The Oscar Brashear Interview

Yaakov Levy

great to hear oscar interviewed.
i met him when i was at la city college around 81. he played a set w/harold land. i loved his playing. afterwards i asked him something about what do you practice to play like that..he said “play whatever you want”. and the way he said it, and looked at me, made a wonderful impression about individuality in music…. i used to wear a big kippah and one time he encouraged me to keep wearing it… in other words, what i felt from what he said was: continue to be yourself and affirm/express your cultural heritage.
i haven’t talked to him in awhile..it would be good to speak with him.
first time i saw him was when i saw gerald wilsons band at the ‘pilgrimage theatre’ probably around 76. i remembered his solo.
i was in high school at the time.

oscar, skipper, carl burnett, keman, higgins were all always very supportive and fortunately i got to play with them (not oscar, yet)… over the years.

thanks for doing these interviews