A jazz musician talks about what changed his life

William Holland with contributions from Cornelius Bumpus

When former Doobie Brothers band member Cornelius Bumpus says he wants to bring purity to audiences, he is talking about more than the technical quality or the sound of his music. He is concerned about healing, and the reason is that a Christian Science healing has made all the difference in his life. He began playing saxophone at age ten. When he was in his teens, he worked nights as a musician, and by day he did other jobs. In 1979 he was asked to become a part of the Doobie Brothers band. This included major road tours and recordings. When the Doobies split up, he worked with his own "jazz fusion" group, performing jazz with elements added from Latin, blues, rock, and reggae. But in this interview with William Holland, Mr. Bumpus, who is a member of The Mother Church and a branch church, talks about the turning point in his life.

What was it like playing with a big-name band like the Doobie Brothers?

The excitement of the initial thrust into a band like that— lots of traveling, high attendance—that's great. I love traveling. I love playing for large numbers of people. But after a few years of that, I felt I was getting closed in to a rigid musical format. I decided that I was going to have to leave and apply more of my knowledge. As it turned out, the band split up anyway, so it worked out fine.

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A jazz musician talks about what changed his life

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