ANNIVERSAY ISSUE 0717

ON THE COVER
RONNIE
LAWS
I
“When I was assembling the album ‘Solo’, I was
thinking of a tribute to the patriarchs of jazz...”
t’s been over three years since Ronnie
Laws released any music projects.
Recently, he performed his latest composition,
Settle Down, at a electrically charge
release party at the famed Catalina Bar &
Grill in Holllywood.
Our Belinda Foster sat down with the
jazz great to chat about his new music
release, Settle Down, written by Laws, is a
new progressive single that Laws is proud
to share with fans.When asked about the
theme of Settle Down, Laws shared his own
personal insight.
Tell us about your childhood and where you
grew up?
I am a Houston native and I grew up surrounded by my
family members who are gifted in music. I discovered the
essence of inspiration being exposed to hearing them play
and exploring music on my own as well.
What sparked your interest in music? Did it begin
in your childhood?
As a child, I was always around music. My family is made
up of both singers and musicians. In addition to listening
to my family members play, I also explored the music of
other musicians. I enjoyed listening to jazz, especially the
music of Joe Sample, the Jazz Crusaders and Wilton
Felder. John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley inspired
me a great deal, too.
What do you enjoy most about performing?
When I play in a studio or live at shows, it is a joy for me
to share music with the people around me.As a musician,
you can take moments to express your feelings and your
thoughts in such a way that you’ll find moments that connect
you to people who don’t know you but do understand
you through your music.
Tell us about your inspiration as a musician.
Who are some of your favorite artists? How did
you get into this?
There are quite a few musicians that continue to inspire
me. I am speaking of artists who had an impact on me as
a youngster in Houston to even now.As a child, I was
always excited to hear new styles of music… even a new
song.As I continued to grow, I was impacted by sax guys
from Texas like Arnette Cobb and David Fathead
Newman.
You have been work on an album entitled Solo. Is
this a reflection long career in music?
“When I was assembling the album ‘Solo’, I was thinking
of a tribute to the patriarchs of jazz...” honoring Miles
Davis, John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald and other greats. I like
the fact that it has a spoken word as part of the song as
well. It is a progressive move on my part. I think and look
forward to sharing it with my fans. It will reach a lot of
people in a positive way.”
Tell us about how you chose the players for Settle Down.
I basically incorporated guys I’ve worked with throughout
the years. It was a great experience being with people
you formerly worked with and who you have built solid
relationships with over many, many years.
Settle Down is distributed
through Blue Tree
Records/Bungalo
Records/UMGD and is
now available on iTunes,
Amazon and other
major digital outlets.
IN ENTERTAINMENT MAGAZINE 47