(instruments ringing) - The temperature change from outside in my trunk to...

There we go.

(drumming) - We are Alma Quartet and this is Sound On Tap.

("Day After Day" by Alma Quartet) ♪ In my own dreams ♪ ♪ I'm a sideshow man ♪ ♪ Juggling, spinning ♪ ♪ Plates on one hand ♪ ♪ Loving all the cheers ♪ ♪ Ignoring all the jeers ♪ ♪ Waking to reality ♪ ♪ Awakens all my fears ♪ ♪ What is there to say ♪ ♪ Day After Day ♪ ♪ What is there to do ♪ ♪ Must I count on you ♪ ♪ Step after step ♪ ♪ Day after day ♪ ♪ Put on that smile ♪ ♪ And dance those fears away ♪ (piano soloing) (trumpet soloing) ♪ In my own dreams ♪ ♪ I'm a sideshow man ♪ ♪ Juggling, spinning ♪ ♪ Plates on one hand ♪ ♪ Loving all the cheers ♪ ♪ Ignoring all the jeers ♪ ♪ Waking to reality ♪ ♪ Awakens all my fears ♪ ♪ What is there to say ♪ ♪ Day After Day ♪ ♪ What is there to do ♪ ♪ Must I count on you ♪ ♪ Step after step ♪ ♪ Day after day ♪ ♪ Put on that smile ♪ ♪ And dance those fears away ♪ ♪ Oh dance those fears away ♪ ♪ Oh dance those fears away oh ♪ I met John through a friend of mine who was taking bass lessons at South Plains College.

John teaches bass at South Plains College.

So we kind of met through my friend, he was his teacher.

And then I would meet John when I went to Texas Tech through playing gigs with other jazz musicians in town.

Met JT through Goin' Band and jam sessions, yeah, in Lubbock here playing together.

And Charles, I met you through a gig with... - Justin Fulfer.

- Fulfer, through a mutual friend playing in town.

I was kind of filling in I think and we got to meet then.

That was kind of recently.

Maybe six years ago, eight years ago?

- Somethin' like that.

- Maybe more recent than that.

When I met John was in the early 2000s.

I actually met John before we formed a band.

But I knew somebody that was starting a business and I was really wanting to pursue this jazz thing that I was going to Tech for.

So I called up John.

We had some friends.

These are our newest members but we had other members at the time, our piano player who isn't with us anymore.

But we've been together for 18 years since 2003 playing jazz in Lubbock, Texas.

So that's pretty cool I think.

("I Remember/Ainda Lembro" by Alma Quartet) ♪ Years seem to go by so fast ♪ ♪ It's hard to find things that last ♪ ♪ But when I saw you leave ♪ ♪ The pain would never end ♪ ♪ Like a rolling thunder plain ♪ ♪ The truth comes out the same ♪ ♪ But I remember you ♪ ♪ And I always will ♪ ♪ And you, you wanted so much then ♪ ♪ It wasn't enough when ♪ ♪ I let you down again ♪ ♪ So now I finally understand ♪ ♪ Why you made that call ♪ ♪ But I remember you ♪ ♪ And I always will ♪ (piano soloing) (guitar soloing) ♪ Os anos se acumulam sem parar ♪ ♪ Difícil é fazer algo durar ♪ ♪ Mas quando eu vi você partir ♪ ♪ A dor entrou para sem mais sair ♪ ♪ A tempestade na planície ♪ ♪ Deu sentido ao que nunca disse ♪ ♪ Mas eu ainda lembro você ♪ ♪ E sempre lembrarei ♪ ♪ E você, você queria tanto então ♪ ♪ Mais do que eu podia dar então ♪ ♪ Fui só outra desilusão ♪ ♪ Por fim, hoje, entendo tudo ♪ ♪ O que fez você sair pelo mundo ♪ ♪ Mas eu ainda lembro você ♪ ♪ E sempre lembrarei ♪ ♪ Sempre lembrarei ♪ ♪ Sempre lembrarei ♪ One, two, three, four.

("Solitude" by Alma Quartet) ♪ First thing I saw was your last disguise ♪ ♪ Pulled it away just to see your eyes ♪ ♪ Now all I need is your warm embrace ♪ ♪ Moonlit sky bouncing off your face ♪ ♪ Tell me what is on your mind ♪ ♪ And what you need I will find ♪ ♪ Take me out of this misery, solitude ♪ ♪ Take me by the hand ♪ ♪ Take me to your heart ♪ ♪ Make me understand ♪ ♪ Tell me how to start ♪ ♪ Just make me your man ♪ ♪ I'll know what to do ♪ ♪ You will be my plan ♪ ♪ There is no other you ♪ ♪ What else can I do ♪ (guitar soloing) (piano soloing) ♪ Stay with me and you won't regret ♪ ♪ Memories you won't forget ♪ ♪ Falling leaves won't put you out ♪ ♪ Stormy nights won't give you doubt ♪ ♪ Love like rain that never stops ♪ ♪ Hope with pain that never drops ♪ ♪ Take me out of this misery, solitude ♪ ♪ Take me by the hand ♪ ♪ Take me to your heart ♪ ♪ Make me understand ♪ ♪ Tell me how to start ♪ ♪ Just make me your man ♪ ♪ I'll know what to do ♪ ♪ You will be my plan ♪ ♪ There is no other you ♪ ♪ What else can I do ♪ ♪ What else can I do oh ♪ ♪ What else can I do, I do, oh yeah ♪ ("True You" by Alma Quartet) ♪ Fires burning ♪ ♪ Towers crumbling ♪ ♪ World is hurting something bad ♪ ♪ Brothers fighting ♪ ♪ Fathers dying ♪ ♪ Mothers crying ♪ ♪ Don't you think we've had enough ♪ ♪ All we have is one another ♪ ♪ Don't separate yourself from the true you ♪ ♪ Don't forget awe and wonder ♪ ♪ Don't separate yourself from the true you ♪ (keyboard soloing) (trumpet soloing) ♪ Towers crumbling ♪ ♪ Fires burning ♪ ♪ World is hurting something bad ♪ ♪ Brothers fighting ♪ ♪ Fathers dying ♪ ♪ Mothers crying ♪ ♪ Don't you think we've had enough ♪ ♪ All we have is one another ♪ ♪ Don't separate yourself from the true you ♪ ♪ Don't forget awe and wonder ♪ ♪ Don't separate yourself from the true you ♪ ♪ All we have is one another ♪ ♪ Don't separate yourself from the true you ♪ ♪ Don't forget awe and wonder ♪ ♪ Don't separate yourself from the true you ♪ I have, you know, a diverse interest in things.

So I love playing trumpet, but I still feel like I want to play guitar, and I still want to play piano.

I write songs that are more in the folk idiom.

But I still have a lot of inspiration from jazz music, from Miles Davis, and Louis Armstrong, and Bossa Nova music.

So I feel that playing in this ensemble really helps fill that void that I really want, you know, out of playing music.

I really love blues, and bluegrass, and early rock and roll.

And I think that that really helps satisfy that kind of part that I want as far as music's concerned.

I bring a chart to the group and kinda give a general I want this to happen in this area.

As far as specific things, we kinda work them out as we go.

When we were recording our album, we kinda helped work out the arrangement as we went in the studio.

There wasn't anything that I brought complete.

I wrote the song and then we kinda worked how we wanted to do it when we were there.

That's kinda what we do now.

Everything that we do is improvised.

I just bring them chords and a style.

But I don't tell anybody I want this specific voicing, or this specific note, or this specific high hat.

That's up to these guys and you know, that's what they bring to the plate is to bring that spontaneity, make it come alive, you know.

I would say like there's a light at the end of the tunnel, but in a less cheesy way, I feel like there's an opening in the future that's growing.

And I'm excited to see that happening 'cause there are more things that I want to do with this group.

And I want to write more with this group.

We have an album out but it's six years old now.

So we have two new songs that we played for you.

I want to have more and maybe do an album in the near future.

- I would say like one of the things that I've noticed about coming together, after not being together, is just valuing our time together as a group more.

I think we take it for granted a lot less than we did before this happened.

And that's a good thing.

- Higher level of appreciation because every... You know, sometimes you take it for granted.

You always appreciate it.

But when it comes down to when it can be taken away really quickly, and really suddenly and unexpectedly, then of course you're gonna think introspectively, hey, this could be gone.

But glad there's the opportunities when they come because you never know.

And some of us who made the music before aren't even here anymore.

If we're here, might as well make it.

("El Otro Lado" by Alma Quartet) ♪ Dame ♪ ♪ Dame otro trago ♪ ♪ Tengo mucho daño ♪ ♪ Quiero desaparecer ♪ ♪ Un río separar mi familia ♪ ♪ Separar mi familia ♪ ♪ Y todo lo que se ♪ ♪ Fuma, fuma en mi cuerpo ♪ ♪ No me acuerdo ♪ ♪ Porque estoy aquí ♪ ♪ Un río separar mi familia ♪ ♪ Separar mi familia ♪ ♪ Y todo lo que ser ♪ ♪ No tengo tierra ♪ ♪ No tengo gente ♪ ♪ Y mi alma no me conocer ♪ ♪ Me perdí todo ♪ ♪ Al otro lado ♪ ♪ Y nunca puedo volver ♪ (keyboard soloing) (guitar soloing) ♪ Quiero, quiero sentirte cerca ♪ ♪ Quiero besar tu boca ♪ ♪ Quiero tocar tu piel ♪ ♪ Pero mi vida, mi vida fue un sueño ♪ ♪ Mi vida fue un sueño, y nunca puedo dormir ♪ ♪ Fuma, fuma en mi cuerpo ♪ ♪ No me acuerdo ♪ ♪ Porque estoy aquí ♪ ♪ Mi vida, mi vida fue un sueño ♪ ♪ Mi vida fue un sueño ♪ ♪ Y nunca puedo dormir ♪ ♪ No tengo tierra ♪ ♪ No tengo gente ♪ ♪ Y mi alma no me conocer ♪ ♪ Me perdí todo, al otro lado ♪ ♪ Y nunca puedo volver ♪ ♪ No tengo tierra ♪ ♪ No tengo gente ♪ ♪ Y mi alma no me conocer ♪ ♪ Me perdí todo, al otro lado ♪ ♪ Y nunca puedo volver ♪ ♪ Nunca puedo volver ♪ ♪ Nunca puedo volver ♪ (upbeat music)