Trumpeter Wayne Tucker in his Crown Heights creative space

A few months ago, I had the pleasure to photograph trumpeter Wayne Tucker in his Crown Heights apartment that he shares with four other musicians. We began by talking in his living room. There in the middle of the room, Wayne conducts his daily practice, a combination of meditative breathing and trumpet playing. Closing his eyes, he counts to 10 in his head and clears his mind of everything except the even nature of his breath. He holds each note as long as possible while trying to maintain the same intensity. This practice allows him to channel all of his energy into his playing, a technique he later uses when he's onstage. When performing, he listens to the energy of the room and tries to concentrate on it, focuses all his effort on the energy coming out of him and into the audience.

Wayne comes from a family of musicians; his father, a piano player, was the main influencer of his musical taste, exposing him to funk, soul and r&b from an early age. Naturally, Wayne's first instrument was the piano, then he learned to play the violin, and finally the trumpet. His older brother (who is one of the four musicians he currently shares an apartment with), plays the tenor sax. In fact, it was after his brother began playing the saxophone, that Wayne picked up the trumpet. He grew up with a built in band at home, often jamming and experimenting from a young age.

Wayne spent a long time studying the technicalities and the math behind the music, including the patterns and permutations, to the point that it can become instinctual, allowing him to focus on evoking the feeling behind the music. In high school, he was part of an orchestra, which allowed him to understand composition and gave him an ability to hear all the elements in a song. That experience fueled his musical passion, the search for beautiful harmonies.

His latest album "Wake Up and See the Sun" (released this September), is about appreciating what one has in life. He is drawn to using music as a vehicle to transport the listener to a specific place or feeling. A way to share his world with others. Many of the songs on the record had been written years ago, but he wanted to take the opportunity to explore them musically, incorporating different instrumentations and sounds to create an eclectic sound quilt for the listener.

When I asked Wayne how he composes songs, he shared that it always starts with the piano, and as the song builds, he finds the natural moments where the trumpet can come in.  So we went downstairs, to his roommate's (David Linard) room where there is a stand up piano. While his roommate was packing to go to rehearsal, Wayne started fiddling with the keys, experimenting with a progression of notes he played over and over. I asked him what he was thinking of as he was doing this, and he said it reminded him of being in church. The first time the pastor says "Jesus"  it doesn't really have much of an effect on you, but slowly as he repeats the name over and over, the word starts to take on a meaning. So do the progression of notes as he plays them over and over, until a melody begins to emerge...

Explore Wayne Tucker's music: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wayne.tucker.73 Spotify: Spotify IG: @wayneeverest