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Joe MagnarelliJoe Magnarelli Small’s, February 17Small’s, February 17
Idris AckamoorIdris Ackamoor
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January-February 2019 – Volume 9, Number 10
Cover Photo of Jimmy Cobb and photo at right of
Buster Williams (left) and Jimmy Cobb (right) By Eric Nemeyer
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CONTENTSCONTENTS
CLUBS, CONCERTS, EVENTSCLUBS, CONCERTS, EVENTS 13 Calendar of Events 18 Clubs & Venue Listings
INTERVIEWSINTERVIEWS 4 Matthew Shipp 8 Joe Magnarelli 20 Idris Ackamoor by Ken Weiss
28 Bobby Broom 36 Dianne Reeves
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Matthew ShippMatthew Shipp (Interview begins on page 6)(Interview begins on page 6)
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By Eric Nemeyer
JI: Some artists have mentioned that rather than
prepare for a moment, they prepare for being in the
moment.
MS: Well, I prepare for being out of the moment.
[laughs] In a sense, I like to think of the self of
myself as always just outside of even the precincts
of my body, and the performance, and any of this
that constitutes the jazz world—or this world in
general. Maybe on a circle above that—that could
create circles that come down through space time.
JI: There are certain strictures and structures that
exist in the forms, a series of chord changes, har-
monic, melodic elements of the composition.
MS: I try to melt all the materials down. On one
level, it all comes from one continuum. There’s
one
thing that holds all musical space-time together, or
space-time in general—especially if you think of
the Universe as coming out of the big bang. It’s all
coming out of the dimensionalist point. If you’re
trying to get back to the beginning of it all, and
you situate yourself there, then it’s all the same,
it’s all a variation on a theme. You can melt all the
materials down to a basic set of parameters that
can then be inter-exchanged and interweaved in all
different types of ways, and all different types of
frequencies because it’s coming from the same
nexus, or the same nodal point. I’ve been thinking
in these terms ever since I was a teenager, and
wanted to have an original musical identity. I
wanted to be a musician and also wanted to have
an original style on my instrument. I’ve always felt
that to do that, you had to get to who you are—and
then once you deal with who you are, you’re deal-
ing with what everything is.
JI: What kinds of music were you working on
when you were searching for your path?
MS: I think as a teen I was interested in what any
young jazz musician would have been interested
in.
As a pianist, you have the three post-Miles [Davis]
pianists: Herbie [Hancock], Chick [Corea], and
Keith [Jarrett] - that paradigm. I wasn’t interested
in it per se. I knew it was there. I actually look at
that paradigm as problematic.
JI: Why is that?
MS: When you’re a teenager you’re just gathering
materials and you know you want to get some-
where, but you don’t really know. You’re trying to
gather a lot of experiences and hoping that it will
come together in a way that will thrust you some-
where—and you’re not exactly sure what that
“where” is...because that “where” is a process, and
the end point is part of the process. You don’t
know where it’s going to be. I did know that I
wanted to have my own universe—and walk in my
own universe in the way that say Thelonious Monk
did. In a similar way, I had my own idiosyncratic
way of playing the piano. This is not calculation
either. I knew this was inside of me. The whole
Herbie, Chick and Keith thing is such a ‘70s
[1970s] thing. I’m not saying that what they did is
not great. It’s just such a 70s thing. I knew in my
way of wanting to step outside of that … that was
such a powerful paradigm. But, if you’re going to
bypass that in any way … that has such a powerful
effect on people’s psychologies, that people are
going to have a hard time perceiving you, if you
don’t somehow come out of that. I always thought
of myself as coming out of various strands. I’ve
always loved Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell—
but I’ve never wanted to play bebop, per se. I ad-
mire Bud Powell too much to try to actually do
that. Bud Powell’s way of playing is as idiosyn-
cratic as Monk’s. People don’t think of it that way,
because it is probably a little easier to copy it in
some ways. But it is as idiosyncratic. Actually that
effect can never ever, ever be duplicated—because
he’s not really playing bebop. He’s playing brain-
waves on the piano and it just happens to go
through a period that was called bebop. It’s really
it’s own world. So Monk and Bud Powell were the
people I really idolized. Then I really idolized
Duke Ellington’s piano playing. I also really ad-
mired Lennie Tristano, and Bill Evans to some
degree. I knew that McCoy Tyner was another
person, because I was also into the Coltrane uni-
verse. But, I knew that I didn’t want to be a
McCoy Tyner type of player. I didn’t want to end
up getting a gig with Pharaoh Sanders. I really
didn’t want to be in the Herbie-Chick-Keith post-
Miles paradigm. There wasn’t anything outside of
that. There are models like Andrew Hill and Cecil
Taylor—who are other iconoclastic players, who
have gone their own way. But I knew that if I was
seen in that lineage, also, that that’s a prison. So I
guess I really just wanted to keep putting a lot of
ideas into the hopper of the mind — but at the
same time trying to discover what makes me tick,
which is an extra-musical thing that has nothing to
do with music. Finding out what makes you tick—
that’s your world view, your way of seeing things.
And, you hope that there is some intersection be-
tween your world view, your own electromagnetic
mind field, and the actual materials of music.
JI: Beyond whatever the approach to music and
the musical vocabulary is, those players involved
in the aforementioned paradigm that you refer-
enced have been able to connect with audiences.
How has the consideration of connecting with an
audience influenced your approach, if at all?
MS: First of all, they played with Miles Davis.
JI: So, you’re saying that they’ve got charisma pre
-sold, and doors opened by virtue of their prior
connection.
MS: There is no marketing thing for any young
jazz musician, nowadays, that is like that. Playing
with Miles Davis was an important thing. Even
someone like Brad Mehldau, can’t quite get the
advantage like they got the advantage. It was
something that was open to those guys that just
doesn’t exist anymore. I actually read an interview
in the Chicago Tribune where Herbie Hancock
was talking about this - where he mentioned that
no matter what jazz musicians have happening, the
doors are not opening for them like they were for
him and his generation. The 70s was a different
time. Nowadays there is just so much “noise” out
here, and so many different alternatives for people
to get information that there’s just no centralized
way for jazz musicians to get their identity out
there. Things are dispersed. We don’t have the
opportunities that people of that time had—or the
centralized image of who they were. There’s no
way for a musician to get that now. That’s not
what music is about of course. But, it’s important
to understand the ways of existing out here. Also,
(Continued on page 12)
Matthew Shipp
“In And Out Of The Moment”
INTERVIEWINTERVIEW
“I wanted to be a musician and also wanted to have an original style on my instrument. I’ve always felt that
to do that, you had to get to who you are—and then once you deal with who you are, you’re dealing with
what everything is.”
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Joe MagnarelliJoe Magnarelli
Hear Joe at Small’s, February 17Hear Joe at Small’s, February 17
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Interview By Eric Nemeyer
Jazz Inside Magazine: What were your musi-
cal activities like growing up in Syracuse?
Joe Magnarelli: Well, my dad was a comedi-
an — not a professional comedian, well, kind
of a professional comedian. He had a radio
show, did a lot of theatre around the Syracuse,
New York area, and he was always the come-
dic relief. Between the ages of 12 and 22, I
was completely into playing competitive bas-
ketball. I wasn’t really in the music scene,
although I did go to Fredonia State, which had
a Music Program, but I wasn’t amusic major. I
wanted to play basketball but I got cut my
junior year. I didn’t really get connected till I
was about 23 or 24 — around 1984. I was to-
tally a late bloomer, but I was always playing
piano. In fact, I had more professional jobs on
piano when I was between the ages of 17 and
22 than I had on trumpet — but they weren’t
jazz situations. They were mostly accompany-
ing singers and playing in churches. When I
was in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade, I had a
fantastic trumpet teacher who really taught me
good fundamentals on the trumpet. I really
practiced hard at that time, but I didn’t play
much through high school or college. Maybe
about my junior year in college is when I start-
ed to practicing more.
JI: What was the tipping point that pushed you
over the edge to pursue a professional career
as a trumpet player?
JM: Well, I knew I was going to be a musician
of some sort. I did go one semester to Berklee
School of Music, and while I was there I really
got into Clifford Brown. I remember going to
the library at Berklee every day and just
checking out all of Clifford’s recordings. And
so I started learning some Clifford Brown so-
los, and I think that’s when I started to realize
that I really wanted to play the trumpet and
pursue it after college.
JI: Were you transcribing those solos off the
record?
JM: I was. I wasn’t writing them down, but I
was learning them. I learned a couple solos,
“It’s Crazy” and of course, “Joy Spring” and I
played one or two others that I learned. I
couldn’t really execute the solos at first, but I
already had the ability to play the horn, so
playing with the Clifford Brown records kind
of brought that ability out again. At Fredonia,
when I got cut from the basketball team, I just
kind of switched over to trumpet. All of a sud-
den, I just started playing trumpet all day. It
was too late to switch my major to music so I
just got a Criminal Justice degree and that was
it. I got out of school and just starting practic-
ing music all the time, every day.
JI: What was the timeframe in terms of you
making the transition from school to New
York?
JM: In 1982 I graduated from Fredonia. That
summer of ‘82 I just practiced all day long. I
started to get into Fats Navarro records and
then eventually into Blue Mitchell and Kenny
Dorham records. So from 1982 to 1985 I was
in Syracuse. I got a day job and practiced as
much as I could. I wasn’t interested in any-
thing else other than practicing the trumpet -
not even hanging out. I was playing gigs out-
side of Syracuse, and then in 1985 I left.
JI: How did things work for you when you
moved to New York?
JM: Well, you know, I actually came down
here with a job. I was playing Ain’t Misbehav-
in’ on the road, and the conductor had been
hired to do ten weeks at the Darien Dinner
Theater. So he asked me to move to New York
and to take this gig at the Darien Dinner Thea-
ter. That was my chance to move to New
York. So that’s what I did. My first year and a
half in New York was spent playing shows. I
got involved with A Chorus Line at the time,
but then I had heard about a Lionel Hampton
audition through some guys I met playing
these shows - other young cats who were play-
ing jazz. I got a chance to audition for Lionel
Hampton’s Big Band in ‘87, and I won the
audition. I was with him for two years and
started meeting more people and getting in
different bands. I played with Jack McDuff,
‘89 through ‘91.
JI: What were some of the challenges that you
were experiencing?
JM: New York was different back then be-
cause in the late 80’s, early 90’s a lot of the
masters were still alive. I used to go hear Jun-
ior Cook, Dizzy Reece and C Sharp at Au-
gie’s. There were all these great older musi-
cians — Woody Shaw and Freddie Hubbard
— so I never felt like I was really getting any-
where playing in the jazz industry. I just felt
blessed that I was there and learning and lis-
tening to these guys. Plus you have to remem-
ber that back then recording was not like it is
now. There were companies who recorded
musicians and you had to wait in line. Now
anybody can record a CD and put it out there
so that whole aspect of the business has
changed completely.
JI: What were some of the advice or words of
wisdom that you were receiving from mentors
that had a significant impact on your playing
and your life?
JM: Well, I’m not sure if anybody really told
me anything, although I did work with a lot of
great people. I think back then you were just
shown the way on the bandstand. I did lessons
with various cats, but I would just say that by
(Continued on page 10)
“I did work with a lot of great people. … back then you were just shown
the way on the bandstand. I did lessons with various cats, but … hearing these great musicians in person, by living in New York all
these years —that’s your lesson.”
Joe Magnarelli
“...ccc”
INTERVIEWINTERVIEW
January-February 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com 10 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880
hearing these great musicians in person, by
living in New York all these years - that’s
your lesson. You know, going to hear Tom
Harrell at Bradley’s, maybe there was four or
five engagements he had there and I was there
probably four to five nights each engagement
— all three sets! That’s the learning experi-
ence! Going and hearing Clifford Jordan and
then Woody Shaw and Eddie Harris. Just in-
credible experience! And that’s your lesson.
JI: Talk about some of the gigs that really
stood out for you with some of these great
players.
JM: I think playing with Charles Davis in the
90’s. That was a real learning experience be-
cause he really knew Kenny Dorham’s music
and also Dizzy’s music. He knew a lot of ins
and outs in the music that really helped me. I
worked a little bit with Louis Hayes and some
gigs with Jimmy Cobb once. It’s just things
like that where either you’re going to fold be-
cause you’re going to say, “Wow! I can never
be that great.” Or you just say, like, “Wow,
man. I want to keep practicing and get better
so I have more opportunities like these.”
JI: How has your study and practice routine
changed over the years since you’ve been in
New York?
JM: Well, I guess since I’ve been here I’ve
edited out a lot of the bullshit. I just try to
work on the essentials. I just try to listen to
certain players and the way they play and try
to copy what they do and work it out for my-
self.
JI: What’s your approach to writing?
JM: I wish it was more regular, but it’s more
of an occasional thing. I start writing stuff
when I know there’s a record date coming up.
JI: You’ve done several recordings. Why
don’t you talk a little bit about how your first
recording came about?
JM: I had been hounding Gerry Teekens with
Criss Cross Records for two years. I actually
had a gig with Grant Stewart, Spike Wilner
and Jimmy Lovelace on the East Side. We
played every Thursday night and one week,
Gerry Teekens walked in and heard me play.
The next fall he gave me a record date, which
was really great—an exciting moment for me.
I did six records for him so it worked out well.
JI: What kind of discoveries did you make
about the music business and record industry
as a result of your business association with
him?
JM: I was so into just trying to sound good on
the records and do the right thing musically
that I didn’t study the business as much as I
should have then. Gerry wasn’t really into the
business part of it either. Gerry was more into
recording good music, putting it out, and mov-
ing on. He didn’t really push his artists to get
them recognized. His philosophy was, “I rec-
orded you. I’m going to distribute these CDs
all over the world, and that’s enough.” In a
way, it’s a lot better than nothing. I learned
more from the record business these last two
years—with my last record on Reservoir and
doing my own thing here with the strings.
JI: Talk about your new recording with
strings, My Old Flame
JM: I think the record came out very well, and
I think the reason why it came out well is be-
cause of the experience that I gained recording
for other labels. I kind of knew what it would
be like in the studio. Everything went very
smooth and everybody had a good time. I
think that shows on the recording. It was defi-
nitely a learning experience though. I mean
you don’t realize how much responsibility you
really do have when people start calling you
and need to know answers. You have to make
sure all the funds are correct and everybody
gets what they’re supposed to. It’s a lot to do
while thinking about your own playing. What I
did learn is that I don’t really want to be a rec-
ord producer for my own records. I want
somebody else to produce them because I
want to just think about the music, but I could-
n’t do that this time. I had to plan rehearsals
and get new string players and get music to
people. It just got crazy, and I couldn’t really
concentrate on my own playing, but luckily
I’ve been practicing for this date for almost a
year, so I felt like I had put in my time. Basi-
cally I learned the complete Bird with Strings
record—all of Bird’s solos. I learned a whole
bunch of Louie Armstrong’s solos too because
I knew if I got Marty Sheller to write the string
parts, the strings would be hip and beautiful
and I just wanted to be able to go into a situa-
tion where my phrasing was cool and it felt
good. Plus, I memorized all the scores. When
Marty sent the scores to me, I memorized
them on piano so I could play the scores like I
was playing a tune. I felt confident going in.
JI: How does teaching impact your artistry?
JM: I’m teaching at Rutgers and New Jersey
City University. I feel like I need to practice to
try to stay one step ahead of my students. I
like teaching because it gives me reason to
“shed” and learn tunes and concepts. A couple
of my students are really into writing tunes in
odd meters, and I’ve never really been into
that. So I love the teaching for that reason. It
inspires me. Young kids have a lot of positive
energy and they’re dreaming about their lives
and you can feed off that.
JI: Talk about some of the artists you’ve been
performing with.
JM: Lately I’ve been playing a little bit with
Ralph Bowen, which is another great experi-
ence for me. Living in New York at this time
and being the age that I am, a lot of my peers
are just some of the baddest cats out there. So,
playing with them is a beautiful thing. It’s
(Continued on page 12)
Joe Magnarelli
“if I sit home and I start practicing what I’m going to play on a particular tune and then I go to the gig, that’s
what I play on the gig. I feel hindered, creatively. But when I sit at the piano and play those things, and I hadn’t
played them on trumpet yet, then I go to the gig, I feel something different
comes out … like my creativity is on a good level, it’s in a good place.”
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John A. Lewis, piano Merik Gillett, drums Robert Trusko, bass TRACKS: Backstory Deadline Jacked Complicity Bylines Liable Precocity Excerpt from the “Ancient
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Joe Magnarelli
exciting for me and it also keeps me focused
on trying to get better and trying to play on a
higher level. I sub a lot with the Village Van-
guard Band. So, there’s learning that music,
learning Thad’s music and Jim McNeely’s
music. There’s a lot of opportunity here in
New York just by hanging out with your peers.
The gig that changed my career and my life
was playing with Ray Barretto. He was really
the first person that gave me a real jazz gig,
even though it was Latin jazz. We traveled all
around the world playing the best venues, and
we played our own stuff. We played my tunes,
Robert Rodriguez’s tunes, Myron Walden’s
tunes. That gig was when I thought to myself,
“Yeah, I can—not only do it but I can survive
in this business doing what I do…”
JI: Having facility on piano is so important
when you’re playing another instrument.
JM: Oh, yeah. Well, I find as a trumpet play-
er—if I sit home and I start practicing what
I’m going to play on a particular tune and then
I go to the gig, that’s what I play on the gig. I
feel hindered, creatively. But when I sit at the
piano and play those things, and I hadn’t
played them on trumpet yet, then I go to the
gig, I feel something different comes out …
like my creativity is on a good level, it’s in a
good place. There’s something about not
working it out on the trumpet, having it in
your head and having it played out on the pi-
ano for a long time that gives it a certain
amount of freshness that I really dig.
JI: Tell us about your association with Marty
Sheller who arranged the music for your al-
bum, My Old Flame.
JM: I met him about five or six years ago. I
didn’t know much about him, but as soon as I
met him and I played in his band, with his
music, his nonet music, octet music … I start-
ed to realize what a great writer he was, as
well as a great person. He was nice enough to
lend me his scores to the octet music, and I
studied his scores. Basically I was studying
with him. So when I got this idea about doing
a record, a string record, he was my first and
only choice. He had written the Woody Shaw
version of “We Will Be Together Again” back
in the 70’s, or early 80’s. That was one of the
first things I heard when I was young. So
that’s been in my head for years. I just felt
really lucky to know Marty at this time and
have an opportunity to do this with him. He’s
a great musician. He’s really a bad dude, man.
(Continued from page 10)
the Miles Davis thing is a heavy thing. I try to
figure out sometimes why jazz marketing has
never gotten beyond that image. It seems like it is
going to be problematic for the music to go any-
where until that image, which is restrictive, is
destroyed. Maybe we’re at the end of it because
you have the last generation of people — people
who have had significant careers, that played with
him, such as John Scofield, Marcus Miller … so
hopefully that whole thing is coming to an end. I
think it has hurt the music—despite the fact that a
lot of great, great music was created by it. The
mindset of that has just infested every aspect of
jazz marketing. It’s like an insidious disease.
JI: How have you experienced or bypassed the
impact that the marketplace and or peer pressure
can have on your creating music?
MS: I don’t listen much to my peers. For instance,
I know Dave Douglas well. I’ve never listened to
a Dave Douglas ever. My musical personality was
very established by the time I was 22 or 23. I’m
very focused in who I am and what I do, and I
don’t really care what anybody else is doing. I
mean, I work with a record label, so that’s kind of
a weird thing to say. I do hear a lot of things in
that capacity. But, to use a post-Clinton term, I
have the ability to compartmentalize [laughs]. I
don’t really listen to what other musicians are
doing. I don’t care because I’m really centered in
what I’m doing, and I’m a centered individual.
And, this business is so difficult. If critics like
something that Dave Douglas does, or Brad
Mehldau does, it is not going to influence me to
do something like they do just because they have
had success with it.
JI: Given that you take a more abstract approach
to music...
MS: Well, I don’t take an abstract approach to
getting gigs [laughs]
JI: Once on stage, though… Your associations
have been with artists who are noted for more
exploratory approaches like bassist William Par-
ker, Mat Maneri. How do you take that abstract
approach and make it more accessible or other-
wise make more people aware of it?
MS: If you look at Monk as the model, his music
was as abstract as anything. Yet, they were able to
sell the idea of Monk. He had a name, a look, a
way of being that all fit his music—and was able
to enter into the general cultural mien by virtue of
its freshness, it’s beauty, it’s power, and the fact
that there was a personality behind it. So some-
body like myself had to be able to do something
like that on some level. I’m not trying to compare
myself to Monk. But, I had to be able to do some-
thing like that in some way. Whatever my thought
in modern society is, I have to be able to figure it
out, so I can build a network—so I can be that
within society, but stay true to the actual music
that I play, and not compromise that in any way. I
just want to find a way to make people realize that
maybe they should listen to this—because it does
serve some purpose within society. So I have to be
able to sell this idea. How do you do that? That’s a
matter of luck, ingenuity on my part, and my mu-
sic actually being able to reach the people—
people who then in turn will help out, and try to
make byways out here, to find places and ways I
fit within the society. Within the language of
jazz—even though it’s an American music—is not
given the chance to really fit in society.
JI: Could you talk about your association with
William Parker.
MS: I met him when I moved to New York in
1984. I had heard him on records, and I knew he
was a kindred soul who I wanted to play with. He
is seven or eight years older than me. He is a
bridge between generations. I knew he had played
with Don Cherry. He was playing with Cecil Tay-
lor at the time. So he was playing with a genera-
tion older than me. He was also playing with peo-
ple like Billy Bang, Frank Lowe, Jameel Moon-
doc—people that were peers in his age group—
and me. I felt a kinship to his language. I met him
on the street when I first moved here. I just
stopped him and talked to him, and he was very
gracious. He could have had an attitude, like “who
are you...I play with Cecil Taylor.” But he was
very cool. He heard a tape of mine, and then we
just started playing together, and we built up a
very close friendship and musical relationship
over the years. He has been one of the most im-
portant people in my life.
JI: What kinds of suggestions or advice from
William Parker had your received that have made
an impact on your approach?
MS: When I moved to New York, I was fully
formed in what I do. Not that I haven’t improved a
lot or changed, but I was who I was. We talked
more about non-musical things. The thing about
William that is so great is that he is his own acad-
emy. Even though he studied with a number of
heavyweights for short periods of time—Richard
Davis, Jimmy Garrison—he’s really a self-made
musician. He really put his own information to-
gether. He started playing as a teenager. He would
listen to records for hours, and take a broom, hold
it like an upright bass, and play bass lines. He
didn’t know anything about the bass then, but he
was developing a kinesthetic connection between
what he heard on the record and the physicality of
it, and the mental processing of the whole thing—
just by playing a game as a kid. To me that is so
great and so profound because kids really learn
through play. He developed a concept in his head
about how he learned to play bass before he even
started studying. He’s a very deep, deep human
being. I’m not going to blow him up to be a saint.
When you get to know William, there are a lot of
intense paradoxes that make him even more inter-
esting. If anybody knows my discography, he’s
been a huge part of my musical universe and my
universe in general.
(Continued from page 6)
Matthew Shipp Joe Magnarelli
13 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 January-February 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
Tuesday, January 1 Jonathan Barber & Vision Ahead; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Chris Botti; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Wednesday, January 2 Queen Esther Sings Billie Holiday: The Lost Classics; Dizzy’s
Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Gretchen Parlato ‘flor’; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Chris Botti; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Thursday, January 3 Jumaane Smith Presents Louis! Louis! Louis!; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz
At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Gretchen Parlato ‘flor’; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Chris Botti; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Friday, January 4 Patrick Bartley: The Mighty Cannonball Adderley; Dizzy’s Club,
Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Stefon Harris & Blackout featuring Casey Benjamin; Jazz Stand-ard, 116 E. 27th St.
Chris Botti; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Saturday, January 5 Christian Sands Quartet; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center,
60th & Bdwy
Dafnis Prieto Big Band; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Chris Botti; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Sunday January 6 High Wire Trio featuring Christian Sands; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At
Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Camila Meza & The Nectar Orchestra; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th
Chris Botti; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Monday, January 7 Mingus Big Band: Celebrating 10 Years at Jazz Standard; Jazz
Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Baylor Project; Francisco Mela’s Ancestros; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Tuesday, January 8 Bill Charlap: Portraits in Jazz – Solo Piano; Jazz Standard, 116 E.
27th St.
Ben Williams & Friends; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Wednesday, January 9 Corcoran Holt Quintet; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th
& Bdwy
Bill Charlap: Portraits in Jazz – Bill Charlap/Jon Faddis Duo; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Ben Williams & Friends; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Thursday, January 10 Bill Charlap: Portaits in Jazz with Sean Smith & Bill Stewart; Jazz
Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Ralph Peterson’s Aggregate Prime; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Jimmy Heath Big Band; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Friday, January 11 Hamilton de Holanda Trio; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center,
60th & Bdwy
Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and the National Symphony Orchestra of Romania, 8PM, Rose Theatre, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th & Broadway
Bill Charlap: Portraits in Jazz – The Bill Charlap Trio featuring Peter Washington & Kenny Washington with Special Guest Tom Harrell; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Jimmy Heath Big Band; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Saturday, January 12 Igor Butman and the Moscow Jazz Orchestra; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz
At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and the National Symphony Orchestra of Romania, 8PM, Rose Theatre, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th & Broadway
Bill Charlap: Portraits in Jazz – The Bill Charlap Trio featuring Peter Washington & Kenny Washington with Special Guest Houston Person; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Jimmy Heath Big Band; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Sunday January 13 Bill Charlap: Portraits in Jazz – The Bill Charlap Trio featuring
Peter Washington & Kenny Washington with Special Guest Houston Person; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Jimmy Heath Big Band; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Monday, January 14 Ellis Marsalis Presents: Ben Patterson, Rina Yamazaki, & Isaiah
J. Thompson - The Winners of the 2018 Ellis Marsalis Internation-al Jazz Piano Competition; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & B’dwy
Mingus Orchestra: Celebrating 10 Years at Jazz Standard; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Tuesday, January 15 André Mehmari Trio with special guest Rogerio Boccato; Dizzy’s
Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Michael Leonhart Orchestra; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Eddie Palmieri; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Wednesday, January 16 The Oberlin Sonny Rollins Jazz Ensemble; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At
Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
E.J. Strickland Quintet: Warriors For Peace Release Party; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Eddie Palmieri; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Thursday, January 17 Romero Lubambo & Rafael Piccolotto de Lima Chamber Orches-
tra Project; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
George Coleman Quintet; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Eddie Palmieri; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St. (Continued on page 14)
CALENDAR OF EVENTSCALENDAR OF EVENTS
How to Get Your Gigs and Events Listed in Jazz Inside Magazine Submit your listings via e-mail to [email protected]. Include date, times, location, phone,
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14 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 January-February 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
Friday, January 18 George Coleman Quintet; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Eddie Palmieri; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Saturday, January 19 George Coleman Quintet; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Eddie Palmieri; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Sunday January 20 George Coleman Quintet; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Eddie Palmieri; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Monday, January 21 Jazz at Lincoln Center Youth Orchestra; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At
Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Mingus Big Band: Celebrating 10 Years at Jazz Standard; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Keyon Herold; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Tuesday, January 22 Tatiana Eva-Marie: Django Birthday Celebration; Dizzy’s Club,
Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Vijay Iyer Trio; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Keyon Herold; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Wednesday, January 23 Sharón Clark Quartet; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th
& Bdwy
Vijay Iyer Trio; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Keyon Herold; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Thursday, January 24 The Cookers; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Life of A Legend: Carmen De LaVallade, Dancer, actor, choreog-rapher, and 2017 Kennedy Center Honors recipient. Carmen de Lavallade celebrates her love for jazz in this special Life of a Legend performance; 7PM, Appel Room, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th & Broadway
Vijay Iyer Sextet; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Friday, January 25 Vijay Iyer Sextet; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Life of A Legend: Carmen De LaVallade, Dancer, actor, choreog-rapher, and 2017 Kennedy Center Honors recipient. Carmen de Lavallade celebrates her love for jazz in this special Life of a Legend performance; 7PM, Appel Room, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th & Broadway
Saturday, January 26 Vijay Iyer Sextet; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Wadada Leo Smith: America’s National Parks, 7PM, 9:30 PM, Appel
Room, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th & Broadway
Sunday January 27 Vijay Iyer’s Ritual Ensemble; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Monday, January 28 Monday Nights with WBGO: Valery Ponomarev Jazz Big Band;
Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Mingus Big Band: Celebrating 10 Years at Jazz Standard; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Tuesday, January 29 Andy Milne & Unison featuring La Tanya Hall; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz
At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Nabaté Isles’ Eclectic Excursions; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th
Wednesday, January 30 Shenel Johns Sings Dianne Reeves, Diana Ross, and Dinah
Shore; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Pat Bianchi Quartet; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Thursday, January 31 Songs of Freedom with music direction by Ulysses Owens, Jr.
featuring René Marie, Theo Bleckmann, & Alicia Olatuja; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Jimmy Cobb’s 90th Birthday Celebration; Jazz Standard, 116 E.
Friday, February 1 Songs Of Freedom With Ulysses Owens, Jr. & Friends; Dizzy’s
Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Jimmy Cobb’s 90th Birthday Celebration; Jazz Standard, 116 E.
Saturday, February 2 Songs Of Freedom With Ulysses Owens, Jr. & Friends; Dizzy’s
Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Jimmy Cobb’s 90th Birthday Celebration; Jazz Standard, 116 E.
Sunday, February 3 Songs Of Freedom With Ulysses Owens, Jr. & Friends; Dizzy’s
Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
Monday, February 4 Joe Fiedler’s Open Sesame; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Cen-
ter, 60th & Bdwy
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Tuesday, February 5 Joel Ross Good Vibes; Dizzy’s, Jazz At Lincoln Ctr, 60th & Bdwy
(Continued on page 16)
15 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 January-February 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
George CablesGeorge Cables Appearing at Village Vanguard, February 5Appearing at Village Vanguard, February 5--1010
© Eric Nemeyer© Eric Nemeyer
16 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 January-February 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
George Cables Trio - George Cables, Piano; Dezron Douglas, Bass; Victor Lewis, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Wednesday, February 6 Troy Roberts Organ Trio With Special Guest Chris Potter; Dizzy’s
Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
George Cables Trio - George Cables, Piano; Dezron Douglas, Bass; Victor Lewis, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Thursday, February 7 Freddy Cole Quintet: Songs For Lovers; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At
Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
George Cables Trio - George Cables, Piano; Dezron Douglas, Bass; Victor Lewis, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Friday, February 8 Freddy Cole Quintet: Songs For Lovers; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At
Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
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.
John Pizzarelli Trio; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Saturday, February 9 Freddy Cole Quintet: Songs For Lovers; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At
Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy
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.
Smalls Showcase: Dave Meder Trio; Adam Birnbaum Quartet; Darrell Green Quintet; Philip Harper Quintet; Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.; Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.
John Pizzarelli Trio; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Ron Carter’s Blue Note Winter Residency; Gideon King & City Blog; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Sunday, February 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.
Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra; The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Ron Carter’s Blue Note Winter Residency; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd
Monday, February 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 Quar-tet; Jon Elbaz Trio “After-hours”; Small’s, 183 W. 10th St.
Lorna Dallas; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Wallace Roney Quintet - February Residency; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Tuesday, February 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.
Catherine Russell and Her Septet, 315 W. 44th St.
Thundercat; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Wednesday, February 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 Standard, 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; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Thundercat; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Thursday, February 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 Standard, 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, February 15 Kim Nalley: Love Songs; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center,
60th & Bdwy
Dianne Reeves, 2018 NEA Jazz Master, Valentine’s Day week-end, 8PM, Rose Theatre, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdway
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, February 16 Kim Nalley: Love Songs; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center,
60th & Bdwy
Dianne Reeves, 2018 NEA Jazz Master, Valentine’s Day week-end, 8PM, Rose Theatre, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdway
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, February 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 Standard; 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, February 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 - February Residency; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Tuesday, February 19 John Chin Quintet; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th &
Bdwy
Godwin Louis; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
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.
(Continued on page 17)
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17 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 January-February 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
Wednesday, February 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
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, February 21 David Binney’s Angelino Quartet; 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.
David Sanborn; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Friday, February 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.
Saxophone Summit with Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman, and Greg Osby; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
David Sanborn; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Saturday, February 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.
Saxophone Summit with Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman, and Greg Osby; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
David Sanborn; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Sunday, February 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.
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, February 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 - February Residency; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Tuesday, February 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, Saxophone; Bruce Barth, Piano; Peter Washington, Bass; Billy Williams, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Eric Harland’s Voyager; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
Wednesday, February 27 Black Art Jazz Collective; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center,
60th & Bdwy
Joey Defrancesco Trio With Troy Roberts And Billy Hart; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.
Terell Stafford Quintet - Terell Stafford, Trumpet; Tim Warfield, Saxophone; 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, February 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, Saxophone; Bruce Barth, Piano; Peter Washington, Bass; Billy Williams, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.
Cyrille Aimee: A Sondheim Adventure; Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
Cory Henry Birthday Residency: The Revival; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
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is an outrage.”
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18 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 January-February 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 January-February 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.
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20 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 January-February 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
Interview & Photos by Ken Weiss
Idris Ackamoor (born Bruce Baker, January 9,
1951, Chicago, Illinois) founded his group The
Pyramids in the early ‘70s in Europe while still
a student at Antioch College. Utilizing the
school’s study abroad program, he was one of
the first jazz musicians to live in Africa, inter-
nalizing the nine months he spent there into a
lifetime of creative inspiration. He also, very
significantly, studied under Cecil Taylor at
Antioch as part of Taylor’s Black Music En-
semble. The life and musical lessons learned
under the iconoclastic pianist still enrich him
today. The Pyramids self-released three well-
received albums in the early ‘70s and then
disbanded. Ackamoor resettled in San Francis-
co, where he still resides, and became the
founder and co-artistic director of Cultural
Odyssey, a performance company, along with
his partner, Rhodessa Jones. The Pyramids
reunited in 2007, more than thirty years after
dissolving, and remain committed to incorpo-
rating the broad elements of the African dias-
pora along with a social consciousness. Acka-
moor is a charismatic artist who utilizes cos-
tumes, tap dance, and audience participation,
along with searing saxophone playing. He’s
done a lot and has much to say. This interview
took place on October 5, 2018 while he was in
Philadelphia with The Pyramids to play Ars
Nova Workshop’s October Revolution of Jazz
& Contemporary Music Festival.
Jazz inside Magazine: Viewing your list of
accomplishments is more than a bit over-
whelming. You’re a creative musician who’s
work spans multiple genres, a multi-
instrumentalist, a composer, actor, tap dancer,
athlete, a co-director of a performance compa-
ny, a community activist, and on top of all that,
you’ve got a real flair for style and theatrics.
Being good at so many things, it must have
been a challenge to decide the focus of your
life’s work.
Idris Ackamoor: It seems like I became as
versatile as I am through a natural process. It
was never really rushed or designed. I started
early, I started music when I was seven-years-
old, and then I left music for a period in high
school for sports but I eventually came back
after I found my teacher and mentor in Chica-
go. Since that time I’ve been consistent at be-
coming an artistic being, surrounding myself
with music. My African odyssey was very im-
portant. In Africa, you find the griots and it’s
rare that anyone just does one discipline. The
griot will tell stories, play music, he’ll do
movement, so that was one of my formative
times and I realized that that’s what I was
about. I was about interdisciplinary perfor-
mance – combining music with theater and
dance – so that over the years I was able to
become adept at these different disciplines.
I’ve been a tap dancer for thirty years. I studied
with some of the masters in the ‘80s. The thing
that gave me the ability in order to do that was
my company Cultural Odyssey. I never had a
day job and with the company, being an artist-
centered company, I made up my own time and
it gave me a salary so I didn’t have the pres-
sure of getting a job or a boss telling me what
to do. It wasn’t easy because there were pro-
jects to do but it was exactly what I wanted to
do.
JI: Your music with The Pyramids is generally
described in the press as something along the
lines of Afrocentric/world music and spiritual
jazz or cosmic jazz. How do you define what
you do?
IA: It has to be traced to Africa and my nine
months living there. I became a percussionist
as well when I was in Africa after starting out
as an alto saxophonist. When I came back from
Africa I was playing many instruments includ-
ing talking drums and balaphone. In defining
my music, I think I play the music of my own
soul through the varied influences in my life.
As far as The Pyramids, we’ve always been
rhythmically based but very avant-garde, com-
ing from the Cecil Taylor school. We came
from the “energy” school, the spiritual jazz
school, but what we were even doing in the
early ‘70s was still rooted in the rhythm.
JI: Taking into account that you live in San
Francisco and play the music that you play,
how has the abrupt emergence of Kamasi
Washington and the West Coast’s growing
Afro-futuristic spiritual revival affected you
and your band? Also do you have a relation-
ship with Kamasi Washington?
IA: I like and enjoy his music but I have no
relationship with him. I feel we are compatriots
in a sense that his emergence seems to mirror
my re-emergence. How people have embraced
Kamasi’s music is similar to how they’ve em-
braced my music. The Pyramids are really
forerunners and the emergence of the DJ cul-
ture has coincided with these heavy DJs, such
as Gilles Peterson and Flying Lotus, rediscov-
ering The Pyramids’ music. I am the elder, the
progenitor, my band came out of the breath of
Cecil Taylor and the Sun Ra Arkestra in the
early ‘70s.
JI: It’s remarkable that your band was active
in the early ‘70s, disbanded in ’77, and then
successfully reformed more than 30 years later.
Why did the band fail in the ‘70s? Do you feel
the concept was too far ahead of its time?
IA: I believe we were ahead of our time and
we finally let time catch up. [Laughs] In the
early ‘70s we were young. We were touring in
Africa when I was like 22. Once The Pyramids
came back from Africa, we were isolated in
Yellow Springs, Ohio. We weren’t influenced
by the Chicago scene, the AACM, or the New
York loft scene. We were in this village in
Ohio and so all of it came from within, which I
think is the best thing that could have hap-
pened to me. I was in a cocoon and I was able
to develop naturally without outside influ-
(Continued on page 22)
Idris Ackamoor Out of the Breath of Cecil and Sun Ra
INTERVIEWINTERVIEW
“When I got to L.A. I wanted to find another teacher so I went to this very
well-known studio saxophonist and he asked me to show him how I played. So I played through my routine and he said, ‘I’m not teaching you, man. Go about
your business, you got it.’”
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22 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 January-February 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
ences. Of course, when Cecil came, he was one
of my major influences, and a mentor and a
friend. When we came out to the West Coast,
we learned we had to make a living and we
couldn’t make a living with our music. We
couldn’t start families and all those pressures
led to the dissolution of the band which was
probably the best thing for me because it al-
lowed me to go on my journey that I’m still on
now. That was in ’77, and in ’79 I formed my
company, Cultural Odyssey.
JI: In speaking with a couple other musicians,
they feel it’s encouraging to see you have suc-
cess finally after so many years. They feel
there’s also hope for them.
IA: [Laughs] Other people have told me that.
I’ve stayed healthy and I’ve always stayed with
my music, and I’ve always been hell on my
instrument. I’ve listened to John Gilmore, and
listened and played with Charles Tyler, and of
course, Clifford King, who was one of my
teachers when I first got back on my instru-
ment in Chicago. I studied with him for over
two years and he really got me going. I’m
learning stuff from him still! I learned every-
thing I needed to know from several amazing
instructors close to fifty years ago that I’m still
discovering. I really didn’t grasp it then and
now I’m starting to grasp it.
JI: What you do with your band is unique, the
way you plunge a stormy African percussive
and rhythmic base into a cosmic, avant-garde
mash. Would you talk about your commitment
to your music?
IA: Because I am a multi-instrumentalist, I
find instruments that help to help me with my
composition and make that connection between
spiritual jazz, between avant-garde jazz, and a
rhythmical foundation. I’m using many instru-
ments, including many African instruments, in
a non-traditional way that comes out very other
worldly.
JI: Another immediate attention-grabbing as-
pect of Idris Ackamoor and The Pyramids is
the use of theatrics. There’s numerous photos
of you online wearing outlandish costumes.
Would you talk about your use and choice of
costumes and costume design?
IA: Once again, Africa is the source. Being in
Africa, you just go nuts because all of the cos-
tume possibilities there. When The Pyramids
came back from Africa, we were all dressed in
African costumes. That’s where we got our
initial inspiration for theatricality, and particu-
larly for costumes. Later on, I became aware of
Sun Ra’s work but Sun Ra was not an influ-
ence on me in terms of my theatricality. I was
already moving in that direction before I was
really into Ra. I was in Africa, that’s even Ra’s
source, along with outer space. In Africa you
see all these incredible costume dramas, the
masquerades they do where they become an-
other entity, another spirit. Once I got into Cul-
tural Odyssey, and I met my partner, Rhodessa
Jones, I got seriously into the whole idea of
costumes and theater.
JI: Have you had concerns that you might not
be taken seriously when dressed as an Egyptian
pharaoh or a zebra at performances?
IA: I’ve never had any concerns. We don’t
want to look better than we play, we want to
play better than we look. That has always been
my feeling and if someone thinks that I don’t,
that’s up to them. I’m not wearing costumes to
masquerade anything, I’m playing out of the
African tradition. That’s what I learned.
JI: It’s challenging to view your use of theat-
rics, costumes, audience interaction, including
walking the aisles, and the use of Egyptian
themes, without drawing a comparison to the
Sun Ra Arkestra. You said earlier that your
work emerged separately from what the
Arkestra was doing. Would you talk more
about that?
IA: I’ve always loved Sun Ra but I was never
immersed in Sun Ra. The first time I saw Sun
Ra was in the early ‘70s when he did the
Berkeley Jazz Festival. In reality, I think I was
in Africa before Ra was in Africa, before he
went to Egypt. I was living in Africa in ’72 and
that gave me a grounding sense. I’ve never put
Ra’s cosmic idea of being from outer space
down in any manner, but that’s his philosophy,
not my philosophy. I’m more grounded, I’m
more in the earth. When I was with Cecil, he
was talking about Africa, about the churches in
Lalibela, Ethiopia. I’ve constantly been on my
own path, taking in various inspirations but
mostly influenced by my teachers, my life, and
my parents.
JI: What kind of feedback have you gotten
from the Arkestra?
IA: Oh, Marshall [Allen] loves what we do,
but they’re doing their thing and we’re doing
our thing. I’ve come about it in a very different
way.
JI: What practical things have you learned
over the years?
IA: I have learned the concept of a business
sense from all the years that I’ve been involved
with my company. I realize all the stumbling
blocks and the challenges of trying to survive
as a musician. I knew I had to go back to the
“street” school of how do you survive as a mu-
sician, and through my ability to take classes
and learn grant writing, I was able to have
health insurance decades ago. I think about
Aretha Franklin dying with no will and that
Prince’s estate is all messed up. That is my
mission in this life. No, I ain’t going out that
way and you don’t have to go out that way.
(Continued from page 20)
Idris Ackamoor
“It was all about cooperation, it was all about personality, about uniqueness,
finding your own voice. That was some of the biggest takeaways that I received from Cecil. When we worked with him, we didn’t do notes, we didn’t do lines on music paper. He had a completely different way of composing and way
of trying to give his music to us as aco-lytes in his orchestra. It was all basically
based on his own concept of letters.”
23 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 January-February 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
Musicians shouldn’t go out that way. Fortu-
nately I’ve learned all that without handicap-
ping my music. I have an estate plan, I’ve got a
retirement plan, I’ve had health insurance and
a salary for decades. That’s my one little peeve
with Ra and his Arkestra. He’s kept his orches-
tra together for a long time but from what I can
see the business connection is very sparse. It
would have been better to have a situation
where the members of the Arkestra were taken
care of. That, to me, would have been a great
accomplishment. His music speaks for itself
but what about the human element? We can’t
ignore that and I’m not about ignoring that.
JI: What instruments do you play?
IA: [Laughs] The question is what instruments
don’t I play! My babies are alto and tenor sax-
ophone, and lately I’ve been playing a lot more
tenor, but alto always gives me a little edge
because alto is really what I became known
for. I’ve been playing keyboards for many
years. I’m a percussionist that can stand my
own with master percussionists, but I’m not a
master percussionist. I’m a mover, I’m a tap
dancer. That’s one of my secrets for my lon-
gevity because tap dancing is one of the best
health exercises that you can engage in. I play
gongs and anything I can get my hands on ex-
cept the trumpet or any of the brass. I play all
that stuff but my calling is the alto and tenor
sax.
JI: Your given name is Bruce Baker. When
and why did you change your name?
IA: Bruce Baker was up until high school and
until I went on my path. 1968 was one of the
most important years of the 20th Century.
That’s when I graduated and that’s when we
had the assassination of Martin Luther King,
the Democratic riots in Chicago, Bobby Ken-
nedy’s assassination, and Black Power was in
full bloom. I had a big afro. Everybody was
changing their names and I took Idris at that
time. Later, I did research and found out Acka-
moor is my true family’s name on my father’s
side.
JI: Music almost didn’t happen for you. You
originally went to college on a basketball
scholarship but during your freshman year you
changed plans. What was your jazz epiphany?
IA: It wasn’t a jazz epiphany, it was a drug
epiphany. It was around that time that we were
experimenting with LSD. I was a basketball
player but I realized that basketball wasn’t my
calling. I played freshman ball at Coe College
in Cedar Rapids, Iowa but I was the sixth man.
The coach didn’t like that I was growing an
afro and a beard. There were only 50 blacks at
the college. I had a LSD trip that went bad
which was an epiphany and made me realize
this Iowa thing just wasn’t for me. I had a
friend at the college, Albert Waters, a trumpet
player, who started an R & B rock band and he
asked me to join. I told him I hadn’t played in
four years but he said, “Just come on and
play.” So that got my horn back out. That was
in ’69. I soon saw a Jet Magazine with a fea-
tured article on the Nyambi Umoja-Unity
House in Antioch College, the nation’s first
separate black dorm. I thought that was cool
and I read the article and it said that Antioch
College was the most experimental college in
the nation. It was a five-year program with a
work-study program. There were no athletics
or grades, just pass/fail, and they had an educa-
tion abroad program. It just hit me that I need-
ed to go there. I was on the Dean’s List at Coe
College but I called my dad to come and get
me out of there. He took me back home to Chi-
cago and I was thumbing through the Chicago
telephone book for instrument lessons and
that’s where I found my mentor, my guru,
Clifford King, who was an old, retired gentle-
man who had been a part of the whole ‘30s big
band movement with Jimmie Lunceford and all
those other big bands. I studied with him in the
spring and summer and then left for Antioch.
JI: Did Clifford King share any anecdotes
from his time with Jelly Roll Morton?
IA: He didn’t tell me any stories, he just
showed me all kinds of tricks he had learned.
He was a master clarinetist and the first person
to show me how to make any animal sound
you wanted to make on a clarinet – dog, cat,
bear. He could do that all because back in the
day, that’s one of the things the big bands
wanted for the movie scores. They could make
their instruments talk and sing. I was learning
my chromatics, my scales, and a lot of the stuff
he showed me just went over my head but I
became his star pupil because I was a fast
learner.
JI: Your years at Antioch College in Yellow
Springs, Ohio, beginning in 1969, were pivotal
years in your life. The first of two off-campus
training experiences came in 1971 when you
did a semester in Los Angeles and studied with
alto saxophonist Charles Tyler [Albert Ayler’s
cousin and band member]. How did he help
you?
IA: Charles was amazing and he always sup-
ported my sound. Clifford had taught me in
such a way that I was playing stuff that I didn’t
even know I was playing. When I got to L.A. I
wanted to find another teacher so I went to this
very well-known studio saxophonist and he
asked me to show him how I played. So I
played through my routine and he said, “I’m
not teaching you, man. Go about your busi-
ness, you got it.” He turned me away because
he said I was on my way and he didn’t want to
mess with it. I found Charles and always told
me, “If you can play every note in every key
on the saxophone with one finger…” More
than anything, what I learned from Charles was
the ability to improvise, in a trio mostly, be-
cause he wasn’t really into pianos. He was out
of Albert’s school so he had that folk-like thing
in his melodies that I loved playing. Most
amazingly, Charles liked my early composi-
tions so he played my compositions.
JI: During your time at Antioch, you suffered
a severe hand injury that almost ended your
career before it started. You refer to it as a “life
-changing accident.” What happened and how
did it change your life?
IA: Around that time I was really blossoming
and I think God said to me, ‘You’re moving
way too fast. Let me show you something.’
Because I was playing saxophones and flutes
and constructing instruments, making percus-
sion instruments even before I went to Africa. I
did design this very formidable instrument that
they called Idrissa’s machine. It was hallowed
out blocks placed on a board and I’d play them
with bamboo and it sounded almost like a
horse galloping. I really didn’t know anything
about instrument construction and one day I
was alone in the theater department’s construc-
tion shop making my second percussion instru-
ment and there was a faulty guide on the power
saw I was using to gouge out the block. Why
the hell was I using that saw with huge teeth
like that? Needless to say, the guard broke and
my left hand went into the saw and nobody
was around. I got knocked down and, of
course, it was panic and complete mayhem. I
just picked up and ran across a big golf course.
Nobody was around, zero. One Antioch stu-
dent happened to be driving by in a
Volkswagen and heard my screams, saw me
running and got me right to the infirmary and
then to the hospital. The doctors thought I had
lost my finger, I thought I was done. I had sev-
ered my index finger, it was hanging by the
skin. The surgeon who fixed me knew I was an
artist so he set the finger to be curved so that I
could still play saxophone. It was hard but I
was fierce, I was determined. That happened
right when Cecil came. So I’m preparing for
Cecil to come to Antioch, waiting for my hero,
and bam! I’m out of the picture. Cecil got there
and I helped letting students know about him
but my hand was in a cast. I began to play
trumpet because all I needed was my right
hand to play it. I went to Cecil and told him
about the accident and that all I wanted was to
participate with what he was doing. He said,
“Idris, if you can play one note, come, come,
come join the ensemble.” And that’s what I did
and then Clifford Sykes is the guy that turned
the lightbulb on for me. He was a percussionist
who came with Cecil’s ensemble and I saw
(Continued on page 24)
Idris Ackamoor
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xxxxxxxxxx
that Clifford had his right index finger severed.
I had my left and he had his right so I said,
‘Damn, Clifford, we like twins!’ [Laughs] He
said, “Hey, Idris, don’t worry about it, I know
a clarinet player who has two fingers missing
and he’s still playing. Think about it. Roll your
palm…” So he opened my eyes and I got a
Selmer alto, had it modified, and I’ve been
playing it ever since.
JI: What most surprised you about Cecil Tay-
lor once you got to know him in the fall of
1971?
IA: His non-competitive nature, his collabora-
tive sense. He was always maligned by the
critics, other musicians, and the club owners.
So he was the epitome of the outlaw. He had
the ability to embrace you for who you were
and not put you into a competitive structure. It
was all about cooperation, it was all about per-
sonality, about uniqueness, finding your own
voice. That was some of the biggest takeaways
that I received from Cecil. When we worked
with him, we didn’t do notes, we didn’t do
lines on music paper. He had a completely
different way of composing and way of trying
to give his music to us as acolytes in his or-
chestra. It was all basically based on his own
concept of letters. And he was fast, he’d lose
me sometimes. He’d go, “You’re gonna go A
to G …,” and you had to be writing these let-
ters in a way that was kind of architectural in
many ways, as opposed to giving notes value.
He didn’t do quarter notes or half notes, he’d
give you the notes and you were supposed to
find a way to interpret it.
JI: You share a love of dance with Cecil Tay-
lor. Did he speak to you about that?
IA: No, I didn’t but Cecil always loved to do
social dancing. Before I became a musician I
loved dancing and Chicago was known for
social dancing. They had multiple unique danc-
es there including the Bop, which became
Stepping. I grew up with the Bop in the ‘60s
and that’s what you would dance with to
Marvin Gaye and the Temptations. We’d also
“walk” on the slow dances and then we would
“grind” when we were old enough in those
basement parties. That was the nasty dance. I
love Tap but I didn’t become aware of it until
quite a bit later, and when I had the opportuni-
ty to take Tap, that was one of the best things I
ever did.
JI: You eventually left Antioch’s campus and
Taylor behind in ‘72, utilizing the college’s
abroad program to spend a year in Europe and
Africa to organize a band and to study. What
was your initial concept for The Pyramids and
how did it evolve during your time in Africa?
IA: I didn’t know much about African music
until I got there. The Pyramids had evolved out
of my 1971 band, The Collective. My music
back then was full of so many different colors
with French horn, flute, alto and piano. Once
Cecil came, and that band ended, I was fire-
breathing. The three of us that went on to form
The Pyramids – myself, [future wife/ flutist]
Margaux Simmons, and [bassist] Kimathi
Asante, we were all in Cecil’s ensemble and
we were fire breathing. We did the most avant
of the avant-garde. We were playing my tunes,
I didn’t know about standards at that time. We
were trying to make our souls leave our bodies.
We met our drummer Donald Robinson in
France and we formed as The Pyramids in Am-
sterdam, and then played all over Holland. One
night, the trio with myself, Margaux and Kima-
thi were playing the Literary Café in Holland
and in the audience was this very distinguished
looking black guy who was writing while we
were playing. It so happened that we met one
of the preeminent Beat Poets – Ted Jones. His
famous poem is “Jazz is My Religion.” Well,
he took us under his arm. He wrote a review of
that concert and he composed a poem called
“Pyramids I’ve Known.” In his review, he re-
ferred to us as Cecil Taylor tots. [Laughs] Ted
ended up coming and performing with us, do-
ing his poetry. He had that piece that went – “If
you should see a poet walking down a crowed
street, talking to himself, don’t run in the oppo-
site direction. Run towards him for he is a poet,
you have nothing to fear from the poet but the
truth,” [and then we would blast away on
stage], out into outer space, and he would jump
off the stage because he saw the music coming.
[Laughs] Then we got to Africa and we added
all that African rhythm and stuff to our con-
cept.
JI: You were one of the first American jazz
musicians of your generation to go and live in
Africa. Did you see other American artists
there?
IA: We were one of the first. We ran into an-
other group of African American musicians in
Ghana during our time there called Sons &
Daughters of Lite. They were going on the
same path.
JI: Why didn’t more musicians explore Africa
at that time?
IA: Financially, it was a big issue. Who had
money to go to Africa? Where would you stay?
It was as far away as being on another planet.
There was also the stigma that African Ameri-
cans had about Africa in the late ‘60s. It took a
long time to get over that stigma that Africa
was a primitive place. There were so many
African Americans that thought Africa was just
a jungle and Tarzan. The Black Power Move-
ment was formulated to dispel that and it did.
People thought you’d go there and die of ma-
laria.
JI: What did the indigenous African musicians
make of your music?
IA: Nothing but positive. Margaux and I took
this spiritual journey up to northern Ghana that
was another one of my most life changing ad-
ventures. Just through sheer luck we fell into
the Dagomba people’s musicians of the king’s
court. They were prayer drummers and they
allowed us to pray in their prayer circles. They
(Continued from page 23)
“I think dance and music is integral. Jazz used to be a dancing art form. In the ‘20s and ‘30s you didn’t play jazz
for listening, you played jazz for dancing. Jazz was the social dance music of America. Something got lost when jazz transitioned to music that people listened to. I mean how did we get from jazz being the predominant musical voice of America to it becoming 1.2% of record sales?”
Idris Ackamoor
25 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 January-February 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
xxxxxxxxxx
met in the village square of a small town with
dirt streets called Tamale. There’d be like 10-
16 Dagomba master drummers from the king’s
court. It was like going back to Africa 500
years in the past. I also saw the parade with the
King of Kings on his horse with a big umbrella
and the talking drummers behind him playing
while the horses were prancing. We then went
further north, almost to the border of Upper
Volta, to Bolgatanga, which was the home of
the Frafra people, and we experienced two
ceremonies there. One of the ceremonies was
the second burial ritual of a Frafra king. In
ancient days, when a Frafra king died, they
wouldn’t let it out that the king had died be-
cause they were worried that the surrounding
tribes might try to take advantage of the disar-
ray. So the second burial would be celebrated a
year later, after the governmental transition had
taken place. We played along with the other
musicians during the ceremony.
JI: You made field recordings of the African
musicians you encountered. How have you
used those documentations?
IA: The only thing I’ve actually issued is on
my double album The Music of Idris Ackamoor
[EM, 2006]. On one of the sides is a track
called “Africa” and that field recording is of
the Dagomba prayer drummers along with me
and Margaux. It’s an amazing track. I’ve got
hours of field recordings that I haven’t released
yet because I’m deciding in what manner I’m
gonna release them and how I can donate the
proceeds to an African charity because these
recordings are like fifty years old and most of
those musicians are no longer with us. Antioch
gave me a very nice Sony field recorder and I
digitized those recordings which are from Gha-
na, Kenya and Ethiopia.
JI: In the early to mid-‘70s, you self-released
three albums of your band. How unusual was it
to self-release at the time and why did you go
that route?
IA: Right, it was absolutely unusual to do that
at that time. I did it through sheer determina-
tion in getting the music out. Around that time,
Cecil was also self-releasing. He did Indent on
his own label and he was at Antioch at that
time. Cincinnati had a pressing plant and it was
about an hour and twenty minutes from Yellow
Springs. We wanted to get The Pyramids
sound on wax and there was no record compa-
ny beating a path to our door, [Laughs] and at
that time I had settlement money from the acci-
dent. It was a really powerful statement that
Antioch fully supported me during this transi-
tional period. They waved any loans that I had
and they made all of my education free and I
had a significant settlement so I became the
financer for the albums. We started with 500 to
1000 of each of the records and we might have
to reorder for another 500.
JI: Since 1979, you’ve led Cultural Odyssey,
the San Francisco-based non-profit performing
arts organization, along with actress/vocalist
Rhodessa Jones. One of the programs the or-
ganization heads is the Medea Project which
entails going into jails to make theater with
incarcerated women out of their own experi-
ences. Why do so and why only target women?
IA: Because this was Rhodessa’s pet project
and she’s always told me there’s so many so-
cial programs in prison for men. Men go out to
the yard and lift weights and various work-
shops are available for them. Women have
never had that. They’re left alone to sit in their
cells and just go crazy. Rhodessa went into the
San Francisco city jail around 1989 to make
theater out of these women’s real life experi-
ences. San Francisco had a very radical sheriff
at that time [Michael Hennessey], he loved the
idea and got behind it completely. He even
allowed the women to be escorted outside the
prison to a major city theater for a two week
run. Every night they go there in their orange
clothes and in handcuffs, deputies at every exit,
they do the show, and are then transported
back to jail. First I’d ever heard of that. Since
that time, Rhodessa has done it all over the
world. Over the past twenty-five years the Me-
dea Project has become the model for working
with incarcerated women and ex-inmates, and
now with HIV + women. I produce the project,
I do all the fundraising.
JI: You’ve also worked with Rhodessa Jones’
brother, famed choreographer/dancer Bill T.
Jones [best known as the Broadway choreogra-
pher for the musical Fela!] How do you view
the connection between dance and music?
IA: I think dance and music is integral. Jazz
used to be a dancing art form. In the ‘20s and
‘30s you didn’t play jazz for listening, you
played jazz for dancing. Jazz was the social
dance music of America. Something got lost
when jazz transitioned to music that people
listened to. I mean how did we get from jazz
being the predominant musical voice of Ameri-
ca to it becoming 1.2% of record sales?
JI: How did you come to simultaneously com-
bine tap dancing and saxophone playing? Had
you seen others do it?
IA: The only person I’ve seen do that, and I
(Continued on page 26)
“it’s not black people that don’t care about jazz, I’d say it’s that same divide that separated jazz as a
danceable art form to where it’s evolved, including Wynton Marsalis’ music, that there’s a disconnect. The main apparatus for spreading the word are the
radio shows ... radio has become so bad, in terms of playing jazz, it doesn’t get heard by the black popu-lation … There’s a disconnect between the market-ing apparatus of jazz and getting it to black people.”
Idris Ackamoor
26 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 January-February 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
xxxxxxxxxx
didn’t know that at the time, is a white saxo-
phone player named Shoehorn. He doesn’t play
saxophone the way that I do. My combining
Tap and sax happened naturally. I took an in-
tensive study program in Tap, the first thing I
thought about was how I could maybe apply it
to my saxophone playing. It took me a long
time, I should have just been concentrating on
my steps. I didn’t want to make it just a novel-
ty. I wanted to present the substance of a
hoofer. I didn’t know what I was doing at first
but once I had more facility with Tap I began
to use it while playing standards such as
“Misty” and “Sophisticated Ladies.” My whole
idea was playing these beautiful tunes and I
could really float across the floor.
JI: Your current release is called An Angel Fell
[Strut]. Do you believe in fallen angels?
IA: Yes, I’ve seen them. That’s what An Angel
Fell is all about. Between 2005 to 2012,
Rhodessa and I worked in a South African
prison through the Medea Project. We original-
ly were brought over there to do our duet
shows but while we were there, the promotor
got us into the prisons and we set the wheels
moving for a seven-year residency, six weeks
out of the year, to go into the women’s prisons.
The women that we met there, we saw the
whole gamut – murderers, mules, a lot of drug
crime. You’d never know by looking at them.
They were the most beautiful creatures you’d
ever see. In fact, I met and fell in love with this
gorgeous South African woman who was in
there for murder. The lyrics for the title song of
the album are inspired by the meeting I had
with her. A lot of the women were in there for
crimes of economics, not having money and
hooking up with the Nigerian drug cartel, or
for killing their abusive partner in self-defense.
So yes, I’ve seen fallen angels.
JI: The last questions have been given to me
by other artists to ask you:
Rhodessa Jones (actress/vocalist) asked:
“What was your first reaction to our initial
performance together? I always say we fell in
love on stage—I was singing Nina Simone’s
version of “West Wind” and you played the
balaphone.”
IA: Yes, those initial performances liberated
me. I met her around 1979 but we didn’t really
start collaborating until 1983, and once we did
hook up, it was as a duet. It was a revolution-
ary duet that we had. I had been going to Eu-
rope with my quartet since 1980 but every time
I’d go, I’d lose money. I had an agent in Aus-
tria call me to come play and I told him I
would only come over as a duet with this very
beautiful woman who is a dancer, singer and a
mover. He said, “Well, what am I going to do
with that? I’ve got jazz clubs and festivals?” I
told him to trust me and we went over there as
one of the early originators of this new form of
interdisciplinary spoken word and theater. We
went over there with about five gigs that the
quartet had that was replaced with the duet,
and we ended up staying three months because
we were able to play theater festivals, jazz
clubs, and most important, we did dance inten-
sives. She was the main dancer, teaching them
all the crazy four-legged dancing, and I would
play the music to accompany them. At the end
of the intensive, we’d do a big show at a major
venue. That began the basis of Cultural Odys-
sey.
Bill T. Jones (choreographer/dancer)
asked: “Recently, Wynton Marsalis and I were
challenged with a question directed to the both
of us and our specific disciplines during a pub-
lic conversation. The question was why more
black people were not in jazz audiences.
Wynton said he had tried everything he could
think of to attract a wider audience but it
seemed that black people really didn't care
about jazz. How would you answer that ques-
tion?”
IA: I would say it’s not black people that don’t
care about jazz, I’d say it’s that same divide
that separated jazz as a danceable art form to
where it’s evolved, including Wynton Marsal-
is’ music, that there’s a disconnect. The main
apparatus for spreading the word are the radio
shows and because radio has become so bad, in
terms of playing jazz, it doesn’t get heard by
the black population. San Francisco has one
jazz station and most places don’t have any. I
think the reason that blacks aren’t in the audi-
ences is that you’ve got to look at what is the
social atmosphere of, not only black audience
members, but also young, white listeners.
There’s a disconnect between the marketing
apparatus of jazz and getting it to black people.
So it’s mostly a question of exposure, and then
the other issue is jazz education in America.
Bobby Zankel (alto sax) asked: “You may
remember that we first met when I traveled
from Madison Wisconsin, where I worked and
studied with Cecil Taylor, to Yellow Springs,
Ohio to find a place to live. Cecil was hired to
create sort of a Black Aesthetics program that
included literature, dance and, of course, create
an ensemble, as he had done in Madison,
which I was going to continue being a part of.
You and I are about the same age, and in a lot
of ways we seemed to be interested in many of
the same things. You shared your experience
of working with Charles Tyler in L.A., who I
admired. (In 1974 I got to play with Charles
with Cecil at Carnegie Hall) You invited me to
stay at your house and I remember having a
late night jam session. I was really impressed
with your saxophone playing and I was amazed
at your courageous and creative response to
your accident. Of course the time we spent
working on Cecil's music was wonderful and
life changing. The question I would like to ask
you centers around my interest in how musi-
cians evolve and develop themselves over time
- I hate to use the word mature, because that
means you’re getting old. I’d be curious to
know how you connect what we did with Cecil
in Ohio, to the work you’re doing now. I know
for myself, there’s stuff that I do that comes
directly through Cecil but it doesn’t sound too
much like him, but in my mind I know how it
connects. It’s not like I’m doing a Cecil thing,
but it came from that. Knowing how brilliant
you are, I’m sure your personal connection
with Cecil comes up in many interesting and
personal ways.”
IA: I definitely can say that what I got from
Cecil was the idea of possession in music.
When Cecil plays, it’s almost as if he’s pos-
sessed. I mean Cecil would play like he’s a
beautiful demon or a beautiful angel. He al-
ways connected the possession Haitian Voodoo
or possession in African and he played piano
like it was 88-tuned drums. He would be play-
ing as if his soul was being possessed. If you
listen to some of my early recordings, there’s
some things that scare you. We’re doing some-
thing else, we’re possessed, and the soul is
taking you somewhere else. In those early
years, when I was right out of Cecil’s ensem-
ble, those early Pyramid’s recordings, especial-
ly on the 2 CD set out on EM Records, there’s
a solo I take on “Land of Eternal Song,” it’s a
LONG solo. When I listen to it, I don’t even
believe it, it just keeps getting further and fur-
ther out. It’s out of what Clifford taught me
about animal noises. It’s really intense, I think
probably one of the most intense alto solos on
record. Talk about maturity, although I’ve got-
ten older and my sound has changed, but I still
play with my whole body, I still have that
sense of possession when I play. I try to reach,
I become transformed in my body on certain
songs. I’m still a very physical player, like
Cecil was always a very physical player. Jim-
my Lyons could play these beautiful, sweet,
long segments. He was the perfect counterpoint
to Cecil. And then there’s Bobby, he’s the
same way as me. He would play such intense
(Continued from page 25)
“Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth.
Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living
your life with integrity.”
- W. Clement Stone
Idris Ackamoor
27 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 January-February 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
alto solos.
Bobby Zankel also asked: “Talk about main-
taining a concept and also apparently not feel-
ing any need to live in New York. I like that.”
IA: [Laughs] I’ve maintained a concept while
being very isolated, at first in Yellow Springs,
and secondly in San Francisco. Neither of them
were supposed to be the hotbed of avant-garde
music. I’m the last man standing in San Fran-
cisco. A lot of my contemporaries left San
Francisco a long time ago. I stayed in San
Francisco and made a life, made a foundation.
Karen Borca (bassoon) asked: “Cecil [Taylor]
didn't give lessons, he directed rehearsals.
What was your take on Cecil's methodology?”
IA: When Cecil did auditions for the Black
Music Ensemble, we all came thinking it was
involving music but there wasn’t one note
played in the auditions. Cecil was basically
doing theatrical exercises. He had the musi-
cians lay on the floor and with his directions he
would direct people to crawl over one group of
people to get to another place. You had to fig-
ure out how you were to get over there and
how people could help you get over there.
These were theatrical sensitivity exercises. He
was not looking for the most technically profi-
cient musicians. I think he was looking for the
ones that best took his directions and that’s
been with me all this time. I’m in the same
situation in my bands. I’ve been through lots of
personnel changes. I’m not looking for the
most technically proficient musicians, I’m
looking for the ones that can best take my di-
rection because I know what I’m doing, I know
what I want, and when I give a direction I want
that direction to be followed. Not as a dictator,
but my band is not a democracy. The Pyramids
began as a family band, I had to subvert my
leadership responsibilities, but in reality I was
always the leader.
Andrew Cyrille (drums) asked: “Hi Idris,
what was the best thing you got out of being at
Antioch College in the early 1970’s?”
IA: Wow, you’re getting all the greatest hits!
My god! [Laughs] The best thing I think I got
was Antioch College Abroad Program and of
course the Cecil experience, but more than
anything, developing an independent study
concept. No one told you you had to go to clas-
ses. No one told you to do homework. No one
told you any of those things. You had to make
your own plans. I told them I wanted to go and
form a band and then I wanted to travel to Af-
rica. The abroad program was really set up for
people to go to universities in Europe but I
didn’t want to do that. The best thing that ever
happened to me was that they cast me out into
an abroad program and all they said was that I
had to go to a university in France and take six
weeks of French. Other than that, they gave us
an around the world ticket where we could stop
anywhere in a circle by airplane and they gave
us a 300 dollars-per-month stipend. Other than
that, we were on our own. So I had to get to
Amsterdam and figure out where we were gon-
na stay, how we were gonna get gigs. We did-
n’t even know anybody in Africa. What were
we supposed to do in Africa? It all came about
me as a leader in collaboration with Margaux
and Kimathi. I was always the fearless one. I
was always let’s go, we’ll do this.
Famoudou Don Moye (percussion) asked:
“How did you get interested in learning to play
and dance with the chekere [a percussive in-
strument of West African origin consisting of a
dried gourd with seeds woven into a net cover-
ing the gourd] and how has your command of
the instrument and dance movements pro-
gressed over the years?”
IA: I did a big collaboration with Moye and
other master percussionists once and we did a
chekere dance. I’ve always been very physical
so I would play the chekere, bounce it on my
knees, throw it under my legs, and then throw
it over to the other chekere master percussion-
ist, and he’d have a chekere and he’d throw his
to me. It was almost like a basketball game but
it was all in rhythm. When I get with a master
percussionist, there’s nothing we can’t do be-
cause the master’s got it under control and I’m
able to hang. As far as progression of dance
movements, I’ve continued to advance my
ability to tap dance and play saxophone at the
same time. The physicality has helped to keep
me in shape. I’m also an active swimmer,
which has helped me with my lung capacity.
It’s all about the wind.
Jemeel Moondoc (saxophone) asked: “How
did your travels to Africa enhance or support
your concept of American Black Music?”
IA: No, you didn’t talk to Jemeel! No! Well,
what Cecil taught us was timeline patterns.
Basically, it is a continuation from Africa to
the slave trade to the middle passage to the
field shouts to the blues to New Orleans, so
that the connection with Africa is a part of our
common experience as African Americans.
They’re getting ready to celebrate 400 years
since 1619, the year the first black slaves ar-
rived in America. They’re gonna celebrate that
in August, 2019. The whole concept is depend-
ing on how you relate and associate yourself
with Africa, and I think that Africa is only now
becoming even more important through cli-
mate change. Western society is damaging our
environments with climate change. Africa is
such a large continent, and there’s been several
books written that Africa may be the last basti-
on of nature and the pureness of the Earth. It’s
so vast, some parts of the interior have not
even been explored. I’m still very inspired by
the developments in Africa and Fela’s music.
It’s a diaspora. I’ve always been inspired by
Bob Marley’s music, Sun Ra, Art Ensemble,
the griots, the chroniclers of the African socie-
ty and history. I can connect myself to that and
I’m finally in that position with An Angel Fell,
which is, in my opinion, the most socially con-
scious album I’ve ever done, and that’s where
I’ve always wanted to be. I’ve always wanted
to be like a New Age griot. I see things that
inspire my compositions.
Jemeel Moondoc also asked: “How was We
Be All Africans [Strut] conceived?”
IA: It was conceived because of all the police
shootings of young black men. The oldest
bones have been found in Africa and a lot of
scholars, including Leakey, believe we are all
descended from a common ancestor, and many
people think that ancestor happened in Africa
and then migrated to different places. There’s a
lot of scientific information that we came out
of the Garden of Eden, and that’s in Africa. So
I’m asking why are we killing each other?
Why are white policemen killing black youth?
Why is there all this racism when we be all
Africans? We’re all a part of a common ances-
tor.
Jemeel Moondoc also wanted to know if you
would be interested in performing in a project
that he’s calling 'Alto Gladness'. He wants to
reform Cecil Taylor's alto section at Antioch
along with you and Bobby Zankel. The three of
you and a rhythm section.
IA: He really said that? This is what I’ve been
thinking about for the last couple of years!
Yes! Wow, I’m ready!
“Time makes heroes and dissolves celebrities.”
- Daniel Boorstin, Past Librarian of Congress
““The greatest discovery of any generation is that human beings
can alter their lives by altering the attitudes of their minds.”
- Albert Schweitzer
Idris Ackamoor
28 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 January-February 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
By Eric Nemeyer
JI: What were the circumstances that led to
your association with Miles Davis?
BB: Around 1983, before I moved to Chicago,
there was talk about the possibility that I would
play with Miles. There was a musicians’ club in
the village at that time called 55 Grand Street,
where a who’s who of the modern jazz, fusion
and funk scenes would be playing and/or hang-
ing out every night. Miles’ road manager was
there a lot and would tell me that I was going to
be getting that gig eventually. I didn’t believe
him. In 1987 a few of the members of Miles’
band were native Chicagoans – Robert (Babe)
Irving, III, Darryl Jones and Vince Wilburn.
Miles was going through guitarists in search of
the right one, and they (and possibly others)
must have told him about me. I was told to put
a tape together, so I did my best rocked-out
guitar impersonation, which was pretty phony,
but got me to the next stage of being sum-
moned to New York. I still had my apartment
there. We rehearsed, and I started working. I
recall breaking a string seconds before I was to
take my first solo…a portent. I never, ever, was
inclined toward rock guitar. Never felt comfort-
able with distortion as a part of my voice. So
really, I wasn’t the man for the job because
that’s what Miles was looking for. That sound
had been a part of Miles’ bands for ten to fif-
teen years up to that point. At the same time
though, I wasn’t going to pass on the chance to
play with him. I think it became clear to him
pretty quickly where my heart was musically.
He’d come over to me on stage and play lines
that he would have played in 1958; then he’d
wink at me and stroll off.
JI: What kinds of discussions did you have
with Miles Davis?
BB: Just regular ones I guess. Sometimes they
were about music of course and then other
times just regular things; you know, like when
you’re traveling with people and sitting around
airports for hours passing time. The conversa-
tion that really stands out in my memory
though, is when I had to call him up to tell him
I couldn’t play a concert with him because I
had a previous commitment. Miles was sched-
uled to play at Chicago’s Auditorium Theater,
but Kenny Burrell had a job in Jersey some-
where for the Jazz Guitar Band. Kenny would-
n’t let me out of the job, so I was trapped! I
called Sonny Rollins for some words of wis-
dom. When I told him “Part of me really wants
to do the gig with Miles…” he asked me,
“Which part is that?” So I hung up, called
Miles and explained everything to him. Miles’
response was: “Kenny Burrell?!” And then,
“Who you gonna get to sub for you?”
JI: What impact did Miles Davis have upon
your approach to creating music?
BB: The way I see it, Miles was great at getting
the musicians he picked to give him what he
needed so that he could make his presentation.
In that way, as an artist, he was a great ban-
dleader. He had vision and could implement it.
He was listening to everything everyone played
at all times. He would give his musicians direc-
tion days after a performance regarding some-
thing they did or didn’t do two nights before.
He was concerned with the total picture – not
just the trumpet. I feel a similar kind of caring
for the overall sound of my trio. I’d prefer to
play less in terms of content and have the group
as a whole feel really good, than to have any-
thing even approaching the other way around.
That’s not a conscious decision of mine that has
anything to do with Miles per se. It’s just very
difficult for me to control the ways in which I
respond to music. I‘m not sure that I need or
want to change my natural responses anyway.
Although, sometimes I think about being able
to just play over the top of anything, any situa-
tion, no matter how it feels or sounds to me.
But that would probably mean a change in my
sensitivity level, which I think involves the way
in which I listen to and take in music.
JI: How did Miles and his music help to shape
and expand your conception?
BB: Musicians like Sonny, Miles and Monk are
forward thinking and self-searching. Although
they did things very differently, they were all
continually searching for personal ways to sat-
isfy their creative urges. At the same time they
wished to communicate to people and to con-
nect with them through their music, not to ex-
clude the listener from their process. I look to
these and many other musicians as sources of
inspiration. They validate my desire to express
myself through jazz improvisation, to find ways
that are meaningful to me to do so and to at-
tempt to include an audience in what I’m trying
to do.
JI: Could you talk about how your association
with Sonny Rollins developed?
BB: Well, this is a pretty well documented sto-
ry now. I first played with Sonny while I was a
student at Music and Art High School in New
York. Sonny heard me play and liked some-
thing he heard. I couldn’t go on the road with
him at the time because of school, so he hired
me for a “gig” at Carnegie Hall. A few years
later he called again and asked me to join the
group. I played with him regularly for four
years or so and then on and off for some more
years after that. Until last year, I hadn’t worked
with him since the late 1980’s, but we would
keep in touch via phone and letters through the
years during the ‘90s, and so on.
JI: How is your interaction with and the pro-
cess of making music different or deeper now
than the first time you played with Sonny Rol-(Continued on page 30)
“I wasn’t going to pass on the chance to play with him [Miles
Davis]. I think it became clear to him pretty quickly where my heart was musically. He’d come over to me on stage and play lines that he would have played in 1958; then he’d wink at me and stroll off.”
Bobby Broom
On playing with Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins and more ...
INTERVIEWINTERVIEW
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Bobby BroomBobby Broom Appearing at Dizzy’s Club at Jazz At Lincoln CenterAppearing at Dizzy’s Club at Jazz At Lincoln Center
February 20, 2019February 20, 2019
© Eric Nemeyer© Eric Nemeyer
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lins?
BB: The music making process is much the
same for me now as it always has been: I listen,
respond creatively and try to give what I can to
the overall sound of the music – not just the
guitar solos. However now, because I am more
skilled at what I’m trying to do, I can interact in
a more sophisticated way, bringing a more re-
fined sound to the group. I can also present
more thoughtful and interesting solos, and
hopefully all of this lends to the listening expe-
rience while being inspiring within the group as
well. In the early days, sometimes I‘d think,
“Why am I even here?” because I felt I was
playing so poorly. And we all know that since
the ‘70s Sonny has gotten much flack about his
band members. But maybe there was a bigger
picture happening that’s not so apparent. It’s
fulfilling to have more to say as an improviser
now. Of course, in this situation “more” is al-
ways relative to the wellspring of ideas coming
from Sonny. And that’s inspirational to me, to
see that by continued practice and involvement,
access to more of what you want to play is pos-
sible. Anyway, I feel that it’s possible that there
can be more of a collective musical presenta-
tion by Sonny’s group now. Obviously, he is
the leader and master, but we want to contrib-
ute something more substantive than ornamen-
tation. I think that slowly, this is beginning to
happen.
JI: What prompted you to attend Berklee Col-
lege of Music since you were apparently al-
ready politically placed in professional circles?
BB: When it was time for me to attend college
I didn’t view the opportunities that I had had up
to that point in quite that way. I was most con-
cerned with developing as a musician and in
my family it was understood that I would attend
college. Music was an obvious choice as a ma-
jor for me, and Berklee was the popular choice
of colleges for jazz development at the time.
When I was well into my freshman year I be-
gan to see fellow childhood musician friends
appearing on records and also to hear talk from
all my friends at Berklee about their plans to
move to New York after they graduated. It was
then that I decided to continue college at home
in New York the following year.
JI: What kinds of challenges and or benefits
did you gain from your experiences at Berklee
College of Music?
BB: Well first of all, there were a million gui-
tarists there (much like in Chicago now) so it
forced me to stay focused on practicing and to
not concern myself with too much outside of
that. In order to learn, grow and have fun I
would connect with fellow guitarists that I ad-
mired, such as Kevin Eubanks and Joe Cohn.
Otherwise, Berklee was a fertile environment
for fellowship and development among young,
like-minded musicians. Most of the currently
well-known jazz musicians that are around my
age were there at the time and we would get
together every night, without fail, for the then
modern-day version of Minton’s jam sessions,
which happened in Berklee’s band rooms.
JI: Some people “think from the end” contem-
plating situations that they imagine themselves
to be in. What if any kind of vision did you
have about your career in jazz early on?
BB: Exactly. I didn’t know it at the time, but I
was practicing visualization as a kid. After I
became enamored with jazz music as a form of
expression, I felt that I wanted nothing more
than to do this just as those that I was listening
to were doing it. I wanted to be like these guys.
This was the direction that I moved toward in
my life from that point on and situations and
opportunities followed along with me in that
direction.
JI: Could you talk about your move to New
York in the 1980s and how doors began to open
for you?
BB: Growing up in New York allowed me ac-
cess, at a young age, to jazz, its musicians and
more. When I returned to New York from Bos-
ton I guess I had a reputation of a young guy
who could play a little bit and, because I had
been actively pursuing involvement in the field,
I knew a few people. I found myself involved
in two scenes that were happening there at that
time. One involved the talented young musi-
cians who were New York natives, guys that I
came up with. We all got involved with GRP
Records by playing in trumpeter Tom Browne’s
band. There was also a buzz around Art Bla-
key’s band as he searched for new young musi-
cians. I was there for that and was deemed by
Blakey a “Messenger”, but I chose the close-
ness and familiarity of my friends over the his-
toric significance of playing with The Jazz
Messengers. In fact, I don’t think I was even
considering that historic significance.
JI: What were some of the obstacles you faced
as you began making inroads onto the New
York scene? Who provided sources of encour-
agement and positive thinking in that important
period of development—to bolster your confi-
dence, and provide opportunity?
BB: Well, there were personal obstacles. I be-
lieve that I gave myself the most difficulty as
far as that’s concerned. I mean I was just so
young and hadn’t experienced that much, other
than trying to make music. I didn’t have
healthy outlets and alternatives. I had the great-
est mentors I could have in music – Sonny,
Weldon Irvine, Jackie McLean who gave me
my first college-level teaching job – but I had
to live and go through some things and search
for answers and meaning that would sustain me
above and beyond music. I’d say I actively
began this search in my early twenties. It’s in-
teresting for me to think back on that time.
Those were some serious musical experiences
that I had. I realized that then, but not in the
same way that I do now. Then, it was all about
learning. My first guitar teacher taught me that
it was very possible to learn by doing. So that
was my approach to music and the rest of my
life as well, I guess. It wasn’t until I was of-
fered my first recording contract that I ques-
tioned whether or not I was ready for an oppor-
tunity. I remember talking it over with my
friend Omar Hakim. He encouraged me that I
was good enough to record and suggested that I
could develop as a musician while I was mak-
ing records. So as I think about it, my musician
comrades were also very important in terms of
providing me positive energy and an environ-
ment in which I could grow. I remember well
the beautiful spirit, prompted by a shared inter-
est, that I felt from all of the other young musi-
cians in New York at that time – those who I
had known for a while and those who were just
getting to New York from their home towns.
JI: Talk about the kinds of preparation you did
to begin sitting in with Art Blakey’s band in
New York? Was the sitting in occurring on
some of the more complicated Wayne Shorter
songs, or on the more common standards and
jazz compositions?
BB: All of the listening, practicing, studying
and playing that I had done up to that point was
the preparation for the moment I was asked to
sit in with Art Blakey’s band. I didn’t know
beforehand that this would happen. I went to
see the band play and was happy to see that
James Williams was playing piano. Just a few
months prior to this he and I had met and
played a performance with saxophonist Billy
Pierce and other Berklee faculty. So in between
Blakey’s sets, James told me to go get my gui-
tar (I lived a few blocks from the club). So
that’s how it happened. The tune I most clearly
recall playing with the Messengers is “One by
One.” We played standards and some other
things. We were encouraged to play what we
could, the rest we’d learn later. We were just
eighteen or nineteen years old. However, when
we got up on the bandstand we stayed. Pretty
immediately there was an implication of ac-
ceptance from Blakey, as though we were al-
ready on the gig.
JI: What kinds of approach did you take and
adjustments did you make in the context of
having another chord instrument, piano, when
you played with Blakey?
(Continued from page 28)
Bobby Broom
31 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 January-February 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
BB: I’ve talked before about the misconception
that there’s an inherent problem with guitar and
piano playing together. The only adjustment
that I may have made then, and would still
make today when playing with another harmon-
ic instrument, is maybe to play less. In other
words, I’d leave more space for the other per-
son to comp. And I’m not suggesting that it
doesn’t work for two or more chord instruments
to comp together. When playing together, lis-
tening is most important for any combination of
instruments to get along. If there’s mutual re-
spect, courtesy, awareness, sensitivity, then
beautiful music can be made regardless of the
instrumentation. That’s assuming the musicians
can play of course.
JI: Can you discuss the development of your
association with GRP Records?
BB: GRP was signing young, aspiring, jazz-
aware musicians who lived in New York in the
late seventies/early eighties. We were jazz-
aware in that we were getting ourselves togeth-
er as jazz musicians, and most of us had an
inclination toward straight-ahead jazz along,
with the requisite passion and talent, but we
also considered the other styles of music that
were apparent and available to us. Anyway, as I
said, I was playing in Tom Browne’s band, and
I got called to do a tour of Japan with the GRP
All-Stars. I did a few records for GRP as a side-
man and was then offered a recording contract.
All this was happening just before it was fash-
ionable or feasible for a youngster to play
straight–ahead music exclusively – before the
Marsalises started recording. So we were per-
fect for GRP as a developing record label in
that we were marketable as young prodigies in
a sense, and we had the probability of making
money because we were playing cross-over
music which could potentially have greater
appeal via black radio.
JI: What kinds of direction or suggestions did
you receive in the creation of your two albums
for GRP—Clean Sweep and Living for the
Beat?
BB: For Clean Sweep I had quite a bit of free-
dom to do what I wanted. I wrote and arranged
most of the tunes, and some things were
worked out in the studio among the musicians.
That record is a good musical representation of
me at the time. Living for the Beat was a repre-
sentation as well...of the confusion in my per-
sonal life. By then the advent of the drum ma-
chine had been fully realized, and self-
production and the emphasis on electronics
were taking hold. These trends pointed toward
a future of less collective music making, as well
as to the popularity of the individual musician
as star artist/producer. As youngsters we all had
four track recorders and were making our music
at home. Add to that mix the influence of Mi-
chael Jackson, Stevie, etc. We were all trying to
write, sing, play…So for me, all this made for a
lot of confusion as far as what direction to take
in making a record was concerned. Then my
contract got assigned to Arista Records. For an
indication of what was happening over there:
that was the label that made Kenny G a star. I
would meet with the executive at Arista, and
he’d be asking me what I wanted to do: “How
do you see yourself as an artist Bobby?” Hell, I
don’t know, I’m twenty-two years old! How-
ever, I was self-aware enough to suggest jazz-
savvy musician/producers such as Marcus Mil-
ler and George Duke, but my man wasn’t feel-
ing or hearing me at all. Arista wound up as-
signing a couple of nouveau producers to make
some hit singles for my record and thus my
state of confusion was nearly complete. All that
was left was for me to pose holding the girl’s
red shoe for the back cover photo. Sure what
the hell, I’ll do that too. After agreeing to play
the nastiest sounding guitar-synth over a track
that sounded like an acid trip induced version
of Paula Abdul’s Straight Up, all hope was lost
for me. I’ve never done acid, but have heard
about bad trips. To add insult to injury, a few
years later I’m playing in London (I think I was
with Sonny), and I find out that “Living for the
Beat” (the acid trip song) is some kind of dance
hit in the UK. At that point I had to laugh.
JI: How did Kenny Burrell impact your artistry
and approach to phrasing melodies, and lines,
and your improvisations during or as a result of
your work with his Jazz Guitar Band?
BB: At the time I began working with Kenny
Burrell I had moved to Chicago and had begun
working on realizing and accepting my own
sound and tendencies on the guitar. By that
time I had a pretty good working knowledge of
the jazz language, but what was important was
what a positive impact it had on me to receive
an endorsement and validation from a jazz gui-
tar master and legend. It couldn’t have come at
a better time. I would soon be asked to play
with Miles Davis and to again be posed with
the question about my true sound and direction
on the guitar. Playing with Kenny and being
presented in the way that we were by him
would eventually help me to answer those ques-
tions. I believe that Kenny was inspired to form
the Jazz Guitar Band partially because in Rod-
ney Jones and myself, he saw two promising,
active, young jazz guitarists, not two Kenny
(Continued on page 32)
“What baffles and even frightens most people are mere
smokescreens. You’ll see these events as simply the illusions they actually are and begin to walk right through them. You’ll understand that your success
lies just beyond your thoughts about these walls.”
- A Rich Man’s Secret
Bobby Broom
“My basic understanding is that
everyone wants to feel connected — connected to others and to life.
Music, if dealt with correctly, can be a way for some of us to feel that
connection without having to talk too much. The problem in any field of music, as in religion - which is
really supposed to be about spiritual matters – is when people get overly controlling, which usually involves
thinking and talking too much.”
32 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 January-February 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
Burrell clones. Kenny also inspired and encour-
aged me to play solo guitar – one of the things
that he did so beautifully, and something that I
really shied away from then and still kind of
do… but today I’ll do it when no one’s looking.
JI: Could you talk about working with two of
the archetypal bebop pianists, who themselves
worked with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Par-
ker? What were some of the lessons you
learned in those situations?
BB: I’m glad that you mentioned those little
details. I sometimes think about those wonder-
ful connections to jazz music’s glorious past
that I’ve been blessed to have. Playing with Al
Haig was the sweetest thing. He heard me play
and invited me to sit in with him at a piano bar
called Gregory’s, which used to exist on the
upper-east side. He played there a few nights a
week with a bassist (Morris Edwards). Of
course, I took him up on his invitation and was
there regularly. He’d call tunes. He’d say, “Do
you know this tune?” If I said no, which at that
point I probably said a lot, he’d say something
like, “It’s not hard, just come in after the first
chorus.” I learned quite a few tunes that way.
It’s cool to think that I was so welcomed by
him and that I must have been able to hang and
get along, otherwise I’m sure I wouldn’t have
been there. Some nights Al would be absent, so
he’d call Walter Bishop, Jr. to sub for him. I’d
be thinking to myself, “Wow, he played with
Charlie Parker too!” Bishop was just as encour-
aging to me, and I’d just be reveling in these
experiences, trying to soak up the moments and
all that music I was hearing these guys play. I
got a chance to play with Walter Bishop again
in the Late ‘80s when saxophonist Paul Jeffrey
assembled a band for a Thelonious Monk Insti-
tute international exchange program in Italy.
JI: How does/has your work as an educator at
Roosevelt University, De Paul, and the Univer-
sity of Hartford expanded your creativity and
your understanding of human nature?
BB: Working with young musicians is yet an-
other way for me to exercise my creative side.
In dealing with the limitless variety of person-
alities and in such a personal endeavor as music
making, I find that I have to be very creative
and flexible in balancing my pedagogical skills
to try to get the results I’m seeking from each
student. My basic understanding is that every-
one wants to feel connected - connected to oth-
ers and to life. Music, if dealt with correctly,
can be a way for some of us to feel that connec-
tion without having to talk too much. The prob-
lem in any field of music, as in religion - which
is really supposed to be about spiritual matters
– is when people get overly controlling, which
usually involves thinking and talking too much.
JI: What do you tell students about how to
develop their relationships in the music busi-
ness?
BB: This kind of development is an inherent
part of student life. Students begin to get an
understanding about relationship building and
maintenance while they are in school. Finding
social circles in which to practice, develop and
perform music, which are comfortable in a vari-
ety of ways and provide for the needs of the
individual student, is very similar to learning
how to function in the professional world of the
music business.
JI: From the perspective of 20 years, are there
lessons or understandings that you gained from
that experience that are now becoming clear?
BB: Well, looking back and then to the present,
I’d say that the journey has been an interesting
one for me. There have been some real twists
and turns, but now it all makes sense, so far.
I’m glad that I stayed with music and that I’ve
had the help that I’ve had along the way. Some-
times, even years later, this is what keeps me
going. I’ve found that I can learn about myself
in this life by looking at my experiences and
relationships with people in and outside of mu-
sic – on the bandstand and off. Music has also
been the way for me to feel as close to peace
and ecstasy as I may ever feel. I’m so grateful
to be able to develop my relationship with it.
JI: Could you talk about what it is that you
want in a drummer that will enable your music
to soar creatively?
BB: You’re right if you sense that the drums
are a very important instrument for me. I like
drummers who have an understanding of the
backbeat – those that can make their swing
funky and their funk swing. I want musicians
that value the feeling of the music first and
foremost and who demonstrate that every sec-
ond that they play. I also want a drummer that
can coax me to higher levels without being
overpowering; one who I can interact with and
engage in the balancing act with, who will be
aware and selfless enough to forego their super-
hip two bar fill that they were just about to play
because something else more compelling just
happened in the music asking them, in that in-
stant, to take another direction.
JI: Are there certain drummers who have made
a mark on your music and spirit?
BB: I love the drums, so I’m fortunate to have
experienced playing with quite a few of the
greats. I did miss playing with Philly Joe Jones
and Elvin Jones though, two of my favorites. I
had Idris Muhammad on the Modern Man rec-
ord. That was joyful! He brought a positive,
supportive spirit to that date that can be felt in
the music. Every beat danced. We had never
played together before that time, but it never
mattered. He was a supreme music maker.
JI: What kinds of challenges and or growth did
you experience as a result of your role perform-
ing as accompanist?
BB: The biggest challenge for me in that role is
the usual one of wanting to do my best in sup-
port of what’s happening musically. Playing the
supportive role of the sideman has never been a
problem to me because I love music and want
to make it sound the best I can when I play.
This is always the most important thing to me
regardless of my role in a musical situation.
JI: What were some of the highlights and chal-
lenges that you experience as a leader?
BB: Playing with just bass and drums was very
difficult for me to get used to. The space that’s
made available by the sound of that instrumen-
tation can be confusing. I had to become able
and comfortable to carry the total responsibility
for the chords. I also had to learn not to over-
play as a soloist – to use the space to my ad-
vantage. I make sure I have musicians that un-
derstand how to listen to and influence the total
musical picture – a drummer that can comp and
a bass player that can create a variety of colors
and make harmonic diversity. As all of these
elements developed and evolved over the years,
my sound, that of the other musicians involved
and the distinctive sound of the Bobby Broom
Trio emerged and has become more and more
apparent to me. The 2001 release of our first
trio record, Stand! (Premonition Records) and
that it was so well received, was a definite
highlight for me. Now our new recording Song
and Dance, which will emerge in September, is
the latest milestone for me. I am grateful for my
musicians (bassist, Dennis Carroll and drum-
mer, Kobie Watkins), how well we interact and
the beautiful and powerful result.
JI: The sum total of an artist’s life experiences
and the kinds of thought, philosophy, ideas,
spirituality, culture, people that we allow our-
selves to open up to are what shape the ideas
and energy that is expressed in our music. Inex-
perienced players want to copy the sound and
the notes to sound like someone like Col-
trane—but it is so much more than that. So
when an inexperienced guitar player recently
said to us, “I don’t care what these artists did
10 or 15 or 30 years ago or their experiences or
what philosophies and culture they’ve experi-
enced” (essentially what got them to play the
way they do), he wanted to know what some-
one is playing over a C7sus chord. (Listen to
the record!) What would be your response to
that kind of thinking?
(Continued from page 31)
Bobby Broom
33 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 January-February 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
BB: This type of thinking is how some musi-
cians deal with music or how some people see
life: on the surface. This is our current level of
awareness and basically how we operate as a
species. It is too difficult, unclear and unpre-
dictable for most of us to see things any other
way. We don’t understand or believe in our
awareness potential. If all I’m getting from
music are quantifiable thoughts, then I’m miss-
ing the point. If the purpose of music is expres-
sion, then I need to go beyond the surface to
find the meaning, which isn’t something we can
really talk about. Understanding the tools, lan-
guage, or whatever you want to call what some-
one is playing over a C7sus is necessary in the
process of development of the young musician,
but for me that info is just scratching the sur-
face of what experiencing music is really about.
I did a gig recently with The Deep Blue Organ
Trio. Fifty or so Canadian high school kids
were brought to the club on a field trip. Of
course these kids knew absolutely nothing
about C7sus, but they were able to have a trans-
cendent experience because of the music. These
were teenagers – supposedly too aloof to like
anything outside of their familiar realm – but
they couldn’t help themselves from moving to
the beat, and their wide eyes, open jaws, ap-
plause and request for CDs let us know they
understood and liked what we played over
C7sus chords.
JI: What were some of the experiences that
shaped your early development as an improvis-
er?
BB: Well, at first I had to play very slowly and
deliberately because I didn’t play with a pick.
My first jazz guitar teacher played with his
thumb, but only used down-strokes. I wanted to
sound like him so I copied his method. I think
playing this way forced me to be honest about
finding which notes I really wanted to play;
meaning which created the colors I wanted
against a given chord or progression of chords.
Either because I couldn’t manage or didn’t as-
pire to play fast flurries through scales, I was
determined to use rhythm and a good time feel
to give my fewer notes added quality. This em-
phasis on certain qualities over quantity stayed
with me even though I eventually started using
a pick and developing my technique. By the
time I began to focus on the type of playing and
players that I wanted to emulate in jazz, my
aesthetic, in large part, had already been
formed. Another significant memory is about
how I realized early on that I couldn’t and
shouldn’t fixate on my favorite player as far as
trying to duplicate what he was doing. I felt that
this was pointless because (a) It would be virtu-
ally impossible to sound exactly like him, and
(b) If I did, that would be self-defeating. So,
although I listened constantly to certain players
because I was obsessed with their playing, I
made sure to be democratic about transcribing.
Which brings up another good topic: When I
began taking things off recordings I was attract-
ed to certain phrases that made impacting state-
ments. These phrases had the feeling of a ver-
bal statement and also an arc, with a clear point
of departure and arrival. These were the phrases
that seemed to be common among all jazz play-
ers – the ones that comprised the language that
I wanted so desperately to learn. So, rather than
transcribing a player’s entire solo (which I real-
ized I’d never have use for anyway), I’d go for
these isolated phrases. Also, that way, I could
pick from a variety of players, on various in-
struments, as sources of information.
JI: Talk about how you compose music.
BB: Most often some part of the music will
seem to just pour out. Usually I get an idea for
a melody, and then I’ll have to work a little to
find the harmony that I want, or that which fits
best. I would like to write more often, but I
don’t like to feel like I’m forcing creativity. I
can write when I need to however, like when
there’s some kind of deadline. I guess composi-
tion is about following your ideas through to
completion.
JI: How do media critics influence your per-
spectives or your music?
BB: They don’t, really. I have to be the final
judge of what I’m offering, otherwise, my feel-
ings may have been hurt a long time ago and I
might have stopped playing music. How can I
pay serious attention to what critics have to say,
when musicians and fans are telling me one
thing and critics are sometimes saying some-
thing entirely different and for different rea-
sons? I have never read a negative review of
myself that has been an insightful commentary
or critique, or that doesn’t seem in some way
inherently negative. A lot of the time these peo-
ple are self-appointed experts, who are not very
well informed and are just reacting to what they
like or think. They have a right to their opin-
ions, but what gives them the authority to pro-
fessionally document commentary regarding
someone else’s art? Rilke says it best in Letters
to a Young Poet: “[aesthetic critiques] are ei-
ther prejudiced views that have become petri-
fied and senseless in their hardened lifeless
state, or they are clever word games. Their
views gain approval today but not tomorrow.
Works of art can be described as having an
essence of eternal solitude and understanding is
attainable least of all by critique. Only love can
grasp and hold them and can judge them fair-
ly.”
JI: Dan Boorstin, former Librarian of Congress
stated that “The greatest obstacle to discovery
is not ignorance; it is the illusion of
knowledge.” How have you experienced and
dealt with this in your life? In dealing with oth-
ers?
BB: We all deal with this, always. Especially
because western society has been built upon the
illusion that knowledge is power. I think the
important questions then are: what knowledge
and whose power?
JI: What suggestions do you have about avoid-
ing an inflated ego, as opposed to developing
quiet confidence, as an artist?
BB: I believe that an inflated ego is a result of
insecurity. If I’m secure in my place and I don’t
feel threatened or inadequate, then I can just
move about without needing to create fanfare
around my existence. I can do what I do to the
best of my ability and have that speak for itself.
As human beings, this is something that we
have to try to be aware of. Because, by playing
music, we’re sharing such a personal thing; it
takes a delicate balance of confidence and hu-
mility to be in the right place. How can I think
I’m so special when before me there exists the
work of generations of great artists from whom
I received inspiration and knowledge, directly
and indirectly? I can feel pride in knowing that
I’m getting something right or doing something
well, but there will always be some things that I
can’t do or that someone else will do better
than me.
JI: Could you discuss what ideas or activities
outside of music you engage in and how they
provide fulfillment for you?
BB: My home/family life, exercise, creative
writing, my dogs (a German Shepherd and a
Chocolate Lab/Rottweiler or Doberman mix?),
reading (sometimes)… These are all things that
give my life meaning and balance. My relation-
ship with music has been a constant for me, but
it can’t be everything. Life has so much to of-
fer.
JI: What foundational understandings are the
guideposts by which you live your life?
BB: Some of it has to do with acceptance,
which is something that is never a finished state
of being for me because things keep changing
all the time. But this is one of the important
things that I’m striving toward.
“The greatest day in your life and mine is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes.
That’s the day we truly grow up.”
- John Maxwell
Bobby Broom
34 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 January-February 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
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35 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 January-February 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
By Eric Nemeyer
JI: Like you’re saying, when you’re playing with
really great players, and you’re surrounding your-
self with people who are sensitive and in the mo-
ment and have those tools, in much the same way
you or I create a conversation using the English
language, the English language is just the language.
You want to forget about the words and the mean-
ings, and you want to convey an energy.
DR: Exactly! I loved Betty Carter for that. The
very first time I saw her, I had a totally religious
experience—it just wrecked me for a month. I
walked around kind of weeping. I had never seen
anything like that. Because it was something that I
aspired to do and it existed and I couldn’t believe
it. Basically, the musicians were an extension of
her sound and they were co-creators on stage, and I
thought, “Oh my god, how do you create that?”
JI: As you had mentioned, Clark Terry became a
mentor early on in your career. Can you talk about
the kind of discussions or advise that you received,
or opportunities that he may have helped develop
for you?
DR: It wasn’t so much what he said, as much as
all the things that he did and all the places that he
would present me. One of the biggest things was I
was so eager to improvise and he would always say
to me, “You know, you have to learn the melodies
first and you have to sing the lyrics.” What I got
from him was, the building block of improvisation
was phrasing. That was the very, very beginning
for me, you know? How I could really tell a story
with a lyric. So, when I worked for him and when I
would sing it a certain way and there would be a
reaction, I’d think, “What did I do?” or “How did I
do that? Or, “What did I say?” (laughs). “What was
that about?!” He kept putting me in those situations
and my first orchestra experience was with him. He
would just put me in these situations and just push
because he knew it was there. The more he pushed,
the more I just absorbed everything. He helped me
understand how to be respectful of the song that
you’re in. For instance, I might be singing a beauti-
ful ballad, but it may not be necessary to put a
Blues lick in the interpretation of the song.
JI: Just to show off what you have as opposed to
developing the song for what it is, or to be with
where the other musicians are going.
DR: Exactly! And so, he also taught me – I don’t
view myself as an entertainer, but I think that my
music is entertaining. I think it is because all of
those things are there and Clark really showed me
how to do that. So, as I continue to develop, people
would say, “Oh, she’s just too broad – she does all
these different things.” But it was never that. It was
respecting each song that I was presenting on rec-
ord. It might sound different, but it’s not because I
would think, “This song needs this kind of texture
in my voice, and this kind of arrangement and this
kind of way of singing.” Fortunately, people al-
ways talk about the age of fusion music and all that
kind of stuff, but for me, it was an entrée into
World Music. I would never have known about
artists like Milton Nascimento and any of the Bra-
zilian musicians or musicians from India. I would
never have known about Cuban musicians or any-
thing had it not been for Jazz musicians. So, here
was even more color and more approach and a
different way of seeing it, so I was steeped in all of
that stuff and I loved it. One of the things that I
found with the voice—which is why I loved Sarah
Vaughn so much—is that with the voice, you can
really refine your sound. And there’s so many
things that the voice has possibilities of doing and
it doesn’t have to just be one sound. When certain
harmonies are put by me, I respond to them. Or if I
work with a different pianist, I respond to that. And
Clark always liked that I was different with every-
body that I sang with.
JI: When Miles Davis was going through some
changes between Hank Mobley and John Coltrane,
he had Sonny Stitt. And as great a player as Stitt
was, he was playing his stuff. It was unlike the rest
of Mile’s concept – it was a constantly changing
amoeba-like organism – like, if Wynton Kelly was
going one way, Hank Mobley would go with
him…
DR: Exactly! And I think that’s the essence. When
I first started out working, Billy and I used to have
this group together out in the beach area. It was a
place where the owner didn’t care what you played
and how many people came in because he didn’t
pay you (laughs). But it was a cool thing because
you could pass a hat and after a while, we started
making big money…which would pay for the gas!
At the time, Larry Klein was in the band, and Billy,
myself and drummer that came from the Latin tra-
dition and we would create this music. The whole
concept was to write, arrange and then we would
take this music as far as we could. Sometimes, we
couldn’t even get back, we’d be gone so far. It was
a great experience because it gave us an opportuni-
ty to keep having that thing that keeps inspiring
one another and try different things. I think from
that, it was the thing that allowed me to sing any
kind of music or even perform with anybody.
JI: In addition to Clark, you’ve worked with some
of the greats in Jazz like Harry “Sweets” Edison,
Phil Woods, Kenny Barron. Can you share some
highlights with working with such people, or more
specifically, any ideas, or wisdom, or observations
that you made that expanded your awareness that
expanded your musical direction or artistry?
DR: When I worked with Sweets and Joe Wil-
liams, Clark on the Grand Encounter record, the
thing that taught me volumes more than anything,
was the life and the music were the same. Back
then, I looked at all those guys – they were old, but
they were young. You’d ask them how old they
were and they’d say, “Eight!” and I believed it! I
had the opportunity to work with Dizzy and it was
the same thing. The stage is a sacred place – like a
holy place where you can experience such a eupho-
ria that you can’t have anywhere else. I can be
wearing shoes that are just killing my feet and I
walk on stage and they just don’t hurt. I look at
Clark and Oscar Peterson – there was such a joy
about what they did, to me, beyond the music. It
has to be a great love. One of the things that I wish
that I had in that session was just a tape recorder
just to have captured all the stories because they
were just unbelievable. Some of them were just the
rudest and nastiest stories (laughs), but they were
great because they were life stories, and I loved it. I
loved the whole experience. The culture of the
music has inspired me more than anything and
respect they have for one another.
JI: One you’ve been playing for a while and you
don’t let the tyranny of the ego get in the way, you
can develop that direct connection with the music.
And whenever you’re creating, it supersedes the
need for the ego to take precedence and the curiosi-
ty about the other players and how they do what
they do and the love of just being there is what’s
showing up.
DR: I love watching musicians. I love looking at a
horn player and then looking at another horn player
and loving what they’re playing. Those are things I
love. The musicianship went way beyond knowing
how to play the music. The musicianship was an
attitude and a culture, and a way. And I love that I
got to be a part of that because it doesn’t really—
it’s there, but it’s not like it was.
JI: What pitfalls do you think we should be aware
of as we pursue a life in this creative music.
DR: I think you always you must pray for clarity
and awareness. Because there are so many things
that go on and tell you that this thing is okay and
that thing is okay, and you just have to be in touch
with your inner-self—your spirit, or however you
define it. You have to respect that. Definite it and
refine it always, and know what it is. Even if you
have to compromise a bit to be able to do other
things, just know how to come back to center.
“A man can get discouraged many times but he is not a failure
until he begins to blame somebody else and stops trying.”
- John Burroughs
Interview with Dianne Reeves
Taken by Eric Nemeyer
JI: Talk about your upcoming perfor-
mance at the Apollo Theater.
DR: We’ll be debuting my new
Dianne Reeves
2018 NEA Jazz Master Appearing At Jazz At Lincoln Center, Feb 15-16
INTERVIEWINTERVIEW
36 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 January-February 2019 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com
Dianne Reeves
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