- 969Recommend It!
- 10,936views
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.It's more stuff available that we can get into musically. Someone who has skill has a heart towards God, who has faith in the Lord, faith in Jesus. I play with people who have skills and who have the same faith. If I play with people who have the same skills and do not have faith, we can only go so far.
The agreement is important, because if one person has a conflict with another person, it's going to come out in the music. It won't be liberty in that situation. There will be restrictions. A word doesn't have to be said, but I can feel it when I play.
That goes back to when God gave me a visual perception in music. God has given me discernment musically, and I feel I can pick up things in music, like spiritual things in music.
AAJ: What do you think about the way jazz musicians are often depicted, sometimes even the idolizing of the jazz musician, particularly in jazz publications?
QF: Well, I'd like to say that basically everybody that's passed away who's had great ability, such as John Coltrane, was seeking. He was a man just like me. But it was what he did. He was seeking God. He was real diligent in his practice. It wasn't really John; it was what he was aiming for. If anybody's aim is on God, then God is going to use them in a mighty way. The thing is that people always want to substitute, and they want to substitute God with somebody, with some person. The best person for a pattern for living is Jesus.
AAJ: Give some examples.
QF: Well, He was caring. He was loving. He was giving of himself. That's the whole purpose He came was to give himself in the place for us to die for our sins. Like He healed people who were sick. He gave sight to people who were blind. He fed people, both physically and both spiritually. He saw God, like He prayed. He sacrificed his physical needs to feed his spiritual hunger. He wasn't interested in the agenda o the world, but the agenda of God.
AAJ: You could stand up and give a sermon?
QF: I lead Bible studies here in Lubbock and in Forth Worth and in Louisiana, too. Most of the time, it was at school doing my undergraduate at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I organized studies (for any college student that was interested). We did it also at LSU (Louisiana State University).
AAJ: Were you parents helpful in getting you to know all this?
QF: Yes, I came up in church and they were church-going people. I've been praying all my life since I was a little boy. I would say I remember when I was twelve years old when I really confessed Jesus as being my Lord and Savior. I was at home. I had just finished talking to a friend and he was telling me about his Mom had a friend who went to sleep and had a dream they went to Hell and it was real, real hot, that you could feel it. She couldn't die because she was already dead. Basically he was telling me if you don't accept Jesus you go there. I didn't go there.
AAJ: I'm sure you've come a long way since then?
QF: [He chuckled.] I was scared.
AAJ: That was just an experience. I've learned a lot since then. It's more an experience the Lord wants you to live. Jesus came that we may have life and have it more abundantly. Life is so much more fulfilling when you have a relationship with God. That's the whole thing: people live life the way they want. That's so destructive. If they die and don't know God, they are not entitled to the promises in Heaven because they didn't acknowledge Him when they were living. This is the whole message. This is why Jesus died and rose again. He told his disciples to go into all the nations and tell people this. He said he was going to be with the Father. Now you tell what you experienced. The interesting thing about it is that it is true—something that was done over 2,000 years ago for the message to still be alive and true, that's encouraging! That's amazing.
When I put it on, I believe it. I don't believe it just because I believe it. It works. My life is just so much more fulfilling. I have so much more that I'm looking forward to because of my relationship with God through believing in Jesus.
AAJ: Do you have a family?
QF: No kids yet. My wife Ayanna is a beautiful girl. You're going to meet her someday. She is like a prime example of the reward, the fruit of my labor, really of God's goodness. She's just a replication of God's love for me. She is so beautiful. She's working on her doctorate at Texas Tech. Her major is English.
AAJ: She must love your music?
QF: Oh, she loves music herself. She loves mine—and music as a whole. She probably loves music more than I do. She's real supportive. She just is a big help. I can't imagine my life any different without her. I can't imagine my life any other way.
AAJ: Tell us about someone in your group?
QF: I have Arlington Jones on piano and Fender Rhodes.
AAJ: Did you meet him in church?
