As a teenager you played in a 'rhythm and blues' band, and that signature is still present in your playing style, the aggressive rhythm typical of the 'R&B' style. Any comments? I have long felt that it is necessary for players to have some experience in popular and rhythm-based music before they involve themselves in the more demanding aspects of Jazz and improvised music. History details that many of the greatest players have performed with dance bands and popular groups. Doing this kind of work gives one's playing a more profound bounce and swing feel. Also, it teaches player how to affect the audience through various uses of rhythm manipulation.

By the end of the 70's you studied at Howard University, Washington. What did you learn? Can jazz be learned in a University? In my early days at the university, I learned about the European approaches to composition and counterpoint. A great deal of time was spent on the application of harmonic techniques. There was not much study on rhythm. These days, with the absence of jam sessions in clubs, a university environment is practically the only place where a young player can learn and practice the craft of Jazz.

You also attended Berklee College of Music; any of your colleagues is a popular professional jazz musician? All of my former schoolmates are professional musicians. The others exercise music through other related disciplines such as music education, audio recording and engineering, film scoring, composition for television and commercials or instrument manufacture and repair.

Miles was in and out from Juillard, remaining just a few months. Any comments? At that time there was a vibrant music scene in New York. It is possible that Miles Davis felt that he could learn his craft at a faster pace by interfacing directly with the innovators of Jazz on a personal level. It is my opinion that he made the better musical choice. Surely, there could not have been a proper Jazz department at Julliard in the 1940's. It was, and is, primarily an institution for classical music.

Trough the 80's,in the New York scene, you played with trumpet players like Woody Shaw or Lester Bowie. With them you have learned a lot, but what was the biggest learning from your collaboration with the 'World Saxophone Quartet'? A saxophone player learns more from another saxophone player. True or false? Musical information can be found from a variety of sources. It is not necessary for a musician to be exclusive to his own instrument when pursuing knowledge. In fact, I studied pianists much more than saxophonists during my earlier study years. It was the sound of the piano that appealed to me the most. I also found the study of piano based music to be much more challenging.

Do you share Winton Marsalis revivalist philosophy? Or you are more with the M-Base experimental movement? I don't have any issues with the opinions of Wynton Marsalis. He is my friend and is entitled to make his own personal choices, as does every artist. We all are expected to think differently. On the other hand, I do not subscribe completely to the idealogy of the M-BASE Collective, which I was involved with in the 1980's. I find it best to follow the path that I have chosen for myself.

Can you tell us about your 'shifting melodic order' method present in several of your recordings? Shifting Melodic Order is far too involved for me to discuss it's applications in this forum. Generally speaking, it is a series of developments and approaches that allow me many choices and starting points for improvisation as well as composition. I began formulating my concepts for SMO around 1982 and it is the basis for how I think about, compose and listen to music. It allows me to beter define who Greg Osby is as an artist.

Does your influences include Parker? Coltrane? Of course. One can not play this music properly without proper acknowledgement and study of the dominant players that have contributed so generously to the language and history. Parker and Coltrane, along with countless others have played a part in my development. As I stated before, my influences also include many of the great pianists in Jazz.

How did you 'find' the creative pianist Jason Moran, important element of your different bands and a frequent presence on your recordings? What are your thought about his work? I found Jason Moran while he was still a student at the Manhattan School of Music. He had not done any professional touring or recording at that point yet, but I took a chance with him and hired him for my group. I trusted my instincts. He was with my band for six years and has since developed into a fine artist in his own right. I am pleased that I recognized his talent while he was very young. There are many prominent young musicians on the current scene who have played in my groups at various periods. I consider it an honor that they seek me out and endeavor to play my music.

How do you face the 'free revivalism' of today? Will that, in your opinion, be the future of the 21st century jazz? After the current world political climate regulates itself, we will witness and enjoy the emergence of an entirely new crop of younger, more versatile Jazz musicians. This new generation will bring a new perspective to contemporary music based on their experiences and lifestyles just as many generations before have. Greg Osby June, 2004 jazzportugal.ua agradece a colaboração de Sérgio Gonçalves e da EMI