Q. What inspired you to first pick up the piano and bass and what were your first attempts at playing them like?

A. (William) My great-grandmother had a piano in her house. I banged on it so much and often that she gave it to my mother.

A. (Mark) Well, I tried the Trombone and didn't take well to it. My step-brother played the drums and I used to listen to him Jam a bit and that got me thinking about learning to play. At first it was a bit painful but I stuck with it.

Q. Did you take lessons or are you self-taught?

A. (William) I started piano lessons at age eight continuing till college. I went to Howard University for jazz studies. I did my master's degree at the University of Massachusetts in jazz composition and arranging.

A. (Mark) I took a few lessons, but really liked to try my own thing at first. I liked experimenting, until I realized that I wasn't learning how to play the way I wanted. I went to Western Connecticut to learn more and continued studying at UMass, but I always tried writing on my own until I studied with Dr. Yusef Lateef.

Q. Who inspired you to learn the piano/bass?

A. (William) I dug the sound of the piano.

A. (Mark) I sort of started listening to some of my Dad's Jazz records like MJQ and kind of dug them.

Q. What is your individual practice regimen like?

A. (William) I play a lot of theater gigs and it requires a great deal of reading. I'm not the greatest sight reader, but I've gotten a lot better over the years through practice. I use Howard Richman's Super Sightreading secrets. I also spend time learning tunes.

A. (Mark) Other than gigs, I like to work on singing root motions or melodies while playing the other one simultaneously on the bass.

Q. How would you define your group style of playing?

A. (William) We both take a melodic approach to most things. It's great to have another writer to collaborate with.

A. (Mark) Yes.

Q. Tell us about the Saltman Knowles Quintet and how it was formed?

A. (William) We met at UMass. We liked playing together. We played each night till they kicked us out of the building. At some point we decided to record ourselves.

Q. What can we expect from your release "It's About the Melody"?

A. (Mark)Good, fresh tunes and exciting, interactive playing.

Q. "It's About the Melody" features Lori Williams on vocals. Tell us a little more about her?

A. (William) Lori is a great vocalist, not just technically excellent; there's life behind the sound. She brings a great spirit to the bandstand. She's done extensive work as a background vocalist for artists like; Maysa, the Fours Kings, and Chere Winston. She's and educator; Lori runs the Wilson High School Choir.

Q. Lets talk about your creative process. How do you approach writing an original song - do you compose from the piano/bass or is it more of a group collaboration?

A. (William) We write separately. I compose at the piano. I tend to carry an idea around in my head for a few days. If I can remember the idea then it's usually worth writing down.

A. (Mark) I tend to try and find ideas that feel a certain way and develop them. Sometimes, later an idea will strike me differently than when it first came to me. I usually also write at the piano, but will also go play things on the Flute or Bass just to get a different perspective.

Q. What challenges do you face when switching from different styles of music?

A. (William) You really have to listen to a style of music to get the right flavor of it.

Q. What other types of music or artists does the Saltman Knowles Quintet derive inspiration from?

A. (William) Brazilian, Latin, anything that sounds good. DC is a diverse city. You can hear a lot of great music here.

A. (Mark) I really dig a lot of cultural music. I listen to Arabic, Hebrew, Latin, African artists to hear how they integrate their native sound in a different context.

Q. What's the most important bit of advice either of you were given by another musician?

A. (William) You can learn a great deal by watching: the spirit one brings to the stage, Professionalism, punctuality, good attitude, how well someone handles difficult situations. Music is about life.

A. (Mark) Be Yourself. Don't just copy what has come before, create something new. Yusef Lateef used to preach it when I was studying with him.

Q. What's been your proudest playing moment as a group?

A. (William) We did a series of concerts for the Kennedy Center which were well received. We also had a great time at the Sunset Jazz festival in Charlotte.

Q. What's the biggest disaster you've ever had onstage and how did you cope with it?

A. (Mark) Lets not jinx ourselves.

Q. Do you warm up before a concert and if so how?

A. (William) I stretch out.

A. (Mark) I contemplate the distance between the moon and New York city.

Q. What's the most important bit of advice you could give to pianists/bassists?

A. (William) Keep playing and watching other great players.

A. (Mark) Can I pass on; be yourself?

Q. Thanks for your time and consideration for this article and interview. Any last thoughts for our readers?

A. (William) Jazz is a living music.There's room for more great players and writers.

A. (Mark) Our music comes from the heart. Hopefully we've made a connection.