J-Zone’s B.T. Express Feature on Wax Poetics
The Dr. who delivered me (Coolidge Abel-Bay) was the financial backer for 70s funk bands B.T. Express & Brass Construction. I discovered both bands in my mom’s record collection when I was 10, so between the connection with my birth and what I heard on those records, B.T. and BC were instrumental in me pursing music. I’m proud to present a feature/interview I did for with B.T. Express!
Meeting B.T. drummer Leslie Ming entirely by a 1 in 1,000 chance in 2014 and soaking up all I could from him as a learning drummer was as crazy a full circle coincidence as anything I’ve lived. (A long story I’ve told on here and will tell again one day.) Years later he brought me along to a Super Bowl party hosted by B.T. co-founder and bassist Jamal Risbrook, where I met both him and his saxophonist brother, Bill, the leader of the band and it eventually led to this interview/feature. 30+ years of studying this band and a random encounter on a street in Queens. Life be like that sometimes! Thanks Monk One for setting this up. Thanks also to Brass Construction’s Randy Muller for lending his stories from doing string arrangements for BT for the piece. (This was totally a Dr. Abel-Bay/childhood funk band reunion). And finally, I’d like to thank Naylon D. Mitchell for providing amazing never seen before behind the scenes studio photos of the band (including Kashif in the early stages of his career as a keyboardist). Enjoy!
