The Bosman Twins

It’s fair to say an album is overdue by St. Louis jazz duo the Bosman Twins.

The last album from the jazz saxophonists and identical twins, which was about five years ago, didn’t go too well. Before Bosman Twins could release the album, the master copy disappeared and has yet to resurface.

Before that, a decade ago, the twins released an album of standards. So fresh music from them really has been a long time coming.

Waiting fans are about to be satisfied with “When Lions Roar,” a new album of mostly original music.

“It’s about time. I know St. Louis is ready for it. That’s why we’re sold out,” says Dwayne Bosman. “The album took a lot of care and a lot of time.”

The Bosmans perform Friday and Saturday at Ferring Jazz Bistro.

Dwayne Bosman says the idea for “When Lions Roar” came about a year ago, though they started buckling down the last few months. He describes the concept like this: “The male lion is the king of the jungle. When they roar, the whole jungle takes heed. When we play our horns and lock in with one another, the whole audience takes heed like the lions roaring.”

Adds brother Dwight Bosman: “My roar is a little bigger than Dwayne’s.”

They say the process of pulling together “When Lions Roar” involved much writing and collaborating with a flurry of outside musicians, from St. Louis and elsewhere.

“There was so much talent in St. Louis, we wanted to highlight top-notch professionals from here,” says Dwayne Bosman.

Performers on the album’s 13 songs are Eric Slaughter (guitar), Daryl Darden (guitar), Longinue Parsons Jr. (trumpet), Robert Griffin (trombone), Jeff Anderson (bass), Ptah Williams (piano and keyboards) and Montez Coleman (drums).

The Bosmans’ sister, Cheryl Walker, performs spoken word on the track “My Daddy Is a Horn Playa,” honoring their father, saxophonist Lloyd Smith, who performed with big bands including Duke Ellington’s.

Dwayne Bosman describes the project as “purely the Bosman Twins. We don’t sound like anybody else but ourselves.”

Dwight Bosman says the album is a mixture of straight-ahead jazz, avant garde, melodic tunes and songs that are commercial without being too commercial.

“It’s a variety, but it’s not an ‘overvariety,’” he says. “And it’s all interrelated. It has improvisation of melody, improvisation of harmony and improvisation of rhythm. You can have good music without those elements, but those three components are necessary in jazz in addition to the feeling you bring to it.”

The one cover song on “When Lions Roar” is the standard “Everything Must Change,” a song the brothers embrace because the lyrics are especially meaningful to them. They put their own spin on it.

A standout ballad among the mix is “Seclusion.” “Eric Slaughter and I wrote it and it’s got beautiful chord changes and melody,” says Dwayne Bosman. “I wrote the medley. It was inspired by Duke Ellington’s ‘Prelude to a Kiss.’ It doesn’t sound anything like it, but I was inspired by it.”

The brothers agree that crafting the original material came with some difficulty. “But we were inspired because of the motivation to do the CD,” says Dwayne Bosman.
Dwight Bosman says melodies came to him at the strangest times — in the car, in the shower — and he had to record them immediately. “I won’t remember it later. That’s the hard part.”

Dwayne Bosman adds: “I can’t just sit down and write. I have to let it come, just start messing around until I come up with something. The good thing about this project was we did collaborations with others. You have ideas, and they have ideas, and it’s very important when you can put your constructive vision along with theirs.”
That’s what happened with the title cut, which Dwayne Bosman wrote and Griffin arranged.

“The title was so strong and meaningful for us,” he says. “We had to find something befitting.”

What The Bosman Twins CD Release Party for “When Lions Roar” • When 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday • Where Ferring Jazz Bistro, 3536 Washington Boulevard • How much Sold out • More info jazzstl.com - St. Louis Post Dispatch

St. Louis Jazz meets Stuttgart Groove - The Bosman Twins & Trijo
Begeben Sie sich auf eine musikalische Reise nach St. Louis, Stuttgarts Partnerstadt! Zur Eröffnung der American Days treffen zwei Jazz-Ikonen aus St. Louis, die Bosman Twins, auf das junge Stuttgarter Jazz-Ensemble Trijo. Die Emmy-Gewinner aus der Metropolregion am Mississippi sind wahre Botschafter der Musik. Ob Jazz, R&B, Funk oder Gospel: mit ihren Auftritten als Duo haben sich die Bosman-Zwillinge international einen sagenhaften Ruf „erjazzt“. Die junge Band Trijo lässt Funk und Soul, Drum`n`Bass und Hiphop-Elemente in ihre Jazz-Performances einfließen. Moderne Grooves stehen im Vordergrund ihrer Konzerte, dazu kommen Jazzstandards und Eigenkompositionen. In einem einzigartigen, transatlantischen Projekt erobern die Bosman Twins und Trijo die Stuttgarter Bühne und „performen“ Jazzklassiker, neue Adaptionen und eigene Kompositionen. Let St. Louis Jazz meet Stuttgart Groove!

Dwayne Bosman (sax, fl) Dwight D. Bosman (sax, fl)

Matteo Capreoli (perc) Antonio Farris (p) Jo Brecht (b)

Eine Veranstaltung des Deutsch-Amerikanischen Zentrums JAMES-F.-BYRNES-INSTITUT
Kontakt: americandays@daz.org / schulte@daz.org - Theaterhaus

The Arts and Education Council of Greater St. Louis will honor a list of people and organizations for contributions and excellence in the arts at the council's annual banquet in January.

The 2016 honorees include:

Agnes Wilcox • A longtime stage actor, director and teacher, Wilcox will receive the lifetime achievement award. She recently retired after 22 years as artistic director of Prison Performing Arts.

Dwayne and Dwight Bosman • The "Bosman Twins," who have been professional jazz artists since they were 14, will receive awards for excellence in the arts.

Dr. Tim and Kim Eberlein • The Siteman Cancer Center director and a pivotal St. Louis Symphony supporter, respectively, the Eberleins will receive the Champions of the Arts award.

Doug Erwin • A fine arts teacher and theater director in the Ferguson-Florissant School District, Erwin will receive the Art Educator of the Year award.

Jacquelyn Lewis-Harris • An associate professor at UMSL and director of a cultural diversity program, Lewis-Harris will receive the arts collaborator award.

Two organizations, The Bach Society and the Arthur and Helen Baer Charitable Foundation, also will be lauded.

For information, call Kate Francis at 314-289-4003, or got to the council website: keeparthappening.org. - St. Louis Post Dispatch

Seven longtime jazz giants were honored Sunday with induction into the St. Louis Jazz Hall of Fame.

The musical inductees were: saxophonists Dwayne and Dwight Bosman, pianist Herb Drury; guitarist Eddie Fisher; vocalist Mae Wheeler; and pianist Ptah Williams. The seventh inductee was Donald Wolff, one of STL's foremost jazz patrons.

The first class, inducted last year, included: Don Cunningham; Marion Miller; Jeanne Trevor; Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum; Gene Lynn; and Trio Tres Bien featuring Jeter Thompson.

The hall is housed at the Donald and Heidi Wolff Jazz Institute at Harris-Stowe State University. The event held at the Ferring Jazz Bistro was part of the university's annual alumni gala. - St. Louis Post Dispatch

The Bosman Twins, Dwayne and Dwight, play a wonderful program of jazz, R&B, funk and gospel — with a strong emphasis on the jazz. Identical but not the same, the twins are both composers, jazz artists and musical educators. They have played a range of venues, from the Oktoberfest and St. Louis Blues Week to the Steps of the Kiel Opera House (aka the Peabody) to the St. Louis History Museum. What is striking about the Bosman Twins’ performances is the energy, the dynamic conversation between the players, and watching them is uplifting, whether they play as a duo, with their quintet or soloes.
They have received numerous awards including best jazz artist in St. Louis (Riverfront Times, 2013), the Legend Award (St. Louis Argus foundation, 2009), Young Black Achievers Award from Iota Lambda Sorority, Alpha Zeta Chapter (1999), best jazz band in the People’s Poll (Riverfront Times, 1996 and 1997), and the Celebrity Star Walk (Sir Winston Churchill Pub, 1990, in Freeport, Grand Bahamas), among others. The Bosman Twins have been featured artists in Ebony (1998) and National Geographic (1996), as well. Along the way, they have played at the Vienna Jazz Festival, Lavallette Jazz Festival in Paris, the Soho Jazz Festival in London, the St. Louis Blues Festival, the Juneteenth Heritage and Jazz Festival in Tulsa, the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Conference in Washington, D.C, the 18th and Vine Heritage Jazz Festival in Kansas City, and American Days Festival Twin Cities Festival in Stuggart, Germany to name just a few.
So how did it start and where are these intriguing twins going? I decided to find out.
The Bosman Twins were born in St Louis, Missouri and grew up steeped in music. Their father was the illustrious Lloyd A Smith — a figure worthy of considerable note himself. He performed with Fate Marable, Charles Creath, Eddie Randle, the Eddie Johnson Band, with Dewey Jackson on the riverboats and Eddie Johnson’s Crackerjacks. He distinguished himself as lead alto saxophonist and flautist with Earl “Fatha” Hines’ Orchestra and substituted for Johnny Hodges in Duke Ellington’s Orchestra in 1947. He knew Louis Armstrong and worked behind Frank Sinatra and many others. He also operated his own music studio and notable students included John Coltrane, Chad Evans and baritone sax man Hammiet Blewet.
Also among his students were sons Dwayne and Dwight Bosman. So, they grew up listening to the sounds of great jazz artists such as Earl Hines, Count Basie, Duke Ellington and had musicians like Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane and Charlie Parker as family friends. Of their father, Dwayne says: “We were fascinated when he played around the house. His tone was big, beautiful and ultra smooth. He played clarinet, alto and tenor sax and flute. We wanted to play just like him … smooth.”
When they were 10 years old or so, each twin took up their first instrument. For Dwayne, it was a flute and for Dwight a clarinet. Soon, they were both multi-instrumentalists and began playing publicly in churches with African arts ensembles. Their first performance was at their grandmother’s church, the Maple Temple Church of God in Christ. Dwayne remembers, “Dwight played ‘Swing Low Sweet Chariot’ and I played ‘Nearer My God to Thee.'” We also played at the Lively Stone Church of God in Christ in the very early years when we were 10 and 11 years old.”
By the time they were 14, the two were professional players and became known as the Bosman Twins. They also regularly sat in at the blues and jazz clubs with which St Louis was blessed. Since then, they have shared the stage with entertainment legends including Freddie Cole, Branford Marsalis, Fontella Bass, Roy Ayers, David Peaston and the late trumpeter, Lester Bowie.
I asked them what emotions they felt when they performed, and both had something to say. Dwight said, “The emotions that I experience while performing are spiritual and exemplifies an inner body experience. Once I am able to do that, then I can get the audience to groove with me and then it becomes spiritual.” Dwayne added, “I feel a deep sense of joy and in that, I am thankful at a spiritual level. Audiences seem to relate to the message in our music. I notice that they seem energized and engaged. Our audiences love to participate in our performances; they dance or listen accordingly. For example, when the band plays straight-ahead, pop jazz or blues, then the audience grooves with us. When we are playing ballads, they listen. It just depends …”
So what music, I wondered, do they listen to? Dwight said, “I listen to a variety of the various genres of music. I listen to a lot of jazz of course, mostly sax players. I’m interested in the various forms and I listen to them to keep my mind open to the possibilities.” Dwayne said, “I listen to learn; I want to know what’s happening now, musically. I want to know what other artists are doing, and what direction their music is going. Recently, my sister Cheryl turned me on to hip hop artist, J. Cole; who reminds me of Gil Scott Herron (the American soul and jazz poet) because he is a modern-day messenger. Mostly, I spend most of my listen time on jazz, blues and classical.” And do they have a philosophy on life and music? Dwight said, “I live to love the music and I love to live the music” while Dwayne said his “philosophy on life is pretty simple. God is first, family, community and then excellence in the music.”
They have played all over the world but where, I asked, do you find the most appreciative audiences? Dwight said “European audiences seem to appreciate us more. Of course, we enjoy a very appreciate home town audience here in St. Louis.” Dwayne agreed. I then asked the Bosman Twins if, when they played, they were aware of musicians — those onstage with them — how would the twins describe the connections the music makes between band members and audiences? Dwayne said, “We work with some of the finest musicians; some have toured and recorded with other national and internationally renowned jazz artists. Our band is tight; the vibe is good! To quote a line from the movie ‘Drum Line,’ “One band, One Sound.” Once we lay the groove down and lock it in the pocket, it’s on!”
And what of the future? Dwayne replied, “This past April, we released an album of mostly original music, When Lions Roar, along with a cinematic jazz music video from the track ‘Many Moons.’ This video tells our story. Currently in production is a second video that features us in a live performance at the Harold and Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz, inside the Ferring Jazz Bistro in St. Louis, Missouri. The Ferring Jazz Bistro is one of the Top 5 jazz venues in the U.S. This video features the title track from the recording project and will be released this fall. We would like to write a music score for a movie or television show. Collaboration and more collaboration is what we want to do. It’s what’s happening now on music scene. Certainly we would love to do something with up and coming artists, jazz and other genres.”
What about other hobbies or interests away from music? Dwight said, “I am a sports fanatic! I love almost all sports.” And Dwayne said, “I write poetry and I have a passion for performing behind poets and spoken word artists. Additionally, when time permits, Dwight and I are involved with giving back to our community.”
Given their long history and success, I asked them how they felt about young people and their connection to the music. Dwight said “young people are connected to music in general and some are interested in jazz. The key to connecting with young people is to get them involved at the primary and elementary school levels and keeping them interested through high school to ultimately become lifelong lovers and supporters of music.” Dwayne said, “I think most young people are tuned into one genre of music or another. Technology is a big thing right now and, while I appreciate the advancements, I am concerned that many of the young artists may not be aware of the genesis of the art form — and are therefore missing out on the richness of the music. Additionally, many public school systems have eliminated arts programming due to budget cuts. As a result, young people may miss out on opportunities to discover who they are creatively or even to develop an appreciation for the arts.”
Whether performing with their own band or accompanying other notable jazz professionals, the Bosman Twins’ unique style and renditions of jazz, rhythm and blues, funk and gospel have earned them national and international acclaim. Both say they will endeavor to continue to spread the music and love across the world, especially to younger people. Recipients of the “Harmon How to Listen” and the Missouri Folk Art grants, the twins have traveled across the country in their roles as music directors and champions of youth music education. Dwayne is former Music Director at Crossroads College Preparatory School in St. Louis and Dwight provided music instruction to students of the St. Louis Public School District for more than 30 years. Through the development and implementation of jazz workshops, seminars and classical music programs, the Bosman Twins demonstrate a commitment and dedication to urban youth through community service, striving to foster an environment where students discover their personal potential and talent and learn to appreciate and respect the talents and abilities of others. They are encouraged to develop high self-esteem and to maintain excellence in their musical endeavors.
However, it is not all glamour and fast cabs, educating or performing in venues with other greats. Sometimes, you have to be quick on your feet when you are on the road. Dwayne finishes the interview with one such tale. “I was on the road with Fontella Bass in Italy. I can’t recall the city right now. However, I left the hotel to make a phone call at a public phone. It was about 4 a.m. and while talking, I happened to notice a pack of dogs conjugating across the street. It seem to me that I was about to be under attack by a gang of wild dogs! The biggest dog was leading the pack; he had the plan and my butt was going to be the prime target. Three blocks away from my hotel, I knew that I needed a plan of my own. I studied the leader in an effort to determine his next move. Absent of any real plan, in the face of fear, I did what any man would do — I ran! The dogs were on my heels, but I made it to the hotel just before they locked the doors! Whew! I wasn’t so funny at the time, but when I think back over it, it was hilarious.”
So, Dwayne reached the hotel intact — and his sibling, and many others, are glad he did. - Something Else!

Fontella Bass and the Voices of St. Louis
Travellin' (Justin Time)
By Terry Perkins
St. Louis' own Fontella Bass is back with a new recording, Travellin', her first U.S. release since 1995's soul-stirring, gospel-centered No Ways Tired (Nonesuch/American Explorer). The considerable gap between recordings doesn't mean Bass has been slacking off. Although her local performances are mostly limited to singing on Sundays at Mount Beulah Missionary Baptist Church and other religious functions, Bass has made herself something of a household name on the European concert and festival circuit.
The new CD -- on the Canadian-based Justin Time label, home of the World Saxophone Quartet -- gives Bass a chance to shine on such traditional gospel tunes as "In the Garden," "Walk With Me," "Thank You Lord" and "It's Alright Now" and her own composition "Travellin'." But the recording also provides plenty of opportunities in the spotlight for the Voices of St. Louis -- singer David Peaston, guitarist Tracy Mitchell, pianist Ptah Williams, sax players Dwayne and Dwight Bosman, bassist Jimmy Hinds, drummer Curtis Fondren and keyboard player (and Bass' son with ex-husband Lester Bowie) Bahnamous Bowie. Peaston, Bass' brother and a talented gospel/R&B singer and musical-theater talent in his own right, sings lead on "Special Lady" and "Round & Round." Peaston's smooth, deep vocals fit nicely into the slick contemporary-soul groove laid down by the backing band, and his soaring falsetto adds a unique touch to "Special Lady." But the family connections don't end there. Bass' son-in-law Mitchell sings lead on "Waiting," and her son co-produced the CD with her, in addition to co-writing and arranging several tunes. As longtime members of Bass' extended musical family, both Williams and the Bosman Twins get their turns to show off. "Mandela," a strong instrumental written by Williams, features the local favorite executing some of his trademark high-energy solo turns. On "DB Blues," a familiar favorite in any Bosman Twins set, Dwight and Dwayne unleash some catchy jazz/funk riffs.

Not surprisingly, though, the real treasures of Travellin' are the tracks on which Bass sings. On "It's Alright Now," she adds her own heartfelt lyrics to the Jessy Dixon tune, describing the way Christ came into her life to rescue her and making a not-so-subtle allusion to "Rescue Me," the soul classic that jump-started her career in 1965. On the title cut, Bass' stirring vocals combine the emotionalism of gospel with the improvisational qualities of jazz -- a sonic fusion explored effectively by the likes of Al Green, Van Morrison and very few others. On "In the Garden," the listener is treated to pure, unadorned Fontella as she accompanies herself on acoustic piano. It's a transcendent musical moment -- and worth the five-year wait. - RiverFront Times

The Celebrate St. Louis summer concert series recently brought a trio of bands together for a great evening of entertainment - the Bosman twins, Jeremiah Johnson, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

Long a St. Louis favorite, Dwight and Dwayne Bosman - the Bosman twins - brought their own renditions of jazz, R&B, funk and gospel to the stage to open the evening.

Following the Bosman twins was a relative newcomer to the St. Louis scene, Mr. Jeremiah Johnson. A transplant from the Texas scene, Jeremiah's star has risen quickly in this music town! At the same time, he's attracted one of our towns finest horn sections to perform AND record, the Sliders! You can always find his schedule here at STLBlues, and learn more about Jeremiah on his website.

Closing the evening was American blues/rock guitarist, Kenny Wayne Shepherd! Shepherd's decorated career includes four Grammy nominations, two Billboard Music Awards, two Orville Gibson Awards, the Blues Foundation's "Keeping the Blues Alive" Award and a Blues Music Award. In September 2008 Fender released the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Signature Series Stratocaster, designed exclusively by Shepherd. The inimitable James Brown referred to him as "one of the wonders of the world."

Support live music, and get downtown for the rest of the Celebrate St. Louis concert series..........

Sara Bareilles - Friday, July 23rd

Local opening band, The Brothers Lazaroff, will begin at 6 p.m. Sara Bareilles will take the Budweiser Main Stage stage at 8 p.m.

Silversun Pickups with Against Me and The Henry Clay People- Saturday, July 24th

Against Me and The Henry Clay People will begin at 6 p.m. Silversun Pickups will take the Budweiser Main Stage stage at 8 p.m.

Sauce Cafe dinner reservations available for El Borracho at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m

The STLBluesometer

The Bosman twins, Jeremiah Johnson, Kenny Wayne Shepherd -

RAC Artist Fellowship Profiles: Denise Ward-Brown & Dwayne Bosman
Denise Kruse 10 hrs ago (0)
Over the course of a five-week series, LN is profiling the 10 artists recently announced as the Regional Arts Commission’s (RAC) 2015 Artist Fellowships, who each received $20,000 to further his or her work. These are the seventh and eighth profiles. To read the previous profiles, click here.

Denise Ward-Brown

When Denise Ward-Brown was awarded the Fulbright Senior Scholarship in 1997, she was an internationally exhibited sculptor, with no idea that she was about to embark on a journey that would change the trajectory of the rest of her career. For her Fulbright fellowship, Ward-Brown traveled to Ghana for research. “I picked up a video camera – and I’ve not been able to put it down,” she says.

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Denise Ward Brown 2015 head shot.jpg
During her fellowship, Ward-Brown filmed her travels and research of African history in Ivory Coast, Mali, Togo, Benin, Nigeria and South Africa. “I’ve absolutely found that film is an excellent way to create narratives,” Ward-Brown says. Her narratives often explore African and African-American themes and history, sharing the behind-the-scenes stories that have been forgotten or overlooked.

Ward-Brown’s latest film, “Jim Crow to Barack Obama,” was a runner-up in the documentary category at the 2013 San Francisco Black Film Festival. For the film, Ward-Brown, who is also an associate professor at Washington University in St. Louis’ Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, assembled a group of young students to interview African-Americans aged 75 to 104 to ask them what it was like to grow up in the Jim Crow era. “I wanted to make sure there was a record of what regular, normal working people, ordinary people, did and how they survived and thrived,” she says. “These people are vibrant, intelligent people, and they’re like burning libraries – if you don’t get the information now, it might be lost forever.”

“Jim Crow to Barack Obama” shows a slice of everyday life as an average black citizen in that era – how they existed and worked, their loves and losses. The film brought with it a wealth of personal growth for Ward-Brown and the young people conducting the interviews. “For me, it was breathtaking to hear the (subjects) talk about this,” she says. “It was also breathtaking to see the students mature. When I took a group of them to Memphis and they interviewed the man who was standing next to Martin Luther King Jr. when he was assassinated and the following day we went to the (National) Civil Rights Museum, the youths had put ‘history’ in the context of life. That’s why I really like documentary film.”

The RAC fellowship enables Ward-Brown to continue her work researching and staffing a team of collaborative partners on two additional films currently in her wheelhouse. The first of these projects is a documentary recalling the story of the 1917 East St. Louis race riots, the outbreak of labor- and race-related violence in the city that took more than 200 lives and caused extensive property damage. The film’s premiere will coincide with a weeklong centennial commemoration in 2017.

The second project Ward-Brown is undertaking is in collaboration with her Sam Fox School colleague, photographer Jennifer Colten Schmidt. The pair explores Washington Park Cemetery in Berkeley – the historic African-American cemetery that, in the past few decades, has fallen into alarming disrepair, as depicted through Colten Schmidt’s own 15-year-old photography archives, which largely started with the removal of 10,000 bodies for airport expansion, and Ward-Brown’s interviews with key players. Colten Schmidt and Ward-Brown plan to exhibit their work at the Sheldon Art Galleries in March 2017, joining ongoing efforts to save the cemetery.

“I’m not a historian – I’m an ‘amateur’ historian,” Ward-Brown is quick to say. “I’m a person who collects stories. And luckily, film is a wonderful venue for sharing these stories.”

Dwayne Bosman

“I started in music,” Dwayne Bosman says – an introductory statement that carries immeasurable weight in legacy. For Bosman, an award-winning jazz musician and composer, music has always been an intrinsic part of who he is.

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The son of nationally renowned jazz artist Lloyd A. Smith, music was all around him. “We always had jazz around the house,” he recalls. Bosman’s father played with the big bands of the era, like Eddie Randle and the Blue Devils, and was a sideman with jazz legends Count Basie and Duke Ellington. His boyhood St. Louis home was a revolving door of legendary musicians including Jonah Jones and Louis Armstrong.

Following experiences with classical and Gospel music, Bosman started learning how to play jazz flute at age 10 from his father. Talent begets talent, it seems – by age 14, he was performing professionally with his twin brother, Dwight, in a group called Soulful Moods. He continued his study throughout high school and through a music scholarship to Florida A&M University, picking up even more instruments along the way – Bosman mastered members of the flute family, from the bass flute to the piccolo, as well as the saxophone family – eventually settling on the tenor sax as his specialty.

“Each woodwind instrument expresses a different sound, tone and voice,” Bosman says. “These variations are like colors in an artist’s palette. As a jazz artist, I use these ‘colors’ in the musical space to produce my personal tone through dynamics and improvisation. Playing the individual instruments gives me freedom to add visual aspects to my music.”

As part of The Bosman Twins with Dwight, Bosman has graced the stage with some of jazz music’s greats like Freddie Cole, Roy Ayers, Lester Bowie and Fontella Bass. The pair has toured all over the world, finding that music establishes a common ground where language cannot. “That’s one reason I chose music as a life project,” Bosman says. “Music is accepted all over the world. People might not speak your language, but they understand your music.”

It’s this unifying, transcendent force of music that drives Bosman and his brother in support of the preservation of school music programs so that musical talent, specifically within jazz, is cultured and the genre continues to thrive. With assistance from the RAC fellowship, it is this young talent that Bosman plans to work with to create a composition that showcases what he is calling “the St. Louis sound.”

“Every major city has a sound – Kansas City, New York, New Orleans,” Bosman says. Bosman’s St. Louis sound will combine all the elements that make up the whole – jazz, gospel, blues, rhythm and blues – into a recognizable sound that will capture the essence of the city. “It’s important to the city to help establish an identity locally as well as nationally,” Bosman says. “We want to be recognized.”

Bosman believes a unified sound is just one step to the unification of a city. “We need to be more connected: the younger and the older, the old and the new,” he says. “There’s a lot of separatism in this town.” Through this collaboration of musicians in creating the St. Louis sound, Bosman hopes to see artists of all ages and ethnic backgrounds come together under the universal language of music.

To learn about the other eight RAC 2015 Artist Fellowships, visit racstl.org/2015-artist-fellowships-announced. - Ladue News