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Spectacular Jazz Gifts - Go To www.JazzMusicDeals.com
PriesterPriester
Interviews Marcus MillerMarcus Miller Jazz At Lincoln Center, March 29Jazz At Lincoln Center, March 29--3030
Duduka Da FonsecaDuduka Da Fonseca Dizzy’s Club, March 28Dizzy’s Club, March 28--3131
Ingrid JensenIngrid Jensen Dizzy’s Club, April 1Dizzy’s Club, April 1
Comprehensive Comprehensive
Directory Directory of NY ClubS, ConcertS of NY ClubS, ConcertS JulianJulian
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March-April 2019 – Volume 9, Number 12
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CONTENTSCONTENTS
CLUBS, CONCERTS, EVENTSCLUBS, CONCERTS, EVENTS 13 Calendar of Events 18 Clubs & Venue Listings
4 Marcus Miller
INTERVIEWSINTERVIEWS 20 Julian Priester by Ken Weiss
30 Duduka DaFonseca 33 Ingrid Jensen
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Interview & Photos By Eric Nemeyer
JI: Could you discuss some of your sources of
inspiration and background?
MM: I’m from a musical family. My father
plays the piano. His cousin played piano with
Miles Davis. Wynton Kelly was his name. My
father’s father played the piano, and my fa-
ther’s sisters all sang. So music was part of my
life. To be honest, it wasn’t anything special. I
thought that’s what everybody did. You had
choir rehearsals at your house on Wednesdays,
and you heard your dad practicing all week.
You went to church and listened to that music.
Then you went down to the church basement
and performed for your family on Sunday af-
ternoons. That’s what I thought everybody did.
So music wasn’t really that special—it was
just part of my life. But when I heard the Jack-
son 5, when I was ten years old, and they told
me the kid singing was my age—that kind of
blew my mind. These guys were so talented
and the music was so incredible. Not only
were they talented, but they came at the end of
the Motown era … that Motown machine
where they were cranking out music. I mean,
they were a well-oiled machine. Those Jack-
son 5 tracks underneath the singing were just
as incredible as the singing. So it was a really
intoxicating package for a ten year old kid. At
that point, I said, “I think I need to take this
music stuff a little bit more seriously.” I start-
ed playing the bass and learning the songs.
Luckily, the bass player that I was emulating –
or who I thought I was emulating – was
Michael’s brother Germaine. He is the guy
who plays the bass when they’re on the stage.
I realize now that I was emulating James
Jamerson - the famous Motown session bass
player. He was playing on all the records. So I
got a really good solid foundation from those
Jackson 5 records. All the kids my age were
crazy about them. I guess every generation has
the kid group that they love. My generation
just happened to be fortunate enough to have
their kid group be a bunch of geniuses. Mi-
chael Jackson stayed inspirational for his
whole life - and up until a few years ago when
he passed. He was an inspiration to me. I was
at a bass clinic a few years ago and they said
we don’t have a drummer, we just want you to
play the bass for the kids and talk about the
bass. I ended up playing that song “I’ll Be
There” - which of course I’ve known for years
and years. It came out kind of cool and some-
body played me a tape of it and I said you
know what/ I need to put that on my album,
so.
JI: Is that the “I’ll Be There” that the Four
Tops recorded first around 1966?
MM: This is a completely different one that
Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 recorded.
JI: How about War, one of the other inspira-
tions for the music on your album Renais-
sance.
MM: So we’re in the same period. I got drawn
into the R&B thing with the Jackson 5. Then
as a bass player, you start gravitating towards
funky bands. War was an incredible band at
that time, and Sly and the Family Stone, and a
little later Kool and the Gang and Tower of
Power were all important bands.
JI: War, led by Eric Burdon, was an out-
growth of his previous band, The Animals
who had hits with “Don’t Let Me Be Misun-
derstood,” and “House of the Rising Sun.”
MM: Exactly. That was Eric Burdon’s group.
In the ‘70’s, they were just coming up with
grooves. The grooves had a little bit of a New
Orleans flavor to them. The bass line usually
stayed in the same place creating a trance. One
of those songs was “Slippin’ Into Darkness.”
The bass just played three notes over and over
again. And that thing just got in your bones
man. I think I have some theme bass lines that
I walk around the street hearing in my head -
and that’s one of them. So every once in a
while, I pull them out and decide to try to do a
cover.
JI: Janelle Monáe—her song “Tightrope”?
MM: Well, that’s on the other side because
that song was out, like that song was a hit a
couple of years ago. But it’s so cool. It re-
minded me of the songs I loved because it has
a bass line that’s really cool. It sounded like a
boogie-woogie, New Orleans kind of feeling.
So I called Dr. John, whose voice kind of con-
tains New Orleans in it – to have him collabo-
rate with me on this song. We had a lot of fun.
JI: Ivan Lins’ compositions provide a com-
pletely different flavor on your CD.
MM: That guy writes such beautiful songs. I
recorded with him a few times. I first heard
“Setembro (Brazilian Wedding Song”) on a
Quincy Jones album - he did a beautiful ver-
sion, with wordless vocals. I wanted to do it
and, of course, I wanted to give it a spin be-
cause it doesn’t really make sense for me to
try to recreate a song in it’s original style. I
wanted to take the Brazilian part and switch it
over to Afro-Cuban. So I inserted a vamp in
“I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to take her [Roberta Flack’s] offer to play in the road band … But I ran into her
on the street in New York. She was rid-ing her bike. She said, ‘You haven’t re-turned my phone calls. Are you going to go on the road or not?’ I couldn’t
say no to her face—so I took the gig. It was one of the best things I ever did.”
Marcus Miller
Miles Davis, Sinatra, Grover Washington and more
INTERVIEWINTERVIEW
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there, and got Ruben Blades to collaborate
with me to access that side of it. He came up
with a chant to sing during the vamp. Then we
got Gretchen Parlato, who’s a really well
known New York chant vocalist to do the
wordless vocals. Then she does a scat solo -
and it turned into something really nice.
JI: You were mentioning that sometimes you
just pick things up and you don’t even know
you’re picking up those ideas. Given the ex-
tensive list of musicians with whom you have
played – and to pick up some of those things
that you might not realize at the time that you
are picking up - could you talk about some of
recording sessions that have been highlights
for you, that may have contributed.
MM: I started out with Roberta Flack. That
was one of my early gigs. Initially, I wasn’t
sure whether I wanted to take her offer to play
in the road band—because at 19 years old, I
couldn’t imagine myself standing there play-
ing those slow songs all night. But I ran into
her on the street in New York. She was riding
her bike. She said, “You haven’t returned my
phone calls. Are you going to go on the road
or not?” I couldn’t say no to her face—so I
took the gig. It was one of the best things I
ever did. I was on the stage, playing these
songs that aren’t that difficult to play on bass.
But I saw how effective this music was. It was
the first time I ever saw people crying based
on someone singing a song. It was because it
was just so emotionally moving. It was a real
huge lesson for me. Luther Vandross was a
background singer in the band at the same
time. So he was learning the same lesson. Af-
ter a couple of years with Roberta, Luther and
I recorded Luther’s demo for him to get his
own record deal. A couple years later, I found
myself on the stage by him - watching him
affect people in the same way. It was a really
strong lesson about the power of music - and
how it’s not about playing all the notes, it’s
really about playing the right notes. That was
confirmed when I found myself in Miles Da-
vis’ band doing the same thing with a trumpet.
It’s just about finding these notes to affect
people. It has to do with setting them up, do-
ing what they expect up to a certain point.
Then, when they really think they know
what’s coming, that’s when you go some-
where else and really blow their minds. Rob-
erta was a genius at that. Luther was a genius.
Miles was a genius at that. I enjoyed playing
on Donald Fagen’s Nightfly. Somebody just
reminded me about that album. Brilliant. Don-
ald Fagen was half of Steely Dan. I played on
maybe four or five cuts. Just to see him put
music together ... He wanted each of the in-
struments to fit together, to mesh together like
a clock, like a Swiss clock. He was really in-
terested in how the bass interacted with the
guitar, which interacted with the drums. He
wanted them all to fit - to be really synchro-
nized.
JI: How did he communicate that to you or
expect you to do that?
MM: I’d play a take and then I’d hear him
solo. When we were in the control room lis-
tening back, he would solo the bass and the
guitar, or solo the bass and the drums—just
play just those two instruments without any of
the other instruments, to see how they meshed
together. I could tell what he was listening for.
So I said, “Oh, let me do one more take on it. I
got it. I see what you’re looking for and locked
it in for him.” That’s cool. But at the top of the
music were these beautiful melodies - these
really emotional, honest songs. If you have a
great song and then you really take some care
to put the music together, you can come up
with something beautiful. Bryan Ferry was
also a really cool artist to work with. He was
kind of a predecessor to Bowie. He’s still
around doing his thing. I first worked with him
in the ‘80’s and it was crazy. The guy would
show up in New York and call me to the stu-
dio. He’d have nothing but a drum beat. He’d
say play some bass to this drum beat. So I’d
throw some bass on there. He’d say, “Okay,
I’ll see you later.” A year and a half later,
they’d show up back in New York. I’d go to
the studio after they’d gone all around the
world overdubbing musicians to this drums
and bass thing that I had left him with a year
and a half earlier. This thing was now a tapes-
try. It was unbelievable – a collage of all these
different elements. They had this English rock
guitar from Britain and they had guys from the
Middle East playing percussion. It was incred-
ible to see somebody make music that way. He
was more like a painter than a musician. He
would add elements, stand back and look at it
for a while, and then add something else. The
album was called Boys and Girls. Then we did
another called Bête Noire, which was really
cool. I remember working with Aretha Frank-
lin. Luther was producing her. After he had his
first couple of hits, Clive Davis asked him to
produce Aretha.
JI: Was that when she recorded “Who’s
Zoomin’ Who” around 1985?
MM: It was right before that. We did “Jump
To It.” That was the hit that we wrote for her.
Some artists walk in the door and they’re
ready to start. They’re at the top of their emo-
tional peak as soon as they start playing. Are-
tha wasn’t one of those. She had to warm up.
She didn’t give it up right away. When she
finally started to get warm, it was just about
the time that the band was learning the song
and that everything was coming together. So,
you got these great performances. I started
comparing that to other situations where the
(Continued from page 4)
“Some artists walk in the door and they’re ready to start. They’re at the top of their emotional peak as soon as they start playing. Ar-etha wasn’t one of those. She had to warm up. She didn’t give it up right away. When she finally started to get warm, it was just about the time that the band was learning the song and that everything
was coming together. So, you got these great performances.”
— Anton Chekhov
“Encroachment of freedom will not come
about through one violent action or movement but will come about
through a series of actions that appear to be unrelated and coincidental, but
that were all along systematically planned for dictatorship.”
— John Adams, 2nd President
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artist, singer or the saxophone player, or
whoever’s album it was, would give their best
performances right at the beginning - the first
take. So by the time the band really kind of got
it together, they’d already peaked. Then those
artists were frustrated because they’re like,
“Man, I’m trying to capture the magic of that
first take and I can’t.” They’re on the down
side of the mountain. So I learned about pa-
tience. You have to peak as a group, as op-
posed to peaking as an individual. That was a
really, really important lesson.
JI: What kinds of experiences did you have
working with Grover Washington? What kinds
of instructions did he give you? What kinds of
things did you talk about?
MM: You know, with Grover, Ralph McDon-
ald was the producer. I had met Ralph about a
year earlier. I was playing with Bobbi Humph-
rey, who was a really well known flute player.
I wrote a song that Bobbi wanted to record.
She asked Ralph, who was producing her al-
bum, if she could have her young bass player
come in and play on the one song that he
wrote. Ralph let me come in and play. After
the session, Ralph asked, “Can you read mu-
sic?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “Don’t bullshit
me. Can you read it?” I said, “Yes, I can read
it really well.” He says, “Okay. I’m gonna
start recommending you because I like your
sound.” Not only did he start recommending
me for sessions, but he started calling me for
the sessions he was producing himself and one
of those artists that he was producing was
Grover Washington. So thanks to Ralph, be-
tween the time that he said he was going to
start recommending me and three months lat-
er, I was working 24 hours a day. In New
York, at that time, there was so much work. If
you could read and you could play with feel-
ing, there was a lot of opportunity. So Ralph
was really instrumental in kind of getting me
going. He called me for the Grover sessions.
I’m 19 years old. Three or four years before
that, I was playing along with records in my
bedroom. Now I’m sitting here playing. It ac-
tually felt like I was playing along with a
Grover Washington record, even when I was
recording with him. I did realize that I was
actually in the band because I played a lick
and then I heard Grover repeat the lick in his
solo right after that. I said, “Whoa!” That nev-
er happened in my bedroom when I was play-
ing along with the record. The musicians never
reacted to me when I was playing along with
the record. It was a beautiful experience. The
band was Steve Gadd on drums, Richard Tee
on piano, Eric Gale on guitar and Ralph
McDonald on percussions. It was a great
group. It was the Winelight album, and the big
hit off that album was “Just the Two of Us.”
JI: Were there some particularly memorable
moments that you might share?
MM: I remember a Frank Sinatra session.
Quincy Jones was the arranger and he handed
everybody music. George Benson was looking
at the music like, “Man, this stuff looks com-
plicated.” George is a real natural player. He
doesn’t read that much. I looked at it. I said,
“Man, don’t worry about it. This is right up
your alley.” Frank Sinatra showed up, started
singing and after he sang two verses, he said,
“Okay George Benson solo.” By that time,
George said, “Oh, I got this.” He killed it like
he always killed it. It was just funny to see
him be a little bit nervous before a session.
The album’s called LA is My Lady. The room
was full of musicians. Quincy was the arranger
and the conductor.
JI: Did you have any discussions with Frank
Sinatra? What kind of vibe was there in that
session?
MM: I took the elevator up to the seventh
floor where the studio was. This big Italian
dude was standing at the elevator. “What’s
your name?” I gave him my name. It’s the first
time I’ve ever had to go through security to
get to a recording session. We were all waiting
for Frank. Quincy ran the songs over with the
band. Frank showed up, sang a couple of
takes, then did the next song, and sang a cou-
ple of takes. He said, “I think that’s good Q,”
and he left. That was my experience with
Frank Sinatra. It was like that a lot. You just
go in, you read the music, you do your thing
and you leave. You make sure to sign your
form first, to make sure you get paid.
JI: You were involved with a lot of film music
and you worked with Spike Lee. Could you
talk about some of those experiences?
MM: Spike had had his first breakthrough
movie, She’s Gotta Have It. He had to really
scratch to get that one made. I think that was
his first film or the first one he got released
through a major distributor. I was just admir-
ing his work from afar and I got a phone call.
He said, “Marcus, this is Spike. Listen, I got a
beach party, a pool party scene in my next
movie. It’s got a bunch of girls with big be-
hinds in bathing suits, and I need you to write
a song for it. I need the song to be called ‘The
Butt’ and I need it to be the dance sensation
across the nation, okay? Call me when you got
something.” That was it. So I had to come up
with this tune called “The Butt.” So I got to-
gether with my songwriting buddy Mark Ste-
vens—who is Chaka Khan’s brother. We came
up with a song and we recorded a demo for
Spike and sent it to him. He said, “I love it.
Record it.” So we had a big recording session.
I really wanted it to be like a party song, and I
wanted the record to contain the party— like
some of the old ‘60’s records—where you can
hear people partying on the record. So I asked
Spike to bring the whole cast of the movie to
the studio. After we recorded the song, we ran
the song in the studio and recorded everybody
having a good time to the song. Even in the
studio, as I was recording it, I already knew it
was a hit - because I could see 55 people par-
tying to it. I said, “Oh, this works.” We really
had a good time, and as Spike predicted, it was
a huge dance hit. As a matter of fact, on MTV
awhile back, they had a special called
“Famous rear end songs,” and “Baby Got
Back” was one of them and “The Butt” was
another one. So I’m in good company I guess.
Spike asked me to produce the song on a go-
go band out of Washington, D.C. called E.U.
[Experience Unlimited]. They’re an incredible
band. That go-go movement in D.C. is very
interesting. It was started by Chuck Brown,
who recently passed but it was so interesting
because it really has stayed in D.C. It really
never became a national thing until this song,
“The Butt.” Spike’s movie enabled that go-go
sound to reach the rest of the nation.
JI: What other movies did you work on that
made an impact on you?
MM: I did House Party. That was my first big
one. Then I did Eddie Murphy’s Boomerang,
which was a really cool movie – with Eddie
Murphy, Robin Givens, Halle Barry, Martin
Lawrence, Grace Jones, David Allen Grier,
Chris Rock. That was the first time I started
using R&B elements in the score as opposed
to just using strings or something like that.
Because it was an urban movie, I figured it
could stand to use some rhythm in the score. I
did a movie called Two Can Play That Game
with Vivica A. Fox.
JI: To calculate where every piece of music,
every note and rhythm went in a film, you
used to had to have your slide rule out to cal-
culate the number of frames per second, sec-
onds per frame, and all that. Now it’s so much
quicker and easier.
MM: The computer changes all that. You used
to have to come to a scoring session with cal-
culators. If you wanted to make sure the or-
chestra hit when the guy, when the cars
crashed or something like that, you had to re-
ally do some measurements - to figure out
what tempo you could make the music … so
that a good beat on the music would corre-
spond with the car crash. Now, your computer
can do that in two seconds. So it’s not as diffi-
cult. The other thing that makes it not as diffi-
cult is that a movie composer had to be able to
(Continued on page 9)
Marcus Miller
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imagine the whole score in his head. All he
would do really was to play it on the piano for
the director. So, just imagine - it’s gonna be
huge. Now, with your samplers and your key-
boards and everything, the director walks in
the studio and you play it, it basically sounds
like an orchestra already - because you have
all these samples. So people don’t have the
imagination that they used to have, because
you can kind of realize anything you want.
JI: Remember when you watched movies or
TV shows where the themes were overwhelm-
ingly new and original. Some of the most
memorable songs were the themes on some of
those TV sitcoms and westerns. Now you go
to the movies, and when they say buy the
score, much of the music is made up record-
ings that are licensed from current pop albums
or are hits from the past that you already
know.
MM: Well, you know, there did become a
division between the soundtrack and the score.
If you go to old movies, they were one and the
same. The soundtrack was the score. The same
music that you heard while you were watching
the movie was on the album that you bought.
But after Saturday Night Fever, which was the
number one selling album of all time before...
Saturday Night Fever was a perfect movie to
do that with because it was a dance movie.
They could put some dance songs in there.
They realized there was so much money to be
made from the soundtracks that they just start-
ed putting hits on the soundtracks - even if the
hits had nothing to do with the movie. They’d
get some great artists to put some hits togeth-
er, and then they’d put it on the soundtrack
and they’d say something like, “music inspired
by the movie” - because everyone realizes it
didn’t have anything to do with the movie.
Well, now because of the economic situation,
they’re not even asking artists to create new
music. Lots of times, they just go in the cata-
log and find great songs that they think are
appropriate. That’s the new trend now. Plus,
with a new song, you can never be guaranteed
that it’s gonna be a hit. With an old one,
there’s a guarantee. It’s already a hit. So
you’re hedging your bet a little bit.
JI: In writing music for films, working with
either the director or the producer, what have
been some of the challenges that you’ve expe-
rienced – in the role of creative individual
versus corporate decision maker?
MM: Well, the first thing you have to learn as
a musician is that your job is simply to guide
people emotionally through the film. Some-
times when I was first starting to write music
for movies, the director would say, “Man,
that’s a beautiful piece of music. But no one’s
paying attention to my scene because you’ve
got too much going on with the music that’s
drawing people’s attention. Okay? I appreciate
what you did, but you’ve got to help me out
here. I could use about a third of what you
wrote just to support my scene.” So you begin
to realize that your music is simply a compo-
nent of the overall picture. When you’re mak-
ing music for a CD, your music is the whole
thing - so it has to be a complete picture. But
lots of times with movie scores, the music
simply has to kind of be an emotional guide
for people. If people notice the music in the
scene, it means the music is not really doing
its job right.
JI: Stanley Clarke has mentioned that when he
was writing music for some film, the Producer
or Director told him that they didn’t want any
minor chords in the music. So he wrote every-
thing using augmented chords - which to the
untrained ear could sound like they’re minor
chords.
MM: Sounds like Stanley. What you’ve got to
realize is that if you’re going to go into any
kind of musical work where you’re going to be
interfacing with people who aren’t musicians -
you have to allow for the fact that they don’t
know the language. That doesn’t mean they’re
dumb. It just means they don’t know the lan-
guage. So for a lot of people, minor just means
that it has a feeling of darkness. It gives them
a feeling of darkness. I’ve had a lot of direc-
tors who are really smart guys who, when they
start using laymen’s terms, when I’m talking
to them, I use the musical term. By the end of
the movie process, these guys are educated,
and they have the language to communicate.
For me, the bigger problem is when they know
just a little bit about music. That’s a problem.
Because then they really start. , I had a guy
when I did a soundtrack for a film and the
producer told me, “Listen, this is primarily for
children. Children don’t like minor chords.”
I’m like, “Okay.” I’m not sure about that be-
cause I’ve been to a bunch of Disney films and
the minor doesn’t do anything but set up the
major and the end of the film. You need that.
JI: Tension and release - that’s a big part of
successful music and storytelling and a lot of
other things.
MM: Yeah. Tension and release and minor
chords serve a purpose. I decided that what he
really meant was that he didn’t want it to be
overly dark. I’m not going to take him literally
and not have any minor chords. That’s ridicu-
lous. The whole thing about a kids’ film is to
set it up, scare the hell out of them, and then
resolve it in a really nice way.
JI: What kinds of interesting or dramatic mo-
ments have you experienced in recording mu-
sic for films?
MM: I was doing a film for Disney and they
had one guy assigned to the session whose job
was simply to keep me moving, so that they
didn’t spend too much money on this orchestra
that was very expensive. The director was
there and we were getting towards the end of
the session. The director goes on the talk back
speakers into the room conducting the orches-
tra. He said, “Listen man, I forgot to tell you
that I need music in this one 15-second sec-
tion.” The Disney guy is freaking out because
we’re getting ready to go into overtime - be-
cause I’m going to have to take a break and
compose the stuff in the back room, and then
send it to the copyist who’s going to have to
write it out for all the different musicians. We
had 16 people. So I said, “Listen, everybody in
the orchestra … please take out your pen-
cils.” I dictated … I said violins, chord, note,
rest …. eight notes going down from C natural
going down to A natural.” I dictated every-
body’s part right there on the spot and said,
“Okay, let’s try it.” So we did. I changed a
couple of things. We got the piece ready to go
in seven minutes.
JI: Was this a new piece of music, or were
you taking thematic material that you were
using elsewhere in the score?
MM: No, I had to write it right there on the
spot. But, you know, I pulled it together in
seven minutes and then we recorded it, and we
were done. One of my assistants, who does a
lot of films said, “You know, you jazz guys
have it so easy because somebody throws
something at you and you just improvise right
there on the spot. It doesn’t freak you out.
Somebody else would have had to go in the
back room, and sit at the piano for half an hour
to come up with something.”
(Continued from page 8)
Marcus Miller
““Good character is more to be praised than
outstanding talent. Most talents are, to some extent, a gift. Good character,
by contrast, is not given to us. We have to build it piece by piece -- by
thought, choice, courage and determination.”
- John Luther
March-April 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com 10 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880
Interview & Photo By Eric Nemeyer
JI: How much do you miss Wilmington, Del-
aware?
EW: [laughs] It was a great place to grow up.
Because it was so quiet, it was a perfect place
to practice and study and get it together.
That’s what I did mostly – just practice and
listen to records. Then I graduated from high
school there. I went to West Chester College
for a year and then I got a Downbeat scholar-
ship to the Berklee School of Music in Boston
and I went up to Boston. That’s where I met
Alan Broadbent. Alan had won one of the
Downbeat scholarships in New Zealand and
he came over on a boat from New Zealand so
we both got in the program the same year.
JI: When you were in Wilmington, you were
a kid when Clifford Brown was still around?
EW: I was after Clifford. I think he died in
1955, ’56, and I started playing in 1958. I
knew of him but missed him. He’s buried
about three blocks from the house where I
grew up.
JI: You were near Philadelphia, which had a
flourishing jazz scene at the time. Did you get
a chance to go up there often?
EW: I went up to the Academy of Music. I
heard the Jazztet there. We used to go up to
Birdland. A friend of mine, a trumpet player,
his father had an apartment in New York and
we would come up for weekends and go to
Birdland. That was the first time I heard Art
Blakey’s group, with Wayne Shorter and
Freddie Hubbard—that fantastic band with
Curtis Fuller, Cedar Walton, Jimmy Merritt.
They were trading sets with the Gerry Mulli-
gan Big Band. Mulligan’s Big Band would
come on and they would sound like a small
group, because they played very quietly. And
then Art Blakey’s band would come on with
six guys and they’d sound like a big band.
[laughs] It was incredible, the energy. We
used to do that and that was a lot of fun. Then
I used to go the University of Delaware. They
used to have concerts. That was where I heard
Cannonball play live for the first time. I met
him and we talked. He let me play his horn
and stuff like that. I was in high school, so it
was a really inspiring experience. My first
jazz record was Kind of Blue, so I was already
very familiar with his playing and with Col-
trane’s playing from listening to that record.
When I met Cannonball, it was quite an expe-
rience. And then later on, we were really good
friends. I played with his group and we did
some recordings and some TV things and a
bunch of stuff in LA. He was a good man.
JI: Did he give you any words of motivation
or inspiration when you first met him?
EW: Not really. I mean, it was always play-
ing. It was always through the music. You
know, it’s always an amazing thing – when
you’re a young kid and you’re playing, and
then you start playing with these people that
are people you grew up listening to, it’s al-
ways quite a thrill to know that people that
you love and appreciate, appreciate what you
do too. I spent two years with Buddy Rich’s
band, just traveling around, meeting all these
people and playing with everybody. It was
like a family. Everybody was learning, and
everybody was learning from everybody. The
young guys were learning from the older
guys, the older guys were listening to the
younger guys and saying, “What’s that?” The
process never ends. That’s the thing that’s
really alive about it. It’s always evolving, it’s
always growing, and it never ends. That’s
what keeps you young, because there’s always
something to learn. You don’t retire from
something that you love. If you’re doing
something that you don’t particularly like,
then okay, that’s great, you retire – you get
away from it. But the thing is, if you do music
and you do because you love it, you do it be-
cause you want to do it, then what’s to retire
from?
JI: When you were playing with Cannonball,
who played alto sax, were you playing alto or
tenor?
EW: I was playing alto. I started originally
with – my very, very first instrument was –
the baritone. It’s a funny kind of story. I was
interested in art in junior high. This was grade
seven. I wasn’t really that interested in learn-
ing an instrument. I had a friend that wanted
to learn to play the saxophone. It was fall, the
beginning of the school year, and the music
department at the school had instruments to
lend. They were ready to start teaching peo-
ple. So we went to the music department. I
went with him on a lunch break. He wanted to
learn the saxophone and I didn’t know, I fig-
ured I’d try something, and I wanted to get a
trombone. I must’ve seen The Glenn Miller
Story on TV that week or something, and I
figured, “I’ll try the trombone. That looks like
fun.” My friend got a tenor saxophone. They
were all out of trombones so I got a baritone
saxophone because I was tall for my age and
the teacher figured I could carry it in march-
ing band. So I started on baritone, and then a
couple of months later they got an alto saxo-
phone and I started playing the alto, through
the school system of Wilmington, Delaware. I
was studying with the teacher at the school.
Practicing – I was immediately drawn to it so
I practiced all the time.
JI: Initially, practicing entails reading, learn-
ing scales, and so forth. How did you make
the transition to developing your improvisa-
tional skills and how did that begin?
(Continued on page 11)
Ernie Watts
The Process Never Ends
INTERVIEWINTERVIEW
March-April 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com 11 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880
EW: Well it all worked together. At that time
in my school system there was no jazz depart-
ment, so I studied classical music with the
teacher at the school. Eventually I started
studying classical music at the conservatory in
Wilmington, learning all of the transcriptions
for saxophone – the Bach and the Beethoven,
and then the beautiful French music. I was
reading music and studying the classical tech-
nique for the saxophone and my neighbor, Ali
Jenkins, he had a wonderful record collection.
Our house was a rowhouse, so he lived next
door. He could hear me practicing through the
wall. He started lending me records. The first
record he loaned me was a Dave Brubeck
record called Jazz Moves to College and I
heard Paul Desmond. Paul played so melodi-
cally and so clearly that I could play those
things with him on the record player. That’s
how I started improvising and dealing with
the concept of improvising – playing with
records. I learned intuitively. I learned the
saxophone technically and physically to play
through classical music. I learned all my
scales, the correct embouchure, how to play
the instrument “correctly.” But then at the
same time I was listening to records and im-
provising and learning to improvise by ear,
the intuitive way. After a while, my mother
realized that I wasn’t going to quit. I was al-
ways self-driven. They never made me prac-
tice. So I kept practicing and my mother real-
ized that I wasn’t going to stop, so what she
did was she joined the Columbia Record Club
one Christmas. She brought me a little stereo
record player. Everything that I used to get, I
grew up out of the Sears catalog. So Sears had
this music section called Silvertone. She or-
dered me the Silvertone stereo. She joined the
Columbia Record Club and the first record
she got for me, which was a freebie that year,
was Kind of Blue. That was the new jazz rec-
ord that year. That’s why I figured it was
1958, ’59. I heard that and that was it for me.
I heard everybody in the band. I heard Can-
nonball – he was incredible – and Miles, Jim-
my Cobb, Paul Chambers, and then there were
two piano players, Bill Evans and Wynton
Kelly. Then I heard Coltrane and it was like
this revelation to me. It was like sticking my
finger in a light socket. I mean the hair just
stood up on the back of my neck when I heard
him play. Being thirteen or fourteen, I could-
n’t explain what he was doing. The only way I
could explain it was it sounded like he was
playing in another key, but it worked, right?
Because everybody in the band, they had a
certain vocabulary and they dealt with the
harmony in a particular way, and they all kind
of had the same vocabulary so their music
was in a mid-range. But when Coltrane
played, he just took it to a whole other play,
harmonically and technically. So to me as a
kid, it sounded like he was playing in another
key, but it worked. So that was it. From there
on, I always wanted to play in the other key.
[laughs] But then after a while I learned about
chord-scales, the diminished scales, and all
the mixolydian patterns and all of those
things. But as a kid, that was the way I figured
it out for myself. Then, that’s all I did was
listen to Coltrane. I took my lunch money and
every week I’d buy a Coltrane record. I had a
little stack around my record player so every
night, I’d put three or four Coltrane records on
the stacker and then I’d go to sleep listening
to Coltrane. So I was hearing all those melod-
ic things intuitively – fourths and dominant
scales and all of those things. I was playing
them and I didn’t know what they were, but I
was still dealing with the vocabulary. Later on
I learned what they were. Listening to Can-
nonball, Charlie Parker, Eric Dolphy, all of
these incredible players, and then as I kid,
being thirteen or fourteen, I figured, “Well,
that’s just the way you play. That’s the way
the saxophone sounds.” That’s the way I
learned how to play. I was about thirty years
old before I realized that that was some of the
most involved music that there ever was. I
thought, “Well, that’s jazz. That’s what you
do.’ [laughs] That’s the way I learned to play.
JI: Did you later, in an effort to expand on
what you knew intuitively, transcribe solos or
otherwise do things to connect the dots?
EW: No, I never transcribed a lot of solos. I
still study a lot of solos. I study a lot of Col-
trane things, because they’re just so wonder-
ful. He was one of the great all-time virtuosos.
But I get them from Andrew White in Wash-
ington, D.C. I just got a bunch of stuff from
Andrew a couple of weeks ago. I did the To-
night Show for twenty years with Doc Sev-
erinsen’s band and I met Andrew when he
was playing electric bass with The Fifth Di-
mension. So he comes on The Tonight Show
and we introduce each other. He’s a great guy.
He says, “I’m ready to publish these transcrip-
tions. What do you think of that? Do you
think people would be interested?” I said,
“Man, that sounds great!” He started doing it,
I guess, in the seventies. I enjoy that. I study
some classical repertoire and the Coltrane
things, just as studies. As far as playing goes –
this was way before I started studying An-
drew’s things – I learned from the energy of
the music. I always tapped into the energy. So
I never transcribed what Coltrane was play-
ing, but I got in touch with the energy of it.
Intervallically, I could tell what he was doing.
But it was always my own choice of notes. I
never memorized the solo to “Giant Steps.” I
never memorized the solo to any of the great,
famous saxophone solos. For some reason, I
got it in my mind when I was very young, that
jazz was a creative art form, and everybody
had a right to their own, their own concept,
and their own way of assimilating the infor-
mation and creating their vocabulary. That’s
what it was supposed to be. The jazz vocabu-
lary was supposed to be a unique, individual
vocabulary. So I didn’t really learn from
memorizing licks. I learned from getting in
touch with the melodic energy. These guys
were such incredible players, but there a mel-
ody that went through everything. I listen to a
lot of Keith Jarrett. I don’t listen to a lot of
saxophone players; I listen to a lot of piano. I
listen to Keith a lot because everything he
plays is a melody. Everything, everything has
a melodic context to it. Coltrane, as bizarre as
his stuff got at the end, as free and open as it
got, there was always a melodic core. Same
thing with Cannonball. Same thing with all
great players. If you start doing research on
what makes an instrumentalist great, the peo-
ple that you respect and the people that you
hear, that you really love and keep going back
to, are all the people that were in touch with a
melodic thread.
JI: You mentioned the intuitive aspect. You
can teach the theory first, but if somebody
doesn’t feel the electricity from the music
itself, they’re not going to be able to com-
municate that. You don’t have to know exact-
ly what you’re doing while trying to emulate
what you’re hearing. You can always apply
the theory later.
EW: And it all works together. But the thing
is, I think the beginning, the essence of it, is
just really loving the music. The energy that
you put into learning and putting all the pieces
together is related to this deep love that you
have for wanting to play this music. Then you
do whatever you need to do to learn how to
get better.
Continued in the next issue
of Jazz Inside Magazine
(Continued from page 10)
“Ultimate success is not directly related to early success,
if you consider that many successful people did not give clear evidence
of such promise in youth.”
- Robert Fritz, The Path Of Least Resistance
Ernie Watts
Hello, my name is David Haney. I am a pianist and composer. In 2012 I took over as publisher and editor of Cadence Magazine. We have the same mandate to present independent free press. We are dedicated to the promotion of creative music. I encourage you to give us a try. You will love the new Cadence.
13 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 March-April 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
Sunday, March 10 Freddy Cole Quintet: Songs For Lovers; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln
Center, 60th & Bdwy
Jazz For Kids; The Clayton Brothers Quintet; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
George Cables Trio - George Cables, Piano; Dezron Douglas, Bass; Victor Lewis, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Vocal Masterclass with Marion Cowings; Billy Kaye Quartet; Brandon Sanders Quintet; Nick Hempton Band; Alon Near Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra; The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra; Bird-land, 315 W. 44th St.
Ron Carter's Blue Note Winter Residency; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Monday, March 11 Brussels Jazz Orchestra & Tutu Puoane: We Have A Dream; Dizzy’s
Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Mingus Big Band: Celebrating 10 Years At Jazz Standard; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Ronnie Burrage & Holographic Principle; Jonathan Barber Quartet; Jon Elbaz Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Lorna Dallas; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Wallace Roney Quintet - March Residency; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Tuesday, March 12 Brussels Jazz Orchestra & Tutu Puoane: We Have A Dream; Dizzy’s
Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Michael Leonhart Orchestra "Valentine's Day Show: Movie Love Themes"; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Jeremy Manasia Quartet; Abraham Burton Quartet; Malik McLaurine Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Catherine Russell and Her Septet: Alone Together; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Thundercat; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Wednesday, March 13 Brian Charette: Music For Organ Sextette; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At
Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Double Date With Tierney & Kate: From Django To Joni; Jazz Stand-ard, 116 E. 27th St.
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
John Stetch & Vulneraville; Dave Pietro Quintet; Davis Whitfield Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Catherine Russell and Her Septet: Alone Together; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Thundercat; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Thursday, March 14 Valentine’s Day: Kim Nalley Sings Love Songs; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At
Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Double Date With Tierney & Kate: From Django To Joni; Jazz Stand-ard, 116 E. 27th St.
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Phil Stewart Quartet; Chris Byars Original Sextet; Jonathan Thomas Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Catherine Russell and Her Septet: Alone Together; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Thundercat; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Friday, March 15 Kim Nalley: Love Songs; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th &
Bdwy
Mingus Big Band: Celebrating 10 Years At Jazz Standard; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Michael Weiss Quartet; Alexander Claffy Quintet; JD Allen "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Catherine Russell and Her Septet: Alone Together; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Thundercat; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Saturday, March 16 Kim Nalley: Love Songs; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th &
Bdwy
Mingus Big Band: Celebrating 10 Years At Jazz Standard; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Smalls Showcase: Dean Tsur Saxophone Choir; Michael Weiss Quartet; Alexander Claffy Quintet; Brooklyn Circle; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Catherine Russell and Her Septet: Alone Together; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Thundercat; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Sunday, March 17 Kim Nalley: Love Songs; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th &
Bdwy
Jazz For Kids; Mingus Big Band: Celebrating 10 Years At Jazz Stand-ard; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Vocal Masterclass with Marion Cowings; Emanuele Tozzi Quintet; Bill Goodwin Trio; Joe Magnarelli Group; Ben Zweig Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Birdland Latin Jazz Orchestra; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Thundercat; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Monday, March 18 Juilliard Jazz Ensembles; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th &
Bdwy
Mingus Orchestra: Celebrating 10 Years At Jazz Standard; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Ari Hoenig Trio; Joel Frahm Trio; Sean Mason Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Judi Silvano and The Zephyr Band; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Wallace Roney Quintet - March Residency; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Tuesday, March 19 John Chin Quintet; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Godwin Louis; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Dayna Stephens Quartet - Dayna Stephens, Saxophone; Aaron Parks, Piano; Ben Street, Bass; Greg Hutchinson, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Steve Nelson Quartet; Frank Lacy's Tromboniverse; Malik McLaurine Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Saxophone Summit with Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman, and Greg Osby; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
David Sanborn; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Wednesday, March 20 Bobby Broom Organi-Sation: Soul Fingers; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At
Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
An Evening With Branford Marsalis; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Dayna Stephens Quartet - Dayna Stephens, Saxophone; Aaron Parks, Piano; Ben Street, Bass; Greg Hutchinson, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Rob Bargad's Reunion 7tet; Harold Mabern Trio; Micah Thomas Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Saxophone Summit with Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman, and Greg Osby; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
David Sanborn; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Thursday, March 21 David Binney’s Angelino Quartet; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Cen-
ter, 60th & Bdwy
Spanish Harlem Orchestra; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St. (Continued on page 14)
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Dayna Stephens Quartet - Dayna Stephens, Saxophone; Aaron Parks, Piano; Ben Street, Bass; Greg Hutchinson, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Rob Bargad's Reunion 7tet; Oleg Butman/Natalia Smirnova Quartet; Aaron Seeber "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Saxophone Summit with Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman, and Greg Osby; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
David Sanborn; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Friday, March 22 Warren Wolf Quartet Featuring Joe Locke; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At
Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Spanish Harlem Orchestra; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Dayna Stephens Quartet - Dayna Stephens, Saxophone; Aaron Parks, Piano; Ben Street, Bass; Greg Hutchinson, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Santi Debriano and Flash of the Spirit; Alex Sipiagin Quintet; Corey Wallace DUBtet "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Saxophone Summit with Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman, and Greg Osby; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
David Sanborn; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Saturday, March 23 Warren Wolf Quartet Featuring Joe Locke; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At
Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Spanish Harlem Orchestra; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Dayna Stephens Quartet - Dayna Stephens, Saxophone; Aaron Parks, Piano; Ben Street, Bass; Greg Hutchinson, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Santi Debriano and Flash of the Spirit; Alex Sipiagin Quintet; Philip Harper Quintet; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Saxophone Summit with Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman, and Greg Osby; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
David Sanborn; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Family Concert: Who Is Miles Davis? Trumpeter Sean Jones hosts this hour-long concert, in which families will learn about the trials and triumphs of legendary trumpeter Miles Davis’ career and hear what made his music so special. 1PM, 3PM, Rose Theater, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Sunday, March 24 Warren Wolf Quartet Featuring Joe Locke; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At
Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Jazz For Kids; Spanish Harlem Orchestra; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Dayna Stephens Quartet - Dayna Stephens, Saxophone; Aaron Parks, Piano; Ben Street, Bass; Greg Hutchinson, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Vocal Masterclass with Marion Cowings; Charles Owens Trio; Alon Near Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Emilio Solla Tango Jazz Orchestra; The Ktet; The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
David Sanborn; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Monday, March 25 Matthew Shipp Trio; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th &
Bdwy
Mingus Big Band: Celebrating 10 Years At Jazz Standard; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Lucas Pino Nonet; Rodney Green Group; Jon Elbaz Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Victoria Shaw; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Wallace Roney Quintet - March Residency; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Tuesday, March 26 Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center,
60th & Bdwy
Steve Slagle's A.M. Band; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Terell Stafford Quintet - Terell Stafford, Trumpet; Tim Warfield, Saxo-phone; Bruce Barth, Piano; Peter Washington, Bass; Billy Williams, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Robert Edwards Quintet; Abraham Burton Quartet; Malik McLaurine Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Eric Harland's Voyager; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Wednesday, March 27 Black Art Jazz Collective; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th &
Bdwy
Joey Defrancesco Trio With Troy Roberts And Billy Hart; Jazz Stand-ard, 116 E. 27th St.
Terell Stafford Quintet - Terell Stafford, Trumpet; Tim Warfield, Saxo-phone; Bruce Barth, Piano; Peter Washington, Bass; Billy Williams, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Michael Stephans: Quartette Oblique; Amos Hoffman Trio; Davis Whitfield Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Cyrille Aimee: A Sondheim Adventure; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Eric Harland's Voyager; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Thursday, March 28 Black Art Jazz Collective; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th &
Bdwy
Alfredo Rodriguez/Pedrito Martinez Duo; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Terell Stafford Quintet - Terell Stafford, Trumpet; Tim Warfield, Saxo-phone; Bruce Barth, Piano; Peter Washington, Bass; Billy Williams, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Brandi Disterheft Quartet; Amos Hoffman Trio; Jonathan Thomas Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Cyrille Aimee: A Sondheim Adventure; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Cory Henry Birthday Residency: The Revival; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Duduka Da Fonseca, Helio Alves And Maucha Adnet; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Friday, March 29 Avishai Cohen Quartet; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Bobby McFerrin & Gimme5 w Joey Blake, Dave Worm, Judi Vinar & Rhiannon; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Birdland Big Band; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Duduka Da Fonseca, Helio Alves And Maucha Adnet; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Marcus Miller: Electric Miles - Bassist and long-time Miles Davis collaborator Marcus Miller leads a wide-ranging exploration of Davis’ bold experiments with jazz, rock, funk, hip-hop, and electronic fusions. 8PM, Rose Theater, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Saturday, March 30 Avishai Cohen Quartet; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Bobby McFerrin & Gimme5 w Joey Blake, Dave Worm, Judi Vinar & Rhiannon; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Eric Comstock; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
(Continued on page 16)
15 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 March-April 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
Ernie WattsErnie Watts
© Eric Nemeyer© Eric Nemeyer
16 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 March-April 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
Duduka Da Fonseca, Helio Alves And Maucha Adnet; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Marcus Miller: Electric Miles - Bassist and long-time Miles Davis collaborator Marcus Miller leads a wide-ranging exploration of Davis’ bold experiments with jazz, rock, funk, hip-hop, and electronic fusions. 8PM, Rose Theater, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Sunday March 31 Jazz For Kids; Avishai Cohen Quartet; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Bobby McFerrin & Gimme5 w Joey Blake, Dave Worm, Judi Vinar & Rhiannon; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Renee Manning/Earl McIntyre Septet; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Duduka Da Fonseca, Helio Alves And Maucha Adnet; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Monday, April 1 William Paterson University Jazz Orchestra & Quintet With Ingrid
Jensen; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Ari Hoenig Quartet; Joe Farnsworth Trio feat. Buster Williams; Jon Elbaz Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Georgia Middleman and Gary Burr; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Deborah Davis, 21st Annual Jazz Benefit; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Tuesday, April 2 J.D. Allen Quartet Featuring Liberty Ellman; Jazz Standard, 116 E.
27th St.
Yotam Silberstein Quartet Featuring John Patitucci; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Sullivan Fortner Trio - Sullivan Fortner, Piano; Ameen Saleem, Bass; Jeremy ‘Bean’ Clemons, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Hillel Salem Quintet; Abraham Burton Quartet; Malik McLaurine Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Benny Green; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Joshua Redman Quartet: Aaron Goldberg/Reuben Rogers/Gregory Hutchinson; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Wednesday, April 3 J.D. Allen Quartet Featuring Liberty Ellman; Jazz Standard, 116 E.
27th St.
Yotam Silberstein Quartet Featuring John Patitucci; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Sullivan Fortner Trio - Sullivan Fortner, Piano; Ameen Saleem, Bass; Jeremy ‘Bean’ Clemons, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Brent Birckhead; Sam Dillon Quartet; Davis Whitfield Quartet "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Clint Holmes Celebrates The Jazz of Sammy Davis. Jr From The Copa to Broadway; Joe Alterman; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Joshua Redman Quartet: Aaron Goldberg/Reuben Rogers/Gregory Hutchinson; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Thursday, April 4 Veronica Swift; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
An Evening With Ben Vereen; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Sullivan Fortner Trio - Sullivan Fortner, Piano; Ameen Saleem, Bass; Jeremy ‘Bean’ Clemons, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Aaron Seeber Quartet; Francisco Mela and the Crash Trio; Malick Koly "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Diane Marino; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Joshua Redman Quartet: Aaron Goldberg/Reuben Rogers/Gregory Hutchinson; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Friday, April 5 Veronica Swift; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
An Evening With Ben Vereen; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Sullivan Fortner Trio - Sullivan Fortner, Piano; Ameen Saleem, Bass; Jeremy ‘Bean’ Clemons, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Eliot Zigmund Quintet; Ken Fowser Quintet; JD Allen "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Birdland Big Band; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Joshua Redman Quartet: Aaron Goldberg/Reuben Rogers/Gregory Hutchinson; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
McCoy Tyner and Charles McPherson At 80; Pianist McCoy Tyner and saxophonist Charles McPherson join the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis for an 80th birthday celebration. 8PM, Rose Theater, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Saturday, April 6 Veronica Swift; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
An Evening With Ben Vereen; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Sullivan Fortner Trio - Sullivan Fortner, Piano; Ameen Saleem, Bass; Jeremy ‘Bean’ Clemons, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Eliot Zigmund Quintet; Ken Fowser Quintet; Brooklyn Circle; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Joshua Redman Quartet: Aaron Goldberg/Reuben Rogers/Gregory Hutchinson; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
McCoy Tyner and Charles McPherson At 80; Pianist McCoy Tyner and saxophonist Charles McPherson join the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis for an 80th birthday celebration. 8PM, Rose Theater, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Sunday, April 7
Jazz For Kids; Veronica Swift; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
An Evening With Ben Vereen; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Sullivan Fortner Trio - Sullivan Fortner, Piano; Ameen Saleem, Bass; Jeremy ‘Bean’ Clemons, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Jeremy Manasia Quintet; The Zebtet: Music of Saul Zebulon Rubin; Alon Near Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Monday, April 8 Mingus Big Band: Celebrating 10 Years at Jazz Standard; Jazz
Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Manhattan School Of Music Jazz Orchestra: Manhattan Sings; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Omer Avital Trio; Rodney Green Quartet; Sean Mason Trio; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Jim Caruso's Cast Party; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Pablo Sainz Villegas; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Tuesday, April 9 SFJAZZ Collective plays Miles Davis; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Julien Labro & The Chanson Experiment; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Steve Wilson & Wilsonian’s Grain - Steve Wilson, Alto Saxophone; Orrin Evans, Piano; Ugonna Okegwo, Bass; Ulysses Owens, Jr., Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Justin Robinson Quartet; Frank Lacy's Tromboniverse; Malik McLau-rine Trio; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
James Carter Organ Trio; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Dizzy Gillespie Afro Cuban All-Stars; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Wednesday, April 10 SFJAZZ Collective plays Miles Davis; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Mason Brothers Quintet; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Steve Wilson & Wilsonian’s Grain - Steve Wilson, Alto Saxophone; Orrin Evans, Piano; Ugonna Okegwo, Bass; Ulysses Owens, Jr., Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Remy Le Boeuf Quintet; Mike Lee Trio; Davis Whitfield Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
James Carter Organ Trio; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Dizzy Gillespie Afro Cuban All-Stars; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Thursday, April 11 SFJAZZ Collective plays Miles Davis; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Mason Brothers Quintet; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Steve Wilson & Wilsonian’s Grain - Steve Wilson, Alto Saxophone; Orrin Evans, Piano; Ugonna Okegwo, Bass; Ulysses Owens, Jr., Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Carlos Abadie Quintet; Jerry Weldon Quartet; Jonathan Thomas Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
James Carter Organ Trio; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Arturo Sandoval; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Friday, April 12 SFJAZZ Collective plays Antonio Carlos Jobim; Jazz Standard, 116 E.
27th St.
Sherman Irby & Momentum; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Steve Wilson & Wilsonian’s Grain - Steve Wilson, Alto Saxophone; Orrin Evans, Piano; Ugonna Okegwo, Bass; Ulysses Owens, Jr., Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Ralph Bowen Quartet; John Marshall Quintet; Corey Wallace DUBtet "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
James Carter Organ Trio; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Arturo Sandoval; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Saturday April 13 SFJAZZ Collective plays Antonio Carlos Jobim; Jazz Standard, 116 E.
27th St.
Sherman Irby & Momentum; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Steve Wilson & Wilsonian’s Grain - Steve Wilson, Alto Saxophone; Orrin Evans, Piano; Ugonna Okegwo, Bass; Ulysses Owens, Jr., Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Ralph Bowen Quartet; John Marshall Quintet; Philip Harper Quintet; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
James Carter Organ Trio; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Arturo Sandoval; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
(Continued on page 17)
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17 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 March-April 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
Sunday, April 14 SFJAZZ Collective plays Antonio Carlos Jobim; Jazz Standard, 116 E.
27th St.
Sherman Irby & Momentum; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Steve Wilson & Wilsonian’s Grain - Steve Wilson, Alto Saxophone; Orrin Evans, Piano; Ugonna Okegwo, Bass; Ulysses Owens, Jr., Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Joey "G-Clef" Cavaseno Quartet; Bruce Harris Quintet; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Arturo Sandoval; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Monday, April 15 Mingus Big Band: Celebrating 10 Years at Jazz Standard; Jazz
Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Monday Nights With WBGO, Yale Jazz Ensemble Featuring Randy Brecker And Wayne Escoffery; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Joe Martin Quartet; Joe Farnsworth Trio; Jon Elbaz Trio; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Jed Levy; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Purchase Jazz Orchestra: Conducted by Jon Faddis w/ Ken Peplowski; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Tuesday, April 16 Michael Leonhart Orchestra; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
American Pianists Association Competition Winner; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Tom Harrell “Infinity” - Mark Turner, Tenor Saxophone; Charles Altura, Guitar; Ugonna Okegwo, Bass; Johnathan Blake, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Spike Wilner Trio; Josh Evans Quintet; Malik McLaurine Trio; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Daryl Sherman "Spring Fever" with Art Baron, trombone; Boots Maleson, bass; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Big Sam's Funky Nation; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St. Wednesday, April 17
April Miho Hazama and m_unit "Dancer in Nowhere"; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Jazz At Lincoln Center Gala - Dizzy’s Club Closed
Tom Harrell “Infinity” - Mark Turner, Tenor Saxophone; Charles Altura, Guitar; Ugonna Okegwo, Bass; Johnathan Blake, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Stephen Riley Quartet; Harold Mabern Trio; Micah Thomas Trio; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Sheila Jordan; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Hector Del Curto w/ Paquito D'Rivera; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Thursday, April 18 Larry Goldings/Peter Bernstein/Bill Stewart; Jazz Standard, 116 E.
27th St.
Monty Alexander Trio; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Tom Harrell “Infinity” - Mark Turner, Tenor Saxophone; Charles Altura, Guitar; Ugonna Okegwo, Bass; Johnathan Blake, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
New York Jazz Nine; Moutin Factory Quintet; Malick Koly; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Sheila Jordan; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Terence Blanchard ft The E-Collective; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Friday, April 19 Larry Goldings/Peter Bernstein/Bill Stewart; Jazz Standard, 116 E.
27th St.
Monty Alexander Trio; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Tom Harrell “Infinity” - Mark Turner, Tenor Saxophone; Charles Altura, Guitar; Ugonna Okegwo, Bass; Johnathan Blake, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
George Burton Quartet; JD Allen; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Sheila Jordan; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Michael Wolff Trio; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Terence Blanchard ft The E-Collective; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Saturday, April 20 Larry Goldings/Peter Bernstein/Bill Stewart; Jazz Standard, 116 E.
27th St.
Monty Alexander Trio; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Tom Harrell “Infinity” - Mark Turner, Tenor Saxophone; Charles Altura, Guitar; Ugonna Okegwo, Bass; Johnathan Blake, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
George Burton Quartet; Brooklyn Circle; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Sheila Jordan; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Michael Wolff Trio; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Terence Blanchard ft The E-Collective; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Sunday, April 21 Larry Goldings/Peter Bernstein/Bill Stewart; Jazz Standard, 116 E.
27th St.
Monty Alexander Trio; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Tom Harrell “Infinity” - Mark Turner, Tenor Saxophone; Charles Altura, Guitar; Ugonna Okegwo, Bass; Johnathan Blake, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Stranahan/Zaleski/Rosato; Ned Goold Quartet; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Terence Blanchard ft The E-Collective; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Monday April 22 Mingus Big Band: Celebrating 10 Years at Jazz Standard; Jazz
Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Purchase Jazz Orchestra With Special Guest Steve Nelson; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Ari Hoenig Quartet; Joe Dyson Quintet; Sean Mason Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Roy Haynes 94th Birthday Celebration; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Tuesday, April 23 Darcy James Argue's Secret Society; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Sam Reider & Human Hands; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Gerald Clayton Quintet - Logan Richardson, Alto Saxophone; Walter Smith III, Tenor Saxophone; Gerald Clayton, Piano; Joe Sanders, Bass; Marcus Gilmore, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Gene Jackson Trio; Frank Lacy's Tromboniverse; Malik McLaurine Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Kurt Rosenwinkel; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Roy Haynes 94th Birthday Celebration; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Wednesday, April 24 Darcy James Argue's Secret Society; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Evan Christopher: The Kings Of New Orleans Clarinet; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Gerald Clayton Quintet - Logan Richardson, Alto Saxophone; Walter Smith III, Tenor Saxophone; Gerald Clayton, Piano; Joe Sanders, Bass; Marcus Gilmore, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Matt Pavolka's Horns Band; Dave Baron Quintet; Micah Thomas Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Kurt Rosenwinkel; Dena DeRose Featuring Special Guest Artist: Houston Person; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Roy Haynes 94th Birthday Celebration; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Thursday, April 25 Stefon Harris & Blackout; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
“New York, Old Friend”: Songs Of Kenneth D. Laub With Clint Holmes, Veronica Swift And Nicolas King; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Gerald Clayton Quintet - Logan Richardson, Alto Saxophone; Walter Smith III, Tenor Saxophone; Gerald Clayton, Piano; Joe Sanders, Bass; Marcus Gilmore, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Matt Haviland Quartet; Jim Snidero Quintet; Jonathan Thomas Trio; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Kurt Rosenwinkel; Dena DeRose Featuring Special Guest Artist: Houston Person; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Manhattan Transfer; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Wynton Marsalis and Ken Burns: Country Music - Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and vocalists Emmylou Harris, Rhiannon Giddens, and Marty Stuart perform country hits. Plus get a sneak peek at Ken Burns’ latest documentary, Country Music. 8PM, Rose Theater, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Friday, April 26 Stefon Harris & Blackout; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Kenny Barron Quartet; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Gerald Clayton Quintet - Logan Richardson, Alto Saxophone; Walter Smith III, Tenor Saxophone; Gerald Clayton, Piano; Joe Sanders, Bass; Marcus Gilmore, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Christopher McBride; Noah Preminger Quintet; Corey Wallace DUBtet "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Manhattan Transfer; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Wynton Marsalis and Ken Burns: Country Music - Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and vocalists Emmylou Harris, Rhiannon Giddens, and Marty Stuart perform country hits. Plus get a sneak peek at Ken Burns’ latest documentary, Country Music. 8PM, Rose Theater, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Saturday, April 27 Stefon Harris & Blackout; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Kenny Barron Quartet; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Gerald Clayton Quintet - Logan Richardson, Alto Saxophone; Walter Smith III, Tenor Saxophone; Gerald Clayton, Piano; Joe Sanders, Bass; Marcus Gilmore, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Christopher McBride & The Whole Proof; Noah Preminger Quintet; Philip Harper Quintet; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Kurt Rosenwinkel; Dena DeRose Featuring Special Guest Artist: Houston Person; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Manhattan Transfer; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Wynton Marsalis and Ken Burns: Country Music - Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and vocalists Emmylou Harris, Rhiannon Giddens, and Marty Stuart perform country hits. Plus get a sneak peek at Ken Burns’ latest documentary, Country Music. 8PM, Rose Theater, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Sunday, April 28 Stefon Harris & Blackout; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Kenny Barron Quartet; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Gerald Clayton Quintet - Logan Richardson, Alto Saxophone; Walter Smith III, Tenor Saxophone; Gerald Clayton, Piano; Joe Sanders, Bass; Marcus Gilmore, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Chris Byars Original Sextet; JC Stylles Group; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Ken Peplowski Big Band with Special Guest John Pizzarelli; Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Monday, April 29 Mingus Big Band: Celebrating 10 Years at Jazz Standard; Jazz
Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Temple University Jazz Band With Terell Stafford And Marshall Gilkes; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Ari Hoenig Trio; Kennci 4; Jon Elbaz Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Natalie Douglas "Nat Sings Nat: The Songs of Nat King Cole" With Mark Hartman; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Tuesday April 30 International Jazz Day - Camille Thurman With The Darrell Green Trio;
Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Joe Locke Group + Special Guest Raul Midón; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Gilad Hekselman; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Steve Nelson Quartet; Abraham Burton Quartet; Malik McLaurine Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.
Frank Catalano Quartet; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
“...among human beings jealousy ranks distinctly as a
weakness; a trademark of small minds; a property of all small minds, yet a property
which even the smallest is ashamed of; and when accused of its possession will
lyingly deny it and resent the accusation as an insult.”
-Mark Twain
“Some people’s idea of free speech is that they are free
to say what they like, but if anyone says anything back that
is an outrage.”
- Winston Churchill
18 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 March-April 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
5 C Cultural Center, 68 Avenue C. 212-477-5993. www.5ccc.com
55 Bar, 55 Christopher St. 212-929-9883, 55bar.com
92nd St Y, 1395 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10128,
212.415.5500, 92ndsty.org
Aaron Davis Hall, City College of NY, Convent Ave., 212-650-
6900, aarondavishall.org
Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, Broadway & 65th St., 212-875-
5050, lincolncenter.org/default.asp
Allen Room, Lincoln Center, Time Warner Center, Broadway and
60th, 5th floor, 212-258-9800, lincolncenter.org
American Museum of Natural History, 81st St. & Central Park
W., 212-769-5100, amnh.org
Antibes Bistro, 112 Suffolk Street. 212-533-6088.
www.antibesbistro.com
Arthur’s Tavern, 57 Grove St., 212-675-6879 or 917-301-8759,
arthurstavernnyc.com
Arts Maplewood, P.O. Box 383, Maplewood, NJ 07040; 973-378-
2133, artsmaplewood.org
Avery Fischer Hall, Lincoln Center, Columbus Ave. & 65th St.,
212-875-5030, lincolncenter.org
BAM Café, 30 Lafayette Av, Brooklyn, 718-636-4100, bam.org
Bar Chord, 1008 Cortelyou Rd., Brooklyn, barchordnyc.com
Bar Lunatico, 486 Halsey St., Brooklyn. 718-513-0339.
222.barlunatico.com
Barbes, 376 9th St. (corner of 6th Ave.), Park Slope, Brooklyn,
718-965-9177, barbesbrooklyn.com
Barge Music, Fulton Ferry Landing, Brooklyn, 718-624-2083,
bargemusic.org
B.B. King’s Blues Bar, 237 W. 42nd St., 212-997-4144,
bbkingblues.com
Beacon Theatre, 74th St. & Broadway, 212-496-7070
Beco Bar, 45 Richardson, Brooklyn. 718-599-1645.
www.becobar.com
Bickford Theatre, on Columbia Turnpike @ Normandy Heights
Road, east of downtown Morristown. 973-744-2600
Birdland, 315 W. 44th, 212-581-3080
Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd, 212-475-8592, bluenotejazz.com
Bourbon St Bar and Grille, 346 W. 46th St, NY, 10036,
212-245-2030, [email protected]
Bowery Poetry Club, 308 Bowery (at Bleecker), 212-614-0505,
bowerypoetry.com
BRIC House, 647 Fulton St. Brooklyn, NY 11217, 718-683-5600,
http://bricartsmedia.org
Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza, 2nd Fl, Brooklyn,
NY, 718-230-2100, brooklynpubliclibrary.org
Café Carlyle, 35 E. 76th St., 212-570-7189, thecarlyle.com
Café Loup, 105 W. 13th St. (West Village) , between Sixth and
Seventh Aves., 212-255-4746
Café St. Bart’s, 109 E. 50th St, 212-888-2664, cafestbarts.com
Cafe Noctambulo, 178 2nd Ave. 212-995-0900. cafenoctam-
bulo.com
Caffe Vivaldi, 32 Jones St, NYC; caffevivaldi.com
Candlelight Lounge, 24 Passaic St, Trenton. 609-695-9612.
Carnegie Hall, 7th Av & 57th, 212-247-7800, carnegiehall.org
Cassandra’s Jazz, 2256 7th Avenue. 917-435-2250. cassan-
drasjazz.com
Chico’s House Of Jazz, In Shoppes at the Arcade, 631 Lake Ave.,
Asbury Park, 732-774-5299
City Winery, 155 Varick St. Bet. Vandam & Spring St., 212-608-
0555. citywinery.com
Cleopatra’s Needle, 2485 Broadway (betw 92nd & 93rd), 212-769-
6969, cleopatrasneedleny.com
Club Bonafide, 212 W. 52nd, 646-918-6189. clubbonafide.com
C’mon Everybody, 325 Franklin Avenue, Brooklyn.
www.cmoneverybody.com
Copeland’s, 547 W. 145th St. (at Bdwy), 212-234-2356
Cornelia St Café, 29 Cornelia, 212-989-9319
Count Basie Theatre, 99 Monmouth St., Red Bank, New Jersey
07701, 732-842-9000, countbasietheatre.org
Crossroads at Garwood, 78 North Ave., Garwood, NJ 07027,
908-232-5666
Cutting Room, 19 W. 24th St, 212-691-1900
Dizzy’s Club, Broadway at 60th St., 5th Floor, 212-258-9595,
jalc.com
DROM, 85 Avenue A, New York, 212-777-1157, dromnyc.com
The Ear Inn, 326 Spring St., NY, 212-226-9060, earinn.com
East Village Social, 126 St. Marks Place. 646-755-8662.
www.evsnyc.com
Edward Hopper House, 82 N. Broadway, Nyack NY. 854-358-
0774.
El Museo Del Barrio, 1230 Fifth Ave (at 104th St.), Tel: 212-831-
7272, Fax: 212-831-7927, elmuseo.org
Esperanto, 145 Avenue C. 212-505-6559. www.esperantony.com
The Falcon, 1348 Rt. 9W, Marlboro, NY., 845) 236-7970,
Fat Cat, 75 Christopher St., 212-675-7369, fatcatjazz.com
Fine and Rare, 9 East 37th Street. www.fineandrare.nyc
Five Spot, 459 Myrtle Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 718-852-0202, fivespot-
soulfood.com
Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., Flushing, NY, 718-
463-7700 x222, flushingtownhall.org
For My Sweet, 1103 Fulton St., Brooklyn, NY 718-857-1427
Galapagos, 70 N. 6th St., Brooklyn, NY, 718-782-5188, galapago-
sartspace.com
Garage Restaurant and Café, 99 Seventh Ave. (betw 4th and
Bleecker), 212-645-0600, garagerest.com
Garden Café, 4961 Broadway, by 207th St., New York, 10034,
212-544-9480
Gin Fizz, 308 Lenox Ave, 2nd floor. (212) 289-2220.
www.ginfizzharlem.com
Ginny’s Supper Club, 310 Malcolm X Boulevard Manhattan, NY
10027, 212-792-9001, http://redroosterharlem.com/ginnys/
Glen Rock Inn, 222 Rock Road, Glen Rock, NJ, (201) 445-2362,
glenrockinn.com
GoodRoom, 98 Meserole, Bklyn, 718-349-2373, goodroombk.com.
Green Growler, 368 S, Riverside Ave., Croton-on-Hudson NY.
914-862-0961. www.thegreengrowler.com
Greenwich Village Bistro, 13 Carmine St., 212-206-9777, green-
wichvillagebistro.com
Harlem on 5th, 2150 5th Avenue. 212-234-5600.
www.harlemonfifth.com
Harlem Tea Room, 1793A Madison Ave., 212-348-3471, har-
lemtearoom.com
Hat City Kitchen, 459 Valley St, Orange. 862-252-9147.
hatcitykitchen.com
Havana Central West End, 2911 Broadway/114th St), NYC,
212-662-8830, havanacentral.com
Highline Ballroom, 431 West 16th St (between 9th & 10th Ave.
highlineballroom.com, 212-414-4314.
Hopewell Valley Bistro, 15 East Broad St, Hopewell, NJ 08525,
609-466-9889, hopewellvalleybistro.com
Hudson Room, 27 S. Division St., Peekskill NY. 914-788-FOOD.
hudsonroom.com
Hyatt New Brunswick, 2 Albany St., New Brunswick, NJ
IBeam Music Studio, 168 7th St., Brooklyn, ibeambrooklyn.com
INC American Bar & Kitchen, 302 George St., New Brunswick
NJ. (732) 640-0553. www.increstaurant.com
Iridium, 1650 Broadway, 212-582-2121, iridiumjazzclub.com
Jazz 966, 966 Fulton St., Brooklyn, NY, 718-638-6910
Jazz at Lincoln Center, 33 W. 60th St., 212-258-9800, jalc.org
Frederick P. Rose Hall, Broadway at 60th St., 5th Floor
Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Reservations: 212-258-9595
Rose Theater, Tickets: 212-721-6500, The Allen Room, Tickets:
212-721-6500
Jazz Gallery, 1160 Bdwy, (212) 242-1063, jazzgallery.org
The Jazz Spot, 375 Kosciuszko St. (enter at 179 Marcus Garvey
Blvd.), Brooklyn, NY, 718-453-7825, thejazz.8m.com
Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St., 212-576-2232, jazzstandard.net
Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St & Astor Pl.,
212-539-8778, joespub.com
John Birks Gillespie Auditorium (see Baha’i Center)
Jules Bistro, 65 St. Marks Pl, 212-477-5560, julesbistro.com
Kasser Theater, 1 Normal Av, Montclair State College, Montclair,
973-655-4000, montclair.edu
Key Club, 58 Park Pl, Newark, NJ, 973-799-0306, keyclubnj.com
Kitano Hotel, 66 Park Ave., 212-885-7119. kitano.com
Knickerbocker Bar & Grill, 33 University Pl., 212-228-8490,
knickerbockerbarandgrill.com
Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard St, 212-219-3132, knittingfacto-
ry.com
Langham Place — Measure, Fifth Avenue, 400 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10018, 212-613-8738, langhamplacehotels.com
La Lanterna (Bar Next Door at La Lanterna), 129 MacDougal St,
New York, 212-529-5945, lalanternarcaffe.com
Le Cirque Cafe, 151 E. 58th St., lecirque.com
Le Fanfare, 1103 Manhattan Ave., Brooklyn. 347-987-4244.
www.lefanfare.com
Le Madeleine, 403 W. 43rd St. (betw 9th & 10th Ave.), New York,
New York, 212-246-2993, lemadeleine.com
Les Gallery Clemente Soto Velez, 107 Suffolk St, 212-260-4080
Lexington Hotel, 511 Lexington Ave. (212) 755-4400.
www.lexinghotelnyc.com
Live @ The Falcon, 1348 Route 9W, Marlboro, NY 12542,
Living Room, 154 Ludlow St. 212-533-7235, livingroomny.com
The Local 269, 269 E. Houston St. (corner of Suffolk St.), NYC
Makor, 35 W. 67th St., 212-601-1000, makor.org
Lounge Zen, 254 DeGraw Ave, Teaneck, NJ, (201) 692-8585,
lounge-zen.com
Maureen’s Jazz Cellar, 2 N. Broadway, Nyack NY. 845-535-
3143. maureensjazzcellar.com
Maxwell’s, 1039 Washington St, Hoboken, NJ, 201-653-1703
McCarter Theater, 91 University Pl., Princeton, 609-258-2787,
mccarter.org
Merkin Concert Hall, Kaufman Center, 129 W. 67th St., 212-501
-3330, ekcc.org/merkin.htm
Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd St NY, NY 10012, 212-206-
0440
Mezzrow, 163 West 10th Street, Basement, New York, NY
10014. 646-476-4346. www.mezzrow.com
Minton’s, 206 W 118th St., 212-243-2222, mintonsharlem.com
Mirelle’s, 170 Post Ave., Westbury, NY, 516-338-4933
MIST Harlem, 46 W. 116th St., myimagestudios.com
Mixed Notes Café, 333 Elmont Rd., Elmont, NY (Queens area),
516-328-2233, mixednotescafe.com
Montauk Club, 25 8th Ave., Brooklyn, 718-638-0800,
montaukclub.com
Moscow 57, 168½ Delancey. 212-260-5775. moscow57.com
Muchmore’s, 2 Havemeyer St., Brooklyn. 718-576-3222.
www.muchmoresnyc.com
Mundo, 37-06 36th St., Queens. mundony.com
Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave. (between
103rd & 104th St.), 212-534-1672, mcny.org
Musicians’ Local 802, 332 W. 48th, 718-468-7376
National Sawdust, 80 N. 6th St., Brooklyn. 646-779-8455.
www.nationalsawdust.org
Newark Museum, 49 Washington St, Newark, New Jersey 07102-
3176, 973-596-6550, newarkmuseum.org
New Jersey Performing Arts Center, 1 Center St., Newark, NJ,
07102, 973-642-8989, njpac.org
New Leaf Restaurant, 1 Margaret Corbin Dr., Ft. Tryon Park. 212-
568-5323. newleafrestaurant.com
New School Performance Space, 55 W. 13th St., 5th Floor (betw
5th & 6th Ave.), 212-229-5896, newschool.edu.
New School University-Tishman Auditorium, 66 W. 12th St., 1st
Floor, Room 106, 212-229-5488, newschool.edu
New York City Baha’i Center, 53 E. 11th St. (betw Broadway &
University), 212-222-5159, bahainyc.org
North Square Lounge, 103 Waverly Pl. (at MacDougal St.),
212-254-1200, northsquarejazz.com
Oak Room at The Algonquin Hotel, 59 W. 44th St. (betw 5th and
6th Ave.), 212-840-6800, thealgonquin.net
Oceana Restaurant, 120 West 49th St, New York, NY 10020
212-759-5941, oceanarestaurant.com
Orchid, 765 Sixth Ave. (betw 25th & 26th St.), 212-206-9928
The Owl, 497 Rogers Ave, Bklyn. 718-774-0042. www.theowl.nyc
Palazzo Restaurant, 11 South Fullerton Avenue, Montclair. 973-
746-6778. palazzonj.com
Priory Jazz Club: 223 W Market, Newark, 07103, 973-639-7885
Proper Café, 217-01 Linden Blvd., Queens, 718-341-2233
Clubs, Venues & Jazz ResourcesClubs, Venues & Jazz Resources
— Anton Chekhov
“A system of morality
which is based on relative
emotional values is a mere
illusion, a thoroughly vulgar
conception which has nothing
sound in it and nothing true.”
— Socrates
19 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 March-April 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
Prospect Park Bandshell, 9th St. & Prospect Park W., Brooklyn,
NY, 718-768-0855
Prospect Wine Bar & Bistro, 16 Prospect St. Westfield, NJ,
908-232-7320, 16prospect.com, cjayrecords.com
Red Eye Grill, 890 7th Av (56th), 212-541-9000, redeyegrill.com
Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge, parallel to Main St.,
Ridgefield, CT; ridgefieldplayhouse.org, 203-438-5795
Rockwood Music Hall, 196 Allen St, 212-477-4155
Rose Center (American Museum of Natural History), 81st St.
(Central Park W. & Columbus), 212-769-5100, amnh.org/rose
Rose Hall, 33 W. 60th St., 212-258-9800, jalc.org
Rosendale Café, 434 Main St., PO Box 436, Rosendale, NY 12472,
845-658-9048, rosendalecafe.com
Rubin Museum of Art - “Harlem in the Himalayas”, 150 W. 17th
St. 212-620-5000. rmanyc.org
Rustik, 471 DeKalb Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 347-406-9700,
rustikrestaurant.com
St. Mark’s Church, 131 10th St. (at 2nd Ave.), 212-674-6377
St. Nick’s Pub, 773 St. Nicholas Av (at 149th), 212-283-9728
St. Peter’s Church, 619 Lexington (at 54th), 212-935-2200,
saintpeters.org
Sasa’s Lounge, 924 Columbus Ave, Between 105th & 106th St.
NY, NY 10025, 212-865-5159, sasasloungenyc.yolasite.com
Savoy Grill, 60 Park Place, Newark, NJ 07102, 973-286-1700
Schomburg Center, 515 Malcolm X Blvd., 212-491-2200,
nypl.org/research/sc/sc.html
Shanghai Jazz, 24 Main St., Madison, NJ, 973-822-2899, shang-
haijazz.com
ShapeShifter Lab, 18 Whitwell Pl, Brooklyn, NY 11215
shapeshifterlab.com
Showman’s, 375 W. 125th St., 212-864-8941
Sidewalk Café, 94 Ave. A, 212-473-7373
Sista’s Place, 456 Nostrand, Bklyn, 718-398-1766, sistasplace.org
Skippers Plane St Pub, 304 University Ave. Newark NJ, 973-733-
9300, skippersplaneStpub.com
Smalls Jazz Club, 183 W. 10th St. (at 7th Ave.), 212-929-7565,
SmallsJazzClub.com
Smith’s Bar, 701 8th Ave, New York, 212-246-3268
Sofia’s Restaurant - Club Cache’ [downstairs], Edison Hotel,
221 W. 46th St. (between Broadway & 8th Ave), 212-719-5799
South Gate Restaurant & Bar, 154 Central Park South, 212-484-
5120, 154southgate.com
South Orange Performing Arts Center, One SOPAC
Way, South Orange, NJ 07079, sopacnow.org, 973-313-2787
Spectrum, 2nd floor, 121 Ludlow St.
Spoken Words Café, 266 4th Av, Brooklyn, 718-596-3923
Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, 165 W. 65th St., 10th Floor,
212-721-6500, lincolncenter.org
The Stone, Ave. C & 2nd St., thestonenyc.com
Strand Bistro, 33 W. 37th St. 212-584-4000
SubCulture, 45 Bleecker St., subculturenewyork.com
Sugar Bar, 254 W. 72nd St, 212-579-0222, sugarbarnyc.com
Swing 46, 349 W. 46th St.(betw 8th & 9th Ave.),
212-262-9554, swing46.com
Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway, Tel: 212-864-1414, Fax: 212-
932-3228, symphonyspace.org
Tea Lounge, 837 Union St. (betw 6th & 7th Ave), Park Slope,
Broooklyn, 718-789-2762, tealoungeNY.com
Terra Blues, 149 Bleecker St. (betw Thompson & LaGuardia),
212-777-7776, terrablues.com
Threes Brewing, 333 Douglass St., Brooklyn. 718-522-2110.
www.threesbrewing.com
Tito Puente’s Restaurant and Cabaret, 64 City Island Avenue,
City Island, Bronx, 718-885-3200, titopuentesrestaurant.com
Tomi Jazz, 239 E. 53rd St., 646-497-1254, tomijazz.com
Tonic, 107 Norfolk St. (betw Delancey & Rivington), Tel: 212-358-
7501, Fax: 212-358-1237, tonicnyc.com
Town Hall, 123 W. 43rd St., 212-997-1003
Triad Theater, 158 W. 72nd St. (betw Broadway & Columbus
Ave.), 212-362-2590, triadnyc.com
Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Chambers St, 10007,
[email protected], tribecapac.org
Trumpets, 6 Depot Square, Montclair, NJ, 973-744-2600,
trumpetsjazz.com
Turning Point Cafe, 468 Piermont Ave. Piermont, N.Y. 10968
(845) 359-1089, http://turningpointcafe.com
Urbo, 11 Times Square. 212-542-8950. urbonyc.com
Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave S., 212-255-4037
Vision Festival, 212-696-6681, [email protected],
Watchung Arts Center, 18 Stirling Rd, Watchung, NJ 07069,
908-753-0190, watchungarts.org
Watercolor Café, 2094 Boston Post Road, Larchmont, NY 10538,
914-834-2213, watercolorcafe.net
Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall, 57th & 7th Ave, 212-247-7800
Williamsburg Music Center, 367 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
11211, (718) 384-1654 wmcjazz.org
Zankel Hall, 881 7th Ave, New York, 212-247-7800
Zinc Bar, 82 West 3rd St.
RECORD STORES
Academy Records, 12 W. 18th St., New York, NY 10011, 212-242
-3000, http://academy-records.com
Downtown Music Gallery, 13 Monroe St, New York, NY 10002,
(212) 473-0043, downtownmusicgallery.com
Jazz Record Center, 236 W. 26th St., Room 804,
212-675-4480, jazzrecordcenter.com
MUSIC STORES
Roberto’s Woodwind & Brass, 149 West 46th St. NY, NY 10036,
646-366-0240, robertoswoodwind.com
Sam Ash, 333 W 34th St, New York, NY 10001
Phone: (212) 719-2299 samash.com
Sadowsky Guitars Ltd, 2107 41st Avenue 4th Floor, Long Island
City, NY 11101, 718-433-1990. sadowsky.com
Steve Maxwell Vintage Drums, 723 7th Ave, 3rd Floor, New
York, NY 10019, 212-730-8138, maxwelldrums.com
SCHOOLS, COLLEGES, CONSERVATORIES
92nd St Y, 1395 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10128
212.415.5500; 92ndsty.org
Brooklyn-Queens Conservatory of Music, 42-76 Main St.,
Flushing, NY, Tel: 718-461-8910, Fax: 718-886-2450
Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, 58 Seventh Ave., Brooklyn,
NY, 718-622-3300, brooklynconservatory.com
City College of NY-Jazz Program, 212-650-5411,
Drummers Collective, 541 6th Ave, New York, NY 10011,
212-741-0091, thecoll.com
Five Towns College, 305 N. Service, 516-424-7000, x Hills, NY
Greenwich House Music School, 46 Barrow St., Tel: 212-242-
4770, Fax: 212-366-9621, greenwichhouse.org
Juilliard School of Music, 60 Lincoln Ctr, 212-799-5000
LaGuardia Community College/CUNI, 31-10 Thomson Ave.,
Long Island City, 718-482-5151
Lincoln Center — Jazz At Lincoln Center, 140 W. 65th St.,
10023, 212-258-9816, 212-258-9900
Long Island University — Brooklyn Campus, Dept. of Music,
University Plaza, Brooklyn, 718-488-1051, 718-488-1372
Manhattan School of Music, 120 Claremont Ave., 10027,
212-749-2805, 2802, 212-749-3025
NJ City Univ, 2039 Kennedy Blvd., Jersey City, 888-441-6528
New School, 55 W. 13th St., 212-229-5896, 212-229-8936
NY University, 35 West 4th St. Rm #777, 212-998-5446
NY Jazz Academy, 718-426-0633 NYJazzAcademy.com
Princeton University-Dept. of Music, Woolworth Center Musical
Studies, Princeton, NJ, 609-258-4241, 609-258-6793
Queens College — Copland School of Music, City University of
NY, Flushing, 718-997-3800
Rutgers Univ. at New Brunswick, Jazz Studies, Douglass Cam-
pus, PO Box 270, New Brunswick, NJ, 908-932-9302
Rutgers University Institute of Jazz Studies, 185 University
Avenue, Newark NJ 07102, 973-353-5595
newarkrutgers.edu/IJS/index1.html
SUNY Purchase, 735 Anderson Hill, Purchase, 914-251-6300
Swing University (see Jazz At Lincoln Center, under Venues)
William Paterson University Jazz Studies Program, 300 Pompton
Rd, Wayne, NJ, 973-720-2320
RADIO
WBGO 88.3 FM, 54 Park Pl, Newark, NJ 07102, Tel: 973-624-
8880, Fax: 973-824-8888, wbgo.org
WCWP, LIU/C.W. Post Campus
WFDU, http://alpha.fdu.edu/wfdu/wfdufm/index2.html
WKCR 89.9, Columbia University, 2920 Broadway
Mailcode 2612, NY 10027, 212-854-9920, columbia.edu/cu/wkcr
ADDITIONAL JAZZ RESOURCES
Big Apple Jazz, bigapplejazz.com, 718-606-8442, gor-
Louis Armstrong House, 34-56 107th St, Corona, NY 11368,
718-997-3670, satchmo.net
Institute of Jazz Studies, John Cotton Dana Library, Rutgers-
Univ, 185 University Av, Newark, NJ, 07102, 973-353-5595
Jazzmobile, Inc., jazzmobile.org
Jazz Museum in Harlem, 104 E. 126th St., 212-348-8300,
jazzmuseuminharlem.org
Jazz Foundation of America, 322 W. 48th St. 10036,
212-245-3999, jazzfoundation.org
New Jersey Jazz Society, 1-800-303-NJJS, njjs.org
New York Blues & Jazz Society, NYBluesandJazz.org
Rubin Museum, 150 W. 17th St, New York, NY,
212-620-5000 ex 344, rmanyc.org.
“It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world
and moral courage so rare.”
— Mark Twain
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20 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 March-April 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
Interview and photo by Ken Weiss
Julian Priester (born June 29, 1935, Chicago,
Illinois) is one of the most influential trombon-
ists in history. He’s a highly advanced and ex-
traordinarily versatile artist capable of playing
bebop, hard bop, post-bop, R & B, fusion, gos-
pel and avant-garde jazz. After performing
around Chicago with bluesmen Muddy Waters
and Bo Diddley, Priester spent time with Sun
Ra, Lionel Hampton, Dinah Washington, Max
Roach, Duke Ellington, Art Blakey, Dave Hol-
land and Herbie Hancock. He’s not been per-
forming as much as he’d like since devoting
himself to teaching at Seattle’s Cornish College
of the Arts [1979 to 2011] and battling signifi-
cant health and life issues, but he’s now ready
and able to be more active. This phone interview
took place on January 12, 2019.
Jazz Inside Magazine: Your contribution to
music has been significant since the mid-‘50s.
Collaborating with Sun Ra, Lionel Hampton,
Dinah Washington, Max Roach, John Coltrane,
Duke Ellington, Art Blakey, Herbie Hancock
should afford you recognition as a master crea-
tive artist, yet you’ve been underappreciated
throughout your career. Why do you think that
is?
Julian Priester: There’s several reasons. One
has to do with the instrument that I perform on. I
think that the trombone itself is underappreciat-
ed in the hierarchy of instruments among the
general public, as well as the instrument that
young, aspiring musicians choose to play. An-
other reason is my personality, I’m very nonag-
gressive, and that did impact my career. In fact,
my own family wanted to know why I wasn’t
more aggressive off stage, why I wasn’t in the
ear of the movers and shakers of the jazz indus-
try? I was never aggressive enough to make a
phone call and introduce myself and ask for an
opportunity. I was still able to do things, basical-
ly because of friends, particularly through John-
ny Griffin, who was also a Chicagoan. He
helped introduce me to people when I moved to
New York.
JI: You’ve made few recordings as a leader
over your career, a total of 11 albums, and that
includes a stretch of 20 years, beginning in
1977, where you did not release any material
under your own name. Why so few?
JP: That has to do with several things including
my relationship with the industry. How can I put
this? I wasn’t as marketable as I should have
been. I resented the spotlight and the glamor
needed to sell records. I’m not a showoff, a talk-
er. I’m kind of shy, I guess that’s the best word
for it, at least off the stage. I get aggressive with
the trombone in my hand, but I’m quiet without
it. I wanted to be an artist like Charlie Parker, in
musical respects [Laughs], not so much lifestyle.
I wanted to create brilliant music. There was a
strike already against me, as far as playing the
trombone, and its popularity. It’s a great instru-
ment however, and I blame the audience for not
understanding that. [Laughs] I really wanted to
break that barrier and somehow make the public
aware of this beautiful instrument and its pluses.
The character of the trombone is unique and it’s
not recognized. I fell in love with the trombone
and here I am.
JI: What do you feel is your biggest contribu-
tion/innovation to music and the evolution of
trombone playing?
JP: I strove to elevate the character of the trom-
bone. My hero was J.J. Johnson, and although he
was a great study, I wanted to get away from J.J.
I learned a lot by listening to him, but I didn’t
think it was beneficial for me to sound like him,
so I chose to study saxophone players, especially
Sonny Rollins and Charlie Parker, who was the
number one influence in my career. The tenor
saxophone and the trombone share the same
register, so I studied jazz music listening to tenor
saxophonists and trying to imitate that instru-
ment’s flexibility on the trombone. Of course,
there was no way I could actually do that be-
cause of the mechanics of the two instruments,
but I was able to develop a style that was sort of
reaching into that direction and it was far
enough away from J.J. Johnson. That gave me a
better chance to market myself. There were oth-
er great trombone players - Slide Hampton, Cur-
tis Fuller, Grachan Moncur, and others, and I
don’t mean to diminish they’re contributions,
but I desired to be different. I really respect mu-
sicians who are innovative. You had to have a
unique voice to really be recognized and no-
ticed, because if you sounded like someone else,
you were really promoting their endeavors.
That’s the problem that Sonny Stitt had. He
sounded like Charlie Parker and he suffered
emotionally and physically.
JI: I asked trombonist Steve Swell to comment
on your contribution to jazz and he said, “I
would say he was one of the first to move into
multiple territories of improvisation, trombone
or otherwise. He was a bopper, then a free bop-
per, then got into fusion, then improvising with-
out chords. I think a lot of folks did that along
the way, but he seemed always to be exploring
new territories. Julian is the first trombonist I
know of to really go out of the first things he
was known for, the things that got him famous.”
JP: That follows my thoughts. My ambition
was to not be still, I wanted to evolve. It was
important to keep pushing forward and looking
for musical ideas. I felt that as great as bebop
was, and as inspirational as it was in my devel-
opment, that I should be looking ahead. I think
that my exposure to Sun Ra very early in my
development was important. His habit was to
force his performers to be creative, and he would
do that by not giving specific instructions. He
would just point to the player to take a solo.
There were no chord changes, we just had to use
our ears to recognize and convert sounds into
what we knew would work musically. I learned
not to panic when something musically un-
planned came.
JI: How do you handle musical mistakes?
JP: There are no mistakes, it’s how you react to
what was unintentional. If you flinch, then that’s
(Continued on page 22)
Julian Priester Here I Am
INTERVIEWINTERVIEW
“You had to have a unique voice to really be recognized and noticed, because if you sounded like someone else, you
were really promoting their endeavors. That’s the problem that Sonny Stitt had. He sounded like Charlie Parker and he suffered emotionally and physically.”
21 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 March-April 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
22 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 March-April 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
a mistake. Let the accident influence what your
next idea is. I got into a head space where if an
accident occurred, I would resolve it by repeat-
ing that accident, so that it was no longer an
accident now. I accepted that mistake and made
it part of the structure of the musical idea, and
that works. Don’t let the audience know that you
didn’t intend to play what you just played. Play
it again, and that eliminates the mistake. I’ve
always been adamant about staying on the front
edge of creativity. When I recognize myself
repeating ideas over and over again, it really
bothers me. I strive to be fresh of ideas. I’m not
successful all of the time, because it’s all sponta-
neous and sometimes you just arrive at a certain
point that you’ve been there before. My philoso-
phy has been to go with it.
JI: What are you still working at to improve on,
if anything?
JP: I play by ear. With all the knowledge that I
have, I found it more creative to listen to the
sound of the group and not think about the chord
changes. I’m identifying the sound and playing
within that sound. I know what the chords are by
hearing them, so it’s a more instinctual approach
rather than an academic one. That’s mostly what
I’m doing now in terms of garnering the infor-
mation that I use to create solos. I’m also think-
ing about form and getting away from what’s
become normal. I want to be fresh and in the
moment. So I’m getting away from what I’ve
studied and practiced when I create solos. When
I play a solo, it’s spontaneous. I use the term
spontaneous composition which comes closest to
the method that I use. Of course, I’m following
the musical rules of harmony, rhythms and mel-
ody.
JI: You’ve lived on the West Coast for the past
45 years, the great majority of that time in Seat-
tle. How is it to spend most of your career se-
cluded away from jazz’ East Coast epicenter,
especially after being super involved in the sce-
ne during the start of your career?
JP: Ahh, that’s a great question. I have had
many problems trying to live the two lives – the
domestic life and the jazz life. They’re incom-
patible, as long as I’ve been playing. I’m on my
third marriage now and the failure of the first
two marriages were closely connected to the
inability of me to be the domestic provider as a
jazz musician, and the desire to be a jazz artist.
After many years in my career, I realized I was
more satisfied in being a jazz artist rather than a
jazz musician, seeking work in the bands of
others. I wanted to be brilliant as a trombonist,
unique as a trombonist, and that would qualify
me as a jazz artist. I’m still capable but, by
choice, I’m not seeking work in the commercial
music field. I’m seeking work in the creative
music field and that’s impacted my life. Here in
Seattle, there’s not much going on for the crea-
tive music artists.
JI: Are you saying that you moved out to the
West Coast in order to survive or to save one of
your marriages?
JP: No, I wasn’t married at the time. Staying on
the West Coast was purely accidental. It oc-
curred when Herbie Hancock broke up the
Mwandishi band in San Francisco. I got married,
for the third time, and when my first son was
born, the incident of the [1978] assassination of
the mayor of San Francisco [George Moscone]
influenced my decision to leave there. I had an
invitation to be on the faculty of Cornish Col-
lege in Seattle, so I accepted that and since then,
I’ve raised my family there. I’ve lived there for
forty years, although Seattle is not fulfilling my
musical ambitions. There are taverns here but I
don’t expose myself to working in taverns. I
learned from Max Roach that people don’t listen
to music in taverns, and the music that I create is
music to listen to. I prefer to work on the concert
stage where the audience specifically comes to
listen, and there’s not a whole lot of that going
on in Seattle. I’ve thought about going back to
New York, oh God, but I’m older now. I’m not
as physically apt to pay the dues. I’m not willing
to suffer like I was when I was younger. I’m 83-
years-old now and life has changed, the old grey
stallion is not what he used to be. [Laughs] I’ve
remained here but I’m not completely satisfied.
I’d love to be able to go out on tour but it’s more
expensive for a promoter to bring me to Europe
to perform than it would be from the East Coast.
JI: Your first instrument was piano but after
being forced to play glockenspiel in the high
school orchestra during parades you changed
instruments.
JP: Right, I came across the trombone almost
by accident, I guess it was fate. My first expo-
sure to music was through piano. My mother
was an accomplished church pianist and I used
to sit at her side, looking over her shoulder. I
was the youngest sibling of six in the family and
one of my brothers was a jazz fan and he ex-
posed me to that music, and I was impressed
with him and his friends in the way that they
reacted to the music. This was back in the ‘50s
so it was vinyl and they would take the needle
and put it back to the passage that they loved,
over and over, and that impressed me. That im-
pressed me. Also, the names of the artists stood
out – Bird, Diz, Monk, Hawk, Newk, and Miles.
Those names, for me—I was young, a pre-
teen—those names were like fantasy names. I
was captured by that, the excitement that my
brother displayed and by the unusualness of
those names, and from that moment on, I wanted
to do that. When I got into high school, I wanted
to join the jazz band, but I was also required to
play in the orchestra, which also doubled in
playing as the marching band for the sports
teams and a yearly parade. For the marching
band, of course you couldn’t carry a piano
around, so they gave me a glockenspiel, which
wasn’t pleasing to my ear. I asked instead to
play a horn, such as a trumpet, but there was
already a line to play that, so my instructor gave
me a euphonium to play. It has the same finger-
ing system as a trumpet so the idea was that in
the future, I would be able to switch to trumpet
when a chair became available. But it so hap-
pened by coincidence, the mouthpiece for the
euphonium was the exact same as the one used
for the trombone. I wanted to join the jazz band
at school but there was no precedent, at that
time, for a euphonium in jazz, but there was a
precedent for trombone in jazz, so the trombone
came into my life, and it became my livelihood.
I wasn’t aware at the time that the trombone
wasn’t the premiere jazz instrument, perhaps I
would have made a different choice had I
known.
JI: You had to learn to stand up for yourself in
order to be heard.
JP: Yes, as a result of me choosing the trom-
bone, I had to be aggressive on stage. I would go
to various jam sessions in Chicago and there was
competition to get to the microphone. The saxo-
phone players could play for a long time because
there were no endurance issues that there were
for the trumpet and trombone players. It became
my habit to get to the microphone before the
(Continued from page 20)
Julian Priester
“There are no mistakes, it’s how you react to what was uninten-tional. If you flinch, then that’s a mistake. Let the accident in-
fluence what your next idea is.”
23 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 March-April 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
saxophone players did and that aggressive ap-
proach turned into a plus, an asset, in terms of
my attitude, my image, and the impact that I had
on the audience. It gave the message that I was
‘special,’ to the audience, and I guess I carried
that attitude with me throughout my whole ca-
reer, especially if there was a saxophone player
in the band. [Laughs] That competitive spirit
was alive and well and influenced my musical
character on stage. I’m blessed as a result of
having that experience and assuming that pos-
ture.
JI: The famous ‘Captain’ Walter Henri Dyett
was the musical director at DuSable High
School, where you trained. There are numerous
colorful stories about his tough love schooling.
What can you share about your time with him?
JP: I have to mention Norman Vincent Peale,
whose philosophy Captain Dyett mentioned to
his students to make us aware of the power of
positive thinking. He did that to shape our
minds. He outlawed the word can’t. if you used
that word, you were punished, maybe even
kicked out of class. He insisted on discipline and
honesty, and those ideas I’ve kept close to me
even to this day, and I credit that attitude to ex-
plain the success that I’ve garnered in my career.
I came into the school band with some musical
knowledge – I could already read music and had
studied the piano. I was a little ahead of most of
the students in the class and Captain Dyett rec-
ognized that I had a little attitude. He once asked
me to play a passage from one of the concert
pieces. I was still playing the euphonium and the
baritone horn at that point, and he asked me to
play this gorgeous euphonium solo. He came
and stood behind me and rested his hand on my
shoulder, which had the effect of destroying my
confidence and impairing my ability to play that
particular solo, although I had already played it
many times before. What he was doing with his
hand on my shoulder, he was gradually tighten-
ing his grip, and you can imagine the effect that
that had on me. He tightened his grip, which
made it personal. It was somewhat painful, and I
could not ignore it. He was doing that to knock
me off my perch, my attitude that I was better
than most of the other students. That was a les-
son for me, it brought me back down to earth. I
continued to study and advance my ability, but
my attitude now was more humble, and because
of that, I was able to understand that I still had a
lot to learn
JI: Charles Davis recruited you into Sun Ra’s
band [1952-3] when you were 17 and still in
high school. At the time, Sun Ra was having
difficulty attracting musicians because they felt
his music and arrangements were strange, his
rehearsals were 7 days a week, 8 hours long, and
filled with lectures. What attracted you to him?
JP: My love of music. I would play whether
there was money involved or not. If there was an
opportunity to play some music, I was there. I
had a good relationship with Sun Ra, but what
changed everything at seventeen was that I got
married and that became an influential element
in my life. I had to become more serious about
making money. With Sun Ra, we played every
day, rehearsing for little or no money, and as a
married person I found that particular situation
undoable. It came to a head after we had an en-
gagement that lasted for eleven weeks, and eve-
ry week the money would be short, and at the
end of the eleven weeks, I calculated that I had
been paid for seven of those weeks. That con-
vinced me that I should leave Sun Ra and find
work to support my family. We were suffering. I
attempted to find a real job, [Laughs] and that
didn’t work out because I felt that I was being
taken advantage of. I was working in this mail
order house with the promise that after a certain
amount of time I’d be getting a raise, and when
that time expired, instead of getting a raise, they
transferred me to another department which
required another seven weeks before I would be
eligible for a raise. I left that job because if I was
to suffer, I was going to suffer as a musician. So
I left Sun Ra, and Richard Evans, a fellow stu-
dent at DuSable who was working as a bassist
for Lionel Hampton’s band, recommended me
when the trombone chair became available, and
that’s how I joined that band.
JI: How were things with Lionel Hampton?
JP: The money situation was strange there too,
although I did get paid every time I worked, but
only when I worked. I didn’t make a weekly
salary, or anything like that. I got paid a paltry
rate because I was one of the youngest members
of the band. Lionel Hampton took advantage of
me. I was inexperienced yet qualified to do the
job and he felt that he did not have to pay me the
same amount that he paid the more experienced,
older musicians. I stuck with him because I
loved to play but when the opportunity came to
leave the band, I took advantage of it. The end
came when his band had a tour of Australia,
along with the Stan Kenton Orchestra, and what
the promoters decided to do was to take half of
each of the orchestras and have the leaders take
their turn with the band. So, as a young member,
it was decided that I would not make that tour. I
was to stay in New York City and wait for them
to return. I still had a wife and two kids in Chi-
cago that I had to send money to. Here I was in
New York, without a salary, told that if I was
still there when the band came back from Aus-
tralia, I had a job waiting for me. I still had to
pay rent, which eliminated my ability to send
money back to Chicago, so l left Lionel Hamp-
ton’s band for that reason. Fortunately, one of
the saxophone players in Lionel Hampton’s
band, Eddie Chamblee, had just married Dinah
Washington and he was interested in putting
together a small group to tour with her. He asked
me if I was interested, and since I was stranded
in New York, I had no choice but to say yes. I
was desperate. So, I went on the road with Dinah
Washington and a weekly salary that rescued me
from poverty. Dinah lived in New York, so I put
a lot of time there, and a year later, I made the
official move from Chicago to New York City
by bringing my family there. It worked out
great. I was accepted as an available trombonist
and I was getting work. I’m proud of having the
rare distinction of performing with four major
drummers at that time – Philly Joe Jones, Max
Roach, Elvin Jones and Art Blakey. I feel unique
in that regard, to have worked with all of those
giant “Artists.”
JI: What was the demand for trombonists at the
time you moved to New York in 1958-’59?
JP: There was work commercially for trombon-
ists. I hired myself out to the Yonkers Pops Or-
chestra, as a requirement actually, to be eligible
to play for the Broadway shows. You had to
have had some orchestra experience to be hired
so I used that to qualify me. I did that for several
years until I had good opportunities to play jazz.
I got a leave of absence from the theater to go to
Europe with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orches-
tra and then a couple months later, I got a call
from the bassist in the Duke Ellington Orchestra.
Apparently, the trombone player hadn’t shown
(Continued on page 24)
“I learned from Max Roach that people don’t listen to music in taverns, and
the music that I create is music to listen to. I prefer to work on the concert stage where the audience specifically comes to listen, and there’s not a whole lot of
that going on in Seattle.”
Julian Priester
24 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 March-April 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
up for this recording session, so I showed up to
the recording studio and made a recording on
one piece with Duke Ellington Orchestra. That
put me in the position to be thought about when
the trombone chair became available in that
band. When it opened up, I applied for a leave
from the pit orchestra at the Shubert Theatre to
go on the road for a State Department tour to the
Asia, but would you believe that I was not grant-
ed to take another leave since I had taken a leave
earlier? So, I quit and that ended my commercial
career in New York City. I guess I was put on
the do not hire list because I didn’t receive any-
more calls to appear with the theater, but I was
happy with that because my heart was in per-
forming jazz music as a creative artist.
JI: Did Duke Ellington influence you an artist?
JP: I think Duke Ellington helped me adopt my
future attitude. We were leaving the army base
in Laos, flying to Thailand, on an army airplane
with its hard-wooden benches lining the sides of
the plane. It was uncomfortable. After we land-
ed, walking across the tarmac, I happened to
have a conversation with Duke about an upcom-
ing recording project that I thought was just
going to be a rehearsal. I told him that I was fine
with the session being for his personal use but, if
it was going to be released, I would like to be
paid for it because nothing had been discussed.
Duke’s reply was classic. He said, “Well, what
do you want, Julian? After all, you’re just a
trombone player.” Hello! [Laughs] That
knocked me off my feet. That changed my
whole attitude about myself and the direction I
should be going in. I had to be more than just a
trombone player, and from then on, that became
my goal. I wanted to be an innovator, so I
changed my attitude towards music. I strove to
be an artist and incorporated a whole different
attitude. I stopped playing for the love of playing
and started to play for the satisfaction of creating
something that’s unique. I sought change, devel-
opment. I became more of a risk taker, musical-
ly. I wanted to be a contributor to the advance-
ment of the art of playing creative music. I was
already comfortable with various styles of mu-
sic. I was fascinated by Dixieland and the role
that trombone played in that music, how it stood
out. I was also into free music because it re-
minded me of the work that I was doing with
Sun Ra in terms of the attitude. Sun Ra never
gave us charts, he gave us spoken ideas.
JI: Johnny Griffin introduced you to Orrin
Keepnews (V.P. of Riverside Records at the
time) who gave you a job in the label’s shipping
department. You worked there with Philly Joe
Jones, Chet Baker, and Kenny Dorham. Talk
about that experience.
JP: [Laughs] Oh, boy, that enabled me to pay
my rent. Orrin Keepnews was a gem. He helped
introduce me to the musical community and
gave me the opportunity to record. I credit him
with giving me my start. I was the youngest
working there and I was just in awe of Philly Joe
Jones, Chet Baker, and Kenny Dorham, espe-
cially Kenny Dorham, who was one of my he-
roes as a bebopper. My ego was blown in the
presence of those players, they were on another
level. I was young and clean, not exposed to the
other side of “the jazz life” that involves alcohol
and drugs, whereas everyone of those gentlemen
were. [Laughs] They were veterans. There was
one incident that occurred there that stands out.
Philly Joe Jones and Chet Baker were observed
on the corner of 125th and 7th Avenue, selling
Riverside records out of boxes taken from the
shipping department. [Laughs] I’m chuckling
because as serious as that incident is, because of
the nature of the individuals, they were brilliant
artists, they weren’t punished. The police were
not brought in on the theft, which is what it was.
They sold the albums in Harlem to get drugs.
That was the jazz life. A lot of the younger mu-
sicians, those of my age, felt that using drugs
was a requirement in order to play the brilliant
music that was being played by those older mu-
sician addicts whose music was beyond the ordi-
nary. The thought was to be as great as our he-
roes, that we had to use drugs. That was a deci-
sion that I had to always deal with, as far as how
I wanted to live my life. At weak moments, I
would dabble, but fortunately, due to my back-
ground and Walter Henri Dyett, I used self-
discipline to deny that lifestyle and save my life.
I look at my time [in that mailroom] as a lesson.
If I wanted to survive in this wild world, the jazz
world, then I had to really be disciplined.
JI: As you mentioned, Keepnews facilitated
your first recording as a leader – Keep Swing-
in’ [1961, Riverside], which included a remarka-
ble lineup - Jimmy Heath, Tommy Flanagan,
Sam Jones, and Elvin Jones. Did you pick the
musicians and tunes?
JP: That was Orrin’s decision. All those other
artists were on the Riverside label. They were
available and agreed to participate in this project
involving this young, inexperienced trombone
player, and as a result of Orrin being involved,
the album became a classic. I will always credit
those gentlemen on the recording for helping me
gain a lot of respect.
JI: Max Roach hired you in 1959 and at your
first gig with him in Pittsburgh he fought with
George Coleman on stage during the set. What
happened there?
JP: Apparently, there had been a history. Both
George Coleman and Booker Little, and to some
degree Art Davis, had had prior encounters with
Max Roach and it came to a head at this Pitts-
burgh engagement. It was my first time perform-
ing with Max. Of course, we were fired by the
club after the incident happened. The hotel that
we were staying in was owned by an African
American and he permitted Max to set up in the
dining room of the hotel and perform to earn
enough money to pay our transportation cost to
get back to New York. Max hired the Turrentine
brothers, Stanley and Tommy, to substitute for
George Coleman and Booker Little and they
agreed to stay with the band. They worked in the
band. Tommy was more of a bebopper whereas
Stanley was more of a blues/gospel influenced
player, and very acceptable to the audience.
JI: You made a number of memorable record-
ings with Roach including 1960’s We Insist!
Freedom Now Suite which was done during the
peak of the Civil Rights Movement. What was
the reaction from the audience to that music,
particularly the white audience?
JP: Back in New York, people supported Max
and his efforts to bring attention to the horrible
situation that African Americans were subject to,
as far as opportunities that were available to
them. It was time for change, and we were part
of the community there and they were part of us.
The listeners were educated and realized we
were all humans. It’s a mystery to me how peo-
ple, any people, can feel ownership of the world,
of our space. We all own this globe.
JI: The violent side of Max Roach is well docu-
mented, and you may have set the record for
being attacked three times by him. The first inci-
(Continued from page 23)
“I have to mention Norman Vincent Peale, whose philosophy Captain Dyett mentioned
to his students to make us aware of the power of positive thinking. He did that to shape our minds. He outlawed the word can’t. if you used that word, you were
punished, maybe even kicked out of class.”
Julian Priester
25 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 March-April 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
dent led to you exiting the band in 1962. What
happened?
JP: What set that off was Booker Little was
diagnosed with leukemia. He could not perform
because his hands were swollen and in pain. Ted
Curson was called in to substitute for Booker
Little in a Philadelphia engagement. Big mis-
take, they were two opposites. There was no
way that Ted Curson could fit into the shoes of
Booker Little, musically that is. The perfor-
mance was under par and it affected Max, who
was already mentally disturbed by the fact that
Booker was ill, dying. It duplicated the experi-
ence that Max had already had with Clifford
Brown. Losing another trumpet player was not
something that Max emotionally could handle.
Max got on the microphone and started berating
the music, talking to the audience about how sad
the music was. While he was doing this, I went
to the back of the stage, to where the piano had
been stored since we weren’t using it. It was not
lit there, and I lit a cigarette and leaned on the
piano, waiting for Max to finish his tirade. As I
waited for the music to start up again, Max left
the microphone and walked over to where I was
and slugged me in the face. Bam! Out of the
blue, unexpected, unanticipated, and for no rea-
son that I knew. I was stunned. [Laughs] My
reaction was to quit. I left the stage, packed my
horn up, and I was on my way back to New
York, but the club owner came to the dressing
room, saying he was sent by Max asking me not
to quit. It was a Sunday matinee and he wanted
to finish the engagement. So, me, as a nice guy,
accepted what was extended as an apology. But I
asked the club owner why Max wasn’t there
himself with the apology, so the owner left and
shortly thereafter, Max arrived, and he was so
pent-up that he was talking through his teeth.
His teeth were clenched, he was talking without
opening his mouth. I went back on stage and
during the middle of my solo, on the first song
we played, I didn’t hear any drums. My back
was turned to the drums and when I turned
around to see why I couldn’t hear the drums,
Max was actually climbing over the drums,
coming towards me, and the expression on his
face was rage. He came up to me and we tussled
at Pep’s Showbar in Philadelphia. The stage was
elevated inside of this oval-shaped bar. We
wrestled on stage, knocked the drums over,
which were on a higher riser, and they fell into
the bar area, knocking over a few bottles of
whiskey, and then Max and I actually rolled off
the stage. I think it was the bartender who was
the only one that threw any actual blows because
Max and I were tussling. [Laughs] Meanwhile,
the audience was applauding. They reacted as if
it was entertainment. Of course, we got fired and
went back to New York. About 3 o’clock in the
morning, I got a phone call from Max asking me
to accompany him to go see his psychiatrist,
which I agreed to do. It was then that I learned
that Max had a condition where when he drank
alcohol, his body did not process it, it built up in
his body. He had been drinking as a result of
Booker being ill, and he didn’t have control over
his emotions, and he attacked me as a tonic. He
was relieving himself of some of the angst. He
knew I wasn’t gonna’ hurt him. I learned at that
meeting that Max was attacking me for a forgiv-
able reason. I didn’t have any hard feelings and
we collaborated after that.
JI: The second Roach incident came shortly
after you rejoined him. This time you were at his
apartment celebrating Abbey Lincoln’s birthday.
JP: I brought my girlfriend with me and she
and I were in the kitchen talking. Max came into
the kitchen and attacked me. He grabbed me by
my shoulders and was just shaking me. I was
standing in front of these kitchen cabinets and
my head was bouncing off the cabinets. My
reaction was to stop him from shaking me and so
I struck him in the face and knocked out the cap
that was on one of his front teeth. He bled from
that on my suit and I startled a few people when
I got on the elevator with all this blood on my
clothes. It’s all water over the bridge. I’m not
angry, all of that’s forgiven. Max and I, we love
each other and nothing’s gonna’ change that. I
understand that he was mentally ill. I kind of
suspect that he resented the fact that I had
brought my girlfriend to his apartment. I don’t
know, I don’t have any proof of that. We never
spoke of that issue afterwards.
JI: Why would he resent that? Were you mar-
ried at the time?
JP: No, I was divorced, but we did later marry.
Max had certain ideas about male-female rela-
tionships that I was not privy to. Max had lived
in the jazz world and had been exposed to the
dark side of that. My girlfriend had had experi-
ences on that dark side, and I think Max became
aware of that and lost respect for me, which led
to that incident. He shook me in an effort to
“wake me up,” at least that’s how I’m interpret-
ing it. Again, we never fell out of our friendship
after that, although I did perform less often with
him due to having other opportunities.
JI: After Roach, you settled in as Blue Note
Records’ unofficial on-call studio trombone
musician, as well as working often with Atlantic
Records from 1965-67. How did you get that
opportunity?
JP: Because of my work with Max and my
work on Philly Joe Jones’ Blues for Dracula
recording, which impressed Max and was instru-
mental in Max taking me on in his band, other
jazz artists thought that including me on their
recordings would be beneficial to their project. I
have to mention Duke Pearson. He was like the
musical director for Blue Note Records, and he
had a large ensemble that I was also performing
in. When Blue Note was looking to use a trom-
bonist, I was the natural choice as a member of
the Duke Pearson Orchestra because I was right
there and available.
JI: Art Blakey hired you in 1968 but that also
(Continued on page 26)
“I happened to have a conversation with Duke about an upcoming recording project … if it was going to be re-leased, I would like to be paid for it … Duke’s reply was
classic. He said, ‘Well, what do you want, Julian? After all, you’re just a trombone player.’ Hello! [Laughs] That
knocked me off my feet. That changed my whole attitude about myself and the direction I should be going in.”
Julian Priester
26 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 March-April 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
ended in a bad experience, this time over money.
JP: Yes. Art respected me. I have to
acknowledge that, but he put me in an
[awkward] position where I had to defend the
band against his outside habit of taking the mon-
ey he was supposed to pay the band and using it
to buy drugs, so there was no money to pay the
band. The incident that broke the camel’s back
came after we had performed in Boston. After
the performance, Art instructed us to meet him
at the place I was staying once we got back to
New York to get our money. So, here’s the
band, waiting at my place for Art to come by
and pay us. We waited all night. The sun was
coming up and we were still waiting on Art. I
tried to call him, and he would not answer. His
wife answered and she just made excuses for
him. When the sun came up, I decided that I
wasn’t gonna’ wait any longer, I was just going
to go to Art’s house and get the band’s money.
So, we went to his house and banged on his
door. At first, he wouldn’t answer, so we contin-
ued to bang on his door. We could hear recorded
music playing inside. Because of the noise that
we were making, one of his neighbors opened
their door, saw these black guys banging on Art
Blakey’s door and yelled, “Call the police!” As
soon as he said that, Art opened the door. He
wanted to let me in and keep the rest of the guys
out, but I refused. I told him we were all here to
get our money and we’re all coming in, and we
did. It turned out that Art had already spent the
money so he said he would take us to his manag-
er and pay us. He had also injured himself out of
frustration because we were banging on his
door. He had kicked the door out of anger and
injured his big toe. He ended up going to the
hospital because he had injured it so bad. We got
our money but after that incident, I didn’t think
that that was a viable place for me to be so I left
the band and went back to my commercial work
as a musician for hire for recordings where my
name wasn’t even mentioned in the credits, as
well as working on Broadway until I got he call
to play with Duke Ellington.
JI: You’ve had numerous challenging situations
with prominent leaders who had to be heroes for
you before you joined them. There was Lionel
Hampton, Max Roach, Art Blakey, Duke Elling-
ton, and later Herbie Hancock. Negative things
happened under them. How do you make sense
of finding out that your heroes are not what you
expected them to be?
JP: Separate personalities from their art. I un-
derstand what motivated those leaders to act and
come to the decisions that they made to survive.
Lionel Hampton paid me $25 an engagement
because of his humongous payroll. I can’t fault
him for conducting his business the way he did
because he knew I was just happy to be playing.
I wouldn’t be happy anymore, I’m not that same
person. I got an education from working with
those leaders. I learned how to conduct my own
business by being tested by them. These are the
things that you don’t want to happen so how do I
avoid them happening again. It was a learning
experience. Later, as a bandleader, I was con-
fronted with the same situation. I had to pay
people who were taking a chance by exposing
themselves in situations where sometimes the
money was funny. I did my best to treat them
better than other bandleaders. It all comes down
to respect for the music. If you’re going to be a
jazz player, you have to have worked to a level
where you can afford to be a jazz player. You
have to be able to pay your bills, especially if
you have a family. The jazz life is not dependa-
ble for young, inexperienced people.
JI: Herbie Hancock hired you in 1970 for the
three-year run of his famous fusion sextet –
Mwandishi. What was your interest and impres-
sion of fusion at the time he hired you?
JP: I had already a mindset that I would not
avoid challenges. Originally, I’m a bebopper,
that’s where my heart lies from listening to
Charlie Parker. I’ve carried that music with me
for all these sixty-plus years as the foundation.
At the same time, growing up in Chicago, which
is really a blues hub, I was exposed to the blues
and had the opportunity to play in blues bands as
well as gospel church music. All that music still
goes around in my head. I feel there’s no bad
music. Fusion is for me an offspring of the
blues. I don’t like what the term rock n’ roll
brings to your mind, that speaks of entertain-
ment, and the music we strove for was to enrich
people.
JI: Hancock used a lot of post-production work
on the recordings. Did you always like what he
did to your sound?
JP: I accepted it because of my attitude that all
music is valid. I used to resent electronic music
because I thought it was demeaning to acoustic
music. I prefer to be doing acoustic music alt-
hough electronics add another instrument – the
use of synthesizer. You can’t really imitate the
sound of live instrument, it’s not real sounding
and sound is what drives response. Music is
special because not only will it attract your at-
tention, it stimulates your emotion.
JI: I have inside information that Hancock did-
n’t pay extravagantly well at the time. It was
$300 per week and you had to cover your own
meals and hotel rooms.
JP: That’s true, but I was happy to have the
opportunity to play that music regardless of the
circumstances. It reminds me of working with
Lionel Hampton. [Hampton’s] salary was not
weekly, it was $25 only on the days that the
band worked. Working with Herbie was a won-
derful experience for me. It was a learning expe-
rience and I was exposed to venues and audienc-
es that I never would have had the opportunity to
be exposed to if not for that association. One
experience leads to the next experience.
JI: How was it decided that all members of
Mwandishi would take a Swahili name and how
did you come to be Pepo [pay-po] Mtoto, as well
as “Spirit Child?”
JP: That came about from an association that
Herbie and Buster Williams had established with
Tootie Heath’s son, who influenced them to
adopt Swahili names in support of the spiritual
movement by African Americans to draw atten-
tion to the people who were suffering because of
the social environment they were living in. It
also attracted attention to the band, having these
names. It set the band up in a different category
of not just being jazz players, but jazz players
with unique properties. We were devoted to the
music and to each other, and we were projecting
a certain character. My name came about after
one of the first engagements we had, which was
up in Vancouver. In the hotel, we each had
cooking units. I invited the band for breakfast to
my apartment and cooked a whole breakfast.
(Continued from page 25)
“...we had the idea that we were gonna’ be a cooperative organization with everyone contrib-uting to the music, which we did … We thought that we could do this cooperative group, but it
didn’t work on the business side. We didn’t know that at the start … The main reason was
that on the contract there was only one individ-ual’s signature, and that was Herbie’s. The rest
of the band was just hired musicians …”
Julian Priester
27 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 March-April 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
They were impressed by that effort, they en-
joyed the meal, so they selected an African name
for me that translated into being “The Great
Cook.” Now that did not define me at all. So I
rejected that name, and when they inquired into
what I wanted to be called. The name “Spirit
Child” came to mind so they translated Spirit
Child into Swahili and they called me Pepo Mto-
to. So, I’ve lived with that name ever since, at
least amongst my family and close friends. I
think I’m somewhat of a spiritual person, per-
sonality-wise, coming from the experience of
coming up in the church.
JI: Mwandishi was special, that’s obvious when
hearing the ex-members of the band speaking
about it. When you performed in Philadelphia
recently you opened up on stage about the two
tragic losses in your life – the death of your
mother when you were nine, and the time Herbie
Hancock disbanded Mwandishi. Would you
address the breakup of the Mwandishi band?
JP: That was devastating because of the im-
portance of what we were doing. The members
of the band felt that we were innovators and that
we were on the path to be special. We presented
that to the audience through our music. Original-
ly, when I first joined the band, we had the idea
that we were gonna’ be a cooperative organiza-
tion with everyone contributing to the music,
which we did, idea-wise and material-wise. We
thought that we could do this cooperative group,
but it didn’t work on the business side. We did-
n’t know that at the start. We were just over-
joyed at being brothers in this musical adventure
but the management, David Rubenstein and his
organization, denied this. The main reason was
that on the contract there was only one individu-
al’s signature, and that was Herbie’s. The rest of
the band was just hired musicians to accompany
Herbie, which I don’t agree with that philoso-
phy. I personally avoid being regarded as a side-
man.
JI: Stanley Crouch in his book Considering
Genius described Mwandishi as, “one of the
great ones of the era and perhaps any. No one
had ever heard anything like it… Had it lasted, a
strong alternative to what became known as
fusion would have been out there to inspire oth-
ers to hold on.”
JP: Yes, I support that thought. One of the rea-
sons that I was in love with that band, all of us
were striving to reach forward, trying to increase
our musical output, not just the sound of the
music, but understanding the importance that
music has, its impact on the human psychic, and
recognizing that, it puts music in a different
category. It’s more than entertainment, it’s more
than just background entertainment. My goal has
been for the music to reach that level. Hallelu-
iah, [Laughs] to borrow a term from the church.
[Laughs]
JI: After Mwandishi you made your own clas-
sic fusion album Love, Love [1974, ECM] before
returning to your acoustic music roots. What
was your attraction to making fusion records as
a leader? Did that music resonate with you or
was that for financial reasons?
JP: No, it was the music. It wasn’t financial at
all. It was an extension of the music that I was
involved with when I was working with Herbie.
Pat Patrick was very instrumental in providing
the electronics with the Herbie organization, and
the idea to do the Love, Love album was actually
a combination of Pat and my own ambition to
extend the music that we were making with
Herbie. I saw the impact that the Mwandishi
band had on listeners and we wanted to continue
that. Of course, with me being a trombonist, my
having access to the sophistication of electronic
music was limited, so I wasn’t able to continue
along that path. Not that I would have accepted
doing only that. I don’t think that would be very
wise, to have only one style. I don’t subscribe to
that. I would not hesitate to perform rock n’ roll,
or blues, or soul music, or even Dixieland if the
opportunity presents itself.
JI: The bulk of your latter career was spent
teaching at Seattle’s Cornish College of the Arts
[1979-2011] which you take great pride in. Were
you surprised that you enjoyed teaching so much
and what aspect of it did you enjoy the most?
JP: I enjoyed the music element of it. I was
brought there to teach improvisation, the ele-
ments of music, and to develop the skills and
attitude that are necessary to develop a devotion
to music that will inspire one to not be affected
by the perils that accompany the life of a jazz
musician, the incompatibility of the jazz life
with domestic life. I knew very many potential
jazz players who would still be valid if it hadn’t
been for the pressure put on them to provide
food and shelter. The jazz life is not dependable.
There are choices to be made in order to follow
the musical path. You really have to ignore other
aspects of social life in order to be successful as
a musical artist. It demands too much time and
commitment.
JI: That’s quite harsh criticism.
JP: I’m really saddened at the incompatibility
of the jazz life and domestic life. I’m on my
third marriage and failure of the first two were
directly influenced by schisms between support-
ing a family and performing. It’s sad and I’m
suffering emotionally as a result of that. I can’t
even devote myself to either of them, one is
taking away from the other, and I want to be a
full participant in both. I don’t like being bitter. I
still want to hold onto the philosophy that Wal-
ter Henri Dyett instilled in me that positive
thinking will pay off. Don’t use the word can’t.
Don’t use it, don’t think it. You can, always.
JI: How do you relay this information about the
jazz life to students without crushing their
dreams?
JP: Yes, I do talk about this, I emphasize it. I
stress innovation and using what’s right there in
front of you. Recognize the element that can be
incorporated into the music you create. I make
them aware of the music that’s in the air all
around us. Motion creates sound. Everything is
evolving, and that in itself is gonna’ create
sound. It’s gonna’ move air and create sound,
especially when it comes in contact with objects.
I teach to open your ears and identify what you
are listening to.
JI: How active were you as a performing artist
during your teaching career in Seattle?
JP: There was a lot of music when I got to Cor-
nish and I wasn’t just teaching while I’ve lived
here. I remained very active. I went on the road
with Charlie Haden, as well as the Timeless All-
Stars. I went to Europe with George Gruntz and
toured with Lester Bowie. I was also in a group
called Quartett with Jay Clayton, Jerry Granelli,
and Gary Peacock, who were all also faculty
members of the college. I also did a lot of work
with Hadley Caliman, who was living up here,
as well as recording on Diane Schuur’s first
record. My most recent group, Priester’s Cue,
was made up of Cornish graduates – pianist
Dawn Clement, drummer Byron Vannoy and
Geoff Harper on bass. An album was already
released featuring that band and we also record-
ed a beautiful album at Van Gelder Studio which
I am looking to release now.
JI: Unfortunately, you’ve dealt with some very
significant health-related issues during your
latter years. You survived two organ transplants
– a liver transplant in 2000, as well as a kidney
transplant a few years later, as a result from tak-
ing the anti-rejection medication needed for the
liver transplant. If that wasn’t enough, you lost
your home when you were unable to work with
your ailments.
JP: Not only that, there were age issues. Cor-
nish College decided they wanted a younger
faculty and they invited me to retire which, be-
cause of my health issues, I accepted their invi-
tation because my health was impacting on the
students. But, along with that, the college did not
offer a pension to its faculty, so upon retirement,
I was out of an income. I wasn’t performing
much either because I had been off the scene in
academia, so people were not thinking to use me
as a trombone player. I’m not working now as a
jazz artist, so economically I’m not footing the
bill here. It’s not working. I could go out and be
a trombone player for hire any day but that’s not
where my heart lies. At my age, I feel I deserve
to be who I want to be and it’s a struggle. I’m
still picking up the trombone, making music.
JI: I hope this interview and the others to fol-
low get the word out that you are back as a jazz
(Continued from page 26)
Julian Priester
28 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 March-April 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
artist. You recently toured with pianist David
Haney and the music played was totally impro-
vised. Is that how you’re playing these days?
What type of music attracts you now?
JP: On occasion, I will play with David [in a
totally free setting]. It’s something that I’m used
to doing since the days of Sun Ra. I enjoy doing
creative music like this, working with a sensitive
artist who also listens and accompanies without
letting their ego influence their musical ideas. I
like people who can join in as a musical unit so
that we are all playing the same music at the
same time. The object is to pair up ideas.
JI: What are your interests outside of music?
JP: I like good food. I like TV but I find it con-
fining, you’ve got to sit there and watch it. I
came up with the radio and you didn’t have to sit
there with the radio. You could move around
and still absorb it. I like educational documen-
taries on TV, but I don’t like the normal televi-
sion fare. I don’t find it appealing only because
of the use of time that I could be using for more
rewarding projects. I could be writing music,
reading books, gaining knowledge, just being
aware of what’s around me. I listen to NPR and
MSNBC, which is one of my favorites.
JI: The final questions have been given to me
from other musicians to ask you:
Robin Eubanks (trombone) asked: “I was hon-
ored to follow you as the trombonist in Dave
Holland’s band. What do you feel are the ad-
vantages or disadvantages about playing in a
band, such as David’s, with no chordal instru-
ments [piano, guitar, vibes]?”
JP: First of all, I was used to that with my rela-
tionship with Max Roach. He wasn’t using a
keyboard, so it wasn’t an oddity. I really enjoyed
creating music with Dave because his musical
taste was on the cutting edge of pushing music
forward. He wasn’t about regurgitating some-
thing that had already been alive.
Famoudou Don Moye (percussion) asked: “My
memories of performing with you are numerous
and always a source of pride and respect. My
question is how you felt about the fun, excite-
ment and challenges of playing with Lester
Bowie’s Brass Fantasy and touring with Lester
Bowie’s N.Y. Organ Ensemble. I know that we
had some great moments!”
JP: Yeah, we did. Another similar situation
where the music was on the cutting edge, it was
out front, it wasn’t trying to impress anyone. It
was telling the truth about life, about music. It
was harsh in parts, and that’s part of life, it’s all
valid, and the individuals in the band were all of
the same mind, attitude and approach to the mu-
sic that was being created. We weren’t tied
down to musical tradition. Again, it was like Sun
Ra’s music. The band was out of Chicago and
came out of the same environment. They were-
n’t looking to regurgitate music and there was a
social message in the music. There was a cour-
age needed just to participate in introducing
music of that style. It was amazing and that mu-
sic was important as a mirror of society.
Curtis Fowlkes (trombone) said: “I remember
seeing Monk at BAM on a double bill with Art
Blakey. You were in the front line of Blakey’s
band, along with tenor player Billy Harper and
trumpeter Bill Hardman. I wonder if you re-
member that night because Monk ended his set
by walking offstage and not returning, and peo-
ple were booing to the point where Blakey came
out and scolded the audience. I was in a group of
young teenagers who were sponsored by the
community organization with tickets to attend
the performance and we weren’t understanding
of the mental issues that plagued Monk.”
JP: I remember that. He was a character. Take a
close look and examine Thelonious Monk, his
character. He was not a person who felt that it
was necessary to suck up to the audience. He,
like Miles Davis, felt that the music that he was
producing was important and valuable, and
that’s enough. If he wanted to get off the piano
and walk around, it was his prerogative. That
was his character, and I think because of that, he
qualified to be on the cover of Time Magazine.
If that’s not respect, what is? [Laughs] I love
him for his uniqueness.
Samuel Blaser (trombone) asked: “Here’s a
question that’s been with me for some time.
ECM Records doesn’t seem to have many trom-
bone players as a leader in its catalogue. You
may be the only one, along with Yves Robert.
You recorded two wonderful albums - Love,
Love and Polarization for the label. Is there any
specific reason why you didn’t record more mu-
sic for Manfred Eicher? I wonder if Eicher really
likes the trombone.”
JP: I don’t think it was that simple. I think it
was due to the implementation of Manfred’s
association with the label. He regarded the label
as his instrument and the product of that label
was his creation. He insisted upon control of
personnel. For instance, on the Polarization
album, he didn’t approve of my drummer. He
wanted to cancel the recording session, resched-
ule, and bring Billy Hart over from New York to
play drums. I felt that that was a little bit over
stepping his position, although I understand that
he was the owner of the company. What capped
off the relationship between me and Manfred
happened as a result of another incident. I was in
Europe performing with George Gruntz’ band
recording for ECM and I realized that I was
being treated as a sideman in Gruntz’ band. I
wasn’t being given the opportunity to solo and
that went against my whole personality. So, I
mentioned it to Manfred. I told him that I wasn’t
very happy with what was going on. He resented
me approaching him in that way so that created a
schism in our relationship. I know that was years
ago and I should not be harboring any ill feel-
ings towards Manfred because of that incident,
but it did create a sour note in my attitude to-
wards Manfred and I never approached him
again to do any recordings for his label.
Richard Davis (bass) [also a Captain Dyett
student] asked: “Would you talk about your
experience with Clifford Jordan?”
JP: Oh, good question. Clifford, a fellow DuSa-
blelite. We became dear friends in Chicago,
musically and personally, and Clifford was in-
spirational. I mentioned earlier that I drew my
inspiration from saxophone players and Clifford
was one of the saxophonists who influenced my
musical output. I remained friends with Clifford
after I moved to New York. He was living there.
We collaborated on musical projects and record-
ings. As a matter of fact, the apartment that I
was living in during the Art Blakey era was orig-
inally Clifford’s apartment. He had moved in
with his wife and so that apartment became
available and he let me take it over. Clifford was
a hustler, I mean he knew how to get work. He
was preaching to me how to approach the venue
owner and ask him how much he would charge
me to perform in his place. Now that’s odd, so
odd that the more I thought about it, the more
sense it made. How much to rent the place and
all the funds that came through the door would
be mine after I paid the owner a commission. It
did make business sense, but it was an approach
that was so different from anything that I had
ever been exposed to, it wowed me. I didn’t
know how to deal with it. Of course, I never
tried to implement it, I didn’t have the where-
withal to do it. I admired Clifford for his mind,
musically and streetwise. I saw it as a benefit for
me to adopt his street knowledge when dealing
with business, but I just didn’t have the courage.
[Laughs]
Steve Swell (trombone) asked: “It was phenom-
enal playing and hanging with you recently. On
[Max Roach’s] Freedom Now Suite you take a
terrific solo on “Freedom Day.” How many
takes were needed for that tune and how many in
general for the session?”
JP: Oh my God, I don’t remember. That’s too
long ago but I would think it all went down in
one take. In fact, I do recall Max was not in-
volved in overdubbing or multi-recording. His
attitude when he was performing was so disci-
plined that everything worked on the first time
through, and I believe that’s what happened on
that album. As far as my solo, I remember the
terror of having been put in this position where I
had to play those fast tempo [songs]. The trom-
bone, on a fast tempo, is terrorizing, particularly
as fast as Max Roach plays, [Laughs] but you
find a way to survive.
(Continued from page 27)
Julian Priester
29 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 March-April 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
Steve Swell also asked: “What are your spiritu-
al practices? Meditation or a formal practice?”
JP: It’s difficulty for me to put it into a catego-
ry but I think meditation perhaps would be rela-
tive to my practice. I dropped out from going to
church after my mother passed away. My expe-
rience at the funeral was devastating for me. I
lost it, I lost it, and I’m still suffering from that.
Uhm, even talking about it makes me uncom-
fortable. I’m still under the influence of Captain
Dyett, and you can put that in the category of a
spiritual practice. I’m spiritually devoted to be-
ing positive and denying negative responses to
the events of daily life. That’s my practice, and
so far, I’m satisfied. I’m still alive. I’ve made it
past the 83rd revolution around the Sun. What
more can I ask for?
Steve Davis (trombone) said: “You are a true
master who’s worked as a sideman on so many
recordings. A few of my favorites being McCoy
Tyner’s Tender Moments, Freddie Hubbard’s
Hub Cap, your work with Max Roach, as well as
Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi! I love your
1960 Keep Swingin’ recording. With that said,
my question is having played with such an array
of masters over many decades, how have you
approached delivering the language of jazz mu-
sic through the trombone?”
JP: My love for music made it so that at the
drop of a hat, I will play, and I’ve carried that
attitude with me all these years. I was also influ-
enced by Max Roach in terms of commanding
dignity for the music. I believe that I hit the nail
on the head when I said I really didn’t need an
excuse [to play]. I wasn’t doing it for the money,
so anytime there was an opportunity to play
some music, I was there. That was my attitude
when I was doing all that recording with all
those people that I loved. It was all the same to
me. After my conversation with Duke Ellington
when he was accusing me of being just a trom-
bone player, I started thinking that I should be
emphasizing the artistic element, and that’s what
I did.
Joseph Bowie (trombone) asked: “I admire your
tasteful and modern approach to improvis-
ing. Do you use chord patterns/scales to fashion
your solos or do you create your own original
phrases?”
JP: I would think it’s a mixture of both. In
learning music, I went through the path of learn-
ing the relationship of chordal movement and
how it impacts the flavor of the music. For in-
stance, if you compare the music of Thelonious
Monk to the music of Horace Silver, both are
brilliant, but radically different from each other.
Chords are integral to producing music. Without
chords you can make sounds that can be musical
sounds but without the organization that is af-
forded with using chords, the music will not
sound familiar and that’s important if you want
listeners to relate to it. If they can’t relate to it, it
falls into another category such as noise.
JI: So what is your connection to free music?
JP: I rejected free music because I recognized
that it was not organized, and without organiza-
tion how can you identify it? The term free mu-
sic is a valid term, but it describes something
that is separate from its relationship to history
and the human experience. Music is a mirror
image of life, and there are rough aspects of life,
and perhaps free music does speak to that aspect,
but it’s not something that pleases me as a listen-
er. I enjoy creating, but even in that free envi-
ronment, I want it to be musical. You have to
use harmony and follow the melodic pattern,
both are key elements in the manufacture of
pleasant sounds. Free music is music, but I can’t
connect emotionally to that. It doesn’t allow for
intimacy.
Eddie Henderson (trumpet) said: “I have quite
a few memories of you and I together. Do you
remember the time you and I were riding across
the country with the Mwandishi group? Every-
body had separate cars, and at that time I had a
Ferrari. You were in the car with me and in the
middle of Utah or Wyoming I let you take over
driving. You didn’t know what kind of car it
was, you had thought it was just a little cheap
sports car. We switched seats and after about an
hour, you looked down and you’re cruising at
120 miles per hour, and you looked at me and
said, ‘What kind of car is this?’ [Laughs] That
was a rare moment. What memories do you have
of being together with me?”
JP: My buddy, oh boy. Very pleasant memories
of all the members of that group. We all became
very close, but Eddie was special – musically
and personally. He played the trumpet and was
fulfilling his training as a doctor when I first met
him, and we convinced him to stay with band
which meant that he had to drop out of his train-
ing. His first inspiration was music and he
gained a lot of respect for making that decision
to stay in the music life for as long as he has, as
well as staying in the medical field as a psychia-
trist.
JI: Do you have a memory to share about Eddie
Henderson?
JP: Well, I’ve got other memories but I’m not
gonna’ publicize them! [Laughs] Ask Eddie
about it! Yeah, anyway, I love him. He’s great.
Jerry Granelli (drums) said: “We spent so
many great hours talking about life, music, and
all of it. I’ll never forget our conversation once
after a concert in Vancouver with Jay Clayton. I
said, ‘You sounded great Priester,’ and you said,
“Thanks, but I heard all that before. I’m really
interested in what I haven’t played yet.” That
was not said with any sense of false humility,
that’s you.”
JP: I can feel myself saying that. That fits right
in with the mindset that I’ve had. Those two
were also on the faculty of Cornish College of
the Arts when I joined there. We had many op-
portunities to make music and share ideas.
Bennie Maupin (sax) said: “I simply can’t think
of one question. You’re one of the few innova-
tive giants of your generation that is still on this
planet. My mystical brother, friend, and truly a
musical mentor. Unsurpassed. What I can say is
this - I’m eternally grateful for having spent a
brief moment, live together with you, creating
some of the most unique and beautiful music of
my life. Words cannot express my gratitude and
appreciation for the great Julian Priester. Thanks
for the opportunity to sing my praises for the
great musical spirit, AKA Pepo Mtoto.”
JP: Bennie is unique as a player, creator and
artist. He is impressive personally. Our relation-
ship is so intimate that we had both good times
and bad times. Sometimes we were angry with
each other, sometimes we were in love and
demonstrated that love. It all turned out to be
good – our relationship and the music we pro-
duced. I appreciate his comments and I believe
that he is honest in his feelings for me, as I am
with my feelings for him. You know, it pains
me, it all stems from the Mwandishi band break-
ing up. It was a painful experience, and to this
day, forty-years later, the pain is still there. I
imagine Bennie also feels the same way.
[Addendum added by Julian Priester’s wife-
Nashira Priester]: The most hilarious thing we
talked about when we read the interview was
over the years I had the chance to ask a friend
who was from Zimbabwe and I asked him and
some other Zimbabweans, as well as looking it
up on the computer, and, well, Pepo Mtoto does
not mean “Spirit Child,” it means “Ghost Baby,”
or “Demon Baby!” It’s so amusing but we can’t
fix it now, it’s too late in life to be going away
from “Spirit Child.” Our son has made a thesis
film when he graduated from school with an art
degree called Spirit Child.
(Continued from page 28)
Julian Priester
“Do not wait. The time will never be ‘just right’. Start
where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your
command, and better tools will be found as you go along.”
- Napoleon Hill
30 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 March-April 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
By Eric Nemeyer
JI: Could you discuss your recent recording
release and how it developed?
DF: I met Toninho (Horta) more than forty
years ago and I can say that without exception
I love all his compositions. I believe that
Toninho deserves much broader recognition
worldwide. In 2000 I had the pleasure to meet
David Feldman when he was studying at the
New School for Jazz and Contemporary Mu-
sic in New York. We started playing together
right away and the chemistry between us was
there from the first hit. David was playing in
my quintet at the time, and I played on his
first trio album, with the fabulous Hans Glaw-
ischnig on bass. A few years later David
moved back to Rio, where he still lives with
his family. In a recent visit to Rio, I got a call
from Paulo Levi, a wonderful sax player from
northeast Brazil, to play on his album. When I
got to the studio, David Feldman was the pia-
nist, and the bass player was a young gentle-
man from the south of Brazil, Guto Wirtti. We
started the session and I said to myself,
“Wow! This rhythm session sounds so right!
It feels like a walk on Ipanema Beach.” I
came back to New York, and started to think
that I really wanted to do a trio project with
these two fabulous young musicians. At the
time I was playing quite a bit with Toninho
around Europe and in New York, with a pro-
ject of mine called “Samba Jazz and the Mu-
sic of Jobim.” Then the idea clicked in my
head: “I am going to do a Trio album playing
the music of Toninho Horta.” That same year
I went back to Rio and we recorded the al-
bum. The recording process was a fantastic
experience and I could not be happier with the
results.
JI: What kinds of challenges and opportuni-
ties did you experience in Brazil as you pur-
sued this creative path as a drummer?
DF: In one way I was very lucky to be born in
Brasil and start playing at a time when Samba
Jazz and Bossa Nova were extremely popular
and we had many places to be play. I am se lf
taught and I have learned a lot watching and
hanging with some fantastic musicians from
that golden era of Brazilian Music even
though I was a kid at the time. I learned from
musicians like Edison Machado, Tenório Jr,
Edison Maciel, João Palma, Milton Banana,
Raul De Souza, Dom Salvador, Victor Manga,
Sergio Barrozo Neto, Luis Carlos Vinhas,
Tião Neto and many others ,by watching them
play and playing along with theirs albums,
which I believe is a great way to learn These
days in Brazil is extremely difficult to play
“Samba Jazz.” Most of my friends in Brazil
make a decent living, either working in a stu-
dio playing commercial music, or playing for
a pop star singer, and I think that is OK. As a
matter of a fact Maucha Adnet, my wife is a
singer and I love playing with her. I have
played with many other singers and I really
enjoy it, it is a completely different musical
approach, and I like the challenge but in my
opinion it should be an option, not the only
option. I always wanted to meet and play with
American Jazz musicians and mix Brazilian
and American cultures. The only way that I
found to pursue my dream was by moving to
New York, the place where you find the best
in the world. One of my musical goals in life,
is to make a perfect blend of Samba and Jazz ,
and that is what I have been developing and
refining my entire musical life.
JI: Talk about your move to the Unted States
and the challenges and opportunities you ex-
perienced.
DF: In December of 1975, I moved to New
York to follow my dream of playing with
American Jazz musicians and blending these
two beautiful cultures. Two months after I
arrived in New York, I got called to do a re-
cording session in Los Angeles. I played with
the late, great trombone player Frank Rosoli-
no, Raul de Souza, and performed a “drum
duet” with Harvey Mason. I thought, “Wow,
this is the American Dream!” I returned to
New York and spent all of my money. I
bought a beautiful set of Gretsch drums, an-
other dream come true, and then everything
changed. For more than one year, there was
hardly any work. Although those were very
difficult times, I would do it all over again. It
has been a great learning experience and a
fantastic journey. I am very proud to be one of
a few musicians who in the late ‘70s helped
revive the Brazilian Jazz scene in New York
City. I have been blessed to play, record, and
become friends with many wonderful musi-
cians.
JI: What kinds of understandings have you
discovered about people and or cultures in
(Continued on page 32)
“no matter where you play, music is a universal language and
chances are that you are always going to touch someone. Also
that no matter what, always play the music that you came prepared to play. Believe in it
and just do it, always try to stick to your original plan... People
feel and appreciate it when you are truthful to your music.”
Duduka DaFonseca
Believe in what you do
INTERVIEWINTERVIEW
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32 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 March-April 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
xxxxxxxxxx
your travels and performances recently?
DF: I have learned that no matter where you
play music is a universal language and chanc-
es are that you always going to touch some-
one. Also that no matter what, always play the
music that you came prepared to play. Believe
in it and just do it, always try to stick to your
original plan... People feel and appreciate it
when you are truthful to your music.
JI: Talk about what you’ve learned about
leadership from one or more of the jazz artists
with/for whom you have worked.
DF: I have learned a lot from different leaders
in different ways, but they all share a very
important common point, they hired you be-
cause they trust your musicality and they en-
courage you to pour your heart out when you
play their music. That itself it is a fantastic
learning process.
JI: What have you discovered about the busi-
ness side of the music as a result of your asso-
ciations recording for various labels, dealing
with managers and venue decision makers?
DF: In life we have many choices. One can
do the things that he or she believes in or let
other people tell them what they should do. I
prefer the first option. The great drummer /
percussionist Dom Um Romão told me short-
ly after I’d moved from Rio to New York in !
975, “If you bend to much, you end up show-
ing your ass.” He was a great man, very street
smart, Dom Um helped many musicians when
we arrived in the U.S. including myself, Dom
Salvador, Naná Vasconcelos and many, many
others.
JI: Regarding my solo albums, I produced
them myself, but was always open for the
valuable suggestions of the musicians that
played on them.
DF: Dealing with managers and venue deci-
sion makers is another ball game. First of all
you have to be lucky to have a good manager
that likes and respect your music and is will-
ing to help you. Dealing with venue decision
makers is also a matter of find someone who
wants to help your music to get heard. I have
had good experiences with some, in New
York Todd Barkan is definitely someone that
has been helping me promote my music.
JI: Talk about your association with Romero
Lubambo and Nilson Matta with whom you
created Trio Da Paz?
DF: We have been playing together for over
twenty five years, and I believe that Trio Da
Paz has a very original sound, which in my
opinion is one of the most, if not the most
valuable quality in music. Trio Da Paz is now
in the process of recording another album, just
the Trio. We always have a ball when we hit.
We know each other so well, I believe that we
have a telepathic vibe going on at times.
JI: Are there words of wisdom or guiding
ideas - about life, business and or music -
which provide foundations for your creative
pursuits?
DF: Believe in what you do, and be persis-
tent, very persistent.
(Continued from page 30)
“...among human beings jealousy ranks distinctly as a
weakness; a trademark of small minds; a property of all small minds, yet a property
which even the smallest is ashamed of; and when accused of its possession will
lyingly deny it and resent the accusation as an insult.”
-Mark Twain
Duduka DaFonseca
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Interview & Photo By Eric Nemeyer
JI: Could you talk about the role interactivity plays
in your concept
IJ: Interactivity or interaction is to me the essence
of this music. It’s the spirit that struck me in the
very beginning of my playing career. Or, I would
say it was even further before that. It goes back to
my childhood—listening to jazz, listening to rec-
ords my mom made, listening to records my mom
would play around the house. That was more a
feeling of a bunch of spirits getting together—just
feeling that spirit of something that wasn’t so re-
hearsed. When I started playing, and improvising,
that feeling continued on—as a spirit that moved
me to want to play. The first time I improvised in
the combo at school, I felt this feeling of complete
and total fear, combined with absolute bliss of
inspiration, and the opportunity for me to express
myself.
JI: How old were you when you first started play-
ing in that combo, and what kind of skills did you
have at that point?
IJ: I had basic trumpet skills. I had maybe a couple
of octaves to work with. It was a sound that I didn’t
like. I had a knowledge of piano— of tunes, of
melodies, from hearing my mom play standards,
and sitting at the piano and playing a little bit. I had
had some piano lessons. So with those limited
skills, I was able to kind of put the sound I was
hearing in my head. I just started to fish around for
ideas. Clark Terry calls it fishing for fingers—
which means you know you’re just searching.
You’re closing your eyes and hoping that you’ll
land on a note that has something to do with the
music. That was my first searching process. I was
fourteen years old. I had just gone into grade eight.
We had this fantastic band teacher who was intent
on getting everyone soloing—and he did. He man-
aged to get girls and guys soloing. He didn’t really
care if they got upset, or started screaming and
yelling, or got embarrassed. He really thought that
it was important that the students had a chance to
express themselves,
in an idiom that
was unknown terri-
tory. Not everyone
in the school band
program went on to
be a musician. A lot
of the people did. A
lot of the people in
the area that I grew
up went on to be
professional musi-
cians and improvising musicians.
JI: Some musicians have indicated that interactivi-
ty isn’t always important—whether they’re playing
free or whatever it is. I have difficulty imagining
playing with other people and not having interac-
tivity. Then you’re just using them as a platform
for your own pleasure, or whatever you want to call
it. Why have them there in the first place, if there’s
not going to be some sort of dialogue—however
abstract, or whatever form that might take. Ulti-
mately, if you’re playing with other people, you’re
also likely to be listening.
IJ: Absolutely. I think that that’s a great observa-
tion and a great question—if it’s a question. For
me, that’s more to do with the mentality of being
soloist versus the mentality of being an integrated
player—being in a preferable situation. I’m react-
ing off of everything. Hopefully, I’m reacting for
the audience and using the room sound, my own
sound in relation to the system, the system, what
it’s giving me back. Way deeper than that, I am
reacting to every little nuance that goes on within
my band. I feel that I can only express myself when
I’m playing with players who are willing to be in
that state. The way that I get off when I’m play-
ing— nd it really is about getting off—is that I play
with people who want to be part of the whole fram-
ing of my playing. They don’t see me as just some-
one that they can play time behind and that’s going
to be good enough. Hopefully, we’re playing to-
gether because we want to get each other off and
go where we don’t know the music is going to
go—into the land of mystery. Then, of course, we
need the skills, and the vocabulary to get musical
thoughts and musical stories out of that experience.
JI: I was just listening to Wayne Dyer talk about
the power of intention, and how living in the mys-
tery of life is more important than living in what
we already know. He talks about how we all come
from this microscopic dot. It’s fascinating because
he says if we turn up the microscope it does not tell
you where you came from. Yes the dot came from
your parents blissful union as he mentioned. But
observation of the dot still doesn’t tell you where
you came from. That is, ultimately there’s a soul
that comes through the dot, that’s not about the
physical thing.
IJ: Right. Perfect. The soul coming through the dot
is the real gift of being an improviser. That gift is
the privilege of being a musician who gets to go to
places. You get to play music with people who are
willing to just open up themselves, and go into the
unknown territory— whether its over a one-chord
vamp, or its over “Giant Steps.” It’s not really so
much about even the tune I’m playing anymore.
It’s about how much we are going to make out of
that tune together—from the minute we begin play-
ing to the last breadth of the gig. Where are we
going to let that music go? Again, that’s why the
audience is so important. You can almost feel it—
like a force coming at you, in a positive or negative
way. They are coming from a space where they’re
open to anything. You don’t want to come into the
gig with a set idea of how jazz sounds, and not be
willing to go to the next place with it. That goes
back to my early days of listening to music. I got
caught up by the spirit of someone like Clark Ter-
ry—with his sound and his voice. I thought this
guy has got to be crazy. He’s got to be hilarious.
He can’t be just an uptight guy in a suit, who just
plays a certain way on every gig. There’s no way! I
was right. As I got to know Clark over the years, I
am constantly blown away with what an open spirit
he is. That freedom in his playing defies category.
It’s just great music from a great person.
JI: Well, I think if we’re going to grow as artists,
we always want to be expanding our horizons. The
moment you are stagnant you are dead. Unlike
sports figures, many of whom peak (or earn lots of
money to motivate an exit from sports) at 35 or 40,
jazz musicians are really pursuing lifelong growth.
It is all that life experience and understanding that
we can infuse into our playing which is really
amazing to me. I think it keeps you young.
IJ: Absolutely. Look at these guys. Look at Roy
Haynes. He’s 80 [something]. He’s just a kid. The
important element to me in the music is to always
remember to go for it—whether I’m writing or
playing—that childlike state. I’ve been doing all
these interviews with myself and essays for my
website. I’ve been doing the ArtistShare thing. It
has been really fun to just sort of think about what
it was that turned me on in music. A lot of it is the
same today. When I travel around the world, peo-
ple ask me “what do you do for a living...what’s
your job?” I say, well, I don’t really have a job. I
just play. I’m like a kid. I put these things in this
case, and I go from place to place, and I play. The
traveling is a bit of work sometimes. So is the prep-
aration and the business side, the management,
doing everything on my own. That’s the work be-
cause it takes away from the playing. To find the
balance in my life right now is also a big goal of
mine. I want to find that balance where I’m con-
stantly able to just take off and play.
JI: It’s hard. Most everyone is in the same situa-
tion. You want to practice and you want to play—
but you also want to get paid at the end of the job.
IJ: There’s also, overhead—you know, living in
New York—especially if you’re doing self pro-
“ You don’t want to come into the gig with a set idea of how jazz sounds, and not be willing to go to the next place with it. That goes back to my early days of listening to
music. I got caught up by the spirit …”
Ingrid Jensen
Interactivity is the essence of this music
INTERVIEWINTERVIEW
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Ingrid Jensen
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duced projects like I am. My new recording is
called At Sea. The entire project is about independ-
ence. It’s about the idea of being alone out in the
middle of it all—but having all these resources to
make it work, and not relying on the big record
company, or the little record company, or any rec-
ord company at this point. It’s about having the
freedom, to just use what it is that I have at this
point to survive, and to put music out there for you.
JI: You mention just a moment ago, that Roy
Haynes and Clark are youthful in their eighties.
You mentioned that you’re always thinking like a
kid. One of my favorite quotes is by Ashley Monta-
gue who said, “don’t grow old in your adult quali-
ties, but in your childlike qualities.” So that way
you’re always young.
IJ: I want your book list Eric. Do you have a book
list?
JI: Yeah, I do
IJ: Can you put it in the magazine one day; I’d like
to read it.
JI: I don’t have it here, but about fifteen to twenty
years ago I started writing in these travel size jour-
nals—you know, those little agenda or date books.
I began writing quotes that I like that I would see in
books, books like The Path of Least Resistance,
which is one of my favorite books. I couldn’t even
begin getting into at first. Then, a light bulb went
on. It all made sense and began to come together—
and I plowed through the book. There are others.
Could you discuss your beginnings on trumpet.
IJ: I’m left handed. Trying to play the trumpet was
very difficult thing for me because you play with
the right hand. If I would go back to the beginning
and not worry about that, I would “A” say screw it.
I’m playing the trumpet left handed. Or, B I would
not worry about the fact that I’m having to do this
intensely, very intricate skill using a hand with
which I have no coordination. I can’t throw a ball,
I can hardly pick up a bottle of water without spill-
ing it with my right hand.
JI: That’s interesting that you play with your left
hand. Some successful people take weaknesses and
turn them into unique skills or selling points. Take
Monk’s sound. Had he and Miles Davis been
forced to go through the educational process that
exists today, their technique, and unique sounds
would have been sanitized.
IJ: Oh, it could have robbed them. In a way, mine
was a very fortunate sort of handicap. I guess it’s a
handicap. But for me, playing with my right hand
was a struggle. The trumpet instructor said you
played with your right hand and that’s it. It created
a lot of stress in my life. I had three major injuries
in my life. Those came as a result of the tension
that came from playing with all that stress—forcing
coordination to take place. Thankfully that situa-
tion taught me to do things outside of music that
helped. I studied Chi Wong. I studied Yoga. I start-
ed exercising. I have to do all these physical and
kind of spiritual exercises to keep things flowing
and not injure myself. In addition to that though,
the thing that was really cool was I couldn’t learn
licks. I couldn’t remember them. My mind couldn’t
memorize finger patterns that could lock me in. So
I was actually forced to go for more of an original
thought.
JI: You have to look at that as a good thing though.
I used to look at all these “challenges” and
“setbacks” as problems when I was starting.
We’ve all experienced political power-plays, and
egos and unfair criticism, and not getting jobs we
wanted. You know, setbacks are painful at the mo-
ment. Then you grow. I now look at those prob-
lems as the very guiding posts that enabled me to
stay on the path and get to where I have currently
traveled, and accomplish certain things. It’s the
impeded stream that sings.
IJ: Exactly
JI: I just read The Four Agreements. The author
talks about how you can save yourself a lot of un-
necessary suffering if you don’t care what people
think or do.
IJ: I better write that one down. Cause you know
we’re always working on ourselves here. Major
self help.
JI: I think so. It’s a good thing really. If people
want to remain stagnant and forever be locked in to
their current level of understanding, that’s easy. On
the other hand, Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “the
mind once expanded to a larger dimension never
retreats to its original size.”
IJ: I think that its about fear too. It’s a very scary
thing too to move on from yourself and go into the
unknown.
JI: But that’s what you’re talking about in the mu-
sic—where you go on stage, or you’re at a session,
or playing and trying new things. Of course, it’s
easier to try things, and easier to grow when you’re
surrounded by people who you like and who you
trust. It gives you a little bit of a safety net.
IJ: Absolutely. You just have to go for it.
JI: Could you talk about you’re the kinds of pro-
cess you go through when you are composing.
IJ: Well, my process unfortunately gets controlled
by how busy I am, and how much I am on tour. My
favorite process is when I have at least have a cou-
ple of weeks off, and I’m at home, and the business
is out of the way. I can just completely let go of
everything I have to worry about—as far as bills
and taxes and things like that. I just sit at the piano
and play melodies to the chords and record into my
ipod. Or, I pick up my trumpet and do the same
thing—while I’m practicing some music, or warm-
ing up on something. As soon as I feel an idea start
to flow I record it in there. I try to find some logi-
cal relationships within those ideas. Then I start
developing it in as many ways as possible. I took a
couple of lessons with Kenny Werner. They really
opened my mind up to the possibilities of just tak-
ing two different lines, writing one in treble clef
and one in bass clef. And starting finding relation-
ships between those lines. Or, taking one note in
the bass line and one in the treble, and then looking
at the interval, and coming up with every possible
chord that relates to that. It’s really fun how you
just start to find any relationship, and you start to
create different pathways from those changes.
Rhythms definitely inspire me. I was in Peru,
twice. The Peruvian music—not the ambient flute
music, but the African-influenced Peruvian music,
the Creole they call it—has really got under my
skin, with those twelve eight subdivisions. I’ve
been sort of translating some of that music into
more odd meter feelings as well. I’m keeping the
lyrical feeling of the rhythms, and kind of expand-
ing on them. Another thing is that arranging helps
me a lot to come up with tunes. Often times I’ll
arrange a tune, I’ll just get obsessed with some part
of the tune and start to arrange it. Then I’ll realize
later on, that it is so much more my tune than the
tune it was. So I’ll just take that part and start com-
ing up with a piece. There’s actually a tune on my
record that started out as k.d. Lang tune. I deviated
so far from it that I just changed the melody—just
rewrote the melody. It’s like, that’s mine now. Part
of the reason has to do with licensing and paying
royalties. My song is so far from that tune, why
should I pay to use this song when its not even that
song anymore. When I’m talking about composing
to students, I tell them to use every possible idea
that you have to write with that could ever exist.
I’ve done stuff with my husband. He’ll write half
the tune and I’ll write the other half. It’s really fun
because then it blows your ear off because his sec-
tion is just the next section. Then he’ll add some-
thing after that. I’d like to get back into that be-
cause it’s really a lot of fun. When we were dating,
we were writing things together. Once he just faxed
me a melody—no rhythms. I just took the melody
and wrote some chord changes out of it. Then, he
sent me the “A” section for a tune and I just wrote
the bridge. That was it and the tune was done. I
usually have a three way process for composing.
One, is I play something on the trumpet then I
write it down on some staff paper. Then I sit down
at a piano, and mess around with that. Then I play
again—maybe playing the piano with my left hand
and then the melody with my right—to see how it
sounds. Then maybe I record just a bass line with
some of the chords. Then I might come up with
another melody. Finally I’ll move to the computer
because my writing is so messy. Then when I listen
back, usually on the computer, and I see the music,
that’s the final editing process. I’ll print it out.
Then I’ll go back to the piano, or go back to the
trumpet. It’s kind of this circular motion, of using
whatever tools I have available to finish the tune.
Or just to work on an idea. I definitely feel like a
composer in process. I feel like a beginner in so
many ways. I was playing so much, and not really
writing as much as I wish I had. I think a lot of it
had to do with my own obsession with wanting to
be technically proficient on every level on my own
instrument. Maybe I was obsessing a little too
much with just playing the trumpet. But one of the
things, I find that’s difficult is keeping that balance
between the trumpet and writing. And it’s going to
be a constant game to do that in my mind.
Continued in the next issue
of Jazz Inside Magazine
(Continued from page 33)
Ingrid Jensen
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