It Waz The( 865 soldjas )
The results vary in level of invention and complexity, but the range of response seems to fall on a scale defined on one end by Weston Wyatt, a talkative Carter High School senior with an awkward grin.
But then something even more surprising happens when Wyatt finally gets his chance behind the Korg. He starts by hammering out a rapid-fire snare beat, his fingers working the board with metronomic precision. Then he seeks out more traditional keyboard sounds, reaching for an ominous descending chord progression with one hand while the other improvises an eerie, sinuous melody.
It seems that Wyatt, the less-than-stellar wordsmith, has had a few piano lessons, and they took, better than anyone realized. The loop he creates sounds not unlike a classic Bernie Worrell organ riff, the kind of beat that big-time West Coast rappers were fond of sampling circa 1994. Everyone is impressed, including Bailey. “We’re gonna have to copyright that,” he says with no small admiration.
Chris Woodhull often speaks at length about the potential locked inside kids like Weston Wyatt, the talents hidden away because no one knew they existed, or gave a damn to ask. He speaks of that moment of joyous clarity, when the kids themselves realize they have ability, and value, and they smile, like Weston is smiling right now. It’s a knowing smile, the kind of broad luminescent grin people only get when they realize the things they want aren’t quite so far out of reach anymore.
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