Today we’d like to introduce you to Cameron Graves.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Cameron. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
My story is a very long story. I started playing the piano when I was four years old. My dad and mom put me into Yamaha school of music. After four years of that, I went into private lessons and really started my classical training.
This is where I started to perform my first shows thru recitals that either my teacher would put together, or competitions I would enter into. I never won any of the competitions. At the same time, I started studying martial arts as well. When I was ten, I got my first guitar. I started getting into groups like Living Colour and Van Halen. A friend of my dad’s Al Mix started teaching me. At 14 is when I started learning jazz. My dad started teaching me the basic theory, and shortly after I was accepted into Hamilton High’s music academy.
This is where I was thrusted into the world of jazz — joining the jazz band, starting in Hamilton’s jazz C band first. This is where I met Kamasi Washington. Me and Kamasi became the best of friends, along with Robert Miller (drums) and Brandon Coleman (keys) whom I met thru his older brother Marcus Coleman who was my first jazz piano teacher. At 16 thru the help of Kamasi and his dad, I joined the Multi-School Jazz Band led by Mr. Reggie Andrews. This is where I met all of the other musicians I still play with today.
Ronald Bruner, Steven Bruner, Terrece Martin, Ryan Porter, Ben Adamson, and many other great musicians I work with today. Around 16/17, I formed the group Young Jazz Giants with Kamasi Washington, Ronald Bruner, and Steven “Thundercat” Bruner. In 1998, we won the John Coltrane competition and went on to record our very own record entitled, “Young Jazz Giants.” At that point, Kamasi got accepted into UCLA. That year, we accompanied him as he did his audition performance into UCLA and Al Bradley, and Kenny Burrell, who was the head of the music departments back in 99/2000 wanted all of us.
So the next year after that, I was accepted into UCLA. At UCLA is where I started getting into ethnic music, majoring in Ethnomusicology. I started studying TABLA and fell in love with the instrument. I spent six hours a day for two years practicing that instrument and performing in many Indian music shows. Shortly after that, I started working with Leon Ware. A very famous singer-songwriter who hired ME, my brother Taylor Graves, Ronald Bruner and Steven Bruner to go to Japan for two weeks. We ended up performing at the Blue Note in Fukuoka and the Blue Note in Osaka. That was my first taste of touring internationally. I loved it.
After that, I auditioned to be in Jada Pinkett’s band Wicked Wisdom and ran into a friend of mine Pocket Honore who I met on the set of BET. Me Jada and Pocket started connecting instantly because of our love for Rock and Metal. I started showing all the metal demos I writing at the house with my brother to Jada and Pocket and they decided to do the whole next record in that style. That’s how the Wicked Wisdom record was born. I toured with Wicked Wisdom for two years. Ozzfest, Sevendust, Soulfly. At the same time, I had a pop/r&b band called The Score.
The Sore was made up of ME, my brother Taylor Graves, Clyde Wilson, Nate Allen, and Sean Allen, who were also brothers from England. It was signed to MCA under Randy Jackson. But shortly after we were signed the label dropped their r&b division. So we were picked up by a boutique label in England. So when I was off the road with Wicked Wisdom, I would often go back to England to tour England with The Score. All of this activity with both bands lasted for about nine years. Then all of it tanked. And I started doing small gigs around town with Kamasi.
Then one day, I get a call from Miles Mosley to join him at a club called “The Piano Bar” twice a week to write tunes and play them. After a while, more and more of our musician friends started joining. Kamasi, Tony Austin, Ronald Bruner. Soon it became a hit. We packed that club out twice a week until the fire marshal had to shut it down. That’s when we decided to pool our monies together and go into the studio and record this ten-piece band that we had put together with all the special musicians we’ve known since high school. And that is how all the records that we have released were recorded.
The “Epic” was born, “Planetary Prince” was born, “Uprising” was born, “Triumph” by Ronald Bruner was born. All these records were recorded during that month-long period. Shortly after that, I started working with Stanley Clarke. I have been performing with Stanley for four years now, and he’s been mentoring me thru these current times. And now I’m here, and getting ready to release my second record.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has been the roughest road. Most of my projects ended up tanking. And I have had to go back to the “drawing Board” many times.
Learning how to be firm about where you’re going but flexible about what you want has been a tough lesson to learn. Learning how not to get discouraged when something tanks is a big lesson to learn. Music is what I was put here to do on this earth. So I always try and find another avenue and figure out how to reinvent myself. Being broke for so long get very tiring.
The biggest challenge is trying to push to find the right song or band or record that is going to propel me all while trying to make a small living to pay bills and take my lady out for dinner. Often times I’m out of town working when everyone is in town for the holidays, or vise-versa, I’m in town, and everyone is out of town touring. So there are many obstacles!
Please tell us about The Planetary Prince.
I’m self-employed. It’s not a regular business with a building and assistants, and paperwork and all that. So far its just been me pushing myself. I’ve recently found a great manager that’s been helping me along the way. Guiding me as best as he can.
But what sets me apart from everyone is my ability to create great music on the spot. I can sit down at the piano, create a whole song/tune/jam, and show it to the band instantly, and with the support of the musicians I like to play with, we can perform the tune like we’ve been playing it for years.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Oh please… there are so many things I could’ve done differently. I can’t even name them because there are so many. But I have no regrets. And I’ve got my eye on moving forward always.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.camerongravesmusic.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @camonpiano
- Facebook: Cameron Graves
- Twitter: @camonpiano
Image Credit:
Jeff Miles
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