Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Zaire King . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Zaire , thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

One of the most rewarding as well as meaningful projects I’ve worked on has been my sophomore album titled “The Sire.” Prior to this album, I was strictly a jazz guitarist and very much a purist in that sense. I also did not have much confidence in my own uniqueness and innovativeness as I believed there was only one route to go in making an album and being a jazz musician. My debut album “The Expressionist” somewhat conveys this message as it is a jazz record through and through and though self funded, was recorded in a professional studio. “The Sire,” however, was when I began noticing how my viewpoint had changed. Though recording in a studio was great practice and is something I would recommend, I chose to abandon that route for my new album and did it in 2 important places in my life… my home and school. The school I currently go to, CSArts, is a performing arts high school and has opened me up to meeting so many unique and individualistic people not only in music but just in art and expression in general. Due to it being a performing arts school, I was privileged to be able to record my album in one of the practice rooms and use my friends (who are also musicians) as my collaborators. I did use this approach last year with “The Expressionist,” but what changed was that the artists used in my new album represented a completely different approach to music making. Some were from musical theater, others from popular music, some from Vocal Arts, or Strings… and of course, others were from my conservatory, the Winds and Jazz program. So by having all these different people from different backgrounds and disciplines, my album became so much more than a “jazz” album (which is what I thought I was going to make). Instead, this album consists of Hip Hop, R & B, Metal, Breakcore, Folk, Pop…all seamed together with my love of jazz and the musical skills I’ve gained from it. What made this project overall more meaningful than my debut project was the amount of time and effort I placed into it and the friendships that I developed or strengthened by recording this album. I remember staying up late at night on school days, mixing my album, and then showing it to one of my best friends, Jaxon, (who’s a bass player and also on the album) and him giving me feedback and food for thought on what would make it better. I remember all the laughs being shared between vocalist Lena Joy during one of the tunes called “Out the Woods,” when we were talking about scat solos. I remember the excitement I had when on one random day, another collaborator, Fana, played such beautiful and elegant chords– that made me completely scratch my original idea of a song with her and instead sample her piano as the basis for the song now called “All A Dream.” And lastly, it allowed me to see a side of myself that my traditionalist jazz guitarist self stifled me from having. Music is a language and if you want people to feel and understand you, you have to try and learn ALL aspects of the language known as music, not just one genre of music.

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

I’m Zaire King, a 17 year old multi instrumentalist (but primarily a jazz guitarist) hailing from Upland, CA. I’ve been playing guitar for half a decade and have been privileged to play with jazz greats such as Michal Paulo, who was the saxophonist for Al Jareau. Some notable concerts I’ve played at have been the Temecula Wine and Jazz festival (a festival I played at when I was only 16 years old), Fête De La Musique, and a PBS broadcasted Christmas Special at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for my school, CSArts. I’ve won the YAHN Entrepreneur of the Year Award which extended beyond me being a guitarist and showed me that I need to constantly treat my musicianship as a brand and a business. An aspect of my musicianship that I personally feel sets me apart is my risk taking attitude. There’s been multiple occasions in which I should’ve chosen the safer route but I would never allow myself to do so because I felt that would hinder my growth. A prime example of this is my decision to move from a standard 6 string guitar to an 8 string guitar. An 8 string guitar essentially mimics the range of a piano with two lower strings and a higher fret count (which allows me to play extremely high notes on the thinner strings). It also has fanned frets which makes the fretboard go almost slanted and allows me to play with better intonation and speed. At first, playing an 8 string was extremely hard and made me almost lose all prior knowledge and skill that I would have on a regular guitar. But, I spent countless hours learning the workings of the instrument and because of my decision to move to 8 strings, I’ve been able to play gigs in which I take the role of guitarist and bassist and have reached a higher level of playing and versatility as this instrument allowed me to fully voice my expression. My message in music is to spread positivity and love and my goal is to always reach people and make them feel the same way I do when I listen to my favorite artists, like Guthrie Govan, Cory Henry, Plini, or Pat Metheny.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is being able to connect with people (creatives or otherwise) that appreciate your craft. There’s been so many times where after concerts, complete strangers would come up to me and express their gratitude for the music that I produce. I feel like music is such a shared experience (especially in a concert/performance setting), so it makes one’s performance that much more special when you can tell that you are actively engaging the audience and connecting with them. Before almost all my performances, I pray to God to allow Him to play through me and to reach the audience because at the end of the day that’s all that matters. Many people will forget the speed, technicality, licks, and even the tunes themselves that you play for them… but they will always remember the feelings you gave them during the performance (good or bad).

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I think from a young age I always wanted to impact the world in some shape, way, or form. When I was younger I wanted to be a scientist and create new chemical bonds, and later on I wanted to be a part of NASA. Also around this time, I wanted to be the president and was very much into politics–reading books on famous politicians. As I got older though, I quickly abandoned those dreams and aspirations and ended up wanting to be a musician after reading a “Who Was Bob Marley” book. Bob Marley was able to bring so much more peace and love to the world than any politician and he did it with less resources than politicians. All he had was a voice, a guitar, an ear for music, and a heart for the people. Even artists like Jimi Hendrix talk about how people will most likely rely on music far more in the future than politics because music speaks directly to the soul and politics is nothing more than an “ego scene.” In my own experience, I’ve always felt like a changed person when I listen to certain artists and how they present themselves and their art. I’ve never really felt that transformative feeling with anything else. So my goal is to have a worldwide influence and hopefully inspire kids to express themselves creatively instead of feeling like they have nothing to offer in the world because they decide to choose a non-traditional route in school, in art, in life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://zaireking.hearnow.com/the-sire
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zkingjazz/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXgF-OEfGti-uHOU6EDn98g

Image Credits

Picture 4: “The Expressionist” album art; Maya Proulx
Picture 5: “The Sire” album art; Arden Hughes