Scott Kinsey on his tribute to Joe Zawinul and Weather Report

On July 7 2022, keyboardist Joe Zawinul, one of the world’s most famous and influential jazz musicians, would have turned 90. His work with Cannonball Adderley as co-leader of the band Weather Report and with the Zawinul Syndicate set standards that remain unmatched to this day. Keyboardist Scott Kinsey continues to honour his late friend and mentor with a tribute concert, and carries on the work whose foundations were laid by Zawinul – especially in the ongoing development of synthesis and conceptual improvisation.

I interviewed Scott Kinsey right before his tribute show with the Scott Kinsey Group at JazzAscona, which took place on June 28 2022 while a tremendous thunderstorm was brewing over the lake.

In my own music the love of all things Zawinul is always there. Just as in Joe’s music his love of Ellington’s music was always present.

First let’s start with where you grew up, and what got you interested in music?

I grew up in Owosso Michigan, and both of my parents were very musical. My mom was a music minor in College and my dad was a radio personality but also played gigs on keyboards. It wasn’t much of a stretch that I got into music!

How did your sound evolve over time? What did you do to find and develop your sound?

I’m always interested in whatever is new to me. I believe that being interested and curious is the key. Curiosity leads you to listen a lot.

When it came to playing instruments, I think my dad inIluenced my start. He always brought home the latest gear and I got to fool with it. My favorite thing about the synthesizer is the mystery. What is it? What can it sound like? The idea of new sounds that have never been heard fascinated me. I didn’t have access to a synthesizer for a long time so I would just stare at the advertisements in Keyboard Magazine and just dream of what they could sound like. I think that strengthened my imagination.

What practice routine or exercise have you developed to maintain and improve your current musical ability especially pertaining to rhythm?

Just simple things like practicing with a metronome at varying tempos, especially slow ones, helps the most. Click on downbeats and alternating on upbeats.

What can you tell us about the concert you will be presenting at JazzAscona? The motivation behind the Joe Zawinul tribute and how the project came about?

My love of Joe’s music. He was a genius and there’s no way that we can forget the unbelievable interplay and playfulness he (and Wayne Shorter) brought to us. But in this world, things move very fast, and everyone is always on to the next thing - which is often just new, but not better. Genius can be easily overlooked. So I set out to remind everyone of Joe’s music and make sure that the spirit of his music stays alive. The spirit in many ways is the key element.  

In my own music the love of all things Zawinul is always there. Just as in Joe’s music his love of Ellington’s music was always present.

The group I have assembled for the concert in Ascona (which is comprised of bass virtuoso Hadrien Feraud, percussionist Arto Tuncboyaciyan who worked with Joe, drummer Gergo Borlai and vocalist Mer Sal) we have musicians who truly understand the Zawinul or “Luniwaz” language as I call it. We will play several pieces of music by Joe, from the Weather Report years as well as the Syndicate periods, and a couple of tunes I wrote as well.

Could you elaborate on your relationship with Joe Zawinul? How was it to work so closely with him and exchange musical ideas?

Joe and I became good friends little by little over the years and it wasn’t long before he was asking for my assistance in the studio. I spent around 103 days helping produce Faces & Places with him and he would often ask me to consult on various projects. I also mastered his duo album with Friedrich Gulda, called Two Pianos.

It was kind of funny the way we met. My friend Jim Goetsch knew I wanted to meet Joe so he invited me to help decorate Joe’s Christmas tree one year... and the rest developed over time. Working with Joe was surreal. And being close to the family was amazing fun too, every time I left their home I felt so energised.

There’s a whole world of new music out there.

Vinyl, cassette, compact disc, download, streaming. The new technologies are not only radically changing the way we listen to music, but has also shifted the weights between creators, producers and distributors within the music industry. How do you master this never ending balance act?

What’s old is new again... it seems like everyone is in love with Vinyl now and I get that, it sounds warm. But I’m not sure if I can ever get into cassette’s again, haha!

But I think the thing for me ultimately is to always keep looking forward.

Do you also see new opportunities?

Dolby Atmos is pretty new and it sure sounds like the future to me. Jimmy Haslip and I worked on a Dolby Atmos version of several songs we have previously released on CD called Big Fuse. It’s our first Dolby Atmos release and we're pretty excited about it. Atmos will be available in cars too so I think it’s gonna stick. I hope to equip my studio with that technology sooner than later as well.

If you could change one thing in the musical world and it would become a reality, what would that be?

That people would see the beauty and magic in improvised music like they did in the 70’s again.

What advice would you give to beginners who are anxious and want to make music outside of the pop mainstream?

Realize that it won’t be easy, but it’s worth it if you make the effort. Just realizing it’s possible is a good place to start!

How can we get young people interested in jazz when most of the standard tunes are half a century old?

If they can just realize that there’s a whole world of new music out there. Of course, jazz as we know it from the 50’s will always be the foundation. But I think the younger players are really doing it now more than ever. Thundercat and his band, Knower, Domi & JD Beck are examples of young musicians that are really doing their own thing and getting successful doing it. They take the jazz legacy and expand on it greatly and in a very personal way. Kind of what jazz is all about.

Your new album Adjustments is a collaboration with the vocalist Mer Sal, whom we are also expecting in Ascona. How did that come about?

Mer and I met in the studio on a session I was co-producing with Jimmy Haslip. He said he wanted to bring in a singer from Colorado he had worked with, and I thought: «But why?».[laughs] But Jimmy said: «Just trust me». I did and it turned out that Mer Sal is an extremely talented vocalist – and bass player too. We’re working together quite a bit now and I’m thankful for it. She can sing anything.

Do you have any upcoming projects to share with us?

Yes, well my next solo record is almost finished. It features Hadrien Feraud, Gary Novak, Cyril Atef, Mer Sal, Pedro Martins, Arto Tuncboyaciyan and a lot of other amazing players. And I’m about to start a new record with my good friend (Tool drummer) Danny Carey with (guitarist) Michael Landau. So there’s a lot to look forward to!

The author wishes to thank Scott Kinsey for letting her pick his beautiful brain, Peter Basler from Basitours for coordinating the interview in a heartbeat, the JazzAscona festival for working the magic, and Luca Martinelli, the coolest press office head ever.