It is imperative that I note the jazz greats that were a direct influence in my life. It all started with my father, Jesse L. Powers, Sr., the musician. My father plays the trombone, piano, organ and he is an arranger and composer. Other influences were members of my father’s band, the Jesse Powers Orchestra. The early exposure gave me a unique perspective on the life of “the musician”. My father’s brother, Lewis Powers, better known as “Uncle Pete” was also an influence. Uncle Pete plays the string bass and has been active in the Washington, DC area for as far back as I can remember. The rhetoric continued with numerous jazz musicians from the tidewater area during the early 1960’s, which afforded me an early exposure to jazz. My interpretation, or concept if you will, of jazz music back then was that it was (and still is) a viable and free-spirited means of musical expression. Fast-forwarding to the present, my concept has evolved to the belief that jazz music (all inclusive of the various styles) is a mirror image of the very character from whom the music is perpetuated. If you know the person, you know their music and visa versa. You know what I’m saying? Getting back to the chronology, I also learned early on that, like classical music (which is where my real study of music began) there are rules and formulas in jazz, too.
Still speaking of the early years, I absorbed jazz music from all the great jazz recording artists through my father’s collection of jazz albums. This did wonders for my development with music appreciation. Another great resource for exposure to the many styles of music was the radio. The radio was a huge contributing factor to my music education. Though I began studying, playing and performing classical music in 1960, I had an appreciation for all musical styles during early childhood. I was an avid listener (and loved to sing).
As my music studies evolved through the years, further development with jazz continued, but slowly. I joined the U.S. Army as a musician (euphonium & trombone) in 1971 and taught myself the basics on the bass guitar in 1973. My first job as bass player came a year later in Hawaii (1975-78). During this period I performed popular music and this is the period that I came to embrace the playing of Stanley Clark and Jaco Pastorious. Oh yea, it was heaven. I’m certain that I’m not alone when I say that listening to those two players opened me up to a whole new area of artistic expression. The first jazz groups I joined were called The Freedom Jazz Band and Heresay, in 1980. That’s right. I was in two jazz groups from the start. The members of the Freedom Jazz Band were Abdul Salim, tenor sax (band leader); Ronald Gary & Maxine Clemons, piano; Jae Senett, drums; and Theonida Weidman, vocals. This is where I really began my development with jazz improvisation. I am grateful to this day for the encouragement I received from the members of the Freedom Jazz Band. After a brief spell, Abdu Salim and I met again in South Korea and continued to make music as the Freedom Jazz Band and this time with Fred Hughes, piano and Stanley Royalance, drums. In 1982, I met my dear friend and piano player extraordinaire, Ronnie Patterson in Columbia, South Carolina. Ronnie and I performed together often and this went on from 1982 to 1986. Ronnie Patterson was a unique individual and an inspiration. I must also note that I met another great talent in Columbia, SC, who was at a very young age. His name is Chris Potter, saxophone player. Chris was and is a great talent on saxophone. More great talents in the Columbia, SC were Robert Newton, guitar; Paul Ingbretson, guitar; Coleman Sistrom, bass. Also developing at this time as a young jazz artist was my brother, Craig C. Powers, Sr., drums, who commuted from Virginia often to perform with my band Contents Under Pressure in SC. This period in time was like no other because my brother and I grew as jazz artists and as businessmen.