Take Five With Scott Forrey of Vector Trio

Meet Scott Forrey:

Scott Forrey has played trumpet with jazz, funk, Latin, and avant-garde bands for more that 30 years. He was both a student and faculty member at Berklee College of Music in the 1980s, where he studied improvisation with saxophonist George Garzone and bassist Miroslav Vitous.

Among his interests are composition, arranging and scoring film, digital recording technology, and collaborating with poets and other artists. In 1999 Scott contributed to the score of the independent British feature film Motion, directed by Tom Clay. Vector Trio represents the culmination of years of exploration into live improvisation, musical experimentation, and electronics.

Instrument:

Trumpet.

Teachers and/or influences?

George Garzone, Miroslav Vitous, and Wes Hensel were all great teachers; influences include Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, James Blood Ulmer, and Don Cherry.

I knew I wanted to be a musician when...

I heard Louis Armstrong's recording of "Basin Street Blues" in 1974.

Your sound and approach to music:

With Vector Trio, my sound is highly processed—I play trumpet through an array of effects and looping devices. I try to create textures and lines that are not easily identifiable in terms of what instrument you are hearing.

When I play acoustic trumpet, I try to get a little edge on the sound... trumpet should not sound like flugelhorn!

Your dream band:

Right now my dream band is Vector Trio. Lots of musicians I'd love to work with, but right now the trio is what I'm into.

Road story: Your best or worst experience:

Lots of stories from the salsa days, including the whole orchestra being held at gunpoint for two hours by cops who were on some kind of vendetta, while drug dogs sniffed us down. Bizarre.

Favorite venue:

German Bringas's Jazzorca, in Mexico City. A source of endless creativity—it is the locus of experimental music in Mexico.

Your favorite recording in your discography and why?

The newest—Nomina. It's pure improvisation and is very unlike our previous recordings.

What do you think is the most important thing you are contributing musically?

I just play what I need to play and don't worry about anything else.

Did you know...

I want to retire in Guatemala... .I love to cook... I read literary criticism to relax.

If I weren't a jazz musician, I would be a:

Short-story writer or poet.

Comments