Kyle Schroeder

By Deborah Bostock-Kelley

One of musician Kyle Schroeder’s fondest memories of his dad, Shawn, were the car rides. The car was filled with sounds from 94.1 WSJT, and the toddler was first introduced to his now first love, jazz.

Kyle saw national jazz musician Eric Darius at the Black Heritage Festival at 16 years old and knew at that moment that playing jazz was what he wanted to do with his life.

“2014 was a big turning point in my life. Eric was such a high-energy performer, and with the amount of air he put into the horn – his sound really resonated with me. It was cool when he came out into the crowd. It was super powerful and I knew that I wanted to be able to do that too.”

Kyle gravitated to the saxophone and was part of the jazz band at Mitchell High School, the Ruth Eckerd Hall/Clearwater Jazz Holiday Big Band, and in his senior year, he was selected for the exclusive honor band, Jazz Band of America. Only a handful of musicians across the country are chosen to participate.

While still in high school, Kyle began composing original jazz music with the long-term goal of releasing a jazz album.

Kyle studied jazz saxophone and music business and graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music; he was still composing.

Fast forward eight years from when he first wrote his first note to today, and Kyle is making his dream a reality with the release of “Get With It,” his debut contemporary jazz album.

Dedicated to his father, whom he lost to cancer in 2019, “Get With It” features nine original compositions and a cover of an Islay Brother’s classic.

“Throughout the years, I wrote these songs and redeveloped them multiple times. Over the years, I developed my musicianship, songwriting, arranging, and production skills on the computer. It turned into something that I’m proud of and something that I’m really excited to share with everybody.”

Kyle said that the album title was an invitation.

“Come join me on my journey. We’re just starting. Because it’s my first project, I want to invite people everywhere to join in on my future musical endeavors. That’s the inspiration behind the title.”

Kyle offered advice to anyone at the beginning of their musical journey.

“If you love what you do and you want to make it happen, anything is possible. Stay consistent, stay inspired, and look for inspiration from either other musical artists or really, anyplace you can find inspiration.”

Kyle credits his mom Carrie, his dad, and his high school and college mentors, Joel Quina, the late Tom Domato, Gary Keller, and Allon Sams, for helping him find his path.

“Always go with your gut feeling. If your gut feeling says, this is good… stick with it; even if it’s not, quote- un-quote, perfect. If it makes you feel a certain way, and think it sounds really good, stick with it.”

On June 10th, “Get With It” will be available on Apple Music, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube Music, and other streaming platforms and download sites. If listeners want to get their hands on an actual physical CD copy, it is exclusively available on Kyle’s website at kyleschroedermusic.com.

“We’re doing a big album release party with my band at the Capitol Theatre in Clearwater on the night of the release, Friday night,

June 10th and that’s where I’ll be performing live with my group and playing all my original stuff.”

Kyle said his favorite selection from the album was difficult to pick because each song makes him feel a different way.

“I like power ballads and slower songs, so if I had to pick, my favorites would be “You Complete Me” and “The One.”

When asked what his dad would be thinking of his transition from a toddler first engaged with jazz music through the car radio to a twenty-four-year-old jazz musician with an album released, Kyle responded, “I definitely think he would be proud of me.”

Kyle paused to reflect. “He’d say, ‘keep it going and always do your best.’ Another thing that he used to say is ‘if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.’ I love what I do. If I can share the songs I write that are close to my heart with others, I believe I’m following his advice.”

Learn more about Kyle, hire his band, or buy his album by visiting www.kyleschroedermusic.com. Follow Kyle on Instagram and Facebook at Kyle Schroeder Music.