We caught up with the brilliant and insightful TERRY WOLLMAN a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

TERRY, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I’d like to share the story of recording my 9th album “Surface.” A lot of albums were recorded during the Pandemic, but the shared experience with the global musicians I collaborated with to create these recordings was quite unique in that we found a way to “connect” on a deeply musical and personal level without being in the room together. Our shared hunger and desire to create music with the same intimacy and connection that is usually only found when artists gather together in a room, studio or stage was quite remarkable. Our need to continue creating art during a time of global isolation transcended technology, distance and all we knew from our past experience. It required a deeper level of communication to overcome the loss of the subtle human connection that we experience from eye contact, body language and the intuitive spontaneity of physical proximity. What we first perceived as an obstacle grew into an opportunity beyond limitations.

These sessions began in my home studio in California… and grew to include artist performances in New York, Tennessee, Florida, The Netherlands, India and beyond. When distance was no longer a concern, a true global collaboration became possible. The biggest gift from our shared experience was the “depth” in which we were able to connect and create, which you can hear and feel in every song.

TERRY, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

As an artist, producer and songwriter I have always enjoyed the art of collaboration. There is magic and great joy in bringing music to life with fellow artists! My life long journey in creating music has opened the door for me to produce artists including Tony Bennett, Dick Van Dyke and Melissa Manchester. I’ve also recorded with Stevie Wonder, Al Jarreau, Joe Sample and shared the stage with Najee, Billy Preston, Keb’ Mo’, Mindi Abair, Little Richard, James Ingram, Joan Baez, Wilson Phillips and countless others who have inspired me along the way. Each of these experiences has enriched my life and made me both a better musician and person.

For the past 7 years I’ve hosted my podcast “Making It with Terry Wollman” where I share the stories of game-changers who define what it means to be a successful person in the entertainment industry today. Our show focuses my guest’s creative process, passion, integrity, art, health, business, how to create and maintain a lasting career, and what’s most important in life. We have over 250 episodes and I’m very excited to announce that we are releasing the entire video and audio catalogue along with new upcoming episodes.

You can watch our first new release of my interview with comedian/actor/recording artist Tommy Davidson at https://youtu.be/ub5UiTKbFrE?si=FjjVI8-j_t0vBNV9

For all streaming links go to www.terrywollman.com/podcasts

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Once again, it’s the simple joy of creating art with some of the most accomplished musicians on the planet! On my latest album Surface I had the unique opportunity of recording with many artists who, due to our global pandemic, would otherwise never have been available. The album began with a live recording session with legendary session musicians Will Lee (bass) and John Robinson (drums) on my new arrangement of the iconic Tower Of Power song “What Is Hip”. A few weeks later Covid hit and the world stopped.

As time passed I began reaching out to other musicians to see how we might continue moving forward. Andy Snitzer (sax), Greg Manning (keyboards) and Luis Conte (percussion) completed their parts from their home studios followed by Wayne Bergeron (trumpet) and Dan Higgins (woodwinds) recording the horn arrangement remotely… and so our new journey began. Then I reached out to one of my all time favorite pianists Bob James, to play on my song “Gratitude and Attitude”, and his performance was as brilliant as I had imagined it would be. Sax great Najee and I had been talking about recording together for years so I reached out to him. When he suggested that he play flute, I was inspired to write the song “Hipster” for us to record together.

A walk on the beach inspired my latest radio single “Come On Urdell”. Even a dream influenced me! One morning I woke up with a song that I had dreamt featuring an epic collaboration of musicians from India and America. I contacted Grammy award winning composer Ricky Kej in India and he enthusiastically said “let’s do it!” Ricky and I co-wrote and recorded “Dancing In The Light” as a global collaboration in every sense of the word. Shooting the underwater album cover was an equally unique experience for me as well. I grew up in Miami and have always loved being in and around the water. When photographer Rochelle Neally showed me her underwater photos taken during the pandemic, we saw an opportunity to do a photo shoot together creatively and safely. The guitar “took one for the team” but the images were magical and my Visual/Graphic Designer Lena Ringstad saw the opportunity to create a unique album cover that perfectly reflected the making of this record.

Surface is a unique musical global collaboration, a true journey of songs and stories from my heart to yours.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I had a bicycle accident in my late 30’s which lead to surgery and me having a spinal fusion in my neck. The surgery was a complete success but the results from the injury caused permanent numbness in both of my hands. It took me years to relearn how to play guitar again at pro level, by retraining myself to overcome the loss of feeling and dexterity in order to express myself creatively and to continue to make my living as a musician. Along with having an amazing medical team combined with my perseverance and passion to play music, I found my way to Karate as part of my recovery. I’ve continued practicing martial arts for over 25 years and in addition to earning a Black Belt, the discipline has helped me overcome the challenges of playing guitar with limited dexterity… but with unlimited love and passion for music.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://terrywollman.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makingitwithterrywollman/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerryWollmanArtist
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terry-wollman-55b9485/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/terrywollman
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@makingitwithterrywollman

Image Credits
Photos courtesy of Lena Ringstad. https://lenaringstad.com/ Underwater photos courtesy of Rochelle Neally. https://www.beneaththesurfacephotography.com/ “Gratitude and Attitude” photo courtesy of Darnell Renee Photography. @darnellreneephotos