I got the opportunity to talk with Ben Sollee who is an amazing cello player from here in Louisville. He’s playing at the 930 art center on February 8 with Bridgid Kaelin and Mike Mangione. The show starts at 8 and the cover is only $5. His recent 21c performance sold out, so get there early. Here’s how the interview went:
How did you get into the Cello?
In elementary school they had several instruments and we got to play each of them and I just liked the cello. I liked how the low strings sounded & I just thought it was a really cool. I was the only one who liked playing the cello so that’s what I did. As I grew up I took lessons from several people and learned a lot. My parents were both musicians so they really encouraged me. Sometimes I didn’t learn quite as fast as they’d have liked me to, but eventually I got there. Eventually I came to Louisville and studies under Pete.
Who were your influences musically?
Really I didn’t have a lot of influences from the cello itself. Mostly my influences came from people like Paul Simon and vocalists like that.
How do you think the cello fits in with modern music?
I think its a great time for the cello. People are starting to open their mind and are ready to listen to something different. We’ve had several years of people strumming guitars and singing. You listen to the radio and every year its been the same thing, a guitar and singing. People are looking for something different now. And unlike in years past, you don’t have to be really experimental but instead just play good music. I think music is at a great time right now. I think Louisville is representative of that too. There is so much happening here right now.
So that said, what inspired you to cover When Doves Cry by Prince?
Prince is bad ass. I guess when I heard the version done on Romeo & Juliet with the orchestra behind it I became really inspired. I went back and listened to the original Prince version & it’s just a great song. I just wanted to see what it’d sound like.
How did you feel about being named among the top 10 unknown artists of 2007?
It’s sort of a unique thing. I guess its a compliment. It’s sort of like “you’re the best that nobody knows about.” But it’s good, it really is. It’s a good starting point. NPR in Philadelphia just got in touch with us today actually and we’re going to be doing a World Cafe session soon.
You are a member of the Sparrow Quartet. How has that experience been for you?
Getting to play with Bela Fleck and Cassie Driessen I learned a lot. There such great musicians you constantly learn from them. One thing I learned is that when there is something you want, you have to fight for it. You have to explain and argue and tell them why. When Bela is sitting there saying “I don’t understand why you want to do this” you learn to really explain the music you’re passionate about.
What about touring in Tibet?
It was a great experience. We came in and played to enormous crowds and one of the things I distinctly remember was how the kids came in. Thousands of kids came in rows and they were so well disciplined. They didn’t run to their seats. They walked in a line and and turned where their row was and went to their seat. It was really interesting. I imagine it was a lot like when we go to the KCA and see a traditional mongolian band. We were a novelty there.
Another thing that caught my attention was how empty the cities were. They’ve built up these big cities, but they haven’t gotten the number of people they want to come yet. They’re trying to bring in a lot of Chinese people. In schools they don’t teach the Tibetan language past 5th grade because they want to make the people from China to feel more at home and not alienated.
I noticed you’ve got about 30 shows lined up, but that most of them are with the Sparrow Quartet. Are you saving some time to tour in promotion of your new album?
I am. My new album Learning to Bend hasn’t yet been released nationally. So far we’ve only released it locally. That said, Sparrow Quartet has a new album though, so we’re really pushing that right now. I recently did my release over 2 nights at 21c and it was a great experience. We had some people from the Louisville Ballet. It was really well received and just went over really well. I’ve got a few more shows coming up first here as well.
Thanks for your time Ben, it was great getting to talk with you
Update: Ben Sollee posted a new music video for It’s Not Impossible
Tags: Ben Sollee, cello, Sparrow Quartet