Conversations with Alan Voss

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alan Voss.

Hi Alan, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Thank you, my pleasure. I was born in Independence, MO. My childhood soundtrack consisted of BB King, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, and Sam Cooke, with some Sandy Nelson and Drum and Bugle Corp recordings mixed in. My parents were musical but not professionally. I gravitated to the drums early on with a toy drumset, and eventually to a snare drum and coffee cans drumkit that I pieced together. Formal music lessons began at age 9 or so and drum lessons and School Band at age 10. I played in various bands, but my first professional gig was with a great Kansas City Reggae band called Green Card.

Modern Drummer magazine greatly influenced me as I read about all the great drummers of the past and present. It led me to discover Buddy Rich, Art Blakey, Elvin Jones, and Tony Williams, my gateway into Jazz. I dreamed of being a professional touring musician as I listened and played along to vinyl records and imagined my music in those grooves.

I had always been interested in writing music and experimented with portable keyboards and guitars. Many musicians I had read about attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, so the Vision Quest began. I started studying guitar with a great guitarist and teacher named John Pearce and met the 2-year minimum requirement for admission to Berklee. I attended Berklee from the Fall of 1995 through the Fall of 1996. It was an amazing experience, and I studied with another great guitarist, songwriter, and teacher, Abigail Zocher. The student loans were adding up, so after completing the core music program with a focus on Jazz Composition, I returned to Missouri and began working and teaching private lessons. Soon my wife’s career took us to the East Coast to Pennsylvania and New York State, so we were away from Kansas City for about 10 years and then came back to raise our son near family. I soon met the amazing singer Heidi Mikhail and put a band together while I established a Jazz Trio and participated in various other projects.

Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
Although I have attended several Jam Sessions and been called to sub for various groups, I have always needed to find my way. The music business side of my career has been a struggle because I would rather be practicing or composing than trying to catch people or get them on the phone. In some ways, it’s easier now to communicate by email, text, and social media messages, but I often feel like a castaway filling bottles with S.O.S. notes! We have greater opportunities to communicate now, but I have thousands of unreturned, unacknowledged messages floating in the sea! Because my path has been unconventional, getting traction with Kansas City Jazz clubs is a challenge, so I continue to make my own way. Even though I am not well known, I hope that people will take my new album Baobab at face value and help me along my journey.

As I began writing material for an album, I came across an article that stated that Baobab trees take 50 years to produce fruit. I thought, “I’m 51 and working on my first album. Baobab would be a perfect title!”

As I read more about these strange and wonderful trees, I learned that the article wasn’t accurate, but I began to relate to them. Baobab trees are a little odd looking. Some people have said that they look like upside-down trees. Their fruit is highly nutritious, and they store water in their membranes even in arid environments. Their bark is a source of water for animals and humans alike. Some grow massive trunks that provide shelter and have even been hollowed out to become homes and businesses!

I hope the album and all of my music will provide hope, peace, and a sense of well-being for as many people as possible. For me, that’s what music is about. Music is healing. Music is universal. Music is not a competition or a commodity. Music is heard, not seen. People took time to try the Baobab’s fruit and to discover its deeper value rather than dismissing it because of its odd appearance and inability to be anything other than itself. I hope people will do the same for me.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I struggled for many years to follow conventional practices, particularly in studying Jazz. I have always been a Free Spirit and Individualist. There is an extended, ever-growing canon of Jazz Language to internalize and benchmarks along the way. One could spend a lifetime attempting to play on the level or capture the sound of the great Jazz artists of the 50s and 60s, and some do. I realized that even though the Jazz Police exist, they have no real power or authority to impose parameters on everything. “Jazz,” or music involving improvisation, is a living, breathing, and ever-evolving creature that must be free to soar rather than be locked in a cage built in 1958. Once I started silencing those voices in my head. And writing without parameters, I found my stride in process and sensibilities. The sky is the limit!

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I have been dabbling with various artistic disciplines, including drawing, painting, lino-cut printing, photography, and video. I plan to release some interesting artifacts that will give insight into the album and help the listener go deeper.

Pricing:

• My album Baobab is available at www.bandcamp.com with unlimited streaming for a minimum price of $10.
• $10 discount on future vinyl and flash drive releases for digital purchasers.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.alanvossmusic.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/alanvossmusicdotcom?igshid=ZjE2NGZiNDQ=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alanvossmusicdotcom?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@subv7
• Other: https://alanvoss.bandcamp.com/album/baobab