“There is an extreme focus from the faculty on giving individual attention to each and every student,” Thomas said. “Which in my opinion, is the most valuable thing you could have in order to learn.”
Thomas is now playing piano in the New York City music scene, but getting there was no easy task.
“Trying to make a name for oneself in the NYC music scene is an incredibly hard and constant challenge,” Thomas said. “Basically the whole first year I was here, I spent all of the money I had saved, never slept, and hardly made a dent on the scene. There are so many elements to learn, build upon, and be consistent with in order to achieve success.”
Now, Thomas has played at top venues in the city with a variety of musicians. Thomas has also worked as a record producer with over 30 artists of different genres, composed film scores, and co-created a music brand dubbed Caverock Music – which consists of a recording studio, production house, rehearsal space, music venue, and record label.
Thomas recently released his first solo album, titled From the Heart; a task he said was an interesting challenge. Thomas said that he didn’t write out a game plan for each song, but rather worked at getting comfortable pianistically and using his memory to play what was in his head.
“As much as I love working with other musicians, playing solo piano is incredibly exhilarating,” Thomas said. “I hope to keep sharpening my skills and musicianship and make a new solo record every couple of years.”
Thomas started playing music at five-years-old. According to a family story, his dad played the Sesame Street theme song on the keyboard, and Thomas could play it back. After that, Thomas’ parents enrolled him in lessons right away, and he began studying and playing jazz at the age of 12.
When it comes to inspiration, Thomas has a wide variety of artists he looks up to; Duke Ellington for being a compositional genius, Thelonius Monk for his fearlessness, Herbie Hancock for his infectious energy, and Miles Davis simply for being Miles Davis.
Thomas offers some very straightforward advice for anyone thinking of seeking a career in music: “Do it!”
“Music is one of the most amazing things in the universe,” Thomas said. “To make a career of it, you have to absolutely love what you do first and foremost and never let the obligation of having to make money diminish the fire and passion that you have for music.”
To learn more about Thomas and to listen to From the Heart, please visit www.loganevanthomas.com.
Posted by Stan Sulewski