As far as careers go, jazz pianist Stephen Thurston is hitting all the right notes. Since graduating from the CU-Boulder College of Music with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in jazz piano in 2013, Thurston has been growing roots in the Denver jazz scene, playing an average of one show per day鈥攐ften two.
鈥淚鈥檓 lucky if I have a day off,鈥� says Thurston. 鈥淏ut when you鈥檙e a musician, you have to get paid 鈥� so the more gigs you have, the better.鈥�
And it helps if you鈥檙e versatile. Thurston plays with psychedelic funk band听听at Quixotes True Blue on Mondays, gigs with Mark Emmons and the听听at Herb鈥檚 on Tuesdays and sits in with musicians during the Hump Day Funk Jam at Herb鈥檚 on Wednesdays. He also plays weddings with the听听and subs for other musicians to fill out his week.
It鈥檚 a dream lifestyle for a performer. And Thurston says it all started in Boulder.
Learning the fundamentals of jazz
The first time the Boulder native started studying music, it didn鈥檛 take. 鈥淲e had a piano in the house, and I would play around on my own,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 started taking classical piano lessons, but I didn鈥檛 really like it as much. So I quit.鈥�
He played off and on for a few years, but it wasn鈥檛 until high school鈥攚hen music theory started to enter into his studies鈥攖hat things clicked. He started taking lessons with CU-Boulder music theory professor and jazz expert Keith Waters. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 when my interest in music really started to go somewhere. I started going to Jazz Jam at the Outlook Hotel and I was hooked.鈥�
Thurston says his music theory studies made him a stronger jazz musician. 鈥淚t helps with improvising. You have the tools you need to play with a person鈥攎aybe someone you鈥檝e never met鈥攁nd know what notes he鈥檚 playing and what you can do to accompany him.
鈥淧laying music without knowing theory is like having a conversation without grammar or syntax.鈥�
Yet learning to improvise without first learning your scales could be considered just as problematic. That鈥檚 why, when it came time to go to college, the blossoming teen jazz artist鈥攚ho was playing Miles Davis at 16鈥攄ecided to give classical piano another try.
Rounding it out
鈥淚 don鈥檛 feel like I learned how to play the instrument correctly until I got to CU,鈥� Thurston admits. He brought his jazz chops to classical piano in his studies with now-retired professor Doris Lehnert. 鈥淚 did it all backward. When I got here, they said to me, 鈥榊ou need to practice your major scales.鈥欌��
At the same time, Thurston perfected his jazz skills with his primary teacher鈥攋azz piano faculty Jeff Jenkins鈥攚hile staying active in the local music scene playing gigs around Boulder. He also earned a听Music Technology Certificate, which he says sets him apart. 鈥淢ost pianists don鈥檛 like synthesizers鈥攁nd if they do, they don鈥檛 have the classical training to play well. So the fact that I got both the training and the technology background here has landed me a lot of gigs,鈥� he says.
鈥淚 was able to do things at CU that I wouldn鈥檛 have been able to do anywhere else. I got to play with a lot of the older, graduate-level musicians because I was the only jazz piano major my junior and senior year. I grew and learned a lot by doing that.鈥�
Eyes on the Big Easy
At just听24听years old, Thurston has a long career ahead of him. Fortunately for Denver audiences, he鈥檒l be in the city at least a little while longer. 鈥淚鈥檒l be here probably for another year or so, but ultimately I want to end up in New Orleans,鈥� he says. 鈥淒enver is a really creative scene, and there are a lot of jazz fans here 鈥� but for a jazz professional, New Orleans is the place to be.
鈥淚 like New Orleans because the groove and the styles are on lockdown, even in the rhythm section of the band. The music feels right because the rhythm musicians are taking care of it. That鈥檚 what I see for Denver鈥檚 scene in a few years.鈥�
He also hopes to hone in on a couple of particular styles. 鈥淢y biggest piece of advice for young musicians is to really ask yourself what you want to do,鈥� Thurston says. 鈥淵ou can be overwhelmed with different styles, and I鈥檓 a jack-of-all-trades. But I want to play more jazz piano gigs.
鈥淭he earlier you know exactly what you want to do, the better. Start working toward that.鈥�
Story by Jessie Bauters, College of Music
Photo courtesy of听Thurston.
