Take Time to Listen

Jazz guitarist Bill Banfield's father just turned 100 years old. At a recent celebration, family and friends gathered virtually and in person to celebrate his life and ask his advice. Bill had been learning his father's lessons for years, but a recent phone conversation led his dad to give him the title for his new Mesa/Bluemoon Recordings album. As Bill tells it, he was speaking with his dad when he suddenly realized that he had something else that he needed to do. His father said, "Bill, I will talk to you, but you must TAKE TIME TO LISTEN." The words hit Bill like a thunderbolt, as his album was designed as encouragement to concentrate on the stories found deep in his music.Born and raised in Detroit, Banfield attended the prestigious arts magnet school, Cass Tech. He was mentored by two of the city's finest jazz guitarists, Kenny Burrell and Earl Klugh. He also learned from the examples of masters George Benson, John Scofield, Emily Remler, Pat Martino, and Jack Wilkins. Banfield calls his approach "solo-voiced guitar," reflecting his belief that imagination and emotion are essential ingredients in all great music, and that his playing comes directly from his heart. Banfield dedicates TAKE TIME TO LISTEN to Burrell and Klugh "to lift up these jazz guitar icons who greatly inspired and coached me as an early teen as I aspired to be like my heroes."Banfield's accomplishments range far beyond the scope of this album. His independent label JazzUrbane issued recordings featuring Chief Adjuah (formerly Christian Scott), Grace Kelly, Greg Osby, and Terri Lyne Carrington. On the classical side, Banfield has composed 12 symphonies, 7 operas and 9 concerti, with performances of these works spanning most of North America's finest orchestras. A renowned educator, he is a Professor Emeritus from the Berklee School of Music and is currently an Artist-in-Residence at Longy School of Music at Bard College. He was the Arts and Culture correspondent for "The Tavis Smiley Show," and was hired by Quincy Jones in 2010 to create a national music curriculum and textbook revolving around American musical culture. Banfield has written several books, including volumes on Ornette Coleman, Kendrick Lamar, and Nikki Minaj.