- 2 months ago
Drumming powerhouse Cindy Blackman Santana joined us on Joann Butler in Studio With... to talk about her new album Coherence , an adventurous collection of music featuring Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin, Matt Garrison, and more. Blackman Santana says the album takes listeners on a variety of musical journeys, blending powerful performances, rich textures, and creative storytelling. Coherence is available for pre-order today June 5, as well as her new single "Illumination." The full album will be released July 31. The legendary musician also opened up about working and touring with husband Carlos Santana, calling him an incredible bandleader who inspires both musicians and audiences. She shared how their relationship thrives through mutual support, independence, and a shared love of music, spirituality, and creativity. From her years with Lenny Kravitz to her current projects, Blackman Santana remains driven by curiosity and constant growth. Whether she's practicing drums, writing music, or finding inspiration in nature, she believes creativity connects us all. "Music helps people communicate," she said. "It feels like prayer when I'm playing." This is a LifeMinute with Cindy Blackman Santana.
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00:00Did you always know you wanted to play drums?
00:02I came here knowing what I wanted to do.
00:05When did you get discovered?
00:06I played with Lenny Kravitz for 17 years altogether.
00:09And so that was the thing that really propelled me into being known globally.
00:14What's it like working with Carlos Santana?
00:17Husband or not, he's just a really great band leader.
00:20And is it true that he proposed on stage one day?
00:22He called me up to the front and he proposed.
00:25What does music do for people?
00:27It feels like prayer when I'm playing.
00:29Hi, I'm Cindy Blackman-Santana and you are watching Life Minute TV.
00:35Cindy Blackman-Santana in the house. Woo-hoo!
00:38Thanks for joining us in Life Minute.
00:40Thank you for having me.
00:42I saw you last night at the winery. Absolutely mind-blowing.
00:47So good. So good.
00:49We had a blast.
00:50What are fans going to get when they see you play live?
00:52I mean, I know what I got, which is amazing.
00:54But in your words, how would you describe that?
00:56A lot of energy, a lot of journeys, a lot of passion.
00:59Everybody in the band plays really passionately.
01:02I love it because it's a mix of intellect, but also passion.
01:09Like wild abandon because, you know, we're really spontaneously combusting in the moment.
01:16But yet it's controlled, you know.
01:19So just a lot of energy, a lot of fun, a lot of journeys.
01:23Passion for sure.
01:24And how do you arrange it?
01:26Like how do you figure out the sets?
01:28And I thought it was so neat.
01:29Everybody had like sheet music, it looked like.
01:31Except for you.
01:33But it was fascinating to me.
01:36Like how does that all come together for you?
01:38Oh, thank you. By flow.
01:40You know, when I look at the songs that we have that are on the repertoire for whatever this run
01:46is.
01:47And then I say, okay, well, this flows into that, flows into that.
01:51This sets us up, you know, with this kind of feel or whatever.
01:55And so I go by flow and energy.
01:58Amazing. And a good band. You guys never actually played together?
02:01Not this particular unit.
02:03Because I've played with each person in different units.
02:07But this unit, this is our first time together as a full band, you know, playing this together.
02:13So it's amazing.
02:14I've played a long time with Aurelian, and he's the guitar player, Aurelian Budenek.
02:20And he's basically been in every format of band that I've had.
02:26And Zakai Curtis, the keyboard player, we've played together quite a lot.
02:30He's played in a couple variations of my bands.
02:33J.D. Allen, the saxophone player, he played with my very first band in New York.
02:38So we've been playing together for quite a long time.
02:41We recorded a bunch of records together, you know, at that point.
02:45And bass player, Benny Rydfold, he, obviously, we played together with Santana.
02:50But he's played with my band only two other times.
02:53We did an all-star band with Benny and we had Carlos, Ravi Coltrane.
02:58And that was a San Francisco Jazz Festival show.
03:02So we did the all-star thing.
03:03And then Benny played with my band, my quintet, like some years ago once.
03:08But it was a whole different setup of musicians.
03:11So now this is our first time, you know, really coming together and making this unit happen.
03:17So it's fun.
03:18And of course, you have a new album. Tell us about that.
03:21Yes. It's called Coherence.
03:23I'm really excited about this record because it, again, just tells a lot of stories, goes on many journeys.
03:32There's a lot of texture, a lot of different tones.
03:35And then, sonically, the way that we recorded it is awesome.
03:39I'm really happy with the sound.
03:41Like we were very nitpicky about the tone of every instrument, the way that everything sounds.
03:46And I'm happy about the song selection, the new music that we have.
03:51And then, of course, the musicians who are all spectacular.
03:54Carlos Santana is on it.
03:56Matt Garrison, bass player, is on it.
03:58John McLaughlin, hero guitar player, is on it.
04:01And then my core band that I've been working with, you know, for the past several years until the forming
04:08of the band that you saw last night.
04:10It was Felix Pastorius on the bass, Emilio Modeste on saxophone, again, Zakai Curtis on the keyboards.
04:18That band worked together a lot.
04:20So we definitely developed a sound.
04:22We also added, which I'm very happy about, strings.
04:27So we have Dave Egger, who did the strings for the record.
04:30And I've always wanted live strings on my records.
04:34And so this is the first time.
04:36I mean, we've had strings with, you know, keyboard strings.
04:39And, you know, we can get some synth sounds that sound really good.
04:43But there's nothing like having a real live instrument, you know.
04:47So we have live strings on there.
04:49And we have another guest, Ray Angry, a great keyboard player.
04:53So he's featured on something as well.
04:56So there are a lot of different textures and sounds.
05:01And the music is very adventuresome.
05:03So I'm really, really excited about it.
05:05Yeah, it's really great.
05:06And, of course, your husband's Carlos Santana.
05:09What's it like working with Carlos Santana?
05:12It's awesome because he's got a really huge Rolodex in his brain of music that he knows.
05:20So he can call on different influences at any time, you know, that he wants the band to add something
05:27into the music.
05:28And I love that he likes jazz.
05:30He likes creative music.
05:31So he wants a certain kind of flow and energy and spontaneity in the music.
05:36But yet he's also very rooted like in the blues, you know, and obviously in rock and funk.
05:44So he's got a real wide variety of influences that he can draw on.
05:51So it's really fun.
05:53And I have to say, husband or not, he's just a really great band leader.
05:58You know, he's really amazing to work with and to watch.
06:01I love the way he leads his band.
06:05And, you know, when he says he's going to do something, he does it.
06:08You know, he follows through.
06:10So he's a really good role model for how to lead a band and how to really get the best
06:17out of the players, you know,
06:18and to make everybody feel comfortable and at ease and to really let everyone know how much you appreciate them.
06:25Like, he always lets people know that they're there, you know, you're in this band and you're here, you're on
06:32the crew,
06:32you're working with us together because I love you, I appreciate you.
06:37And so he always lets people know that.
06:39And I appreciate that, you know.
06:41So he's amazing to work with.
06:42And then his guitar playing speaks for itself.
06:45You know, he's so great.
06:46He's just got a tone that's incredible.
06:49His feel is amazing.
06:50You know, so it's a win-win all the way around.
06:54It was an amazing combo.
06:57And I saw that last night with you, too, the way you're leading and the way everyone was looking at
07:01you.
07:02They're just, like, looking at you, like, smiling.
07:04It's so neat.
07:05And it's so cool, like, you know, seeing the drummers.
07:09I think Gina Schock once from the Go-Go's, she told me something.
07:12I never thought of that.
07:13Like, the drummer kind of really leads the band and leads everything, you know?
07:17Absolutely.
07:18Absolutely.
07:19And especially you, of all, because that's your music.
07:21But, like, you're back there and you kind of, and she said you get this, like, broad view of everything,
07:26right?
07:26Like, you can actually see what everybody's doing.
07:28That's true.
07:29You know?
07:29Yeah, that's right.
07:30But it was neat how they're all looking back at you and really, like, okay, master, you know, it's cool.
07:34And then you two together.
07:35My gosh.
07:36How did you first meet Carlos?
07:38The very first time that I met him, I was playing with Lenny Kravitz and we were touring in Europe.
07:43And, of course, that was a blast.
07:45And we did a concert in Germany and Santana was on the bill.
07:50Dennis Chambers, who's been a longtime friend of mine, was the drummer at the time for Santana.
07:54And so we were hanging out, just talking, and he introduced me to Carlos, very brief.
07:59You know, it was like, oh, nice to meet you.
08:01And then, you know, I went to do my thing to warm up and they were playing and I was
08:05warming up, getting ready for our show.
08:07Five years later, Carlos had a show booked, like, apart from his tour.
08:15And Dennis couldn't make it because it was after the tour was over and he had already booked something else.
08:19So they called to see if I would do it.
08:23And when I got the call, they said, Carlos Santana is calling to see if you can.
08:26Yes.
08:28Of course I want to play with Santana.
08:30That would be an honor.
08:31So I subbed the show for Dennis and it was just a one off and, you know, just a sub,
08:38you know, on the gig.
08:39We really hit it off.
08:41You know, musically, we hit it off.
08:44And we love a lot of the same stuff.
08:46You know, he was speaking my language, you know, talking about Miles Davis and Tony Williams.
08:53So I was like, oh, OK, you're there.
08:56OK, that's definitely where I live.
08:59And spiritually, I loved where he was at.
09:01So it went from being like a great musical connection to being, obviously, as we got married, an amazing personal
09:08connection, too.
09:09Yeah, I loved his spiritual path.
09:12And that really was very alluring and intriguing to me.
09:17Yeah.
09:17And then he was like, later Dennis.
09:19Poor Dennis.
09:20Well, I mean, you know, no, that was quite a while later that I joined the band because I went
09:25back with Lenny in 2014 and 15, which was an amazing tour.
09:29And then in 2016 is when I joined Santana.
09:34Dennis was in the band.
09:36And then after that, another drummer, Pepe Jimenez, was in the band.
09:40And then Carlos called me.
09:42We were actually already married.
09:43But he was like, you know, do you want to play in the band?
09:45And I said, that would be great.
09:47And he said, you know, I was told by some people in the camp that, you know, it won't work
09:53because you're married and maybe you two shouldn't be in.
09:56And he said, but I want you to play.
09:58And I said, well, I think we can handle it.
10:00And if we find that we can't, then we just won't do it.
10:05And so we did it.
10:06And that was, you know, again, 2016.
10:09So now almost 10 years later and it's working.
10:12It works.
10:13Yeah.
10:14Any secrets to making it work?
10:15Space is a big one.
10:17You know, we give each other space.
10:19I give him space to do what he wants to do.
10:22He gives me space to do what I want and need to do.
10:25I love playing my drums.
10:27I love practicing.
10:29I love just working out stuff.
10:31And he's OK with that.
10:33Like some people are like, oh, you've been playing for a long time.
10:36When are you coming home?
10:36You know, but he's really supportive of that.
10:40And that's important to me.
10:42And I want him on his instrument.
10:44I'm like, oh, you've got to play.
10:45Please do.
10:46Yeah, go play.
10:46I got stuff to do.
10:48You know, I can play or read or I always have something to do.
10:50So I'm independent, you know, and so we like our space.
10:55But then we have our together time, which is beautiful.
10:57And then we like enough of the same things and enough of the different things that make our union really
11:05exciting.
11:06You know, because if you like everything that is the same, that's great, but it can be kind of boring.
11:12You know, so he likes different things and I like different things.
11:15But so together, plus the things that we both like that are the same, it makes a nice kind of
11:22creative pot of things that we can draw from and things that we can share.
11:25So it's really good.
11:28It works.
11:29Interesting.
11:29Do you guys like jam together?
11:31Not too much.
11:32Really?
11:32Actually, people are like, oh, you play together at home all the time.
11:35No, not really.
11:36We don't.
11:37You know, I'm on the drums.
11:39He's at his guitar and, you know, in another room, you know, I'm either at home playing or I'm at
11:45the office playing, you know.
11:47So we don't.
11:47We talk about music all the time.
11:49But we at home, we don't really play together that much.
11:52No, we do other things, you know.
11:55Did you always know you wanted to play drums?
11:57Yes.
11:58How old were you?
11:59Three.
12:00Three?
12:02Like, what did you do?
12:04How did you know?
12:05And were you self-taught?
12:06Did you have lessons?
12:07I was self-taught initially.
12:08I was a child and I didn't, I didn't know.
12:11I was like, well, I don't want to sound like that person, so I don't think I should study from
12:15that.
12:15But that was silly because you can really learn from anybody, you know.
12:19And somebody's always got something different, a different perspective than what you have, which can add to that.
12:25And when I finally figured that out, I was like, Mom, I need some drum lessons.
12:30Because I have to, I mean, there's something I'm missing.
12:33I need to push myself more.
12:34I need to learn more.
12:35So she got me drum lessons, which was great.
12:38You know, my mom's very supportive, even to this day.
12:41You know, so that was awesome.
12:43I think I came here.
12:45No, I don't think.
12:45I know I came here knowing what I wanted to do.
12:48Because my mom and my older sister, who's like six years my senior, so she knew me, obviously was old
12:56enough to understand and see a new baby come in.
12:59They both told me that I was playing rhythms like from when I was born, like I was always tapping
13:04on something.
13:04And my mom at first was like, she's going to grow out of that.
13:09And then she said, but you never did.
13:12And my mom is a violinist.
13:15So she said, she admitted to me once, she said, you know, I never really liked the drums.
13:20Because they're loud.
13:21You know, she's a violinist.
13:22They like quiet little soft little music.
13:24But she said, you know, when you started playing and it really started to become musical and I started to
13:31hear sound in it and I mean song in it.
13:33She said I started to love the drums and now she loves the drums.
13:37You know, so I converted her.
13:39That's so neat.
13:40I love it.
13:41I love it.
13:41And you busked for a while, right?
13:44When did you get discovered?
13:45I think my first kind of major thing was playing with Jackie McLean and then Sam Rivers.
13:51So it was a it was a tenor opening kind of for me because it was Jackie McLean, Sam Rivers
13:57and then Joe Henderson.
13:58So I was playing with quite a few tenor players at first.
14:02And then I did some beautiful gigs.
14:05I did a three year stint with Dom Pullen, amazing piano player.
14:09I played, you know, like I recorded a lot.
14:12I played with my peers.
14:13So I was playing with with Wallace Roney a lot.
14:16Great trumpet player, now deceased, but he was an amazing musician.
14:20So we played a lot together.
14:22That was kind of our our click.
14:24And I was able to record a lot.
14:27And so I was recording with people like Ron Carter and Kenny Barron, Charnet Moffat, like the Young Cats, Kenny
14:34Garrett.
14:34You know, that whole crew, you know, we were recording records.
14:37I was recording on Wallace's records, doing my records and other people's records.
14:42And then in 93, I played with Lenny Kravitz.
14:46And so that was the thing that really propelled me into really being more known like globally.
14:53That was that was the one that did that, you know.
14:56What was he like?
14:57What was that like playing with him?
14:58Oh, it's awesome.
14:59Lenny's incredible because he's really talented.
15:02You know, he plays every instrument and plays them well.
15:05You know, like I think drums is really probably his favorite.
15:09So he can get on the drums and he plays these grooves that are just really solid and killing.
15:15Then he gets on the bass and he can play that.
15:17He can play piano.
15:18He's a great guitar player.
15:20Really got soul, like out of this world.
15:23Really funky.
15:24And his singing is amazing.
15:26He's really a great singer.
15:27So playing with him was was really incredible.
15:30He's very confident.
15:32You know, so watching that I played with him for 17 years altogether.
15:35So experiencing that was was awesome.
15:38We played all over the globe and we logged in thousands of playing hours together.
15:44So we really, really knew each other very, very well musically.
15:49And that was a blast.
15:50I really loved playing with that situation.
15:53He's amazing.
15:54Yeah, so it was I'm grateful for that.
15:56It was on.
15:56It was awesome.
15:57Really cool.
15:58Really cool.
15:59And then you have stuff coming up with Santana, of course.
16:02Yeah, we have stuff coming up with Santana.
16:04We did an amazing tour of Europe.
16:07We went everywhere all over Europe.
16:09And we even had a little we were there for so long all summer.
16:13So like three months.
16:14And so we had it in the in the middle.
16:16We had a 10 day break in Milano, which was incredible.
16:20I've never spent that much time in Milano.
16:22And it was amazing because the food is incredible.
16:25The style is incredible.
16:27You know, just the people are so soulful.
16:29It was it was awesome.
16:30So we went all over Europe.
16:33And that was great.
16:34And Carlos has an amazing residency at the House of Blues in Las Vegas.
16:38So we do that four times a year.
16:40And so that's a lot of fun, too.
16:42And we live there, too.
16:43So we're at home.
16:44So, you know, you play the shows and then you get to go home to your own bed and your
16:48own house and to your own surroundings.
16:49So for us, it's it's really a beautiful thing.
16:52It's a lot a lot of fun.
16:53Very cool.
16:54And we have some stuff coming up in the year.
16:57You know, this this year coming some nice tours.
17:00So it's it's fun.
17:02It's really a beautiful experience.
17:03And everybody in the band is really dedicated.
17:06And they're all really great musicians.
17:08They play so well.
17:10It's like, oh, my goodness, you guys.
17:12Yeah, they're really everybody's very proficient and they're very consistent, you know, so they're great consistently, which is a wonderful
17:22thing to be around, you know, because you can play good one day and great one day and really poorly
17:29the next day.
17:29But to be able to play great like every day to do that consistently is amazing.
17:34And that's what that band is very consistent.
17:37We couldn't get over your stamina to like how you just play and then just get up and just talk
17:42like it's nothing like you didn't even take a breath.
17:46It's amazing.
17:47Do you do anything to like stay in that shape or is it just from playing or do you work
17:52out like how do you stay fit?
17:53Oh, thank you.
17:54I do a lot of things, you know, because I'm really a health nut.
17:57I rarely eat cookies except for today.
18:00Those lovely cookies you had in the green room.
18:04Naughty, naughty.
18:05You know, I really very conscious of what I ingest.
18:09And that means what I ingest mentally, emotionally, you know, what I eat, what I drink.
18:15You know, I drink the best water.
18:17I'm hydrating all the time.
18:19I eat organic food.
18:21I'm a vegan.
18:22You know, I do a little cheat once in a while, like with those cookies.
18:26I know they weren't vegan, but I had a little bite of that.
18:29So, you know, I'm not staunch, but I'm very consistent with what I eat.
18:35And that's a big, huge part of it.
18:38I don't drink alcohol.
18:39You know, I don't do anything that harms my body like that, except an occasional little bit of sugar, which
18:46is not good for you either.
18:47But, you know, sometimes you, you know, I just go for it.
18:50I exercise a lot.
18:52You know, I have trainers here and there.
18:55I also do Tai Chi.
18:56And I get a lot of rest.
18:58I like to meditate.
18:59I like to feed myself spiritually.
19:03So I look at the whole body as something that needs to be cared for in a healthy way.
19:09Actually, I shouldn't say the whole body.
19:11The whole being, you know, because it's not only the body, the physical body, but it's also, as I was
19:16mentioning, the emotional body, the spiritual body.
19:18So I try to take care of all of those bodies.
19:21Yeah.
19:23I remember when I interviewed your husband before, he said the same thing.
19:26He said, you're light.
19:27It's all about the light.
19:28You know, he's very spiritual.
19:30And it was just, I just remember I left with a big smile on my face.
19:33You have the same vibe.
19:35Oh, thank you.
19:36We talk about that all the time.
19:38And it's true.
19:39It's what we believe.
19:40You know, when I first met Carlos, coincidentally, Benny, you know, is in my band now, Benny Ritfault.
19:44And I said to Benny, because I knew Benny from before we had played together.
19:48I had never hung out with Carlos before until I subbed that show that I mentioned, even though I had
19:53met him once briefly, but, you know, we didn't talk at all.
19:55And I said to Benny, I said, is he like this all the time?
19:58And he said, yeah.
20:00And he is.
20:01You know, he's like that at home.
20:03He's like, he's kind of like a sage because he comes up with all this stuff that's just, I'm like,
20:09where did you get that from?
20:10But yet, he's very funny.
20:12He's got an incredible sense of humor.
20:14Like, he keeps me laughing all the time.
20:17People say, what is he like at home?
20:19Like, you would never guess.
20:21There's a whole other side of him that, you know, you'd be happy to see because he's hilarious.
20:26You know, this morning before I left, he was like, look, and then he was showing me jokes.
20:29I'm like, I gotta go.
20:32Okay, I like it, but I'll see that when I get back.
20:34I mean, he's funny.
20:36You know, we laugh a lot, which is also part of being healthy.
20:39Yeah, for sure, for sure.
20:41What were your influences?
20:45Well, I'm a jazz musician, so I love creative music.
20:48I love Miles Davis.
20:49He's like one of my huge heroes.
20:51Tony Williams, my favorite drummer in the universe.
20:55That whole 60s band that Miles had is my hero.
21:00You know, I say is my hero, but they are all my heroes.
21:03That band is my hero band.
21:05And that's obviously Miles, Tony, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter.
21:10I listen to them every day.
21:12Either I'm listening to them on, you know, some device or I hear them in my head.
21:16Because that's just the band that is like my ultimate.
21:20You know, John Coltrane.
21:22I love that band.
21:24The Tony Williams Lifetime band.
21:26Billie Holiday.
21:27Sarah Vaughn.
21:28You know, Charlie Parker.
21:30These are like all, you know, so there's Elvin Jones.
21:34There's Max Roach.
21:35There's Philly Joe.
21:36There's Papa Joe.
21:38There's Roy Haynes.
21:39Jimmy Cobb.
21:40You know, there's Al Foster and Billy Hart.
21:44There's Billy Higgins.
21:45All these great drummers, you know.
21:47And then there's like the rock side of the drummers.
21:49There's like John Bonham and Mitch Mitchell who I love.
21:52I heard it all last night.
21:52You know, there's so many cats.
21:54I feel like I heard a rush last night.
21:56I heard it all last night.
21:58Like, you're so diverse.
22:01I got Lewis Hayes.
22:02I can't leave that name out.
22:03There's a bunch that I'm leaving out.
22:04But just certain ones I just can't leave out.
22:07And that's another one that I can't leave out.
22:09Yeah.
22:09And Jimmy Cobb.
22:10That's where I heard a rush song.
22:11I guess I didn't.
22:12But it sounded like a rush song.
22:13I'm like, my God.
22:14You went from like the jazziest jazz and funky funk and then the hard heavy.
22:20Like, it was so good.
22:22Oh, thank you.
22:23I love it all.
22:23And I like having my own band because we can play it all.
22:27Yeah.
22:27Because it's my band.
22:28So, yes, we're going to play it because I love it.
22:30Yeah.
22:31What's something you want to do you haven't done yet?
22:34I want to tour my band on really huge venue stages like stadiums.
22:41Because I think that it's a small band, but we not only have the power but we have the diversity
22:48to do it.
22:49And I want to bring creative music to wide audiences.
22:53You know, I think that once more people hear creative music, they're going to love it.
22:59Because it really draws you in and it influences you and makes you think in a creative way.
23:07Instead of thinking in a box.
23:09You know, and there's nothing wrong with music that's in a box.
23:12I mean, I love pop music, you know, but I love music that thinks outside of the box, too.
23:18And so I want to inspire people to visit their own creativity because we are all sparks of the most
23:27incredible creator, you know, who's the ultimate creator who created us.
23:33And so we have that in us.
23:35And so I want to ignite that in people.
23:38And it might ignite it in a way where they express it through music or it might be through something
23:42else.
23:43It could be through cooking.
23:44It could be through journalism, doing what you do.
23:47It could be through any outlet.
23:49But I just want to inspire people to get in touch with that more as we need that, you know,
23:55because the more that we're in touch with that side of us, the less we are involved in doing things
24:03that don't matter and things that are stupid and things that take away from humanity, from society.
24:09You know, I want to do things that help build.
24:12And when you're creating in a way that is positive, joyful and loving, it only helps society become better.
24:21You know, so I would like to push the spark of that to more and more people.
24:26I like it.
24:27Beautiful.
24:28Beautiful.
24:28What does music do for people?
24:31Inspires.
24:32You know, it helps them feel their heart center, helps them feel themselves, helps them communicate.
24:38It also helps them realize that, you know, the barriers that we imagine and that we create, whether they're language,
24:48cultural, whether they're race, life choices, whatever they are, these are barriers that we create that really mean nothing.
24:56Because when you strip all of this off, we're all light.
24:59You know, we all have that.
25:01So music to me is, is the one thing that transcends, crosses and just really does away with any of
25:10those, you know, blocks that, that, that we use as crutches to feed something that's not positive.
25:20You know, and so that's one of the things that I love about music most, because it's to me the
25:26most incredible communicative tool.
25:29It doesn't matter what your race, religion, culture.
25:32It doesn't matter what your weight is, whether you're bald, have an afro, straight hair, whether you're black, white, green,
25:38brown.
25:38It doesn't matter what you do, who you are.
25:40You can always speak through music, you know.
25:43So that's why it's, it's, it's so special to me.
25:46It feels like, like prayer when I'm playing.
25:49I love that.
25:50That's so good.
25:51Oh, the Monday Night Football theme opening.
25:54That's neat.
25:54Tell us about that.
25:55That is so much fun.
25:57I had such a ball doing that.
25:59I mean, you know, first of all, I was just completely honored when Chris Stapleton called me to do it,
26:05you know, and he said, yeah, I was thinking it'd be really cool if it were me, you and Snoop.
26:10Like, whoa, yeah, that's very cool, you know.
26:14And then recording it was fun.
26:16The way that it's shot, the videography is so amazing.
26:21Those guys are so good.
26:23I mean, it looks like just the highest quality feature film.
26:27You know, it looks like a movie.
26:29It's so amazing the way that they shot it.
26:32The whole production from A to Z is just done in, you know, the highest fashion, you know, the highest
26:40quality.
26:40It's so good.
26:41You know, I'm just really so honored to be involved with that.
26:44Just, you know, the whole staff, everybody, the way that they treat you, the way that they work is so
26:51easy, and it was so wonderful.
26:54And they made it fun, you know.
26:56So it's really, I'm just honored to be involved in that.
27:00It's really awesome.
27:01That's cool.
27:02And then the song is fun.
27:03Yeah, Phil Collins' song, is it?
27:06Mm-hmm.
27:07Yeah, In the Air Tonight.
27:08He's good.
27:09Did you like him, too, as a drummer?
27:11I told you, like, I'm a jazz drummer, so those are my heroes.
27:14But, you know, he did some great stuff.
27:15He made some great music, so I really dig him.
27:18Absolutely.
27:18Yeah.
27:20What's the secret to happiness?
27:22I would say it's being at peace with yourself, first of all.
27:26Because when you're at peace with yourself and you're comfortable in your own skin, then you're more able to be
27:35comfortable with your outer environment, you know, with other people.
27:39You know, because you're happy, you're solid, you're set, you know, and you're not threatened by somebody who's different.
27:45You know, I think, you know, if somebody's prejudiced against another person, if they're prejudiced against, you know, because of
27:52your race or, you know, the style that you wear, you know, your hair or whatever it is, I think
27:57there's something that has caused a fear within themselves.
28:01But if you're comfortable with yourself and you're comfortable with the oneness of everything, then I think, to me, that's
28:09really a big leg up in making sure and being happy, being joyful, being at peace, you know, because then
28:22you're not threatened by anything.
28:23You know, you're just you're happy for other people. You're happy for their success. You're happy for your own success.
28:28You're just, you know, in a in a good place that's inspirational and not just for you, but for everybody.
28:36What does inspire you to keep creating and how do you keep it fresh?
28:39Life inspires me, you know, nature inspires me, babies inspire me, children inspire me, people inspire me. Having the gift
28:49of music inspires me, you know, because it is a gift.
28:53I hear rain and that inspires me because I hear music in it. You know, I see a sunset or
29:00sunrise and that inspires me because I hear music in that, you know, I hear a baby, whether it's chuckling,
29:10giggling, talking or even crying.
29:11That inspires me because I hear that life, the freshness that's just here, you know, everything about this realm, everything
29:20about the universe and the cosmos, you know,
29:22that to me is all very inspiring. And so I draw on that, you know, for sure.
29:30Do you like when you think of something, you go like write it down? What do you do?
29:34I do. Yeah, yeah, I do. I do. I dictate into my into my device, my phone or whatever, you
29:41know, whether I'm singing an idea or whether I'm just expressing an idea or a thought.
29:45I write stuff down all the time. You know, I have tons of little notes around, you know, when I
29:52get inspired, you know, and it might be a line, you know, it might be a couple of notes, you
29:59know, but I put it down because somewhere that comes back, you know.
30:03So, yeah, I do as much as possible, keep track. And then sometimes, you know, if I don't have any
30:09device with me or if I don't have a, you know, I put it in my brain and my mental
30:14Rolodex and sometimes it goes away.
30:16Sometimes it comes back, you know, but I have it, you know, or I have that to be something that
30:22I can draw from.
30:23So good. It's cool. And what are you wearing right now? Do you know?
30:27What am I wearing?
30:28You're so stylish.
30:29Oh, thank you.
30:30You have great style.
30:31Well, my watch is a gift from my lovely husband, as is my bracelet and my beautiful wedding ring. My
30:37friends made this ring.
30:39They live in Lucca, Italy, and they have an incredible jewelry shop. My jacket is Roberto Cavalli and my clothing
30:46is Wolford.
30:49It looks great. I love your style.
30:53That's so good.
30:54Is there anything else you want to tell us?
30:56So I'm also playing in another project. We call it The Power of Three, and it features Orianti on guitar,
31:04Rhonda Smith on bass, and myself on drums.
31:07So it's just a trio. We've recorded, our album is yet to come out, and it's awesome.
31:13It's like, I would call it pop rock, or rather rock pop, because it's more rock than it is pop.
31:19But some of it's kind of poppy, and then most of it's rock.
31:23Like influences quite a bit of Hendrix influence, because Orianti loves Hendrix, as we all do.
31:30And it's very cool. The music is great. We write the pieces together. We recorded everything with Eddie Kramer.
31:40So he's our producer, and he helped record. He was our recording engineer.
31:45And the band's a lot of fun. We've done so far just some private shows. We will be doing some
31:51festivals and some tours.
31:53So I'm looking forward to that, too. But that's a lot of fun, that band, yeah.
31:57And it's great hanging out with them, because they're fun people. So, you know, we have a great time.
32:02That's important, right? You spend so much time.
32:05What's something you always take with you when you travel?
32:07I take my hydrogen water flask.
32:11And what else? I saw two things popping out of your bag.
32:14I take drumsticks with me everywhere I go. They're always with me.
32:17I'm always taking, yeah, you saw those pop out, because I always have my drumsticks with me.
32:21That's for sure. Are they like your security blanket?
32:23Or do you really like pop those things out and like start?
32:26Yeah, I have to, you know, because my hands always want to move.
32:30You know, they want to move right now, but I'm being still because I should.
32:33But I want to do something. That's amazing.
32:36But yeah, I always take those with me. I take that.
32:38I take something to read, because I like to read.
32:41I always have some sort of inspirational book.
32:44Like I don't read a lot of fiction stuff, you know.
32:49I read mostly spiritual books, you know, because that's what inspires me.
32:52Although I watch science fiction movies, because I'm totally into science fiction.
32:57When I'm reading, I'd rather read something that's involving spirituality, something like that.
33:02But when I'm watching a movie, I want to watch some science fiction,
33:05because it just takes me out of the zone.
33:08So I take books with me.
33:09There are a few movies that I take, and some are comedy,
33:12because they just keep me laughing on the road.
33:14You know, so I take a few movies with me.
33:17And yeah, that's about it.
33:19I actually do take a few things to exercise with, you know, that I can fit in my bag.
33:25Like what?
33:26Well, I have exercise bands, and I, you know, I have a few things that I can stretch with,
33:32and a few things that work my hands, you know.
33:34Always have a drum pad with me, of course.
33:36And, you know, a couple of drum books.
33:39I take my drum books everywhere as well.
33:42Drum books?
33:43Mm-hmm.
33:44Really?
33:44Yeah.
33:45You're still learning things from drum books?
33:47I do.
33:47Really?
33:48I practice as much as possible.
33:50I mean, I learn things from books.
33:52Without books, I just learn things.
33:54You know, I think that I consider myself, well, I know that I consider myself to be a perpetual
34:01student of music and of the drums.
34:04Because I want to keep progressing, you know.
34:06And the only way to do that is to keep learning.
34:08And I love learning.
34:10You know, I'm from a little town of 3000 called Yellow Springs, Ohio.
34:15And there was a college there.
34:16So, in essence, it was a creative little college town.
34:22You know, so everybody was always doing something.
34:25You know, whether it was something creative.
34:27We had a theater called the Little Arts Theater.
34:29So they always had programs there.
34:30And, you know, it had many relatives who were musicians and, you know, creative.
34:35My uncle and my grandmothers and, you know, my mom, my sister, cousins, you know.
34:40So there's always that desire inside of me to learn something, to do something, to create something.
34:49And then I love a college town because, you know, everybody's always learning something,
34:54whether it's music or whether it's something else.
34:56Like, I enjoyed going to Berklee College of Music, not only for the community in the school
35:01of musicians who were, you know, learning and always progressing.
35:04But Boston is great because it's a college town, you know.
35:08And so somebody is always learning something.
35:10And somebody is always looking to improve themselves and to progress.
35:15And I love that atmosphere.
35:16You know, I can't be stale and sedentary.
35:20I just can't do it.
35:21You know, I have to do something, whether it's, you know, working on my body, working on my spirit,
35:26you know, working on my drums.
35:28I have to learn something.
35:30You know, I can't sit still and do nothing.
35:32I just can't do it, you know.
35:34And if I had to sit in a chair for 18 hours because I'm on a flight, I'm going to
35:39be learning something in that chair.
35:41I'm going to do something because I just can't sit still.
35:44It's just not my nature to do nothing.
35:46I have to do something, you know.
35:48And I love that.
35:49I get inspired by that.
35:51That's so cool.
35:52I'm glad you do.
35:53Any favorites on the album, the new album coming?
35:56Oh, yes.
35:58I have some favorites.
36:00Coherence, the title track, is a favorite.
36:02And that's a trio piece with Carlos, Matt Garrison on bass and myself.
36:07So that's certainly a favorite.
36:09There's a song on there called Soon A Queen, which is written by Aurelian Budenek, my guitar player.
36:16And that's such a beautiful, luscious piece.
36:18So that's a favorite.
36:21There are, I love the whole album.
36:23There's a song on there called Pulp Fiction, which is, it sounds like movie music to me.
36:29It's really, it sounds like it should be scoring some kind of science fiction film.
36:33I love that one.
36:35And yeah, it's kind of, that's a real journey.
36:39So I love that piece.
36:41There's another piece that's actually an original of mine.
36:44It's called Peace Please.
36:46And I love that one.
36:47We added strings to it.
36:49So the strings that Dave Eggert put on it are so beautiful.
36:53And really, to me, that is my call for people to have peace because I wrote it when the war
37:02was happening,
37:03you know, when there was a lot of bombing going on and, you know, I won't get specific about that.
37:09But, you know, that was my call to the universe.
37:12Like, peace please.
37:13Let's, let's stop this.
37:14It's ridiculous.
37:15Why are we hurting each other?
37:16You know, we're not supposed to do that.
37:17This is stupid.
37:18You know, okay, whoever's at fault, whatever, let's just stop it.
37:22Two wrongs don't make a right.
37:23So let's end this, you know, it's ridiculous.
37:26So that was my call at that point.
37:29And so that's a favorite of mine, not only because of the message, but just because, you know, I like
37:35the piece.
37:36There's another piece that I really love.
37:38It's very different.
37:39So there's a piece on the record called Psychedelic Movie House, and it features strings and drums.
37:46And we added Ray Angry on synths.
37:49So he's on keyboards.
37:51So it's, it's, and Carlos is playing like some, just some sounds.
37:54He's not soloing or anything, but he's playing some really cool slide sounds on it.
37:58And that's one of my favorite pieces on the record as well, Psychedelic Movie House.
38:03It's, it's, it's very different, you know, and that's one of the things I like about it.
38:07But I love the fact that it, it features the strings.
38:09Cause again, I was mentioning how much I love the strings and live strings.
38:13So this is really a cool feature.
38:16So that's another favorite of mine that's on the record.
38:18There's another favorite called Sunday.
38:21And that's an original of mine, Sunday.
38:23And that's just cool because I like the melody.
38:26It's very catchy and it's got a really cool groove on it, you know, so that's, that's another favorite.
38:31So there are actually a bunch of songs on there that, that I like a lot.
38:36That's really good.
38:37Yeah.
38:37And I love your little, your little talking in the beginning of some of them too.
38:42Oh, thank you.
38:43You know, it's interesting because when my engineer and I were first mixing Coherence,
38:49I played Coherence for Carlos because, you know, I wanted to make sure that he was happy with his guitar
38:55sound.
38:56Because I know how much his tone is important to him, you know.
38:59So I played it for him and I said, Carlos, do you like your, your tone?
39:03I want to make sure you're happy because this is going on the record and this is the title track
39:06of the record.
39:07And he said, I love it.
39:10I love the song.
39:10I want it on my record too.
39:12So it's on his record called Sentient.
39:15But in order to make it different on my record, I decided to put a poem at the beginning and
39:21the end,
39:22which are my thoughts about coherence and what coherence means to me.
39:26So I wrote this poem and I split it up and made bookends, you know, so that we have something
39:32that's slightly different from what it is on his record.
39:34Oh, neat.
39:35Because it's the same track, you know, mixed slightly different because I wanted to do a mix that was a
39:40little bit different.
39:41So mixed a little bit differently, but then we have the bookends of the poem because I wanted to make
39:46it like a whole different piece.
39:48So that's, that's where those came in.
39:50Oh, that's so cool.
39:51I'm glad I asked you that.
39:52Oh, thank you.
39:53Me too.
39:55And is it true that he proposed on stage one day after a concert?
40:00It is.
40:00Yeah.
40:01And I was, I was just hanging out with the band.
40:03I wasn't in the band, but I was, you know, when I hung out with them, he would normally ask
40:09me to sit in.
40:10And so we were at this gig and a festival, I think it was at Pine Knob.
40:15I believe that's where it was, if I remember correctly.
40:18He asked me to sit in and I did.
40:19And, and anytime I sat in, he told me to take a drum solo.
40:22He was like, you want a solo?
40:23I said, yeah, of course.
40:24So I would take a drum solo.
40:25And, and once in a while he would call me up to the front.
40:28Not very often.
40:29He'd usually just introduce me and then I would just, you know, walk off and let them continue with their
40:34set.
40:34But this time he called me up to the front and he was talking a lot.
40:39And I'm like, oh, he's talking a lot.
40:41Why is he talking so much?
40:43What is he doing?
40:44And so then he, he just looked at me and he, and he proposed.
40:47And I was like, oh, no wonder he's talking so much.
40:49What?
40:50Oh my God.
40:51Did he know he was going to do that?
40:53Right on stage.
40:54Wow.
40:54Did he know he was going to do that?
40:56Or did he just?
40:56I think he knew.
40:57I didn't know.
40:58But I, I think he knew because he called me up there, you know, and then he did it, you
41:02know.
41:03So maybe he knew, but I, I didn't know he was going to do that, you know.
41:06So that was a, that was a nice surprise.
41:08Wow.
41:09Yeah.
41:10And the rest is history.
41:11What a match made in heaven.
41:14Well, you're just such a beautiful person, just like he is.
41:18Well, thank you.
41:19It's so lovely to have you.
41:20Congratulations on the new album and the tour and everything you're doing.
41:24You're so awesome.
41:25I appreciate it.
41:26And thanks for having me here.
41:27It's lovely talking to you.
41:28You too.
41:29You're beautiful.
41:30For more of this interview, check out Life Minute on all streaming podcast platforms.
41:35We'll see you next time.
41:36We'll see you next time.
41:36Bye.
41:38Bye.
41:39Bye.
41:43Bye.
41:44Bye.
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