Conversation w/ Vincent Ingala

Debbie Cole is excited about an upcoming event in Lexington, KY called the African American Forum, featuring Lindsay Webster and Benson N'Gala. It's a sold-out show and Debbie had a conversation with Benson N'Gala about it. She also mentions that Benson N'Gala will be featured on WSJZ for the next hour. Benson N'Gala talks about how being busy with music after the pandemic is a blessing and how he kept himself motivated during the COVID shutdown by working on his music. He also mentions collaborating with other artists through Zoom during that time. Benson N'Gala talks about the camaraderie and sense of community in the jazz genre and how musicians often collaborate and perform together. He shares that his love for jazz came from being exposed to music at a young age by his father, who was a DJ. He emphasizes the importance of listening to a wide range of music and not limiting oneself to one genre. Hello Lexington and around the world, you're listening to WSJZ, your digital broadcast station. I'm Debbie Cole live here in Lexington, KY as we are getting ready for an exciting weekend. We're going to be hosting Lindsay Webster and Benson N'Gala. That's the African American Forum in partnership with WSJZ. We are very excited to be in the house and it's a sold out crowd. No more tickets. It is to capacity and just had a chance to have a conversation with Benson N'Gala myself a couple of days ago and I want to share that conversation with you. But in the meantime today right now for the next hour, we're going to be featuring Benson N'Gala just to give you a little taste of what's going to be in the place. March the 30th right here at Lexington, KY at the Embassy Suites UK Coldstream. It doesn't get any better than that. And if you don't have a ticket, you're not going to get in because guess what? Sold out means no tickets at the door. No more. All right. Now get ready for Benson N'Gala for the next hour on the desk on the net. I'm Debbie Cole and this is Benson N'Gala with Nasty. Hey, this is Vincent N'Gala. And you're listening to my music right here on WSJZ. Well, in case you're wondering where all of this good music is coming from, well, you're listening to the best on the net. This is WSJZ, your digital broadcast station. I'm Debbie Cole live here in Lexington, KY, and we're excited for this weekend, March the 30th, right here at the Embassy Suites UK Coldstream in front of a live, capacitated, sold out crowd. And this is going to be great because I tell you, Lindsay Webster coming back for the second time and also Benson N'Gala. I've got an interview with him that I shared a conversation with you that I had with him a couple of days ago. We talked about this and that. He's going to give us a little insight on what we can expect. If you don't have a ticket, you can't get in because, like I said, it's a sold out concert. But he's going to give you just a little bit of a take on what he's going to be doing for the concert coming up on March the 30th, right here in Lexington, KY. This is Benson N'Gala on the desk on the net. WSJZ, your digital broadcast station. WSJZ, your digital broadcast station. WSJZ, your digital broadcast station. I'm looking at your tour and I'm saying you are one of the busiest jazz artists. I mean, you're even at the zoo. You're at a pizzeria. You're in Soho. You're all over the place. What's it like to be so busy right now? Well, it's nothing short of a blessing. I'll tell you that because, you know, I think it's COVID taught us one thing. It's that, you know, we didn't realize what we had until it was gone. So, you know, every time we take the stage now, it's just a blessing that there's a show and people there. And, you know, those are all things that we used to take for granted during the pandemic when we were all out of work. So it's a thrill to be to be working in the genre and in the music industry in general. So it's great. It's great. Well, that poses a question because I know all of us had our COVID stories and you're musicians. You know, you had to, you know, set out because that was one of the things that got shut down with entertainment. How did you keep yourself busy and motivated? What did you do to keep the time from just melting away through the COVID? Because I know it was a couple of years that you guys probably had to set out for a little bit. Well, I think after the initial shock wore off of what was going on, you know, we really had nothing but time to, in my case, work on music. And that's when my Fire and Desire CD kind of formed. I just threw myself into this creative spurt and I worked on music and started writing and producing it and recording it because we had nothing else to do. But it was kind of nice because, you know, normally we have to, you know, if we're in the studio, then we've got to go back on the road. So you've got to put your road chops on. And then when you get off the road, you've got to transition back into your studio chops. They're two different things. So just having the dedicated time just to work in the studio was really nice and not have to worry about any other distractions, you know. So that's when most of the work got done. Yeah, you know, most of you, you know, the artists that I have talked to, you know, a lot of them had collaborations going on where they, you know, FaceTime each other and did some collaborations. Did you end up getting into any of that? Did you get to, you know, hang out on the screen and Internet with some of the other artists that you dealt with? Well, Zoom was like all the rage back, you know, back then. I say back then, you know, four years ago. But yeah, you know, that's the way that we connected. A lot of the artists. And, you know, one main thing that comes to mind is, you know, Rick Braun was kind of a pioneer and decided to put together a, you know, a show that we would meet at weekly, you know, Rick's Cafe Live. And it would feature, you know, a bunch of smooth jazz artists. And it was a way that everybody got to stay together and connect. And so we would do duets and record ourselves mobily at home or in our studios. And he would, you know, put this show together and everybody from around the world literally would tune in and hear their favorite jazz artists and connect and write in. And it was a way that, you know, it was a way for us to escape the madness. And we all tuned in and stayed together. So hats off to him for having the foresight to come up with that, you know. Right. Well, you know, that's one of the things that I've seen in the last 15 years that I've been doing jazz. And of course, I've been listening to jazz since I was 15. So I'm telling on myself because this is back in the 80s. But, you know, you guys have like a camaraderie. The jazz genre is like friendship, fellowship. You guys get on stage. It's not about who's the headliner. You guys just mesh together on stage no matter who is on stage. What's that camaraderie like with these jazz musicians? Because I feel like you guys are just, you're just friends of anything. I think you hit the nail on the head. It's a very unique genre in that, you know, it's unlike any other kind of type of music. You know, in addition to being great musically, there's a great sense of community and family within this genre. You know, a lot of us are great friends. Like you said, there's no ego. And it's just the whole spirit of it is revolved around, you know, togetherness and making music together and collaboration. And not only does that happen musically on records, but it happens live. You know, it's a very common occurrence at a show, a festival, or wherever you're playing, a theater, whatever. If someone's in town or someone's on the festival, you know, hey man, grab your horn. Why don't you come up and join me? You know, there's a lot of, there's a lot of that. And a lot of us have recorded on each other's records. So it's just, it lends itself to happening live. And so that's, that's an element that's very unique, you know, that you don't get in other genres at that, that frequency, at least, you know. Right, right. And you know, you're right about that because, like I said, I'm a baby boomer. Been listening to jazz since the 70s. And it's never really changed for me. Jazz just grows and grows and grows. And music never really has a time limit on it. And I know when you grow up with this kind of music, you know, it just hits you. My generation hit jazz back in the 60s and the 70s. When did you first fall in love with jazz? Because I know you've done R&B. I know you've done rock and roll. You've played with just about everybody. When did you actually fall in love with jazz, though? Well, you know, I was exposed to a lot of music from a very, very young age. My father played a significant role in that. He was a mobile disc jockey. Oh, really? Yes, yes. Not full time. He had a, you know, a normal 9 to 5 blue collar job. But on the weekends, he was a DJ. Right. And he was very, very good at it. He had an incredible ear. And, you know, he always belonged in the clubs. You know, he was particularly interested in the New York City nightlife of the 70s. You know, Studio 54 and stuff. So he was an R&B guy. You know, he had a very deep affinity for not only jazz, but, you know, the roots of jazz and the innovators that were kind of taking it to a different level. You know, the Crusaders and Grover and all those guys, of course. You know, but then he also had an affinity for, you know, horn groups. You know, and he went really deep, you know, mandrel and brass construction, you know, BT Express. So, you know, he kind of had that thing. And growing up, you know, I was just like a sponge. You know, I would just absorb all of this music and literally flip through his record crates and just put every single record on the turntable and just listen to everything I possibly could. So, you know, growing up, I mean, that was huge to have all that music at my disposal because, you know, that's how you learn. That's how you grow. You listen and you learn about bands and musicians and you learn vocabulary. And then later in life, when you start playing an instrument yourself, you know, you don't realize when you're writing and playing that, you know, you're pulling from all that stuff that you listen to. It could be country, rock, R&B. So it doesn't matter where it comes from. You know, it's just you're listening to a wide range of music. And that's why I tell the younger generation when they say, you know, give some advice or advise my son. He's playing an instrument. I say listen to everything. Don't quote yourself off to one type of thing. There's so much music out there. You never know where you're going to pull from, you know, and that was the case with me. So very lucky in that respect. Well, you know, your background of sounding with your dad, because I'm a DJ from back in the 70s. That's how I got started in the music industry. Yes. You know, when you grow up with someone who has all the music genres at your disposal, I'm just realizing what you're going through. My kids are going through because I've got like tens and thousands of wax, but they don't know what wax is. But how do you take to the new generation of, you know, how music is, you know, being played? I mean, because, you know, you used to have albums, you used to have cassettes and, you know, now you've got CDs and then CDs are now old now because you just got, you know, cyberspace. What do you think about all this music changing into all these genres of how to listen to it? I don't think it's, I don't think it's useful to point out negatives of how it used to be or what it changed. I think the most important thing is that whatever it is now, and that's, you know, streaming, obviously. I was just talking about this today with my manager. People aren't even downloading songs anymore for 99 cents. It's all streaming now. So, you know, there's pluses and minuses to it all. I mean, you know, the industry has evolved, of course, to how people, you know, consume music and get music. But the whole thing is it's easier now more than ever to access music. I mean, you pay a subscription service, Spotify, Apple Music, what have you, Amazon, and you get literally any song at your disposal from that's ever been made. So it's easier than ever to access music. And I think that's a good thing, because, you know, back in the day, if you wanted to hear something on the radio, you had to either buy the record or you had to go to a friend's house and have the record. Now, I'm not speaking from experience. I'm just speaking from what they told me. You know, I'm just speaking from what they told me. But there's truth to that. I'm very thankful I grew up in the age that I did, because I would have never had access to all the kinds of music and stuff I'd never dreamed that I would learn. You know, any rare cut you want as far as all the popular stuff, you know. And, you know, in addition to that, there is an influx of the younger generation finding the older music because of this. And, you know, they're going back. You know, they're listening to Al Green and they're figuring out who Earth, Wind & Fire was, groups like that. So it's all good. You know, I think it's all good. Well, you know, you play. I know you're going to bring the sax, but I know you play other instruments. Are you going to delight us with some of your other talents of instruments or are you just strictly going to stay with the sax? And what can we expect from Vincent Angala on March 30th? No, no, no. No, no, no. I'm always going to sprinkle a little bit more than that. You know, I've always been a multi-instrumentalist. You know, I started on drums and keys and guitar. And so I still try to introduce all those aspects as much as I can in the show. So, yes, I will have the guitar with me. I might even do a little drum action with my percussionist. And so I just like to switch it all up mostly and give everybody a little variety. You know, that's the whole thing. It's not just one sound all night. I've got so much music that I want to share and influences. And if I have the means to do that, we're going to give the people a good show. That's what it's all about. Well, I'm excited. And I am elated that you're going to do that because I was kind of hoping that. But just to give you an idea, this crowd has been with us for the last 15 years. We've got a smaller setting. We usually have it out in the horse park where there's a thousand folks out there. But this is going to be a small, intimate group. These are jazz fanatics. They are ready. And we are literally down to a handful of tickets. If somebody called and said they wanted six tickets, somebody's not going. So you are going to be in front of the biggest crowd that we can fit into this room. And if you bring it, we're going to bring it to you because Kentucky is ready for Vincent Angalo. On March 30th, right here in Lexington at the Embassy Suites, where we always have the hospitality of just the ambiance. And then, of course, you're going to bring the ambiance with your flavor of jazz. And we're looking forward to your coming to Lexington. For the first time, hopefully we will give you the red carpet and give you some hospitality to where you're coming back. Lindsay's coming back for the second time because she knows the hospitality and how we had her here. She was really embraced. And we know you're going to be embraced because the ticket sales say so. Well, we can't wait. And, you know, we're just thankful to stations like you that keep playing us. You know, it's a team effort. We wouldn't be able to keep touring and making music without your help. So we're very thankful that we're working together, number one. Number two, very thankful to you guys coming out to this show, supporting live music. That's what it's all about. We've got to keep this genre going as long as we can. And what a thrill for me coming to Lexington for the first time. So I'm going to have my touring band with me. We're pulling out all the stops. We're bringing the best show we could possibly bring and couldn't be more thrilled. So we're looking forward to it coming up in just two short weeks. Just about. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .