Jazz Bassist Jonah Jonathan does a followup interview with Eric Wyatt. Eric is one of the most talented musicians and is also the godson of the great Sony Rollins. We catch up on his life and what he has been up to since our last interview 9 years ago.

Abbreviated From Eric’s bio on the Smalls Live Website:

Eric Wyatt is one of the very few Jazz Musicians that was born and raised in New York. He was born in Brooklyn NY and went to Public Schools in the New York City Area. His father was a musician who played with some of the greatest Jazz musicians. Eric can remember meeting at a very young age some of the Legends of this music. His father Charles Wyatt played tenor saxophone and some times he would often drive the band members that played with Sonny Rollins to perform. Eric would go along for some of these rides at the age of 10 years old. One of those rides led to him discover he wanted to be a musician.Some of the musicians on that gig were Larry Ridley, Albert Dailey, David Lee, Wilber Ware, Gilley Goggins, Gary Bartz, Scoby Stroman.

Paul Jeffries and Roland Alexander were also good friends who would come by the house. It was thru this history Eric learned about this music

He also met Miles Davis at the Bottom Line performing in the early 70’s. Eric was briefly side tracked playing basketball. The neighborhood was a place where many sport legends grew up an his interest in sports was hard to fight ,but his music interest was greater.

In high school his music teacher Charles Bergstein called him Charlie (PARKER)WYATT because when he would warm up in class he would play Charlie Parker tunes. Mr Bergstein helped get him in to Kingsborough Comm College. Eric was in the 802 music program.

He made the transfer to Lehman College where he studied with Stanley Cowell . It was during this time Eric met Arthur Rhames, a master musician that taught him about the saxophone an all of the elements it would take to have his own voice on the saxophone.

Arthur and Eric recorded music practiced together, and made a recording. That recording never was released. Arthur’s life was cut short at the age of 32. It was also the same year Eric’s father passed ,but those musicians as well as Sonny Rollins inspired Eric to pursue his dream and Eric continued on.

Eric was introduced to a jazz club owner in France named Danny Michell by good friend and piano player Carlos McKinney and the doors to performing internationally opened for Eric’s career. Eric has played all over the world and has written music that has been used in movies and television shows.

One of his first compositions was used as the theme music for a T.V. news show called “Black News” .Eric’s composition “Welcome Home” was the theme music for the NBA T.V. show “One On One” with Ahmad Rashad.

He also has some acting credits and voice over credits in the independent movie “SMOKED” Directed by Fred Banting.

Eric has performed in the following countries as a leader and sideman: Japan , Shanghai, China, Athens, Greece, Hong Kong ,Montreal, Canada, Beruit, Lebanon, Paris, France, Thessolaniki, Greece. St Croix, St. Kitts, Antigua.

He has recorded with Al Foster, Rufus Reid , James Spaulding ,Mark Soskin, Rodney Kendricks, Rhonda Ross ,Lester Bowie ,Yoichi Kobayashi, Ruth Brown, Robert Glasper, E.j.Stickland, Darryl Hall, Keyon Harold, Shinobu Ito ,Dewey Redman Justine Robinson, Graham Haynes, and has been on stage performing with Roy Hargrove, John Hicks, Bill Saxton, Bruce Barth, Carlos McKnner, Donvonte McCoy, Branford Marsalis, Jeff ‘Tain Watts , Orin Evans, Dwayne Burno, Bobby Watson,Vincent Herring,Nicolas Payton, Renee Rosnes Anthony Wonsey, Stephen Scott, Louis Hayes, Willie Jones III, Sean Jones,Marcus Strickland, Derrick Gardner, Vincent Gardner, just to name a some of the musicians.

Visit Eric’s Website At https://ericwyatt-music.com/

Visit Our Website At Jazzmusiciansvoice.net

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