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Interviews
Quamon Fowler: His Life and Faith
Carla Rupp and Jason Rupp
Carla and Jason Rupp are photo journalists who enjoy jazz, culture, travel, film, and theater.QF: This gift that I have isn't just from me. The ability that I have is an ability that has God has created me with. Just as I have an instrument, my saxophone. It is like I am an instrument to God.
AAJ: That's great, tell me more.
QF: What I realized coming up—from practicing so hard and spending all that quality time playing scales, playing solos, practicing, transcribing solos, learning different musical styles and you know, the long hours that I spent in doing all that—when I got older God had showed me the same energy that I put into that He wanted me to put into Him.
Through seeking God with the same type of mind and zeal as I had for music, it allowed me to understand my purpose as a whole in seeking allowed me to see God's plan for my life that He wanted to see that I could use my life as His instrument.
AAJ: How do you do that?
QF: Just as the saxophone I have now is laying in my case, it can't do anything unless I pick it up and put the neck on the body and put the mouthpiece on the neck and put the reed on the mouthpiece, and the ligature on it and put my neck strap on. I also have to hook it up and begin to blow into the saxophone. And then I push whatever keys I want to press, and whatever combination of notes that I want to come out will sound. This basically is what I am saying: the saxophone can't do anything by itself unless I pick it up and make it do what I want it to do.
I've talked with people before about this, but not lately. The thing is in the same sense God uses me; I am to God as my instrument is to me.
AAJ: You're right that if you have a saxophone in the case, nothing will happen unless you play it.
QF: We are His instrument, and unless we allow ourselves to be used by Him, we are useless, just like that saxophone in the case. Yeah. It can't do anything unless I pick it up. But it's not the saxophone, it's the player. And it's not the person; it's the God in the person. Or really it's God.
[He laughs easily. Mmm. Fowler pauses.]
AAJ: Do you explain this to your fellow players? Are you trying to make this part of your life?
QF: I have a company I started called Core Instrumental Music Company in Texas. And the theme is music after God's own heart. Like my experience, I've been a student of both jazz and church music. So my aim has always been to combine the two, to have the spirit of the gospel travel through a jazz medium. I guess you understand what jazz is. That's why I want to create my own genre. The "Core part is what focuses on our sole purpose, a focal point, which is the heart of God, what God expects in music.
AAJ: Do you have a website yet?
QF: I'm working on it.
Musicians are always seeking a higher spiritual experience in music. The fullness that we're going to be experience, that is when you have musicians playing who all have a heart for God. Then this is when we're going to be able to have a higher spiritual experience in music; where we're in agreement with each other, where we have the same faith. They have to have faith in Jesus Christ.
AAJ: Do you think Jesus likes jazz?
QF: Yes. Music was used throughout the Bible like through the Levites in the Old Testament. The people who carried the Ark of the Covenant played for celebrations. They used music for prophesy throughout the Old Testament. The psalmist David wrote many songs praising God with many different instruments. This was because he was a musician himself. He was a harpist.
Music was used for praise and worship. If you notice in church, they always put the music first. God created music for His enjoyment. It was for praise and worship for Himself. In Heaven he created a musical angel, Lucifer. The Bible talked about this in Ezekiel, chapter 28. I'll give you this in a second.
I have a book that has all those scriptures in it so people can go right through it.
Isaiah. You can read Ezekiel 28, starting at verse 12, 13, It starts talking about what Lucifer was made of, built into your body. He was anointed as a guardian cherub. Let me go and find Isaiah 11.
AAJ: In what way would Jesus like jazz?
QF: The music they used at that time was spontaneous. They just played. There were no popular songs then. They were songs that were made up on the spot, different ideas. They would create music on the spot.
AAJ: So how is jazz likened to that?
QF: Jazz is improvisational, spontaneous composition, liberating. It sound off an exciting It tells a story, and to relate it, there is emphasis like Samuel was told to go an meet some musicians coming down and they were going to prophesy to him through music. There are accounts all through the Bible where music was used to calm wars and even music was used to settle a person's spirit. And I could tell you the story about David, and how Saul, when he felt bad was distressed when He had lost his anointing as King and they sent for David to play his harp. When David played, the distressing spirit left. He was just playing for him.
AAJ: So music can heal people?
QF: Yeah, it can heal.
