More from the Christian McBride interview

Bassist, composer, bandleader, and educator Christian McBride comes to Minneapolis this weekend (Sunday, May 22) to play a "Foundations of Funk" show at Orchestra Hall, sharing the bill with Maceo Parker.  We spoke the day before he left for two weeks in Europe with his band Inside Straight. Here's more from the interview that was published on MinnPost.


PLE: Thanks for taking the time to talk with me so soon before you leave. Have you finished packing?

Christian McBride: No, but I’ll pack quickly. I have it down to a science. All I need is tomorrow morning.

I’m guessing you don’t travel with your bass. How does that work these days?

I just started using a thing called a Chadwick Folding Bass. A guy in Nashville makes it. It’s a Transformer bass. Some people call it the bionic bass. It has moving parts—the neck collapses into the body. So I’m able to travel with a full-size acoustic bass again. I traveled with it the first time in March, during the Inside Straight tour of the West Coast.

I once had to borrow 13 basses in a row, so I’m trying very hard to help this company.

[Look on his website for ATTENTION ALL BASS PLAYERS!! YOU MUST READ!]

How does it sound?

It’s plywood, so it’s not going to have the creamy resonance of an old rare wood, like an ebony, but it certainly does the job for what you need done on stage. I can mic it and play acoustically.

I notice now that bass players aren’t the only ones who have those travel problems. Saxophone players have them, trombone players, guitar players. [Guitarist] David Gilmore was playing gigs with me. He would bring his small guitar in a tightly-wrapped gig bag, not big at all, and still have problems.

[See videos of the Chadwick Folding Bass going up and coming down, and one of McBride singing its praises.]

You advise young musicians to make a wish list of the people they want to play with someday. That’s what you did. Have you played with everyone on your list?

Not Art Blakey.

Jaleel Shaw on Being an Artist

News flash: Ted Gioia just named Jaleel Shaw one of the Hot Young Altoists.

Jaleel Shaw is a young alto sax player I respect and admire. Check out his CDs, Perspective and Optimism. I first heard him play with Roy Haynes at the Artists' Quarter in January 2006, and since then he has returned with Haynes and as a leader. I interviewed Jaleel for MinnPost last February and recently added that interview. Earlier today, he wrote a blog entry I liked a lot. I'm including it here with his permission. An interesting perspective for us non-artists, especially for those of us who write about jazz, or try.
***

Being an Artist

Lately I've been reflecting on my life as a musician and the positive and negative experiences that have shaped it. And with that came thoughts on what I've learned as an individual and a musician. I'd like to share some things that I've think I've learned so far.

1.) Sense of Community: I think this is one of the first things I found myself learning/experiencing when I began playing music. By performing, I learned how to interact with not only other musicians, but also with an audience. I think it's an amazing way to for a group of people to get to know, understand, and trust one another. Also, the more people you play/perform with, the bigger your community becomes. I think community is important.. Especially when it comes to music. And this doesn't only go for musicians, but also for critics, journalists, club owners, booking agents, managers, and festival directors. I think if they all actually interacted with the musicians more (showing up to the performances, being approachable and social), I think the jazz world would be a much better place. I'm realizing more and more how few "critics" I have actually met in person. I rarely see critics/journalists at any performances. But if I do, I'm surprised if they don't leave before the set is over. If they don't leave, they usually don't bother to approach anyone in the band say hello or even introduce themselves. There needs to be more dialogue between musicians and critics. Critics should be open to discussions with musicians about past reviews, the history of the music, and the future of it. I think it would bring about a more healthy, stable jazz community.

2.) Respect.... Now I have to start by saying that I am in NO WAY speaking for every artist on this one. But from my experiences, I feel like I lose out if I don't first RESPECT what someone is doing or has done. Even if I may not be able to understand what that artist may be trying to say at first. I always remind myself that there's something that I can learn from that person. I can't begin to tell you how many musicians I couldn't get into years that are probably my favorite musicians now. So I think it's very important to keep an open mind.

3.) Discipline: I don't think I REALLY knew what discipline was until I got to Berklee and got my butt kicked by my first teacher at the school - Andy McGhee. After my first lesson, I went home and practiced HARD. EVERYDAY. Only to go back for my second lesson and have Andy tell me that I was wasting my time and if I really wanted to be a serious musician, I had to put in SERIOUS time. That was it for me. I went back to my dorm and started practicing like a mad man. I wrote routines for everyday of the week to make sure I go 6hrs of practice time in. My life was changed forever. I don't know where I would be if it were not for discipline..

Well.. there's a lot more that I've learned... but that's all I can think of and have time to write now.. I'll write more later if i think of anything...
***

Jaleel's blog
Jalee's website
Listen on myspace

Roy Haynes Quartet

When: 6/9/08
Where: Dakota
Who: Roy Haynes (drums), Jaleel Shaw (alto saxophone), Martin Bejerano (piano), David Wong (bass)

Every time I see Roy Haynes—which is every time he comes through town—I'm astonished. Not by the fact that he's 83 and still playing, but by how he plays. The man is a blur. I've heard people say that Haynes looks 60 and plays like he's 40, but I've seen 40-year-olds who seem a lot more tired than he does.

The second set of their one-night stand at the Dakota (co-sponsored by the Artists' Quarter, where Haynes usually plays when he comes to town and where he recorded his most recent CD, Whereas) begins with Monk's "Bemsha Swing," a Haynes standard that makes room for nice long solos by the youngsters.

Next, Miles Davis's "Solar" features as complex and interesting a piano solo as I've ever heard, making me sit up and pay close attention to Bejerano. Born in Miami, Florida, a professional musician since age 15, he moved to NYC in 2000 and within a year had been invited to join Roy Haynes's quartet. Talk about landing on your feet. Bejerano has made a solo CD and two recordings with Russell Malone, plus Haynes's Grammy-nominated Fountain of Youth (with Marcus Strickland on horns). I'm feeling a Bejerano shortage in my own music collection.

Haynes, Bejerano, and Wong lay down the rhythm, then Shaw blows hard to start "My Heart Belongs to Daddy," the Cole Porter tune that has become a huge jazz standard. If I'm not mistaken, Haynes pretty much always plays this tune (he did in March, and he has whenever I've heard him at the AQ) but I don't mind. Shaw is out front in the spotlight and Haynes is Mr. Cool.

Suddenly it feels as if the whole room is full of sound, every square inch upstairs and down, every corner, and if I opened a door or window it would pour out into the street.

After Shaw's masterful opening (which brings some people to their feet and raises shouts of "Jaleel!" from around the room), Haynes lets loose and it's thunder and lightning, then kisses on the cheek, then some business with the high-hat, and finally just sticks: Haynes stands up and walks around the stage playing his sticks, going in turn to Shaw and Bejerano and Wong, still playing sticks, and finally that's all we hear and then just the memory of the rhythm in a room that has fallen still to hear every ticka tick.



Complete change of pace and mood: Shaw performs a solo that opens into a ballad; it's "Everything Happens to Me," the poor-me, country-and-western song of jazz:

I make a date for golf,
You can bet your life it rains.
I try to give a party
And the guy upstairs complains.
I guess I'll go through life
Catching colds and missing trains...
Everything happens to me.

Silly lyrics but a lovely tune and Shaw plays it beautifully.

Haynes takes a long solo, starting on mallets (boom boom) and taking off from there. It's as if we're hearing the history of bebop (Haynes played with Lester Young, Bud Powell, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Monk, and on and on) and the immediacy of right now, as alive as every heartbeat in the room. As HH says, "Viva le Roi!"

Then Haynes stands up from his drums, comes to the mike, and asks if the young man seated at the table in front of him is a drummer. Of course he is. Would he like to play something? Why not. For the next ten minutes or so, this great and legendary artist lets young drummers in the audience come up and play. Something to tell their grandchildren.



The final tune: "Summer Night," written by Al Dubin and Harry Warren, recorded by lots of people: Chick Corea, Miles Davis, Keith Jarrett, Stan Getz. As I write this, I'm listening again to Haynes's version (it's on his Fountain of Youth CD) and also to Miles's version (recorded in 1963 for Seven Steps to Heaven).

The Miles version is slow and wistful, looking back at the summer nights that have passed and are gone forever. For Haynes and his quartet, it's a whole different tune, racing toward the summer nights yet to come.

P.S. Haynes played the Isthmus Jazz Festival in Madison, Wisconsin, before coming to the Dakota. Read a fine article here. It was written by someone named Susan Kepecs, and when I tried to find out more about her, I came across this brief bio: "Susan Kepecs, honorary fellow in the University of Wisconsin-Madison department of anthropology, is an archaeologist and freelance writer." That's a skill set you don't often see.

Photos by John Whiting. Sorry we couldn't get Bejerano; too dark at the piano.

Jaleel Shaw

When: 3/7 and 3/8/08
Where: Artists’ Quarter
Who: Jaleel Shaw (alto saxophone), Chris Lomheim (piano), Billy Peterson (bass), Kenny Horst (drums)

After a blistering performance on Thursday 3/6 with the Roy Haynes Quartet, saxophonist Jaleel Shaw moved to the Artists’ Quarter for the weekend. I previewed his Twin Cities shows for MinnPost last week and had the chance to interview him by phone when he was still in NYC.

When he told me one of his goals for his own playing was to stay rooted, like Roy Haynes has, I asked him, “Who are your roots?”

Charlie Parker, Bobby Watson, Grover Washington, Johnny Hodges, Sonny Stitt. Right now I’m listening to a lot of tenor players, like Sonny Rollins, Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Von Freeman, Dewey Redman, Joe Lovano, Joe Henderson. I always try to keep my ear open, to keep everything open. I’m listening to a lot of piano players lately, like Lenny Tristano, Herbie Hancock, McCoy, Keith Jarrett, Brad Mehldau.

Shaw has been to the AQ before, both with Haynes and on his own. He has played with Kenny Horst but never with Lomheim or Peterson (whom he introduces as “Bill” on both evenings). The music is as fine as what Shaw has taught us to expect in his previous appearances: fresh, imaginative straight-ahead standards and original compositions, played with confidence and a clear, strong tone. Tunes include “I Remember April,” “Bemsha Swing,” “I Can’t Get Started,” “Darn This Dream,” Cannonball Adderley’s “Nardis,” Joe Henderson’s “Inner Urge,” and selections from Shaw's new CD, Optimism.

Shaw brings out the best in the other members of the quartet. Everyone seems to be enjoying himself, and Billy Peterson draws my attention again and again; each bass solo tells its own story. As does each of the shirts he wears, but that’s another topic.

Davis Wilson, beloved AQ doorman, introduces the second night by inviting us all to share in “the precarious beauty of producing beauty on demand, which is what jazz is!”



Photos by John Whiting.

Ravi Coltrane Quartet and Roy Haynes Quartet

When: 3/6/08
Where: Ted Mann Concert Hall
Who: Ravi Coltrane (tenor saxophone), Luis Perdomo (piano), Drew Gress (bass), E.J. Strickland (drums); Roy Haynes (drums), Jaleel Shaw (saxophone), Martin Bejerano (piano), David Wong (bass)

One night, one hall, two fine quartets. I know NYC is supposedly the place to live if you love jazz, but tonight you’d have a tough time convincing me that anywhere is better than Minneapolis.

Coltrane, second son of John and Alice, named for sitar legend Shankar, begins with a tune Ralph Alessi wrote for William, Ravi’s young son, called “One Wheeler Will.” It’s a high-energy tune right out of the gate that gives everyone a chance to shine. This is the second time I’ve seen this quartet (the first was at the Dakota in March 2005) and I wonder if Ravi ever plays his father’s music.

Next, “For Zoe,” written by Ravi, serious and dark. Bowed bass, slow sax, and soft percussion over a thick carpet of piano arpeggios. The piece grows in passion and intensity and the saxophone is increasingly pleading. Transition into Ornette Coleman’s “Little Symphony,” then a mellow tune by bassist Gress called “Away.”

Ravi looks beautiful. His hair is cropped short, his glasses are cool, and he’s wearing a shirt of something black and drapey—silk or cashmere. I’m musing on his elegance, enjoying the music, when I hear a brief but familiar phrase on the piano. Ravi’s horn is fierce and Perdomo is packing as many notes as possible into each measure. That phrase again. Either the quartet is playing “Giant Steps,” the most iconic of John Coltrane compositions, or Perdomo is teasing us with quotes. In fact, they are playing it. Ravi has turned his father’s most recognizable tune—and one that’s famously hard to play—into a personal statement.

Side note: Although Ravi’s soprano saxophone is on stage with him, he never picks it up. This is a tenor-only night.

During intermission, Utne Reader editor and jazz lover David Schimke tells us that Roy Haynes has made more recordings than any other jazz artist. Over the 60-plus years Haynes has been out there beating his drums (on the night of this show, he’s a week away from turning 83), he’s played with everyone: Lester Young, Bud Powell, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, Sarah Vaughan, Thelonious Monk, Eric Dolphy, Stan Getz, John Coltrane, Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Roland Kirk.... His label, Dreyfus, recently released a box set that spans his career.



Tonight he’s ferocious. Between songs, he sometimes stands up, backs away from his drums, and bounces on the balls of his feet like a boxer between rounds. His quartet is superb; everyone is much younger than Haynes (it’s possible all their ages barely add up to his) but youth is not necessarily a benefit in this band, where rule #1 is probably “Keep Up with Roy.”

For those of us who have seen Haynes at his most recent Artists’ Quarter appearances and heard his latest CDs (including Whereas, recorded live at the AQ), the set list is familiar: “Green Chimneys,” “My Heart Belongs to Daddy,” Monk’s “Twinkle Trinkle,” Pat Metheny’s “James.” (Shaw tells us later that the cue for “James” came sooner than he expected. He’s standing at stage right when Haynes begins the tune and literally sprints to center stage with his alto sax and starts blowing.) As an encore, they give us “Summer Nights.” No surprises, but no complaints.

What does Roy Haynes hear in his head as he goes about his day? Does everything he encounters have a pulse?



Photo of the Ravi Coltrane Quartet from his Web site, (C) Darlene DeVita. Photos of Roy Haynes and his quartet by John Whiting.

Jaleel Shaw to bring his sax appeal to both sides of river

The alto saxophone can be smooth or strident, cool or funky. It can whisper or wail, honk or caress the senses. Legendary Charlie Parker played the alto sax. Counting Parker among his influences, young lion Jaleel Shaw plays it these days.

Next week, Shaw brings his horn and his considerable chops to the Twin Cities for three nights of smart, joyous jazz. On Thursday, March 6, he'll perform with the Roy Haynes Quartet at the Ted Mann Concert Hall as part of the Northrop Jazz Season. (Also on the menu that night is the Ravi Coltrane Quartet.)

On Friday and Saturday, March 7 and 8, Shaw will have top billing at the Artists' Quarter in St. Paul. These dates fall midway between his 30th birthday (Feb. 11) and the release of his second CD as a leader (March 18).

Shaw says he's happy to return to the AQ, a club he has played twice before.

"The thing that's great about the AQ is the fact they were willing to bring me in as a young artist," he tells me in a phone interview. "Not many clubs are doing that anymore — bringing in musicians from New York, giving us opportunities to play."

Philly influences
Born in Philadelphia, Shaw grew up hearing jazz records played by his mother, Olivia. He started playing the alto sax at age 9 when she nixed his first two choices — trumpet and drums. His education as a jazz cub included music schools, jazz camps, mentoring by local musicians like Grover Washington Jr., and playing in a youth jazz band led by Lovett Hines, who counts Christian McBride and Joey DeFrancesco among his former students.

He won a full scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he earned dual degrees in music education and performance and a trunk full of awards. From there he went to the Manhattan School of Music, again on scholarship, and graduated with a master's in performance in 2002, the same year he was a finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition. He taught at Temple University for three years.

Today, Shaw calls himself a freelance jazz musician, but he has gigs that are probably the envy of many young artists. He's a member of both the Mingus Big Band and, since 2005, the Roy Haynes Quartet, with whom he will play at the Ted Mann.

Playing with royalty and who's ready to riff
Arguably the greatest living drummer, Haynes is jazz royalty. For more than 50 years, he has shaped some of the genre's greatest recordings, and he still has plenty to say as a musician, an innovator, and an improviser. A track on his most recent CD, "Whereas" (2006), was a Grammy nominee. (Jazz trivia: "Whereas" was recorded at the Artists' Quarter. Haynes and AQ owner and resident drummer Kenny Horst go way back. You can hear Shaw on that recording as well.)

What is it like to play with Roy Haynes? "Amazing," Shaw says. "It's an honor and a blessing to play with one of the masters of the music. He's played with everyone from Louis Armstrong to Charlie Parker to John Coltrane. Those styles are ingrained in his style, and he continues to grow. He doesn't let those styles hold him back, but you can hear that he's rooted. That's one thing I want to incorporate into my playing. Stay rooted, always have that tradition, always have that sense of future."

At the AQ, Shaw will be backed by a trio of top area musicians and AQ stalwarts: pianist Chris Lomheim, bassist Billy Peterson and Horst. Shaw didn't know who would be joining him on the AQ stage until I told him. It's not uncommon for jazz musicians to perform with complete strangers.

"Usually when I go on the road and play different cities," Shaw says, "I play with whoever's in town. Honestly, even in New York [where Shaw now lives] I'm not always able to have the cats I want." This is one reason live jazz is so exciting — the fact that the music is truly in the moment and you never really know what you will hear until you hear it.

Shaw and his AQ trio will likely play songs from his new CD, the aptly named "Optimism." Its predecessor, "Perspective" (2005), was voted one of the top five debut jazz albums of 2005 by the All About Jazz website and "Jazzwise" magazine. The opening track won Shaw the ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Award. Shaw recently learned that the opening track of "Optimism" has received the same honor.

The new CD features nine originals and two standards including Cole Porter's "Love for Sale." Although it's not officially out yet, copies will be available at the Ted Mann and the AQ. Shaw is especially proud of this CD, the first release on his new label, Changu Records. He wrote most of the music, including a couple of tunes the night before going into the studio.

What: Ravi Coltrane Quartet/Roy Haynes Quartet ( Jaleel Shaw plays with Haynes)
Where: Ted Mann Concert Hall
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 6
How much: $29 and $37.
Ticketing information
To buy tickets online

What: Jaleel Shaw Group
Where: The Artists' Quarter
When: 9 p.m. Friday, March 7 and Saturday, March 8
How much: $15

Upcoming picks

Irv Williams CD Release: The sounds of Mr. Smooth, the fun of a CD release for a disc he called "Finality." Yeah, right, Irv. The Artists' Quarter, 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 29 and Saturday, March 1 ($10).

Ellen Lease/Pat Moriarty Jazz Quintet CD Release: I've never heard this group but there are at least five good reasons to go: 1) Their CD, "Chance, Love & Logic," is on the Innova label. 2) The CD release will be held at Studio Z in Lowertown. 3) Kelly Rossum will play his trumpet. 4) Chris Bates will play his bass. 5) Brains will be engaged. 8 p.m. Saturday, March 1 ($10).

Twin Cities Winter Jazz Fest. A whole day of jazz in the sparkly new MacPhail Center for Music. Read all about it. Noon to 8:30 p.m. Sunday, March 2 ($15/$25).

Originally published on MinnPost.com on February 29, 2008