During his time at CSArts-SGV, Zaire Franklin (IM, ‘25) became a notable performer in the Instrumental Music Conservatory, wowing audiences with his jazzy guitar solos and principal roles in various ensembles.
Recently, his talents and incredible dedication to his craft were noticed on a larger scale as he secured a prestigious spot as a semi-finalist in The Music Center’s Spotlight program. Franklin was one of only 113 high school students in Southern California to earn the nomination out of 1,600 total applicants. To those familiar with his work, this honor came as no surprise.
Still early in his career, Franklin has already written and released two albums, the first in a studio and the second almost entirely on campus. His first album, “The Expressionist,” is a traditional jazz album that was recorded at Elliot Koenigi’s Hear No Evil Studio. When Franklin was ready to begin his next album, “The Sire,” with amore modern take, he didn’t have to travel far.
“I took a hold of one of the practice rooms here,” he said. “During my practice block, I had some seniors come in to sing over my recordings, then I'd mix and master everything at home or when I had free time at school.”
Instrumental Music Conservatory Director Tyler McGeough described him as a key member of many of the school’s ensembles, and someone with excellent musicianship and work ethic.
Franklin said he believes his roles in the ensembles started to take form during his sophomore year.
“I had to fail at times and humble myself, but I think that the fact that I started so early helped me so much,” said Franklin. “I'm seeing now that, even at 18-years old, I'm not making the mistakes that one would usually make at my age.”
Franklin, who credits much of his mother’s support to his success, said his music is currently heavily influenced by Pat Metheny and Kurt Rosenwinkel. Both are renowned for their modern improvisational guitar skills. He also is inspired by guitarist Kaki King for his signature fingerstyle guitar playing, omitting the use of picks. In a guitar class at CSArts, Franklin was given some of Metheny’s sheet music.
“I just completely crumbled over it. It was such a nightmare and I was like ‘wow, I'm really a bad player,’” he said.
Frustrated yet inspired by this struggle, he continued practicing the piece knowing it meant he wanted to further develop his modern jazz skills. Now, he’s preparing to attend USC Thornton School of Music’s Jazz Program with a full ride scholarship.
Outside of school, Franklin performs at community and private events in addition to spending time in nature.
“There was a time when all I did was music, and that was definitely a good thing because it allowed me to grow much quicker.” he said, “But I was starting to see that not being around people doesn’t elevate my music because there are no experiences to express through it.”