Artist Spotlight: Reggie Codrington

Today’s BEATS Artist Spotlight shines on the very talented artist, Reggie Codrington.

Allen Kepler: Reggie, thanks for joining us! Your journey to becoming a successful artist started at a young age. Tell us how you got into music and playing saxophone.

Reggie Codrington: I got into music because, with my Dad being a musician, I grew up in a home where there is music all the time. Dad exposed me to so many different genres of music, but primarily jazz. So, I was blessed to have such a huge record collection at a young age and instead of going to ballgames and other things that my peers were doing, I would go sit in my living room and pull out all these records and listen to people like Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Dexter Gordon, Harold Vick and Jimmy Smith to Grover Washington and David Sanborn and Kirk Whalum. So, along with that, by listening to all of those influences and my father being such a great musician, I began experimenting to find an instrument that I could play.

I started on clarinet, and of course, I played that for three years, but because of dealing with cerebral palsy, after three years of playing that, I had to switch to the alto saxophone. After playing the alto saxophone, my parents gave me a soprano saxophone for my graduation from high school. I soared after that! It opened up so many doors for me with the curved soprano. With the right side of my body being affected by cerebral palsy, the curved soprano was a Godsend.

AK: Tell our readers about your father, Ray Codrington, and his influence on your path.

RC: My Dad, and not just because he was my Dad, was a great trumpet player. In 1975, I believe Dad was voted by DownBeat magazine as the 3rd best trumpet player in the world. Along with that, my Dad also recorded with the late great Eddie Harris. Eddie Harris and Dad went on to record a famous jazz standard called “Freedom Jazz Dance” on Atlantic Records. Dad also recorded with the JFK Quintet, which was discovered by Cannonball Adderley and played with Little Richard, Gladys Knight, Ike and Tina Turner and Wilson Pickett. He went on to record on the Godfather Soundtrack. And so, needless to say, Dad had a huge influence on me musically. 

AK: And other influences?

RC: My Dad was my biggest musical influence. Miles Davis and Grover Washington were huge influences. Harold Vick, who introduced me to Dexter Gordon, was also influential. Joe Henderson was one of my favorites. And of course, Kenny Garrett. The list is so long. I have so many influences, I would take up the whole interview!

AK: During your career, you have shared the stage with some notable music icons.

AK: I was blessed to be the opening act for Peabo Bryson, Kenny Latimore, Frankie Beverly and Maze and Charlie Wilson. I got a chance to play for President Barack Obama’s second inauguration ball. These are just a few of the events that I have done over my 40-year career. Through doing these events, the biggest thing I’ve learned is just to be yourself. Be original. People have always told me, “You have your own sound. You have your own thing happening." I want to learn from others, but I don’t copy others. 

AK: How do you approach the songwriting process?

RC: I start with the melody. But even before that, an idea can come from walking down the street, hearing the sound of a train going across train tracks. The rhythm in the way someone walks…looking at a waterfall or a beautiful body of water. In experiences like that, melodies just come to my head. Then, finding the right rhythm. Then, after the rhythm, it’s putting the right chords and sounds together. Music comes to me in many different ways. I cannot just say I write one particular way. If I’m working with a producer, I will just send my melodic ideas to them and give them a drum loop. And, they develop my idea from that.

AK: Your latest project is titled “Don’t Look Back”. Tell us about its meaning to you and your inspiration for this latest work.

RC: “Don’t Look Back” came about as a result of many trials and tribulations in life, but also musically speaking, having many disappointments in my career. I realized that our time is not God’s time, and God’s time is the perfect time. We have to look forward instead of looking back to achieve greatness. I was able to connect with Nelson Braxton, who is one-half of the renowned Braxton Brothers. He has produced so many other great artists and brought the best out of me. He was an extreme pleasure to work with.

AK: And you are releasing music on your own label. How did that come about?

RC: I want to say, it kind of just happened. It was not planned. The industry has changed so much over the years that it is now possible for artists to release their own music. I also did not want to have to wait for others to tell me when to record something and when not to record. My label is called Reggie Codrington Music, and I am always keeping my eyes open for growth and expansion. 

AK: What music or artists are you listening to lately?

RC: I’ve been listening to Justin Lee Sholtz, who is a heck of a piano player, along with Snarkey Puppy. I still listen to a lot of Kenny Garrett. I listen to Cory Henry and George Duke. You know, I listen to so many… I listen to R&B. My musical palette is all over the place. And then there are times when I don’t want to listen to anybody, because I want to be original and I don’t want to be influenced. I feel like a lot of artists sound the same. Nobody is trying to be a pioneer. You listen to others, but then you have to learn how to cut them off and develop your own sound. 

AK: Any advice you can share for young musicians who want to have a career in the business?

RC: Yes. Study from artists and teachers that you admire. Try to learn something from each one of them. Learn the technical language of music. Learn how to read music. Learn how to play by ear. Learn theory. Just try to educate yourself and not just the artistry part of it, but also the business side of it, which I am still learning. It is constantly changing. Pick someone that you really admire and talk to them and ask questions about how they became great.

Just be open to learning new ideas and how you can expand your knowledge and express yourself musically and in life. And don’t give up just because you have a challenging day or your practice didn’t go well. You have to put in time. The great musicians before us who have had long careers are great because they have longevity, and they found their niche of what made them great.

Learn more about Reggie Codrington on his website, https://www.reggiecodrington.com/