Mike Casey

For the eighth installment of our Vinyl Five series, we catch up with artist and composer Mike Casey.

As 1 of 16 selected for the GRAMMYs’ “NEXT” Class of 2023 + featured in Spotify’s “Best Jazz of 2020-22”, the Los Angeles based, New England raised saxophone-based artist incorporates global rhythms, funk, soul, & hip hop into his own definition of lyrical, cinematic, modern jazz fusion.

With his 9th release 'Valencia' out September 23 2024, over 60 million streams and support from NPR & BBC, he was recently featured on NBA legend & avid jazz fan Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's newsletter.

Casey has brought his eclectic live show to notable stages such as the Kennedy Center, World Cafe Live, BRIC Jazz Fest, Catalina's. 2023 marked his scoring debut with placements in Netflix top 10 show "Spy Ops".

Q&A

In a world of streaming and almost limitless titles available, why do you think people are going back to vinyl? 

I think people are going back to vinyl because it often sounds “better” - warmer, less compressed, more “open”. It’s an enhanced multi-sensory experience, you are taking a journey with the music even if it is shipped to your door. You own it and its yours forever. You have to sit down in one place and listen. It’s meditative and spiritual in that way. Last but not least it’s one of the best ways to support artists you love.

Tell us a story about each of the records you selected. Why do these albums mean something to you?

1. Sonny Rollins: Saxophone Colossus

There are many reasons. To start it’s one of the earliest jazz saxophone records I really got obsessed with as a kid. Hearing it again brings me great joy! Just hearing Sonny’s sound is emotional for me. Especially after reading Aidan Levy’s superb new biography of Sonny with the same name. Sonny Rollins - who more or less was the first to really coin a certain kind of highly lyrical, highly detailed “thematic improvisation” - long form “obvious” storytelling through melody & rhythm via spontaneous composition - especially heavily motific and exceptionally horizontal in nature -  is massively influential on pretty much every saxophonist and I am no exception. This album (especially “Blue 7” and “Moritat” aka “Mack The Knife”)  is one of the first examples of him doing this, the other album being “Tenor Madness” (specifically “The Most Beautiful Girl in The World”), both being recorded in 1956. The other reason is that beyond being a lifelong fan I had a couple chances to connect with him before my recording career started - back in 2014 as a junior at the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz there was a “Sonny Rollins Meets His Fans” contest organized by Bret Primack (aka “The Jazz Video Guy”) on YouTube. I spent a ton of time collecting votes from everyone I had ever met to ensure I would get a chance to speak with my idol and ask him questions.

For jazz artists, developing a distinct voice as an improviser and composer - and just the sound on your instrument - is the north star. Sonny’s advice to a younger me 10 years ago in this video really changed my whole life. “You sound like you today, what you want is to sound like a better you.”. I had been searching both “inside” and “outside” but through his advice I realized  what I really needed to do, more or less exclusively at that point, was search “inside” for refinement. It was a big wake up call.

As fate would have it, a year later, Sonny was (rightfully) awarded an honorary doctorate my graduation year at The Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz (and graduation day was on Jackie McLean’s birthday no less - special as Sonny and Jackie, another big influence on me, have personal and musical history together). 

It was such an amazing moment to meet him in person on that special day. I remember asking him about sound and he dropped a gem that I still revisit constantly which was to pull the sound from the ground through your feet then into your lungs. Sonny Rollins has one of the best saxophone sounds of all time.

As a sort of a tribute to this moment and meeting Sonny, I decided to arrange and record my own version of “Mack The Knife” aka “Moritat” with my trio for my debut album which was recorded February 2016 and released February 2017, “The Sound of Surprise: Live at the Side Door." I subtly quote some of Sonnys original solo from his version in my own (but in a different place / way - see if you can find it ;)

Q&A

When you shop for records, do you make a plan or just ransack the stacks and hope for the best?

I don’t plan - in fact I love the spontaneity of it, you never know what you’re going to find. I love the phrase you used here “ransack the stacks” and I will be exclusively using this phrase from here on out. 

On a 10-scale how much of an audiophile are you really (One: if it sounds ok, I’m ok. Ten: I’m extremely picky and need it to sound just so!)?

With my own music - as I’ve been mixing and mastering it a lot myself lately including the new album “Valencia” - I’m extremely picky and hard on myself to produce the absolute best sound I can. With others’ music, I care more about the music and way less about the sound. However, I greatly appreciate great sound and do notice a difference between say a 16 bit 44.1 WAV and a 24 bit 48khz WAV. 

Did you make mixtapes as a kid? How elaborate were they? Did you deck them out with custom inkwork? Fill them with rare grooves? Were they full of your favorites you wanted to share? Tell us.

I made a ton of these. Spent lots of time burning CD-Rs and later MP3 CDs. I remember losing my mind when MP3 CDs dropped. Full of my favorites. At that time period - early 2000s… I was listening to a lot of rap. An eclectic refined mix of crunk (I love the production and call/response), Houston style (I stan Chamillionaire), NYC (50 Cent, Jay Z, Red Cafe, Fabolous era) and West Coast (Snoop, Dre etc) and some Eminem. I had to sneak buying the explicit versions, and enjoyed them until my mother deleted them all because she wanted me buying the ‘clean’ versions haha.

2. Amy Winehouse: Back to Black

This one really grabbed me when it came out, especially the title track as well as “Rehab”, “Wake Up Alone”, “Just Friends”. The cry in her voice alone…chills down my spine.

Back in 2006 I was 13 and while I did grow up listening to my parents Motown favorites this was the first R&B record in an older vibe that I felt was really “for my generation” at that time. Later on watching the Amy documentary, that really hit me hard. At that age when this came out I never knew what she was going through. What a record, what a life. A big loss for my generation and a cautionary tale for many. 

Q&A

Any genres of music that are a hard pass?

Usually Country. I’d love to be proven wrong though. Closest I’ve gotten is Wood Brothers - Kingdom in My Mind which most would probably call Americana - not country. I love that record. It’s got some twang but you can tell it’s made by jazz guys (one of the Brothers is from Medeski Martin & Wood) if you know the jazz rhythm section language…all the nuances are there for me.

Any favorite record labels?

For jazz, definitely Blue Note. I grew up listening to and studying so many Blue Note records. Starting to explore ECM a little more these days too. G-Unit, Shady Aftermath, Death Row, Roc-A-Fella for hip hop. For soul, Motown, Stax, Philly International.

Besides vinyl or music, what else do you collect?

As a kid I collected basketball cards. I still have a lot of them! Have some pretty rare ones too.

3. Stan Getz & João Gilberto: Getz/Gilberto

Another childhood favorite. One of the coolest records ever imho. One of the first jazz records I discovered in general, and my introduction to Brazilian music, which is one of my favorite wells to draw inspiration from a composer the past few years. Stan Getz has one of the best sounds ever on saxophone. His solos on this record are astoundingly beautiful. Even though they had just met you and spoke different languages within and outside music, they had such a spiritual connection. A seminal historic record and always a joy to listen to. Spiritually refreshing to revisit. I love the artwork on the front too. It perfectly describes the music.

Having played these songs on gigs many times, I think a lot of people sleep on how deceptively difficult it can be to improvise at a high level on Brazilian harmony. When I really started studying it, it really helped me open up more and find more colors to work with as a composer too. Some of my new record “Valencia” has influence from Brazilian-esque harmony on “Universal Gratitude” and even the bridge of “Venus” and this Getz/Gilberto was my very first introduction to these types of harmonic cadences.

Q&A

What new albums or artists do you have in your current rotation that are flipping your lid right now?

Nina Gat & Ananda Brandao - When Homelit, Louis Cole - last few albums/everything, Aaron Frazer - Into the Blue, Norah Jones - Visions, Lake Street Dive - Obviously, Cleo Sol, Yotam Silberstein - Future Memories,  Olivia Dean - Live at the Jazz Cafe, Lianne La Havas, St Francis Hotel, Takuya Kuroda, Martin Bejerano, Gilad Hekselman - Far Star….

 Headphones or speakers?

Old records, speakers always. I can’t really enjoy the super wide panning on old records in headphones anymore. But on new records I tend to prefer headphones sometimes actually. 

Is there any specific person, place or moment that minted your love of music?

My parents. I’m grateful they had music playing often in the house, grateful they let me bang on pots and pans, grateful they encouraged my passion, grateful that they listened (most of the time) when I told them I needed to practice and absurd # of hours and grateful for my mom singing to me.

4. Anderson Paak: Malibu

This is actually the only one in this list that I discovered as an adult. This came out when I was about 22 or 23. It’s really inspiring just how diverse Anderson .Paak’s skill set is - drums, rapping, singing, writing, producing. It combines all my favorite musical ingredients across multiple genres.

“Come Down” is very, very personal to me - the intro grabbed me right away. “The Bird”, “Heart Don’t Stand a Chance”,  “Celebrate” are faves too. Close to a decade later, now that I’m living in LA and have actually visited Malibu the record sounds even better to me now than it did at first.

This record really turned me on to his music. It would be a dream to collab with Anderson .Paak someday - one of my favorite living artists for sure.

5. Frank Sinatra: Ultimate Sinatra

It might seem like a cop out to pick a compilation, but this compilation was actually my intro to Sinatra as a kid - not any specific album. For that reason, and having listened to many since, it’s impossible to pick a favorite album so I was stoked to see that you carried this compilation as this was exactly what I listened to growing up.

I listened to Sinatra a ton as a kid, he’s as much of an influence on me as anyone else I’m influenced by really. Singing along to him helped me learn so many standards (important for any young aspiring jazz artist) and his liquid phrasing is highly original and impossible to replicate though many try.

While Sinatra wasn’t an arranger, I feel like he had great taste in picking arrangers and all the arrangers on his records helped me learn to arrange as well. Favorite cuts include: My Way, The Way You Look Tonight, That’s Life, Strangers in The Night, Come Fly With Me, Fly Me To The Moon, New York, NY Theme, All The Way, I’ve You Got You Under My Skin, All or Nothing at All. 

Listen in Hi-Res

As part of our Vinyl Five series, we ask our esteemed participants to play their thoughtfully picked records on a premium Victrola Hi-Res turntable while sharing their thoughts and feelings. Using either wireless aptX™ Adaptive Bluetooth connectivity or wired with a switchable preamp standard RCA outs, Hi-Res turntables provide vinyl listening in stunning clarity.