#64 Bob Franceschini, saxophonist

Bob has a clear image of when he first remembers music; it was at his grandmother's home when he was about 3 or 4 years old. He figured out the keyboard and played songs, making up stories in song, started playing saxophone when he was 11 and was gigging by age 16 or so. He has played with many great musicians, including Paul Simon and Mike Stern, and recently has been playing in a trio with Victor Wooten and Dennis Chambers. Bob says that when you play, you have to let go, and there is not a sense of power but of peace. "The energy that happens is beyond our control; when we are playing, it's not us. We're just letting the music flow." He says it's not thinking, planning, or making decisions; it's a spiritual experience.  He says the whole system we live in is vibrational, and when you manipulate the vibrations in an aesthetically pleasing way, it runs very deep. Music is a force for unification, he says, and "I see the unification of humanity through music." The promotion of division is the opposite of music. Musicians tend to be deep thinkers about existential issues and realize there is a wonderment, excitement, and joy to living. He also says he wished people would travel more to have direct contact with other people because we are in a miraculous space.