Words by Crystal Mioner
Photo by Chris Thorn
With one foot firmly rooted in jazz and the other in techno, producer and keyboardist Jon Dixon is a physical embodiment of the bridge upon which Black music spans. He’s played with everyone from Underground Resistance to Chick Corea in his 30 years of music making. On July 31st, Times of Change, his latest release for his label 4EVR 4WRD, drops on vinyl. Black Bandcamp chatted with Jon to talk about his new 4-track Hi-Tech Jazz project and his musical lineage.
How did you meet Mike Banks and get involved with UR?
I met Mike Banks in 2007 via De’Sean Jones. The UR band, Galaxy 2 Galaxy, was looking for a keyboardist for a gig at the Montreux Jazz Fest and DeSean, who also recently met Banks at the time, mentioned my name. Mike calls me up one day and says, “If you want to travel the world playing music and get paid for it, stop by the building (Submerge) on Monday at 3 o’clock. If not, get the f*ck on…are you down?” My immediate response, out of shock and somewhat fear, was “Yeah!” I show up Monday, ring the bell, and a man with cornrows (Mike) opens the door,takes me upstairs to the 2nd floor, and shows me a keyboard. Mike then said, “play something.” I start playing who knows what and about 5 seconds later he says, “Cool, go downstairs, talk to the manager Cornelius about getting your passport. We leave for Switzerland in 2 weeks. Rehearsal starts tomorrow.” The rest is history!
How did you end up working with Britt Frappier?
I met Britt through her husband and amazing musician Frap, also known as Andre. They both have a band known as Small Creatures and they called me for a few shows in Detroit a couple years ago. One day while driving and listening to ‘Black Rose’, which is nowhere near the tempo of the remix I did, I noticed how amazing Britt’s vocals and writing were. So I hit her and Frap up about getting the vocals to do a remix just for fun. What turned out as doing something for fun has led to a release to the song, as well as an EP the 3 of us are working on. I also asked her to be on my newest EP ‘Times of Change’. She’s featured on ‘Move 4WRD’.
What does your typical day to day look like in quarantine?
Since COVID my day to day is a bit more concrete. I spend a lot of time with my almost 2 year old son during the mornings and afternoons. I’m still able to teach my group piano classes and private students through the week. When he goes down to sleep for his nap and at night is when I work on music, cook, or spend time with my wife.
“When you care about an artform, the last thing you want to see, is it turned into something it wasn’t meant to be. To avoid that from happening, you have to invest time and energy and educate those willing to listen and learn.”
What role do you think that intergenerational mentorship plays in keeping the spirit of Hi-Tech Jazz alive?
A huge one! It doesn’t get mentioned enough. When you care about an artform the last thing you want is to see it turn into something it wasn’t meant to be. To avoid that from happening, you have to invest time and energy and educate those willing to listen and learn. I’ve been blessed to not only have great mentors in electronic music like Mike Banks, Carl Craig, Waajeed, Amp Fiddler, Goldie, Derrick May, Kai Alce and more, but also Detroit’s late Godfather of jazz, Marcus Belgrave. As a Detroit artist, I’m responsible for the generation after me. So why not share what I know to not only help the next generation, but position them to be able to push the music further. I didn’t get to where I am by myself, so instead of withholding all I was taught, I share it.
What upcoming artists do you feel represent the future of Hi-Tech Jazz?
Although he’s been on the scene and music industry for a minute, Waajeed is definitely representing the future of Hi-Tech Jazz. Another producer and upcoming artist who is killing it is Darrius Quince. I met him when he was about 7 years old and he played organ at the church I played at. He goes by the alias Inkredibeatz and he has an edit on my last EP entitled ‘Want It’. I just spoke to him yesterday about Bandcamp and am working alongside him to get his music heard by the world. He’s a bright musician and has a crazy ear for melody and harmony. Kenny Dixon (Moodymann) once said, “some of the greatest music being created you’ll never hear.” There are so many artists, not only in Detroit, but globally who may not have the ability to get themselves or their music out there for the world to hear. They’re in their studios or on their laptops making some of the most amazing music. And sadly, it could get overlooked. I’m hopeful that those out there making Hi-Tech Jazz will be heard and maybe some collaborations/releases can happen on my label 4EVR 4WRD.
Do you think artists have a responsibility to speak out on injustices?
It depends on the artist. I can’t speak for everyone, but for me I want to be able to make the biggest impact in the most realistic way. It could be educating some of the students I teach and prepping them on what to expect when being a black artist. It could also be in the form of music. Coming from the school of UR and having over 30 years of musical experience, I’m able to best express what I’m feeling musically. And all this can be in addition to doing what must be done without feeling the need to post it on social media.
Why do so many Detroit artists end up leaving the city? How could the city better support them?
It could be a number of reasons. Some artists have families and don’t want to raise them in Detroit. Others may want a change of scenery to help inspire the art they make. I think the city is becoming more aware of its rich art community and the impact that we have globally, but things like more arts programs are needed. We do have great programs that aren’t in the schools like Spin Inc. that are keeping the youth engaged in music, but that’s not enough. My biggest fear is that Detroit becomes a has been, in terms of the art that it creates. Young artists, not just in music, need spaces that they can create and share their art. They are the future of what this city is known for, which is being at the forefront of whatever the next big thing is.