Bars &
Music Notes
Bars &
Music Notes
Bars &
Music Notes
Quin Jaye was born in Born in Trexler Town Pennsylvania. Quin Jaye was born to play music and being able to play the trumpet and rap is a gift within itself. Quin Jaye has been playing the trumpet since elementary school. With the trumpet not being his first instrument of choice, Quin Jaye played the flute, when he realized it had to many buttons he moved to the trombone and gave that up because he said his arms were too short. Quin Jaye moved to East Allentown during his sixth-grade summer and it was a new environment for him. He joined the band in middle school, and the passion for the trumpet grew stronger. But like most pre-teens he became more focused on playing basketball and looking fly, until he reached high school. He attended Lehigh Valley Highschool Charter School for the arts, and he auditioned and was excepted. His dreams of going to the NBA diminished and he became more serious with his career as a jazz musician, here is his story.
“All music is jazz because jazz is so free”
Who inspired you to rap?
Kendrick Lamar, J Cole and Miles Davis
If you were to give someone advice on life or how to become a jazz musician what would you say?
In high school I was getting private lessons and the teachers learned jazz music different than I did. I don’t like to sit and read books about it or have someone tell me how I should play it. All music is jazz because jazz is so free. I use jazz to find more of myself and my creative outlets, it’s all about connections and reactions with the player and the band. You have to play jazz to learn how to play jazz, you can study jazz by listening to it as well.
How do you wish to inspire people through music?
With the rapping and trumpet conversion that’s something that I do and I have many people talk down on that saying I should not be doing it. But that’s something that I want to do, I am influenced by others but at the end of the day I’m doing what I want to do. So if you’re doing something that you feel is unique or just like what you’re doing follow it and keep doing it. That’s why I try to inspire people with my music, to inspire them to be different and be themselves.
Who or what inspired you to be a jazz musician?
Who! It would be Miles Davis he is an extremely good trumpet player and he explored different sides of music. In the eighties and seventies, he played rock music, free avantgarde rock style. He had two guitar players, two drummers and two pianos. In the sixties he played what they called elevated music “Bebop.” He influenced me to cover a lot of ground when it came to hip hop and jazz. He explored the grounds that he knew, and I am exploring the grounds that I know as much as possible. Jazz music is very spiritual, it is the most spiritual music in my eyes only because it has a lot of depth to it.
How does music make you feel?
Whatever the artist is trying to display is usually what I feel. My music, each song is a different feel and a different vibe. Now, a lot of music is about the same stuff its turn up music and that is what it is meant to do.
Have you done any shows?
Yes! I have done a couple of shows especially when I was in high school. I have done some on third street in Bethlehem, Sherman showcase in Stroudsburg, Blackthorn in Queens New York and won second place in the coast to coast competition.
So other than playing the trumpet you are a rapper as well can you tell us how that journey started for you?
Jake Deblasio owner of City View Sounds introduced me to a project and I started rapping. Rapping is very interesting to me and can be frustrating at times. With balancing the trumpet and rapping I like crossing them when making my music. I also want to have a clear definition of me being Quin Jaye the trumpet player and Quin Jaye the rapper. It is an interesting journey, interesting path with trying to merge them both as best I can in different ways. Sometimes It will be a trap beat and I will put the horn over it and sometimes it will be a jazz beat and I will rap over it. This summer I am dropping a summer series which I will be dropping a single every week. I am three tracks in, and the first single is called “Swinging” with a laid back jazzy vibe to it. The second one was titled be free and half of that song is horn, I rapped and put horn on it. I wanted people to listen to the horn because some people don’t like hearing It or understand what it is or understand that the rapper on the track is the same person playing the trumpet.
