Interview: N: Where were you born? Don Ray : Jamaica N: What are your musical influences, the artists you admire most? Don Ray: To be honest I have musical influences from Jamaican reggae, to American jazz and soul, to Brazilian music in general, to Afrobeat + Hi-Life, to UK pop/jungle/etc. All with a splash of European classical music. I admire Azimuth, Roy Ayers, Jay Dee, Madlib (when he's not cursin), Horace Silver, Bob James, Marc Mac, Ron Carter, George Benson, Ethel Beatty, Lynn Collins, Lalo Schiffrin, Tony Allen, 4Hero, Lady Alma, Ghostface (only when he's cursin), Dwele and the Godfather as well as others. N :What were your parents listening to? Don -Ray : Reggae and American R & B N: What style do you like most? (jazz, nujazz...) Don Ray: What most places me in the right space is jazz influenced music so I guess new jazz is what works for me. N: What is your definition of Nujazz? Don Ray: "it's a journey not a genre" The Nu-Jazz scene worldwide is great. Things are picking up everywhere and in ways I wouldn't have imagined. There are online collectives like Beyondjazz, facebook groups, and many more podcasts. There are festivals that incorporate Nu-Jazz as part of their curriculum like the Montreal Jazz Festival or the Tokyo Crossover Jazz Festival. There are also regular spots to check out Nu-jazz in many cities especially London with its Jazz Cafe and Jazz Re-Freshed events. I think it was inevitable. There is a high demand for music with jazz influences, however its spread throughout small pockets of fans worldwide. The internet has allowed this isolated community to communicate and support each others’ projects and really push the scene in ways that weren't available even a couple of years ago. N: How did you begin DJying? Don-Ray : My mother brought me to parties called "blocko’s" when I was young. She was deep into the scene. I would just hang out by the DJ booth. I couldn't take my eye off the turntable. The DJ crew was local and ca