Past Resident
Khari Wynn
Khari Wynn is a guitarist from Boston, Massachusetts, now based in Memphis, Tennesee, best known for his work in the jazz-rock genre and hip hop. He is the son of acclaimed music critic/writer Ron Wynn and lived across from Willie Mitchell’s Royal Studios as a child. He began playing electric guitar at age fourteen and placed second in the 1999 National Jimi Hendrix Competition.
Khari has worked with and been the Music Director for Public Enemy. He established the jazz-fusion band, Solstice, toured along-side Stax Recording Artist, Shirley Brown, and has performed with Hope Clayburn and Valerie June.
“Sound is energy beyond reality.”
Q&A with Khari Wynn (from the Crosstown Arts newsletter, February 26, 2021)
Crosstown Arts residency alumnus Khari Wynn has toured the globe for 20-plus years, clocking in more than 2,000 shows. Khari primarily performs with Public Enemy and serves as the group’s musical director.
Khari’s foray into a jazzier style of original composition features his own masterful guitar riffs and innovative stylings. With additional works created under the musical umbrella, Energy Disciples, he incorporates electronic music into his sound, citing the eclectic influence of American jazz composer Sun Ra. With a newer assembly of talented musicians called, New Saturn Collective, Khari has delivered live performances to showcase his diverse musical ideas. His latest improv project, Misterioso Africano, offers bold improvisational musings.
Crosstown Arts registrar Jesse Butcher caught up with Khari to discuss his latest record, his artistic process, and his love for graphic novels.
Jesse: I listened to Infinite Pursuit, your most recent record with The New Saturn Collective. It contains diverse elements such as free jazz, rock, acoustic drums, IDM beats, and ambient soundscapes. How do you and the group mesh all of these elements into a singular vision? Are the works the fruition of improvisation, or do you each bring in pieces of a song to inspire the others?
Khari: Jessie, thanks so much for listening to the album. The synthesis of the diverse range of interpretative forms within the compositions form a unified presentation during the rehearsal of the piece. I do all of the writing for the New Saturn Collective, but the other members are welcome to add their input and unique creative stamp. If something catches my ear during an improvisation by any of the other members, I welcome using that improv segment as a basis for composition. As a unit, we are all inspired by our group sound and want it to present a particular moment that is reflective of the implied mood/spirit of the piece, which, once played within a group context, may vary from the initial intention at the time of inception.
In your current studio, are you working on a New Saturn Collective record, or have you been using this time to work on another project? Do you have a preferred instrument to compose with, or does that vary by song?
In my current studio, I recently completed another New Saturn Collective record entitled Saturn’s Fate: The Final Journey, which is a combination studio/live record similar to Infinite Pursuit. But it contains a new vocal interpretation of one of my tunes, and it contains live material from a CD release gig we performed last year at B-Side Memphis on November 1st. It also represents the last time the current lineup of The New Saturn Collective performed together. The collective will now bring in new players and present a concept short story/graphic novel/album theme.
I really do not have a preference for any one instrument when I am coming up with an idea. I always tend to gravitate toward an instrument I may not be as familiar with, such as keys or drums, since I started as a guitar player and currently play bass in the Collective. Composing on unfamiliar instruments tends to ignite the spark of excitement and discovery that can sometimes be missing from an instrument you are comfortable playing. I will write on keys or drums and then go the guitar or bass to organize what I feel is an idea worthy of further development.
It is amazing that you can so fluidly transition between multiple instruments. Can you tell us more about the graphic novel/album theme? This sounds very ambitious. In addition to new players, are you also bringing visual artists into the fold for this project?
The album/graphic novel theme is based off of a short story entitled Journey Of The Dark Orb. It is a sci-fi fiction work about a moon-sized orb that descends from an untraceable intergalactic origin and lands upon this planet to siphon all of the vegetation and life from this sphere of perceived existence. The work is ultimately about humanity’s resolve in banding together to defeat the minions of the orb, which are dispatched to herd humanity into the camps needed to harvest the vegetation for the orb. It’s pretty intense subject matter. I would love to incorporate visual artists into this work and would also like to look into a short film presentation of the graphic novel.
You are truly a versatile artist. I really appreciate you taking the time to speak with me about your creative processes. I’m always interested to know what media other artists consume. Do you have a favorite author or musician? A favorite graphic novel?
My favorite musician can also classify as my favorite author, and that is an artist by the name of Sun Ra. He was a brilliant composer, bandleader, arranger, and musician who also wrote many poems about the connection between sound, nature, and the outer realms of the cosmos. His big band is still going to this day under the direction of its most senior member. Some of my favorite graphic novels are the original Watchmen graphic novel and the Spawn graphic novel. I am a big fan of the imagery and tone used in Frank Miller’s graphic novels and the way he transformed the imagery of Batman in those comics and graphic novels from the early/mid-80’s.
Thanks so much for giving us a sneak peek into your new projects! We will be on the lookout.
