Igmar
Thomas
exists
in
a
musical
ecosystem
that
engages
every
part
of
his
human
experience,
allowing
him
to
express
the
kaleidoscopic
span
of
creative
expression.
In
a
recent
chat
with
Hip-Hop
Wired,
Igmar
Thomas
shared
a
bit
about
his
upbringing
in
California,
encountering
fellow
leaders
of
the
jazz
scene,
and
his
excitement
about
the
inaugural
Hip
Hop
&…
festival
at
the
Kennedy
Center.
With
a
reserved
vocal
tone
befitting
of
a
band
leader,
Igmar
Thomas’
breezy
nature
translated
well
in
our
brief
chat
with
him.
We
opened
up
the
talk
by
asking
Thomas
how
growing
up
in
San
Diego,
which
isn’t
known
for
its
jazz
scene,
and
how
he
came
to
encounter
his
love
of
music
overall.
“Growing
up
in
San
Diego,
it’s
not
New
Orleans
or
New
York,
it’s
more
of
a
slice
of
franchise
America,”
Thomas
began.
“I
wasn’t
exposed
to
juke
joints
and
things
like
that
at
a
young
age
but
my
father’s
love
of
music
and
his
record
collection
was
diverse.
He
loved
all
types
of
music.”
Thomas
continued,
“I
heard
everything
growing
up
and
discovering
music
via
radio
and
television.
My
friends
and
family
also
got
me
into
a
lot
of
different
genres.
So
my
musical
vocation
at
a
young
age
isn’t
like
say,
a
cat
from
New
Orleans.”
Thomas
then
explained
that
he
began
his
formal
training
with
music
at
age
11,
joining
the
school
band
playing
in
a
structured
format,
and
learning
the
trumpet.
He
added
that
the
public
school
system
was
key
in
getting
him
into
playing
music.
The
West
Coast
jazz
scene,
much
like
the
Los
Angeles
underground
beat
scene,
is
packed
with
talent.
Thomas
has
worked
alongside
the
likes
of
Ron
Bruner,
Stephen
“Thundercat”
Bruner,
Kamasi
Washington,
and
others
during
their
respective
journeys
in
music.
We
asked
about
the
early
days
of
those
connections.
“It
all
came
together
towards
the
end
of
high
school
and
it
was
pretty
organic
[how
we
all
met],”
Thomas
says
of
his
early
encounters
with
Washington.
“I
can’t
recall
everything
but
I
think
I
saw
Kamasi
playing
at
the
UCLA
Jazz
Fest,
or
he
could’ve
been
with
Christian
McBride.
Growing
up
where
I
did,
it
was
amazing
to
see
him
play
in
the
same
lane
I
wanted
to
be
in
and
killing
it
at
that.”
Thomas
adds,
“Kamasi
was
playing
better
than
I
could.
I
actually
got
to
meet
Kamasi
and
his
folks
via
Ray
Hargrove,
who
was
my
big
brother
in
music.
So
I
was
at
Catalina’s
a
lot
and
met
Kamasi
and
Ron
[Bruner]
there.
I
met
Kamasi’s
whole
band
eventually,
which
includes
Brandon
Coleman,
Ron,
and
his
brother
Stephen,
who
everyone
knows
is
Thundercat.”
In
the
chat,
Thomas
remarked
on
how
Ron
Bruner
had
more
of
an
eclectic
style
of
dress
back
then,
which
Thomas
says
may
have
been
informed
by
his
working
with
Sa-Ra
Creative
Partners
at
the
time
while
Thundercat
was
conservative
in
comparison.
These
days,
Thundercat
is
viewed
as
a
style
icon,
something
Thomas
mentioned
with
a
laugh.
He
respectfully
referred
to
the
bassist
as
his
generation’s
Bootsy
Collins.
We
then
switched
our
conversation
to
the
Revive
Big
Band
and
Thomas’
aims
with
the
outfit
from
its
early
days
to
now.
With
a
knowing
nod
to
how
his
journey
played
out,
Thomas
shared
that
he’s
hoping
that
his
band
can
be
an
extension
of
creativity
from
him
and
those
who
make
up
the
band.
“I
felt
like
when
we
first
came
out,
we
were
trying
to
prove
something
but
now,
I
don’t
feel
that
way
anymore,”
Thomas
explains.
“Our
message
is
consistent
and
what
I
mean
is
we’re
all
one
family.
They
used
to
box
us
in
by
styles,
and
genres.
But
our
debut
album
will
show
our
true
family
tree.
That
includes
Hip-Hop,
R&B,
funk,
rock,
and
jazz.
When
you
see
us
play,
you
see
we’re
more
aligned
musically
than
the
award
shows
would
have
you
believe.”
Thomas
added,
“I
came
up
in
the
jazz
tradition
which
does
have
rules
but
also,
in
that
same
breath,
some
breaking
of
the
rules.
We’ve
always
mixed
things
up.
Bird
[Charlie
Parker]
did
it.
Miles
[Davis]
did
it.
It’s
just
history
repeating
itself
and
that’s
what
the
band
represents.
We
play
within
a
space
of
invisible
boundaries
and
sometimes
cross
them.”
We
asked
Thomas
to
share
his
thoughts
on
the
upcoming
Hip
Hop
&...
festival
at
the
Kennedy
Center,
where
Revive
Big
Band
has
two
evening
shows
lined
up.
Having
played
at
the
Kennedy
Center
previously,
Thomas
says
he’s
excited
to
share
what
his
band
is
doing
and
is
thankful
for
the
hard
work
of
Simone
Eccleston,
the
director
of
Hip
Hop
Culture
&
Contemporary
Music
at
the
Kennedy
Center.
“I
love
what
they’re
doing
at
the
Kennedy
Center,
they’re
doing
a
tremendous
job,”
Thomas
said.
“Seeing
it
from
the
outside
looking
in,
I
love
every
bit
of
it.
The
festival
idea
is
amazing
and
I
hope
it’s
a
trend
that
spreads.
I
am
a
big
fan
of
both
Hip-Hop
and
jazz
and
I
rock
Hip-Hop
ahead
of
my
jazz
gigs
and
vice
versa.
That
same
synergy
I
seek
in
life,
we
hope
to
give
the
fans
in
attendance
via
the
Revive
Big
Band
experience.”
Thomas
continued,
“I
want
to
be
sure
to
add
that
the
Hip
Hop
&…
festival
is
dedicated
to
the
memory
of
Meghan
Stabile,
who
started
the
Revive
Music
Group.
Our
work
with
Revive
Music
informed
our
interpretation
of
jazz
and
Hip-Hop.
This
is
the
result
of
Revive
Music
Group
and
all
of
the
work
Simone
Eccleston
has
put
in
to
make
this
happen.
It’s
all
coming
full
circle
because
Meghan
got
us
booked
at
the
Kennedy
Center
in
2014
and
now
Simone
is
making
all
these
wonderful
things
happen.”
Learn
more
about
Igmar
Thomas
and
the
Revive
Big
Band
here.
To
obtain
information
on
any
of
the
ongoing
Hip
Hop
&…
festival
happenings,
featuring
Robert
Glasper,
De
La
Soul,
Rakim,
and
more,
click
here.
—
Photo:
Igmar
Thomas/Kennedy
Center
