When he started out as a professional
saxophonist, he had a certain look, dress and vibe. When he broke that
image, he did everything to get away from it. Greg Vail has changed so
much in the last ten years that when people hold his CD up to him, they
don't believe that it is him.
What have you been doing with your career for yourself? How has money
changed your initial career plans? What do you plan on doing with your
career in the future?
What he has been doing for himself is that Greg has been making his career
more and more about himself, and less about the music business. He has
been trying to play music that he feels is valid and without caring whether
it makes it on the radio or not.
Money hasn't really changed his plans, because from the beginning was
trying to be successful and then he was trying to figure out who he is and
how he can be true to himself. Money never was a part of that process.
The only part that it may have changed is his confidence that what he is
doing is right and in encouraging that process.
Greg Vail plans on developing himself as a more rounded musician, then
finding ways to promote and express that through new products. He wants
to continue to do CDs with them improving along with him.
What do wish had happened with your career?
Greg wishes every step of being more true to himself and trying to do what
he thought he should do had been better received. He wished when he was
a "lame pop copy" guy he had sold more CDs so he had more money to work
with now.
Where do you think that your art is going? Do you feel that this is a positive
or negative direction?
Greg Vail thinks music is going back into artistic control and out of
marketing and business control. He thinks it is getting too big for business
to be able to control because of the growth in technology. It is making
great new opportunities for artists. It's going to digital formats to download
sales and to satellite radio and internet radio with tons of new opportunities
for artists to get airplay.
Do you believe popular art is still a craft that requires skill? Or do you feel
it has become an image based profession?
Popular art with new technology requires no skill for the artists and minimal
skill for the producer putting it together.
What inspires you to continue to pursue your art? Have you ever come
close to giving up?
Greg Vail has always had an awareness that being a musician is his gift
and he would be "blowing it" if he didn't continue to do it.
Who are some of the coolest people that you have played with? What was
your coolest gig? What was your lamest gig?
Cool People - Greg Adams from Tower of Power, David Pack from
Ambrosia, Morris Chapman, Marc Russo, Tom Scott, and Wilton Felder
Coolest Gig - the Wave stage Taste of Orange County 1995 because it
was the biggest thing he ever did as an independent artist.
Lamest Gig - Kikuya Japanese Restaurant occasionally because no one
shows up because no one cares anymore.
Other hobbies: web design, being a dad, spending time with my girlfriend
Advice for the young musician:
The music business is a people business and that your people skills and
networking skills are as important as your music skills. If you aren't good
with people you need to get out of the business.
His Most Embarrassing Musical Moment:
Being told the zipper on his pants was down in front of 2,100 people.
Own CDs?
Christmas, The Hymns
The Gospel Truth
eMotion
Is It Christmas Yet?
Favorite Joke About His Instrument:
How do you get two soprano players to play in tune?
Shoot one of them.
What was his first Instrument? Dream Instrument?
Greg Vail's first instrument was a Soprano saxophone.
His dream instrument is what he has or 875 black tenor with no high F#
key.
