Watch out for this young bassist. He's just breaking onto the scene
with his first solo CD featuring such luminaries as Russell Ferrante
and Eric Marienthall, and fitting in like a glove with these jazz
icons. Known as a "Richard Bona protégé", (quite a statement to uphold)
he shows on this first effort to have tremendous potential in quite a
few directions. Being an accomplished composer as well as a player, he
represents yet another generation of young lions to be reckoned with.
With a surprisingly defined maturity to his playing, coupled with his
great sense of melody, Cheikh will become a familiar voice on the scene
sooner than later.
Jake: I understand that you're originally from Senegal, West Africa. How long have you been here in the states?
Cheikh: I've been here for almost ten years now.
Jake: Did you have any formal training in Senegal, or were most of your studies conducted here in the states?
Cheikh: When I was in Senegal, which actually is the home for quite a
few musicians, I mostly played by ear, which the majority of players do
there. There was a conservatory, but very few players actually
attended. So most everything we learned there was by ear along with
using CD's and DVD's. Basically, I was self-taught. Once I moved here,
I enrolled in school to work on my reading, and studied composition as
well.
Jake: I've heard the term 'Richard Bona protégé' come up, which is
quite a positive statement about you. Has Richard been one of your main
influences?
Cheikh: Richard is a friend of mine. He's a tremendous player that I
have great respect for. Four or five years ago I gave him some tracks
that I had been working on. He listened to my work and told me
immediately that I should start putting together an album of my own. He
was definitely a catalyst for me as far as pursuing the beginnings of a
solo career and a solo CD.
Jake: I know you are just finishing up your debut CD that will be
coming out in 2008 with some very special players on board. Tell me
about this recording.
Cheikh: The recording began with a good friend of mine Kevin Peter
Jones, who brought me into his management company as well. We met,
started talking about music, and I ended up bringing him on my project
for two or three tunes. He's a great drummer. After he spent some time
recording with me, he offered to produce the CD for me, and I accepted
his offer. At that point, he decided to bring in Russell Ferrante and
Eric Marienthal for the remaining tracks, as well as Mike Miller on
guitar. I was thrilled to have these players come onboard.
