We recently connected with Damian J Sanchez and have shared our conversation below.
Damian J, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
I finished my master’s of music degree in 2006 in Memphis, Tennessee. I was an aspiring oboist with a passion for mastering not just the double reeds but all woodwind instruments. A passion that led to a short but meaningful career freelancing with such professional musical organizations as the United States Air Force – Bank of the West as a special guest soloist, and the Glenn Miller Orchestra as a reedman for several years touring with that legendary jazz orchestra throughout the world.
As my mother’s health conditions worsened, I returned to the Miami of my youth and establish a new and singular sound, perhaps the most relevant project I have undertaken in my career- my own. I created the Damian J Project in 2013 as a response to the social class structures affecting musicians such as myself in Miami, Florida.
In Miami, when you play for one band, it’s frowned upon when you play for another, and they exclude you from the same opportunities to perform on the top tier performances as someone who is completely “loyal” to a band.
I changed all that. A pillar of my mission statement is, “Open Source Musical Collaboration,” which means you are completely free to perform with whomever you wish to be. However, when you play in one of our ensembles as part of the DJP, you are family!
And thus the family continues to grow. After my mother’s passing in 2016, the DJP released its first album, “Sessions 33 1/3.” The traditional jazz configuration known as “The TRAD305” competed in a county-wide competition known as the Miami-Made Concert Series and won a 1st place prize in 2016, later on, that same trad jazz group became known throughout the Buskerfest Miami and Make Music Miami Day circuits. They invited us to perform at Paxy, a local non-profit organization dedicated to making performing arts happen live at the transit stations and throughout the city of Miami.
All this continued success convinced me this was the most meaningful project I have ever worked on and warranted my continued dedication to ensuring its long-term success. “Los Havana Knights” have brought Latin Jazz from its inception on the island of Cuba to the forefront of the Miami live music series with their original Cuban blend of improvisation of Latin rhythm. “Made from Scratch” had its many endeavors, taking DJP in collaboration with the scratch artist, Guti Talavera, to the Heineken Jazz Fest, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and performing at the National Conservatory of the Arts in Puerto Rico.
New and exciting experiences and avenues of performance kept appearing and disappearing throughout the Magic City, yet one force remained a constant, our passion for wanting to create, inspire and redefine jazz for all that listen.
The pandemic changed all of our lives- especially the musicians and artists alike. We were, for the first time since the Great Depression, in complete disarray of what to do next. It was a period of about 2 years where tremendous experimentation and thinking outside the box led to different new ventures, such as the Jazz Kitchen and the Virtual Online Music Studio, to continue teaching through the Covid-19 crisis. In addition to these new ideas, virtual recording projects took place, collaborating with such artists as “Ephniko” in “El Nuevo Normal” and “Rodrigo Gonzalez Alfonso” in “Nada En Tu Interior.”
Following this time of transition and great trial, the end of 2021 brought new hope for the DJP and live music in Miami as the amazing organization, “Musicasaa” came to our rescue and created venues for us to perform again, home concerts popularized this musical renaissance. The musicians came back to perform and throughout this series of home concerts featuring “Los Havana Knights” and the “TRAD305,” the DJP cranked out another digital album, “Claves Por El Camino” with the talented artist and producer, Guti Talavera, yet again making his mark on the state of the arts.
In the end, it has been my undying perseverance and energy for honoring the past, whether it be in my music, in creating the jazz kitchen savoring the classical dishes we all grew up with and celebrating different cultures in food, or displaying my ability to repair antiquated electronics and vintage contraptions from yesteryear; that has all led to me being labeled in 2022, “Nostalgic Evolutionist.”
As a Nostalgic Evolutionist, I embrace the past: its music, its food, its celebrated mechanical advancements, and continue to show in 2022 how these elements of our past can enhance our present and guarantee our future. The Damian J Project continues to focus on the music that keeps us all human while incorporating the kitchen, the sense of family sitting down at the dinner table and cherishing our time together on this planet, and engaging with the many artifacts from years gone by that improved our quality of life before and how we learn from all this.
As a Nostalgic Evolutionist, the Damian J Project continues to be a beacon of hope for everyone who crosses our path, in search of some type of association to blossom into enjoying their existence. The past comes alive. The Damian J Project becomes the ignition for that process and nostalgia fuels the evolution which makes this the most meaningful project I have ever worked on.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
When I got into the sixth grade in Miami, Florida, I took a class of my choice for the first time. We knew this as an “elective” class. This thrilled me. I loved the idea of being able to choose my class. Unfortunately, my mother did not agree with any of my choices and instructed me to pick “Spanish.” She wanted me to speak perfect Spanish before learning French or any of those other electives I was interested in learning about. So I took Spanish in my first year of Middle School or Junior High School, which was a big step up for us as kids. Well, when I was in my 6th-grade homeroom class, I sat next to this classmate of mine named “Lester.” He was a very nice young man who was an albino, but despite his skin pigmentation differences, he never missed a beat and lived his life to the fullest, taking part in something new to be known as “band.”
The stories Lester would tell me about Mr. Vitale and band class every day made me hunger for the opportunity to do something magical like play an instrument. But I was stuck with Ms. Rodriguez in Spanish class as my elective. I would sit there in homeroom every day and daydream as Lester went on and on talking about all the unique characters in the Citrus Grove advanced band, the jazz band, and the most interesting to me, the intermediate band. Lester was only in the beginning band, but already he had aspirations of going straight to the advanced band in the following year, and he did. He was a very good clarinetist and after that year of homeroom; I was determined to take band class in my 7th-grade year! I also had a class that was required known as General Music with Mr. Hamm, who was an amazing teacher and further inspired me to venture deeper into the rabbit hole of music.
The following year, in my 7th-grade year, I took band with my first instrumental teacher, Mr. Perez, and keyboard with Mr. Hamm again. I learned how to play the oboe, the saxophone, and the piano, and further my knowledge of the classical guitar. It all happened quickly because I would practice something every day, several hours, up to 6 hours a day, practicing, making sounds, learning fingerings, learning songs, by ear, by music, learning theory, learning about chords, and writing my original music. It was an avalanche difficult to stop.
Fast forward to today. This is my never-ending avalanche. Notes continue to cascade from my mind throughout my body, being transformed into melodies, compositions, and improvisations. Expressions in music culminated into what I am today, a full-time musician, one of the few left around, willing to sacrifice everything for his art, for the happiness we bring to our listeners, our followers, and those interested in experiencing our art as the artists we are.
As an artist, your signature as a multi-instrumentalist is developing a sound that is unmistakable, uncharacteristically yours, unparalleled by anyone else, and bringing people up each time they hear you. Brightening someone’s day is the greatest compensation I receive when I share my art, whether it be on stage or in the kitchen, or on screen. This is what I strive to gain from this career. The satisfaction of knowing I made someone happier than if I hadn’t existed at all.
Perhaps my most proud moment was being selected in 2022 for a TEDx Talk at the TEDx Eustis Conference in January 2022 held in Eustis, Florida. The topic was “Polarized Improvisation,” a nostalgic theory of having complete opposite people connect through musical practices such as improvisation. It was a culmination in my career being able to share my art, connect with so many people and establish these ideas as something everyone can benefit from, thus making their lives a little better than before. Now, being a TEDx Performer / Lecturer, I can truly look back and have something to be proud of in having reached so many thousands of people worldwide with my TEDx talk.
In 2022, the Damian J Project continues to make music, make good food, instruct followers on living healthier lives through simple practices, and not discard objects from our past that can serve us in the present and future. We hold the key to unlocking our own renaissance in 2022. The pandemic will soon subside completely and a new era in human existence will continue to develop as the Damian J Project continues to create the soundtrack for this new life.
Continuing to play the:
-Oboe
-English Horn
-Bassoon
-Flute
-Piccolo
-Bassoon
-Clarinet
-Bass Clarinet
-Soprano Saxophone
-Alto Saxophone
-Tenor Saxophone
-Baritone Saxophone
-C Melody Saxophone
-Bass Saxophone
-Classical Guitar
-Piano
-Electric Bass
-Latin Percussion
-Indonesian Flute
-Shehnai
-Recorder
and ‘sing’…
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
As an antiquities dealer of music, it never ceases to warm my heart when a new fan comes up to me and confesses that was the first time they experienced live jazz, or had something so delicious that so simple and forgotten about, or saw something as recently forgotten as a VHS videotape digitally mastered by my project. It is in my goal of preserving the past through music, food, art, and artifacts that I make people happy. I bring them joy. I see them smile. They each take something from our paths crossing that will forever change their lives and something I know they will never forget. That is my goal as a Nostalgic Evolutionist. These experiences I curate to combine the past, present, and future must ensure bright moments for my followers. If I am not enhancing their lives, I am not doing my job; I am not fulfilling the prophecy of jazz for the masses. This is not music for the intelligencia, this is music and art for all. I am flattered you have come to my concert, listen to my music online, watch my cooking demonstrations on YouTube, and become a part of the process I am attempting to ignite. A series of reactions to the past and its many beauties we have forgotten and left abandoned through the annals of time. My greatest relief is in knowing (you) my loyal listeners will pick up the torch I drop and carry it on to greatness. As a society, they link us to one another through different interests which sometimes divide us, yet we are all one energy divided into many original pieces that combined nothing can divide. I hope that my music and art continue to connect us for many generations to come.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Probably the most difficult time in my past has been the loss of my mother. She was young by today’s standards, 69, and yet left this world for the next because of an onslaught of health problems including hypertension, diabetes, and kidney disease. My path in life until that point was clear to me. I was a successful freelance musician for over a decade prior to my mother’s illnesses getting the best of her. However, I had come to a crossroads. Mentally, I did not know where my place in the world was when my mom passed away in 2016. I could return to performing with many productions and traveling ensembles. I could get away from it all and get on a boat, returning to land only to port and performing jazz for many years to come. It was a very difficult chapter for me to walk away from. When you lose your only parent, the world stops. Ironically, around this same time in my life, I met a very special young lady that made me feel like home was wherever she went, no matter where that would be. I also had my only sibling to think about, my brother who is an aspiring chef with two children of his own, warranting their uncle’s warmth, and a loose-knit string of family members, my musical family, and dedicated fans wanting me to succeed right here in South Florida. So I stuck around, I stayed in Miami. I did not give up on the dream of having a live jazz project that continues to grow with Miami into becoming a part of this city’s artistic landscape. The Damian J Project further’s its reach each day into new and exciting directions, merging all of our ideas, passions, and abilities into a brand. A brand people come to associate with peace, love, and jazz. The DJP is live jazz. It’s wholesome homemade food by my alter ego, the “Saxchef.” it is the resurgence of artifacts reactivated by me. From old laptops and home phones to washing machines and videotapes. My mission is now redefined as breathing new life, new love, and hope into bright moments to come!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.damianjproject.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/damianjproject/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DamiDinero/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damianjproject
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/damianjproject
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/damianjproject
- Other: http://voyagemia.com/interview/conversations-with-damian-j-sanchez/
Image Credits
Musicasaa, RVD Productions, TEDx Eustis