Whether you realize it or not, you’ve heard New York City-bred Dave Guy play his trumpet. The veteran studio musician has worked with some of the biggest artists throughout multiple decades, from Amy Winehouse to Bruno Mars. His catalog ranges from soul greats like Lee Fields to being a full-time member of The Roots, not to mention being sampled by the likes of Jay-Z. Now is a better time than ever for Guy to put his name in the spotlight. This Friday (September 20), Guy will release Ruby, his proper solo debut. The 12-song LP is witnessing an artist devise and execute their sound fearlessly. The modern influences are quickly juxtaposed by Guy’s futuristic take on the middle ground between jazz, Hip-hop, and soul. Along with the help of Big Crown Records, Guy crafted a statement piece of a debut record that allows the purity of the artist’s approach to take center stage.
We’re officially just days away from the anticipated release of Ruby, but Guy’s journey to get here was long and fruitful. Glide had the absolute pleasure of speaking with Dave Guy about stepping into a band leader role, his historic career, and the beautiful musical family he has built. You can read our full conversation below.
You’ve been recording music for over two decades now. Why does this moment feel right for your proper solo debut?
It was actually more of a scheduling thing. I do The Tonight Show every day, and we had that writers’ strike a while ago. It was a significant time, like five months. I was like, “Wow, what the hell do I do?” I hit up Homer (Steinweiss) and Nick, and they were around, and it wasn’t like we were going in to make a record. I was just trying to be creative with my friends, and then it evolved into something. So it was mostly timing. With The Tonight Show having the writers’ strike, I had five months of so much extra time. It made sense, felt right, and didn’t feel forced. Like you said, I’ve played on so many records, but I never had the strong feeling of making my own. This time, it made sense and felt natural.
How did you land on Big Crown Records for this release?
That’s just family to me. I’ve known Leon (Michaels) and Homer and everyone for years. Homer and I used to play in Washington Square Park together. Our mothers knew each other. I feel a strong brotherhood with these guys, and I think what they’re doing with Big Crown Records is so artistically cool, and they’re not afraid to try different things. It’s a comfort space for me, so it was a no-brainer.
Is the studio environment something you take into consideration while recording? Or is it more of the people you have around?
I’ve always had an amazing group of musicians around me that are so inspiring, and the studio as well. It’s a special place that we’ve really tuned in to, and it’s really on cruise control over there. The sounds and the vibes are amazing. Then again, you put us all together as musicians who have played together for over twenty years, and it just feels kind of effortless. I sometimes take it for granted because I know most people don’t have that musical family. We literally know each other as people, but more so as musicians.
As a studio musician, you’re always collaborating, and it seems like Ruby was an equally collaborative effort.
It was 100% collaborative with Nick and Homer. We did the whole thing, and Nick and I did a couple of tracks by ourselves. We brought in our squad of other people to beef it up, such as Leon playing some more horns and Ray Angry from The Roots playing piano on it; I just had a bevy of musicians to help me with Ruby. The initial sessions were just Homer, Nick, and myself.
Did working with such close friends make your transition from session musician to band leader any easier?
I didn’t have to think about that while we were recording. We’ve done a few shows now, which is a different thing. Being a band leader live is different, for sure. It’s a different feeling. I’m used to always being the side guy, so it’s definitely a different pressure. People don’t realize that talking to the audience is such a major part of being a band leader. You can lose an audience if you don’t engage with them and they don’t engage with you. You have to bring them in that way. It was such a different thing, but it was very collaborative and enjoyable during the recording. It was back and forth, and everyone was bringing their ideas. It was a really organic process.
How have the live shows been going? Have you been performing unreleased records from Ruby?
I played a couple of shows at this hotel, Nine Orchard. Stretch Armstrong curates a jazz night there. After recording most of the album, he asked me to do the gig. I figured, “Why not? Let’s just try.” Even some of the songs we haven’t fully recorded yet, but we played them live. I think that is always a great process of making a record better. When you can play songs live before you record them with the same band that will record them, that was a strong boost to the whole process. I have another gig coming for the official album release show on September 26 at the Sultan Room, which I’m very excited about.
I’m not in it to tour this record hardcore, but I would love to do a bunch of shows here and there at cool spots in New York City. I’m definitely into doing some more live things. The album comes across very well live.
So, would you say these live shows were a part of your writing process for Ruby?
Not so much that, but it was never like we just came up with a jam on a show and then recorded it. I would say it was more worked out than that.
What inspired you to name the album Ruby?
Ruby is my daughter’s name, actually. It looked good on the cover, and it’s sentimental to me. She’s really special, so it felt right.
The album has a very modern sound to it. Was that a conscious effort, or did the sonic direction of Ruby come as naturally as the rest of the process?
Like I said, the process started without even thinking of making an album. Then, it evolved into this thing. I grew up mostly on Hip-hop, and then I got into jazz, and then I got into soul with The Dap Kings and all of that. My origin is definitely more hip-hop and modern, so I wanted to bring some of those elements to the record. There was definitely a conscious decision, and we even used a bunch of synthesizers and different things you might not hear on a Daptone release, for example. We tried to make it more progressive instrumental jazz but with that Hip-hop element.
Do you credit growing up in New York City for your passion for hip-hop? At a young age, were you conscious of innovative music coming out of NYC?
Growing up, it was all De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest. The scene and energy were so good in the early ’90s, and the music was positive, and it made an impact on me. It’s crazy now; I went to a ton of The Roots shows, and now I’m in the band. That’s kind of wild. I went to see them a bunch in high school, like at Irving Plaza and CBGBs. You never know who would be at one of these shows. Common would show up, and Erykah Badu would show up; it was a special time.
What were some of your earliest memories with music?
I grew up next to Webster Hall, which used to be called The Ritz. My mom took me to see Musical Youth, the kid reggae band that did “Patch The Dutchie.” We went to see them when I was super young, and that was memorable. Also, as a trumpet player, I think subconsciously, my dad used to play this Hugh Masekela cassette in the car that really spoke to me. That was even before I played the trumpet. In high school, I went to LaGuardia, which is a performing arts school. It was incredible to have real musicians as teachers and kids around me who were super into it. It was very inspiring from the beginning.
I also technically joined my first band in high school, Dujeous. It was a straight Hip-hop band. It was bass, drums, guitar, and I played trumpet. We also had three emcees. We used to play super cool shows in the city, like at Lion’s Den and these weird, small, 100-person clubs. It was being on stage, creating music together, and making art; it felt great that early on. Those were my first experiences of being on stage for real. It was the late 90s in New York City, and the hip-hop scene was crushing it. It was a great time to grow up in the city.
Did Dujeous ever end up recording and releasing anything?
We have a couple of records that we put out. We put out a bunch of records and even went to Europe on tour, so it was a cool time when I was really young. It helped me gain confidence and helped me just create.
So you went from Dujeous to working in the studio with people like Lee Fields and Mark Ronson. How did that transition happen, and was there a moment when you felt like you were making it as a professional musician?
Lee Fields was the first guy I toured with for sure. It was The Sugarman 3 and Lee Fields, and soon after that, I joined The Dap Kings. I knew Mark Ronson from just growing up in the city, so I knew him before The Dap Kings. I brought him in, and we did all the Lily Allen and Daniel Merriweather, and obviously, the Amy Winehouse record was a big moment. You get on some of those records, and more people just start calling you, so we’re lucky to play on some huge songs. Bruno Mars’s “Uptown Funk” and all the Amy records are huge. And now, with Menahan Street Band and El Michels Affair, it’s like a big family. Even getting our records sampled is crazy. Menahan was used on Jay-Z’s “Roc Boys,” and an El Michaels song was used on a Travis Scott record. It’s really cool to see those full-circle moments.
Since you’ve been such a key player in it, what are your thoughts on the modern soul scene? How have you seen it evolve?
I love to see it. I definitely think that a lot of people were inspired by The Dap Kings. It’s more popular, and people are making more music like that. It feels great, and I’m into it. As far as our bands, El Michels Affair and Menahan are pretty much the same band with different names. It’s pretty much the same guys. It’s just a great scene, and I’m so lucky to have that crew. And now I have The Roots crew. It’s just a great world to be in with diverse musicians. I think it’s a good time for music, and I think it is a great time for an instrumental record like Ruby. Even though it’s not my favorite thing, I think it’s cool that André 3000 put out that flute record. It’s a time when you can try different things, and it doesn’t all have to be a pop song with strict form and a hook. We were able to experiment with it, and it felt really organic.
What have you been listening to recently? Is there anything on your playlist or record collection you think would shock people? Are you a physical music guy?
It’s rare, but I’m the one guy in the crew who is not a vinyl dude. I just could never do it. I could never do it; I just didn’t have the space. I was just listening to Homer’s new record, which is great. I played on a lot of that also, and it’s really great. Honestly, we just listen to a lot of old shit. I’m not listening to that much new shit.
What was the moment like when you got called up to play with The Roots? How did your connection with the band come to be?
When I was still in the Dap Kings’ horn section, we recorded on Al Green’s last record that Questlove had produced. Questlove and Black Thought were also just huge fans of Sharon Jones, so we played the first Roots Picnic with Sharon. That was probably about twenty years ago now. They were always just huge fans of ours. They were doing The Late Night Show with Jimmy Fallon, which was the later time slot. When they got moved to The Tonight Show, Lorne Michaels wanted to add horns because he said, “Horns announce kings.” We literally just got the call. My good friend Ian, who also played in the Dap Kings, introduced me to the whole Daptone family with Sugarman 3 way back in the early 2000s.
Ian and I got the call, and I’ll never forget it. It was the first day we were coming back from Sharon’s cancer recovery. We were playing a show at The Beacon Theater and doing soundcheck, and I got a phone call from Rich Nichols, The Roots manager at the time. He asked if we wanted to join The Tonight Show. I actually initially said no because I was so into Sharon coming back and wanted to be there for the family. I called back immediately and said yes, I have to. It’s an amazing gig; a steady gig for a musician is pretty rare, and I loved the band. It’s been ten years already, which is crazy.
Was there an adjustment you had to make from playing live to playing on TV?
Playing on TV is strange, but it’s another reason why I felt compelled to do something different, just to satisfy my musical needs. It’s kind of unsatisfying. You’re playing for 30 seconds at a time, maybe a minute at most. It’s still corporate, and it’s not what I’m used to, but you get used to it. It’s a great gig, and I love it, but that was another reason I wanted to do more stuff on the side. It felt like I needed to express myself more. I’m just so thrilled and proud of Ruby and how it came out.
That initial call you got was to join The Roots for The Tonight Show, but now you’re a full band member. How did that come about?
For the first year we were with them, we didn’t do any touring. We were like, “Oh, this is cake.” All we had to do was show up for the show, and we could have our summers free since The Roots would go on tour. In the last nine years, we’ve also done every live show. We just did a ten-day European run that was killer. We played in Amsterdam, Berlin and London. Now, we have a bunch of shows coming up with Arrested Development and Digable Planets, so that’ll be fun. I’m grateful for The Roots. The musicianship is incredible.
Going back to Ruby, how many songs were recorded for the album? How was sequencing the tracklist?
There were definitely more songs, and we picked from the cream of the crop. We might’ve done about 15 or more, and about 12 made it on Ruby. Danny Akalepse from Big Crown was very instrumental in helping with the vision of the sequence. He really sat with the record, listened to it a ton, and was really into it. I really appreciated his view of it as a label owner and someone from that side who isn’t a musician but somebody who really has an ear and has a good sequencing vibe. He really helped a lot, and it was crucial. Everyone was really cool with it from the beginning. We didn’t have to make too many revisions to the sequence. It worked out and played well, and I’m really happy with it.
They say artists spend their whole lives creating their debut album. Did you find the process of creating Ruby to be reflective in any way?
My daughter inspired it, so some of the energy in these songs is directly inspired by her. Once we got to a point where we realized we were making something special, I had to bring up some more feelings and try to get deeper into it. I wanted to make it personal, and I think we achieved that. I think it’s my sound, and people can hear it. As a trumpeter, I really strive for people to hear my playing and say, “Oh, That’s Dave.” To have a sound that’s my own and how I play and phrase the music and be lyrical. I’m not playing to show off how high or fast I can play; it was more about trying to be a voice. You have to bring up feelings for that to come across, and I think we did it.
What was a typical session for Ruby? Did everyone come in with ideas or was it all off the cuff?
We would go in cold and go into the studio at about ten or eleven in the morning. We would pick out which synth we wanted to use, and I would mess around for a while. We would find something cool, and then Homer or Nick would play drums. We would just cut one or two takes and try to capture a moment. Every day, we went in raw and didn’t have anything written out. There was one progression Homer came up with, or Nick would have a bassline, and it would just start like that. We would all go around an idea and try to create. I would put horns on at the end. We would do a whole rhythm or percussion track together and build these tracks from nothing. I think it’s super cool how it evolved. We had nothing written out and would go in fresh every day. We would interact and react. We were fully getting a rhythm track before I ever did horns. I would then overdub the horns and curtate it that way.
Is there a sense of relief knowing that the album is complete and out of your hands?
100%; it’s been out of my hands for a minute, so it’s really relieving once we decided on everything down to the cover. There is so much after the music that you have to deal with as far as the design. Another thing I’m so grateful and lucky to have is having Derrick Adams do the cover. He’s a painter, a very close friend, and my daughter’s godfather. That whole thing is another amazing aspect, and he’s at a very high point in his career in the world of fine arts. He’s selling paintings for so much money, and for him to grace me with the cover is a whole other special thing. A lot of times, deciding on cover art can be super stressful and painful, but this was so smooth. He painted this for me, and we took a picture and did a quick design. It was really effortless. It’s relieving to have it out, but I’m already thinking about getting back in the studio soon while it’s still fresh. There were a couple of months between me finishing the record and getting everything else finalized. We’ve had it all settled since May, so it takes a minute to get everything right.
