Barry Danielian
 Trumpeter / Producer / Arranger Barry Danielian is never short of stories. With a resume that reads like a who's who list, the experienced American musician collaborated with a distinguished list of top-notch names in the industry. Billy Joel, Santana, Natalie Cole, Branford Marsalis, Paul Simon and Spyro Gyra are only a few of the names he worked with in a career that spans over 15 years. He provided his musical musings to many genres including jazz, pop, R&B, and hip-hop.
Barry Danielian holds a degree in jazz performance from the Berklee College of Music and was honored with the University of Notre Dame's Outstanding Jazz Soloist Award. After touring the world around a few times in the 80's, he decide to spent more time in the studio. With over 200 recordings to his credit as a session player/arranger, he became a valuable and in-demand session musician.
Barry, a converted Muslim and deeply spiritual person, took out a little time out of his busy schedule to talk with us about music, the state of the business, and spiritualism:
You have a huge experience in a lot of different genres. How did you end up getting involved in so many?
In the early 80's, when I started out, there was so little work for a horn player, the only way to be "marketable" was to be versatile. This wasn't a stretch for me because I grew up listening to a lot of different types of music and as a professional I enjoyed the challenge of going into a variety of musical situations. Spiritually, it's part of serving others. Musically, I help create the sound that the artist is trying to capture.
I do prefer to play music that has a large component of improvisation. It is more challenging and rewarding. It's about finding a balance between the reality of making a living and feeling like what your playing has some meaning on a deeper level.
What kind of music do you listen to?
I listen to a wide array of music. I love Indian music. In fact I was on tour with A.R. Rahman who is a huge Indian composer. [The tour] was a mixture of Americans and Indians. Being a Muslim, the Indians were fascinated with me. They were all either Muslim or Hindu. We all got along great; it felt like family. They were very spiritual people. There was a feeling that music was a sacred thing, a form of worship. This is something I've always felt but in our culture music is just seen as entertainment and usually [reality drive] entertainment.
I LOVE West African music. My Sufi tariqah, The Tijaniyyah, is very large in North and West Africa and my Shaikh is from Senegal. I have a spiritual connection to the culture of that area. Their music was influenced by R&B and Latin music, so it's an interesting and exciting combination of influences.
How does your spiritualism influence your music?
I tend to be very spiritual in my worldview. I suppose my long journey to Islam is the most obvious example that most musicians are spiritual. We live in a culture that, to some extent, divorces spirituality from the "mix". This culture has some "religious" components to it, but for me, there's a difference between "religiosity" and "spirituality." I think most artists realize that they are a conduit, that music is a gift from God. So the more connected we are to the source of that gift, the more we purify ourselves to receive that gift. Music has this power and I've seen it in action. It can break down all the illusionary walls that separate us as human beings. It is a universal language, which is why you can go anywhere and play music and people will respond. I've played the Blues in Korea and Latin Jazz in Finland and despite the cultural differences, the people smile and feel joy.
Do you accept any projects that come to you or are you selective in that process?
Being a Muslim, there are certain types of situations I prefer not to be in. I don't play in clubs too much. Unless the purpose of the club is to listen to music. This is the case of most jazz clubs. Discos and dance halls, that's another story. I don't do those gigs. I don't play on jingles that are for products that are haram i.e. beer ads, cigarette ads, commercials for the military etc. I don't want my talent to be connected to things that I don't believe in.
Tell us about the "Music of Armenia" project you were involved in. How did that come about?
The Armenian Project was coordinated by George Avakian. George used to produce for Columbia Records. In fact, he produced some Miles Davis records and many other important jazz recordings. So it was a chance to work with him as well as some of the great musicians who were on the project. I grew up very "American" so I didn't have a strong Armenian background aside from eating the food and certain cultural events. My parents were of the "assimilate" generation. This project was a chance to get to know my roots.
When you look at the music world today, what strikes you most?
There are a lot of negative aspects [because] the music business today sees the art as a commodity. If the purpose of music/art (in the capitalist sense) is to make money, [then] the lowering of the common denominator is necessary in order for more people to buy the product.
The music business has been for some time, image driven. If you have an image that can be marketed, usually to youth the media machine will make you a star. Whether you have talent or not is almost irrelevant. I watched the Grammy's and couldn't believe it. The level of musicianship is so low it's pitiful. Unfortunately, all the music education programs in schools are being cut so most people don't know the difference between quality and junk. The corporations who run most record labels and the people they hire are not the same type of people who used to be in the business. In the past there were many people at labels who really knew and loved the music. Now, most of the positions are held by folks with business degrees who don't know anything about music other than what sells.
Are there ways to cure this dilemma?
I believe the answer for musicians is the Internet. One of the blessings of technology is the ability to create our own music and market it worldwide over the net. That's what I'm doing with my upcoming CD. I have complete creative and financial control. As Allah says "surely with every difficulty there is ease."
What have you been busy with lately?
I'm doing a show called "Movin' Out" at the Richard Rogers Theater in NYC. I'm as busy as one can be doing studio work although I must say it is becoming more and more difficult to make a living as a musician. There are less and less jobs and more and more players. If I were starting out now, I'd have to really think deeply about it. Live music is on the endangered species list for sure. It's a sign of the times.
I am about to release my first CD called "Common Ground." It's a mixture of R&B, Jazz and World music. My next project is going to be more of a Jazz project and all the musicians in the group are Muslims. We, as Muslims, must all do more to counter all the negative stereotypes and wrong information that's out there. There's too much anger. Our Prophet warned us about anger. I believe the artists have an important role to play in putting out the fire of anger. There are so many injustices that need to be fixed but they can't be fixed when people are screaming at each other, that's not the Islamic way. We're people of peace even when we're upset. We must be people of peace. As for myself, I just keep struggling to grow and be better. To be more in tune with God, so he can use me in a way that's most pleasing to him.
We're living in some confusing times but we must always look to the good andknow that everything is unfolding according to God's plan. We're Muslims, so what ever happens we say Al Hamdulilah.
Barry Danielian's official website is www.barrydanielian.com
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