We were lucky to catch up with Fall Raye recently and have shared our conversation below.

Fall, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Growing up I lived with my mom, brother, and my grandparents. My mom is a hair stylist, my grandfather was an artist and pool designer, and my grandma was a receptionist at a hospital who loved to write. At the time I didn’t consider myself as coming from an artistic family, but the older I get the more I realize how I was surrounded by artists in their own mediums outside of music, and outside the traditional idea of an artist. When I started 6th grade, I signed up to join the band and was interested in playing the saxophone because I had heard stories of my grandfather playing when he was younger. So when the time to sign up came, I found myself in the “Beginning Band – Brass” class because I swore the saxophone was a brass instrument. Unfortunately it is in fact a woodwind instrument and I had to settle with the euphonium, later upgrading to the tuba. I had an incredible band director, Mr. Mark Nekoba, who is loved and revered in the Las Vegas community, who taught me to love music and being in band. I had an amazing time in his class and even got pretty good at the tuba, but i still had the saxophone on my mind and was starting to gain interest in other electives entirely.
When the end of 6th grade came along I had signed up to join Journalism class instead of band. Mr Nekoba had noticed I wasn’t on his roster for the next year and he pulled me aside to speak with me about it. I remember him asking me why I was leaving and he told me I was making a mistake. He then was standing up and holding the tuba and said, “this is your future!” I then bargained with him, I would stay in band if he would give me a saxophone and allow me to join the jazz band. He agreed and then it was pretty much history from there: I continued to play tuba and sax at the same time until high school where I switched to saxophone full time.
I love this story because Mr Nekoba was the one who first told me that music could be my future. He was holding onto the wrong instrument, but he was right because 10 years later here I am with my saxophone. After him telling me this and starting to learn the saxophone, I fell in love and knew that I would be pursuing this professionally.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi! My name is Fall Raye and I am a transgender/non-binary saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, educator, and improvisor. I was introduced to jazz music through my middle/high school music programs in my home town of Las Vegas and have been studying ever since. I was fortunate to get opportunities to play professionally since I was 16 years old. These would range from corporate events, background music, bar gigs, and playing with big bands in the area. These experiences at such a young age helped me develop a foundation of professionalism in working in this industry. I’m lucky to have been around older mentors who taught me to be on time and prepared, and ultimately trusted me to sound good playing their music.

Since then I have attended the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, later transferring to Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, where I am currently based, working as a private lessons teacher, freelance musician, and composer. In my time in college, I so fortunate to meet to an incredible array of peers and mentors who helped me refine my art into what it is today. Specifically, being apart of the Jazz and Gender Justice Institute was the most life changing aspect of college. Lead by Terri Lyne Carrington, Aja Burrell Wood, and Kris Davis, they lead by an incredible example of respecting and upholding the history of jazz music as a black art form that, is at it’s core, a resistance music to injustices. They have created a space within jazz academia that is accepting of people of all backgrounds and identities. As a trans person, I never thought I would feel comfortable opening up about my gender identity in a jazz space, yet everybody running the program was incredibly accepting. They have inspired me to strive for higher, better, newer standards of treatment of people in this musical community, and to not accept anything less than that from other people. Using your voice to speak out against harmful behaviors that have been the standard of a music scene ran by patriarchal values is a must.

All of these experiences have culminated in the creation of my debut album. ‘Fall,’ which is a collection of improvisations and compositions speaking about my own experiences as a trans person. This album came out in January of 2024 on Boomslang Records, an Austrian record label ran by my friend Alfred Vogel. I am very proud and excited for this album, and I have been lucky to been able to organize an east coast tour to coincide with its release.

My artistic vision is to create work that speaks from my own experiences as a trans person, as a person healing from their own traumas, and through interpersonal relationships, to create a listening experience where the audience can feel less alone, seen, and in community with others. Focusing on vulnerability through creative and improvised music, I aim to create a unique musical experience every time I play, to explore new avenues in music and to reflect the improvisatory nature of living on Earth. My music connects to breath, heartbeat, and nature, making every spontaneous composition a living body of sound. My work is a direct call to dismantle systems of oppression and exploitation, and provides a lens through which we can see a vision of a society where we all are truly valued and taken care of.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

It’s hard to answer this question without first stating that reimagining our entire economic system as a whole will create a better life for everyone, not just artists. Moving away from capitalistic and individualistic business practices, stop lining our own pockets, and instead put resources into the people (housing, healthcare, schooling, food, basic human rights, etc). If we monetarily took care of every single person on this earth first, then you can only begin to imagine the thriving artistic atmosphere that would be born from this communal love.

Then we can imagine the world where we rid art of competition mindsets. I think a bit of healthy competition is good to motivate people, but with the economic system we are in, we are taught that earning work as a musician is a competition; you music practice to be better than someone else who could take your work from you. This then implies that if you are pursuing a music career, if you are not good enough the punishment is being broke or homeless. This leaves very little room for amateurs/hobbyists/music enjoyers because the community has been turned into this daunting, gatekept, almost classist activity for those who are only good enough. While the reality of what happens to those who are not making enough money in our society is true, we could be spending our time so much wiser by uplifting each other instead of participating in the competition.

So as a society we can only do so much to support artists, like going to their shows, buying their merch, promoting them on social media, etc. But I also think that being politically active and aware, supporting government funding of arts programs, and fighting for better pay for everyone are incredible ways to support artist. Lets especially support the artists who are using their voices to condemn atrocities and evils, and imagine a world where the violence is over, the empires have fallen, and the people of this Earth determine their own paths.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is tapping into the power of feeling deeply. Vulnerability and empathy are the most powerful tools we have as artists because they allow us to connect with so many different people, each in a unique way. Being an artist has put me on the path of self growth, learning, and understanding, where I have only learned more and more about the world we live in. I get to learn about and experience the art that came before us and be apart of that lineage, continuing the reach of music’s power and help to spread love and awareness to listeners everywhere.

Its also unbelievable that we get to then share the joys and power of art with the next generation. We are apart of something much bigger than ourselves; we continue the legacy of community and fighting for a better world through art.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @fallraye
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy2-je_3WShjL5CQLw0e5rA
• Other: Debut Album: https://boomslangrecords.bandcamp.com/album/fall

Image Credits
green sweater cover photo – Allan Dines black and white photos – Shane McGary group photo – David Macchione headshot in cubed shirt – Mira Göksel album artwork – Mai-Hân Nguyen