"Sax Master" Dave Mullen Interview
DaveMullen.com
Interview by Roger Zee (05/29/21)
Roger Zee: Who inspired you to play the sax?
Dave Mullen: My father's extensive record collection originally inspired me to play the sax. He worked as a DJ in the late 50's and early 60's. My "playground" consisted of perusing through his albums, listening to many legendary recordings and falling in love with Fats Domino in particular. He of course used the saxophone
prominently and the sound immediately attracted me.
Then, as a young teenager, I was fortunate to see the iconic Dexter Gordon in a Boston nightclub. My mother pleaded with the manager to let me in and promised I wouldn't drink, LOL! There I saw him perform in all his majesty and brilliance. I can still hear THAT sound to this day!
RZ: Do you sing or play any other instruments?
DM: Yes, I do play a number of instruments besides all the saxophones: flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, violin, piano, congas, and harmonica. I don't sing as much as I'd call it bellowing, LOL!
RZ: Tell me about some of the musicians and groups you've gigged and recorded with.
DM: I've been blessed to work with many wonderful artists/musicians such as Nile Rodgers, Gloria Gaynor, Roy Ayers, P-Funk, Bernie Worrell, Gil Scott Heron, John Medeski, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, The Brand New Heavies, Mark Egan, Danny Gottlieb, Vic Juris, Marc Ribot, Lee Finkelstein and many others.
Creating music with each person conjures up a treasure trove of ideas, influences, and inspiration.
RZ: What saxes do you currently play and how do you mic/amplify them?
DM: I play all Selmer Mark VI saxophones. The neck of one of my saxes belonged to the late, great Rahsaan Roland Kirk. It's quite simply a game changer because it comes complete with his energy! For live gigs, I use an Audio Technica wireless system that I won at the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame for "Best Horn Player." I also own various recording mics I use for my recording projects.
RZ: Talk about what and how you practice.
DM: I practice all kinds of things -- from various technical and tone exercises, improvisation patterns and ideas, to transcribing. I also work on playing in different styles because each one comes with its own unique subtleties and nuances. I approach it like this. Each style derives from a long developed history that predates me, or for that matter, any of us. You have to humble yourself before each great lineage. That's not to say that I can't add my own twist or language to it. But you must stay rooted in the history of whatever style you play. I also practice the "simultaneous saxophones" technique quite a bit that Rahsaan Roland Kirk made famous.
RZ: Do you teach music privately?
DM: No, not currently.
RZ: How has the Pandemic affected you? What's on the horizon?
DM: The pandemic stretched all of us and forced us to become as versatile as possible -- whether it's recording, producing, composing, and even gigging on various instruments. Fortunately, I’ve kept very busy throughout this whole thing and have even pushed myself further.
I'm really excited about releasing my new Jazz album on July 16th entitled The Dave Mullen Ensemble "SOLACE." It comes out on my newly created record label, Mullsoul Music. It contains six original compositions plus a Duke Ellington cover and features an A list of
musicians: pianist Jon Cowherd, bassist Hans Glawischnig, drummer E.J. Strickland and trumpeter Jim Seeley. It's mixed by Grammy-winning producer Jeff Jones, a regular collaborator with Jazz at Lincoln Center who's also worked with Wynton Marsalis and Dr. John among others.
Lately and all throughout the pandemic, I’ve played frequently with my New Orleans influenced group, the Demolition Brass Band. Our members have performed with Dirty Dozen Brass Band, P-Funk, Tower of Power, Frank Sinatra, and The Blues Brothers Band. We bring that Crescent City energy to the Northeast! Folks love it and so do we. We worked six gigs last month alone! We look forward to recording more in the near future.
RZ: Describe your most special and/or unusual gig.
DM: My most memorable gig came performing for 2OK with Gloria Gaynor in Montreal. We also toured South Africa, Brazil, Austria and other countries.
RZ: How do you see the future of the music business?
DM: The music business finds itself in a very unique place right now. Because of the widespread ease of releasing music and distributing it via the internet, many artists can make names for themselves on their own by eliminating or reducing the influence of the monolithic record companies of old. To some extent, it's leveled the playing field. The challenge now lies in monetizing fair payouts to artists from streaming. Musicians should now take this opportunity to create a consensus of how that should work. Ironically, those old record company advances seem like cash cows compared to what we see today for most musicians.
RZ: What advice do you give up-and-coming musicians?
DM: Prepare yourself for anything that should come your way. Be versatile. Perform, produce, compose, record, teach, and get out there! Visibility's key. The music business is a hang. If you're good, then you'll work. Also, don't ever say anything negative about another musician or peer. That will in turn reflect on you and make you look bad. We really are a community and need to support each other.
RZ: Do you live with any animals?
DM: Yes, two dogs -- Quincy, a Lhasa Apso, and Bella, a Lab.
YouTube - Getaway - Demolition Brass Band
YouTube - As - Dave Mullen and Butta
©2021 Roger Zee
