Patrick Cornelius

In the artist’s words: Describe one of your earliest musical memories in detail. One of my most formative musical experiences was getting to hear Kenny Garrett's Songbook band live in San Antonio when I was in high school. I had never heard a band that intense and expressive. That memory set the standard that I try to live up to What are your top 3 all-time favorite albums on Apple Music, and why? Why did you choose these three albums in particular? Dave Holland Quintet, Prime Directive Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra, Far East Suite Joe Henderson, The State of the Tenor / Live at the Village Vanguard These are my favorite 3 albums in each of three categories: 1) Contemporary Jazz (Prime Directive) 2) Live Recordings (State of the Tenor) and 3) Big Band (Far East Suite) Find a song of yours on Apple Music that you love and tell us what makes it special. Tell us why you chose this song. “Water Lilies (feat. Gerald Clayton, Jason Palmer, John Ellis, Kendrick Scott, Miles Okazaki, Nick Vayenas & Peter Slavov)” I've always loved how the imagery of my two inspirations (the eponymous poem by A.A. Milne and Monet's famous painting) came alive in this composition. The melody and overall mood are super warm and wistful. Plus the band was incredible! What’s one of the most memorable moments in your career so far? Getting to debut the music for While We're Still Young live on NPR radio was a thrill. Even more so, considering the incredible band I had: Kendrick Scott, John Ellis, Gerald Clayton, Miles Okazaki, Nick Vayenas, Jason Palmer, Peter Slavov Is there anything left on your bucket list as an artist or band? I would like to continue to explore programmatic suites, like my upcoming album Book of Secrets. I'm planning to record an album of original big band music in the next few years. And someday, I'll get around to making a live album.