Community Spotlight: Kaleb Summers

Kaleb Summers in the Preservation Hall courtyard, July 2023.

Community Spotlight by Sabrina Stone

Kaleb Summers is the youngest artist to be brought into the Preservation Hall family. He first showed up at the hall when he was 11-years-old and, at 18-years-old, is still a regular. With a warm, easy attitude, a conversational approach to playing, and an infectious joy about learning, it’s no coincidence that he keeps getting invited to jam. 

Summers and I sat on the grass, outside the Cabildo, on a lovely, sunny day to talk about his art, with the music from street performers wafting around us. When we walked over to Preservation Hall afterwards, there was a flurry of hugs. Everyone was thrilled to see him. Who knows? You might get to see him and catch some of the joy next time you swing by the hall to watch a show. 

When did you start playing music? 

I started playing the trombone when I was 8-years-old. What I really wanted to do was draw but I was curious, so I wanted to see what the music classes looked like. I stayed ‘cause I had friends in the same class and they were competitive, so it was fun. I started to love it.

I play a little bit of trumpet, piano, drums, gotta keep myself creative. I don’t play any wind instruments but I want to get there eventually. I can’t make a sound yet.

When did you first start playing at Preservation Hall?

Kaleb and fellow trombonist Revon Andrews

I don’t remember it exactly but I was around 11 or 12 when I first went to Preservation Hall. A teacher of mine, Calvin Johnson, brought me. He’s in New York now playing wind instruments–beautiful sound. He was just like, “Come down to the hall!” Mr. Bluen? And Mr. Johnson really got me into the culture of where I live and the music. I loved it so much there. 

It must have been a steep learning curve.

When I first went in there, I came from just learning bebop. I was playing everything fast. Everyone kept telling me, “slow down!” I wanted to listen because it made me feel happy to be there. So with my solos, I waited a good ten seconds before I’d hit the next note. Eventually, I just learned how to use patience to more express what I wanted to say. Like, when you’re talking, just don’t keep going and going. There’s rhythm, the flow, how your voice gets higher and lower. That’s what trad [jazz] is. I feel like it’s nothing but energy respecting energy.

Any particular advice from a player that stuck with you?

They’ve all said great things. There’s a trombone player named Lucien Barbarin. He’s inspired me to be nothing more or less than myself. He was always himself, very positive, very happy. I think he had enough to be sad for but he chose not to be. That’s what I admire about him. You can hear it through his playing. He taught me patience and happiness. 

Do you have a favorite song to play with the collective?

Everytime I go to Pres Hall, I play “Girl of my Dreams” ‘cause that’s the song he taught me, ten minutes before a performance once. He used to always try to convince me to sing it.  

Who are you currently taking lessons with?

I recently started taking lessons with Ashlin Parker. He said I use the right side of my brain a lot and it makes sense ‘cause I understand a lot of what I don’t know and that’s allowed me to be a direct vessel for music to flow out of me. If I feel mad, you’re gonna hear that in my playing–if I’m happy you’re gonna hear that as well. It’s realistically honest. 

And you’ve been taking lessons steadily, all over the place, since you started playing, haven’t you?

This is crazy but every place I’ve played in I’ve had a music lesson from a musician, even without planning it. They’re always just in the back like, “Yeah, this is that…” Preservation Hall, NOCCA, Lake Forest Charter School, Jazz and Heritage Satchmo Jazz Camp, Roots of Music, Tulane… there are definitely some other places…

How do you not get intimidated, playing with all these greats?

The art of playing this music is learning how to mess up. You realize you’re never, ever going to play perfectly. You’re always gonna mess up. The people might not know but you’re gonna know. 

Are there musicians in your family?

As a baby, my mom always had me listening to different types of music, so I was versatile… On my dad’s side of the family, my grandma plays piano in churches, my aunty sings, and my uncles also sing. None of them have taken lessons, they all just love to enjoy it.

Were you one of those kids making music out of everything, drumming on surfaces?

Before I found music, when I was home, with everything around me, I was a scientist. I would be like, “Let me take this with this, stir it together, see what it does. Let me take a bug, put it in the same area, see what happens." Once I found music it was another experiment. I was always self-driven… My family just supports me whatever I want to do. 

Do you sing over your instruments and write original lyrics?

That’s actually what I want to do with my life! I want to sing, rap, create over all my music. I feel like I don’t come from the place that the mainstream artists talk about but, so? I’ll just say what I want to say and music is so valuable, what can I even say to match what’s going on behind it? But people are gonna feel that. I like music when it’s honest. If you’re angry and you feel that way, that’s the way you feel. 

Who’s inspiring to you lyrically? 

I love Kendrik Lamar, Moon Child. Cisco Swank is a new artist. He’s really great at conveying what he feels and connecting it to what he’s saying. You feel that, in the music 

Who are some of your favorite musicians to play with?

Freddie Lonzo and I communicate really well. He’ll play something, I’ll play it back, and then he’ll play it better. All the time, at Preservation Hall, we’re communicating. If someone’s sad in the band it’s like, “Dang. I feel that!” They don’t have to say anything. I just hear it in their playing. I love playing with Michael Watson and The Alchemy–very intuitive, as far as where they go with the music. 

You just graduated high school–Are you aiming for Julliard? Berklee?

Yeah, all of them. I’m gravitated towards learning more and more but I’m taking a year off before college to feel more human. I don’t think enough for myself. I want to find things by myself. I want to go to Paris. I used to always get up at 6am, for no reason, and just stand outside, barefoot, feeling the sun. I felt so energized and then my whole day started from there. I want to enjoy my days and have control over them.