Bosman Twins

Dwayne and Dwight Bosman, who perform as The Bosman Twins, are synonymous with St. Louis jazz. Their career began at the astonishing age of 14, backing locals like Fontella Bass, as well as touring artists like Hugh Masekela. Over the years, they’ve played nationally and internationally, sharing the stage with Roy Ayers, Freddy Cole, Branford Marsalis, and Curtis Mayfield, to name just a few. And yes, they’re identical twins, though their personal styles of speaking, dressing, and playing are not exactly the same. That’s part of why their music is so dynamic: While their twin ESP makes improvising effortless, each Bosman has his own style. Those distinctive sounds come together to create a third thing, like two spices in a perfectly made dish or notes in a rare cologne. The Bosmans are also incredibly versatile—Dwayne plays flute and saxophone (sometimes playing two saxes at once), and Dwight plays saxophone, flute, and clarinet.

When they recently stopped by our offices for a chat, they riffed off of each other’s comments, just as they do onstage. The subjects were many, though the most exciting news is that they’ve been working on a new album. We talked to them about that, of course, though as with any project in process, some parts of it are still under wraps. You can hear the disc in its entirety when it’s released in the spring, along with a new website and a new music video. And mark your calendar now: They play the brand-new Ferring Jazz Bistro on April 10 and 11.

Can you let the cat out of the bag about the new album? Dwayne: It’s called When Lions Roar.

That’s a pretty big cat! Why that title? Dwayne: Basically, we are lions, and now that we have vintaged in our age, it shows that we still have the energy and excitement.

How so? Dwight: Dwayne mentioned that energy’s very important. When we listen back on some early things that were kind of raw, one of the things that we had was enthusiasm, a lot of energy, a lot of expression. We want to finesse it with some maturity but still have a lot of energy as well.

What is your process when you arrange music together? Dwight: We collaborate all the time, and that collaboration changes as far as whose influence is more dominant. Dwayne: We’ve also been collaborating with a few other musicians recently, particularly in preparing for our new project. It’s better because we have more ideas—no one can think of everything. [He chuckles.] Dwight: We can’t name names yet, but when you talk about collaboration, we have one selection that we’ve made that may be on there that’s from a friend of ours, a bass player. We’ve made some selections from him, and of course, we have original selections that Dwayne and I have been doing. There’s another musician from Los Angeles that we’re collaborating with.

Your dad, Lloyd Smith, was a sideman for Count Basie and Duke Ellington. Your household must’ve always been filled with music. Dwight: Always. Our household was just practicing, going on all the time. We had musicians coming over for music lessons, and then at any given time, musicians passing through with major bands who knew my father, who would call in advance and say they were going be in town next week on Thursday or whatever. They would come by the house, and he would introduce us to them. However, it didn’t have an impact until years later, when you realize you were meeting somebody like Jonah Jones, Buddy Tate, Jay McShann…

Did they play music together, or was it more social? Dwight: It was social. They would come in and talk, and listen to music. My father was a hi-fi stereo buff, and he had recordings of everything. He knew a lot of guys, and they would talk about, you know, their old times, but they would also talk about what’s going on now. Then they would listen to music.

Did you two inherit your dad’s hi-fi–buff gene? Dwayne: No, we’re not really hi-fi buffs, but we listen to high-quality music, and we identify with it immediately.

Your classical-music training is unusual for jazz artists. Dwight: Our experiences in our formal training lend to our jazz experience. However, they’re two different animals, and the way that we approach classical music is totally different than the way we approach jazz, except in the preparation. The ideology, conceptually, is totally different. Dwayne: Basically, the classical gives you the foundation to do whatever you want to do in any genre. Dwight: So does jazz… Dwayne: Now, we still play classical. However, we still have more influences as far as sound and tone that jazz-influenced more, as a result of playing jazz for years.

You’ve played all over the world—including in Stuttgart, Germany. How was that? Dwayne: We had a lot of fun. We did some teaching while we were there, workshops with high school. There was another group from St. Louis there, too, but they were dance; we were the only musicians. Dwight: We coupled our music with the musicians there from Stuttgart. We sent some arrangements in advance, then rehearsed when we got to the theater, which was a fun thing. Then we did a thing with some more musicians that we hadn’t had a chance to rehearse with until right before the performance. All of the performances were received extremely well, with standing ovations.

You started your careers at such a young age. Dwayne: At that early age, when we were sitting in, there was a lot of talent, a lot of music going on in the clubs throughout St. Louis and East St. Louis. We also had Afro in the Park, which was African drummers and musicians, et cetera. That was a lot of fun and also educational for us. Dwight: When we were 14 or 15, we were also playing jazz festivals like the one on the riverfront, with the likes of Oliver Nelson, Hank Crawford, Stanley Turrentine—we’d be on the same bill with those guys. It was great to meet them and be inspired by them, but also to perform on the same stage…and not as a student act, but just as an act. We also did numerous talent shows; you’d win one in one area and go to the next area. We played concerts with Hugh Masekela at 14 or 15. Dwayne: We played with O.C. Smith, too, and both of those shows were at the Peabody, which back then was the Kiel Opera House. Dwight: There was just lots of music going on during that time. We were able to perform a lot; it was not uncommon for a local act to warm up for a major act back then. It seems almost impossible today.

How has the experience of being a working musician changed since those days? Dwayne: At that time, the older musicians worked really well with the younger musicians. There was camaraderie, and knowledge was passed down from generation to generation. Dwight and I were fortunate to have grown up with the musicians’ union. When we were young, at 14, there was a black musicians’ union, Local 197, and then the white one was Local 2. When they merged, it became Local 2-197. We’d come over on Sundays and play with Local 197, and they’d have concert bands. We played marching-band music and concert-band music, and then they’d have jam sessions. That’s when you’d listen to the older guys play. They’d let you play a little bit, then they’d be like ‘OK, you can sit down now.’ They’d also tell us wonderful stories. You could hear about all of their experiences. Dwight: Additionally, there were performances, musician trust funds… We played for those, at churches and a lot of different places—fashion shows, you name it, parks, things like that. There were lots of opportunities for performing, in addition to that wealth of musicians.

A lot of identical twins can practically read each other’s minds. How does your twindom affect your playing? Dwight: There are things we don’t have to say to each other—it just happens. And when you think about it, there should be nobody tighter than us, because we’re out of the same bag. But I think Dwayne and I play totally differently, even though we play well together. We were always taught individuality. We’re apples and oranges: They’re both fruit, but they’re different. Dwayne: [laughing] So am I the apple or the orange? [Both laugh.] Since we do play differently, we complement each other. And I think it would be boring if we played the same. Then, it’s too much of the same thing. It’s just like personalities—you’re playing a part of your personality. It is you, just like the way you walk, the way you talk. You have your own identity. Dwight: Music is a conversation. So we’re having a conversation. I say something; Dwayne says something. I laugh; Dwayne laughs. Then I get louder or more excited, and Dwayne gets excited, so it’s basically that kind of thing. I’m just giving an example of how that works musically. Even if we played the same instrument, it would still sound different.

What are your feelings about the experience of listening to recorded jazz, rather than live music? Dwight: I think all live music is important. You can listen to a CD and be totally inspired, but once you see the artist go to work and actually perform… I like to hear live performances in small of a setting as possible. And I know it’s not possible when it’s a very established musician, but I like to hear it the way it comes out naturally. The bass player will play and you can hear a string being struck. And the wind players—whether it’s a sax player or a trumpet player—you hear them take that breath. I want to hear those kinds of things. I think live is the way to hear that. Great recordings with great equipment afford the opportunity to be as close to natural as possible… But when you see the musicians go through the things that they’re doing, sometimes some of them are entertainers as well as performers. Just watching, there’s nothing like it. Dwayne: I like live music because it’s playing off the audience. And you’re never going to hear a song played exactly the same—it depends on the vibes that you get as an individual, the vibes of the musicians collectively, the language we all speak, how we’re feeling, the atmosphere of the room. And various rooms have various feelings. It depends on how you want to project or perceive it, with the artist as well as the audience, and the feel of the room, too. Playing at The Sheldon is the best room you could ever play in—the sound and the feel. And the room at [Jazz at the Bistro] has a certain natural, good feeling. Dwight: There was a piano player who used to play with us; he was a blind guy. He’d always say, ‘How’s it feel in here?’ I didn’t understand it at first, but later I knew exactly what he was saying. It’s a warm feeling, a cold feeling…

Are there shows that stand out as perfect, in terms of the vibe, the audience, the energy? Dwayne: London. That was really, really a good time. Also some of the shows we’ve done with Fontella Bass. The response from the audience was just phenomenal. I think every artist, every musician should be a follower as well as a leader. There’s a deep experience on both sides. Dwight: There are no greater fans—and we have been halfway across the world—than St. Louis fans. You should have seen me earlier today when I was out jogging… I had on a championship Cardinals cap. I had on a St. Louis Rams T-shirt. And I had something with Missouri Tigers on my thigh. [He laughs.] I mean, we’re pro-everything, sportswise, in St. Louis. And our fans, we have no greater fans than our St. Louis fans. St. Louis truly is in the Show-Me State. If you do what you’re supposed to do—you’ve given people what they want—then they’ll show you the love. The Bosman Twins’ sound is definitely a St. Louis sound.

December 2014 - STL Magazine

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 Reviews

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) -