Hiruy Tirfe is a distinguished saxophonist, musician, composer, arranger, educator, and film scorer hailing from the vibrant musical landscape of Philadelphia, PA. His journey as a versatile musician began during his time in Upper Darby public schools, in addition to extracurricular programs such as the Kimmel Center Creative Music Program, and then continuing his studies at the University Of The Arts in Center City Philadelphia, where he honed his craft and emerged as a sought-after sideman for numerous local Philadelphia artists. We had the pleasure to speak with him about his career and eagerly awaited debut album titled ‘10,000 Hours’
Hiruy, thank you for catching up with Occhi Magazine. For readers unfamiliar with your background, what drew you to a career in music?
I’m a saxophonist, musician, band leader, musical director, composer, arranger, film scorer, and educator from Philadelphia, PA. What drew me to this career was simply being inspired by the community to creatives that came with just picking up the instrument, both from my generation and the elders.
You spent your formative years at Upper Darby public schools and extracurricular programs at the Kimmel Center Creative Music. Please tell us more about these institutions and how they prepared you for a music career.
I just remember being surrounded by serious creatives when I attended Upper Darby. We’d just be in the music wing consistently and just staying in the shed. People like Eric Whatley, Josh Thomas, Benjamin St. Fort (now known as BYNX), Immanuel Wilkins, Yesseh Furaha-Ali, Marlon Lewis kept me inspired and we would literally spend countless hours before/after school in the shed as well as just hanging with each other. I really learned from them because they were just always at a high level of musicianship and even at the young age they were, they were in more professional work environments than I ever knew existed in music so that opened my eyes a lot. Upper Darby High School at the time could have just been called Upper Darby High School For The Creative And Performing Arts. Then going to the Kimmel Center Youth Jazz Ensemble (now called Creative Music Program) and studying with Marc Johnson and Anthony Tidd just took my studies, playing, and musicianship as a whole to a higher level.
The musicians at the Kimmel Center were just as amazing as the likes of Dahi Divine, Justin Faulkner, Austin Marlow, Nazir Ebo, Raymond Long, the list goes on. The masterclass series that the education program curated was amazing. I remember the first masterclass I attended as a student was saxophonist Javon Jackson and legendary drummer Jimmy Cobb. It was great learning from them both and having Jimmy Cobb talk about recording the legendary “Kind Of Blue” album with Miles Davis. Most times the Kimmel Center box office would give the students of their education programs free tickets to the concerts they curated. So, from studying with Javon Jackson and Jimmy Cobb to then, 8 hours later, seeing them in concert was just absolutely phenomenal. I give a lot of credit to those music educators who invested a lot of time and energy to students like myself, those that were mentioned, and beyond.
You continued your studies and honed your craft at the University Of The Arts in Center City Philadelphia. You had the privilege of studying under the mentorship of top-tier jazz musicians residing in Philadelphia, including Mike Cemprola, Mark Allen, and John Swana. Tell us more about this experience.
Attending the University Of The Arts was cool because you were literally on Broad Street in Philadelphia, which is the main street in the city. All the music, art, and creatives were literally walking up and down Broad Street and it was cool because I could be a part of a music and arts community at large. Cemprola, Allen, and Swana were very in-demand musicians in the scene at the time and I remember seeing them on a vast amount of different projects from Terrell Stafford’s Jazz Orchestra Of Philadelphia, Fresh Cut Orchestra, solo projects of their own, etc. Cemprola, I specifically remember not just being a really amazing educator/player but he was also a gentleman that looked out for me in a majority of ways. He was also an individual that always practiced what he preached. Cemprola even gave me my first job while I was in school. Swana is a legendary Philadelphian so having time with him was just remarkable.
Looking back at your period as a young student, what did you learn the most about becoming a professional musician?
The biggest thing was simply don’t get ready, but just BE ready. Once you’re well prepared and you are consistently put in situations to perform on a high level before you know it your career will just take off.
You’ve collaborated with many recognized musicians across the genres, including Patti LaBelle, The Roots, Bilal, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Solange Knowles, Res, Brandy, Tye Tribbett, Eric Roberson, Chill Moody, Mike Boone, Jeff Bradshaw, and many others. Whilst I’m sure they’re all memorable, is there a particular performance or collaboration you’re most proud of, and if so, why?
It is a blessing to work with all the artists mentioned. What’s crazy is that 98% of the time I get the call to work for those artists I’d always find myself as the youngest musician on stage/in the studio. Seriously, the youngest guy in Patti’s band. Youngest guy in The Roots all the times I’ve worked with them. Youngest in Chill Moody’s band. It goes on. Considering I was the youngest, I was surrounded by a lot of elders in the industry but also just life and I would just to all the guys and learn how to make the right steps towards being successful and living right. Working with The Roots really made my career full circle.
Working with The Roots was always a blast. When I was a teenager on the 4th of July, they would curate the “Wawa Welcome America 4th Of July Jam” which was a free show to the public and The Roots would do a setup front of their songs and then just support all of the special guest artists that was booked for the respective show which was inspiring for me to see. Seeing that show from year to year I’ve seen them support Earth, Wind and Fire, Micheal McDonald, Estelle, Jill Scott, Common, Lauryn Hill, and a BUNCH of other artists. Those 4th Of July shows were really the “light switch” for me to take this as seriously as possible and do whatever it takes to A) Make this career happen and B) Work with The Roots at some point in the future. Fast forward 10 years and I can be seen on NPR Tiny Desk with them and also at some festivals such as the “Telluride Blues and Brews.” I got to give it up to my big homies.
Let’s talk about your much-anticipated album “10,000 Hours,” scheduled for a worldwide release on January 26th. How long has this project been in the making, and what can audiences expect?
10,000 Hours has been in the making for about 2 years from writing the music, rehearsing the band, performing the music in public before going to the studio, choosing all the featured artists, recording, mixing, masters, promotion, you name it. Every part of this record is Philly from the musicians, artists, engineers, studios, etc. Wouldn’t have it any other way. The listener can expect a very close and personal story about myself and my career and even have opportunities to self-reflect and think about our the 10,000 Hours theory relates to them.
Please tell us more about the theme/s of the album, recording schedule, and origins of the project
The album’s theme is obviously the 10,000 Hours concept but going deeper I would say determination, willingness, and effort. I personally feel as though if you want to reach any goal you have in life you need those three things together. In terms of recording, I remember doing a few gigs with the core band (Luke Carlos O’Reilly, Matt Keppler, Lionel Forrester Jr) at this club in Philadelphia called Heritage and also the Philadelphia Flower Show. Once we broke the ice with all of the songs we went over to Rittenhouse SoundWorks in Germantown to track the whole album in about 3 days. Other musicians gave their talents and skill to the record as well, including Kayla Childs, Steve McKie, Micheal Spearman, Daniel Spearman, Aaron Draper, Dan Rouse, Connor Devlin, Simon Martinez, Mollie Ducoste, and Damani Okuri. All the songs were written by myself alongside Ciara Chantelle & Mare on their respective track features.
The album features collaborations with several quality artists, including trombonist Aaron Goode, vocalist Mare, and spoken word artist Ciara Chantelle. How difficult was it to collate this ensemble?
Wasn’t difficult at all. Collaboration with all three of those artists was one of the highlights of this album process. I call every single one of them a close friend of mine and it’s an honor to have relationships with these three guest artists (as well as all the musicians stated earlier) outside of the music. I believe that’s what makes this music come to life. In regards to the guest artists, I picked each of them simply because there was always a point of us working together on other projects and/or playing together at jam sessions and we would always talk about working together and stuff like that so I’m glad myself and the three of them made it happen. They are some of the best people on the planet not just artistically but just as lovely human beings.
What other projects are you working on?
Currently, right now I’m in the process of writing for album number 2! Also in the process of developing the Studio Wednesdays album which for those that know, Studio Wednesday was a jam session, I curated for 2 years at this spot called Silk City (home of Back2Basics) in Philadelphia. That session was a strictly creative atmosphere as no cover songs/jazz standards were performed and I actually recorded every single night we did Studio Wednesdays so I got some joints! I’ll definitely sit down and pick and choose those songs that the Studio Wednesday House Band will record and decide on the artist we’ll have on it as well. That project will be something special. As a supporting musician, I have a few projects soon to be released with Chill Moody, Keith Phelps, Kayla Childs, Steve McKie, Gerald Veasley, and a few others. The future is looking really bright and I’m excited.
Where can readers find out more about you?
The readers can find me on my website! www.hiruytirfe.org They can find my artist page on FaceBook; Hiruy Tirfe Artist Page (https://www.facebook.com/HiruyTirfe/) They can follow my Instagram page; @hiruy_tirfe26 (https://www.instagram.com/hiruy_tirfe2
Photo with graffiti in the background: Victoria Deniken /Photo with all-white background: Kayla Childs
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