June4a

The JAZZ CULTURE

Marion Cowings, with Victor Gould, piano, Yoshi, bass, and Frank Levantino, drums, at Small's

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MARION COWINGS with Trio: VICTOR GOULD, piano, YOSHI, bass & FRANK LEVANTINO, drums

by L. Hamanaka Caught Marion Cowing’s Performance Workshop at Small’s on Sunday, June 2, 2013, from 1-3 p.m., with Victor Gould, piano, Yoshi, bass, and Frank Levantino, drums. Answering what must have been a query about the need for a bass player, Mr. Cowings demonstrated by singing “Give Me the Simple Life,” first without and then with the bass player. The atmosphere was informal and supportive. The class started with a Blues in F-to the melody of “Centerpiece,” at a medium slow swing. Everyone sang the melody, and Marion Cowings announced that he would show them how to do a “shout,” which he explained was a backup riff for soloists to push the rhythm ahead and make them sound good. H then sang a few “shouts” and assigned them to different people.

Concurrent with this, the others were singing the melody, so you couldn’t help but keep the melody in mind. At this point Mr. Cowings started scatting, and handing the microphone to students who one after the other, scatted solos. This increased their ability to respond spontaneously, and use their ears.

A lean, intense singer who is passionate about jazz singing, Mr. Cowings said, “We need music like we need food. If you ever have any doubts that what you’re doing is important.” The scatting went on for about ten minutes, and then everyone took seats, and proceeded to go one by one onto the bandstand to work on polishing their individual tunes.”If you give the band a roadmap up front, it makes the band like and respect you,” Mr. Cowings explained, as each singer explained the format of the tune to the band, counting off two measures at the desired tempo, and asked for however many measures of introduction they wanted, and how they would either conduct the ending of the song, or telling the band exactly the kind of ending they wanted. The comments made 2

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by Mr. Cowings included the following: “Find your light,” –asking singers to stay in the spotlight so they would be the ‘star’ of the performance, and not move out of it, or indeed, to move excessively, as one woman kept bobbing and moving her head to the beat, distracting the audience.

At the end of their tune, the singers learned to conduct endings or add a “button,” to the song. The songs selected that day included “All My Tomorrows,” “Poor Butterfly,” “Just Friends,” “I Can Dream Can’t I?,” and “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered.”

These seemingly simple techniques help distinguish the amateurs from the professionals, and Mr. Cowings sees his class as Performance Oriented.

“Sometimes people get wound up in technique and lose the quality of communication,” he said, urging the singers to communicate with their audiences. “Lead, or if you don’t, you will follow,” Mr. Cowings added. One gentleman was a drummer from abroad, and he was advised, “It’s all about the story.. You’ve got the notes and the rhythm, now give me how you feel.” This was in reference to the standard, “Just Friends,” which “Changes emotions very quickly,” as in the lyric, “We loved, we laughed, we cried.”

No matter what the level of the singer, Mr. Cowings was able to zero in on where they needed help, pointing out in one song, “the sequences that modulate,” and in another, “I Can Dream, Can’t I?” changing the key several times until finding the best one and also, changing the tempo to a swinging groove that gave the vocalist just enough space to “tell the story” at a swinging pace. Mr. Cowings also sped up the tempo on the ballad “Midnight Sun,” which is full of chromaticism and wide intervals, making it much easier for the vocalist and more interesting for the audience. At this point, Mitch piped in from the sidelines, “If you can establish the right feel, that’s 75% of it. You can sing the wrong note but you can’t sing the wrong rhythm.” Mr. Cowings also shared a The Jazz Culture, VII:2

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technique of Frank Sinatra’s in applying the “conversational” sound to music: to walk down the street and talk the lyrics until they came out the way “You” would say them, divorced from melody and rhythm. In this way, he said, each person would develop their own style. An outstanding vocalist, and one of the best American jazz singers, through it all Mr. Cowings managed to give each singer exactly the advice they needed to improve their rendition of the song. Singers: $40 Observers: $20.

Singers scatting at Marion Cowings' Performance Workshop at Small's; below, Mr. Cowings makes a point

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Events 1‐2 John Watson Review in England Tap Dance "Milt & Honi" Review How to Work on Your Intonation and Sight Singing: The Importance of Vocalists Working on the Inner Ear Gig Listings Jazz Vocal Workshop Photos Marion Cowings at Smalls info@thejazzculture.com http://theJazzCulture.com © 2012

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ENGLAND EVENT SARAH MOULE REVIEW

by JOHN WATSON Band: Sarah Moule & Trio Venue: 606 Club, Lots Road, Chelsea, London, UK Date: Monday 27th May 2013

This year sees the 25th Anniversary of London’s 606 Club and they are celebrating John Watson, pianist, composer, with a festival featuring forty musical director two bands (and guest stars) Photo: by Max Garr performing at the club between 22nd May to 2nd June. I was invited to one of the events by singer Sarah Moule who was singing with her trio featuring Simon Wallace on piano, Mick Hutton on bass and Paul Robinson on drums.

As usual, the club’s owner Steve Rubie came to the microphone to mention that this was the sixth day ofThe 25th Anniversary Festival and they had a packed programme including the Ronnie Scott’s All-Stars plus the 606 Club Band. He then introduced Sarah Moule and her trio. Sarah started in relaxed style with a mid-tempo swing number entitled ‘I’m Not Taking Any Chances’ showing she is totally at home performing in an intimate jazz club setting. Simon gave a considered piano solo followed by a melodic solo from bassist Mick. Throughout, the drummer Paul Robinson gave unobtrusive support on brushes; just changing to sticks during Simon’s solo.

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Sarah then introduced a song entitled from her recent show ‘Femmes Fatales’ with lyrics by Fran Landesman and music by Simon Wallace. The trio created a sparse and dark atmosphere, apt for the song’s title of ‘Noir’ and Sarah demonstrated a dramatic yet subtle side to her style. It was back up-tempo for the next song entitled ‘In A New York Minute’ with a modal flavour (especially during Simon’s piano solo).

In total contrast, we were then treated to a Bessie Smith song called ‘I Need Some Sugar In My Bowl’. Sarah captured the lazy, bluesy style of the song with just enough innuendo. The trio supported well with an authentic blues solo from Simon and also from Mick on bass. A highlight of the set for me was Sarah’s rendition of Cole Porter’s ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin’ performed slowly and thoughtfully with just a hint of rumba in the trio backing. Plus a colla voce section in the middle 8. I was starting to notice how Sarah really thinks about the lyrics as she delivers them and also how every song was in the perfect key for her to sing effortlessly. Then, changing the tempo back to medium swing, a brand new song followed, again with a lyric by Fran Landesman entitled ‘IfYou Believe That’.

Sarah introduced the next song as from her show ‘A Portrait Of Miss Peggy Lee’. It turned out to be Jerome Kern’s ‘The Folks Who Live On The Hill’. The arrangement was quite faithful to Peggy Lee’s recording with tender accompaniment from the trio interspersed with some lovely bass fills in the high register from Mick and great dynamics from Paul on brushes.

Another original song with a 12/8 slightly Afro/Caribbean feel followed entitled ‘The Secret Of Silence’. Sarah showed her capacity for delivering very fast lyrics in this song and Paul Robinson got a chance to shine with an extended drum solo where he sometimes used “broomsticks” (apparently the name of the large headed drum sticks) and then just his hands; as if playing congas.

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‘I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight’ was the next song given a ¾ gospel-like treatment. Sarah’s rendition showed a slightly more soulful side to her style and Simon gave a fitting gospel piano solo and the set ended with a swinging blues by Ida Cox entitled ‘Wild Women Don’t Have The Blues’. Throughout the performance Sarah expressed the music (and directed the musicians) with subtle body language. She is always respectful of a song’s lyrics and moves effortlessly among genres whilst still maintaining her relaxed core style. In a world of divas, Sarah holds on to the integrity of good songs with a gentle command without feeling she has to depend on vocal gymnastics to win an audience. For more information on Sarah Moule visit: www.sarahmoule.net and check out the 606 Club at www.606club.co.uk Pub Note: John Watson is a gifted English jazz pianist who has a steady gig at The Langham, a premiere London hotel with an exquisite restaurant where for a drink or soda, you can hear the John Watson Trio every weekend. Surpassing New York, London’s hotel industry supports jazz events and groups. John Watson also serves as musical director for various singers, and has a growing discography and popularity. A graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, John Watson has performed in many different situations, from hotels to jazz clubs, from festivals to parties. These include: Four Seasons Hotel London, The Dorchester Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Pizza Express Club Soho, Hammersmith Apollo, JVC Jazz Festival Paris, Grand Hotel du Cap Ferat Music Festival and St. Regis Hotel New York. John is a “triple threat”­­ singer, pianist and keyboardist, accompanist and long time music director of Leee John and legendary 80’s group Imagination.

Through popular demand, he has recorded and released several albums.

Most recently the JW3 Live at the Langham, (available for download) features his jazz trio and was recorded at the Palm Court,­The Langham, London, where John is currently resident pianist and musical director. www.johnpianoman.co.uk Myspace.com/johnawatson; youtube.com/johnpianoman; twitter.com/johnpianoman;facebook.com/john­watson/78494720527

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"MILT & HONI" A Jazz Friendship

by L. Hamanaka

“Milt & Honi” is a film produced by Louise Tiranoff, sister of Michael or “Toes” Tiranoff, a New York tap dancer. The film “Milt & Honi” means Milt Hinton and Honi Coles, Mr. Hinton the famous bass player, born in Mississippi, and Mr. Coles the famous tap dancer from Philadelphia. They met and worked together in Producer of"Milt & Honi" Louise Cab Calloway’s band.

The film consists of two taped rehearsals, one with Brenda Buffalino, Mr. Coles’s protégé, Bobby Rosengarten, drums, Mickey Tucker, piano, narration by Gregory Hines, tap dancer, and a charming and intriguing story line. The main asset of the film for non tap dancers (there are a lot of clips of virtuoso dancers such as Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson) are the anecdotes of Milt Hinton and Honi Coles.

The film gives some insight into the real lives of performing artists, whether it be the recounts of life on the road with the Cab Calloway band (they met in 1935), showing the band touring in its own railway car, where they broke the segregation ban on the dining car because of Mr. Calloway’s adamant position. The realities of life on the road are depicted through Milt Hinton’s own 8

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photographs, when their band travelled to 50 cities in 50 days.

Just as effective in revealing the real life of dancers are the silent rehearsals of Mr. Coles--portraying his “woodshedding” time when he became one of the fastest tap dancers known, a precursor of bebop music (according to him).

One of the very moving historical scenes shows Mr. Hinton’s family history in Mississippi, where after slavery, blacks were still relegated to discrimination. For example, his uncle, who was the nominal head of the family (Mr. Hinton’s parents broke up when he was very young), worked as the “Sunday” barber in the little Mississippi town, got his own clients, saved the money to leave, then found the law required he got permission from his boss to get on the train. His uncle had to fabricate a story to escape to Chicago, where he became a bellboy at a hotel, garnering tips from “John’s” and hookers, and saving up to bring his family north.

Milt Hinton originally played violin, however, there were no jobs for professional African American classical violinists at the time, and he was forced to sell newspapers. So he took up the bass fiddle, which at that time was making its debut in jazz groups, starting in New Orleans—the bands used a bass instead of a tuba.

He later became one of the most sought after musicians in the New York studio scene, and sometimes played three sessions a day. Mr. Hinton was a friend of Jackie Gleason and played in the house band of Mr. Gleason’s TV show. One scene interviews his devoted wife Mona, who went on tour with her husband and would fix dinners for the band, finding places for them to stay on the road, where there were often no accommodations for African American musicians. As a side note, during Mr. Hinton’s funeral at his church in Queens, someone asked the audience how many people he had helped there, and everyone raised their hands.

A relaxed virtuoso, Mr. Coles demonstrates in one scene, how to build a tap solo from a simple walk (on the quarter note). He later describes a dancer named “Bubbles” who by using his heels, broke The Jazz Culture, VII:55

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ground for dancers to dance much faster, using the subdivisions that made horn players like Charlie Parker create a new music out of a similar concept. Mr. Coles can play piano and sings in a winning tenor. He also dances as he plays piano; other footage shows his performance on Broadway, and also demonstrates his excellence in other dance groups such as the Miller Brothers.

Included is footage showing the “Tree of Hope” in Philadelphia, where show business people gathered to pray for jobs, and the “Hoofers’ Club” where dancers hung out 24/7 to work out routines and meet people. The film is a real contribution to the history of tap dancing in this country, and also to the jazz audience and

"Toes" Tiranoff, tap dancer, an advisor to the film, with wife Megan

deserves to be widely scene before international audiences.

The Jazz Culture Newsletter Private Jazz Tours in NYC; also pairs music teachers in certain countries with students or jazz enthusiasts. For Further Info email: info@thejazzculture.com 10

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JAZZ HERITAGE Leroy Williams Pub. Note: One of the most distinctive voices of jazz drumming, Leroy Williams was born in Chicago. Leroy Williams worked with Judy Roberts, a Chicago singer-pianist, from 1964 to 1967. Mr. Williams came to New York and worked with Booker Ervin in 1967. In the 70’s Mr. Williams worked with Hank Mobley, Thelonious Monk and Wilbur Ware. Later he worked with Charles McPherson, Yuself Lateef, Stan Getz, Andrew Hill, at the Village Sonny Stitt, Ray Bryant, Al Cohn, Leroy Williams Vanguard among others. Bobby Hill, and Junior Cook. In the 80’s he worked with Barry Harris, Art Davis, Tommy Flanagan, Steve Turre, and Bill Hardman. In the 90’s, Anthony Braxton, Lee Konitz, Ralph Lalama, Pete Malinverni; and recently with Bertha Hope’s Elmollenium, with Roni Ben Hur and Walter Booker.

JC: Was there music around your home when you were a kid?

Leroy Williams: My mother played the piano mostly spirituals and one sister also played classical piano. So there was always music in the house, always had a piano there. They wanted me to play, but I wanted to go out and play baseball and stuff, which I regret. So I started with drums when I was 15. I got the drums from the church that my parents and I went to. And there were some drums in the basement that no one was playing, so I asked The Jazz Culture, VII:2

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could I have the drums, so they said, ”You can take them. Actually the minister was my grandfather. He said nobody was using them, so he said take them. I don’t know why I gravitated towards the drums.

JC: What about the community?

LW: Jazz always was popular in Chicago. Music was everywhere, and Blues--Chicago is a blues town and there was a jazz scene. In the 50’s Detroit was booming, Cleveland, and the music was everywhere. Wilbur Ware, Von Freeman, Johnny Griffin, Gene Ammons, Eddie Harris, these were the guys I came up listening to, so many—John Young, Ahmad Jamal. 63 Street and 47th Streets were the streets where there were a lot of clubs, and they had music on the north side. All the bands used to come through.

Coltrane, Lester Young, Charlie Parker -- bands were traveling a lot. I had an opportunity to see them. There was that fertile period in the 50’s. All the music was there, Chris Anderson, Charles Davis, and Blues-Muddy Waters. Hearing all those guys playing around. Sun Ra’s band was in Chicago, Wilbur Campbell, Jack DeJohnette. It was special, fresh, and radical [what we heard from Charlie Parker, Monk]. It made us feel special.

JC: How often were you going out?

LW: Every chance I could. [It was a] Very fertile time. Louis Jordan, Louis Armstrong, Sammy Davis Jr. would come through and play at the Regal Theatre, [that was] comparable to the Apollo.

JC: When was your first gig?

LW: My first gig –professionally—we were young men, teenagers of 17-18 was at a place called the Flame Lounge on 39th Street. I was in a trio or quartet. We were playing around, we had a guitar, maybe a piano and bass. We wore a suit and a tie. You always had a dark suit-that was the uniform of the day. It was a little more formal. They had jam sessions there. One of many places [there were sessions at was the] “Breakfast Club.” After the regular gigs, they would play till early in the morning. Von Freeman used to 12

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play those jobs-in those days they played late, until 3:30-4:00 in the morning. All those things were happening. I was probably in my last year of high school. That’s when I started getting involved in the music seriously. [I went to] Du Sable High School. A lot of musicians went [there] Clifford Jordan, Johnny Griffin. Captain Walter Dyett was there. I wanted to play in the school band and Captain Dyett suggested a private teacher. Oliver Coleman-he worked around Chicago and he had students, young guys around the city.

JC: Was there anyone who helped you?

LW: Wilbur Ware was my mentor. He was around in Chicago [when I was a teenager], then he moved to New York and came back to Chicago. I used to go by his house; he had jam sessions at his house. He used to tell me things, “Watch this, don’t do that.”

We would just talk about music and he would make suggestions.

The main thing was “Listen” --that was the whole thing. He was a great bass player. He was the one who got me the gig with Thelonious Monk. Monk needed a drummer. I went down and played [with Monk] at the Vanguard and did a couple of gigs [with him] around the city and went to North Carolina, and played with Paul Jeffries. So Wilbur was a great influence on me, he was a great guy and a great musician. [The idea was,] play and listen at the same time. He used to take me around New York and ask, “How do you like this guy?” I’d say, “He’s okay.” And he’d say, “Well not really.” He was a big help.

The piano player Bobby Few – [sometimes it was Albert Daily]; and Woody Shaw played with the group—the pianist with Booker recommended me. We played in Brooklyn, in the city; some small clubs in the Village. Larry Ridley was in that band.”

JC: How did you move to New York?

Leroy Williams : Actually I was about ready to move to New York.

I was playing at the London House with this pianist Judy Roberts.

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[were there], and one night Roy said, “We need you in New York, that’s it, that’s it--cool.” Roy said, “You sound great.” So that was really instrumental in my coming to New York. A lot of guys were moving to New York.

We were living on the lower east side, I was living on 6th Street. Max was living there, Gilly Coggins, Joe Lee Wilson, Monty Waters. One of my best friends was an artist. It was different then--in the East Village now they want $2,000 for an apartment. At the time there was a lot of [artistic] activity. I was making more money in Chicago, $50-60 a night—we had a good job in Chicago. Judy Roberts played all the better jobs.

JC: You played with so many artists, would you describe how you Leroy Williams at 2012 Celebration ofWilbur Ware

got involved with Sonny Rollins?

LW: Through Wilbur Ware, I played at the Vanguard with Sonny.

He was changing up a lot 9band members]. Then I played with Wilbur around the city, and Bobby Few—as a trio.

JC: What about Archie Shepp?

LW: When I first came to New York, I played with him at Newport. We played at Slugs for a week and some gig in New Jersey.

JC: And Clifford Jordan?

LW: Clifford was a Chicago guy [but]I didn’t know him in Chicago. I got close to him in New York. I played a lot of gigs with Cliff-he was a great musician.

JC: What was the difference in working with someone like Buddy Tate?

LW: He was a swinging cat, but he was a little earlier, but he had that basic swing. His concept was like Basie as opposed to bebop.

You wouldn’t overplay. From Louis Armstrong on up-the deal was, 14

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keep the music swinging. If you lose that, you lose the essence.

JC: How did you meet Barry Harris?

LW: I met Barry through Charles McPherson. I was playing out in Brooklyn with John Patton and C Sharpe. Charles McPherson came in. He asked me did I know Barry. He said, “He would probably really like the way you play.” So Charles had a jam session [and asked me to come by], and had Barry and Lonnie [Hillyer] come by. Charles was living [in Queens at the time], so Barry played… In a lot of ways, we think a lot alike. We like the same people, Bud, Monk and Bird. He’s a dedicated musician, and loves the music—[I’ve been influenced by] his creativity.

JC: I notice you have a piano at home; and you also sing.

LW: I like to fool around with the piano a little bit. When my mother was alive, I used to go home and she’d say, “You want to play the piano now.” I like melodies, Billie Holiday, Billy Eckstine, Sarah. I’d strike melodies [on the drums]. I kind of think that way, my love of singers and melodies. “Play the song,” the lyrics, and all that. [It] probably contributes to my music. Once I was at a jam session, and a vocalist came up to sing, and I said, “It’s ok with me. As long as she’s good, it’s all music.” I do like melodic things. I try to color the music and you’ve got different sounding instruments up there, two cymbals and three different sounding drums. I try to do that, like a melody.

JC: Do you think any other drummer is similar [in their melodic awareness]?

LW: Max of course was my favorite. Always, when you listen to the older guys, they always had the melody in mind, unless it was just a solo drummer and not involved in the music-like horns. I come back to Max, Art Blakey too. Art is more thunderous. He’s a melodic player too. Phillie Joe Jones is another, Kenny Clarke.

Then some of the younger drummers too. I like a lot…Willie Jones III, and a couple other guys—I don’t get out too much. The drummer that plays with Christina McBride. The Beat goes on.

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JC: Who were your greatest influences-who are your favorite drummers and why?

LW: [Max] was a real inspiration for me and still is. He was my guy. I could hear Max was very melodic, Mr. Williams at the Wilbur Ware he was an all around great Function in 2012 drummer, he always played with a very nice beat. [Then there was] Papa Jo Jones, Big Sid Catlett. [Explaining how one generation of musicians learns from the prior, Mr. Williams said] Max would play something, and someone said, “He probably got it from Big Sid.” JC: What’s your concept of time.

LW: That’s the whole thing about drums. Time. It doesn’t matter how much you play, that’s the main thing. Time keeper. Tempo.

How much does that affect the music? That’s all of it really. If the time is not there, the time might get a little off, kind of normal, we’re not robots. Time, time. Everybody’s in sync. Some people have different concepts of the beat. Some guys hear on top of the beat, behind, some guys play in the middle. Everybody’s got a different concept, keep it together, make adjustments if the time is not there. The sax player keeps his time. I just try to integrate myself in the group. I don’t say, “This is it, this is it.” You try to get everybody on the same page and make beautiful music.

Sometimes if time gets off, if I think I know where it is, I say, “boom, boom.”

JC: What is the difference between jazz drumming and other styles?

LW: Jazz drumming is looser and freer than say rock drumming.

It’s a more free form of drumming. You have more creative to me.

In the time and within the solos and every aspect of drummer.

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Years ago, the bass drum was where you kept all the time. Then it was --he put the beat on the cymbal, Kenny Clarke. He was responsible for getting the beat off the bass drum and putting it on the ride cymbal and sock cymbal. Years ago, it was all 4/4. Kenny Clarke loosened it up and different syncopations in the left hand.

JC: How do you manage to do all those things at the same time?

LW: I don‘t know drummers have so many things, left right hand, time. Colors. It’s a big job. But it’s cool.

JC: How do you practice?

LW: Not enough. Sometimes I go over things. I don’t practice as much as I used to. I play along with music sometimes. I should do more of that (composing). I’ve been lax on that. But I’ll get back to it.

JC: When you rehearse a song, do you have input about how things (a song) should go.

LW: Yes. JC: What are some of the things you’ve done recently.

LW: I just played with Barry a week or so ago, at the Village Vanguard…The Duke Ellington Society at Symphony Space on his birthday. Last year with Barry and this April with Joe Temperley.

Paul West and I did something at the Woodlawn Cemetery to honor Duke.

JC: What do you do to keep in shape.

LW: The nature of the instrument-you’re moving all the time. I don’t do anything special. I do a little walking. It’s a workout to play. You’re carrying the drums around with you. It’s a physical thing. Gotta pack ‘em up, set ‘em up then play them. That’s how you get most of your physicality from-playing them. Different musicians use different parts of their bodies. Saxophone players might use their fingers, drummers [use their] legs and arms.

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JC: How do you think being married and having children has affected you as a musician?

LW: Maybe having children-you’re more responsible. I don’t know if it helped make me a great musician, it’s given me more responsibility as a person. It’s a process, you play, you grow, you absorb.

JC: Music is a lifelong dedication.

LW: I guess it has been. I love the music. It definitely has a spiritual component to the music. It’s all individual and it’s all personal. You’re constantly growing as a musician and as a person.

I got involved in music because I was drawn to it, my mother played music, it was all around, then all the guys were out playing.

That’s where the music was, in the community. Just the music, itself. In those days guys would come from work and go to clubs and be invigorated by the music. Especially in Chicago. They had a lot of working people. People came out and supported the music.

There’s not a lot of jobs around [now] and it’s not in the community like it used to be. It was in the 50’s-like in Harlem during that period, part of the fabric of the community. You walk out your house, your hear somebody practicing. It was there.

Everything changed in the 60’s-Malcolm got killed, Martin Luther King, talking about black power, all this was happening. Then the guys started playing more—freer—avant garde. Tenor of the time.

People started wearing dashikis, hippies were downtown…

California. Society changed.

JC: How central is swing to jazz, LW: That’s what it is, to me. Duke Ellington-what did he say?

JC: “It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got that Swing.”

LW: Jazz is about that. You look back. Billie Holiday sang a song called, “Swing that Music.” That’s what the music is about. Jazz-whatever they called it. That’s what it was about. I met Michael James [he’s the nephew of Duke Ellington] -on the street somewhere- he said “Leroy, you swinging anywhere?” He didn’t 18

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ask me was I playing anywhere?

That’s what it is.

JC: If you had to describe your Ray Drummond & Leroy Williams at the Village style?

LW: It’s to swing… keep the music swinging. As big of an influence ---find your own voice on any instrument. I think I found it. And you play it. You don’t want to be an imitator, because we’re all unique. You take Max, I play a lot of things he played, Kenny, you borrow from everybody but you try to roll it up, how would it sound if I turn it around… you’re your own person. I always thought like that. Bottom line is you’re unique, you’re not your mother. You have your own unique story to tell and your own way of doing it. And that’s the beauty of music. All the great people, Billie didn’t sound like Sarah, Lena Horne, all the way down the line. You could tell, “That’s Dinah.” I don’t really think of any particular thing. I think it all of it is just flowing from you. Most of it’s spontaneous--in the moment. I practice my whole life to be creative. Spontaneous-that goes with the music itself.

JC: Advice to younger drummers: LW: If [I was] giving advice to younger drummers, [I’d say] “Keep your time together. The music Barry and I play, and most of the guys I play with [have] the same concept. [But] about fusion: I played avant garde with Shepp, that’s out—but the core thing is back [swing]. It’s about swinging the music and feeling.

Even though it’s [jazz] spread around the world. It’s [getting better as] It has probably spread more … I remember Johnny Griffin saying, “When I first came over here [Europe], the drummers were horrible. So everything-I think the drummers are getting better. All The Jazz Culture, VII:2

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over. One of the reasons is the music is in schools and universities.”

JC: Do musicians make special demands on you: LW: A lot of people want different things from a drummer.

Booker Ervin liked a lot of high hat. “We need a lot of high hat.”

The basic things with all those people – everyone likes different things from a drummer. [Some might want] “Not too much bass drum;” [but they all] care about keeping the music swinging.

You’re learning all [the time]. [One guy might say} “On my solo, don’t play on this cymbal for my solo.” A lot of guys have things that they like. In rehearsal …I remember playing with Andrew Hill. Andrew had a different concept. I said what do you want me to play? He said, “You know what to play.” He left it up to me, he trusted my own particular discretion, he was much looser.

JC: Leroy Williams released “Time Is” recently. Was that a long term project?

LW: I always thought about it. I was talking to Ben Hur. I showed him one of those tunes I had written. He said, why don’t you go in the studio. We went in together. That’s how that started, a joint thing. I got a lot of nice feedback. Nice reviews in England.

“Great”… It’s available now on CD Baby. I used to have some in the record stores. [At the session] I told the guys what I wanted.

[They were] tunes that everybody knew, except “Rosita.”

JC: I see who you come from, Max and Kenny Clarke and Art Blakey, but in terms of who comes after you, I remember something Betty Carter said, “I don’t hear anybody who scares me.”

LW: I know where she was coming from, but every now and then [I hear someone]. There’s some mighty nice drummers out there.

They might be a little younger but they play very well. There’s a lot of guys out there.

JC: Do you feel it was destiny to become a jazz musician and 20

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drummer?

LW: I’m still playing so I guess that’s what I’m supposed to be doing. A lot of people drop out of music. It is my destiny.

Comments of other musicians [who subscribe to JC]:

Bertha Hope’s comments: I learned so much about rhythm placement from LeRoy Williams' and the musicality of the drums.

He is a drummer who plays squarely in the middle of the beat--in the middle of the spectrum of "one', and locks so well when the bass player, who establishes where 'one' is going to be within the context of the rhythm section, gives him all the room he needs for melodic fills, statements, that the rest of the band members can have a conversation with. His brushes are so tasteful--he is a solid drummer who brings "I gotcha. I am aware that am a member of a trio here." He is a listening drummer, not off on his own ego trip of overbearing, loud, flashy, unmusical displays of power statements.

His cymbal sound is mellow and well integrated to the tunings he uses. And he does not forget that he is supporting a melody within the body of the composition. I had the privilege of playing with Leroy over time in a working band, “ELMOlennium,” and this is where I learned to hear the support system that well-coordinated drums and bassists give, and to appreciate the sheer joy that is possible, and try to duplicate and honor that necessity as often as I could. I am definitely a better musician myself because I had the chance to interpret musical compositions, over time, with Leroy in the drummer's chair. I value my collaboration as a high point in my own experience as a pianist. He Leroy Williams & Ray Drummond, is a mainstream drummer, Bassist understands the language of The Jazz Culture, VII:2

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that genre, swings with passion, and he may not volunteer this information readily, but there is a clarinet in his musical background, giving him a melodic listening edge.

Barry Harris: [We] met in the late 60’s. We’ve been together ever since then. You might call it a Midwest connection-Chicago and Detroit.

JC: Those were two great branches of the jazz tree.

BH: That’s it.

JC: At the same time that section of the country produced a lot of outstanding musicians.

BH: We had a beautiful music scene. At that age, what was going on in Chicago, before we got to NY, it was going on in Detroit, in Newark, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh. All those places. There were young outlets all over. We were part of those young outlets.

Musically we fell in love with each other, and that was our life.

Entirely different [than it is now]-[we had] connections to a lot of cities. Milwaukee, DC, Indianapolis, all these places. Benny Green, Walter Davis all of these places had little areas –Chicago.

We all had a certain kind of love for music. … we believed in the same thing. Leroy is younger than me. We believed in the feel of Bird, the ideal, and the magnitude of Bird’s musical influence. All we did was--we had the same kind of life going on. So that’s what led to us being together for 50 years. Young cats couldn’t know about this kind of feeling, the way we felt about the music, Bird Bud and Dizzy. That was our beginning and I guess you could call it our end, because we haven’t changed too much since then.

Similar likes and similar dislikes, musical likes and dislikes. There were deserters to the music. This has all come about because Rock and Roll came on the scene. Some of us loved [the music] completely. He and I had the same likes and dislikes. You couldn’t ask for a better brother than that. * * *

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Gig Listings of The Jazz Culture Subscribers: Please support these artists and bring your friends.

June listings

June 2: Ray Blue, St. Peter's Jazz Vespers June 3: Bertha Hope- School concert today Harlem Success West June 4: Ray Blue trio, Jules, East 8th Street June 5: Rick Stone Trio, 6:00 pm, Garage, 99 7th Avenue South, NYC June 8: Rick Stone 55 Bar, 6:00 p.m., 55 Christopher Street, NYC June 8: Lafayette Harris: Trumpets. Saturday June 8th 8&10pm http://www.trumpetsjazz.com/682013-houston-personquartet/ June 9, 16, 23, 30: Richard Clemens at Shel's 7-10 June 4, 11, 18, 25: Barry Harris Class every Tuesday at 250 West 65 Street Community Center, 6:30 piano, 8:00 singers, 10:30 improvisation June 11: Lafayette Harris, Little Branch Seventh Avenue South, 10:30p.m.

June 14: Lafayette Harris, Silver Lining, 75 Murray Street, 9 p.m.

June 16: Lafayette Harris, Triad, 7 p.m. $20/$15 advance call 305450-0764 June 18: Ray Blue, National Black Theatre, Harlem Bank 2031 5th Avenue June 21/22: Rick Stone, Kindred Spirits Steakhouse, 334 Route 32A, Palenville, 7:00 p.m.

NY phone: 518-678-3101 http://www.catskillmtlodge.com June 24: Bertha Hope- Jazz Foundation ofAmerica sponsors JazzberryJam! to host their weekly Jam 7-9p, Local 802, 322 west 48 th st NYC The Jazz Culture, VII:2

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June 25: Joe Magnarelli at Smoke (Miles tribute with Mike LeDonne) June 26: Joe Magnarelli at Iridium June 26: Bertha Hope-Lehman College Graduation June 27: Michael Weiss Quartet at the Fat Cat, 11 p.m.

June 27: Ray Blue - Denmark June 28: Bertha Hope at 966 Fulton in Brooklyn,NY. Come dance, food, refreshments available at a modest price. 9pm $20 England: Every Friday & Saturday: John Watson at the Palm Court, Langham 1c Portland Place, London, no cover or minimum 44-207-965-0195 Italy: Jazz Workshop in Rome Produced by Luciano Fabris and Anna Pantuso with Barry Harris at the Felt Club

Job Opening: Advertising Director for The Jazz Culture Newsletter.Commission basis, 50%. Please email resume to: info@thejazzculture.com 24

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