“Blues is the heart and soul of Music in America. It’s the source of it all. Country, Reggae, rock ‘n’ roll, rhythm and blues, hip-hop, soul, gospel, all have their roots in the blues. It is quite literally the source.”

Jason Gay: Mahalo, Use The Blues

Jason Gay is an accomplished American saxophonist, bandleader, and educator who was born in Washington, D.C., and is currently based in Honolulu, Hawaii. He began his professional music career at the early age of 16 in Washington, D.C., and later went on to study at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, eventually completing his degree in jazz performance at Virginia Commonwealth University. For eight years, he served as a unit leader and saxophonist in the United States Navy Band, an experience that deeply shaped his musical career. Throughout his journey, he has shared the stage and collaborated with major global artists across various genres, including Mos Def, Boyz II Men, *NSYNC, Ravi Coltrane, and The Temptations.

(Photos: Jason Gay, Honolulu Hawaii)

Today, Jason Gay is widely recognized online through his popular social media project, "Use The Blues," where he showcases creative saxophone transcriptions and adaptations of complex guitar solos. In Hawaii, he has become one of the region's most sought-after musicians, performing solo at weddings, private parties, and corporate events across Oahu, Maui, and Kauai, while also performing with prominent local groups such as the Island Kings and Mango Season. His discography highlights include the album The Present and the Past, released through the Hawaiian label Aloha Got Soul, which features an innovative jazz approach to traditional Chinese melodies. Due to his exceptional technical skill, he is an official artist and endorser for major music brands, including BetterSax, JodyJazz, and Key Leaves.

Interview by Michael Limnios

How did the idea come about to replicate guitar solos by Stevie Ray Vaughan or Jimi Hendrix on the saxophone, and what were the biggest technical challenges in that process?

I’ve studied jazz most of my life. Coming back to Hawaii in 2016, I stopped getting calls for jazz Gigs and started getting calls to do more weddings. As you know in Hawaii weddings are all year around. I quickly realized that Charlie Parker licks over pop tunes just won’t quite cut it. I figured why not take it straight to the source and just play the blues? I could draw inspiration from a lot of the great blues Saxophone players, but once again I figured why not ticket to the source? When I think of blues, I think about B.B.King, Albert King, Albert Collins, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Elmore James, Duane Allman, and even newer players like Eric Gales, Kingfish, Kirk Fletcher, and Tomo Fugita.

Probably the largest technical challenge is trying to get my Saxophone to sound like a Guitar! Lol. But I’ve learned so much about bending notes, having a more percussive attack, letting certain notes resonate, playing behind the beat, ect.

Are there specific elements of blues guitar playing (such as bending or vibrato) that you had to completely reinvent on the saxophone?

Yes, I pretty much had to reinvent my entire approach to the Saxophone.  The vast majority of Guitar players have a certain attitude that they bring to the music that’s very different to horn players. So yes, I had to reinvent every aspect of horn playing to understand their language.   What a horn player plays a note. They simply attack the note and let it ring out. When a guitar player plays a note, the slide into it, let it swell, add vibrato, add growl, and then slide it either up or down. It’s a much more dynamic process.

“The vast majority of horn players see blues or something that’s not quite that important. They typically limited to a pentatonic scale. I would challenge each and every one of them to just learn one B.B. King solo and then get back to me.  That stuff is not easy!!” (Photos: Jason Gay)

In your educational work, you emphasize the importance of the blues. Why do you believe the blues is the ultimate foundation for every saxophonist, regardless of the music genre they play?

Blues is the heart and soul of Music in America. It’s the source of it all. Country, Reggae, rock ‘n’ roll, rhythm and blues, hip-hop, soul, gospel, all have their roots in the blues. It is quite literally the source.

What is the most common mistake you see your students make when trying to improvise over the blues, and how do you help them overcome it? You shared the stage with legends like The Temptations and Ravi Coltrane. What is the most valuable piece of advice you took away from those collaborations?

The vast majority of horn players see blues or something that’s not quite that important. They typically limited to a pentatonic scale. I would challenge each and every one of them to just learn one B.B. King solo and then get back to me.  That stuff is not easy!!

For my collaborations with the Temptations, Ravi Coltrane, ect. I just learned the importance of getting in there and just being yourself. There’s already a John Coltrane and Micheal Brecker. What do YOU have to offer this giant Music tapestry?

How did your time in the US Navy Band, touring throughout Asia, shape your discipline and perspective as a musician? How do you bridge the philosophy of traditional Eastern music with the structure and freedom of American jazz?

Joining the Navy band is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Give me a chance to serve my country doing exactly what it is that I love. The better I performed the better I serve! I served eight years in the Navy, the same exact eight years Barack Obama was president.

I believe most cultures in the world play some sort of blues, blues is a music of the people, the music of the land. I spent three years transcribing and studying Chinese folk music, and then recorded a CD entitled “Jason Gay Dynasty” to document this journey.

”I could draw inspiration from a lot of the great blues Saxophone players, but once again I figured why not ticket to the source? When I think of blues, I think about B.B.King, Albert King, Albert Collins, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Elmore James, Duane Allman, and even newer players like Eric Gales, Kingfish, Kirk Fletcher, and Tomo Fugita.” (Photos: Jason Gay creative saxophone transcriptions and adaptations of complex guitar solos in his popular social media project, "Use The Blues”)

Hawaii is now your home. In what ways have the culture, lifestyle, and local music scene of Honolulu influenced your sound over the recent years?

Most audience members don’t really know what a Saxophone is supposed to sound like, which literally means I complain anything I want as long as it sounds good.   People identify with the blues because it bends notes and sounds very human. Like the sound of a mother‘s voice. Everyone can relate to this.

You started playing professionally and touring at the young age of 16. What was that experience like for a teenager, and what did it teach you about the reality of the music industry?

I started off, performing with an acting group called “uprising”, performed in major theaters and venues. It wasn’t until I hit the age of 20 where I started playing dive bars and sports bars.

You studied at Berklee College of Music and VCU. How does a musician balance strict academic jazz training with the raw spontaneity required for live improvisation?     

I would like to think that I bring my jazz brain into the blues world which perhaps gives me a different outlook. I thought I heard everything there was to hear until I listened to Eric Gales. And that very instant, I realized there’s a whole lot of things I have been missing.

Jason Gay | Use The Blues - Home

(Photos: Jason Gay, Hawaii)