Pianist Scott Cossu
John Beaudin - Hi Scott. It's been a while. Here's an example of what a small world it is. I was renting a dvd the other day here in Vancouver and the lady behind the counter just happen to be one of the tech's at a show you and I did in Edmonton in the late 1980's at the Space Science Center . She was talking about what a pain it was getting the piano on that platform usually reserved for Laser light shows! It's amazing how fans remember!

Scott Cossu - I keep a stack of letters from fans on my desk. They have such a great memory and I value all they have to say. You are right it is a small world and I bump into someone all the time that says, "I saw you in such and such a State or when I was in college."

John - I think you were the first Windham Hill act I ever interviewed at the little cabin at CKXM-FM in Edmonton. That city really loved your Windham Hill material. Alberta in general loved you I remember also seeing you in Calgary to a sold out crowd.

Scott - I had a great experience in Edmonton. I remember it was a very cold winter night and the place was packed! You were very supportive at the station.

John - Thanks. I remember back then you had just released your 'Reunion' album with Eugene Friesen but you were not one hundred percent satisfied with it. Do you still feel that way?

Scott - I was probably coming from the feeling that it followed 'Islands' and that recording had a full group while 'Reunion' was a more delicate chamber feel. Now I am very proud of it. (It just happens to be my wife's favorite.)

John - It's one of my Favs. I run into fans all the time that miss the old Windham Hill days when you and Phil (Aaberg), Michael (Manring) and Montreux were all on the label. Do you have fond memories of that time?

Scott - Definitely! It was a great experience and I was very fond of all the musicians involved. Those were the days.

John - Keyboardist John Jarvis told me years ago that even though New Age was hot in the 1980's there wasn't that much money being made except maybe for the labels. Did you find that?

Scott - Some years it was very good and most of the 1980's New Age sounds were very unique. At the time I bucked the label of New Age but now I accept it, it has such a broad spectrum. In fact my newest recording due out in September is probably more encompassing of New Age than most of my past recordings.

John - When was the last time you talked to Will? (Ackerman)

Scott - I visited with him at his home and studio in Vermont a few years back. He seemed very happy and peaceful at that time. In fact, when we drove up he was out working in his garden.

John - Do you still connect with other past and present Windham Hill acts?

Scott - I see George (Winston) about once a year and just recently have spoken with Alex (deGrassi), Michael Manring and Mike Marshall.

John - Lets get back to the music. I think at one time or another I've played your entire 'Wind Dance' album on air and there isn't a bad track on the CD. My favorite would have to be 'Demeter/Rejoicing.' Any thoughts on that song and do you still play it?

Scott - That seems to be a favorite with most people who love that recording. I play a few cuts from that recording but Demeter/Rejoicing is not one of them. I have it on my list of pieces to relearn. Maybe you have spurred me into placing it higher on my list.

John - I hope so. I think 'Islands' was a nice step forward after 'Wind Dance' and 'Oristano Sojourne' was a stand out track for me. I remember listening to it ten times in a row when I first got the album.

Scott - Great! Oristano is a beach in Italy where I took my octarian grandparents to visit their old villages in 1983. It was a totally nude beach with lots of inspiration for a young musician! That song has really done well over time. I see that it still has good airplay, especially internationally.

John - I was just listening to Switchback the other day I still love it and the one that we played the most on that was co-written with Van (Manakas) Manhattan Underground. Are you still playing together?

Scott - Van is living (happily with wife and son) in Nashville. We do not tour together like we use to however we remain close and play when we can. He is one of the featured musicians on the new recording.

John - The last time I saw you in concert was in 1991, in Bellingham and you were playing with another Washington Pianist David Lanz. This was after your accident and I'll never forget this when backstage before the show the first thing you did when I greeted you was take my hand to feel the little crater on your head from the accident. Hearing someone was hit by a car is one thing but it never really hit me what you went through until you did that. For the fans who may not know tell us what happened. It was on Sunset Boulevard right?

Scott -This could be a large part of the interview but since it has now been twelve years and I have worked so hard to come back I will make this brief. I was crossing Wiltshire Blvd in L.A. just three days before a huge forty city international tour. At the time "Switchback" was number four on the charts for the year of 1989. I was hit by a white Mercedes and thrown forty feet onto my head. After surgeries, coma and near death I lived to go to rehab for quite awhile and then home, to start my life over again. It is amazing to have second chances at life. It is a rare thing to survive that kind of brain trauma and then even rarer to be able to fully come back to carry on where you left off. I have learned so much from it all and it has been a long road. I am happy, healthy and living life with renewed awareness.

John - It must have changed the way you look at everything.

Scott - Certainly. To work before was the focus now to work just adds to my life. The music industry is harder than it was before for me but I am not so sure if it was the time it took to recover or it is just the direction the business has gone.

John - Do you still wear red shoes in concert?

Scott - Not all the time but still do occasionally. They are special to me I got them in New York on A Street. I keep them polished!

John - What do you think about the Smooth Jazz world?

Scott - Too much sax and drum machines. It all sounds so commercial. I like things mixed up a bit. Play some R&B, Latin and expand the format.

John - What would the perfect Instrumental radio station sound like?

Scott - They would play my recordings all the time. Seriously, I really like things mixed up like I said before. Some R&B and some world music mixed with a bit of Classical.

John - What was your thesis back in the days of the Andes?

Scott - The survival of the Ecuadorian music with the influence of Spanish, Incan, and African overlays.

John - What's your all time top albums? Remember this is any genre new or old.

Scott - James Booker 'Live' I go nuts when I here him play Brahms F Minor Quintet with Arthur Rubenstein and most anything by Pink Floyd.

John - Tell me about your next album?

Scott - Like I said it is due out in September. It is under the Label Allegro (Allegro-Music.com) the title is 'Emerald Pathway' and it a dedication to the Northwest. The recording was so much fun to do. There was no stress just composed and put together with my feelings that I have as I have made my home here for the past twenty-six years. I have a wonderful flute player that has played with me for almost four years now and she is featured on the recording. She not only plays Alto and concert flute but an unusual bass flute that sounds almost cello like. Van does his magic on guitar and it has some great percussion along with a bit of drums. I have a nice feeling about it. I feel it is something that I can contribute to everyone's lives after such a year that we have had since September eleventh.

John - What gives you peace in your life?

Scott - My family, my compositions, the outdoors, my friendships and my creator.

John - How has your idea of spirituality changed from when you were twenty?

Scott - I believe there is a reason for the way our paths go. You gain so much character from your past and as you get older you see more clearly what is important. It is now more important to reach out to others. Before I felt more competitive and I am more certain to take the time for my family now and not spend every minute on my career.

John - How can fans buy your CDs, through your web site? www.scottcossu.com

Scott - Since RCA bought Windham hill most of my recordings as well as the other Windham Hill artists have been cancelled. I do however have a recording available that I did in 1998 'When Spirits Fly' and you can get
it through the web site. When 'Emerald Pathway' comes out you should be able to get it most anywhere.

John - Scott thanks so much, it's great having you on www.smoothjazzcanada.com

Scott - Thanks John, it is always great to reconnect with you. I look forward to talking with you again soon.