At any given moment, there’s probably a song stuck in the head of freshman Zeke Bailly. Music is a way of life for Bailly, who began learning piano at age seven. At age 12, Bailly started playing the bass in the Arts After Hours band in NWA’s middle school.
“My dad [used to] play [bass] in a band,” said Bailly. “That’s how I got into it.”
In recent years, Bailly has also begun learning to play the drums and guitar. For him, learning a new instrument widens the scope of opportunity for musical expression, especially within a genre he’s begun to explore only in the last year or so: jazz.
“[My piano teacher] introduced me to playing jazz,” said Bailly. “He’s probably been playing it his whole life.”
Since his introduction to jazz, Bailly has become immersed in the world of improvisation. While he began playing jazz on the piano, Bailly wants to expand his skillset to improvise on other instruments.
“Now I really want to learn more jazz bass,” said Bailly, adding that he’s planning to play bass for the Angry Pigeon Music Collective next year.
“I think [I’ll play] bass in school because I don’t think there are too many decent bassists, and there are a lot of good pianists,” said Bailly. “[However], I do see myself playing the piano in the future.”
Bailly has several musical goals for the coming years. In October of this year, Bailly recorded a song with fellow musician and freshman Uzi Thompson. The song featured Bailly on the bass and piano, Thompson on the drums and their combined vocals. Bailly seeks to continue recording and producing his music, and is considering writing an album with Thompson for his senior project three years down the road. Bailly also wants to eventually play in a jazz band.
“I really just want to perform, because I really love performing,” said Bailly.
Looking towards a future after high school, while Bailly doesn’t plan to go to music school, he does want to study music in college. One thing is for certain — Bailly doesn’t plan to let go of his passion in the foreseeable future.
“I think of music as a lifetime hobby,” said Bailly. “I’ll play music until I die.”
