For some, music is a hobby. For Jed Edmondson, an Austin Peay State University student and jazz artist, it’s a way of life. He released his debut album, 19, on July 4 this year. I got a chance to sit down with Edmondson and discuss the process.
“I asked my parents for an audio interface for Christmas a couple of years ago, and it was just sitting on my desk,” Edmonson began, “but then I thought, if this is what I’m going to do with my life, then I need to do this.”
Determined to make his mark in the music world, Edmondson set a goal: release a project before turning 20. Being committed to this challenge in May and having a birthday in early June meant he had less than three months to complete this objective.
“I recorded all of the music at the end of May. I had to have it done by June 7 because I was going to Seattle for a trumpet festival that was happening out there, and I was gone until June 26. So, by the time I returned, I had less than 10 days to get everything mixed and mastered. And so I stayed up for three days, working, mixing and mastering. But I recorded all the tunes, and we did everything in one take. I didn’t splice anything,” Edmonson said.
During our conversation, Edmonson discussed his early influence. His parents are both APSU alumni of the music program, and his father studied jazz and played it in the house often. Edmonson notes this as where he found his early appreciation for the genre. His father also appears on the album, in the song “Where and When,” playing the piano.
Aside from Edmondson’s father, two friends joined to help him craft 19. Zachary Marhover appears on “Fever” playing bass, and Benjamin Truex lends his hypnotic guitar skills to “Stardust.”
Through long hours of hard work and dedication, Edmonson released his debut album on July 4, the day before his 20th birthday. The album 19 features seven beautifully played songs, all recorded, mixed and mastered within three months.
Edmonson expressed much appreciation for the new listeners gravitating to the genre. The genre that shaped the cultural landscape of the 20th century experienced a considerable decline in the 2000s, relegated to quirky comedy movie scores and elevator music. It was up until the mid-2010s, with the success of the films of Damien Chazelle, Whiplash (2014) and La La Land (2016), as well as Kendrick Lamar’s critically acclaimed album To Pimp a Butterfly (2015), did jazz’s power to express innovation allow the genre to regain its artistic distinction.
“Over the past few years, people have realized, ‘this is hip.’ That’s really cool. You know?” he said.
You can listen to Jed Edmondson’s 19 on YouTube, Spotify and all other streaming platforms. He, alongside the APSU Jazz Combo, will also perform in the Mabry Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 13.
