We caught Dennis Lambert’s performance at the Lyric last year. My music loving teenager, Charlie, was floored by the concert. He said on the way home from the show, “I can’t believe I just heard music like that in my hometown. In my OWN hometown.” Charlie believes Lambert is an exceptional musician, something a bit different in the realm of jazz sounds. “I think his songs are more original sounding and modern than a lot of jazz music. I prefer them to the covers of some of the older jazz pieces. Dennis Lambert is a jazz hero of our time. I don’t know how many people know this.”
Dennis, a Brownwood native and a graduate of Brownwood High School and Howard Payne University, is living what for a lot of musicians is the dream life, playing jazz on the circuit in Japan. We asked him a few questions about his work, what he dreams about, and some about his upcoming show. “The people who come out to my shows in Japan are super supportive. I love playing there. But I do miss playing for American audiences. There is a certain kind of camaraderie that comes with an American audience,” Lambert stated.
Connecting with his audience is one of the things Lambert loves the most about his profession: “It feels different every time, but it is an amazing feeling. Music transcends any language barrier, and I’ve gotten to experience that great feeling numerous times.” Lambert has been playing piano since the age of 5. He advises young musicians to set small goals but dream big ones.
“I guess the ultimate dream as a musician for me is to keep experiencing joyful moments playing my original music with amazing musicians for people who love live music,” Lambert mused. “For now, I have mainly big shows coming up and some tours in the fall. Most of these performances are held in Japan. I’ve been writing a lot of original music lately, so potentially there could be another album in the works in the near future. My latest album is called Pathway. Pathway tells a musical story about my journey as a musician. I had a rather unique path in my musical career and I hope this album evokes that,” Lambert said.
Charlie has several Lambert albums, including Perseverance, which is his favorite. “The difference between Lambert’s work and a lot of others is that he has more of a sort of jump and emotion in his music,” Charlie explained. “Traditional jazz doesn’t always have these sorts of unexpected additions. I feel like his tracks compared to the standards are more fun to listen to because he’s willing to take risks. It’s not just complex to be complex and show off skills. This is more heartfelt. Dennis has a different voice through his music that makes things interesting and surprising. I cannot wait to hear what he is going to play. I think it’s great to bring more complicated and complex music to Brownwood. You could travel the country and not hear anything of this quality, and here it is in our own hometown. I think a lot of people are really going to enjoy it.” I think I know of someone that sure is!
Lambert performs this Saturday, April 20, at 7:30pm. Tickets can be purchased at www.brownwoodlyrictheatre.com, or call the Brownwood Lyric
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Diane Adams is a local journalist whose columns appear Thursdays on BrownwoodNews.com
