I find it insane that people think jazz is dying. I find that to be further from the truth than anything. Jazz has so many genres and forms, including smooth, freeform, bebop, swing, contemporary acid and so much more. These genres can be mixed, and with that, we get something called “jazz fusion.” Jazz has modern impacts on pop, salsa, R&B, hip hop and other genres. We have to thank jazz for so much, and to give recognition to this incredible genre, I present Lucious Crawford.

Lucious Crawford, FCRH ’28, is a student composer and a stellar tenor saxophonist. Hailing from Washington, D.C., he’s a student of jazz. His music is meant for the soul and he’s a natural bandleader. He’s extremely passionate about the things he does, and he does them while wearing his heart on his sleeve.

Jazz was all around him during his childhood, from his family to teachers; they were the reason why he got interested in music. He was originally a classical violinist until his sister inspired him to start playing the saxophone, and he followed in her footsteps. “If it was up to me, then or now, she’s way cooler than I am, so I just did what she did,” he said. Crawford was also in an after-school youth band led by his teacher. “He brought me into this band called the Saints Band… and from there I learned how to be a jazz musician,” Crawford said.

Because of this, Crawford fell in love with jazz. “It was just kind of freeing. It’s way different than the classical structure… I can kinda do anything I want and get away with it… That liberation keeps me here,” he said.

When Crawford arrived at Fordham, he was an economics major, and now he’s a music major with a minor in African and African American studies. He made the switch because he knew jazz was his calling. “Profit was not going to be chosen over what I thought I was put on Earth to do. These days, I’m happy that I made that decision, that I didn’t just sit in economics and wait for the moment Blue Note walks in and signs me, you know, I’m taking initiative on it myself,” he said.

Crawford draws inspiration from Duke Ellington, one of jazz’s greatest composers and bandleaders, and lives by Ellington’s words when it comes to composing. “‘Music is music no matter how you define it, and it just has to sound good and that makes it music.’ That’s all I aim to do,” Crawford said. He added, “That’s all I care about, especially when composing is, you know, it’s ‘do people like it?’ ‘Do I like it?’ If both of those things are true, then it doesn’t matter what anyone else is thinking.”

Crawford is very soft-spoken and has a good heart. He’s humble but knows where to take a stand with his art and passion. His personality and social skills are what allow him to continue to do what he does, along with being an incredible musician. “I think I just try my best to be a good person and that kind of brings the opportunity,” he said.

Josh Cheng, FCRH ’29, a friend of Crawford, had some words as well. “I visited Fordham as a senior in high school, and I reached out to Lucious because I saw him on one of the admitted [student Instagram] pages, and watching Lucious play in this room, right here actually, was one of the reasons why I chose Fordham because I loved seeing the culture and the way how he interacted with his friends and which is a big inspiration,” Cheng said. “He is just really passionate about what he does. He puts his soul into things and he’s helped me to see that no matter what you choose to pursue specifically, it’s important that you’re pursuing it for the right reasons and not for reasons of external validation.”

When asked about his album “Ballads N’ Blues” and its creation, Crawford said, “I took the onus… on me to ask them, you know, to record in their basement and so we did. We had a really good time doing it, ended up being a ten-song album and I released it within the next two weeks because I thought it was that good. Luckily, it’s done well, so I couldn’t be happier about it.”

Crawford’s impact on the Fordham jazz scene is intangible. He’s only a sophomore, and he’s already done so much and will continue to do more. His growth and talent are something anyone can look up to, regardless of whether they’re a jazz musician or not.