Finding Harmony: A Deep Dive into Jazz and Inspiration with Rick DellaRatta

[00:00:00] Welcome to the Wheel With It Podcast with your host Devon at Wheel With It. No matter who you are or where you come from, there's a place for you. On this show, we have real conversations with fascinating people. Let's get into the episode.

[00:00:11] If we fill our souls up with music and creativity and artistry and humanity and all these great qualities, we will have a better chance to avoid the behavior that leads to destruction.

[00:00:27] So basically I was living in a five-floor walk-up. I had to walk up five flights of steps and I was the top guy on the fifth floor.

[00:00:36] I think there was only one other apartment on the fifth floor. I was 5A, maybe there was a 5B or something.

[00:00:42] But I was living at the top of the building and all I just, I like walk up a few little stairs and then open this door, this like rooftop door, and I just walk right out on the roof.

[00:00:54] But I used to do it all the time. So it only took me like three minutes to get to the roof of my building when I found out something crazy was going on at the World Trade Center.

[00:01:04] Hello, hello! Welcome to another episode of Wheel With It and today we have Rick Delarada on the show. Rick is an incredible person, an incredibly talented musician, and he was a great guest to have.

[00:01:18] He was so nice. He's such a great guy. I highly recommend his podcast, Jazz for Peace. I will put the links to where you can get to all that in the show notes.

[00:01:29] And enjoy this interview with Rick Delarada. It's one of my favorites and I hope you enjoy the interview.

[00:01:35] Hello, welcome to another episode of Wheel With It and today we have Rick Delarada. How are you today, Rick?

[00:01:43] I'm pretty good. I'm pretty good. Thank you, Devin.

[00:01:47] We connected us a few days ago and you very graciously agreed to do a, not only a review swap, but a podcast swap. I'm very grateful to you. Tell us about yourself and then get started.

[00:02:03] Sure. I, I, the only reason I think you contacted us because I have a podcast and the reason I have a podcast is because I had been a guest for so on so many podcasts and I'm still a guest on so many podcasts.

[00:02:15] So I'm mostly a podcast guest, but now we do have a podcast that's getting really popular and it has almost 30 episodes, something like that already.

[00:02:26] And let's see, where would I go from there? I was recently on a pod. I was recently had a guest on my podcast who had told me that his belief in what will really help our world would be if people were supported in their efforts of to do labors of love or get things that they really enjoy and want to do.

[00:02:54] And so when you contact us, I took a look at your podcast and I, I could see that it was a labor of love for you. Is that correct?

[00:03:03] Yes, it is.

[00:03:04] So I said, so taking his advice and by the way, you'll see, you'll be able to see his podcast should be out in November on the Jeff for Peace podcast. So make sure you keep an eye out for that.

[00:03:16] His name is Wajid, W-A-I-D-J-I-D. And he is involved in a lot of healing and spiritual types of things and these kinds of energies.

[00:03:30] So he told me support other people's labor of love. And so that's why I took his advice and thought that would be a good idea.

[00:03:39] That's awesome. Before we get, and we'll cut this out after we're done here, can you write this podcast to review?

[00:03:45] Yes.

[00:03:46] Okay. So about your story and, or tell us more about your story and why you decided to start the podcast.

[00:03:54] Why I decided to be a musician or why I decided to try to save the world through music or which one would you prefer?

[00:04:01] All of it and the podcast and everything.

[00:04:03] Everything. Okay.

[00:04:05] I decided to be a musician because one, there was a piano in my house that came from Santa Claus when I was about six years old.

[00:04:15] And two, every time I heard music, I saw happy people that were happy, people that were dancing around or listening and in joyful spirits.

[00:04:26] So I looked at the piano, I looked at the happy people and I thought this might be a future for me.

[00:04:34] Like how did you start your career?

[00:04:36] Basically, I was just practicing along on the piano and I was a paper boy.

[00:04:43] I would deliver the papers.

[00:04:45] I'd ride around on a bicycle and I would take the paper and throw it to each porch.

[00:04:50] And one day my homeroom teacher, my homeroom teacher asked me to play in his son's band and they were going to play in the, they were going to play at the dances, the school dances.

[00:05:01] And then some grownups asked me to play in their band and they were going to play at grownup parties.

[00:05:08] Then my mother asked me to take over for her at the church organist.

[00:05:14] And then the college asked me if I would go to college instead of high school in my senior year of college and play in their jazz ensemble.

[00:05:27] They had a jazz band, a stage band, and they needed me to play in that.

[00:05:32] People just kept asking me to play.

[00:05:34] So I just kept saying.

[00:05:35] That is awesome.

[00:05:36] Do you have a favorite song that you like to play?

[00:05:42] Sometimes I like to play somebody else's favorite song.

[00:05:46] Do you have a favorite song?

[00:05:47] No, I honestly am not a big jazz fan, but my mother is.

[00:05:52] So I should have asked my mother what her favorite jazz song is.

[00:05:56] Exactly.

[00:05:57] We could have played your mother's favorite song.

[00:05:59] You're not able to text her, are you?

[00:06:01] No.

[00:06:01] No, she's in the room, but I don't want to.

[00:06:04] Busy?

[00:06:05] Yeah.

[00:06:05] I don't want to.

[00:06:05] You'd have to stop the podcast and go in there and be too many different things.

[00:06:09] Yeah.

[00:06:09] Yeah.

[00:06:10] So I played every style of music.

[00:06:12] That's the problem.

[00:06:13] So I played so many styles of music.

[00:06:15] I feel like I would be dissing Chopin, let's say, if I said The Beatles.

[00:06:22] And I said Beethoven, I think I feel like I would be dissing James Brown or Thelonious Monk or somebody.

[00:06:29] But what I do is I get people like you that either don't know jazz very well or don't like jazz because you haven't received the right delivery.

[00:06:40] I convince them.

[00:06:43] I get them to like jazz by playing their favorite song and then going into jazz from that song.

[00:06:53] And they're able to follow me.

[00:06:55] It's like magic.

[00:06:57] So that's what I'm going to do later on your show.

[00:06:59] I'm going to take a song that you do know and that you do.

[00:07:02] And I'm going to play that song for you.

[00:07:05] Hopefully you'll like it.

[00:07:06] And then I'm going to go into jazz from there and see if that convinces you to give jazz a chance.

[00:07:13] Okay.

[00:07:14] Tell us about Jazz for Peace and what you do with that.

[00:07:18] This little magic trick that I do that I'm going to do for you later, I realized I could probably help make the world a better place by taking that little magic trick and doing it in concert halls and in schools and in places where people can raise funds and raise funds for outstanding causes.

[00:07:39] Like, for example, I believe you have, what do you have here?

[00:07:43] Is it, I forgot what it's called.

[00:07:45] Cerebral palsy.

[00:07:46] So that's a perfect example.

[00:07:48] That's something I could literally, like, you could take this podcast and give it to an outstanding cause, whether it was cerebral palsy or it was autism or it was veterans, whatever it was, cleaning the air or the lake.

[00:08:02] Like, an organization could look at your, and say, hey, we want to talk to him about helping our, helping raise funds for us.

[00:08:11] And I do this little magic trick in front of a lot of people like David Copperfield with a piano.

[00:08:17] And the next thing, that organization has a better chance at doing their good work because they're more publicized from the event.

[00:08:25] We help them get sponsors.

[00:08:27] We help them get new and prestigious supporters, raise funds, expand their donor base, all that kind of stuff.

[00:08:36] And then they write us letters, and we have hundreds of these letters from them telling us that we're on the right track and to just keep on going.

[00:08:44] That is amazing.

[00:08:46] Is this your important job?

[00:08:48] Do you do anything, like, outside of this?

[00:08:51] The only other job that I ever had, like I was telling you, was a paperboy.

[00:08:57] Like I said, I used to, when I was, like, 12 years old or 13, ride around on a bike with the papers and throw the paper at the house.

[00:09:05] I don't know if you even remember when we did have newspapers because back then there was no internet.

[00:09:10] I remember.

[00:09:11] You remember?

[00:09:12] I'm still in millennial, so I remember.

[00:09:15] So back when you barely remember, I was throwing those newspapers at the front door, sometimes smashing the door and waking people up in the morning and causing all kinds of trouble.

[00:09:25] But it was fun because I would ride a bike and I would throw the paper at the door and it was fun.

[00:09:30] But like I said, once I got busy with all those things, I had to give up the paper route.

[00:09:35] And that was the last job I had.

[00:09:38] But because I love what I do, I sometimes work way too hard and way too long.

[00:09:43] If it wasn't for sleep, I would be working 24 hours a day.

[00:09:47] I know.

[00:09:48] It's crazy how we need sleep.

[00:09:51] But we do.

[00:09:52] We do.

[00:09:53] In the end of your podcast, I know what to get ready for this with the sensory friendly event guy who I also want to have on now.

[00:10:01] I was that held the sensory friendly event thing.

[00:10:05] What was his name?

[00:10:06] The sensory event, you said?

[00:10:08] The sensory friendly event, the guy that was neurodivered and talked about autism and all that.

[00:10:14] Okay.

[00:10:15] Oh, was that Shane Thrap?

[00:10:19] Was that his name?

[00:10:20] Because you had a guest that had contacted us and we hadn't been able to fit him on our, because we have a long waiting list.

[00:10:27] But I did listen to his interview with you and he had contacted us as well and he gave, he was on your show.

[00:10:33] Oh, who was he?

[00:10:34] Keeper.

[00:10:36] Oh, yeah.

[00:10:37] He's great.

[00:10:39] Thomas R. Wilson was his name.

[00:10:42] Who is it?

[00:10:43] Thomas R. Wilson.

[00:10:44] Thomas R. Wilson.

[00:10:46] Yes.

[00:10:47] Thomas R. Wilson was on our show and I'm trying to remember what song I played for him, but.

[00:10:53] It was Fly Me to the Moon and I just listened to it the other day.

[00:10:56] Great.

[00:10:57] So that might be a song that your mother might have known.

[00:11:00] Your mother might know that.

[00:11:01] Yeah.

[00:11:02] Yeah, my mother knows that one.

[00:11:03] Cool.

[00:11:04] So hard left hard, but we're not going to sit too long on this, but you witnessed 9-11, right?

[00:11:10] I did.

[00:11:11] I did.

[00:11:12] I did.

[00:11:27] It was my skills to help make a difference in people's lives besides just playing the music

[00:11:35] for them.

[00:11:36] So it helped me take what I do to another dimension through a poem I wrote watching 9-11.

[00:11:42] I wrote a poem and the poem was called Jazz for Peace.

[00:11:46] So that's where Jazz for Peace started as a poem.

[00:11:49] You witnessed 9-11 live as it was happening, right?

[00:11:54] Because you were on a.

[00:11:56] I was on my own roof.

[00:11:57] So basically I was living in a five floor walk up.

[00:12:02] I had to walk up five flights of steps and I was the top guy on the fifth floor.

[00:12:06] I think there was only one other apartment on the fifth floor.

[00:12:09] I was 5A, maybe there was a 5B or something.

[00:12:12] But I was living at the top of the building and all I just, I like walk up like a few little

[00:12:19] stairs and then open this door, this like rooftop door.

[00:12:23] And I just walk right out on the roof and I used to do it all the time.

[00:12:26] So it only took me like three minutes to get to the roof of my building when I found out

[00:12:31] something crazy was going on at the World Trade Center.

[00:12:34] And I just went up there and the next thing I knew, I was expecting just to see something

[00:12:39] stupid.

[00:12:40] I was expecting.

[00:12:41] Yeah, like a guy on the roof or something.

[00:12:43] Something just really ridiculous.

[00:12:45] Exactly.

[00:12:46] Something accidental.

[00:12:47] Something that broke a window.

[00:12:49] I was, I couldn't imagine what I was about to see.

[00:12:52] Yeah, that, that must've been crazy to like.

[00:12:55] Awesome.

[00:12:56] Did the media call you?

[00:12:59] Honestly, they did it because there was so much pandemonium and craziness.

[00:13:06] I don't think the media knew who saw what, like they didn't really know which people of

[00:13:13] us were, who saw it, you know?

[00:13:16] And they didn't really know which one of us, which ones of us were right there.

[00:13:19] Because I didn't call them.

[00:13:21] I didn't even know to call them.

[00:13:23] You know what I mean?

[00:13:24] It never even occurred to me to call the media and tell them that I saw it.

[00:13:27] But I did realize after the years went on that people were fascinated by the fact that

[00:13:35] I was, saw it from so close because I was less than a quarter of a mile away.

[00:13:41] And people were just shocked when they found that out from around the world.

[00:13:45] And that's what was so surprising.

[00:13:47] I didn't think it was such a big deal because I took for granted that I lived so close to

[00:13:53] the World Trade Center.

[00:13:54] You know what I mean?

[00:13:54] To me, it was just not a big deal.

[00:13:56] It wasn't a big deal at the time that I saw it.

[00:13:59] I didn't think it was.

[00:14:00] Yeah.

[00:14:01] And it's hard to grasp that something like that is happening.

[00:14:05] Like, I was five when it happened.

[00:14:08] And to this day, I can't even believe that it happened.

[00:14:13] So it's hard to grasp something like that when it's happening.

[00:14:18] It really is.

[00:14:19] And one of the first concerts we played as Jess for Peace was for an organization that was

[00:14:27] helping the families of people who were in those buildings.

[00:14:31] Just taking a quick break from the show to remind you to subscribe to this podcast wherever

[00:14:39] you're listening to this or go to realwithit.com slash subscribe.

[00:14:44] And if you subscribe on YouTube or Spotify, hit the bell.

[00:14:48] It really helps us out.

[00:14:49] So subscribe to this podcast wherever you're listening by hitting the subscribe or follow

[00:14:55] button or go to realwithit.com slash subscribe.

[00:14:58] Now back to the show.

[00:15:00] How are you into jazz in the first place?

[00:15:05] Like, why do you like jazz?

[00:15:06] Mainly because when I first saw the piano that Santa Claus brought, I wanted to find out

[00:15:15] what it was all by myself.

[00:15:17] And I didn't want anyone to know.

[00:15:19] And I wanted to figure it out as a secret.

[00:15:22] So I would go up to the piano.

[00:15:24] I was only six years old and the keys were up like this.

[00:15:26] And I was learning it by myself.

[00:15:29] So the only thing I could do was improvise.

[00:15:31] So I would just touch the keys and listen and touch the keys and play little things,

[00:15:36] not even knowing anything about music.

[00:15:38] And so by the time someone found out that I was playing the piano secretly when nobody

[00:15:45] was around, I already was improvising.

[00:15:50] And when I found out what jazz was, I realized that it was a door of an opening door for improvisation.

[00:16:01] So it registered with me because I was improvising anyway, trying to learn the piano all by myself.

[00:16:06] Who was like the first jazz musician that you guys really fell in love with?

[00:16:12] Early on, I really was studying classical music.

[00:16:18] And then I was listening to the radio.

[00:16:20] So mostly I was listening to the stuff that the other kids were listening to.

[00:16:26] Back then it was maybe Elton John or Three Dog Night or Grand Funk Railroad.

[00:16:32] But these kinds of classic rock bands, now they're called classic rock bands.

[00:16:36] And then when I discovered jazz, I started to discover people.

[00:16:41] Like one was a piano player named Oscar Peterson.

[00:16:44] I remember him.

[00:16:46] And then I remembered my neighbor across the street who was a real brainiac type of kid.

[00:16:52] He was into Thelonious Monk.

[00:16:54] And so I was listening to Thelonious Monk as well.

[00:16:57] And we used to argue back and forth as to which pianist was better or more important.

[00:17:04] And I would make a case for Oscar Peterson just because I knew that the way that he could

[00:17:12] play a swing, the way that he would play swing was reaching people that didn't really know

[00:17:21] what jazz was, but they loved what he was doing.

[00:17:24] And he was making a point that Thelonious Monk was playing something unique that was really

[00:17:32] making a contribution to American music or whatever.

[00:17:35] And so both sides were making really good points.

[00:17:38] So I was actually agreeing with him while trying to get him to agree with my side of the picture

[00:17:45] as well.

[00:17:45] Yeah, that's funny that you guys were arguing about that at a young age.

[00:17:50] So what is Jazz Proofies doing?

[00:17:52] Where can we keep up with you all that?

[00:17:55] So basically, you can...

[00:17:58] One cool thing to do, if you know how to spell my name, is you would go to Google and you

[00:18:02] would type Rick De La Rada.

[00:18:05] And then you would type famous quote.

[00:18:07] And you will see that for whatever reason, I have a famous quote.

[00:18:11] And that quote is basically that if we fill our souls up with music and creativity and

[00:18:18] artistry and humanity and all these great qualities, we will have a better chance to

[00:18:24] avoid the behavior that leads to destruction.

[00:18:27] So that's what I like to try to advise people that are in conflict to do.

[00:18:31] Fill their souls up with our greatest qualities and try to find common ground.

[00:18:35] And music is common ground.

[00:18:36] Our email address, which anyone can write to us, is info at jazzforpeace.org.

[00:18:43] Of course, the tail end of that email address is our website, jazzforpeace.org.

[00:18:50] And you can always type in rickdellarada.com as well if you just want to find out about me.

[00:18:55] You can play for us or whatever you want.

[00:18:58] Yeah.

[00:18:59] Now, do you have any idea of any songs that you like?

[00:19:03] I was going to say like All Too Well by Taylor Swift, maybe?

[00:19:07] I could play an original song and then there's no way they'd be able to copyright it, right?

[00:19:12] Okay, yeah.

[00:19:13] What were you going to say?

[00:19:14] Yeah.

[00:19:15] All Too Well by Taylor Swift.

[00:19:17] So they definitely copyright that.

[00:19:19] They would copyright it?

[00:19:20] Okay.

[00:19:21] Yeah.

[00:19:21] Yeah.

[00:19:21] And I don't really know her music because she's so, I'm so old and she's so young,

[00:19:26] I think could be the problem.

[00:19:27] I don't know.

[00:19:28] For some reason or other, I really don't know her music that well.

[00:19:31] But I wouldn't mind checking it out.

[00:19:32] So I'm glad that a lot of people do like it.

[00:19:35] And I should hear it.

[00:19:36] I haven't really even heard it.

[00:19:37] All right.

[00:19:38] So now I gave you Jazz For Peace.

[00:19:40] I gave you Rick De La Rada.

[00:19:41] And then I'm going to put, okay.

[00:19:44] All right.

[00:19:44] I put Rick De La Rada famous quote.

[00:19:46] And the last thing I was going to put was info at jazzforpeace.org.

[00:19:51] A song that your mother might like and is reminiscent of today is called September in

[00:20:01] the Rain.

[00:20:01] And that's because we're still in the last days of September.

[00:20:05] And this morning when I went to go swimming, it was raining.

[00:20:09] So I don't know.

[00:20:09] What do you think?

[00:20:10] Something like that.

[00:20:10] To take a episode, here's a little September in the Rain.

[00:20:16] September in the Rain.

[00:20:17] Let's give it a try.

[00:20:18] Maybe it might only convince your mother to like jazz.

[00:20:21] Who knows?

[00:20:22] But I'll try and see if I can win you over.

[00:20:23] How does that sound?

[00:20:24] Okay.

[00:20:40] Oh, I know what I have to do.

[00:20:43] I'm so sorry.

[00:20:43] I have to do this.

[00:20:45] Okay.

[00:20:46] Now we'll be okay.

[00:20:47] Ready?

[00:20:48] Yeah.

[00:21:03] Diesel Brown came tumbling last September.

[00:21:16] The sun went down just like last September.

[00:21:35] Whisper.

[00:21:36] I dreamed a plane.

[00:21:40] Sweet.

[00:21:51] That's September.

[00:25:48] Conversation.

[00:25:49] One of my favorites we've had.

[00:25:51] Again, I will put all the info to keep up with Rick in the show notes.

[00:25:56] And I will see you guys next time.

[00:25:58] Bye, guys.

[00:25:59] Thank you for joining us.

[00:26:00] We hope you enjoyed the show.

[00:26:02] Remember to follow the show and our guests on social media.

[00:26:05] And subscribe to the show on YouTube or in your favorite podcast app using the links

[00:26:09] in the show notes.

[00:26:10] If you're listening on the podcast app, please remember to rate and review.

[00:26:13] See you next time.