We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brendan Polk. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brendan below.
Brendan , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
Yes, I have been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work, although it’s not easy! So, I started playing piano at age four and started training in jazz and improvised music from around age 12. I definitely get a leg-up from starting so early, because much more information is stored in the brain and body when learning a skill at a young age. I really started to become more passionate about music at age twelve when I heard musicians like Errol Garner, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, and Brad Mehldau. The joy, soul, the dancing nature of swing music, and the ability to alchemize negative (and sometimes positive emotions) into something meaningful and beautiful is what attracted me to these musicians. My journey has been long and filled with ups and downs! When I started I think it was easier in a way, maybe because of all the possibilities and the freedom that comes with that. At some point perfectionism and self-criticism became things that definitely held me back. As far as major steps and milestones- I think some main ones were going to Florida State on a full ride to study jazz and study with Marcus Roberts. I did my first tour of Europe with a band partly led by another teacher in Tallahassee at age 25. At age 27 I moved to NYC, and started playing gigs and also accompanying dance classes. Since my mid twenties, I’ve gotten to perform with legends like Sonny Fortune, Jason Marsalis, and Ben Tucker. I also became a member of the Saturn Quartet in 2020, and compositions I’ve written on our two albums have been broadcasted nationally and internationally on syndicated radio programs. Finally, I’ve also seen some success in the dance world- in the last three or four years I’ve been playing regularly for New York City Ballet company class, and also have worked with American Ballet Theater and Pina Bausch Danztheater. I’ve gotten to work with dance icons like Alexei Ratmansky, Dormisha Sumbry Edwards, and Mark Morris. Things that I know now that I think would have made my life easier mostly include my inkling that working on my personal life and self are the things that help me grow and achieve more professionally. For me, that journey included getting sober, going to therapy, and trying to lean more on my community for material and emotional support. In short that’s about it for now!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Hi! My name is Brendan Polk, and I’m a pianist, improviser, and composer in Brooklyn, originally from Savannah Georgia. I got into playing jazz/improvised music at around age 12 after listening to musicians like Erroll Garner, Thelonious Monk, and Brad Mehldau- I was attracted to the joy, freedom, and soul of their music. Currently I have different projects I’m working with. I have a trio, where we play original compositions and try to further explore sonorities of piano, bass, and drums together. I’m in a band called Saturn Quartet, and we have two albums on all platforms. We also perform standards and original compositions, and partly aim to demonstrate the emotional connection between the musicians in the music. Finally I have a band called Red Clay with the singer Alexis Hightower, and this is more for fun. We play events, showcasing soul, motown, swing, and original music.
Another part of my life is playing for dance companies. I currently play regularly for New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theater company class. I believe I have a strength in intuiting what kind of music would work from the dances I’m seeing, in real-time.
When I’m at my best, I think what I’m most proud of is being able to combine soul, inventiveness, listening, and attention to melody/melodies at the same time, whether its by myself or with other musicians/artists.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
I think, like some socialist thinkers, that there needs to be more equity and equality within our economy. Let’s take NYC as an example- music, culture, and art has a huge place and is a cornerstone of the life and blood of New York City. However, when I talk to and see most artists, dancers, and musicians, I mostly see a struggle to make ends meet. There’s obviously a premium on certain professions, like finance, certain fields of medicine, and certain technology fields. A good first step would be to increase wages for artists and musicians, whether it be a restaurant paying a musician, a dance institution paying a company member, or a photographer doing freelance for a magazine, so that wages more accurately reflect inflation in the economy year by year. I’ve seen most restaurants and club dates paying musicians the same every year for years on end while the inflation and rent prices go up. Secondly, there should be a way for small business or the city to pay artists for vacation time and sick leave. When artists and freelance workers get sick they have to eat the money, which is very stressful for people living paycheck to paycheck. Thirdly, I think there should be more a dialogue between unions and musicians/artists in the city, because for some reason there seems to be a some sort of a stigma against unions, even within the artist communities.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Honestly, I wish I knew more about mental and emotional health resources. I can speak for myself that I’ve struggled with depression and addiction throughout my life, and I wish there was more awareness along with more resources to face these issues. This is just my opinion, but I think mental health issues definitely run deep in artist communities, and while these issues can help with creativity, I think in the long term mental health for the individual and larger community makes for more productivity and ultimately stronger arts in our world. Luckily I have found better mental health professional help, along with addiction community resources (I’ve been sober for two years). I hope that’s not too dark of an answer, but it’s something I believe in!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.polkmusic.space
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cardinalis.cardinalis/
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/brendanrhythm/sets/brendan-rhythm?utm_source=clipboard&utm_campaign=wtshare&utm_medium=widget&utm_content=https%253A%252F%252Fsoundcloud.com%252Fbrendanrhythm%252Fsets%252Fbrendan-rhythm
Image Credits
Steve Rapport, Camille Lenain