Rahsaan profile picture

Rahsaan

Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.

About Me

Hmmm, where to start... I'm now 27 and have moved back to Music City, U.S.A.! Born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee into a household full of music! I have an identical twin who has also been blessed with much musical talent and success. In May of '05 I received my Master's in Music Performance from Manhattan School of Music. I had the time of life living on the Upper West Side of Manhattan for two years! So much CULTURE! How can one not love a city that offers tango, salsa, and hip hop at the drop of hat on a weeknight??? Speaking of love, I LOVE to dance - HUGE fan of salsa and latin jazz (Marc Anthony, Maraca, Tito, Spanish Harlem Orchestra), merengue y reggaetton, hip hop - SOME, not all - I'm not into the degradation of men and women, period. As a professional saxophonist, I spend most of my time onstage here in Nashville playing with a host of wonderful ensembles. I've just released my first solo CD, TRIOSOUL - check out www.thebarberbrothers.com for more info on that! I also am a budding songwriter and perform with salsa, funk and hip hop bands here in the 615 area!
TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF - The Survey
Name: Rahsaan
Birthday: April 2nd, 1980
Birthplace: Nashville, TN
Current Location: Nashville, TN
Eye Color: brown
Hair Color: black
Height: 5'8.5
Right Handed or Left Handed: right
Your Heritage: American, ancestors from Africa
The Shoes You Wore Today: Champion sneaks
Your Weakness: reggaeton
Your Fears: few if any
Your Perfect Pizza: pepperoni and chorizo...
Goal You Would Like To Achieve This Year: establish myself as full-time professional musician
Your Most Overused Phrase On an instant messenger: Wow
Thoughts First Waking Up: mi familia
Your Best Physical Feature: eyes
Your Bedtime: 2-3AM during the summer! Otherwise midnite
Your Most Missed Memory: that's for me to know and....
Pepsi or Coke: DIET Coke
MacDonalds or Burger King: Popeye's (YEAUH!)
Single or Group Dates: Well, I'm an identical twin...so...SINGLE!
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: SOUTHERN Sweet Tea
Chocolate or Vanilla: Caramel - best of both worlds...
Cappuccino or Coffee: Hot Chocolate with vanilla and nutmeg
Do you Smoke: Nope
Do you Swear: Very rarely, but very well when I do...
Do you Sing: At times...
Do you Shower Daily: yes - had to grow up sometime, :)
Have you Been in Love: yes
Do you want to go to College: Got my Master's and I'm OUT!
Do you want to get Married: yes
Do you belive in yourself: absolutely
Do you get Motion Sickness: no
Do you think you are Attractive: why not?
Are you a Health Freak: no
Do you get along with your Parents: absolutely
Do you like Thunderstorms: yes
Do you play an Instrument: Several - saxophone, flute, piano and a few more
In the past month have you Drank Alcohol: no
In the past month have you Smoked: no
In the past month have you been on Drugs: no
In the past month have you gone on a Date: yes
In the past month have you gone to a Mall: yes
In the past month have you eaten a box of Oreos: no, but now I'm hungry - DOH!
In the past month have you eaten Sushi: no
In the past month have you been on Stage: Many times
In the past month have you been Dumped: no
In the past month have you gone Skinny Dipping: no
In the past month have you Stolen Anything: no
Ever been Drunk: Well, maybe...fun times in Madrid...
Ever been called a Tease: yes
Ever been Beaten up: not really
Ever Shoplifted: no
How do you want to Die: Heaven-bound
What do you want to be when you Grow Up: proud of myself
What country would you most like to Visit: Puerto Rico (Heaven on Earth, right?)
In a Boy/Girl..
Favourite Eye Color: more into shapes than colors...
Favourite Hair Color: none
Short or Long Hair: long
Height: somewhere between my chair and my ceiling...
Weight: Real women have curves, right? :)
Best Clothing Style: Classy and contemporary...
Number of Drugs I have taken: none
Number of CDs I own: nowhere near enough
Number of Piercings: none
Number of Tattoos: none
Number of things in my Past I Regret: get to know me and let me know if you find some
CREATE YOUR OWN! - or - GET PAID TO TAKE SURVEYS!

My Interests

MUSIC (really more a passion and profession than an interest), saxophone, film scoring, faith, Christian spirituality, physical fitness, tennis, dancing -salsa, bachata, merengue, reggaeton...

I'd like to meet:

Spike Lee, Denzel Washington, T.D. Jakes, Prince, Jennifer Lopez, Rosa Parks, Sonny Rollins, Oprah Winfrey, and so many more...

Music:

Too Much to List! Here's a sampling: For Listening - Will Downing, Brian McKnight, Rachelle Ferrell, Kirk Whalum, Branford Marsalis, Stevie Wonder, Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, Jill Scott, Yolanda Adams and generally, blues, jazz, gospel and RnB.For Dancing - Salsa (Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Marc Anthony, Tito Puente) Reggaetton (missing the NYC Copacabana right now...), Hip Hop, RnB, Bachata and a bit of Tango :) I love live concerts.

Movies:

LADY IN THE WATER! (New Favorite), Serenity, Out of Sight (Oh MY!), Ray, Muppets Take Manhattan (I concede its much funnier if you've lived in Manhattan), Pillow Talk with Doris Day and Rock Hudson, Love Jones, Malcolm X and a few others whose titles elude me... How's that for variety?

Television:

LOST! AND The Daily Show (though I concede the Colbert Report is actually funnier these days), the occasional Law and Order, Reno 911, and Inside the Actor's Studio

Books:

Recent Reads: "Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality" and hoping to get "To A Young Jazz Musician" by Wynton Marsalis pretty soon. Just finished Loretta Laroche's "Life Is Short: Wear Your Party Pants" and truly enjoyed it - nothing too heavy, but a very nice, reflective read.

Heroes:

Very many. I find inspiration in people who struggle forward against the push of adversity. I've had recent interest in the writing of James Baldwin. Here are some of his thoughts:Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.The questions which one asks oneself begin, at least, to illuminate the world, and become one's key to the experience of others.To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.To be sensual, I think, is to respect and rejoice in the force of life, of life itself, and to be present in all that one does, from the effort of loving to the making of bread.People can cry much easier than they can change.I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.Fires can't be made with dead embers, nor can enthusiasm be stirred by spiritless men. Enthusiasm in our daily work lightens effort and turns even labor into pleasant tasks.

My Blog

More Blogthings...October '06

Alright, y'all - more blog stuff! I'm chilling in the back a tour bus on the road right now, and THIS is all I can come up with to entertain myself at the moment. Your EQ is 17350 or less: Thanks for...
Posted by Rahsaan on Sat, 28 Oct 2006 12:07:00 PST

Interesting words on the Jazz Scene in Nashville

Interesting thoughts about the jazz scene here in Music City, from the Nashville Scene's Best of Nashville Issue this year...I've got lots to say on this matter, but I'll reserve it for another time. ...
Posted by Rahsaan on Tue, 24 Oct 2006 08:15:00 PST

Blogthings

Reeses Peanut Butter Cups Very popular, one of you is not enough. What Kind of Candy Are You? You Should Be a Musician You have a rare combinations of talents: an ear for music, nimble fingers, and t...
Posted by Rahsaan on Mon, 19 Jun 2006 02:39:00 PST

Taken from Sonny Rollins' liner notes...

Great words here to think on for any aspiring jazz musician written by Peter Keepnews... Rollins most definitely does have both good and bad nights, and one reason is that he is every inch an improvis...
Posted by Rahsaan on Sun, 14 May 2006 09:42:00 PST

A Good Read!

Just wanted to let y'all konw that I  picked up a great book today while making my weekly pilgrimage through the Holy Land that is Stein Mart and Target! Here's the title:  Life is Short - W...
Posted by Rahsaan on Sun, 05 Mar 2006 10:41:00 PST

Thoughts on the last few weeks...

What a February its been! Seems like it started yesterday and ended today! Just thought I'd take a second to pass on some things that have been on my mind recently! I've been on the road an awful LOT ...
Posted by Rahsaan on Mon, 27 Feb 2006 11:09:00 PST

Artistic Statement

As an artist I reconcile a deep understanding of the work of my musical "forefathers" with an ear toward the forward-leaning aesthetics, interests, and philosophies prevalent on the contemporary impr...
Posted by Rahsaan on Thu, 02 Feb 2006 10:11:00 PST