good evening from los angeles, i'm tavis smiley. tonight we're talking about music and the arts. first, a conversation with the former president and ceo of the los angeles philharmonic. why credited with lifting the l.a. field from a place in the shad yoef hollywood to an orchestra on the world stage. she will soon take her math toikt big apple as the incoming president and ceo of the new york field. tonight we'll discuss her 17 years here in los angeles and a decision to move back to new york, arts funding and much more i suspect. then whether it was his collaboration with the drake or a seat at the table for the latest album. he is making a name for him swefl his debut solo album "process." the british born musician will tell us how the death of his parents shaped his work and why no one knows him like the piano. we're glad you joined us.

debra boarder coming up right now.

deb bra board certificate former president and ceo of the los angeles philharmonic. she brought in a conductor and she built the artistic reputation and the financial covers of the institution. she oversaw the rebuild of the hollywood bowl and after two decades has stepped down to become president and ceo of the new york philharmonic. should i get on my knees? >> no. >> i feel like i should beg you to stay. this is so not fair. you're leaving us. >> hey, you know, i'm a new yorker. although i thought i did very well. i became a californian when i was here. people always accused me of having the new york accent and new york walk. but i loved it here. it's been just the greatest stuff, professional, 17 years of my lichlt it's been my joy, my life's work. and so it's time to return home

to my family. and to help one of the great orchestras beside the los angeles philharmonic. it's funny that i worked for two philharmonics, new york and los angeles. to really assume its rightful place in the pantheon of orchestras. it's interesting. the new york philharmonic is you 175 years old. it is the oldest orchestra in america. and what's interesting to me about that is you know i'm a futurist. i'm always thinking about where can we go? what can we invent? and what i want to be able to be a part of is work with the musicians and the board and the community is to not be weighted down by that legacy but to use it. to move to a vibrant youthful 21st century future. because so much of what has happened here embodies what an orchestra of the 21st century can be like. >> that's the question though. can you do in new york what you did in l.a. and not be weighted

down by the legacy or the expectations or the parameters of the new york crowd? >> well weeshgs goi, we're goin. i left there once before, 17 years ago because i was looking for challenges. so one thing about me is frank geary once said, debra loves jumping off cliffs but always lands on her feet. it's a challenge. it's exciting. it's a moment in my life where i'm up to do this. i'm up for doing it is what i should say. i think i'm up for doing it, too. >> i listed a number of things at the top of the conversation we have done remarkly well and that's why i was begging you not to leave. remarkably well here in los angeles. of those things or something perhaps i did not list, what are you most proud of here in los angeles? >> i -- i put it in a larger sense. i mean, yes, the opening of walt disney concert hall, really the reimagining of what a symphony orchestra could mean to a

community. so in a way, bringing gustavo who lit up the imagination of our community and the international community. what that all goes to is a core belief that music is important to the community and that the community loves and values the los angeles philharmonic for all of the art, for all of the education, for what it can mean to people's hearts on an every day basis. and i think the los angeles philharmonic really means something to us. they love it. they love it. it wasn't always that way. >> to your point, what do you make of -- how can you put this? the cultural? it's cultural, artistic. it's fashion. but there is a cultural renaissance that the city of l.a. has undergone that parallels nicely to the time that you have been here. what do you make of that? and what role do you see the orchestra having played in that renaissance in the city? >> you know, a pivotal

dynamically pivotal moment was the opening of walt disney concert hall. until that moment it was an epic journey. and you remember what the downtown is like then. i remember when i was here for the press conference to announce my appointment, you could have shot a gun in the streets and no one would have heard. today you go downtown, there is the broeg, there is the walt disney concert hall, the music center, there is mocha. >> l.a. live. >> everything. it's a happening, exciting place. thousands of people are moving to downtown l.a. so maybe i'm a little walt disney concert hall sen trisen trick, but the pivotal moment is the opening of that hall. you know, we opened it in a very special way. the opening wasn't the big gala where people pay thousands of dollars. remember this. we opened with a week called

fi phil the house in which we invited 18,000 people to come to the hall. the first people to hear the con sefrt in that hall was school tehe kids, teachers, firemen, policemen, and a music director did series of one hour concerts. i think it really, in that moment, sort of found its way into the heart of the community or made a start at it. but that's how we have to think about things. nobody had ever done that before. now that's what people do. at the time it was considered outside of the box. >> yeah. >> i'm going to have you dif you willth any confidences on your financial paperwork. but it is reported that one of the other things of the many things you did quite well here you is got more respect for the players. more respect for the artists. we're told, i read at least that they may be the highest paid orchestra players in the world, certainly in the country. but without divulging that, what

did do you to make sure that they had a higher level of respect? >> central to the success of the organization, you have to look at what is the actual part of the symphony orchestra. and that's the 106 women and men who make up the los angeles philharmonic. i have the most profound respect for them. we've had great dialogue about where the orchestra is going, where it should go and where it shouldn't go. we've been able to work together very well. they dedicate their entire lives to being in this orchestra, to making it great. when we have an opening at the los angeles philharmonic, 400 and a00 people aplichlt we select one person. so my partnership with them, their partnership with me has been one of the very special aspects of being here. i really love them. and i feel that coming back from

them. i think what is at the base it of though is a mutual respect. a mutual respect. i so much respect what they do. i think they've been really pleased to think of a positive future. because you know, i'm an optimist. i think optimists really can get things done because you can see all the things that go wrong or can go wrong. but if you see what it is that can go right and you set your mind and your heart to it, you can get so much more done. >> let me flip what you said. i can make the argument given what you achieved in l.a. and given where you are at this point in your career, you don't need to take the risk to go back to new york, to take on an orchestra that is lowsing money and needs to be more innovative and creative, all the things you hope to bring. you don't need to take that risk at this point in your career. why roll the dice that way? >> because i believe in music. because i believe it's not just about one grade or institution.

why can't we have two flag ship institutions on either coast? besides, i love a good challenge. this could be fun. >> yeah. >> this is a challenge. and, you know, i've done pretty well. so we'll see. >> yeah. >> i'm willing to take that risk. >> there is a new conductor coming to the new york phil. >> yes. that's part of the reason i'm going. by the way, it breaks my heart to leave guchlt. stavo. >> i can only imagine. when this all got decided and happened very quickly, we've been together for a long time. >> how did he take it? >> we were both very sad. i was a tearful conversation. but he's doing great. you know, he's an innovator, it's the most profound geniuses i've ever seen, just a natural, natural talent. we met him when he was 24. he's in his mid 30s now. he has a kid and a vision for

the future. we'll always stay friends. i certainly don't worry about him. he's done amazing work. his amazing work is in front of him. i found in him somebody who is eager the same way that i am to take on challenges. and to think about things in a different way. we should continue to do abcd. i'm saying let's go red, white, yellow, blue. let's look at things completely differently if we can. i felt the partner. i felt a partner. also he conducted with the los angeles philharmonic. i saw how our musicians fell in love with him and really responded. they all came to me right away and said can we get this guy back? and so it's a combination of those matters. >> i assume that there are bench marks that you have set or will set to let you know whether you're on the right track. so can you give me some sense of what we should expect over the

next couple years to judge whether or not you made the right decision? >> you're asking for a very quantitative measurement. of a great artistic institution. i can give you metrics. do we have a deficit? how much can we raise for the endowment? what is the percentage of attendance? but really, yeah. that will happen if other things happen. and what has to happen is a progr problem atatic flair and have a integration into the fabric of the community. that we can have something like that in new york. now what i'm not going to say to you yet is i know just how i'm going to do this or how we're going to do it ts not just me, it's a team much it's the musicians of the new york philharmonic. it's the board. it's the staff coming together to create a great vision that touches people.

and that's -- you know what? you're going to get the buzz of. that you'll decide do we want to have debra boarder back on this show? maybe not. i don't know. >> i kent imagine. he would never -- that you'd ever be in that program. you've always been kind to me personally. you've been kind to the show. you and mr. dutamel. i hate to see you leave. but they are blessed and fortunate to have you come to new york. and i have no doubt in my mind that you'll do everything you promised them you would do and all best to you. >> thank you so much. thank you for what you do. i was sitting in the dressing room looking at the people you interviewed. i thought what a strong representation for the arts. you know, the arts can be so marginalized today. so thank you for doing that. >> i love the arts g to you have here. congratulations. >> all right, new york. i hate you. anyway, up next, senior producer sanfa.

stay with us. i'm delighted and pleased to welcome sanfa to the program. he has roots in erra leone. he is getting a lot of love these days for i had debut album called process. he joins us now to talk about the album and later in this program a special treat for you. he's going to perform for us and do you not want to miss this, i promise you. i'm honored to have you on the program, brother. >> thanks for having me. >> with k. i go straight to the album? i love lighter notes. i'm a fan of them. i pulled this thing out. i saw this photo of you and your precious mother. you dedicate the project to your mother. tell me about your mom. >> my mom and she's like -- she's someone who we kind vf a very similar nature.

she was cry quiet and reserved and elegant and thoughtful. really like a career woman. >> did your mother have -- your mother and your father for ma that matter, did why you parents have any influence on your music? >> yeah. they d and that obviously has a huge infect on my life. my dad used to buy lots of music coming home from work. he would see a pickup and anything from hmv, a music store in the uk from the spice girls, paragraph ratsy, african music, foe. yeah, and they were very encouraging as well. >> can w. so many he c

>> with so much he check tick sound, how did you find your own way when wh you're exposed to so much? >> i just naturally gravitated toward certain things. >> like? >> like stevie wonder. >> hey, can i say this? i have had a million guest on this show over the years. whenever it's a music guest and talk about influences, the first name that always comes out of everybody's mouth, stevie wonder. why is that? >> it's just magical. just completely liken grossed me. he's like a magical man. i think it's the harmonic language and the inventiveness and the production and the range of concepts and, yeah, just something about, yeah, songs i was addicted to from the age 7. and then tracy chapman. i think i just gravitated towards it. and that's how i kind of coughed up my own take. >> it's amazing. i think about stevie.

it's hard not to follow in love with that project. stevie wrote that. he's just a year or two younger than you. isn't that amazing? >> i know. >> wow. >> and puts out an album like that. unbelievable. >> yeah. >> your son is pretty unbelievable. who -- i heard so many love songs over the years but never heard a love song that is so mel ottic to a piano. not this phone. >> well, it's a song i wrote when i was like basically my mom was like diagnosed with cancer. i moved out briefly, took on to make music. and when it was kind of diagnosis terminal, i moved back in home. and i was sitting on soef why and watching tv and my mom was there. and the line no one knows me like the piano just came to me. i was like thin air kind of thing. and it's just something that

stuck with me. and i just like expanded on that. it was a note to my mother and the most important thing is the piano in my mother's hose and how formative, you know, that period of time was for me. i could see it. it was something i couldn't really -- i never contemplated before that. this isn't going to last forever. this is impermanent. something i took for granted, you know? >> yeah. >> coming back home and being at mom's house and my mom being there and, you yeah, my tpiano has been there and has been the same. >> you and i were talk brg we came on the air as black men, i think our number one goal is to make our mommas proud. your mom didn't live long enough to seat debut album. she certainly saw enough of your sec success to know you were goring to all right. >> she wasn't a woman of many words.

she wouldn't stay out. but she still complaining. she was smiling a lot more. she could see like i was like supporting myself from making music and looked like things were going to be all right. and that made me like so happy. i was like the happiest period of my life. it had gone really well. >> yeah. >> i mentioned at the top of the interview here, top of the conversation that you seem most comfortable behind the scenes. i can tell you a little side. how are you navigating or how do you think you're going to navigate this process of being out front? because now it's all on you now. the spotlight is on you. not on drake anymore, it's on you. >> i know. it's been strange thing. i guess i'm going with the flow a little bit and seeing how i react to the same things and i'm just thing you know. just the latest if i press this whole thing. i knew like in the path i wasn't

quite ready for any of it really. just to the person. some people might be -- >> to be out front you mean? >> yeah, to be out front. because of all the things that come along with that. i felt like i was a little knee eve. and but now i guess, you know, through the experiences of that, i'm more used to being able to let go of things and being able to fail a bit more and self explore and not be so kind of scared. so, yeah. i'm just kind of seeing how things are going. and taking all this stimulus in and analyzing it. >> i find a lot of artives over time work their way into being transparent. they work their way into being authentic and being open. you started out that way. your stuff is so out there. >> yeah. i mean a lot of it, to be honest, it just comes out. you know, when i'm like sitting at the piano as much as it may be like a cliche thing or

something, but, you know, making this album, it was a bit of an escape for me. it was, you know, i was going through a difficult time personally. and, yeah, that's where, you know, i would come out with things i didn't even know i was thinking or feeling. just, you know, my brain sort of, you know, there is something about the flow when you're sitting there and improvising and singing. there is just stuff that came out mef of me really. it's like sitting at a piano and writing music. >> sounds like a process to me. >> yeah. >> process. that's the name of the album. it's his debut. you do not want to miss picking it up and adding it to your collection. i promise you this time and time again. that is our show for tonight. closing us out, performing "no one knows me like the piano." thank you for watching. as always, keep the faith.

♪ ♪ no one knows me like a piano ♪ and my mother's heart ♪ you show me something some people call it soul ♪ ♪

♪ because no one knows me like a piano and my momma's heart ♪ ♪ ♪ you know i won't be alone ♪ and in my chest you know me best ♪ ♪ and you know i'll be home, home ♪

♪ an angel by her side all the time ♪ ♪ i knew we couldn't go ♪ they said it's her time i said no inside i kept my feelings close ♪ ♪ and you held on to me and never, never, you never let me go ♪ ♪ because no one knows me like the piano in my mother's home ♪

♪ in my mother's home ♪ in my mother's home [ applause ]

good evening from los angeles. i'm tavis smiley. first, allen alden understands his book. the text chronicle has journey to discover new ways to help people communicate and relate to one another more effectively. then bluesy rocker benjamin booker joins us to discussss hi project "witness." we're glad you joined us, all of that coming up in just a moment.