At 22 years old, Talli Kimani is already building a life in music. A saxophonist, pianist, and educator, Talli performs throughout Seattle and explores jazz alongside other genres and styles. But before he was performing on stage or teaching young musicians, he was a 6th grader discovering jazz for the first time at Seattle JazzED.

For 6th grader Talli, jazz was new territory.

"I was kind of thrown into the deep end," he says.

Growing up, Talli had been classically trained on piano since he was 8 years old and played in a concert band. But when he auditioned for Seattle JazzED in 2015, he had never played jazz before. He joined his first ensemble under the direction of Deb Schaaf, playing piano in the Benny Goodman ensemble.

Something for him clicked.

"I honestly just started falling in love with jazz big band music," he says.

Every Sunday, Talli would carpool with a friend or be driven by his parents from Lynnwood to Seattle for a three-hour rehearsal. It became one of the highlights of his week.

"I enjoyed some of the smallest details," he says. "Including the drive up to Seattle and just entering the classroom and being surrounded by people who really just love the same type of music as I did."

He remembers learning songs like Fly Me to the Moon, Duke Ellington's Cotton Tail, and Tiger of San Pedro. These standards helped him understand the excitement and creativity of jazz.

By the time Talli joined his middle school's jazz band in 8th grade, he already had two years of experience because of JazzED. He was able to step into the ensemble with confidence and a deeper understanding of the music.

Finding His Voice on Stage

One of Talli's favorite memories from his time as a JazzED student happened during his first performance at The Royal Room.

He remembers walking onto the dimly lit stage, sitting at the piano, and waiting as Deb Schaaf counted off the first song.

It was there where he played his first jazz piano solo.

"That was kind of when I realized that I had a love for not only listening to jazz, but also performing jazz," he says.

His experience was about being surrounded by people who shared his passion and finding a place where he felt connected.

"Spending three hours playing jazz every week was something I really enjoyed," he says.

Talli continued with JazzED throughout middle school and early high school, eventually joining the program's Quincy Jones ensemble during his freshman year in 2019 under the direction of legendary educator and JazzED cofounder Clarence Acox.

Seattle to Boston

The foundation Talli built at JazzED helped open doors to new opportunities. During his sophomore year of high school, he earned a scholarship to attend a summer program at Berklee College of Music called Aspire: Five-Week Music Performance Intensive, an opportunity that helped him later audition and attend Berklee as a college student.

"JazzED is one of the biggest factors as to how I am right now," he says. "It's mostly just due to that instruction that I was able to get a scholarship to go to a Berklee camp... and that also in turn helped me get into Berklee as a college so I could pursue my degree there a few years later."

At Berklee, Talli studied saxophone and piano while learning from world-class musicians and educators, including saxophonist Godwin Louis, George Garzone, and Walter Smith III.

His college experience pushed him as a musician. He remembers long nights practicing until 1, 2, or 3 a.m., and walking back from the practice rooms through snowy nights.

Beyond jazz, he explored other styles, including pop, R&B, gospel, and Christian music, expanding his understanding of music and performance.

Returning to JazzED

After graduating from Berklee, Talli returned to Seattle JazzED this summer as a teaching intern for Jazz Lab.

When asked about how the transition felt, he shared, "It was definitely a big shift. My goals have changed."

Instead of focusing only on his own playing, Talli found himself thinking about how to support students and help them grow.

He reflected on the teachers who had shaped him: What inspired him as a student? What teaching methods helped him learn best? What made him excited to keep playing?

"I try to emulate my teaching artists," he says.

One approach he carries into his teaching comes from his own piano teacher in high school, who would often demonstrate passages by playing them first. Watching and listening helped Talli understand the music in a different way.

He also emphasizes the importance of understanding the foundations of jazz, including harmony and learning which notes belong to which chords.

During Jazz Lab, Talli worked alongside JazzED educator Kate Olson and another intern.

"It was a great experience," he says. "I enjoyed the whole week."

One of the songs he introduced to students was Perdido, a jazz standard that holds personal meaning for him. Talli first learned the song as a high school student and spent years playing it.

While Perdido is a familiar jazz standard, Talli helped students see how much creativity could exist within the music.

He divided the camp into four groups and assigned each group a different section of the song. The arrangement gave students more opportunities to participate, listen to each other, and have their chance to shine.

"There's more of a spotlight focused on the individual kids, and so they're more heard in what they're playing," he explains.

By the end of the week, he saw a noticeable change compared to the first day. More students were volunteering to take solos, and their confidence grew with each opportunity.

Watching his students reminded Talli of himself as a young musician.

"I had a tendency to be nervous and take solos," he says. “I recognize that same nervousness in the students, but I also saw something more which is their passion. A lot of these kids just have a great passion for music. Sometimes they can just get a little bit held back by nerves. That's something I can relate to."

A Full Circle Moment

As Talli continues building his career as a performer and educator, he is focused on growing his network, building relationships with other musicians, and continuing to perform throughout Seattle.

He often thinks about a quote from jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove: "If you take care of the music, it will take care of you."

That philosophy guides him as an artist and as someone who believes in sharing jazz with others.

"Jazz is an amazing American art form," he says. "Being able to give back to the students and the community is really important to me."

When asked how he would describe Seattle JazzED to someone unfamiliar with the organization, Talli points to the impact it had on him and continues to have on young musicians today.

"It's a great Seattle education program that teaches the American art form of jazz very purely—the way it should be taught—to students of all races, ethnicities, and economic backgrounds, in such a way that they gain lasting experiences that are deeply important to them."

"It's also very fun to study at JazzED," he adds.

Years after walking into his first JazzED rehearsal as a nervous 6th grader, Talli is now helping other young musicians find their confidence, discover their voices, and experience the same joy that first drew him into jazz.

Follow Talli’s music at @tallikimanimusic on Instagram or at tallimusic.com.