Jeff Stanford By
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n an average day in Redwood City, California a light sparked to life in a cozy garage. Few students had ever entered this room before and were astonished by what they saw. Towering high up to the base of the rafters, a long stretch of wall was illuminated by the orange glow of the bulb. Looking closer, the “wall” consisted of filing cabinets packed into almost a solid structure. Jeff Sanford approached the wall with a thought in mind: “let’s find the perfect jazz piece for this group”. Going in no particular path, his fingers traced a line from cabinet to cabinet searching. Finally, his leathery fingers wrapped around a small rusted handle to reveal an accordion folder nearly overflowing with sheet music. Students watched in awe as Sanford thoroughly rifled through the papers until a piece caught his eye. Carefully extracting the paper from the cluttered mess, the students eyes were still large in amazement. Looking over the paper, Sanford carefully studied each feature. Was the time signa-
ture right? Was the tempo right? How did it flow in his mind? After a moment, his eyes lit up, and the students knew that this was the “perfect” piece. ith jazz’s gradual decline in popularity over the past few decades, not many have come forward to keep jazz and it’s culture
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students entertained and immersed into the jazz experience. Sanford not only teaches locally but also all across the world, from India to Brazil. eff Sanford grew up in the Bronx in the 1950’s. Mr. Sanford was first introduced to music when his mother coerced him into joining his middle school’s band. Sanford states, “[My mother] said, ‘Yeah you have to try something’...and so I said, ‘trumpet’. And she said, ‘you are not gonna play trumpet in this house’. And so it ended up being clarinet by process of elimination...” After finding a passion in the music, he continued his studies in high school by taking classes in music theory and history as well as participating in five bands. “I had a theory class and music history. I was in a baroque ensemble, orchestra, jazz band called Dan’s Band, and concert band, and I was in the second most crowded high school in New York” (Sanford). He began to outgrow his teachers in talent and overall musical prowess. On of his private teachers was forced to retire and so
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“[My mother] said, ‘Yeah you have to try something’...and so I said, ‘trumpet’. And she said, ‘you are not gonna play trumpet in this house’. And so it ended up being clarinet by process of elimination...” - Jeff Sanford
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alive. But then came along Jeff Sanford. Coming from a musical background in jazz, Mr. Sanford is an important figure in this struggle. His comical personality and drive to accomplish most anything make him a prime figurehead to represent the spirit of jazz. He aims to carry jazz on through the next generations and directly counter its decrease in popularity. With his plethora of stories, some pertaining to jazz some not, he keeps his
“I travel a lot. I am gonna play in Br�il the three weeks n�t month. In the past two years, I have probably played in twelve different countries including Germany and Amsterdam and Italy and India and Australia, New Zealand” - Jeff Sanford 3
he was given the responsibility to teach the two other students. urrently, Mr. Sanford teaches locally and travels the world experiencing new cultures and spreading jazz throughout. His “big band” classes as he calls them are in Redwood City where he currently lives. But staying in one place has never been something he has enjoyed. “I travel a lot. I am gonna play in Brazil the three weeks next month. In the past two years, I have probably played in twelve different countries including Germany and Amsterdam and Italy and India and Australia, New Zealand” (Sanford). Last year he played for a friend’s wedding in India but he performs for a wide range of venues all over the world. Mr. Sanford has played with a wide range of talented artists, including many popular artists. One of the most notable people he played with was Jimi Hendrix. They played a few times together at different venues. ut the problem the jazz community is facing is that the earlier generations of jazz are fading away. Almost all of the original pioneers of jazz have passed and as a
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result, there has been less attention in the jazz genre. Jazz has seen a major decrease in popularity in the US over the past decade. David Rosa says, “In 2011, a total of 11 million jazz albums[, including CD’s, cassettes, vinyl, and digital] were sold, according to BusinessWeek. This represents 2.8% of all music sold in that year. However, just a year later, in 2012, that percentage fell to 2.2%. It rose slightly to 2.3% in 2013 before falling once again to just 2% in 2014” (Rosa). Even with the decline in popularity of jazz Jeff Sanford has continued his work. oming from the chilly winds outside the warm air in the room was inviting. Something like the smell of coffee lingered in the air confirmed by paper cups strewn around the floor. Chatter filled the cramped room between songs. At the front of the class, Jeff Sanford was studying the music on his stand. Going through the piece he looked at all the parts, trombone, trumpet, saxophone, drums, piano, all of it. They started to play and after a moment, he stopped them. He asked for just the trombones. Then the trumpets, and saxophones,
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and drums, until all the instruments had been played and he had gotten a feel for everything. Mr. Sanford started marking up his music until he got it to a place where he was happy with it. All playing now he was making any tweaks he thought needed to be made. He had some instruments play louder, others softer. As they kept playing he made them stop and start until it was just right. If someone had a question no matter how silly it was he would answer genuinely and thoughtfully. Mr. Sanford brought an aspect of fun to the practices as well. He seemed like he was friends with everyone in the class. There was never a dull moment. Either he was teaching the class or cracking a joke. here’s a lot more to come in Jeff Sanford’s future. He has multiple “big band” classes consisting of a wide range of age groups and instruments. Most are older but he does have some younger players. He also does individual lessons with students. Another big issue the Sanford faces is that jazz still has the same structure it did back in the 1960’s but it is now 2016. In an article by Patrick Jarenwattananon, Jason
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Moran said, “You know, we take that form for granted about how to present the music. And I think to a degree, we have to rethink just how do we present this music in 2012 and for the future. I mean, it can’t be on the same
model that happened in 1908 or 1958, you know. It has to continue to move because the way the world works is not the same� (Jarenwattananon). But Mr. Sanford has faith in a new generation of big jazz players emerging. He thinks that with programs like his and other jazz classes, the genre will increase in popularity. rusty handle attached to an old leather filing cabinet. Sitting in the corner sharing its knowledge with anyone who wants
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it. Jeff Sanford is this cabinet. He is so knowledgeable about his work and is willing to teach anyone. He is part of the old generation of jazz music and is training the new generation. Through his teachings and travels, he has learned and taught so much, spreading his information like and open filing cabinet in the wind.
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Works Cited Jarenwattananon, Patrick. “If Not Jazz Education, What Will Rebuild Jazz Audiences?” NPR. NPR, 18 Sept. 2012. Web. 22 Mar. 2016. Jayanti, Amber. Personal Interview. 30 Mar. 2016. Local Teacher. Personal Interview. 30 Mar. 2016. Local Teacher’s Wife. Personal Interview. 30 Mar. 2016. Rosa, David La. “Jazz Has Become The Least-Popular Genre In The U.S.” The Jazz Line. The Jazz Line, 9 Mar. 2015. Web. 22 Mar. 2016. Sanford, Jeff. Personal Interview. 6 Mar. 2016.
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