Violinist Damien Escobar

Photo: Kinya

By Ken Capobianco

Overthe past few years, violinist Damien

Escobar has seen his career soar as he continues to capture the hearts and ears of different generations of music fans with his audacious fusion of classical music, hip-hop and pop.

For the 32-year-old, the breakout can be best described in the immortal words of Yogi Berra as “Deja vu all over again,” as this is his second go around with success. Way before he was legally able to drink, Escobar was a star as a member of the violin duo Nuttin’ But Stringz with his brother, Tourie. They sold more than a million records, collaborated with pop luminaries and played in the White House for President George W. Bush. So it should come as no surprise that Escobar has a unique perspective on success while he rides the wave of his crossover, chart-topping album, Boundless, and a year’s worth of electrifying concerts. “You have to ask yourself, ‘what determines success?’” the engaging and talkative musician said recently via phone. “I learned a lot from the first time, and I see things very differently now. Money and fame doesn’t determine success for me anymore. I made my first million dollars by the time I was 20, so I know what that’s like, but my perspective now is very different. For me, success is defined by happiness and the simple things in life—being present with my family, friends and all my fans who have embraced what I’m doing these days. That’s where I find meaning, and how I determine whether or not I’m successful.” Escobar’s humility stems from a life story that began in Jamaica, New York, a working-class, urban area in Queens, and became both

a triumph over circumstances and a warning against the perils of early, fast fame and fortune. A mere five years ago, after he and his brother disbanded Nuttin’ But Stringz, Escobar was homeless, sleeping on the New York trains and suffering from a deep depression that sapped him of his love for the violin— an instrument that helped him become the youngest person ever to be admitted to Juilliard (he graduated at 13). “That five- or six-month period after the group broke up was the best and worst part of my life—it made me who I am today,” he said. “And that’s why I think it was horrible and amazing all at the same time. In situations like that, you learn so much about yourself and figure out who you are and what you want out of life.” The violinist has come to terms with that dark period in his life, which also found him living in his mother’s home. It makes his comeback even more remarkable, and his newfound perspective on life more poignant and revealing. Escobar said that when he and his brother disbanded, he lost his footing when he began to question his identity and drive. “The real motivation with the group in the beginning was to get out of Jamaica and make money. If you know what Jamaica is like, then you know you want to escape it, and that’s what my focus was. I wanted a better life for me and my family, but money can’t be the sole motivating factor in your life. “When we broke up, it was like ‘who am I?’ I had no idea who I was and what I was supposed to be because what was driving me was gone,” Escobar continued. “You think you can adjust, but it’s really not that easy. I had to find my purpose again, and, of course, it was what I loved—the music. I fell in love with it again.” His epiphany has produced some of the most compelling genre-bending music of the last few years. With his mixtape, Sensual Melodies (2014), and Boundless (2017), his first album of original music, Escobar flashes his virtuoso violin skills as he recontextualizes classical music with inventive hip-hop beats. In an era when melody has disappeared from a pop world dominated by trap music, Escobar brings a true devotion to grand, sweeping melodies and a sweeping romanticism to his sound that probably would have won the hearts of Keats and Shelley. The music’s

finds purpose and reprises his success story

passion and power come from a deep place—somewhere inside the soul of someone who has lived and loved with intensity. Escobar said it’s difficult for him to properly articulate how he creates, and what inspires the writing. “I guess it’s all about the energy. It’s the feel. You can’t intellectualize it. The music is kind of therapeutic for me,” he said. “But I honestly can’t tell you, it’s about some kind of process. I write about what’s going on in my life, and when the moment to write comes, I have to capture it. “I’m definitely not the kind of songwriter who writes 40 songs for a record and chooses from them,” he added with a laugh. “Nah, what I create is on the record. I know some artists will think, ‘OK this one is for the radio or this one is for a certain audience,’ but I can’t work that way. It’s just not in me.” Boundless, with its luxurious strings and expressive horns underlined by imaginatively designed beats, defies classification and refuses to pander to easy hooks or simplistic arrangements. The visceral, funky music swings just as often as it adheres to a more classic New York hip-hop aesthetic. Escobar’s ambition is as big as his talent. “We live in a time when everyone wants to put you into a box and define what you do because that makes it easier to sell, but I’ve never been about that,” the father of two said. “Boundless, the title of the record works on two levels to me— musically, it has no boundaries, and I’m creating without restraint,” he continued. “There’s great freedom there. On the personal side, I feel like I’m breaking free—this is a true breakthrough, and it’s emotionally raw. I moved past what I’ve done, and who I was. There’s something great about that.” Despite the dexterity and lucidity of his string work, Escobar views himself a bit differently than most violinists. “I never saw myself as an instrumentalist. I always thought more like a vocalist. My affinity was to make the violin sing. I wasn’t interested in being Itzhak Perlman. I loved Whitney Houston or Chaka Khan, and that’s still how I hear things—I want to make the instrument sing and capture that beauty and soul.” He picked up the violin when he was 6, but said he found his passion for it two years later. “It was all part of the school program. That’s really where it started. And, once I realized the music I could make with it, like I said, I could make it sing, I became obsessed with the instrument. My whole life was all about practicing. While everyone else was doing things kids do, I was practicing eight hours a day, sometimes more,” he said with a small laugh. “It was a love, an obsession.” Escobar, who made a return visit with his brother to the White House to play for President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama for the 2009 inauguration, is using his clout and financial success to give back to the community. He started his own nonprofit organization, The Damien Escobar Music & Arts Foundation (D.E.M.A.F), which is geared to nurturing music programs in urban communities, and The Damien Escobar Academy of Music, a music program for students from fourth through 12th grades that focuses on improvisation, songwriting and performing. He has also designed and developed

“We live in a time when his own line of violins, The Damien Escobar Collection. Ten percent of all everyone wants to put the proceeds go to D.E.M.A.F and his Academy. “Giving back gives me so much you into a box and define satisfaction,” he said. what you do because that “I know the struggles people go through—you realize some people just makes it easier to sell, but need someone to reach out and connect with them. I was down, and things I’ve never been about that.” could have gone two ways for me, but I’m here now with the opportunity to make a difference in some of these kids’ lives. That means so much to me. I know it’s so important for each of us to contribute to another human being’s life. That’s so powerful. If you don’t act on that chance to make a difference, you’re missing out. I’m going to act on it, and, hopefully, help change lives. It’s special—it’s really something that has meaning. That’s what it’s all about.” For more information on Escobar, visit www.damienescobar.com. ON TOUR April 21 20th Annual Seabreeze Jazz Festival presented by ResortQuest Aaron Bessant Park Amphitheater Panama City Beach, Florida www.seabreezejazzfestival.com 877-987-6487 May 26 Third Annual Music City Jazz Festival Public Square Park Nashville, Tennessee www.musiccityjazzfest.com 205-705-3131 June 3 26th Annual Capital Jazz Fest Merriweather Post Pavilion Columbia, Maryland www.capitaljazz.com 877-987-6487 Oct. 20 32nd Annual Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival Catalina Casino Ballroom Avalon, California www.jazztrax.com 866-872-9849 Photo: Bizzyamor