In The Spotlight: Damian ‘King Solomon’ Curtis

The oldest of three musical brothers, the elder Curtis brother, Damian Curtis (a.k.a. King Solomon) has been a mainstay on the Connecticut scene for over twenty-three years.  A pianist of the highest caliber he performs all over the northeast doing jazz, Latin jazz/salsa, hip-hop, and more, as well as serving as a producer for many projects and he is an avid educator for many young and up and coming artists.

He started his musical studies at the age of four years old, and came up under the tutelage of players such as Jackie McLean, Joe Velez, Ray Gonzalez, and Ed Fast, he has the ability to easily transition between bebop, modern jazz, Latin jazz/salsa, hip-hop and a myriad of other genres.  While he calls Connecticut home, he performs regularly all over the northeast as a sideman and a leader has recorded and produced a number of albums, and has even performed in Cuba with “Latin Flavor”, which was a band he formed along with his brothers, Zaccai and Luques.  A very cerebral artist in every sense, he always strives to get to the heart of any musical endeavor he takes part in.  Now to hear from the man, himself.

What got you started on your road of pursuing music for a living and how has your passion grown/changed over the years?

First I want to thank you for inviting me to do this interview.

I started this road as a full-time musician when I was influenced by Jackie McLean and his music in high school. I took lessons from Alan Palmer, Mary DePalma Davis, Dave Santoro. They opened my eyes to bebop music and I loved the sound. My passion for music has grown so much over the years because I keep realizing how much I have to learn  and it keeps me humble, reminding me to keep an open mind and continue to learn

Being the oldest brother, do you look back and think to yourself you set the example for your younger brothers?

Being the oldest brother I think I definitely influenced my brothers in different ways. I feel in some way Zaccai and I being both piano players learned different things at that time and he was always hungry to keep learning. So he would check out the stuff I was learning. My brother Luques was a Conga player at first then switched to the bass because it was very hard to find a bass player. When he switched to the bass we always had him practice with us.

The musical scenes you are involved in range from jazz, Latin jazz, salsa, to hip hop.  How did you get to be proficient in all these various genres and do you have a propensity towards one in particular?

In my house, I grew up listening to soul music, hip-hop, classical, and jazz at first. As time went on and I started playing Jazz music, my father loved salsa and he would have us listen to it and have us pick it out by ear. Then at a drum lesson at the Artist Collectives, a substitute teacher by the Name of Ed Fast showed me my first Montono. I loved the way it sounded and was hungry for more so he gave us the name of a  place called Guakia directed by Ray Gonzalez who played with Charlie Palmeri to get formal lessons. And my Latin jazz and salsa playing took off from there. I just listened to a lot of the music I grew up with and tried to copy everything. As people started to hear me play they started hiring me for those genres of music. I have been very fortunate. I really don’t have a preference for what one is my favorite. I guess depending on the mood I’m in any of those genres can be my favorite.

What are some of the similarities and differences in these different genres?

These genres of music are similar in ways that it is all diatonic, so the scales they use and the theory behind it are the same. They are very different from the feel and accent of the beat. Some have a different emphasis on the different beats to give you a different feel. That’s why the key to learning any type of music is listening and copying.

For all of us who create our own music, we have certain processes, rituals, etc that we go through when creating our art. Can you share with us your creative process?

My process is to listen to my favorite artist or producer of the genre I am going to start creating and push myself to try to top it in my way. Inspiration is key for me and my process.

Tell us about some of the artists you’ve collaborated with over the years.

Over the years I have had the honor to collaborate or play with some great artists.

For jazz, I have played with Jackie McLean, Steve Davis, Chris Brubeck, Claudio Roditi, Nat Reeves. For Latin Jazz, I  have played with Giovanni Hilgaldo, Dave Valentin, Tito Puente Jr., Andy Gonzalez, Ray Vega to name a few. For Salsa, I have played with Ray de la Paz, Lalo Rodriguez, Ismael Rivera Jr., Luisito Carrion, to name a few. For Hip Hop I’ve had the privilege to work with Cuban Link, Immortal Technique, Smif n Wessun, Tragedy Khadafi, William Cooper, and Ali Vegas to name a few.

Being from Connecticut, there’s a rich history of jazz in the area that produces players such as yourself and your brothers, but also artists like Josh Evans, Raymond McMorrin, Dezron Douglas, and many others. Can you talk about what makes Connecticut such a great environment for learning jazz, and really, music in general?

I think what makes Connecticut a great environment for musicians is it’s a state stuck between New York and Boston which are two big cities for music and a lot of players come here to live because it is two hours away from both cities. Also, people like Jackie McLean and Ray Gonzalez, Paul Brown, Dave Santoro have made this place their home and have taken other musicians under their wings to create a very incredible scene for young artists to grow and develop.

Following off of the last question, how big of an impact has Jackie McLean been on the Connecticut scene and the legacy that continues on there? Other local heroes that our readers should know about?

Jackie McLean definitely created the Connecticut scene. The strong bebop influence in the Hartford scene comes from Jackie and the school he built with his wife Dolly McLean called The Artist Collectives. He has brought all the great jazz giants through there for us to meet and learn from. It definitely influenced the state of Connecticut. Other great people that have left a strong mark in the Connecticut scene are Paul Brown, Ray Gonzalez, Dave Santoro, Jesse Hameen ll, and Jeff Fuller. There are definitely more.

In your bio, you speak of sharing the musical knowledge and experiences you have with your three kids, which is a beautiful thing! In what ways do you pass down this gift to them?

I try to pass down the appreciation of music and how important it is to the world. This organized noise which we call music brings so much to humanity in so many different ways that you have to respect it. I have them taking lessons now just so they have respect for all the musicians that do this for a living and a deeper understanding of it.

Right now we are all in a state of suspension with the CoronaVirus, and I wanted to ask how you are keeping busy, and what are some of your future plans post-quarantine?

Right now I’m teaching online lessons and spending time doing music production. My plans, once this is over, is to get back to playing and putting out my own Latin jazz album on our record label Truth Revolution Recording Collective. I can’t wait to get back to playing with people again.

Thank you so much for having me.

Post-interview I asked where the name King Solomon came from, and Damian gave a very interesting backstory.  He was working a lot with Christian rap groups, and the people that were working with him dubbed him King Solomon because in the bible King Solomon was blessed with the gift of wisdom, a trait the artists that have worked with Damian says he has.  Damian says “They knew my beats were tight and that I was always going to come correct.  They knew I didn’t sound like anyone else.”  Speaking with Damian and observing the body of work he has amassed I would say the title of King Solomon is well deserved.

About Author