Meet Clyde & Albert ( Doc Al and Mista Clyde ) | Artist, Musicians

We had the good fortune of connecting with Clyde & Albert ( Doc Al and Mista Clyde ) and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Clyde & Albert ( Doc Al and Mista Clyde ), how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Being an artist musician as we’ve gotten older, for our peace of mind and sanity, we have to balance out our need to make a living and family needs. We have to discipline our time with the continued exploration of our instruments, song craft, and the business of music, which includes most of the work. Networking, promotion, distribution are all necessary parts of the puzzle for the modern musician and the little monetary gain you may recieve. For whatever reasons, in society it’s more about the entertainment factor than the music. Music competes with the publics attention span which is short. Music because of this, has been devalued as technology finds new ways to distract and grab attention. For those individuals that love to play their instruments, you have to find a way to co-exist loving what music does to you rather, than for you.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Clyde- I think a lot about where we grew up, Seattle. Growing up in a very rainy environment left for a lot of time indoors practicing your ax. There is something about the environment and the water ! As was mentioned, there have been a host of great artist and musicians that came out of the Seattle area. As a child from about 6-12, I was very much influenced by all the records my older brother brought home before I even picked up an instrument. Groups and Artist like Frank Zappa ( Peaches en Regalia)The Mothers of Invention to Antonio Carlos Jobim, Eric Dolphy, Miles, 70’s CTI records and rock and roll. Our music that we create (Doc Al and Mista Clyde) and earlier music Audio Cultures is hard to categorize at times. It can be funky, jazzy with a edge, elements of rock, cinematic. We don’t relate to the term “Smooth Jazz” and think a lot of radio proponents and their ilk, did a lot of damage to the public with airing trash, or artist who had nothing to do with any form of jazz on the air and it definitely wasn’t smooth. At its height of popularity a lot of it sounded the same no emotion, no imagination, no soul, no nothin.

Albert – What sets us apart from others… They haven’t created a genre for our music yet !

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
For music Yoshis Night Club for Jazz, soul, R & B. As the great jazz players have transitioned, what use to be primarily a jazz venue, has now embraced other genres of music The Bay Area, Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose are all rich playgrounds, for art, music, hip hop culture, and just entertainment ! Fine food and dining are all blended together !

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Clyde – First off my older sister and brother who early in my formative years exposed me to so much music, Janie Lewis ( sis) played classical music and gospel music. My older brother James Childress, exposed me to every genre of music imagginable by bringing home a very wide and eclectic mix of records.. Lui & Blondie Satterfield (Phenix Horns) who taught me a lot of life lessons and music. Professor Bill Bell who was the first teacher in a long line of others who had a gift for teaching music and helped me to realize and understand so much about the fundamentals . A book by author Michelle Mercer – Wayne Shorter “FootPrints” and documentary Zero Gravity

Albert -The people that stand out to me as influences are as follows.
Ray Baldwin -my High School Music teacher.
Carl Falls -my first bass mentor.
Ollie Mr. Clean McClay -band leader who I traveled with for eight years. A highly educated person who is a former NFL player.
Larry Batiste -band leader singer song writer and musical business educator
My Bass instrutors -Dale Titus and Kai Eckhardt

Growing up in Seattle we always heard of the legends that came from our city. The bar was set high from the beginning….
Jimi Hendrix
Quincy Jones
Ernestine Anderson
Ray Charles
Kenny G.
Bruce Lee
Bing Crosby
Nirvana

Website: Docta Al and Mista Clyde

Facebook: Clyde Childrezz. Albert Hobson

Youtube: doc al mista clyde

Image Credits
Alejandra Hobson Jp.Castillones