In this interview spotlight, I chat with Aubrey Logan about her music, inspirations, challenges, and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and how do You describe your style of music?
Hey there! I grew up in the Seattle area. Snohomish, Washington to be precise. I am a jazz artist rooted in traditional swing (think Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald) but heavily influenced by the pop songwriters of the 70s (Carole King, Billy Joel) and bleeding into funk and gospel.
How did you get here? As in, what inspired or motivated you to take on this journey through music and the music biz?
My parents were high school music teachers. My dad a trumpet player and my mother a singer. They taught kids constantly at school, and then there were teenagers coming into the house constantly to take private voice and piano lessons. I learned music vicariously through this from age 0. I was constantly singing and attempting to emulate the singers my parents would play on the speakers: Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, etc. And it became apparent that I could mimick them pretty well. I sang at church, auditioned for musical theatre, did shows locally from about age 5, and never really looked back. I picked up a trombone at age 12 to join my school band and was taught jazz from the getgo. I began songwriting a ton while I was a student at Berklee College of Music in Boston. After that, I won the Montreux Jazz Festival voice competition in Switzerland, moved to Los Angeles, began playing my own shows with my band around the world. It was rough! But I think it worked! I got the chance to tour with Postmodern Jukebox and Dave Koz extensively. I have them to thank for introducing me to their fans. What a ride.
How does your latest project compare/contrast with your previous release(s)? Were you setting out to accomplish anything specific, follow a specific theme, or explore different styles of creation?
My previous projects are with small groups. Think piano, bass, drums, guitar. This is my first ever big band project. 11 piece horn section, full rhythm section. I finally got to make the album of my dreams. I spent my childhood immersing myself in the music of legendary big bands like Buddy Rich’s, Count Basie’s, Maynard Ferguson’s, never thinking I could pull this off. But with the help of some of the most talented musicians in the world, I can now say I’m releasing Aubrey Logan & her Bigger than Average Band.
Name the biggest challenge you faced as a creative during these unprecedented? How did you adapt? How have you kept the creative fires burning during all this?
The challenge for this particular album was to get everyone together in one room for two straight days to get this thing recorded. Everyone in my busy music town of Austin is a busy working player. Finding the right date, preparing the arrangements (with Mike Sailors, Andrew Neu, and Casey Brefka) to fit the album… it was a bit like hearding cats. Once we were all in the room, we had the challenge of recording 10 songs (LIVE, no overdubs) in 2 days. That’s a tough thing with having that many horn players in one room. But we did it!
What was the last song you listened to?
Out of the Woods by Nickel Creek!
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? 8-tracks? Cassettes? CDs? MP3s? Streaming platforms?
I love me a vinyl… but since I fly all the time, I’m sure grateful for my Bose sound cancelling headphones and a streaming platform!
Where is the best place to connect with you and follow your journey?
My website Aubreylogan.com will take you to all my socials! It’ll also take you to my Spotify and my AppleMusic (or just search me there!). But just in case, I’m findable on Instagram, X, and TikTok at @aubrey_logan. And facebook at facebook.com/aubreyloganmusic, and youtube.com/aubreyloganmusic
I really appreciate Your time. Anything else before we sign off?
Send me a message on insta! I love to reply.
