Review Fix Exclusive: Frank Unzueta Interview

Soft strains of smooth jazz piano fill the room, while light cello and soft drums create an instrumental that is both romantic and relaxing. Deft fingers weave around the black and white keys as the mood of a 60’s nightclub is set gently to the listener. The music is quiet and lilting, like peaceful moonlight upon a sandy beach.

Frank Unzueta is no stranger to music. Since he was an 18-year-old college student with limited practice, Unzueta always gravitated towards the guitar and piano. Even after he graduated, the piano was not left or forgotten. If anything, the enjoyment was heightened as now he could indulge his love of jazz music more often.

Some of Frank’s favorite composers are the old classics. Bach, Chopin, and Beethoven easily make the list, with newer composers such as Aaron Copland, William John Evans, Oscar Peterson, and the Beatles.

“John Lennon influenced me in life,” Unzueta reflected. “He made me want to participate in music.”

Unlike many artists of today, Unzueta don’t go on tours very often to popularize his music. He has very strong family ties with his three younger sisters and wanted to stay close to home.

“I didn’t want to be a side man,” Unzueta said, “working for other people and going on the road all the time.”

In his classic song, “The Me You Created,” Unzueta said that he spontaneously came on the piano and just started to play, his hands dancing upon the keys. He also explained how he does not need sheet music in front of him to jot down the music he composes. Rather, the only written piece of music is any accompaniment from other artists.

“When I compose I compose in my head.” Unzueta explained. “I write out the parts of the other musicians.”

Uzueta worked with Sunstone Records in the release of his album last June. His good friend Peter Marin was co-vocalist who wanted to do an album. Several friends helped helped arrange and record the album. In addition to his newest album release, Unzueta performs in jazz clubs such as “Spaghettini,” where the people there are more intersted in the music and appreciate the musician instead of concerned with the musician selling drinks to thirsty patrons.

“I love the people there, and they love jazz,” Unzueta recalls. “They’re very respectful to your music, and that’s not easy to find.”

The profession of a jazz musician definitely has its perks. Frank gave off a very relaxed vibe, as if the world were running as it should. He laughed often and fully. His voice was smooth and relaxed, rich like caramel and soft as velvet. His words were controlled and deliberate, nothing rushed. His whole aura seemed reflective of his music, peaceful and calm.

While his music is enjoyable to his listeners, the only time he listen to his own music if he’s recording the novelty of it. Rarely does he listen to it just for the sake of hearing his own voice. Rather, he prefers to perform in front of an audience who can appreciate his work for the classic art that music has always been

“Its different when you’re performing your own music. You are, like, living your music again.” Frank relates. “When you’re sitting down and its playing for you, it’s not the same thing. I love communicating live, instead of just performing. The audiences responds. There is nothing like that response. It just nourishes the soul.”

Composing music is an enjoyable task for this jazz musician. Unzueta says that he can compose anywhere, and doesn’t need the ideal settings to be in the mood to compose. General noise and loud people don’t bother him. He is able to shut everything out and drift into the comforts of his musical mind to write the song that he chooses. The great outdoors and nature help him greatly with this task, especially since he lives on the coast in San Hedro, California.

“Sometimes I go sit and just look at the ocean, so peaceful. Don’t need to have an instrument to compose,” Unzueta reflects. “Everyone does it different. Some people need a piano to compose. It just comes out, it’s there.”

The weather also offers relaxation and inspiration. Unzueta has a preference for rainy and snowy days, which are wonderfully peaceful. Walking in the rain is a quiet joy of his, and the dark skies don’t seem threatening. Snowing is even more intense, with the serenity of the snow gently falling. Unzueta prefers the winter months and the cold weather for their relaxation and peacefulness.

Music is a part of him that he can see just about everywhere. It is more than just noise or a task. Darker colors represent more of a serious music, such as a shadow or overcast skies. Lighter colors such as a peaceful ocean scene represent a lively playful piece. Sounds become elements.

“I hear sounds like an iPod in my head,” Unzueta says. “It can be obsessive. Sometimes I can turn it off, sometimes I can’t.”

In his free time, Unzueta read history, poetry, biography, “Attila the Hun” as his current read. One of the books that he read last year, “Julius Caesar,” is another of his favorites. He loves how much is known about this man and thinks the biography is amazing. Unzueta also runs and works out as a stress reliever and personal time.

Unzueta’s future goals involve playing in the Hollywood Bowl, the Lincoln Center in New York, and the Montreaux in Europe. As he hasn’t played outside the US as yet, Unzueta looks forward to expanding his possibilities as not only a record label musician, but also as a better musician.

“Believe in yourself completely and without any reservation,” Frank advised. “If you do, nothing that happens will deter you.”