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Victor Cager

Often affectionately referred to in most Jazz circles as "The Maestro" and considered by many to be one of the preeminent interpreters of The Great American Songbook..

About Me

I was born on August 8, 1960 in Dallas, TX at Parkland Memorial Hospital. My father and mother operated a barber & beauty shop in West Dallas for 49 years. Although my father was a successful businessman, his first love was Big Band Jazz such as Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Stan Kenton and especially The Count Basie Orchestra with either Jimmy Rushing or Papa Joe Williams, whom I had the privilege to meet after his last show in Dallas in 1999. This was my first introduction to Jazz and “Oh My God!” the music I heard as a child, it was not unusual for my family to sit and listen to anything from Roy Hamilton to The New York Philharmonic w/ Leonard Bernstein to Sam Cooke to Sis. Mahalia Jackson to Ray Charles to Jimmy Smith and of course, Mr. “B” Billy Eckstine !! We would even listen to spoken word documentary type LPs like the one about the funeral of President Kennedy. My uncle was a big advocate of “reading all the right books and listening to all the right music”. Coincidently, I forgot to mention I was adopted at 6 months of age, so when I refer to my father and mother, I'm actually speaking of my uncle and aunt, both of whom were 53 yrs. of age when they adopted both myself and my brother. I guess that's why this music has always been my first love, I would watch my family socialize, dance and enjoy themselves while listening to some of the greatest Jazz recordings of all time!! You know one thing that people would never guess about me is that I'm a really great dancer myself! Although I was adopted I still had a real significant relationship with my biological father, who happened to be my uncle's youngest brother. It was this relationship that introduced to the music of Charlie Parker, because at the time I played the saxophone. I can remember knowing my “Daddy” was visiting when I would come home from school and hear Eddie ”LockJaw” Davis playing 'Dobbin with Redd Foxx', he's the one who told me the stories about the “cats” such as the tragic deaths of Lee Morgan and Clifford Brown, and of course all the good Miles Davis legends. Gene Ammons was his favorite and I can remember thinking his horn must have been bigger than the other “cats” because of his big robust sound. I also inherited something else from him in addition to his love of Be-Bop, the disease of addiction which plagued me for many years, but you know I have learned that what is planted on the inside of you continues to grow often in times of adversity. An intense love for God, music and the arts was planted in me when I was small and this love was a key factor in my recovery. In 1986 my mother died after a lengthy illness and in the next 7 to 8 years I lost practically my entire family including my beloved Uncle Jim, as well as both biological parents, I hadn't seen my biological mother since I was 4 yrs. old. As a result of these events I began to suffer from depression, although I went undiagnosed for a number of years. I guess you could say to some degree I was “self medicating”. But you know trouble and the grace to bear it often come in the same package; if we never confront ourselves we begin to excuse our behavior. After I began to experience recovery and practice aggressive faith, I started to realize all God had in store for me and my real mountaintop experiences began! The first musicians to give me an opportunity were the one I idolized as a child along with my Uncle Red King and Prof. Eddie Washington, Claude Johnson and Roger Boykin were my first mentors but it was the great song stylist Ms. Sandra Kaye who first shared her stage with me and I'm forever thankful to her for being so gracious! It was she who assured me that I did indeed have what it takes to pursue a life in music, she encouraged and assured me that I was still young enough, she has been a true angel and friend to me. God will always provide an angel in times of uncertainty. I'm convinced you will always miss 100% of the shots you don't take!! I'm a member of the most blessed generation to ever inhabit this planet and God has given me the privilege to record my first full length CD with one of the best Jazz orchestras in the country, where God Guides He Always Provides!!