Craig Enright, A Road to Someplace

The legendary saxophone player Charlie Parker said: “Don’t play the saxophone. Let it play you.”

This note rings true when I consider how music has shaped Craig Enright’s life. Gospel, Jazz, Blues and Latin - these are a few of the many sounds that flow from his saxophone in his first solo album, A Road to Someplace.

Like his album cover, Craig’s journey has been an open road taking him from his love of music to unexpected adventures playing with some of the best musicians and living his best life. Craig says it’s more exciting not knowing what’s ahead. The journey to “someplace” is more exciting and we learn to never give up on our dreams.

These are lessons Craig knows all too well, in lieu of a serious health scare in 2010 that threatened his life. It’s part of his story and one we’ll get to soon enough, as I share my meeting with Craig at a small coffee shop on Bedford Street in the town of Stamford, Connecticut.

As Craig and I sat down amidst a stream of people hurrying past our rendezvous table outside the coffee shop, I offered my congratulations. It’s not often you meet this caliber of talent, a musician and composer, releasing his first solo album at 62 years young.

I knew Craig had spent most of his life working in the financial industry, so I wondered of course why he hadn’t pursued a career in music.

All signs pointed to a musical bloodline given his parents’ legacy. Craig’s father played trumpet for dance bands and polka bands while attending college after serving two years in the army. His mother was a fine pianist who was classically trained in music.

But the winds blew differently for Craig, who stands a lanky 6’ 7”. Both he and his two brothers who are equally tall, became hometown basketball heroes in their Cedar Rapids community.

It makes sense when I glance at Craig’s outstretched legs. It’s impossible for him to sit with his knees bent under our table; they’re just too long. Craig is the tallest saxophone player I’ve ever met. While that has nothing to do with his music, it’s easy to see why it might take a little longer to arrive. He plays so beautifully and writes his own songs and compilations I’m grateful he made it.

And the composing - it’s wonderful. Craig’s songs are rich and diverse in sound, with smooth textured layers of multiple instruments captured and orchestrated into song. The album is brilliant.

As a fan of Duke Ellington and older Jazz and Blues singers like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday, I don’t doubt that Craig may soon be scoring music for movies as part of his successful second act in life.

Some of Craig’s early influences include music giants like the Great One, John Coltrane and the likes of Miles Davis and Michael Brecker. Back in Cedar Rapids, Craig remembers wanting to be like a family of brothers that had a family band. He longed to try his hand, but it would not be until two years into his college studies when he bought his first saxophone.

After retiring from basketball at Dartmouth University, he continued to tinker with music. But the job market was a priority after graduation.

Ironically, Craig landed in Chicago, the legendary home of the Blues. There, he discovered Jerry Bergonzi, perhaps his greatest influence. Craig purchased all seven books by Jerry on musical improvisation, an enormous stack of his CDs, and he’s seen him play live numerous times.

While keenly inspired to play, the road would have to wait for his career and a burgeoning family.

A wise decision when you learn Craig has been happily married for 32 years to a beautiful woman that lived two blocks from his childhood home. Denise is a successful interior designer and fellow creative, and together they’ve raised two wonderful sons, one whom is successfully pursuing a musical career.

It was only later, when Craig turned 44 and the internet made online lessons more accessible, that Craig tapped this more economical and convenient way to learn.

Over time, his theory of music and playing skills have progressed, and he added a keyboard with a recording deck and a home studio to his ensemble.

Craig now records and digitally edits his own music arrangements. As we chat, I realize he’s very much a Renaissance man, happiest learning and exploring what interests him. This is especially true when it comes to meeting fellow musicians and exploring new creative sounds.

Most Wednesday evenings are reserved for jamming with friends or performing with local bands. Back in 2004, Craig jumped at the opportunity to play in New York’s SoHo district down on Dwayne Street when a group of financial traders who owned a club called the “Hide Away” invited him to play there. He did live performances for four years that translated into valuable life lessons:

“You have two choices in life - do something or nothing,” says Craig. “People need to believe in themselves and can do whatever they set their mind to because life really is an open road. Look at me - I’m comfortable ‘doing’ and realize you never know when a door might just creak open. You also don’t know when that might happen again, so you have to go for it.”

Craig is certainly a doer and loves musicians like Miguel Zenon, a Puerto Rican born sax player and composer. Miguel’s fearless approach to creating music without rules or borders has inspired his own self-expression and music journey. It’s part of the reason Craig spends 4-6 hours each day playing his Tenor sax and composing on the piano on other days. Discipline is everything.

Craig walks each night to clear his head with Rosie, the family dog of 15 years. You might see him also enjoying a cigar as he ponders life and makes room for creative inspiration. At the end of a long walk, it’s not uncommon for Craig to head back to his studio to capture tunes or ideas.

When we chatted further about the importance of taking time out, Craig spoke about his health. “Nine years ago, I should have died from a rash of pulmonary embolisms. The doctors were amazed I survived. One I hadn’t met insisted on meeting me in person because he couldn’t believe I had survived.”

That was nine years ago, and Craig has no time to waste. He knows what matters and is grateful for the life-saving practices of walking Rosie and having a family and friends that support him. Craig’s progress as a musician inspires him to keep learning, growing, and exploring the very personal style afforded by a saxophone.

Apparently, a trained ear can identify a saxophone player in just a few notes. In 2008, Craig recorded his first personal sounds on the album La Belleza. It’s a compilation of Latin-style Jazz songs with strong Cuban and Mexican flavors. The album includes four very talented and very well-respected artists; Enrique Haneine, Aram Vasquez, Alex Hernandez and Ludwig Afonso.

Craig’s second album and first solo recording, A Road to Someplace, is a hybrid of Jazz and Funk, with all the melodies written and recorded by Craig. Many of the song scores were actually written four years ago and are vignettes from memorable times in Craig’s life.

These include his mother’s love of Gospel music in I’ll Play Something Nice and Tuesday Night, an ode to his college days when 25-30 friends gathered during the summer on Tuesday nights at a local bar.

Knowing there isn’t much of an audience for Jazz in Stamford, Craig has expanded his range of music genres, even though he still listens to the sounds of Michael Brecker, a popular Jazz soloist for some of the biggest musicians in the world.

Now that Craig’s two tall legs are firmly planted in the creative space where he writes and produces music, he’ll keep playing till he can’t. I realize we’re all on a road to someplace that I hope will be filled with “Tuesday Night” songs. As for Craig’s “it’s never-too-late” feeling, it inspires us to discover our best self and to share our passion with the world.

You can find Craig Enright’s albums on CD Baby or Amazon.