NOVEMBER 2010 • $5.00
THE JAZZ EDUCATOR'S MAGAZINE
Keeping the Flame Alive – Conversations with Dr. Lou Fischer
Basic Training: Synthetic Scales for Guitar Focus Session: The Interchangeability of Modes
The Official Publication of
JAZZ EDUCATION NETWORK
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Chick Corea: North Africa for jazz ensemble arranged by Mike Tomaro 48020904 $55.00
Legendary musician and composer Chick Corea recorded “North Africa” on his two-time Grammy-winning recording, The Ultimate Adventure. Corea says, “The flavor and atmosphere of this music reaches from the south of Spain, through North Africa and back to the folklore of Arabian culture.”
Andrew Hill: 21 Piano Compositions 48020929 $16.99
This marks the first published music by groundbreaking composer/pianist/ensemble leader Andrew Hill (1931-2007), called the “last great protégé” by Blue Note Records’ founder Alfred Lion.
Wynton Marsalis: Sanctified Blues
for jazz ensemble arranged by Michael Philip Mossman 48020847 $50.00 “Sancitified Blues” is from Marsalis’s 2006 collaboration with Yacub Addy honoring New Orleans, Congo Square, published in a new jazz ensemble arrangement.
Hal Leonard Jazz Play-Along Series
including parts for C, B-flat, E-flat, and Bass Clef instruments A darling of jazz critics, Paquito D’Rivera’s signature sound is captured in these lively and stylish selections, with model recordings by the artist.
Paquito D’Rivera: Latin Jazz
with a CD of performances and backing tracks wind parts recorded by Paquito D’Rivera and Diego Urcola 48020662 Book/CD $16.99
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Paquito D’Rivera: Brazilian Jazz
with two CDs of performances and backing tracks wind parts recorded by Paquito D’Rivera and Diego Urcola 48020663 Book/2 CDs $19.99
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LOU FISCHER "The
environment and culture I grew up in had a rich musical component, which taught me to love all music."
contents
NOVEMBER 2010
BASIC TRAINING: SYNTHETIC SCALES 20
NYC guitarist Mark Tonelli shares the approaches to, and benefits of, employing synthetic variations of standard scales.
LESSONS LEARNED 22
Respected author and educator Harvey Rachlin discusses a number of career options for jazz musicians that go well beyond the bounds of performance.
KEEPING THE FLAME ALIVE – CONVERSATIONS WITH DR. LOU FISCHER 26
JAZZed speaks with the new president of the Jazz Educators Network (JEN) about his many years as a student, teacher, and advocate of jazz.
THE LEADING EDGE 35
Following up on the topic of last issue’s column (early influences), Anita Brown speaks with prominent lead players to learn of the players who influenced them in later years of their lives…
FOCUS SESSION: MODES 38
JAZZed contributor Lee Evans follows up his recent article on characteristic mode tone with an examination of how modes sharing the same fundamental tone may be used interchangeably.
OUTSIDE THE BOX: JAZZ & LUNCH 42 ™
Kevin Kjos, director of Jazz Studies at Kuztown University of Pennsylvania, shares his own unique approach to hosting a jazz festival.
2 JAZZed November 2010
™
NOVEMBER 2010
Volume 5, Number 6 GROUP PUBLISHER Sidney L. Davis sdavis@symphonypublishing.com PUBLISHER Richard E. Kessel rkessel@symphonypublishing.com Editorial Staff EDITOR Christian Wissmuller cwissmuller@symphonypublishing.com
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ASSOCIATE EDITOR Eliahu Sussman esussman@symphonypublishing.com STAFF WRITER Denyce Neilson dneilson@symphonypublishing.com Art Staff PRODUCTION MANAGER Laurie Guptill lguptill@symphonypublishing.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Andrew P. Ross aross@symphonypublishing.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Laurie Chesna lchesna@symphonypublishing.com Advertising Staff ADVERTISING MANAGER Iris Fox ifox@symphonypublishing.com CLASSIFIED & Display Maureen Johan mjohan@symphonypublishing.com
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departments PUBLISHER’S LETTER 4 NOTEWORTHY 6 LESLIE PINTCHICK: WHAT’S ON YOUR PLAYLIST 10 JAZZ EDUCATION NETWORK SECTION 12 • PRESIDENT’S LETTER • NETWORTHY NEWS • SECOND ANNUAL JEN CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
CROSSWORD PUZZLE 45 JAZZ FORUM 46 GEARCHECK 49 HOT WAX 51 CD SHOWCASE 53
CLINICIANS CORNER 53 CLASSIFIEDS 54 AD INDEX 55 BACKBEAT: WALTER PAYTON JR. 56
Cover photograph: Tania Schade, Schade Photography, Dublin, Ohio
SALES & MARKETING MANAGER Jason LaChapelle jlachapelle@symphonypublishing.com Business Staff CIRCULATION MANAGER Melanie A. Prescott mprescott@symphonypublishing.com ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Popi Galileos pgalileos@symphonypublishing.com Symphony Publishing, LLC CHAIRMAN Xen Zapis PRESIDENT Lee Zapis lzapis@symphonypublishing.com CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Rich Bongorno rbongorno@symphonypublishing.com Corporate Headquarters 26202 Detroit Road, Suite 300 Westlake, Ohio 44145 (440) 871-1300 www.symphonypublishing.com Publishing, Sales, & Editorial Office 21 Highland Circle, Suite 1 Needham, MA 02494 (781) 453-9310 FAX (781) 453-9389 1-800-964-5150 www.jazzedmagazine.com
Member 2010
RPMDA JAZZ EDUCATION NETWORK
JAZZed™ is published six times annually by Symphony Publishing, LLC, 21 Highland Circle, Suite 1, Needham, MA 02494, (781) 453-9310. Publisher of Choral Director, School Band and Orchestra, Music Parents America, and Musical Merchandise Review. Subscription rates $30 one year; $60 two years. Rates outside U.S. available upon request. Single issues $5. Resource Guide $15. Standard postage paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing ofces. Postmaster: Please send address changes to JAZZed, 21 Highland Circle, Suite 1, Needham, MA 02494. The publishers of this magazine do not accept responsibility for statements made by their advertisers in business competition. No portion of this issue may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. © 2010 by Symphony Publishing, LLC. Printed in the U.S.A.
JAZZed November 2010 3
publisher’s letter
RICK KESSEL
Marketing the Music
“T
he drummer is the president as he’s the loudest one ed his tuba playing. in the group. The bassist is the judiciary as he adMarketing is not a word that is normally associdresses the harmony and the rhythm, and the piano ated with musicians and educators, but Phillips was and rhythm section is the legislature – represents a great marketer of the tuba. His promotion of the all of the notes and all of the keys. They all work instrument was global, especially with his developtogether by listening to one another.” These are the ment of the Octubafest and Tuba Christmas. These comments of Wynton Marsalis and Retired Justice, events could often be seen on morning news shows Sandra Day O’Conner on the videos that reside on from Rockefeller Center, featuring hundreds of www.letfreedomswing.org. These unique analogies tuba players dressed up in Santa Claus suits playing that compare democracy and jazz for social studies “Jingle Bells” or some other uplifting holiday tune. teachers on this unique site bring the People who may have played tuba culture of jazz to a broader audience at one time or another during their “It’s essential to of students through a user friendly lives would pull out their big horns, presentation. “Co-branding” could have an open mind polish them up, and make their way be a term that would be used to dethese annual gatherings. It didn’t to bringing these to scribe this project which brought tomatter how good a player you were, types of ideas to gether these two renowned leaders it just mattered that you would be from highly disparate backgrounds willing to join with other folks who reach greater but who share a common thread would enjoy some time together audiences.” – which is the love for music. playing music. Mr. Marsalis has had a knack for When you consider these two helping to market jazz beyond the men, Marsalis and Phillips, it is astraditional channels, which makes his impact even tonishing how much both have contributed beyond greater than that of his tremendous performance musical performance. With the current economic abilities. Though his opinions have been at times climate affecting musicians of all genres, many controversial, his recognition as an ambassador of could take a lesson from their playbook. In fact, if jazz is undisputed. In a similar vein, the recent loss you were taking an MBA in music management, a of Harvey Phillips, who some called the Heifitz case study for how to advance the cause of music or Paganini of the Tuba, will be felt across many could be written to account for their success. It’s spectrums of music, from classical to jazz to Dix- essential to have an open mind to bringing these ieland and more. Harvey performed with many types of ideas to reach greater audiences, which jazz greats over the years and was highly skilled in may in turn bring more serious audiences into the many forms of music, but his influence transcend- fold…
rkessel@symphonypublishing.com
4 JAZZed November 2010
noteworthy Next Generation Jazz Festival Now Accepting Applications
T
he Monterey Jazz Festival’s 7th Annual Next Generation Jazz Festival will feature some of the nation’s most talented middle school, high school, conglomerate, and college jazz musicians and vocalists. The Next Generation Jazz Festival will take place in Monterey, Calif., April 1 - 3, 2011. The competition is now accepting applications from middle school, high school, and college big bands; high
school, college level, and conglomerate bands; from high school, college, and conglomerate combos, and from high school, and college level vocal jazz ensembles, through January 21, 2011. The application process is free of charge, as is participation in this event. Application forms may be downloaded at the Monterey Jazz Festival’s Web site, www.montereyjazzfestival.org.
Westchester Jazz Orchestra’s Trumpet Masters
T
he Westchester Jazz Orchestra will perform “Trumpet Masters: The Music of Miles, Pops and Dizzy” on December 4 at the Irvington Town Hall Theater, Irvington, N.Y. Led by jazz pianist, composer, and conductor, Mike Holober, WJO includes such luminaries as Marvin Stamm, Ralph Lalama, Jim Rotondi, Ted Rosenthal and Harvie S. The concert will feature WJOcommissioned arrangements of the music of Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie – and fellow trumpeters Freddie Hubbard, Kenny Dorham and Woody Shaw, whose compositions and performances represent the very essence of jazz. WJO’s 2010-11 season continues on January 29 with the music of Herbie Hancock. WJO’s concerts are partially funded by the New York State Council on the Arts, Arts Westchester, the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, and numerous individuals. For more information, visit www.westjazzorch.org. 6 JAZZed November 2010
Vertigo: The Music of Mike Mainieri The University of Missouri School of Music and Jazz Studies Program recently released the debut recording from the MU Concert Jazz Band, Vertigo: the Music of Mike Mainieri. Recorded in May 2010, the CD is a first for both the jazz students of MU, and for the jazz musician whose music inspired the album’s concept. The award-winning vibraphonist and producer recorded his first album of his compositions arranged in a big band format. Mainieri has performed on over 100 recordings with the likes of Paul Simon, Bonnie Raitt, Aerosmith, Billy Joel, and James Taylor. Proceeds benefit the University of Missouri Jazz Studies Program. For more information, visit www.mujazz.missouri.edu.
THE JUILLIARD SCHOOL
Carl Allen Artistic Director Laurie A. Carter Executive Director Benny Golson Artistic Consultant Christian McBride Artist in Residence Benny Green Visiting Artist Saxophone Ron Blake Joe Temperley Trombone Steve Turre Trumpet Eddie Henderson Christian Jaudes Joseph Wilder
|
JOSEPH W. POLISI, President
Juilliard
JAZZ
Jazz Performance Education Bachelor & Master of Music Artist Diploma Curriculum Tailored to Each Student’s Need Perform, Tour, Participate in Master Classes Extraordinary Faculty & Top Guest Artists Apply by December 1 for February/March auditions in New York at Juilliard
Guitar Rodney Jones
All applicants must meet Juilliard’s jazz audition requirements.
Piano Kenny Barron Frank Kimbrough
M.M. requires bachelor of music
Drums Carl Allen Billy Drummond Kenny Washington Bass Ron Carter Ray Drummond David Grossman Ben Wolfe
B.M. requires high school diploma or equivalent Artist Diploma (a post-graduate, tuition-free program) requires college degree or extensive experience Send Applications and Pre-Screen Recording to: Juilliard Admissions, 60 Lincoln Center Plaza, NY, NY 10023 (212) 799-5000 • www.juilliard.edu/jazz Photo: Jazz Bassist, alumnus, and Juilliard Jazz Artist-in-Residence Christian McBride performs with student Eddie Barbash, on alto sax. Photo: Hiroyuki Ito
noteworthy Let Freedom Swing: Conversations on Jazz and Democracy A new educational project launched last month, Let Freedom Swing, includes a DVD featuring retired Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O’Connor, and musician, composer, educator, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Wynton Marsalis, in three 20-minute videos that explore how jazz captures the essential principles of American democracy. Ten thousand copies of the DVD and accompanying study guide will be distributed to educators across the nation. The videos and study guide will also be available to download for free from the Web site. The videos present O’Connor and Marsalis in three lively and engaging modules that middle and high school teachers can use in whole or in part to stimulate discussion in their classrooms: We The People, E Pluribus Unum, and A More Perfect Union. Set against historical footage, the videos include performances and commentary by young musicians as well as established jazz musicians such as Vijay Ayer, Ali Jackson, Erica von Kleist, and other artists and scholars. The project is a collaboration by Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Documentary Group, and Columbia University’s Teachers College, with generous funding from The Rockefeller Foundation. To find out more, visit www.letfreedomswing.org.
Mark O’Connor Berklee Summer String Program
Berklee College of Music and multi Grammy-winning violinist/composer and educator Mark O’Connor announced the Mark O’Connor Berklee Summer String Program, to be held on the Berklee campus in Boston, June 27 through July 1, 2011. O’Connor will be on hand for special sessions and clinics throughout the week. The Berklee program follows by a week O’Connor’s longtime string camp in Tennessee, to be held this year at East Tennessee State University. The Berklee program will allow aspiring young performers to study with renowned string players, among them several Berklee faculty. Bluegrass, Celtic, classical, and jazz will be among the styles covered, and there will be three distinct tracks: the Mark O’Connor String Program featuring an all-star faculty lineup, for aspiring, mid- and upper-level performers; a Teacher Training Program, preparing professional string teachers to use the O’Connor Method; and a day program for young children who are beginners. In each track, instruction will be offered on the violin, viola, cello, and double bass. Musicians interested in attending the Mark O’Connor Berklee Summer String Program should apply at www.berklee.edu.
Say What? Traveling with a big band is like being an inmate in a traveling zoo. —Hoagy Charmichael
8 JAZZed November 2010
Free Tickets Available for NEA Jazz Masters Awards Ceremony The National Endowment for the Arts and Jazz at Lincoln Center have released free tickets for the January 11, 2011 NEA Jazz Masters Awards Ceremony & Concert to be held in Rose Theater at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center . Tickets can be reserved on the Jazz at Lincoln Center Web site or in person at the Jazz at Lincoln Center Box Office, located at Broadway at 60th Street, ground floor, open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., as well as Sundays, 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. The 2011 NEA Jazz Masters are Hubert Laws, David Liebman, Johnny Mandel, and the Marsalis Family-Ellis Marsalis, Jr., Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis, and Jason Marsalis. In addition, the 2011 A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Award for Jazz Advocacy is awarded to Orrin Keepnews. For those unable to attend in person, the awards ceremony and concert will be broadcast live on WBGO Jazz 88.3 FM based in Newark, New Jersey, and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio’s Real Jazz Channel 70. WBGO also will audio stream the event live on their Web site. For more information, visit www.neajazzmasters.org.
For Additional News in JAZZed, please visit
www.jazzedmagazine.com
What’s on Your Playlist? NYC-based pianist and composer Leslie Pintchik got a late start in music; prior to becoming a jazz musician, she taught English literature (as a teaching assistant) at Columbia University. Early in her music career, she surfaced on the Manhattan scene in a trio with legendary bassist Red Mitchell at Bradley’s. Pintchik’s debut CD, So Glad To Be Here, was released in June 2004, followed by Quartets in 2007, both on the Ambient record label. Along with her new CD, We’re Here To Listen, Pintchik also just released a new DVD, Leslie Pintchik Quartet Live In Concert, both on the Pintch Hard record label. 1. Keith Jarrett at the Blue Note The Complete Recordings (Disk #4) I chose this CD particularly for the first track, “How Deep Is The Ocean.” This is a great medium-slow tempo reading of a classic tune. Jarrett is a musician with tremendous depth and integrity, and he’s also a superbly accomplished pianist. However, on this particular track, there is a raw, unvarnished, almost naked quality to his solo, which lends it special power. His playing on “How Deep” has no virtuosic runs or power-technique: he’s pulling something up from a deep, unedited place, and it never fails to move me. 2. Festa – Rosa Passos This is an early recording (1993) by this wonderful Brazilian singer. Passos’ singing is enormously sophisticated rhythmically, yet also subtle and understated. A supremely musical singer and musician, her voice on this early CD is fresh, full of sunlight, and almost heartbreakingly sweet. 3. Cantando Histórias – Ivan Lins This is a relatively recent (2004) collection of many of Lins’ greatest songs, recorded at a live concert in Rio. These tunes
were always great, but there is something especially compelling about this performance (at least for me) compared with earlier versions: perhaps an extra depth, or reticence. Lins is performing with a top-notch band, and he plays and sings with great warmth, ease, and tremendous soulfulness. 4. Beethoven – The Late Sonatas – Richard Goode A superb pairing of composer and pianist. A particular favorite is Sonata #30 in E-Major, Opus 109. Goode brings out all the depth and beauty in Beethoven, and then some (if that’s possible!). 5. Susana Baca – Susana Baca This CD introduced me to Peruvian rhythms, particularly the landó (“Zamba Malató” and “Caras Lindas”). I love the spare textures; the dry quality of the percussion and guitar stands in stark contrast with the lushness of her voice. The rhythms in general are very beautiful and mysterious. 6. Alegría – Wayne Shorter Terrific arrangements and orchestrations by Shorter. This CD is
More info about Pintchik’s newly released CD, We’re Here To Listen, (Pintch Hard,) and DVD, Leslie Pintchik Quartet Live In Concert, can be found at www.lesliepintchik.com. 10 JAZZed November 2010
both daring and inviting, and Shorter is his typical first-rate self: mysterious, beautiful, and expressive. A personal favorite is the third track (“Vendiendo Alegría”), an elaborate composition with three very different sections that still manage to cohere beautifully. Great playing also by Danilo Perez and Brad Mehldau. 7. Speak Like A Child – Herbie Hancock A great rhythm section, with Hancock, Mickey Roker and Ron Carter. The arrangements are strong, but the real draw is Hancock’s playing – effortless swing, wonderful use of space, and a beautifully relaxed “hang” on the title track. On “Toys,” the five beat held chord at the very beginning of Hancock’s solo is mesmerizing, for both its drama and its stillness. 8. My Song – Keith Jarrett A rare early (1977) Keith Jarrett album that features all original compositions, performed by his Scandinavian band: Jarrett, Jan Garbarek, Palle Danielsson and Jon Christensen. The music is very strong melodically, and also daring in its use of rubato against steady time (see track 3, “Tabarka”). This was a very cohesive band, which makes me regret they didn’t record more. The music still sounds modern and very fresh 33 years later. 9. Vespertine – Björk This is a strikingly original recording with very unusual colors, incorporating electronics with harp, choir, strings and other sounds. Björk is cutting-edge while still retaining a warmth and humanity, a rare feat. “A Hidden Place” opens up the CD with a very strong vibe; it feels impossible not to be drawn in immediately. 10. Live At The Village Vanguard – Bruce Barth Full disclosure: Bruce Barth is my friend, but what’s wrong with admiring the artistry of a good friend? Amongst many gifts as both composer and pianist, Barth’s soulful, ferocious swing feeling stands out. JAZZed November 2010 11
Our network is growing A MESSAGE FROM JEN PRESIDENT LOU FISCHER “ Jazz transcends the barriers of language or nationality. Jazz is a very universal music.” – Sonny Rollins Upon opening the Sunday paper this past week, my wife, Mary Ann, and I were pleasantly surprised to find an article distributed by the Associated Press, which contained the above quote from NEA Jazz Master Sonny Rollins celebrating his 80th Birthday in Japan. Our hearty Congratulations to the Saxophone Collosus! While those of us involved in jazz already agree with his statement, our upcoming conference is yet another testament to this fact, in that we are expecting attendees from upwards of 18 countries, including Australia, South Africa, England, Japan, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, and the U.S. at this point. Our lineup features some of the most outstanding artists in the business…Lynne Arriale, Multi-Grammy winner Randy Brecker, NEA Jazz Masters Dave Liebman with the Airmen of Note and Delfeayo Marsalis and his Uptown Jazz Orchestra, the Grammy nominated University of North Texas One O’Clock Lab Band, the University of Miami Vocal Jazz Group EXTENSIONS, Jeff Coffin, John Fedchock, Ndugu Chancler, Alan Baylock Big Band, Junior Mance Quintet, Evan Christopher, New Trier High School Jazz Ensemble & Swing Choir, the Louisville Leopards, and the list goes on and on! Hot off the press is the news that Angie Doctor and Clockwork have just received four recommendations for consideration for grammy nominations this year! JEN congratulates the group and encourages everyone to catch their performance at the conference as well! Conference programming will cover a broad spectrum of topics and issues of interest related to anyone involved in the teaching, performing, composing, arranging, business, broadcast, presentation, improvisation, history, women in jazz, instrumental or vocal pedagogy, marketing, networking or appreciation of jazz music and jazz education. You can be assured JEN is presenting the Best of the Best! Jazz radio station WWOZ from New Orleans will be broadcasting LIVE interviews from the conference! Additionally, we are boasting an industry exhibit that is truly representative of everything you could possibly need from the industry! Check out ALL the schedule of conference events in the following pages or download the list of happenings located under the 2011 CONFERENCE CENTRAL Tab on the Home Page on the JEN website at the following url: http://jazzednet.org/en/2011_conference On behalf of the JEN Board, I am extremely proud to announce Congressman John Conyers as our keynote speaker at the JENeral session on Saturday afternoon! As you are no doubt aware, Rep. Conyers was behind the H.CON.RES 57 legislation declaring Jazz as a National Treasure! Visit the resolution at this url: http://www.hr57.org/hconres57.html Further, Rep. Conyers will be assisting in a panel discussion along with William Brower, Larry Ridley, and Jackie Harris titled: Federal Government Support For Jazz – The Next Opportunity! You certainly will not want to miss that one! Someone once told me “I never heard a YES to a question that was not asked.” So I am asking YOU, the membership of JEN, to VOLUNTEER your services and expertise! I have been working on committee assignments this week and we are in need of volunteers, especially those with experience in the following areas: Web Development in the Drupal Platform; Marketing; and Membership Coordination. If you have skills in these areas and are interested in serving the organization in some capacity, please contact me directly at lfischer@JazzEdnet.org Specific to the conference, we are seeking individuals with the following skill sets at this time: Press/Media Coordination, Room Monitors, Information Desk, Ushers, Registration, Music Production Room/Back-line Assistance, Stage Hands, and Office personnel. Please note that in order to be considered as a Conference Volunteer, we can only accept your application online, and you will be asked to volunteer six hours each day at the conference on the application form. Visit jazzednet.org and click on the tab marked VOLUNTEER AT THE CONFERENCE located under the Conference Info Tab or at the following url: http://jazzednet.org/en/volunteer If you are a member of the Press and wish to attend and cover the 2011 Conference, click on the MEDIA APPLICATION to submit your name for review in order to be awarded Media credentials. You will be notified of your status at some point in the near future. Donate your used instrument and/or combo/full band arrangements; our partnership with the Tipitina Foundation through the JENerosity PROJECT will put them to good use in New Orleans schools! Complete Info online. Want to bring your alumni together? Want to bring your constituency group together? MEETING SPACE is available from $100-$200 per hour depending on the size needed. Log onto the website to reserve your space soon as availability is limited and can only be offered on a first come-first served basis. Advertise and promote your school or company through a JEN SPONSORSHIP opportunity! Three receptions remain available for sponsorship at the New Orleans Conference. Details online. Last but not least, to download a complete CONFERENCE SCHEDULE please visit the JEN website! We’ll see you all very soon in New Orleans! Bass-ically Yours; Dr. Lou Fischer JEN Co-Founder, President lfischer@JazzEdNet.org
“Jazz is a unifying force, bridging cultural, religious, ethnic and age differences in our diverse society…a true music of the people.” – H.CON.Res57
JEN Board of Directors (2010-11): Ruben Alvarez, Paul Bangser, Paul Chiaravalle, John Clayton-Vice President, Orbert Davis, Jose DiazSecretary, Dr. Lou Fischer-President, Monica Herzig, Willard Jenkins, Rick Kessel-Treasurer, Mary Jo Papich-Past President, Paris Rutherford, Bruce Silva, Bob Sinicrope, Terell Stafford, Andrew Surmani-President Elect. Part-Time Staff: Steve Crissinger-Operations Coordinator/Webmaster, Rachel Kelly-Membership Relations Manager, Mindy Muck-Bookkeeper. Our goal is to be a vital resource for a constantly evolving global art form today and for JENerations to come.
www.JazzEdNet.org
networthynews
NOLA Evening Concerts WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5th •Topsy Chapman with Solid Harmony Solid harmony began singing Gospel music. Topsy Chapman, who had been singing for twenty odd years, decided it was time to form a group with daughters, Yolanda, and Jolynda. Ms. Chapman has charmed and endeared herself to crowds all over the world with her authentic style and clear melodious voice and audiences enjoy different genres of music during their performances. Although Topsy’s roots were in gospel, her daughters had been exposed to and listened to a wide range of music. Together they performed Gospel, Jazz, Rhythm & Blues and often provided background vocals for other entertainers as the Chapman Singers. She later renamed the group Solid Harmony, because the strength of the performance lay in the singers’ ability to deliver stellar harmonies. Solid harmony now performs at jazz festivals in Switzerland, Japan, Germany, Holland, Norway, Brazil, at church concerts in the Czech Republic, Lincoln Center, and in their hometown frequently and at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Ms. Chapman has performed for the Democratic Party, the Queen of England and the Duke of Edinburgh and appeared on Australia’s “Midday” show and on several occasions on Garrison Keillor’s” A Prairie Home Companion.” In addition, Topsy has appeared in publications such as Time, Ebony and Jet magazines and has received rave reviews in the New York Times, New York Post, Daily News, Variety, Times Picayune, and Lagniappe publications. To hear her is a pure delight for people of all ages. •Dr. Michael White Quartet Although he grew up in the jazz-saturated environment of New Orleans and several of his relatives played with early jazz greats King Oliver and Kid Ory, Dr. Michael White’s primary musical influence as a youth was his aunt, who played classical clarinet. White
played clarinet in the noted St. Augustine’s School Marching Band, but at the end of his college days he joined the Fairview Baptist Church Brass Band led by Danny Barker, a banjoist and elder statesman of New Orleans traditional jazz. White also played with Doc Paulin’s Brass Band, marching in funeral parades and exploring historical recordings of such band-leaders as Johnny Dodds, Sidney Bechet, and George Lewis. During this period he had the opportunity to play alongside more than three-dozen traditional jazz musicians born between 1890 and 1910. Since then, White has served as a resident artist with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and has been named as a Keller Endowed Chair in the Humanities at Xavier University, where he taught Spanish for more than 20 years. He also performed with a number of musical ensembles including the Young Tuxedo Brass Band and his own Original Liberty Jazz Band. White recently released his first post Katrina recording of mainly original compositions entitled “Blue Crescent, ” on Basin Street Records.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 6th •The Dirty Dozen Brass Band In 1977, the Dirty Dozen Social and Pleasure Club in New Orleans began showcasing a traditional Crescent City brass band. It was a joining of two proud, but antiquated, traditions at the time: social and pleasure clubs dated back over a century to a time when black southerners could rarely afford life insurance, and the clubs would provide proper funeral arrangements. By the late 70s, few of either existed. The Dirty Dozen Social and Pleasure Club decided to assemble this group as a house band, and over the course of these early gigs, the seven-member ensemble adopted the venue’s name: the Dirty Dozen Brass Band •The Thelonious Monk Institute Jazz Ensemble Four-time GRAMMY Award-winning composer and trumpeter Terence Blanchard serves as the artistic director of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance, a full-scholarship graduate level program that accepts one ensemble of musicians for each two-year class. Located at Loyola University JAZZed November 2010 13
networthynews JAZZ EDUCATION NETWORK
New Orleans, the unique jazz education program enables the most gifted young musicians from around the world to study with the greatest living jazz masters. The current Class of 2011 includes pianist Victor Gould, alto saxophonist Godwin Louis, tenor saxophonist Matt Marantz, drummer Nick Falk, bassist Hogyu Hwang, and trumpeter Billy Buss. •The Junior Mance Quintet Junior Mance, a jazz legend, has six decades of experience performing with other jazz greats like Dizzy Gillespie, Cannonball Adderley, Lester Young, and Gene Ammons. He formed the Junior Mance Quintet in 2008, which debuted at the Bern Jazz Festival. The group includes: bassist Hid Tanaka who came to New York in 1982 and quickly became one of the most sought after players citywide; drummer Kim Garey of Kansas, who has played with legendary jazz masters such as Don Braden and others; and saxophonists Ryan Anselmi and Andrew Hadro who studied at the New School with Mance. Anselmi, from Kansas City, has played with Jay McShann, and Hadro, from Chicago, has played with Clark Terry and Chico Hamilton. •The John Mahoney Big Band featuring Evan Christopher, clarinet soloist The John Mahoney Big Band, first organized in 1992, performed at the IAJE Conference in 2000 and often plays at Snug
14 JAZZed November 2010
Harbor Jazz Bistro. John Mahoney is Coordinator of Jazz Studies at Loyola University, and an active performer on both trombone and piano. A CD of ten of Mahoney’s big band compositions was released in 2001 entitled In From Somewhere while Christmas Joy was released in December 2009. Mr. Mahoney has twenty-four compositions for jazz ensemble published with Walrus Music Publishing. For its concert at the JEN Conference the John Mahoney Big Band will program music from both its Cds, plus less heard compositions and arrangements by its trombonist-leader. Some of the finest and most versatile musicians from the New Orleans area will be featured. •Evan Christopher Clarinetist Evan Christopher is a refreshingly bright light on the international jazz scene. He combines virtuosity and enthusiasm with a deep commitment to exploring the full range of musical possibilities in the traditions of New Orleans Jazz. His voice is highly personal, yet authentic, anchored in the musical language created by early Creole clarinetists such as Sidney Bechet, Omer Simeon, and Barney Bigard. Christopher moved to New Orleans in 1994 to be a part of the local music community. Varied work with artists from Al Hirt to Galactic quickly established him as an advocate for extending the legacy of the clarinet style unique to New Orleans. His performances with his own groups including Django à la Créole and the Jazz Traditions Project give particular emphasis to the distinct rhythmic character of the clarinet as it evolved throughout “Le Monde Créole.”
FRIDAY, JANUARY 7th •EXTENSIONS - The University of Miami Jazz Vocal Ensemble – Larry Lapin, director Extensions, a jazz vocal sextet made up of members of the larger University of Miami - Frost School of Music’s award winning JV1, has been a part of the jazz vocal program since 1992. Distinguished over the years by several DownBeat awards and prestigious performances with artists such as Kurt Elling, Eliane Elias,
Kevin Mahogany, Claudia Acuna, Jon Secada and many others, the group performs jazz in various styles including standards, swing, bebop, cool, funk and fusion, both with rhythm section and a cappella. Extensions is flattered and very excited to have been invited to perform at the 2011 JEN Conference.
of JAZZed magazine, and on many NPR programs including Piano Jazz. Her Motema Music releases include Arise, Come Together, LIVE, NUANCE and debuting at JEN, Convergence. Lynne Arriale is currently Assistant Professor of Jazz Piano at The University of North Florida
•Don Vappie and the Creole Jazz Serenaders Don Vappie, musician, composer, lecturer, cultural ambassador and star of the PBS documentary, American Creole: New Orleans Reunion, embodies the soul of New Orleans jazz with his Caribbean melodies and African rhythms, giving audiences a glimpse into the heart of the unique Creole culture of southeast Louisiana. Currently, Don performs and tours with his group, the Creole Jazz Serenaders, as well as his numerous guest artist appearances in a variety of musical genres including Wynton Marsalis (jazz), Otis Taylor (blues), Cheick Hamala Diabate (African griot) and others. Don Vappie and the Creole Jazz Serenaders will perform musical styles showcasing the important role that the Creole culture of southeast Louisiana played in creating the fertile environment for jazz to form in New Orleans as well as classic early jazz compositions.
•The Airmen of Note with Special Guest Dave Liebman The Airmen of Note is one of eight performing units of the United States Air Force Band in Washington, D.C., and is the premier jazz ensemble of the United States Air Force. Originally created in 1950 to carry on the tradition of Glenn Miller Army Air Corps dance band, the Airmen of Note is one of today’s few touring big bands, and has attracted 18 of the finest musicians
•Lynne Arriale and Convergence featuring Randy Brecker Tonight’s concert features Omer Avital, bass and Anthony Pinciotti on drums. Lynne Arriale’s chart topping recordings on Jazz Week Radio - #1, Billboard Jazz - #17, and numerous Best Of lists have earned her headline status at international festivals and venues of distinction. She toured Japan with the Golden Fingers tour, won The Great American Jazz Piano Competition, numerous critics awards, has been featured on PBS Profile of a Performing Artist, the first female artist on the cover
in the country. As a result, it has earned an international reputation as one of the finest and most versatile big bands of its kind in the world. •Dave Liebman Considered a renaissance man in contemporary music with a career stretching over forty years, 2011 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Dave Liebman has played with many of the masters including Miles Davis, Elvin Jones, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, McCoy Tyner and others; authored books and instructional DVDs which are acknowledged as classics in the jazz field; recorded as a leader in styles ranging from classical to rock to free jazz; recipient of the NEA Masters of Jazz award; founded the International Association of Schools of Jazz; a multiple Grammy nominee; an inductee into the International Association of Jazz Educator’s Hall of Fame; the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from the Sibelius AcadeJAZZed November 2010 15
networthynews JAZZ EDUCATION NETWORK
my in Helsinki, Finland, as well as the Order of Arts and Letters from the French government. He has consistently placed among the top finalists in the Soprano Saxophone category in the DownBeat Critics Poll since 1973 and has to his credit over 100 recordings as a leader/co-leader including several hundred original compositions.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 8th •Delfeayo Marsalis presents the UPTOWN Jazz Orchestra 2011 NEA Jazz Master Delfeayo Marsalis has produced over 100 major label jazz recordings. Known for combining old school and modern concepts, Marsalis’ latest recording provides an updated octet version of Ellington/Strayhorn’s classic Such Sweet Thunder. The Uptown Jazz Orchestra was formed in 2008 to bring the traditional riff and blues sounds to school students in the New Orleans area. Anchored by former Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra pianist Fred Sanders and Dirty Dozen founder Roger Lewis on bari sax, UJO sings and swings with confidence and soul...all night long! •Aaron Goldberg Trio featuring Reuben Rogers and Eric Harland Aaron Goldberg is a pianist at the vanguard of jazz music. His latest album Home (2010, Sunnyside) builds upon his last, Worlds, both exhibiting the sensitivity and dynamism of his longstanding trio featuring Reuben Rogers and Eric Harland. In addition to heading his singular trio, Aaron has spent the last 15 years touring with many of the most brilliant voices in jazz--Joshua Redman, Wynton Marsalis, Betty Carter, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Madeleine Peyroux and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra among others. Goldberg displays sharp harmonic reflexes, fluid command of line and a cut-tothe-chase sense of narrative logic, DownBeat (August, 2010). •Cadence Vocal Jazz Group This fabulous foursome has been entertaining audiences worldwide for over a decade like four thieves who’ve been stealing the show for years. (Toronto Star) Cadence has played to sold-out concert halls and toured jazz festivals across the globe, sharing the stage along the way with artists such as Bobby Mc-
16 JAZZed November 2010
Ferrin, Quincy Jones and Gordon Lightfoot. Wherever they are performing, audiences are left raving about Cadence’s instrumental imitations, vocal acrobatics, and charismatic stage presence. Combining the lyricism of Stan Getz, the sophisticated harmonies of the Count Basie Big Band and the devil-may-care attitude of Louis Prima, Cadence demonstrates that the human voice has no limits. With their infectious energy and wild stage antics, this rat pack of musical misfits thrills with their innovative jazz arrangements. •The University of North Texas One O’Clock Lab Band Steve Wiest, director The One O’Clock Lab Band is the premier performing ensemble of the internationally acclaimed University of North Texas jazz studies program. Steve Wiest, Grammy-nominated composer and arranger, is director of the One O’Clock Lab Band. With an unprecedented six Grammy nominations (Lab 2009 received double nominations for Best Large Jazz Ensemble and Best Instrumental Composition for Ice-Nine composed by Steve Wiest) resulting from the library of over fifty critically acclaimed Lab Band recordings to date, the One O’Clock Lab Band is noted for exceptional individual musicianship and tight ensemble performance. Lab Band concerts feature the Stan Kenton and Maynard Ferguson libraries (both housed exclusively at North Texas), original compositions by Grammy-nominated composers Neil Slater and Steve Wiest, and the wealth of compositions and arrangements in our library written by current and former North Texas students.
Second Annual JEN Conference Schedule January 5-8, 2011 Wednesday, January 5:
C
9:00 PM P Topsy Chapman with Solid Harmony 10:00 PM P Dr. Michael White Quartet 11:00 PM J Sazerac JEN Jam Hang! (11:00pm-1:00am)
P
Thursday, January 6: 9:00 AM M OPEN Board Meeting (9:00am-11:00am) C Building a Better Jazz Ensemble: Effective Methods for Getting the Most Out of Your Jazz Groups • Paul Haar, clinician C Brazilian Contemporary Drumming • Carlos Ezequiel, clinician P University of New Orleans Jazz Guitar Ensemble • Stephen Masakowski, director 9:30 AM C Got Voicings? • Luke Gillespie, clinician 10:00 AM C Marketing: Networking & Media Use for Developing Artists – Carri Bella; Eulis Cathey; Lee Mergner; Gary Armstrong, moderator C Tricks of the Trade: Arranging for the Vocal Jazz Ensemble • Catherine Jensen-Hole, clinician 10:30 AM C Arranging for the “Little Big Band”: Techniques for the 6 and 7 Horn Ensemble • Mike Tomaro/John Wilson, clinicians C A Colorful Bass • Bruce Gertz, clinician P University of Southern California Honors Combo • Peter Erskine, director 11:00 AM C Jazz as a Tool for Classroom Integration • William Burns, clinician 11:30 AM C Beyond the Common Practice: a Multi-Coloured Language for Jazz Improvisation from Common Bebop Practices • Michael Rossi, clinician PD Marketing: Network & Media Use for Teachers – Caleb Chapman; Thomas J. West; Christian Wissmuller; Marina Terteyan, moderator 12:00 PM C Vocal Jazz New Music Reading Session • Paris Rutherford, presiding P Matt Marantz Quartet C A Day In The Life Of A Jazz Ensemble Director • Jeff Jarvis/ Doug Beach, clinicians
Legend:
C = Clinic J = Jam Session M = Meeting P = Performance PD = Panel Discussion
“Jazz – Beyond the Bandroom and the Stage” • Orbert Davis, clinician Northwestern High School Combo • Mark Yost, director
12:30 PM PD Territorial Bands; A Flashback To The Past Panel Discussion • Donald Meade, Ndugu Chancler, Robert Breithaupt, Marvin Sparks, moderator C Harmonic Ear Training for the Curious Musician • Roberta Radley, clinician 1:30 PM PD The Impact of Treme and Jazz on Television • Lee Mergner, moderator C Sing Along With Ella: The Key to Vocal Jazz Improvisation, Take 2-Blue Skies • Amy London, clinician P Andrew Bishop Group C Taking Care of “BUSINESS!” Playing Jazz and Making it “WORK” For You • Suzi Reynolds/Neil Sapper C Guitarists and Pianists Working Together in the Rhythm Section • Dave Stryker, clinician P Louisiana Music Educators Association All State Jazz Band • Rick Condit, director P Doreen’s Jazz New Orleans 2:30 PM C The Art of Tone – Finding and Developing your own Sound • Mel Martin, clinician C Arranging Music for the Vocal Jazz Ensemble • Paris Rutherford, clinician C How to Teach Jazz History • Paul Evoskevich, clinician 3:00 PM P Astral Project C Ride Cymbal Dance Party • Matt Wilson, clinician P The University of Memphis Southern Comfort Jazz Orchestra • Jack Cooper, director 3:30 PM C “The Art of Solo Jazz Guitar: A Unique Niche in a Rich Musical Tradition” • Sean McGowan, clinician C Musical performance, flow, and the ensemble • Marc Duby, clinician 4:00 PM C Setting Standards-A New Approach to Arranging Old Favorites • Alan Baylock, clinician 4:30 PM C Guitar Pre-arranged: Channeling Your Inner Big Band • Frank Potenza, clinician P Mark Shilansky Sextet C The ALIVE Project: Jazz Education via Distance Learning Part II • AlanMolnar/Stewart Smith, clinicians
JAZZed November 2010 17
JAZZ EDUCATION NETWORK
C P
TWO AS ONE: The Equal Relationship of Voice and Bass • Janet Lawson/Ratzo Harris Loyola Jazz Band 1 • John Mahoney, director
5:30 PM R WELCOME Exhibitors Reception! Open to All! 7:30 PM P The Dirty Dozen Brass Band P Monk Institute Jazz Ensemble • Terrence Blanchard, director P The Junior Mance Quintet P The John Mahoney Big Band featuring Evan Christopher, soloist 10:30 PM P Ro Sham Beaux 11:00 PM P Louis Armstrong Jazz Camp All Stars featuring Jonathan Batiste & special guests Edward “Kidd” Jordan & Bobby Sanabria J Sazerac JEN Jam Hang (11:00pm-1:00am) 11:30 PM J JENerations Concil Late Night Student JAM: Ro Sham Beaux: Host Group 12:00 AM P Jeff Coffin & The Mu’tet
12:00 PM C Latin Jazz 101 and Beyond for the Jazz Guitarist • Benjamin Lapidus, clinician C Elementary Jazz Roundtable Discussion • Sherry Luchette, Sharon Burch, Mary Jo Papich, moderator C The Development of Jazz • Gerald Wilson, clinician C FUNDAMENTALS: The Big 5 • Jeff Coffin, clinician 12:30 PM P American River College Vocal Jazz Ensemble • Arthur LaPierre, director 1:00 PM C The Resilient Spirit of the New Orleans Beat featuring Herlin Riley • Judy Shafer, clinician P University of Southern California Faculty Jazz Quartet C Exploring the Recording Artist / Record Producer Relationship: A Dialogue About Creative Synergy • Kitty Margolis/ Nick Phillips, clinicians C How to Help EVERY High School, College, and/or Graduate Student you Teach create the very best semester of their Academic and Musical Life• Harry Pickens, clinician C Arranging in a nutshell - writing portable arrangements for small ensembles • Jim Repa, clinician P The Alan Baylock Jazz Orchestra
Friday, January 7:
2:00 PM E VISIT THE EXHIBITORS
8:00 AM M JENerations Council Meeting • Ryan Adamsons, presiding
3:00 PM C Introducing “Let Freedom Swing”: A new teaching resource on jazz and democracy featuring Sandra Day O’Connor and Wynton Marsalis • Erika Floreska, clinician C The Trombone and the Jazz Ensemble • John Fedchock, clinician C “But Who Was The Bass Player?”: Radio As A Medium For Jazz Education • Bob Bernotas, clinician P Caliente - Latin Jazz/Salsa Big Band • Jose Diaz, director
9:00 AM C Jazz Camp 101: How to start and run your own successful jazz camp • Neil Hansen, clinician P Thomas Marriott & Flexicon C Latin Percussion Not Just For Latin Rhythms: An Alternative Approach to Performing On Latin Percussion • Marcie Chapa, clinician C The II V7 I Progression and Altered Dominants • Jamey Aebersold, clinician P East Baton Rouge All Parish Middle School Jazz Band • Andy Pizzo, director C Instrumental Reading Session featuring The John Mahoney Big Band • Mike Tomaro, presiding 10:00 AM E VISIT THE EXHIBITORS 11:00 AM C Marketing: Networking & Media Use for Professional Artists – Frank Alkyer; Al Pryor; Roseanna Vitro; Gary Armstrong, moderator C New Knowledge for Engaging Jazz Audiences – Part 2 • Christy Farnbauch C Trumpet Clinic • Roger Ingram, clinician C Concepts of Rhythmic Improvisation and Interaction for the Jazz Drummer • Ed Soph, clinician P Bellevue College Vocal Jazz Ensemble • Thomas Almli, director 11:30 AM P Aubrey Johnson Group P New Trier Jazz Ensemble & Swing Choir • Nick Meyer/Nathan Landes, directors
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3:30 PM C What Your Band Director Never Told You About Improvisation • Mike Steinel, clinician P The University of North Florida Faculty & Alumni Jazz Group featuring Bunky Green 4:30 PM C Choices for Vocal Jazz Ensembles • Jennifer Barnes, clinician C Phatten Up Your Improv Skills! • Gordon Goodwin, clinician C The History of Women in Jazz • Tia Fuller, clinician PD “Jazz: The Smithsonian Anthology” • David Baker, John Hasse, moderator P The Mid Atlantic Collegiate Jazz Orchestra • Alan Baylock, guest director; John Fedchock, trombone 5:30 PM R The NETWORK RECEPTION! Featuring The U.S. Army Blues Swamp Romp 6:00 PM P New Collection Vocal Jazz Acappella Enseble • Paris Rutherford, director 7:30 PM P U. of Miami Jazz Vocal Group: EXTENSIONS • Larry Lapin, director
P P P
Don Vappie and the Creole Jazz Serenaders Lynne Arriale: CONVERGENCE featuring Randy Brecker The Airmen of Note featuring Dave Liebman
10:30 PM P Berklee Global Jazz Institute Combo• Marco Pignataro/Danilo Perez, directors 11:00 PM P Clockwork J Sazerac JEN Jam Hang! (11:00pm-1:00am) 11:30 PM J JENerations Council Late Night Student JAM: Berklee Global Jazz Institute Combo – Host Group 12:00 AM P HighTIME
Saturday, January 8: 9:00 AM C Off the Charts! - Developing Arrangements By Ear With Your Big Band • Mark Flaherty, clinician P The Buffet Crampon Saxophone Section C Getting the Most out of Your Trumpet Section • John Thomas, clinician C Playing Smart and Soulful: Jazz Theory for Teaching Improvisation • Reggie Thomas, clinician P Caleb Chapman’s Little Big Band featuring Terell Stafford & Matt Wilson P The Louisville Leopard Percussionists • Diane Downs, director 10:00 AM E VISIT THE EXHIBITORS 11:00 AM C Quincy Jones American Popular Music Curriculum • David Baker, Bill Banfield, clinicians C Jazz 4 Kids: Express Your Inner Groove • Darla Hanley, clinician C Traditional Jazz is Alive and Well • Judy Carmichael, clinician C Combos that swing: a recipe for success with beginners • Jim Nadel/Andrew Speight, clinicians P Mt. Hood Community College “Genesis” Vocal Jazz Ensemble • Dave Barduhn, director P Chuck Owen & the Jazz Surge featuring Randy Brecker 11:30 AM P John Fedchock Sextet 12:00 PM PD Giant Steps in Vocal Jazz: How Trends in Jazz Education are Changing the Art of Jazz Singing Forever. Connaitre Miller, Cindy Scott, Sachel Vasandani, Kerry Marsh, Roseanna Vitro, moderator. PD Marketing: Networking & Media Use for Performing Arts Presenters – Marty Ashby; Dwayne Breashears, Lois Gilbert; Lindsay Glatz; Suzan Jenkins, moderator C Exploring the music of Thelonious Monk • Steve Cardenas, clinician
P C
Larry Ridley’s Jazz Legacy Ensemble featuring HBCU Alumni JEN Student Composition Showcase
12:30 PM P Pensacola State College Jazz Ensemble 1:00 PM M JENeral Session: Congressman John Conyers, guest speaker P Ali Ryerson Quartet 2:00 PM E VISIT THE EXHIBITORS 3:00 PM C Mambo Jumbo and All That Jazz: A Multicultural Approach to Teaching Jazz Ensembles • Jose Diaz, clinician C Interplay between vocalists and instrumentalists • Sachal Vasandani, clinician P Booker T Washington HS Combo I 3:30 PM P Vertical Voices Live 4:30 PM PD Federal Government Support for Jazz: The Next Opportunity • Hon. John Conyers, Larry Ridley, Jackie Harris, William Brower, moderator, C The Arranger’s Approach • Chuck Owen, clinician C Successful Communication Techniques For The Young Drum Set Player... And For The Director • Robert Breithaupt, clinician C Teaching Jazz Improvisation to Elementary and Middle School Students • Horace Alexander Young P University of Miami Frost Concert Jazz Band 5:30 PM R Meet Me in New Orleans Education Fundraiser Celebration featuring Cindy Scott 6:00 PM P Fountainebleau High School Jazz Band • Lee Hicks, director 7:30 PM P Delfeayo Marsalis presents the Uptown Jazz Orchestra P The Aaron Goldberg Trio P Cadence Jazz Vocal Quartet P The University of North Texas One O’Clock Lab Band • Steve Wiest, director 10:30 PM P San Francisco JAZZ High School All-Stars Big Band, Paul Contos, director 11:00 PM P Latin Jazz Pro Jam • Ruben Alvarez, director J Sazerac JEN Jam Hang! (11:00pm-1:00am) 11:30 PM J JENerations Council Late Night Traditional Student JAM: Dave Robinson: Host 12:00 AM P Donald Harrison Jr. Group with a special appearance by Congo Square
Conference ends
JAZZed November 2010 19
basic training
SYNTHETIC SCALES
Creating and Using Synthetic Scales for Guitar
M
BY MARK TONELLI
ajor and minor scales and their related modes and arpeggios are the cornerstones of improvisation. But sometimes “home improvements” are needed. You can infuse some sonic curb appeal with synthetics.
Synthetics build upon what you already know. By adding key notes or leaving some out, you can quickly produce an interesting variation on a scale or arpeggio as a way to temporarily play “outside” of the changes. Let’s take a look at a synthetic variation on a major scale and its related minor scale (next page). Then we’ll examine some arpeggios derived from the synthetics. Ex. 1 is a C major scale descending in two octaves. I’ve created the synthetic scale in Ex. 1a by adding a b7, b6, b3, and by removing the 4th scale degree (F). That gives us C-D-Eb-E-G-Ab-Bb-B-C, a nine-note synthetic. Another way to look at it, is that the C major and C minor blues scales have been juxtaposed, resulting in a diatonic-blues hybrid. The tonic is still C, but the added half steps obscure the tonality. Is it major or dominant? The answer is it’s both! You can plug this synthetic in over major or dominant chords. You’ll notice that with the added notes, the scale doesn’t neatly fit into a bar of 4/4. That can be a good thing, as it will yield some “over the barline” phrasing and force you into grouping notes together in a new way. Ex. 2 shows C major’s related minor scale, A minor, and Ex. 2a gives you the synthetic variation. It’s the same synthetic scale as C major but now starting on A. Notice that the note groupings and interval relationships have changed, just like they do from major to relative minor. These changes will open up more unusual phrasing possibilities and some very unexpected sounds, particularly in the leap from Eb to D (b9 to tonic). Onto the arpeggios: Ex. 3 starts out innocently enough with a Cmaj7 arpeggio but quickly gets wild with the Ab-Bb-B-C-Eb sound, extracting the b6, b7, and b3 that give the C major synthetic its outside character. Notice how the B-E-Ab is really just an E triad that has wormed its way into the line. Hidden triads are another fringe benefit of synthetic scales. Ex. 4 reveals another angle to play the C major synthetic triad, and Ex. 5 transposes it to A minor.
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basic training arpeggio. In the Em7 and Dm7 bars, I was careful to avoid “running” the scales, instead looking for interesting and “sharp-elbowed” melodic cells for the lines. What makes these synthetics sound so convincing? It’s all in the where. Too many synthetics give the impression that you’re playing your ax upside down— it sounds like a lot of wrong notes. The key is to go in and out of the synthetics, so that they sound “outside.” Beat placement is the key. Notice the b5 on beat 1 in the Em7 bar, and the b9 on beat 1 in the Dm7 bar— both non-chord tones. Beat 1 is the strongest beat in the measure, with
beat 3 being the second strongest beat. Putting chord tones on beats 1 and 3 anchors and conveys the sound of a chord, while putting non-chord tones on those beats gives the line an outside quality. After you’ve investigated the examples in this column, I encourage you to develop your own synthetic variations. Let your ear be the guide as you seek to introduce non-chord tones into your major and minor scales and arpeggios. Then, just as I have, create some lines that have real-world application.
Ex. 6 applies synthetics to a iii-VI-iiV-I chord progression. The even bars2 and 4- A7 and G7, use conventional bebop lines. It’s in the odd bars- 1, 3, and 5- Em7, Dm7, and C, where we throw a monkey wrench in with syntehtics. The Em7 bar is derived from
an E synthetic minor scale, a perfect fifth higher than the A minor synthetic from Ex. 2a. The Dm7 is derived from a D minor synthetic scale, one whole step below the E minor synthetic. The Cmaj7 bar uses notes from the C major synthetic and the C major synthetic
Guitarist Mark Tonelli performs in the NYC area with his group and as guitarist with the Jazz Knights of West Point. He has worked with artists such as Jon Faddis, Clay Aiken, Lynn Seaton, Rita Moreno, Ed Soph, Bobby Rydell, and The Platters and his original music has been heard on NPR. Mark is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in music and music education at Columbia University, Teachers College. Learn more at mtonalmusic.com.
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lessons learned
‘Plan B’ for the Jazz Musician
W
BY HARVEY RACHLIN
e all know how hard it is to make a living today as a jazz musician. Clubs have dwindled, interest in the music isn’t what it once was, digital technology has replaced live musicians with synthesized sounds. The dedicated jazz player need never give up his or her aspirations, but it never hurts to come up with a “Plan B” in case things don’t work out as hoped.
Plan B for the jazz musician encompasses any job, career, or source of income that the jazz musician pursues to supplement his income or as an alternative to a performing career. It’s a contingent plan if it turns out that
22 JAZZed November 2010
playing jazz doesn’t bring in sufficient income; after all, jazz musicians, like the rest of society, have to pay rent and put food on the table. As talented and passionate as jazz musicians are, the desire to play doesn’t always translate into being able to earn a livelihood from it. Plan B is nothing new, even if in the past being a jazz musician was something you did as a sideline. While Buddy Bolden was blowing his cornet at night in the Storyville sector of New Orleans in the late nineteenth century and helping shape what would become popularly known as jazz, he had a regular day-gig as a barber. Many of the so-called Plan B jobs suggested below have been around for a long time; others are products of the burgeoning Internet age. The traditional areas remain because the basic tenets of the music industry
lessons learned haven’t changed—songs have always been published, labels have always issued recordings, and musicians have always performed live—and the new areas offer possibilities for those who like or are adept at digital technology. Indeed, there are a myriad of behindthe scenes jobs that can appeal to a variety of interests and talents. Success is often dependent on enthusiasm, resourcefulness, and imagination—qualities not unlike those needed to be a good jazz musician—as well as business acumen. So here are a number of opportunities for jazz musicians seeking outside revenue or nonperforming careers that will enable them to continue to work in a field they love:—the music industry. • Jazz record label: A label signs artists and distributes and promotes their recordings. There are two basic ways you can release jazz recordings on your own label: you can finance the production of masters of artists you sign to your label and release these original recordings as any conventional label; or you can license existing jazz recordings and market them over the Internet and in other areas. If you want to license existing recordings, you’ll need written permission from the sound recording or master recording copyright owner as well the owner of the musical composition, unless it’s in the public domain. • Music publisher: While a label deals with recordings, music publishers manage musical compositions. As a jazz music publisher, you would acquire original jazz tunes and exploit and administer them, which essentially means you would try to get them commercially recorded and released on bona fide labels and then used in as many different ways as possible—such as commercials, TV shows, and motion pictures—to create multiple revenue streams; you would also handle all the copyright, contrac-
tual, and financial paperwork to legally safeguard your catalog, license and collect income from your songs’ various uses, and pay the writers of those songs. • Recording studio: Today’s technology enables virtually anyone to create recording studios in their bedrooms or garages at affordable prices. You might need bigger spaces for recording live musicians, which is how jazz is usually recorded, and you might even consider doing remote recordings for schools, colleges, clubs, and other live performance venues. As the hardware and software for recording are technical in nature, you may need courses or other types of training to do the actual recording. • Record producer: Much like the director on a TV or movie set, the record producer guides the musicians in the studio to transform a raw composition into a professional recording that has a desired sound or personality. The jazz record producer should have a good knowledge of composition, arrangement, recording techniques, jazz history, and the marketplace to produce infectious and commercial recordings that appeal to jazz aficionados and even the general public.
“WORKING IN ANOTHER CAPACITY NEVER MEANS YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP YOUR DREAM OF BEING A JAZZ PERFORMER.”
• Independent jazz record promoter: As a record promoter, you would bring new releases of jazz labels to terrestrial and Internet radio stations of certain formats such as jazz, big band, college, and free form, and convince them to play these new releases or add them to their playlists. Some promoters also perform related tasks such as running street teams to promote new recordings on college campuses and elsewhere. • Jazz podcaster: Put together jazz shows with interviews, commentary, and music, and derive income from selling advertising on them. You can market your Podcasts over the Internet. • Jazz Web site operator: Jazz is an old and diverse genre of popular music, but if you have a special area of interest in it, you can carve out a niche for yourself on the Internet by designing and maintaining a particular type of jazz Web site. You can solicit jazz labels and artists for advertising. • Jazz publicist: Music public relations firms typically represent artists across the spectrum of popular music (classical music PR firms, which typically represent only classical artists, notwithstanding), but with your expertise in jazz music, you can represent jazz artists to the media in savvy ways. From writing great press releases to convincing editors to run stories about your clients, you can use your knowledge of and enthusiasm for jazz to present your clients and effectively obtain media attention for them. • Concert promoter: A promoter puts on concerts by hiring talent and booking venues for them to perform in. It’s risky business: if your ticket sales don’t match or exceed your costs, you can lose money. But large profits can also be achieved, and if the jazz concert promoter can find or carve out a market that JAZZed November 2010 23
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MADE IN THE USA 24 JAZZed November 2010
draws jazz fans in droves, top jazz artists may flock to him as someone who can deliver. Personal manager: As a personal manager, you would oversee the careers of jazz artists. You would guide their daily business affairs: getting them recording contracts, securing a booking agent and monitoring gigs, overseeing their marketing including their Web site, and doing everything you can to establish, sustain, and maximize their careers. Business manager: If you are knowledgeable about accounting, you might want to consider becoming a business manager. A business manager handles the financial affairs of artists, which could mean anything from negotiating deals, to collecting income, to investing earnings, to advising on investments, to preparing income tax returns. Booking Agent A booking agent secures gigs (or engagements) and arranges for concert tours for musical artists in all sorts of venues. Many states require booking agents to be licensed, so youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll need to check into this before you can legally operate. A booking agent will have relationships with venues and artists or their representatives and try to get them bookings at the best possible prices. Jazz music critic/writer: As you know, print media is shrinking, but newspapers and magazines are still around, and they publish reviews of concerts and new recordings, as well as articles about musicians or the music scene. You might get your start writing reviews or articles for school publications or community newspapers and use your clippings to help you land writing gigs for city newspapers or regional or national publications or online
sites. You can use your expertise in jazz music and composition to provide insight other music writers cannot bring to their articles. â&#x20AC;˘ Jazz music blogger: Why not create your own jazz blog and develop a reputation as a savvy and knowledgeable jazz writer? You may be able not only to generate revenue from advertisements on your Web site, but also to use your reputation and success as a blogger as a stepping-stone to writing for national publications or even music books. â&#x20AC;˘ Jazz e-tailer: You can use the Internet to become a specialty vendor of jazz product. On your Web site, you can sell jazz recordings, videos, and merchandise from companies large and small. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll need to set up the Web site, a credit card payment system, and accounts with manufacturers or distributors for the product to get started, and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll want to establish yourself as a reliable and knowledgeable Internet vendor of jazz product who can both shape and satisfy the public appetite for great jazz. Again, it should be emphasized that working in another capacity never means you have to give up your dream of being a jazz performer. You can always play jazz for enjoyment or as an extra source of income while carving out a living behind the scenes. Traditionally, a sideman was a regular member of a jazz band, but playing on the side as part of Plan B gives a new meaning to being a â&#x20AC;&#x153;side musician.â&#x20AC;? Harvey Rachlin is the author of a dozen books including The Encyclopedia of the Music Business (winner of the ASCAPDeems Taylor Award) and The Songwriterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Handbook. He teaches at Manhattanville College in Purchase, N.Y., where he runs the music management area.
At North Central College, being well-rounded doesn’t mean losing your musical edge. When we say music is central at North Central College, it means that we expect you to build a full and complete life around your music studies.
Performing Opportunities at North Central College
Concert Choir Women’s Chorale Women’s Chamber Ensemble Opera Workshop Music Theatre Productions Vocal Jazz Ensemble Gospel Choir North Central College Express Show Choir Concert Winds Chamber Winds Percussion Ensemble Brass Quintet Big Band Jazz Combos Chamber Jazz Pep Band Naperville Chorus
Students choose from majors in Music, Music Education, Musical Theatre or Jazz Studies—but they also dance, act, explore, study abroad, volunteer, mentor, pole vault and pursue countless other passions. Our location, in downtown Naperville, is only 40 minutes by train from Chicago and makes it easy to enjoy, perform and do great works. Call 630-637-5800 to discover more about our programs in music.
Transfer Visit Day: Saturday, February 12, 2011 For individual campus visits, call 630-637-5800 or visit northcentralcollege.edu/ admission.
Or visit us online at northcentralcollege.edu.
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Freshman Visit Days: Monday, January 17, 2011 Saturday, April 16, 2011
Music Scholarship Audition Days: Saturday, February 19, 2011 Thursday, February 24, 2011 Saturday, March 5, 2011 For more information visit, northcentralcollege.edu/ audition.
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30 N. Brainard Street
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630-637-5800
Keeping the Flame
Alive
– Conversations with Dr. Lou Fischer by Christian Wissmuller Dr. Lou Fischer has been an active musician for nearly half a century, with much of that time spent establishing himself as a versatile, in-demand jazz artist and educator, and respected music publisher. As a performer, he’s worked with the likes of Airto, The Crusaders, Red Rodney, Charlie Byrd, Andy Williams, Bill Watrous, Tony Bennett, Andy Williams, and Emmy Lou Harris, among many others. Fischer – known affectionately as “Dr. Lou” – has appeared as a clinician, director, or performing artist at jazz festivals all over the world, and at over three hundred high schools and universities in the United States. Dr. Lou is currently jazz division head for the Music For All/Bands of America Summer Symposium and professor of music/jazz ensemble director/jazz studies division coordinator at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. Additionally, Fischer was cofounder, and is currently president of, the Jazz Education Network (JEN). JAZZed recently spoke with Fischer to get the details on his life as a performing musician, educator, and advocate for jazz culture. 26 JAZZed November 2010
JAZZed: Let’s discuss your early involvement in music. What first hooked you? Dr. Lou Fischer: I remember seeing Elvis Presley on “The Ed Sullivan Show” when I was really young and just being knocked out! I was maybe three years old? After that, I apparently went all over the house with my Dad’s guitar acting like Elvis. JAZZed: A shared experience for many. Between appearances by Elvis and The Beatles, Sullivan seemingly got an entire generation of musicians up and running. How did you transition from pretending to be Elvis to actually playing guitar? LF: Growing up in San Antonio, Texas, my Dad used to have the family play music in the living room after dinner. There wasn’t much television going on in those days, and he taught my brothers and I how to play about seven chords on the guitar. He knew
radio show in Pleasanton, Texas. By this time, I had begun listening to pop music heavily on the radio and television, as there were many variety shows on at night. I took an interest in lead guitar as I had seen a few soloists like Chet Atkins and the guy in Lawrence Welk’s band – man those two could play the guitar! And don’t forget 1960 featured the premiere of the Beatles on The “Sullivan Show,” too! I learned by ear, the lead melody to “North to Alaska,” “In The Mood,” and “Sleepwalk” – all three very popular tunes at the time. I was featured each week on the radio show on one of those three tunes. My brothers Billy and Jim were nine and 10 years older than I, respectively, and they soon left for the service shortly thereafter. By the age of 10, I had become interested in the drum set and remember my parents scraping up enough money, with my Sister Chris pitching in, to buy me a set of drums… a swirly purple finish Deville drum set, for about
“It is important to keep that flame alive, as it is our obligation to the music and to each other.” every Country & Western song there was – the most memorable being pieces by Ernest Tubbs, Roy Acuff, Hank Williams Sr., and Bob Wills. Dad was a radio & television repairman and had a disc recorder, which I learned later in life was a disc mastering system, and he used to record us every night. The discs were only good for about seven or eight plays afterwards and then they were loaded with scratches. I used to really dislike those evenings because we were somewhat forced to participate, but I have grown to learn how valuable those experiences were to my musical interest and development. JAZZed: Can you talk about playing in your brother’s band, your time as a drummer, and how you eventually wound up playing bass? LF: When I was eight years old, my brother Jim had a rock band called the Whirlybirds. They performed at a lot of local school dances and on a weekly 28 JAZZed November 2010
$110, brand spanking new! Shortly after that, when I was about 11, the guys that had been in the Whirlybirds formed another band called J.V. & the Velvatones, which played not only pop music, but R&B and Tejano music, and they asked me to play drums in the band. Note, I grew up in a predominantly Hispanic culture in South San Antonio and spoke what we called TexMex before I spoke English, so adding
Tejano music to our repertoire was a matter of survival in order to get some gigs. About the time I turned 12, the bassist up and quit the band. As the electric bass was new to the scene then (invented by Leo Fender in 1959), it was difficult for us to find a replacement. Since I had played some guitar, I volunteered to play bass on the guitar until we could find a bassist and suggested we hire a good friend of mine that played drums in the meantime, as I was interested in the new Fender bass. Well… I have been at the bass since that day, 46 years and counting, and it was the instrument that chose me. Looking back, the really cool thing is that by 1962, I had played as a professional, (making some good money at times), C&W, R&B (I had seen Dr. Lou, circa 1980.
James Brown in concert four times by now!), Tejano, and Pop music (I saw the Beatles in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas), and had been exposed to Big Band music via the television variety shows of Andy Williams, Jackie Gleason, Welk, and several others of the day. I did not know then how lucky I was, as the environment and culture I grew up in had a rich musical component, which taught me to love all music.
MFA Honors Band: Ron McCurdy, Wycliffe Gordon, Dr. Lou.
JAZZed: Were there some early educators who had significant impact on your development as a musician? LF: Two people immediately come to mind as educators: Dale Schultz and Paul Elizondo. Dale was my high school band director. I played tuba in the band. He was fresh out of college, so not much older than I was. He also had heard me play electric bass in various groups and apparently saw some type of leadership quality in me and helped me to nurture that aspect of my life. He asked me to run a pop group for the school variety show each year and so I did. When I was 15, he told me he was playing in a Latino orchestra led by Paul Elizondo, and asked me if I would be interested in auditioning for the bass chair. I said, “Yes,” not knowing what I was getting into, but always intrigued by a new challenge. I auditioned for this 10-piece orchestra, played mostly cumbia, mambo, cha-cha, merenque, rhumba, et cetera and had to read. We even got into pop stuff later as we had a guitarist who could sing the tunes by Chicago, B.S.& T. et cetera, and I honed some lame skills at trying to arrange them. [laughs] JAZZed: So you were already able to read music by that point. LF: I could not read anything on the bass then, but did read bass clef when playing the tuba. Therefore I knew the notes on the music, just did not know where they were on my bass yet, so I allowed my instincts and my ears to work for me and somehow managed to get through the music and land the gig. That band was the only real working pro group in town. We worked Fi-
esta Noche Del Rio down on the River six nights a week from April through September in addition to every major dance or show in the city! They had been together about five years before I joined them, and they are still together now. Some of those guys have been playing together 45 years and counting! That’s a real gig man. They were all educators, if I am remembering correctly, except for the initial drummer, Ruben Portillo. Ruben had just come off the road after a long stint with Perez Prado’s Band. He was not only our drummer, but played like we had a congetto player, a timbale player, a cowbell player with a rack of five different cowbells on his set and was the lead singer in the band! Man, he was on my butt every night about the groove. To this day I think of him all the time and thank him. I’ve been quite fortunate in my life to have had many great drummers stay on my butt and help me learn to develop the groove... and I would be remiss if I did not speak to Paul’s acceptance of my flaws and allowing me to develop my talent at his expense in his band – and he paid me for it! Looking back I sure did not deserve it. Both of those guys were instrumental in convincing me to apply to North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas), so I auditioned on the tuba and received a
small scholarship, not knowing anything of the jazz program I was about to step into. My family, being of simple means, did not have any money to get me to school, so they also guided me to apply for some State aid and a writing scholarship at my High School. Between all of them, I pulled together enough money to get me to college that first year and keep myself out of Vietnam. Paul paid for the gas for me to get to school that first weekend, as I was broke. Not only that, he allowed me to continue working in his band while in college, commuting home every weekend from Dallas, and also working the following summer after my freshman year in college. I remember asking him if I could come back to S.A. after I graduated from NTSU and stay in the band. He told me then something I have never forgotten and I owe him deeply for saying this to me: “Lou, if you ever come back to S.A. I will personally kick your butt all the way to the city border! You need to keep moving forward! Continue to grow your talent and strive to do great things in life.” To this day, without people to push me in those early stages like these two guys, I just do not know where I might have ended up. I guess they saw a diamond in the rough or something like that. I trust they are proud of some of my accomplishments. JAZZed November 2010 29
JAZZed: What was it that first drew you to jazz? What was the initial appeal? LF: It was the time at UNT that I feel in love with jazz and have committed much of my life to it since. I remember the third day of the first semester walking down the hall and hearing the One O’Clock Lab Band rehearsing, actually auditioning students at the time. Wow! I had never in my life heard such sounds. The beauty of the music, the complexity of it, the rhythm of it, the quality of it…all was above my head and I wanted in. Yet another new challenge in life! JAZZed: Your college education was interrupted by a number of performing gigs. Can you talk about your time between University of North Texas and your eventual degree and graduate work? How do the learning experiences of actually performing and recording compare to those provided by a classroom setting? LF: That’s a really good question. I am a firm believer that teaching is supported by performing, and performing is supported by teaching. They work in tandem in support of each other. I mentioned earlier that I have been very fortunate to continue to be in the right place at the right time all of my life. I left school in ’74 because I was fortunate enough to be hired as a staff jingle writer in Dallas and was performing on many shows and sessions and making a good living. In 1976 I got the call from Steve Houghton to join Woody Herman’s Band. I took a huge pay cut to do it, but loved every minute of it. I returned to the Dallas Ft Worth area after that and fell back into the jingle business, but longed for the opportunity to travel again and play real music beyond 30 and 60 seconds long. I heard about an opportunity to audition for the Crusaders and flew myself to L.A. in June of ’79, and out of about 200 guys in line that day, I got the job. Man, I was in heaven! Being a fellow Texas-grown musician, I thought I had found a home. I did two long tours during which we played all over Europe and Japan. The guys in the group were Wilton Felder, Joe 30 JAZZed November 2010
Sample, Stix Hooper, Michael O’Neill (Bob Mann second tour) and Airto. While I was in L.A. and when I was off, I played in Toshiko Akiyoshi’s Band, Louis Bellson’s Band, and Les Hooper’s Band just to keep my Big Band and acoustic bass chops up. We used to rehearse religiously once a week J.V. and the Velvatones, circa 1965. for free at the union hall and a few gigs here and there. Those were gle business had somewhat dried up, Fantastic ensembles. The connection and the jazz clubs had disappeared, with Airto through the Crusaders lead so I turned to the networking I had in to a brief tour with him and Flora for place, as that has always been the key a couple of weeks up the California to finding a gig, as most musicians will Coast when their bassist got sick and attest to. Soon I was getting calls to do couldn’t make the gig. road trips with several people. I spent After that I returned to DFW again three years traveling with Andy Wilas I had married by that time and neiliams, who I grew up watching on telether I nor my wife enjoyed the fastvision, and who was one of the greatpaced city environment and we were est singers and gentlemen I have ever contemplating having a family. Upon known. My wife and I also owned and our return to Dallas, we found the jin-
Dr. Lou and Eddie Gomez.
managed a jazz showcase for a brief year and a half in there as well, investing some of the money I had made on the road along with some heavier cash from outside investors. It became quite a money-pit. In 1982, my son Patrick was born and I stepped off the road from longer road trips for a few years to enjoy his early development. I also started my own sheet music publishing company then, which I owned for thirteen years before selling it off. During this time I had also begun to develop my solo voice and the early stages of my career as an educator and clinician. We found we did not enjoy the city-pace of Dallas either, as it continued to grow in size, and so we decided to move to the Denver area in 1986 for quality of life. After all, as long as there is an airport nearby, one can travel as frequently as one desires or needs to so if needed to, I could travel again. Immediately upon deciding to move and finally selling the house, I received a timely call to tour with Charlie Byrd. As a result of that tour, I landed a house gig at the Fairmont Hotel in Denver before we moved there, as the current bassist was leaving to go out East to college. Talk about being in the right place at the right time again in order to network. I did a brief stint with country/folk singer Emmy Lou Harris when she was doing orchestral dates. In 1989 my daughter Emily was born and soon thereafter I landed the Artistic Director position at a local club called JazzWorks. I did that for the entire time it was open, which was about a year and a half. I hired all of my friends to come perform at some point, in addition to all those people that I had always wanted to play with, just as I did back at the club in Dallas when it was open. Many road gigs were the result of all of the various connections made at both clubs, and that list would have included Red Rodney, Jon Faddis, Bobby Shew, Sunny Wilkinson, Bill Watrous, and so many others to numerous to name. This thing called jazz is a real brotherhood and family you know, and we all enjoy being part of it. As I mentioned earlier, I had begun to develop doing clinics and teaching at summer camps all over the country, at one point teaching in seven jazz camps
per summer, and I was beginning to feel a tug towards teaching fulltime. I have always known I wanted to be a teacher, but I was just very fortunate to enjoy a performance career, which literally interrupted the move towards teaching. But with Emily’s birth and a bit of a scare with a health issue myself, in ’90 I decided to slow down the road work and go back to school while at JazzWorks. I spent three years at the University of Denver, where I was already teaching bass adjunct. I had the dubious honor of being an adjunct music professor, an undergraduate student, and a graduate student all at the same time for the first year – quite confusing at times for many people. In ’91 I finished the undergrad I had started 21 years before, and in ’92 completed the Masters degree.
oldest programs already in the country and firmly established. That was attractive to me. I finished my coursework in May of ’94 at BSU and started at Capital in ’94 come August. Like most people that take a small school teaching gig, one feels it will be a stepping-stone to something bigger and better. I have to say I have found a home. I love my job here at Capital. The program is outstanding. I teach with a bunch of visionary guys and we have the support of the university, and Columbus is a great place to live with four seasons during the year. It’s been 17 years and counting! I’ve now lived here as long as anywhere in my life, both of my children are in town, I met my current wife, Mary Ann, who I’ve know for ten years now, here, so I truly have found a home.
“I am a firm believer that teaching is supported by performing, and performing is supported by teaching.” By now I had the teaching bug and knew this was to be a new path for me. After completing the Masters degree, I applied for something like 44 teaching positions that year, and not one of them even looked at me as a candidate, so as destiny was having it, we sold the house, packed up and moved to Muncie, IN where I became a Doctoral Teaching Assistant under Larry McWilliams at Ball State University. In ’93 I applied for 8 gigs and was a finalist for all of them. Talk about the power of the doctorate in academia! I turned them all down and decided to finish what I started this time. In ’94 I heard about my present gig at Capital University as one of my Capital colleagues, Michael Cox, used to play in my band in Denver when he was at UNT working on his doctorate. I was interested in the position, which was as Jazz Ensemble Director, and applied. I was also a finalist for a position at UNF in Orlando and Alabama in Tuscaloosa that same year. I was in a very unique position of being offered three great jazz studies positions. I choose the little school, as they had so much going on already. This was a great opportunity here at Capital. This program, started by Ray Eubanks, was one of the
JAZZed: Of the many big-name talents you’ve worked with, who was the most intimidating? LF: The most intimidating? Hmmm… probably Wilton Felder. He was always trying to tell me what I should have played. He was quite a well-known session bassist, you know, and he did play well. I told him after about six months of the intimidation that if he wanted to play bass he should do it and hire a sax player, but then he’d probably tell the saxophonist what to do as well. So we decided it best to part ways. We managed to remain cordial and friendly I think because I spoke directly to him and said what I was thinking. He knew then I was confident in my own right. JAZZed: Any funny anecdotes from your collaborations? LF: Two funny stories that come to mind right now can both be attributed to jazz euphonist Rich Matteson, another one of my mentors, for certain. We were playing a clinic session and he started talking about his first year at UNT as a teacher JAZZed November 2010 31
and how he felt sorry for those students in his class then, as he didn’t really know what he was doing and was winging it. Then he realized I was in his first class... He turned around, his bald head and face totally dark red and apologized to me! I guess the moral is to prepare for what you do. The second story is we were playing a concert in Sapporo, Japan with the Tubajazz Consort and
he turned around to me after playing one of the most burning solos I had ever heard him play on Oleo, wiping his sweaty head off with a large white towel, and he said, “Do you realize if it wasn’t for airplanes, we wouldn’t be able to be doing this s&*^!” And he laughed really loud! He had a fantastic sense of humor, was a great orator, and one hell of a jazz musician and educator.
“The Sound”
as requested by you.
You asked for the playability and sound of the early Otto Links. We listened. With structural changes both inside and out, “the sound” of yesteryear has been recaptured.
JAZZed: Two-part question: Who was the individual you learned most from – A) instructor, B) performer? LF: That’s a real tough one! I have learned so much from so many. Again, I always seem to be in the right place at the right time. Answering the “B” part of the question first, Red was a walking jazz history book. Watrous was a master artist with a dedication beyond reproach. Woody Herman was a great leader in that he allowed everyone to be themselves – in fact, demanded your voice and that you push yourself. Answering the question from the perspective of A & B combined, I would say Shelly Berg is a master educator and amazing performer. If I had to credit any one person as an influence to me as an instructor/performer combined, it would be Shelly Berg. I have been in awe of his amazing innate ability to not only communicate his emotion through the piano, but to articulate his feelings and thoughts to students so clearly. He teaches technique, style, idiomatic nuance – all through emotion. I steal from only the best! (laughs) Looking at the question from a different angle, I have to say the one individual I have learned the most from is still the person I continue to learn from daily, and that is my wife Mary Ann. She is the most stable factor in my life and I am quite fortunate to have found her when I needed her the most. Once again, in the right place at the right time! And I can thank jazz for that as well, as I was over at a local bistro having dinner between teaching and a student jazz recital that evening when I met her. JAZZed: Talk about your experiences as an author. What do you find most rewarding?
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www.jjbabbitt.com 32 JAZZed November 2010
MOUTHPIECES FOR CLARINETS AND SAXOPHONES
LF: I would answer this one as if you asked the question about being a teacher, author, composer, businessman and performer, if I may. As a teacher I hope I can give back what has been given to me throughout my musical career. That is why I teach. I write textbooks to give back in yet another way and perhaps to reach more people beyond the classroom I am currently in. I make recordings
to document where I am in my career and to experience the enjoyment of making music with my fellow musicians. I compose generally only because I feel something. I have always thrown away anything I forced myself to write as it had proven to be contrived sounding. I hope that through my compositions, that my loved ones feel that they are loved, and that others might experience some emotion and perhaps enjoyment from the music as well. I market all of those things because I am also a businessman. I realize that to be comfortable in life, one must be able to pay the bills. Over the years, being an entrepreneur, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve actually owned a few businesses, i.e. a production company in Dallas, the publishing company for thirteen years mentioned earlier, and a nightclub for a couple of years. Those experiences were extensions of my musical career. All together, all of these experiences add up to the whole. As a result, I believe I bring to academia a unique perspective in that I bring life lessons to the classroom coupled with pedagogical training, which helps me deliver those life lessons to the students a bit more easily. JAZZed: In most basic terms, whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your philosophy as an educator? Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your goal, your approach? LF: To teach students how to be successful in life, regardless of the chosen career path. Their involvement in music will prove to play a huge part in their success, as music develops so many critical thinking skills, discipline, attention to detail, et cetera.
the world in jazz and education circles. We scheduled a steering committee meeting in Chicago to which we invited 92 or so people to attend. Thirty-seven showed up at their own expense for the weekend and we all crammed into this ballroom that was designed to hold about 30. We met for two days and at the end of it we had agreed on a name, which my wife Mary Ann actually had came up with a few weeks before back home through having listened to the con-
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JAZZed: Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s talk a little about the formation of JEN, its mission, your place in the organization when it ďŹ rst began and how you wound up at your current position. LF: JEN was formed on June 1, 2008. Shortly after the demise of IAJE earlier that year, I spoke with one of my lifelong friends, Mary Jo Papich, and discussed the idea of JEN. We agreed that we would co-found the organization as the void was being felt greatly in the industry and across
versation for several years now about all the networking in my life. We also had a mission statement, a set of ByLaws and a direction. We operated with a volunteer Board for the first year until we could build a membership base and have an election. The name and mission statement was culled through a word-smith process we endured for more than a day. The three words that kept coming up on each marker board were all in the name Mary Ann had given to me a
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few weeks before, so I spoke up and said how about the Jazz Education Network, and we all agreed right then. The other items that were clear on at least two boards were building the jazz arts community, advancing jazz education, promoting performance, and developing new audiences. A former student of mine from my first year at Capital, Steve Crissinger, who attended the meetings, became an instant believer and volunteered thousands of hours to build JEN a Web site, which has proven to be our life-blood. Up until the time we held the Inaugural Conference, we were really just a virtual organization and often still are perceived as such. However, through the site, we have managed to grow from 37 to over 1,200 and we continue to grow daily. We are about to host the Second Annual JEN Conference in New Orleans and the lineup is spectacular. The first conference we expected about 500 people and had upwards of 1,300 in attendance back in St. Louis. Mary Jo was a great voice for us as our first president. Her vision and creative approach has worked well with my more organizational and business-like viewpoint of things. We have managed to work very well together, as we knew we could. With the help of many folks, we have developed an outstanding skill set within the Board, on which we have people with background in finance, marketing, law, music industry, jazz education at several levels, entrepreneurs, non-profit and professional people from across the map. Onethird of the Board has the potential for change each year, providing much needed stability to the organization while bringing in fresh ideas at the same time. The present Board is the strongest group of individuals I have ever been associated with in my entire life. An enormously dedicated group of individuals, some of which work countless
hours towards fulfilling the mission, all of which share the passion and emotion of the music and the goals of the organization and give of their time and energy as they can. The JEN Bylaws provide for the membership to elect the Board members, while officers are elected from within the Board, after having served at least one year on the Board. JAZZed: Any words of advice to your fellow jazz educators? LF: Four things: 1) Jazz has been good to me. As a result of my involvement in the music, I’ve been privileged to see most of the world and to have performed on all of the major jazz festival venues throughout the world. As I have lived the jazz life, I have developed my extended jazz family, which is huge and is an incredible network of individuals. It is important to keep that flame alive, as it is our obligation to the music and to each other; 2) Prepare or your students will know it; 3) Never stop being a student, yourself. We teach by example; 4) Realize you have the honor and privilege to do something that you love to do every day of your life, which helps us remain humble.
The Leading Edge BY ANITA BROWN
I
n this, the second installment of this column, we learn the perspectives of these nine iconic lead players regarding their influences upon turning 30; a milestone which often represents professional accomplishment and mastery of skills and concepts. To interact with some of the players on this topic please visit my blog, and share your own answers to these questions on Anita Brown Jazz Orchestra’s Facebook fan page discussion boards. Together we can open a discussion about this definitive role and unsung art form. See you online!
Who were the players whom you admired and continued to be influenced by after you turned thirty? Dave Pietro Alto; Anita Brown Jazz Orchestra, Toshiko Akiyoshi Big Band: I was really no longer being influenced by anyone else after I turned 30. By that time I had assumed the lead alto chair in the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra and began developing my own style of lead playing. I remember having a beer with someone who had come to listen to the band one night at Birdland and he said to me, “Don’t you think that the style of this band requires less vibrato?” And my answer was “I’m the lead alto player in this band now and so however I interpret the parts IS the style.”
Steve Wilson Alto; Maria Schneider Orchestra, Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks: Recently I was on Ron Carter’s session playing in the section under Jerry Dodgion. It’s been such a thrill; like being in that golden age of recording in the ‘60s and ‘70s. A session like that gives you the sense of his being a craftsman, because that’s what he is. He is an enabler on the bandstand and in the studio. He makes you feel like, “I can do this.” Dodgion’s sound is so beautiful and focused. It’s not loud, but present. He makes it easy to follow him. He has a great rhythmic sense. When he tries to show us how he wants to phrase something he can just play it once and we’ve got it. He’s such a beautiful, soulful person. He gives everyone great respect.
JAZZed November 2010 35
I get a lot of that from Oatts too. He’s a little less vocal and mainly leads by example. He has a more assertive approach, but not forceful. Where Jerry Dodgion’s sound has a presence, Dick Oatts’ sound might be a little more pointed, maybe louder. There is an assertive, authoritative nature in his playing. Both are very encouraging. After a solo they let you know that you did well.
Dick Oatts Alto; Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Carnegie Hall Jazz Band: After I turned 30 I became more of a lead player and tried to combine all my prethirty concepts and experiences and was lucky enough to have more chances to do that. I started playing with the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band and learned a lot from playing the music and styles from many different jazz eras of big bands. Luckily, I had Frank Wess and Jerry Dodgion for guidance as well as Jon Faddis at the helm. Gerry Niewood amazing in his determination and musical consistency. He was so easy to breathe with because we heard things the same way. We listened to the same players and liked a heftier approach to sound. He was also a great doubler and very dedicated to play the best he had in him at all times. There are so many unsung heroes on lead alto from the big band era. I learned a lot from the lead playing of Willie Smith, Jimmy Dorsey and Johnny Hodges. [To read more visit Anita’s blog.]
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Mark Patterson Trombone; Anita Brown Jazz Orchestra, Dennis Mackrel Big Band: I don’t know that my conception changed since age 30, but I do think it has become a lot more honed in the way I hear great lead players play time. I like the same people as before! I am more aware now of the feeling of a phrase floating on the time—flexibility without affecting the groove. Snooky Young did that so subtly.
Keith O’Quinn Trombone; Maria Schneider Orchestra, Bob Mintzer Big Band By the time I was 30 I had already been playing in New York for seven years and had a pretty busy career going. Urbie Green was for me the epitome of a great lead player and still is. I had a chance to work with him on numerous occasions and that was always a thrill. Sitting next to Urbie, you could feel him leading the section but you really got the impact of how great he was when you heard the playbacks. It didn’t sound like he was putting out a lot of sound when you were recording, but on the playbacks you would hear Urbie above everyone else. His sound was so focused and clear. It was totally amazing, and with such a great feel. Wayne Andre was another great influence during those years. He was one of the busiest lead players in the New
York studios and I was lucky enough to have been able to work with him frequently. He had a very relaxed, easy style to his playing. He helped me so much in my career and was a great friend. Another lead player that I really admired during those days was Gerry Chamberlain. He was an amazing lead player; a very focused, intense player with a beautiful sound. We worked together for a while with Frank Sinatra. He played lead and I was the second player. I learned a lot from playing with him.
John Fedchock Trombone; John Fedchock’s New York Big Band, Woody Herman Orchestra: After seven years of lead playing with Woody Herman’s band, my lead playing concepts had already been strongly formulated. My lead playing after age thirty evolved and solidified through my experiences performing with a variety of NYC players, through observation and study of different phrasing and stylistic approaches. I was influenced by a general amalgam of all the NYC trombonists and trumpeters I’ve worked with.
Jon Owens Trumpet; Anita Brown Jazz Orchestra, BMI New York Jazz Orchestra: Eventually, I started working with some of those players I admired growing up. I worked with Roger Ingram on Maynard Ferguson’s band. When I moved to New York City, I started doing gigs with Joe Mosello, Dave Stahl, and lots of other great lead trumpet
players. I got to work with Bob Millikan on a daily basis for a little while. That was a great learning experience for me. You pick up little things here and there. It’s all about the attention to detail. Keep your ears open and listen! One thing I like about living in New York right now is that there are a bunch of great lead trumpet players from my generation, and it’s a lot of fun working with them.
Tony Kadleck Trumpet; Maria Schneider Orchestra, Gotham Jazz Orchestra: Snooky Young, who has an unmatched concept of swing and he’s also a great jazz player. Bob Millikan makes a band sound great with his playing AND his personality. He could defuse a tense situation with one welltimed comment.
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Earl Gardner Trumpet; Mingus Big Band, Thad Jones/ Mel Lewis Orchestra: Dave Stahl is a very accurate player with a big, clear sound who knows how to swing. I have a deep respect for him which continues to grow the Matt Dine, more I work with Photo: Photographer him. There is also a certain excitement in his playing that I try to incorporate into my own. Snooky Young is one of my idols. His sound is amazing and his time is impeccable. He puts the notes right on the beat. Nobody swings like Snooky.
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http://www.usc.edu/schools/music/go/jazz JAZZed November 2010 37
focus session
MODES
The Interchangeability of Modes BY LEE EVANS
A
lthough the diatonic modes differ from one another, when they share a common fundamental tone (C Dorian, C Phrygian, C Lydian, etc.) that tone acts as a powerful unifying force. It may even be said that when the modes share a common fundamental tone, that tone places the modes in the same tonality (feeling of key), even though that tonality may be somewhat weaker than that of major and minor scales. Therefore, modes having the same fundamental tone may be used interchangeably in the same composition or jazz improvisation. Many examples of the technique of mode interchange may be heard in classical music. A particularly vivid example follows, from Borodin's â&#x20AC;&#x153;Polovetzian Dances:â&#x20AC;?
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focus session
Instructions for Mode Interchange Exercises The student should strive to perform the Mode Interchange Exercises that follow, without referring to printed music. Initially, the musical thinking should revolve around determining the transposition interval, as shown below. (The transposition interval is defined as the interval distance from the fundamental tone of the mode to the tonic whose key signature is being employed in the mode.) Ultimately, however, the student should be able to hear any given mode, starting on any pitch, without having to calculate transposition intervals.
Thinking Process for Mode Interchange Exercises 1. The Ionian Mode uses the tones of the major scale whose tonic (C) is a unison with the fundamental tone of the mode (C). 2. The Dorian Mode uses the scale tones of the major scale whose tonic (Bb) is a major 2nd below the fundamental tone of the mode (C). 3. The Phrygian Mode uses the scale tones of the major scale whose tonic (Ab) is a major 3rd below the fundamental tone of the mode (C). 4. The Lydian Mode uses the scale tones of the major scale whose tonic (G) is a perfect 4th below the fundamental tone of the mode (C). 5. The Mixolydian Mode uses the scale tones of the major scale whose tonic (F) is a perfect 5th below the fundamental tone of the mode (C). 6. The Aeolian Mode uses the scale tones of the major scale whose tonic (Eb) is a major 6th below the fundamental tone of the mode (C). 7. The Locrian Mode uses the scale tones of the major scale whose tonic (Db) is a major 7th below the fundamental tone of the mode (C). (Fingering suggestions are optional.)
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focus session Mode Interchange Exercises To achieve fluency in mode interchange, practice playing the seven diatonic modes in succession (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian) on each tone of the chromatic scale â&#x20AC;&#x201C; one octave apart in both hands. The following two pages feature a Lee Evans solo-piano jazz arrangement of the American folk song Every Night, which is in the mixolydian mode.
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focus session
Lee Evans, Ed.D., is professor of music at NYCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pace University. The above article is based on his Hal Leonard publication Modes & Their Use In Jazz. His most recent books, published by The FJH Music Company, are the late elementary solo-piano volumes Color Me Jazz, Books 1 & 2; and the intermediate/late intermediate solo-piano volume Ole! Original Latin American Dance Music. Musical excerpts are from the Hal Leonard Publication, Modes & Their Use In Jazz HL00009043.
JAZZed November 2010 41
outside the box
Jazz & Lunch AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE “HOLY COW THIS IS A LOT OF WORK” UNIVERSITY JAZZ FESTIVAL
T
he university I attended as a master’s student hosted a large jazz festival each year. For two years I was one of the student coordinators of this massive event, which was attended by a large number of area high schools and about 20 colleges and universities. The festival invited several internationally known jazz soloists to perform with the host band and employed about 30 adjudicators.
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As with most festivals of this type, there were performances by the visiting high schools and colleges, and clinics and performances by the adjudicators and soloists culminating in a gala evening performance. The production took several months to plan and organize, requiring a small army of volunteers keep things running smoothly before, during and after the festival. Several years later, I was hired as the jazz studies director at a university where I badly needed to recruit. Because of my experiences as a student, I assumed the best strategy was to host a jazz festival. I did and, like the aforementioned festival, it took months of planning and a small army to run. Additionally, I only wound up getting to spend less than five minutes with each visiting band and its director. The festival was costing me time and a great deal of money, and I was not getting the results I wanted. What I wanted was to spend time personally with the visiting ensembles, to be able to talk with the directors about their concerns, offering help when asked. On our side, since many of our students were going to become junior and senior high school directors following graduation, I wanted
outside the box to give them a chance to interact with the high school students as mentors. And finally, I wanted to be able to “sell” my university to these visiting students and teachers so they might in the future consider us for their undergraduate education.
Rethinking the Model So I rethought the festival model and came up with an idea that accomplished the goals I wanted from a jazz festival - outreach to area schools, opportunities for our students to gain some teaching experience, and a chance to meet the area high school jazz ensemble directors.
“THERE IS ALWAYS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT FOR BOTH THE HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE GROUP.” I called it ‘Jazz and Lunch.’ Now, instead of inviting over 20 schools to our campus simultaneously, I contact area high schools and invite them as individual ensembles to campus. When they arrive they are provided with a clinic on whatever topic they chose. This clinic by university faculty (usually me) is augmented by students from the jazz studies program at the university who are invited to attend these sessions as assistants. When appropriate, the assistants are requested to sit in with the visiting school to “show and tell” with both spoken and musical advice (with their instruments) how a particular passage is to be performed. Using university students to help has a variety of benefits. The university students get real teaching experience in a nonthreatening setting. They are forced to articulate musical ideas, thereby clarifying concepts in their mind. And the high school students are interacting with someone closer to their age and experience. I have found that the intimidation factor often felt by less experienced students is often reduced by having a student of similar age help them as opposed to receiving instruction from someone who is clearly older and holds the title of an authority figure. Jazz and Lunch is designed to be all about learning. Sometimes at a jazz festival the attending ensemble, despite best intentions, worries so much about how they rate versus the other attending bands that they forget to learn anything during the festival. In a Jazz and Lunch setting there is no competition with another group. I try to emphasize to them a teaching/learning philosophy that uses results as the measure. Did they learn anything during their visit? Did they play a little better when the clinic portion was over?
How it Works Following the clinic portion the visiting ensemble is invited to attend a rehearsal of the most experienced university jazz ensemble. This is the “lunch” part of Jazz and Lunch. While the visiting students enjoy a slice of delivery pizza I rehearse the university ensemble in front of them (no talking by the pizza-eaters!). This portion of the day is designed for the visiting students to experience/hear the results we were talking about during the previous hour. I am a strong believer in learning through imitation. I encourage each member of the visiting ensemble to pay close attention to their counterpart in the university group. The attending group’s members should use the example they are seeing/hearing as a goal for themselves. This segment is for the junior/senior high school student to see/hear a more experience version of him/herself. The drummer, for example, can see what type of drum sticks the university student uses, how loud s/he plays, how the drums are tuned, how they play a ride pattern, and on and on. Depending on how attentive the high school student is, s/he can learn a great deal in a little less than an hour, and often not a word is said. I will stop after a tune or two (provided we’re not preparing for a gig that night!) and ask the visitors if they have
JAZZed November 2010 43
outside the box any questions. They usually do, and I try to build a conversation between them and my students. Because the environment is ultra-non-threatening (who can be uptight when eating pizza?!), most of the visiting students feel free to ask questions. I will encourage them to ask questions that are basic to becoming a good musician – How much do you practice? What ensembles are you in? Who do you listen to? How often does this group meet? About half ay through this hour, after they’re done eating (it doesn’t take the average high school kid long to eat two slices), I will have the visiting school stand/sit behind the university student who plays his or her instrument to watch the music go by and observe all the little things that a more experienced player does – how hard his or her attack is, how much vibrato is used how blended
the section is, how the members of the section communicate with each other, and so much more that the list could be nearly endless. It is now that the students in both ensembles learn an important lesson that will serve them well in the future – that no matter how skilled you’ve become you can always learn from another. There is always room for improvement for both the high school and college group. We are all the same. At one point the members of the university ensemble were at the same level as the visiting students. Getting better equaled perseverance and hard work. The university ensemble benefits greatly from Jazz and Lunch. Aside from the teaching aspects mentioned above, they are playing for an audience. We will often have a visiting school a day after a concert or club performance, when we have received new music and are sight-
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44 JAZZed November 2010
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reading. My students learn that basic musical skills are paramount to becoming a successful pro. They want to not embarrass themselves, so even when sight-reading they learn they need to play with a pretty sound, in tune, with good time. They need to try and blend and play good improvisations, even though they’ve not seen the music before. This is especially great training for those who wish to become professional players. They learn that even though they are in a new situation, in this case sight reading in front of pizza-munching high school students, some of whom are standing up to go get another slice, they have to maintain focus and play the best they can. Don’t get thrown by sight-reading or pizza. Be a pro.
A Win-Win Jazz and Lunch is a win/win for both our university and for area schools. It provides the visiting ensemble a relaxed environment to play and receive some constructive criticism. Instead of playing to receive a prize, they are playing for the love of music and learning. The visiting school learns what it’s like to be a participating musician at a university – getting to play and talk with music students a couple years older. And our music students get the experience of playing in front of an audience, albeit a small one, when they’re sometimes not quite concert ready. And all of this is achieved with minimal planning, allowing me to continue to focus on teaching.
Dr. Kevin Kjos is the director of Jazz Studies at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania where he conducts three jazz ensembles, teaches trumpet and jazz history. His top jazz ensemble currently has four CDs released through Sea Breeze Records. Dr. Kjos is the author of Teaching Through Imitation: A Jazz Ensemble Techniques Manual for Students and Teachers and Hardly Routine: A Practical and Philosophical Approach to the Teachings of William Adam (available at www.reallygoodmusic.com). Kjos lives in Kutztown, Pennsylvania with his wife Shelly and their dog Andy.
crossword
Across 1. Chick ___, popular 1930’s vocalist who never performed live 6. Sonny ___, “Oleo” artist 10. ___ Cohn, this saxophonist has a reputation as a lyrical flowing soloist 11. Aquatic organism 12. Rodney’s color? 13. Paid musician, for example 14. Al ___, he is one of the most influential guitarists in the jazz fusion category 16. ___ Records, Bob Weinstock’s Jazz label 18. Delete 21. “The more I get, the more I want it ___,” Harry Connick, Jr.’s Doctor Jazz lyric 22. “___ of Capri,” Bing Crosby standard 23. Go through again 24. “___ What,” Miles Davis favorite 26. Sam ___, Fuchsia Swing Song artist 28. Seafood delicacy 29. Beginning musician, for example 33. Sodium symbol 35. “Little Jazz ___,” Blossom Dearie song 36. Important part of the drum kit 38. Spurs’ city initials 40. The name of this Jazz Orchestra is a
Crossword by Myles Mellor
Finnish acronym for “New Music Orchestra” 41. “___ Peanuts,” Gillespie standard 43. London’s continent 44. Indebted 46. Musical gift 49. Apple state 50. Sun, for example 51. Mel, Ramsey, Ted or Vic 53. Band employee 56. It goes with Ivory? 58. Either’s partner 59. Bluish green 60. Old records 61. Fervor 62. Anita ___, jazz singer who was admired for her sense of rhythm and dynamics 63. George ___, tenor saxophone player who was known for idiosyncratic singing 64. Puts to work
Down 1. Chris ___, Ken Colyer trombonist 2. He may be strapping and young? 3. Limited liability, abbr. 4. “I Should ___,” jazz standard released by the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra
5. Eric ___, jazz saxophonist who made his first recording when he was 16 years old 6. Music transmitters 7. Goes with lemon 8. Golf clubs 9. Charlie ___, swing jazz trumpeteer whose composition “Undecided” is a jazz standard 13. Andre ___, he won a Grammy for Best Jazz Performace in West Side Story 15. Pay no attention to 16. Pressure measure 17. “Born __ be Blue,” Ella lyric 19. Email subject line intro 20. Geri or Henry 22. Come up with something new 25. ___ Charles Thompson, American swing and bebop pianist, organist and arranger 27. Scarcer 28. Frank ___, “I Play Trombone” artist 30. Mitch Miller’s speciality 31. Roman 6 32. Song containers 34. That can be heard 36. Cinder 37. Kevin ___, jazz guitarist and leader of the Tonight Show band from 1995 to 2010 39. Wonderment 42. The Grammys and Emmys, for example 45. Lady sheep 47. Singer Winehouse 48. Sun ___, aka Herman Poole Blount 50. Kid ___, he had one of the best-known bands in New Orleans in the 1910’s 52. Saturate 54. The usual 55. Beige shade 57. Government security agency, abbr. 61. Battery size
For the solution to this issue's crossword, visit:
www.jazzedmagazine.com JAZZed November 2010 45
jazzforum
www.aajc.us
Dr. Larry Ridley, AAJC Executive Director & Bassist Extraordinaire: Since the late 1970s Dr. Ridley has been working in an advisory role with the Honorable Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) on numerous jazz projects, e.g., the NEA Jazz-Artists-In Schools Program (1978-1982), the drafting of House Concurrent Resolution 57 (1987) and the Jazz Issues Panels presented annually at the Congressional Black Caucus Conferences in Washington, DC. The AAJC and NAJJP Partnership’s Current and Developing Plans: The African American Jazz Caucus, Inc. (AAJC), along with our partnership with Dr. Ronald Myers and the National Association of Juneteenth Jazz Presenters, Inc. (NAJJP) are proactively working to further the broadening and defining of our working collaborations. Our goals include bringing Jazz to underserved National and International communities acknowledging our African American Jazz Legacy by emphasizing “The Roots that have produced the Fruits.” For further information please contact us at LHRidley1937@gmail.com or by telephone (212) 979-0304. In this month’s column for JAZZed, we are featuring a wonderful and insightful interview of the legendary/innovative/genius jazz pianist Erroll Garner conducted and published by the late great drummer Arthur Taylor in his book, Notes and Tones, Da Capo Press, ©1977, ISBN 0-306-80526-X. “I wrote ‘Misty’ from a beautiful rainbow” E.G. - I never had an influence, for the simple reason that I loved big bands. I think this is where part of my style came from, because I love fullness in the piano. I want to make it sound like a big band if I can. I wasn’t influenced by any pianist, because when I came up, I didn’t hear too many. We used to have places like the Apollo Theater where you could go and hear big bands. They used to come to Pittsburgh and play at the Stanley Theater. I saw all the great bands. I knew Mary Lou Williams when I was a kid. When Fats Waller came, the piano was so sad that he played organ. I’ll never forget how he took that organ, blended in with the band and made it sound like forty-four pieces. That sound was the most fantastic thing! I thought, oh my goodness, how can he do that? That’s something new to me. I love Jimmy Lunceford, and I love Duke. Jimmy Lunceford and Count Basie taught me how to keep time. Those two bands really laid that on me, and it was a thrill. I think Freddie Green is one of the greatest timekeepers in the world. A.T. – Did you have any doubts when you started as a musician that you would be successful, musically and financially? E.G. – When I started out as a musician, I was happy just to get to Fifty-second Street; I didn’t think about money. It was an honor for me to be able to join Slam Stewart. I had heard of Slam for years as Slim [Gaillard] and Slam. I looked up to both of them because of how they could play. I would say that Slam and Oscar Pettiford are two geniuses of the bass. At that time, when Fifty-second Street was going, everybody had a job. You could walk from one place to the other, all the musicians were working. Miles [Davis], Max [Roach], everybody was there. We all knew we needed enough money to pay our bills and get a few things out of life, but it wasn’t based on how much you’re going to pay me this week and I have a hot record now and if I play back at this club again I want this amount, not what he paid me before. I know I make a little money, but I do put it to good use as far as my family is concerned.
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When I’m playing the piano, the amount I’m getting paid is not what’s on my mind. That’s a fact. I don’t believe you can play thinking about how you’re going to get the money and run like a thief, like a lot of artists say. It’s all right to say that if you don’t like your boss. All they know is that they paid five or six dollars for an album they have at home, and that’s what they’ve come to hear. They don’t want you to jive around, pretend, not be the real you and talk about how you don’t like your boss. They don’t even know him. Sixty percent of the audience wouldn’t know who the boss of the club was or who the promoter of the concert was, because that doesn’t interest them. All they want to know is if you’re there and if you’re going to play what they have at home on a record. Audiences are never supposed to be played cheap.
A.T. – Have you changed any of your material in recent years? E.G. – I wouldn’t say I’ve changed it so much as I tried to improve on it. I play a little bit of rock and a little Dixieland for kicks. I might do that in a club, but not in a concert. Whether I get it from someone else or create it myself, I’m always looking for something new. As I can’t read music, I don’t have to
jazzforum say to myself, this is an arrangement I wrote six months ago and I have to play it note for note. I get as close as I can. Each time I play “Misty”- and I play “Misty” I would say a thousand times a year- I add a little something. I feel that if you liked it last night and you come back to hear me tonight, maybe I can do it better. At the same time I’m creating, and it’s not becoming a bore because of sticking to one certain pattern.
A.T. – How did you come to write “Misty”? E.G. – I wrote “Misty” from a beautiful rainbow I saw when I was flying from San Francisco to Chicago. At that time they didn’t have jets, and we had to stop off in Denver. When we were coming down, there was a beautiful rainbow. This rainbow was fascinating, because it wasn’t long but very wide and in every color you can imagine. With the dewdrops and the windows being misty, that fine rain, that’s how I named it “Misty”. I was playing on my knees like I had a piano, with my eyes shut. There was a little old lady sitting next to me and she thought I was sick because I was humming. She called the hostess, who came over, to find out I was writing “Misty” in my head. By the time I got off the plane, I had it. We were going to make a record date, so I put it right on that date. I always say that wherever she is today, that old lady was the first one in on “Misty”. A.T. – What does “who chi coo” mean, and how do you spell it? E.G. – Just the way it sounds. Who chi coo is an expression that Sarah Vaughan and I used all the time years ago, because we were very good friends. We used to hang out together in Atlantic City. It means “magnificent obsession.” If I dig what you do, what you’re playing, you’re a magnificent obsession; if I don’t, I say nothing. So when I say “Who chi who chi coo,” that means you really are a magnificent obsession. They decided to name me that. They always say: “Hey, Who chi coo.” People who don’t really know me call me Erroll. But Sarah Vaughan, Peggy Lee and Carmen McRae all know me as Who chi coo, and that means they love me as much as I love them.
A.T. -- I hear you once said that one of your finest musical experiences was some recordings you did with Charlie Parker. Is that true?
E.G. – Definitely! I took care of Bird in California when he was sick. We used to play together on Fifty-second Street. Bird was with my group when I got to California. We had Bird, Red Callender and Harold West, who was a great drummer. Playing with Bird was an experience. Every night he would put something new in the tunes we played, like changing chords, playing different progressions. You never felt that you had to play the same thing you had played the night before. We used to wail! That’s what I dig. It was one of my greatest experiences; his mind was so fast. Other than playing the saxophone, Charlie was a very brilliant man. He had knowledge and believed in a lot of things people don’t believe in today, like education. A.T. – What was your impression of Bud Powell? E.G. – To me, Bud was the second greatest thing to Art Tatum. Tatum was way out there. He was a genius, ahead of his time. Bud came along later to add on what Tatum had. Let’s face it – Bud was a genius on the piano. I knew Bud when he was with Cootie Williams. He was another Tatum, only much more modern, adding to what Tatum had already laid down for the classical pianists and for everybody. I always say Tatum was the master and that Bud developed what the master left. Fantastic! That’s what Bud was to me. A.T. – Do you play for yourself, for your audience or for the musicians? E.G. – I always play for my audience. I can’t play to empty tables and chairs. Let’s face it—if there are empty tables and chairs, you’re not going to get too much money. Therefore you’ve got to have somebody to play to. If you come to my house in the afternoon and say, “Erroll, sit down and play the piano just for kicks,” and you want to play the drums, we jam. You are a public, I am a public, we’re playing for each other. Now, you say I’m going to wail this afternoon all by myself and kill who? Say a guy’s going to pay me a million dollars if I play for two hours by myself. I may take the million, but I haven’t proved anything, I haven’t felt anything technically. You need a public. They are buying your records and putting you where you are. The day you say you don’t need your public, you should give up your instrument and quit, I don’t care who you are.
A.T. – Do you like traveling? E.G. – I love to travel; nowadays it’s the only way. We used to say people will come to you, but now you have to go to the people. I’m trying to prove that you can come anywhere I’m playing and forget about your work or your troubles. Relax your mind, say boom, and think about it the next day. If I can do that, I feel I’ve accomplished something.
A.T. – Do you think the music business is controlled? E.G. – I would say the rock business is, because there are a thousand groups. The kids have been brainwashed to a certain extent. You’ve got a bunch of young children who are recording today. They’re doing their thing, and it’s their freedom. They have to be controlled, because they write a song every hour on the hour. They’re controlled mostly through record companies. I think as far as jazz is concerned, Dixieland and classical music, it’s up to the public. They are the ones who buy what they like and what they really want to hear. A.T. – How do you like freedom music? E.G. – I dig some of it. It takes some time for the ordinary layman to understand it, because he doesn’t know the meaning of freedom in a musical sense. He only knows the meaning of it as far as life is concerned. Non-musicians don’t get a chance to go to a club like the one we were in last night, because they’ve got to get up and go to work in the morning. These are the same people who buy our records. As for the music we heard last night, it’s good, but I think it’s much better when it’s done by an organized group. I can understand that when guys go and sit in, they want to express themselves, but you have a clash because you have too many playing. Unless you’ve got arrangements, ten guys playing freedom aren’t going to sound as good as a group which has rehearsed and has its thing going. When four or five guys drop in off the street and say they’re going to sit in tonight, I understand them because I like to sit in myself, but it becomes a clash. It’s like in Dixieland. There’s nothing more free than Dixieland, with each cat playing something else. When it gets over nine pieces, they have to make arrangements. Although it’s in a Dixieland flavor, it becomes an arrangement. You’re not going to hear ten or twenty cats jamming playing Dixieland
JAZZed November 2010 47
jazzforum without somebody saying, “Look, we’re going this way, or we are going in his pattern.” We all have to know when we’re going out, when we say going out we mean when we are going to end it. We have to stop together! As I don’t read music, it takes me a little longer to hear the freedom, because I have to start thinking about what each guy feels and what he’s trying to express. Even though he’s playing freedom, the freedom has got to come together. That’s what’s going to make the world in the future--freedom and coming together. People can’t be free and going off in opposite directions or else there won’t be any foundation. Some freedom music I like and some I don’t care for because I get a feeling that they are trying to copy. That’s one thing I don’t like in life--when you become a copyist and you try to make a living copying others. I’d just as soon hear the real thing than the imitator. If you take up an instrument, I don’t care how much you love somebody, how much you would like to pattern yourself after them, you should still give yourself a chance to find out what you’ve got and let that out.
A.T. – How do you like the Beatles’ music? E.G. – Some of the Beatles stuff I like. I don’t say all of it. The Beatles are friends of mine. Ringo [Starr] and I have been friends for quite a while. In the latter years they came up with some good things. Just before they broke up they began to put more melody into what they were writing, and this is what made the grown-up public take notice. They wrote better lyrics, so you could understand the meaning better. That was when the tide turned for them, when the grown-up public began appreciating what they did. A.T. – Miles told me you accent on the fourth beat. Would you explain that? E.G. – I know what Miles means. It’s true. It’s almost like playing a waltz. I would do a lot of things on the fourth beat when Miles and I were playing together. I’m the type of piano player that tries to feed the guy, and I knew Miles liked that. Sometimes I’m liable to pronounce the fifth beat. When you pronounce the fifth beat, you’re already in it, you’ve played your fill-in.
A.T. – What do you think about all the strife going on in America?
48 JAZZed November 2010
E.G. – They better take time and listen to those kids. I don’t care what it is—give them what they want! If they want to see chicks walking around the university naked, let them have it; they’re going to have it anyway. It could be in Central Park, he could put her in the back of his car, he’s going to see it. If they don’t get the studies they want, they’re going to go to libraries and read up on it anyway, so if they want a particular study, let them have it and let them be free. If they goof off, let them suffer the consequences. Take it like you give it, an adult man or woman. A.T. – What do you do for relaxation in your free time? E.G. – I like to play golf, and I stink at it. I just go out and get some fresh air. I play a little tennis. Other than that, I do a lot of walking. I just go around and watch people; that feeds me and gives me ideas. I see what other people are doing during the day. I’m not the type to sleep the day away, to lie in bed and say I’ve got to work tonight so I’m not going to go out until it’s time to work. I like to get out in the daytime and see what others are doing, because they’re the same people who come to hear you play the concerts. I like being with people. It feeds me and helps to make my day complete. Nobody can walk around being a loner, that’s for sure. A.T. – Do you think musicians should be involved in politics or bring it into their music? E.G. – No! I don’t think there’s any way in the world you’re going to express politics through music, for the simple reason that you could wake up tomorrow to a completely different story. You don’t want to get on the bandstand and play morbid, and I think that’s what you would be doing. The best thing a musician can do is vote for what he feels, and he will have the compensation of saying he voted for what he thought was right. That’s as far as it should go. Politics is a full-time job. You cannot play and get involved in that.
A.T. – Do you like sporting events? E.G. – I have been listening to the basketball games on this trip. I heard the Lakers and Knicks. My Knicks came and got them. Ted Williams is a very close friend of mine. He heard one of my records, “Up in Erroll’s Room”, took it to the ballpark and put it on the loudspeaker. He told a newspaperman that three of his men started power hitting, started getting the swing of the bat. He said, “Listen to that tempo”, and they ended up hitting way above their average, and it worked for them. It was a pleasure to read that. I didn’t know anything about it until a guy walked up to me and said, “I just read your name in the sports section.” I said: “In the sports section?” He said: “Yeah, Ted Williams was talking about what he did.” That’s true. I like boxing but I don’t think there are any fighters around. The best fights I’ve seen were put together by managers and people who wanted to make a big gate. There are no boxers around right now. Muhammad Ali is a great fighter, but he didn’t have anyone to fight in his prime coming up. The fighters he fought were over the hill. He never had a chance to prove whether he was a boxer or a fighter. A.T. – Have you ever gotten any bad write-ups? E.G. – I wouldn’t say I haven’t. I’ve seen one or two, but I wouldn’t say they were bad, just that the party who wrote me up didn’t quite understand what I was doing. Maybe he had records of mine and expected to hear more that type of thing than what I played As far as my gift is concerned, I cannot play note for note, and I might not have played like one of my records he liked. I’ve had guys saying that maybe the drums were too loud or the bass was too loud, but there’s always a critic, and it doesn’t bug me for the simple reason that if he criticizes me I’ll check up on myself and find out. I figure I’ll bring him in next time and I usually do; I can prove it.
A.T. – Are you religious?
A.T. – What do you see for yourself in the future?
E.G. – I believe in my own way. I admit I don’t go to church that much. I’ll probably have to throw my hat in the next time I go. I do say my prayers. Things I have prayed for have come true.
E.G. – Music, number one. I hope to write some more movie music. Just keep playing and try to learn something new every day, move with the times, try to make people happy. Create and write more tunes. – Paris, May 11, 1970
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50 JAZZed November 2010
HotWax
New & Notable Music Releases All dates are subject to change
October 5
Brad Goode – Tight Like This [Del-
mark]
October 12 Nik Bartsch – Llyria [Ecm] Dave Bennett – Clarinet Is King Dave Holland & Pepe Habichuela – Hands [Dare2]
JALC Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis – Victoria Suite [Emarcy] Raul Malo – Sinners & Saints [Fan-
[Arbors]
Bill Easley – Love Stories [American Showcase]
Howard Wiley – 12 Gates to the City
[HNIC Music]
October 26 Alison Balsom – Italian Concertos [EMI]
Tyler Banton – Botanic [Ottimo] Walter Beasley – Backatcha
[Shanachie]
Fourplay – Let’s Touch the Sky [Heads Up]
tasy]
Alexander McCabe – Quiz [Consolidated Artists Productions`]
Michael Formanek – The Rub & Spare Change [Ecm]
Dave Koz – Hello Tomorrow [Con-
cord Jazz]
Jacob Melchior – It’s About Time
[Jacob Melchior]
Irene Kral – Second Chance [Jazzed Media]
to2 [Pi]
October 19
[Rendezvous]
[Delmark]
Adrienne Hindmarsh – Jazz Moods
[Phantom]
ment [High Note]
Take 6 – The Most Wonderful Time of the Year [Heads Up]
Street]
Henry Threadgill – This Brings Us
Jeremy Siskind – Simple Songs [Brooklyn Jazz Underground]
John Burnett – Down For Double
Houston Person – Moment to Mo-
Kermit Ruffins – Happy Talk [Basin
Keiko Lee – Smooth [Sony] Peter Pendras – As The Crow Flies
[Modern Hot]
Michel Petrucciani – Estate [Appaloosa]
Suzanne Pittson – Out of the Hub: The Music of Freddie Hubbard [Vineland]
Wayman Tisdale – Fonk Record
November 2 Steve Gadd – Live at Voce [Varese
Fontana]
Nino Jocele – Espanola [Zoom] Norah Jones – Featuring Norah Jones [EMI]
Carmen Liana – Who I Am [Bun-
galo]
Russell Malone – Triple Play [Max Jazz]
JAZZed November 2010 51
HotWax Jowee Omicil – Roots & Groves [BBjuiss]
Roscoe Mitchell – Far Side [Ecm] Trygve Seim – Purcor [Ecm] Toots Thielemans – European
Chico Freeman – Lord Riff & Me
Ken Thomson – It Would Be Easier
Gordon Lee – This Path [OA2] Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica – The
Quartet Live [Challenge] If [Intuition]
Claude Williamson – Claude Rains [Amj]
November 9 Harry Connick Jr. – Triple Feature [Sony]
[Miles High]
Unforgettable Sounds of Esquivel [Orchestrotica]
Cassandra Wilson – Silver Pony
Planet Zu – In The Light Of Day [Blue Canoe]
Robert Wyatt – For the Ghost Within [Domino]
November 23
November 16
[Sony]
Ranjit Barot – Bada Boom [Abstract
Cheryl Bentyne – George Gershwin
[Blue Note]
[Tartare]
Lauren Hooker – Life Of The Music
Allan Vache – Look To the Sky [Arbors]
Marty Paich – Rock-Jazz Incident
[Why Not]
Masahiro Andoh – Winter Songs
Logix]
Songbook [King]
Dave Brubeck – Legacy of a Legend [Sony Legacy] Charles Earland – Slammin’ & Jammin’ [Savant]
Mats Eilertsen – Elegy [Hubro] Kevin Eubanks – Zen Food [Mack Avenue]
Ja – Balls And Kittens, Draught And Strangling Rain [Hubro]
John Scofield – New Morning - The Paris Concert [Inakustik]
Donald Smith – Luv [Why Not] John Zorn – Dreamers-The Gentle Side [Tzadik]
November 30 Jazz Chill – Chill Jazz [Phantom] Patrick Moraz – Resonance [United States Of Distribution]
Tiffany – Ruby & Sapphire [Sony] Kristine W – Power Of Music [Indies
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If you have information on an upcoming album or music DVD release which you’d like to have included in the next issue of JAZZed, please email editor Christian Wissmuller at: cwissmuller@symphonypublishing.com
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JAZZed November 2010 55
Photo: Shannon Brinkman
Backbeat
Walter Payton Jr.
August 23, 1942 – October 28, 2010 Jazz bassist and educator, Walter Payton Jr., passed away at Kindred Hospital in New Orleans, on October 28, following a lengthy illness. Mr. Payton was educated at Xavier University and graduated with a degree in Music Education. Following graduation, he began his 25-year career as a music instructor in the New Orleans public school system. During his years at McDonogh 15 elementary, in the French Quarter, Payton taught music and organized the school band, leading it to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. He was an affixed member of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. His many recording credits include Aaron Neville’s “Tell It Like It Is” and Lee Dorsey’s “Working in a Coal Mine.” Mr. Payton also shared his talents recording with his son, Grammy-winning trumpeter Nicholas Payton. Mr. Payton suffered a stroke in January in Washington D.C., while on tour with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. He returned to New Orleans, but never recovered sufficiently to go back on the road. He had been in and out of the hospital for the past several months. He was 68.
56 JAZZed November 2010
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