Music can sometimes feel like work when working uninspired. So how does a saxophonist, with over three decades in the music industry, keep the fire going in her soul? You're listening to Off the Record with Stephen Philip Harvey, where we sit down and talk to a variety of musicians on today's music scene.
Today we're sitting down with Fonstina Dixon. She's a saxophonist who's appeared with names like Abby Lincoln, Barry Harris, Gil Evans, Melba Liston and onwards, but what inspires her own music.
So, this last single idea that was a cover. "Ooh, Baby, Baby." I saw Smokey Robinson do an interview and I was like, this guy's been out here for how many years?At least five decades, if not six. Yeah, six. And I saw him do a movement, like trying to do the bump and grind and I thought it was hilarious. And he had on a pink suit and I was like, yo, my eyes were bucked wild! Because I was like, wow. And he looks good and in terms of being able to get around.
He can walk on the stage and he can speak and and I was so encouraged. And then I heard, oh, baby, baby. And at that moment the words of the lyrics of that song just hit me. And then I had just seen him.
A love for song, like that of Smokey Robinson. & and the Miracles is common. But how does Fostina transfer this to saxophone?
Melody is so cool to play on a saxophone. If you pick up and try to play that melody, it goes from the high I did you that. Ooh. The Octa and stuff. It's, it was cool to play too. I can think of some Abby Lincoln songs because I worked with Abby and it's like those songs, try playing that on a horn. Okay? I feel like, I wanna say catch me if you can, but the way Abby uses her voice and that timur of her. And then that range that she, it sings. And so, "In My Father's House."
This week, Fostina Dixon hits the stage in Delmarva at the Jazz on the Waterfront Festival in Crisfield, Maryland. When asked what to expect from her performance, this is what she had to say.
Wow. We going to bring a little bit of the new cd, a little bit of the old the Ooh Baby. 'cause I just came out with that. I did. I had another single pop out like a couple of weeks ago. Revelation, and we're gonna do some stuff that we.
Ha, my band they're gonna be a little, they're gonna have to work a little bit, cats get too complacent. But I have four new songs on my new CD that I want to introduce them to for Crisfield. Yeah, we going bring it, we gonna bring some R&B, we're gonna bring some jazz. And I might throw a little something in there that I don't wanna talk about, Richard.
So yeah, we gonna have a little bit of everything up in there. And fly Dennis fortune on piano. Mike Cruz on base and Kevin James on drums.
That was saxophone as Faina Dixon. She performs this Saturday at the Jazz at the Waterfront Festival in Chris Field, Maryland. More information can be found at crisfieldjazz.com.
This was off the record, hosted by Stephen Philip Harvey, a Delmarva Public Media Production. To hear more Off the Record interviews or to listen to other original segments like this, visit delmarvapublicmedia.org.
