Chattanooga Times Free Press entertainment reporter Casey Phillips spoke with Brooklyn-based New Orleans-style jazz pianist Josh Charles about his love affair with New Orleans, doing his part to aid the recovery effort and his friendship with Dr. Dog.
CP: Growing up, you were studying classical piano until a blues radio station caught your attention. How old were you at the time?
JC: Well, it wasn’t so much blues as it was New Orleans music, I think. I grew up in Kansas City. I started taking piano at 8, and my parents are from Detroit, so I grew up with Motown in the house. The soul of that R&B was deeply ingrained in me before I ever started playing.
I remember hearing Professor Longhair, James Booker and Dr. John on this radio show in the city when I was 11 or 12 years old. It just blew me away. I said, “I just have to learn to play like this.” I was lucky to be extremely gifted in classical music, advancing very fast, but I didn’t have the passion for it that I did once I heard this other kind of music.
CP: Was there a particular aspect of the music that resonated with you?