Building the Tenor Blue Sound: From Reggae Roots to Something New
When people ask me what kind of music I make, I usually pause before answering
I could say “reggae”, because that’s where my heart landed years ago. The rhythm, the soul, the spirituality — reggae gave me a compass. But the truth is, the music I make today pulls from a lot more than that. My sound is rooted in reggae, but it grows in all directions.
I was raised in San Francisco, in the Haight-Ashbury district — ground zero for rock, counterculture, and musical experimentation. That meant I was surrounded by everything from Hendrix to Sly & The Family Stone to the Grateful Dead. At home, I’d spin Jackson 5 records until the grooves wore out. Later it was Earth, Wind & Fire, Stevie Wonder, Teddy Pendergrass. Then came The Clash, Steel Pulse, Sarah Vaughan, The Police, Sugar Minott. I soaked it all in.
By the time I was writing my own songs, my ears were wide open.
I didn’t want to copy anyone — I wanted to pull from all those influences and find something original. I started blending reggae with hip-hop beats. Writing melodies with R&B sensibility. Throwing in chords I learned from jazz records. Letting soul and gospel sneak into my phrasing. Lately, I’ve been playing with Afrobeat rhythms and pop structure. It’s all fair game.
What matters to me is authenticity. Not doing it because it’s trendy. Not trying to be clever. Just making what feels honest — what matches the emotion and message I’m trying to express.
Sometimes that means breaking rules. Sometimes that means simplifying. Sometimes it means going weird and taking a risk.
That’s what makes it fun.
So if you listen to my upcoming EP and wonder, “Is this reggae? Is this soul? Is this jazz?” — the answer is yes. And no. And all of the above.
It’s just Tenor Blue.
