Living the Life: Q & A with local musician Donnie Aikins
By Sarah Winters
New Jazz trio launching at Bar and Board on Sunday evenings
As part of a new series, “Living the Life,” the magazine asked Donnie Aikins a few questions about music and his upcoming Jazz trio residency with Josh Bullard and Noah Campbell. The residency will take place at Bar and Board on Sunday evenings, starting Oct. 6 at 5 p.m.
Q: Tell us a little about yourself. How did you come to be in Newport?
A: I am Donnie Aikins, a Newport based bassist. I first came to Newport in 2019 for school from the United Kingdom – Salve Regina University. My love for music and Newport developed during my Undergraduate years. I’ve yet to leave and I don’t intend on doing so anytime soon.
Q: What’s your music background?
A: I started playing electric bass at a local church – I was 16 at the time. Jazz wasn’t a part of my life until I arrived in the United States and participated in Jazz Combos and Ensembles at Salve Regina University. My musical background and influence consequently is rooted in Gospel, Jazz and all its subsidiary sub-genres.
Q: How would you describe your creative process?
A: This is still a question I ask myself quite frequently. I truthfully cannot give a firm answer to this. I think right now, a big part of the creative process is embracing the unknown and trusting whatever my heart tells me to do. That in itself is my sound. Thus, I am unapologetic about it.
Q: How did you come to be in this jazz trio? And how did you settle on a residency at Bar and Board?
A: Remember what I said about embracing the unknown? Well, this is a newly formed trio; we haven’t played with each other before. Noah is a well-seasoned musician who I’ve seen perform at the Courtland Club in Providence, and at the Newport Jazz Festival. The music he plays is colourful – a true artist he is. Everytime I heard him play, a picture was painted – no matter the setting. I first met Josh at the Newport Jazz Camp, his devotion and enthusiasm captured me immediately; his imagination is extraordinary and I hope our audiences get touched by his vision. In regards to the venue settlement, Bar and Board was a no brainer… We wanted a place to showcase our sound, and Bar and Board felt perfect. Its intimate atmosphere creates a great environment for jazz. Plus, I’ve played there before and loved the energy. This residency will be a wonderful opportunity to grow and connect with the local community.
Q: What’s it like performing in front of people, sharing what you love to do? What do you hope people will get out of the experience?
A: Truly, it is a blessing. There is no defined expectation of our audience’s experience. It is whatever they want it to be. Whether you just want to listen to some jazz on a Sunday night, draw inspiration, have an out-of-body experience, or just hang out and have some drinks… This will be the place to come to.
Q: What’s a fun memory from practicing with this jazz trio, or another group? Or from performing live?
A: My best memory performing live (and I tell people this all the time) is my worst performance ever. I won’t get too into the details… But, [at the gig] I didn’t know a lot of the tunes called, I thought my playing was awful – improvisation and comping. I burdened the other musicians and eventually the gig was tailored to my knowledge – which at the time was VERY limited. But that was one of the most necessary gigs for my development as a musician. The growth that followed has been nothing but exponential and I love this journey I am on.
Q: What’s another current or upcoming project you can share?
A: This residency has a mission of increasing the consumption of Jazz in Newport. So, a concurrent project is firmly establishing a scene in Newport, supporting live musicians and the venues that help us. Undoubtedly, the Newport Jazz Festival is a staple here. But we need more than 3 days to accomplish this mission.
Q: What’s some advice you have for others trying to break out in the local music scene?
A: A lot more can be said on this topic than a couple of sentences but, the advice I would give to others trying to break out into the local music scene is to first of all establish a dedicated mission. Of course, no one can predict the future but you can at least plan out some logistics – what genre? independent or band? What investments are needed? The list is endless, but at every step of the way you need to be honest with yourself and assess logistics and how your performance is aligned with your mission. Lastly, there are a lot of phenomenal musicians in the Rhode Island area, network – get to know one another. Support other live musicians!
Q: Is there anything else you would like Newport Life readers to know about what you’re up to this fall?
A: I can’t reveal too many secrets now.
Q: What musicians and/or albums are you listening to on repeat right now?
A: There have been two musicians in particular that have been great influences to me as of recently; Maestro Ron Carter and Russell Hall – both bassists.
To follow along check out Donnie, Josh, and Noah on Instagram, where you can also check out the event poster and more photos by Sedra Smith.
