In celebration of the Capital City’s music scene, Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman has declared 2016 the Year of Music. The initiative highlights the people, venues and sounds that make up the city’s diverse music community.
One of the talented people being spotlighted by this program is Solomon J. Parham, a veteran jazz musician and teaching instructor at Walker West Music Academy on Selby Avenue. (Read more about Walker West Academy here).
Parham also hosts Solomon’s Sessions, a monthly series of participatory jazz sessions held on Sunday nights from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Bedlam Theatre in Lowertown. The sessions provide a place for musicians to connect with each other while cultivating a standard of high performance with proficient and competent musicianship.
“These are global musicians whose common ground is St. Paul,” says Parham, adding that the core of the Sessions is racial and geographical diversity. “Racial equity in the arts should be our cornerstone if we are to celebrate creativity and unique perspectives. This diversity is congruent with the spirit of music.” Parham sees the Year of Music as a chance to raise awareness of and extend opportunities to the artists who “bring life to the city.”
Growing up in Detroit, Parham’s trumpet teachers were his role models, instilling in him not only a love of jazz but a desire to help others reach their full potential through music.
Parham studied under acclaimed trumpeters Herbie Williams and Marcus Belgrave before earning a bachelor’s degree in instrumental music education from Wayne State University. Shortly after moving to the Twin Cities in 2008, a friend helped him land a job as music instructor at Walker West, where he’s been ever since. In April, Parham received a master’s in musical performance from the McNally Smith College of Music.
“My students learn everything from stage presence to etiquette,” Parham says. “I teach them to stay humble to the craft.”
Though his forte is jazz trumpet, Parham believes that all music genres, from hip-hop to classical, offer opportunities to discover new sounds and grow as an artist. He even incorporates digital music into his curriculum, believing that it’s a good way to “give students an introduction to acoustic awareness.”
Of the Year of Music, Parham says “I am humbled and honored to participate. I hope that it resonates in the community.”
