Jae Sinnett Trio

With 10 recordings to his credit as a jazz composer and musician, Sinnett was anxious to get back to his roots, deep into his impressionable teen years when the likes of James Brown, Jimi Hendrix and Marvin Gaye deposited their musical DNA on his mind.

Sinnett, who most in Hampton Roads know as the host of “Sinnett in Session,” a long-running jazz program aired on NPR affiliate WHRV-FM, put together a dynamic group of local musicians – three singers, three horns, and a four-piece rhythm section – to create House & Sinnett, a sonic amalgamation of funk, rock, soul, blues and R&B. The band, it would seem, is an extension of his Friday evening WHRV program, “R&B Chronicles,” an hour-long journey back to the sounds of the 1960s-70s where the Temptations, Sly & the Family Stone and Ohio Players rule supreme once again.

On House & Sinnett, Jae is keen to craft a similar vibe. Hence the album title, “Old School Loyalty.”

I recently caught up with Jae Sinnett to find out what it’s all about.

With this new album project, you are going back to your musical roots. Tell us about the soul/funk/R&B/rock music that spoke to you as a teenager.

Growing up near Pittsburgh, PA, I was exposed to great radio. I think Pittsburgh had the first FM signal and what they programmed was amazingly versatile compared to today's overly formatted outlets. The first thing I remember about much of that music was the great singing and stories told...sung with melodic conviction and passion. Then the instrumental support was so deep, human and soulful. I say "human" because much of today's soul is structured on keyboard programming. Not back then. You had to know how to play your instrument and know something about music...not just sound effects. It was music played with artistic vision and soul. I was always around people that enjoyed a variety of sounds...from James Brown, Ray Charles and Aretha to the Beatles and gospel pioneer James Cleveland and his choir to the Temptations and Marvin Gaye, to the artists of Stax...like Booker T and the M G's...Issac Hayes...etc...and Memphis Soul. Rock started coming in with Cream, Vanilla Fudge, Atomic Rooster, Jimi Hendrix...my hero...to the late 60s of Sly and the Family Stone and the Funkadelic, Earth, Wind and Fire and early Kool & the Gang. There were many more too in all genres.

You often lament the lack of musicality in today's "urban" music. That includes songwriting, melody and musicianship. Explain your point of view in detail.

Technology today is fantastic for aspiring artists but it’s also presented people with very limited musical talent the opportunity to record music and have it played to the masses via electronic media outlets. That in my view has lowered the artistic bar of musical performance and expectation. The melodicism, soul, and grooves are gone from most of today's soul and R&B. The dependency on the loaded keyboard is the reasoning. If you have some computer proficiency and an ear for "sound," you can create something that is in vogue with most of what you hear on "urban" radio. Understanding harmony, rhythmic variation, composition, arrangements, etc isn't completely necessary in today's commercial urban arena. Sit at a keyboard and bang away until you find a drum, bass, guitar, horn sound that fits what you're hearing. Then simply connect the dots and have someone come in and rap or sing over your programmed production and presto! You'll have folks saying how great you are. The dumbing down is perpetuated.

Lyrically, many of the recording artists from the late '60s and '70s tackled socially important topics that today's pop music tends to stay away from. Just look at some of the song titles/words from Sly Stone: "Babies Making Babies," "Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey," "Stand," "You Can Make it if You Try," "There's a Riot Goin' On," and "Underdog." What are your thoughts on this?

True. Your art should reflect the times and how you live in those times, but created in a thought-provoking way. This is what I meant by telling stories and great art should tell stories. A composition is like a story to be told. You have your opening theme and you want to be taken on that journey and to be able to hear how the story is told and resolved and "feel" the emotional content. The Temptations talked about the "Ball of Confusion." House & Sinnett talks about "Shiny Thangs," which is about our consumer ideology and greed. We talk about "Much Love" and reflecting on how you can make a difference when you think for yourself and share that love. It inspires. That unconditional love inspires us to be great and giving selflessly. We talk about "Now dreams are real, to see, touch and feel." Stories.

Thinking of Sly Stone – and others – the fashion of the early '70s was often over-the-top and exciting. Are we missing that in pop culture today? Would you like to see big afros, bell bottom pants, super tight clothing, pimp-like hats and platform shoes return?

When I think of Sly I don't think of bell bottoms or afros. It was always about the music. They played their butts off and too often today the peripheral is the rule and the art is the exception. Not back then and that's one of my points with House & Sinnett; our focus is on the craft not fancy light shows and bizarre costumes. Nuff said.

Your radio show "R&B Chronicles" brings back those sounds to the airwaves. What are some of the most important groups and/or singers (ie Stevie Wonder) of that era and why?

You mentioned Stevie Wonder...absolutely because he influenced a culture with musicianship. He's a true musician and his success came about as a result of his incredible talent. Sly Stone, Donald Fagen, Billy Joel, Maurice White of EWF... just to name a few. They are great musicians and composers. They wrote music you had to sit down and think about and you had to have serious musical ability to play their music. Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Little Richard, Aretha and James Brown were pivotal in merging gospel with R&B to create "soul." The Motown "house" songwriters Holland-Dozier-Holland and Norman Whitfield raised the bar too for urban songwriting. Where do you hear that today on the radio outside of so called classic soul formats? Where are the new artists writing music at this level? They're out there, but not being heard. Instead, we get fed what Clear Channel dishes out to win ratings.

Amongst rock music critics, there's always a fun debate about the best album or best song in Rock 'n' roll history. What would you say are the best in these categories: '70s R&B, '70-80s funk and R&B ballads.

Stevie Wonder's "Songs In the Key Of Life," Marvin Gaye "What's Going On," Issac Hayes (1969) "Hot Buttered Soul," James Brown (Early 60s) "Live At the Apollo," Aretha Franklin "Live At the Filmore," Michael Jackson "Thriller," Meters "The Meters" (1969), Tower Of Power "Tower Of Power," Mandrill "Is," War "The World Is A Getto," Sly & The Family Stone "Stand," Herbie Hancock "Headhunters," Ohio Players "Pain," Al Green "I'm Still In Love With You"...to name a few.

House & Sinnett: Was your musical goal to pay tribute or replicate the sounds of '70s R&B/soul?

Not to "replicate" but more using those musical concepts as inspiration. In my view the 60s and 70s produced some of the greatest music we'll ever hear and I'm glad I lived those periods and experienced every bit of it. The influences are amazing. I wanted to apply that inspiration and level of creativity to the music of House & Sinnett. I know great song writing and what soul felt like then and I don't hear much of that today. So in that regard I'm going back to capture that vibe and passion. Musicians interacting creating music. Wow...what a concept, huh? Great singing with thoughtful harmonies...tight horn lines and melodic motifs with the foundation based on soulful rhythmic variation. We’re bringin’ some funk to go with those potatoes!

Tell us about the project in terms of songwriting and finding the right singers and musicians.

Besides being the leader, I'm also the producer. I wrote and arranged all of the music except "Where Is the Love." I knew exactly what I wanted in terms of a lead voice. I looked and found her. Myra Smith Wright. Myra's foundation is in gospel music which was perfect. She's a natural talent and her level of soul is deep and her range is vast. She brings soul home and the two back-up singers Cmo Gillis and Krystal Scott support Myra beautifully. I wanted to write songs that folks could sing along with and feel connected to with the stories told. I wanted strong horn lines with players that have great sight reading abilities and a strong level of interpretational skills. Bill Brown, Eric Musselwhite and Mike Bartusiak are all music educators and understand jazz concepts. They're the "House Horns." While House & Sinnett isn't a jazz group I would say it's necessary to have fundamental jazz training and sensibilities in understanding the method of my compositions. A lot of the harmonies are complex and in live performance there will be considerably more improvisation. Same with the rhythm section...I have my core "jazz" trio with bassist Terry Burrell and pianist Justin Kauflin but House & Sinnett shows you their amazing versatility as artists. Carlton Savage is the guitarist and he too comes from a jazz/soul background. This band is incredible in what it can do.

You did a cover of "Where Is the Love." Why this track? And why slow the tune down?

Donny Hathaway is one of my soul heroes. My mother also LOVED Roberta Flack, so I was exposed to her beauty very young. When I first heard "Where Is the Love" I always felt the song was too fast for some reason. Even before I developed the concept for House & Sinnett I heard that song differenty, but I always like it. I decided to put some funk on it, thicken-up the groove and take out those campy strings and put some horns in the arrangement. I think it works and I hope people like what we did with this soul classic. It's sung beautifully to by Myra and Cmo. They bring a fresh touch to what Donny and Roberta did with it.

"Rain Song," "Shiny Thangs" and "Much Love" seem like the most likely to get commercial radio play. Do you see them as singles? Are there others?

I think you're right but time will tell. I remember back in the day...it wasn't unusual for soul bands to release instrumental tracks and end up getting great radio play. "Bring Back the Bands" I think has that potential but again...we're competing with Clear Channel. They own the majority of radio stations in the major markets and you don't get played unless they approve. You listen to their interpretation of soul today and it's very different than House & Sinnett's. I strongly believe though there is a huge audience wanting to hear music...new music...played like this again but we simply have to find a way to get it in their ears. "Tries for Lies" and "I Fell For You" I think have single possibilities but "Fell" might be a bit long for commercial play consideration. It's a beautiful love song and Myra sings her face off on this song.



"Next Dance Anthem" has a rhythm I often hear in Caribbean music. Was that an influence on the beat?

Yes, I would say so...kind of calypso in concept but it grooves to death. You can also hear the ability of the horn section with "Damn!" and Justin's amazing pianistic ability. That's part of this rhythmic variation I talked about earlier – bringing something different to the table to expand the listening palate.

The bass line was very important in '70s-era music. How prominent did you want Terry's bass playing on the recording?

I joke that the best friend of a drummer is a great bass player and the worst enemy...a bad one. Terry has been with me now for about 13 years. He knows my playing and writing better than anyone. I can't tell you how important his role is in my music and his playing in support of my drumming. His time is solid as a rock and consistent. He's a great sight reader and his harmonic depth is impressive. Terry's versatility is on point too. He plays both electric and acoustic bass at a high level. Not many bass players can say that.

How about the horn section?

Well I talked about these guys earlier and they bring it home too. They're all great improvisers and arrangers. While I wrote all the arrangements they still need to have the ability to interpret what I'm hearing. They do and have added things which I appreciate. I always leave room for them to inject their ideas and add to the music. It's not a dictatorship. I encourage them to bring things into the music.

What sort of performance schedule will the group have?

At this point it's too early to tell. I'm too busy rehearsing the band for our debut April 15 at the Attucks Theater in Norfolk. That will be an exciting evening for us. What better venue to have a soul concert than the Attucks?

Will you do a follow-up recording?

Honestly...my coconut is so fried from doing this first one that I haven't even thought about it. Let’s just see how "Old School Loyalty" is received and then I can make a decision later on a follow-up. I think we've created a wonderfully creative and musical CD of soulful music. I hope listeners get a chance to hear it and experience these sounds.

Finally, any words of advice for upcoming musicians that may want to incorporate the sounds of the 1970s into their own thing?

Hmmm...interestingly enough, I would just say practice your craft and learn how to play your instrument at a very high level. That's what those musicians were doing in the 60's and 70's. They were PLAYING! Talent. They understood harmony, composition, theory, etc – all the significant musical fundamentals and that's why the music they played will never be forgotten. They were visionaries and always let their craft speak the loudest. For me, that's how House & Sinnett is reflective of those periods. We use their desire for greatness and work ethic as our point of departure but we do it our way...as it should be.

- Veer Magazine

House & Sinnett brought the TRUE R&B soul-funk to the historic Attucks Theatre last weekend
My mind was officially blown last weekend during the Virginia Arts Festival at The Attucks Theatre when local jazz giant Jae Sinnett performed with his new band, "House & Sinnett". The band brought an energized blend of R&B and funk-soul that hasn't been heard in years. The music was tight and full of life. Of course, I wouldn't expect anything less from Mr. Sinnett as he brings us the true jazz on his radio show on WHRO 89.5, "Sinnett In Session" Monday through Thursday evenings from 9pm-1am and Sunday afternoons from 1pm-5pm. His new show is called "The R&B Chronicles" heard Friday evenings at 7pm. Both of which now can be heard On Demand.


- Hampton Roads.com

Jae Sinnett has devoted most of his music career to jazz. The drummer cut nine records as a front man since 1986. However it's not a surprise that he decided to make a funk record like Old School Loyalty. Lots of performers have made that transition. One such artist is fellow drummer Maurice White, who was a part of Ramsey Lewis's trio before branching out on his own and founding Earth, Wind & Fire. Bringing those jazz skills to the R&B world should serve Sinnett's 10 member band well artistically and maybe even commercially.

From an artistic standpoint, a band steeped in jazz will be able to handle the degree of difficulty it takes to play funk - a genre that combines rock, blues, and gospel with a fair sampling of creating on the fly. Sinnett also must be aware that there is yearning for this kind of music, and that might explain the wealth of "statement" tracks on Old School Loyalty. The album includes tunes like "Bring Back the Bands," "Damn..the Next Dance Anthem," and "Lady Scott." "Bring Back the Bands" seems aimed at industry intent on selling soul fans boy/men who have a Madison Avenue swagger and sneer to go with auto-tuned vocals and manufactured beats. "Damn...the Next Dance Anthem" with its syncopated drums and horns aims to get people marching to the dance floor. "Lady Scott" is a homage to Jill Scott, an artist whose poetic lyricism has set a standard for R&B music during the past decade.

None of these "statement" songs are bad. It's just they all pale in comparison to Old School Loyalty's tracks such as "Shiny Things" that combine funky soulful music with vocal sass, razor sharp social commentary and lyrical wit. Lovers of old school soul/funk bands will remember what they are pining for when they hear gutbucket blues, rock and gospel infused jams like "Down the Muddy River" and "Just Another Rain Song." Mid-tempo songs such as the excellent remake of "Where is the Love," and ballads like "Tries for Lies" and "I Fell For You" may not be dance anthems, but the trio will make a brother want to pull his lady close and do some belly rubbing, and ain't that dancin'?

Ultimately, House & Sinnett's Old School Loyalty represents the triumph of showing over telling. When people hear good soul and funk music - and there is some good soul and funk music on Old School Loyalty - they don't need to be told why they need to listen. It speaks for itself. Moderately recommended.

By Howard Dukes



Read more: House and Sinnett - Old School Loyalty | SoulTracks - Soul Music Biographies, News and Reviews - Soul Tracks

By George Kanzler

All the elements for disaster are here: a drummer-leader who’s been told he “should bring the drums more out front”; a program of tunes by that leader written and arranged in a variety of time signatures and tempos, all with “the drums shaping the direction of each composition and certainly more out front”; and all produced by and released on that drummer’s own label. Yes, this has all the makings of I am drummer, hear me roar-style wretched excess. Except it’s not.

Jae Sinnett has more than a couple of things going for him here that make this a fine jazz outing, and not merely a drummer’s showcase. First, he’s created engaging tunes, strong enough melodically and harmonically so that they don’t sound like exercises in odd time, even when in a combination of 9/8 and 5/8 (the surprisingly hard and snappy “Truth Be Told”). Then he’s had the foresight and communal instinct to integrate his solos into the tunes and ensembles, instead of just breaking out into unaccompanied long solos. But most importantly, he’s assembled a quartet featuring two musicians—alto and soprano saxophonist Steve Wilson and pianist Allen Farnham—who are both forceful and distinctive enough to assert their personalities as soloists, and a strong anchor in bassist/bass guitarist Terry Burrell.

Sinnett and his cohorts are particularly good at bringing a drive and momentum akin to swing to such atypical swing times as the 7/8 “Cliffhanger,” the funkified 5/4 “Locus” and the hard-charging 6/8 title track. And when they do delve right into 4/4 swing, as on the brushes feature “Simple Pleasures” or the Afro-Latin feel “Bum’s Rush,” they’re right in the pocket. And for infectious rhythms, the effervescent buoyancy of “Crescent City Undercurrents,” with its raffish second-line beat, can’t be beat.

- JazzTimes

4.0 out of 5 stars Jae Sinnett Track by Track, April 3, 2006
By Jim Newsom (Norfolk, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE) This review is from: The Sinnett Hearings (Audio CD)
Jae Sinnett's eighth album is the best he has produced thus far. The addition of Phoebus native Steve Wilson's saxophones and Charlottesville jazzman John D'Earth's trumpet gives the songs the perfect coloration needed for full appreciation of the harmonic possibilities. Jae's writing is rich, reflecting his influences while building on their possibilities. And his regular trio-mates Allen Farnham and Terry Burrell have a long-time connection that is obvious in the way they work together.

The opening "Palpitations" is constructed on a repetitive bass and piano figure in 13/4 time. It's an odd time signature, but you don't have to count the beats to get caught up in the riff. The two-horn melody borrows from Wayne Shorter's 1960's Blue Note songbook, with its held-notes crescendoing into a wah-oo-wah diminution. It's clever and catchy.

In an interview for this magazine last fall, Jae told me the story of "Third Potato," telling about buying three potatoes at the grocery store, but finding only two when he got home. The third one appeared the next morning, and the lines of this composition conjure up images of a spud rolling around a kitchen counter, wacky but wily, hiding behind various appliances until it's ready to make its appearance.

"First Impression" marks 20-year old Justin Kauflin's recorded debut, and what an impression the young pianist makes in this trio setting. Sinnett has given his young protégé a well-equipped playground on which to romp, and Kauflin takes full advantage, roaming the keyboard with controlled abandon as he draws on the chordal complexities of McCoy Tyner and the mesmerizing melodic methodology of Bill Evans and Chick Corea.

"Bedrock" is named after the Flintstones' hometown, but with Allen Farnham's Fender Rhodes chords echoing Lonnie Liston Smith's cosmic `70s atmospherics, and a song structure and arrangement modeled on those employed by the Yellowjackets, the sound is anything but prehistoric. Wilson's soprano sax is the ideal vehicle for the robotic melody laid out over some breezy chord changes that he and Farnham maximize in their solos.

Looking at the song titles, I expected "What Elvin Left" would be a pounding, drum-heavy Coltrane-like workout a la "A Love Supreme." But with its mellow groove and cool school sax/trumpet harmonies, it's more Oliver Nelson than Trane...until Allen Farnham's piano solo erupts, incorporating all of McCoy Tyner's tricks, with fat left-hand chords underpinning the dense sheets of sound he pours out of his right. And though this nearly eleven minute piece is named for drum giant Elvin Jones, Sinnett has the good sense and taste not to throw in a superfluous drum solo.

"Seven Days" has the quintet cooking in 7/4 time, propelled by great horn lines, enhanced by Wilson's incredible sax workout and Farnham once again conjuring up comparisons with Tyner. "Side Stepping" is another lengthy piece with full, contemporary sounding harmonies over what is basically a waltz rhythm. On "Heading South," Farnham gives a master class in the art of jazz piano, providing ample supporting evidence to justify his inclusion on my short list of favorite present-day pianists.

The closing "Stick Figure" is another Yellowjackets knockoff, with Wilson's full-flowered soprano sax leading the group through a melodic maze, and Sinnett himself sounding like former YJ drummer William Kennedy with his crisp polyrhythmic pulse.

The Sinnett Hearings is a keeper, an all-original outing that holds up after repeated listenings. It's hard to believe these guys had only three gigs to rehearse before going into the studio, but is a measure of the individual talents and the strength of the compositions that it turned out so well.

--originally published in Port Folio Weekly - March 21,2006
copyright © 2006 Port Folio Weekly. Used by Permission. - Port Folio Weekly/Amazon

July/August 1999
Jae Sinnett
The Better Half

Heart Music
By Owen Cordle

This album emphasizes Norfolk, Virginia drummer Sinnett's writing as much as his playing. "Different Strokes," the 6/8 opener, has a march-like rhythm. "Tony's Hop" (for Tony Williams) alternates 3/4 and 4/4. "Chris Cross" (not to be confused with Monk's "Criss Cross") starts in 4/4 and proceeds to 7/4. The group, a quartet, performs Benny Golson's "Stablemates" in 5/4. Despite such time signatures, there is no rhythmic awkwardness. In fact, you feel a good groove throughout the album.

Chris Potter dazzles on tenor and soprano saxophone, playing rangy, rhythmically variegated solos. Pianist Allen Farnham, featured on Sinnett's atmospheric "Another Fall," is a master of introspection as well as a sparkling player at medium and bright tempos. Terry Burrell, on acoustic and electric bass, handles the bottom and the complex rhythms convincingly. Sinnett is not a flashy drummer, but he's substantive, well-rounded, and thoughtful.

- JazzTimes

The Jae Sinnett Trio - 'Theatre'
It’s tempting sometimes to think of the purveyors of this thoroughly enjoyable music as The Justin Kauflin Trio. Or, at least, The Jae Sinnett Trio featuring Justin Kauflin. No slight on the considerable talents of drummer Sinnett and bassist Terry Burrell. If anything, Sinnett, with his first live date, is to be commended for selecting tracks from Hampton Roads performances last year that showcase the “soulfulness’’ of the trio members and the group’s musical cohesiveness.

But pianist Kauflin is “frankly … explosive,” to quote Sinnett. The blind Virginia Beach native is also melodic, swinging, bluesy – you name it. Catch Kauflin’s gentle, opening pianism on “Dolphin Dance.”

Sinnett’s excellent on his “Straight Around the Corner,’’ soulfully upfront one moment, providing the palate the next for Kauflin’s nimble, jaunty keyboards and Burrell’s fine fingering the next. The CD’s most commercial track is the War hit “Slippin Into Darkness,” here given a slight reggae tint.

“Theatre” is a winner, Sinnett and his mates playing from the heart.

– Marvin Leon Lake

- Virginian Pilot

by Mark Saleski

Wow, sometimes you just stumble onto a little gold. Jae Sinnett’s kit work manages to channel bits of my favorite drummers (Jeff Watts, Tony Williams) while retaining his own thing. It’s very inspiring to be witness to a player who can muster great power when necessary and still dial back to great levels of sensitivity on the snare and high hat. While it might be a drummer’s perspective, Sinnett’s quartet pushes him along nearly as much drives them. Great stuff.

- Something Else