Episode 17: Dr. Marshall Hawkins

Idyllwild Arts Academy Jazz Program Founder, Bassist with Richie Cole, Miles Davis Quintet, Betty Gray, Donny Hathaway, Lena Horne, Roberta Flack, Manhattan Transfer, and more…

►about Dr. Hawkins: https://idyllwildarts.org/people/marshall-hawkins/

Selected quotes from our podcast:

·      “Pay attention to your subject matter. Your subject matter is your life”

·      “I think about that first note that I’m going to play. I think about that note with such reverence, that I may never get a chance to play that note again”.

·      “Don’t let anyone get in the way of you and the love in your heart”. “Don’t get in the way of my love. I will fight you”.

·      “You have to be careful what you wish for because you’re going to get it. So, you’ve got to be prepared”.

·      “I’ve never, never thought about money”.

►Key Moments:
0:00 - Introductions

2:16 : Earliest memories, gift of memory, and “second childhood”

5:07 : Growing up in Washington D.C. in the 1940’s, “Victory Gardens”, church, being humble, “C Jam Blues”, the Boy Scouts, model airplanes, glee club, and the building of Frederick Douglass Junior High School.

15:30 : Brown vs. Board of Education (1954) and exposure to racism. Being a track star and la musica as passports, “U.S. History”, and scout master.

21:40 : Voices above the crowd and becoming a professional musician.

26:58 : L.O.V.E. and not taking the “J” out of joy.

31:49 : Louis Armstrong: “what are you going to do to leave a legacy for humanity”?

33:20 : Giving and receiving

34:45 : Playing the bass and becoming a professional musician overnight.

38:52 : Betty Gray (first gig at the Bohemian Caverns in DC), Lena Horne and Travelin’ Light (1965), and Miles Davis

41:53 : Working with Miles Davis

44:08 : Idyllwild Arts and numerical configuration (1978)

47:58 : Tanzania, respect for elders, Maasai ancestral lineage, “we know who you are”

55:50 : Advice for young musicians: “Silence is golden!” 

59:03 : Marshall and John improvise “All the Things You Are”

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►Credits
Host and Producer: John Daversa

Video and Audio Capture: Justin Holmes

Video and Audio Editing: Izzi Guzman
Graphic Design: Izzi Guzman

Recorded in Idyllwild, CA, July 3, 2024

Special Thank you to:

Idyllwild Arts Academy

Pamela Jordan

Rose Colella

Tom Hynes

►Music
"The John Daversa Podcast"
"Moonlight Muse"
"Junk Wagon"

All compositions composed and arranged by John Daversa
Daversafications Publications (ASCAP),

Except “All the Things You Are” by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II

#drmarshallhawkins #idyllwildarts #idyllwildsummerarts #jazzbass #bass #milesdavis #milesdavisquintet #johndaversa #johndaversapodcast #jazzpodcast #jazzeducator 

Support the show

►Credits
Host and Producer: John Daversa
Video: Max Nierlich
Audio: Dudley Merriam
Additional Audio: Jake Sonderman
Video and Audio Editing: Yang Yang
Izzi Guzman: Graphic Design

Recorded in Miami, FL

►Music
"The John Daversa Podcast"
"Moonlight Muse"
"Junk Wagon"

All compositions composed and arranged by John Daversa
Daversafications Publications (ASCAP)