And welcome back to another WXAV podcast. We are having a fun little crossover mini series with CineXaviar University's very own jazz combo. Last semester, they went into the studio with some recording time for some original compositions. And today we have a very notable member of that jazz combo, Tracy Baker.
Tracy, how are you? I'm pretty good, man. I'm just relaxing, trying to get through the year. You're right, dude.
Me too. That's how it be sometime. All right, so right off the bat for people that don't know, what do you play? I play tenor saxophone.
I play a little bit of this, a little bit of that piano. I kind of dabble a bit on different instruments. And then jazz on tenor saxophone. Yeah, mainly my main instrument is tenor saxophone.
How long have you been playing saxophone? I've been playing for about six years, maybe five. Maybe five? Have you been playing jazz for all five years?
No, I've been playing classical, actually, for most of my high school years then, when I got to S.X.U. I started on my jazz adventure. Yeah, my jazz material. Why don't you tell me how the feel was in the studio for you?
It was actually pretty cool. I had already had experience in the studio because my mom, she's a musician, so she used to take me to the studio with her. So it used to be pretty cool, you know? But the time at the studio, what I did with S.X.U.
was pretty laid back chill. We all had a good time. We all played the material as it was, so everybody got the feel of being in the studio. When your mom would be taking you to the studio, would it be just kind of watching her and have you ever recorded before this?
I've recorded things before this, but most of the time it would be just me watching her. But, like I said, I have recorded stuff with her, like stuff with her friends. So basically, it was already in me, so I've already seen or been around the environment, so I knew that a studio carries. Do you think the chemistry between the band was a little different being in the studio versus performing at the choir?
Yes, because when you're in the studio, it's best to do everything as little as possible in the allotted amount of time that you have. So you don't want to be having to keep repeating something over and over again, so you're trying to get it right the first or second time within a certain amount of time. OK. How did you feel contributing solos to pieces that your friends composed?
It was pretty cool. I liked the key signatures of the songs that they were in, so I was pretty fond of that. It was very straightforward as to the pattern of the music. I had a lovely time soloing on their pieces.