Latino, Hispanic Culture, Arts and Entertianment at BF Cafe

Exceptional guitarist, Russ Hewitt’s new release Bajo el Sol (Under the Sun) is a mix of colorful, vibrant and exotic Latin/flamenco-style smooth jazz. Russ began his career as a hard rocker in the hot Dallas music scene but after traveling and absorbing world styles, Russ has created his own sound that he describes as “Latin World”, with his top notch band: drummer Walfredo Reyes, Jr., percussionist Raphael Padilla, bassist Bob Parr, and flamenco guitar prodigy Alfredo Caceres. We are excited about Russ’s music as we think you will be too. Please visit his web sites to hear his music and support this exceptional musician.
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BFC: You had an interesting upbringing for a musician creating Latin based music, can you tell us a little about it?

I was born in Vietnam and grew up in Florida then Texas. I remember being a huge Kiss fan when I was a kid, much to my parent’s dismay, and then nothing till the late 80′s when MTV came around I got to see and hear all these new bands. By time I was old enough to start going to concerts my musical taste leaned toward rock/heavy metal. I’m definitely a product of what was happening at the time with radio and TV. I can’t imagine what I would be into if I was growing up now, so many distractions. I never had any musical influence from my parents at all; I don’t recall even having the radio on much when I was younger, although I did find out many years later that my mom was an aspiring singer in Vietnam. My parents were always supportive with whatever project I was doing at the time but they’re particularly proud of ‘Bajo el Sol’.

BFC: If your parents didn’t play music, what influenced you to become a musician and who were your favorite musicians when you first started playing?

My older brother started playing guitar and playing in bands so I did what most younger brothers do and followed suit. All my friends in school got a guitar at about the same time as well. I messed around with it for a couple of years but never took it seriously until I had the opportunity to buy all of my brother’s equipment after he quit playing. Finally having a good guitar and amp made learning so much easier and more fun than before, but after that came the long hours of practicing. I was easily influenced and excited by everything I came across when I was younger; whether it was a concert, guitar show, some guy at a music shop, a instructional video, etc., it all made me want to play more and get better.

BFC: As you got better, you enrolled in school to become classically trained. What interested you to take this type of training?

I did the opposite of most players – I started out with rock then transition to classical guitar. Once I graduated High School I wanted to continue to learn and grow as a musician, so college seemed to be the next logical step, but unfortunately there was no ” rock guitar” degrees available. I was into guitar players like Rik Emmet of Triumph, Randy Rhoads of Ozzy Osbourne and Steve Howe of Yes who all did pseudo-classical guitar pieces that I learned plus with the neo-classical movement led by Yngwie Malmsteem that I loved, I choose Classical guitar over Jazz. The best thing I learned was how to organize time to be able to practice properly. While I was getting a performance degree from the University of North Texas is still played in rock bands and did some touring and recording with them. It was nice to be able to switch back and forth between the two to avoid being burnt out on a particular style.

BFC: Can you touch on your experience in the Dallas rock scene?

I’ve been blessed to have played with or opened for some of my favorite bands. Opening for Thin Lizzy in a small club and watching Tommy Aldridge do his hand drum solo from about 4 feet away on the side of the stage was awesome. Playing with some of the Pantera guys for a new years gig is definitely a highlight as well. I never did any official studying abroad but every time I traveled I immersed myself in the musical culture getting sheet music, recordings and playing with others. Every time I get exposed to something new it can’t help but influence my music and what I play even if it’s in a subconscious level.

BFC: Speaking of your music, you have a new release called Bajo el Sol. What was your inspiration for the music?

With ‘Bajo el Sol’ I wanted to create music that was listener accessible yet technically complex. I didn’t want to make a CD for guitarist of musicians only, I wanted to write something that would create a mood, provoke a thought, etc.

BFC: You describe your music as Latin World with Nuevo flamenco influence, is that correct? Can you touch on what people can expect from your music.

Nuevo flamenco is a style popularized by Ottmar Liebert in the early 90′s by taking traditional flamenco rhythms and turning them into pop instrumental songs. I used that as a starting point and expanded upon it by adding exotic scales, odd time signatures and different rhythms from around the world, hence the term Latin World. The beauty of this style is I’m able to be categorized in many different genres from New Age, Latin, Latin Jazz, Nuevo flamenco and Smooth Jazz. I’ve had a Top 20 single, ‘Bajo el sol’, and a top 15 single, ‘Lydia’ on the smooth jazz indie charts and I’ve been the #1 smooth jazz artist played on Music Choice Satellite and Cable TV for over 6 weeks.

BFC: Where and how can people hear and/or purchase your music?

You can purchase the CD through itunes or by clicking on the ‘CDBaby’ logo on my website www.russhewittmusic.com or www.myspace.com/russhewittmusic

Thank you Russ!

PM07/09