California Here I Come

Now that the spring term is over at Portland State University, I get a little break. My break is in the form of a tour of California! Well, it's three performances. Does that count as a tour?

It's in two different cities: San Diego and Los Angeles. My first stop is at a venue called the Athenaeum in La Jolla. They have an ongoing jazz piano series which I am honored to be a part of. (By the way, San Diego is home to one of the greatest jazz pianists alive, Mr. Geoffrey Keezer.) I will be playing trio with bassist Hamilton Price and drummer Steve Hass. I have never met or played with Mr. Price, but he comes highly recommended( he had a lot of positive ratings on Yelp.com.....). Steve

Hamilton Price

Hass and I worked together a bunch many years ago; we played together with tenor saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, and also did a short tour with vocalist Janis Siegel. He also recorded with me on a CD called Live at Blues Alley which is still available! We have planned to play some original music of mine, but we might throw in some standards as well. I'm also bringing my pocket trumpet for some comic relief. (I'm amazed at how much attention I get when I play the pocket trumpet. People are always coming up to me after the show and saying, " What kind of trumpet is that?" No ever says I

Steve Hass

sounded good, but I think that the oddity of a tiny trumpet really distracts from how bad I sound on it. Wait until I buy a RED pocket trumpet! That will really distract them....)

After two days off in San Diego, I'll drive up to Los Angeles for more music. On June 19th, I will perform a short late set at ArtShare with drummer Tina Raymond. Miss Raymond is a former student of the great Joe LaBarbara has been highly active on the LA scene for a number of years. We are going to play duo(piano and drums) and the set will be mostly improvised. I've never played with Raymond, but I've been checking out her playing on her website, and I think it's going to be a momentous musical meeting.

Tina Raymond

On Thursday, June 20th, at 8pm in Studio City, I will be performing at Vitello's with a fabulous quartet. Hamilton Price and Steve Hass will be joining me again; we will be adding the great Bob Sheppard on tenor saxophone. I've enjoyed listening to Sheppard as a member of pianist Billy Child's band; I'm looking forward to hearing him play my music. I think this is a seriously heavyweight band and I hope that jazz fans in LA will come out

Bob Sheppard

and check it out! Hope to see you there!

(P.S. Here are some youtube clips of Steve Hass and I playing together. One is from my recording "Live At Blues Alley" featuring bassist David Ephross. The second is from a recording with Ravi Coltrane. Enjoy!)

Theoretical Planets This Friday at Shaker And Vine

Before I got serious about playing jazz piano, I was more than curious about the drums. I played with some bands in high school; even during my first year at Peabody Conservatory as a trumpet major, I considered switching to drums and transferring to the New School. Who knows what would have happened in such an alternate universe! Although most folks know me as a pianist, I've kept my interest in the drums and every once in a while, I get a chance to play drums in public. I don't get to practice as much as I would like, but I just try to be musical. Over the years, I've had the fortune of playing with many great drummers(Jack DeJohnette, Lenny White, Cindy Blackman, Terri Lynne Carrington, Ralph Peterson, Rodney Holmes, Bill Stewart, Billy Hart, Al Foster, Dave Weckl, Ari Honeig, E.J. Strickland, Donald Edwards, Quincy Davis, Rudy Royston, Billy Drummond, Billy Kilson, Jimmy Cobb, Carl Allen, Louis Hayes, Jeff Hirschfield, Tyshawn Sorey, Gene Jackson, Jeff Watts, Dennis Chambers.....just a few off the top of my head...), so I've gotten opportunities to absorb a lot of great ideas from drummers.

This Friday in Portland, at a venue called Shaker and Vine, I will be presenting a new band of mine called Theoretical Planets. This group features my drumming and compositions, but also a number of talented young musicians from the Portland area. On tenor saxophone is Nicole Glover, who is really developing fast as a soloist. I predict great things from her in the future. Another phenom is Jon Lakey on bass. He's also a multi-talented multi-instrumentalist. The youngest member of the band, Aaron Riehs, still in high school, is a great alto saxophonist and composer. An alum of the Thara Memory American Music Program, he's already on his way to great things.

We had our first performance recently at the Camellia Lounge. Below are two youtube clips. The first clip features a tune called "Moment To Spare," which is a heavily mixed meter challenge. The tune is inspired by some of Ralph Peterson's music, and the drumming is obviously indebted to my love of Peterson's drumming aesthetic. The second piece is from Ornette Colman's record "New York Is Now": the tune was transcribed by Nicole Glover and it's called "Garden Of Souls." Get a taste of the band and then come see us live this Friday at 8pm at Shaker and Vine(2929 SE Powell in Portland). It's only 5 dollars; come on people, it's so cheap! In New York, you'd have to pay at least 10 dollars to see this group!

http://www.shakerandvine.com/contact.html

Write Something(Composition Exercises I )

David Berkman

Sure, I went to Queens College. I got my Master's Degree in Jazz. What's it to ya? Anyway, in addition to one semester of piano study with Ted Rosenthal, I studied the next two semesters with pianist David Berkman. Professor Berkman told me right away that he didn't want to work on piano with me( I guess he thought I was beyond hope....), but instead, that we should work on composition. He gave me a cool list of composition exercises. It was extremely inspirational and helpful. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the list to share with you. So I came up with my own list, which I'm sure is loosely inspired by Berkman's. (You'll see it below in a second....)

My main reason for writing this(and I'm sure it's not complete) is because I have too many talented creative students who don't write music for whatever reason. I'm guessing it's mostly because they are afraid that it won't be great, or at least good. Well, I'm here to set a great example in that my music SUCKS! and yet I still write anyway. It's not about the result; it's about the process. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO REINVENT JAZZ TO BE WORTH IT! We create because we are alive and we want to be expressive. If I stupidly thought that all of my word writing had to be on the level of Ernest Hemingway, I wouldn't even write a thank you email to my sister, let alone a blog entry!

I am amazed at the excuses which people come up with for not composing. "I just don't have the right keyboard." Really? A MIDI controller cost what? 50 bucks? And most people have Garage Band. If not, manuscript paper costs even less. You could probably sing melodies into your phone, record them, and upload the recordings, email them to your friends, and have them learn them by ear: BOOM, you have some tunes. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE GOOD. Just write. 

I SAID WRITE! NOW!

OK, if you have trouble getting started, here is my list of composition exercises/ways to get inspired:

Composition Exercises I

Write a tune with one note, two notes, etc……
Write a tune with one note and hip rhythms
write a tune with two notes and as many hip chords as you can think of
Write a simple folk melody
Write a simple modal tune of any tempo or rhythmic feel
Write a blues
Write a blues with a bridge
Write a blues in a strange key
Write a blues in a strange meter
Write a rhythm changes
Write a rhythm changes with a non standard bridge
Write a blues or rhythm changes with less complex chords
Write a blues or rhythm changes with more complex chords
Write a blues or rhythm changes in an odd meter
Write a  tune with at least two different meters
Write a contrafact-new melody over existing chords
Write a contrafact on old chords in a different key
Write a contrafact with old chords with harmonic rhythm augmented or diminished
Write a contrafact with less or more complex chords
Write a contrafact of a contrafact
Write a contrafact where you make the melody more simple than the original
Write a tune where you take your favorite tune and keep chipping away at every element( melody, harmony, rhythm, form, meter,key) until it is unrecognizable
Write a tune where you totally reharmonize a known tune, then write a new melody: repeat as many times as possible
Write a tune where you take the first chord of your favorite tune and then go a completely different direction
Write a tune where you take a ballad and make it into a fast song, and vice versa
Write a AABA tune with a verse
Write a AABA tune and then try it BBAB
Write an 8 bar tune
Write a 4 bar tune
Write something through composed as long as you can stand it
Write something which is simple and open so that musicians can easily improvise
Write something which is so complicated that no one can solo on it
Write a piece of  music in this order:
melody harmony rhythm
rhythm melody harmony
harmony rhythm melody
Write something for your favorite character in a movie
Write something for your best friend
Write something for your worst enemy
Write a song inspired by a political movement
Write a song inspired by unrequited love
Write a song about your favorite food or drink
Write a song about your anger
Write the saddest song anyone has ever heard
Write something which will make people laugh
Write a song based on the last poem or book you read
Write a song based on the dumbest thing you have seen on facebook
Write a song about the weirdest thing that ever happened to you
Write a song about something extremely routine and mundane
Write a suite, and have each movement be related in some way
Write a suite and have each piece be completely unrelated
Write lyrics, put a melody to the lyrics, and then throw away the lyrics
Write a tune right before you fall asleep
Write a tune just when you wake up
Write something in the middle of the night when you can't sleep or you had a nightmare
Write something while moderately drunk
Write something when you are moderately high(Note: I only condone this in Washington and Colorado)
Write something that you know all your friends are going to love to play
Write something that is going to piss people off because they are going to have to practice
Write something that could be your ticket to riches and fame
Write something which will be misunderstood by critics and push you into further obscurity
Write something when you don't feel like writing anything
Write music in a weird place, like a park, or on a crosstown bus, or anywhere in New Jersey
Write music on your instrument
Write music away from any instrument
Write music with clear intention and purpose
Write music with questionable intent and reckless abandon
Write music inspired by a musician that no one would believe you listen to
Write music on your instrument as if you've never had lessons and found your horn in a dumpster
Write music after seeing kids at the playground
Write music after seeing homeless people downtown
Write music when you feel that everything is right in the world
Write music when you feel like you are at the end of your rope
Write a tune in the shortest amount of time you can
Write a tune and really labor over it for months
Write a tune and post it on Facebook immediately
Write a tune which you don't want anyone to hear
Write a tune based on the chords of a non jazz tune
Write something with a beat which you don't fully understand the tradition of and just tell the drummer to play something kind of "like" whatever it is supposed to be
Write something for a solo instrument
Write something for as many instruments as Sibelius will put in a score
Write something in Garage Band
Write something on manuscript paper
Write something in your head and teach it to your band, or your friends, or anyone who wants to learn a new song
Write your own theme song
Write a theme song for someone else
Write a song as a gift
Write a song as if this was your last day on Earth

It's The End OF The Term As We Know It.......

I can feel it in the air; yes, the end of the spring term. I'm seriously ready for a break. this term, I've been teaching two lecture classes, many large and small ensembles, and trying to administrate and do a bunch of things involving the school, in addition to moving to a new neighborhood and trying to spend time with my family when I can. I'm getting adjusted to commuting by bicycle, which is actually exhilarating. I recently mowed my lawn; I don't recall ever mowing a lawn before! Plus, the weather is getting nicer; Portland summers are really something to behold. It's quite pleasant; you don't have the sweaty sticky humidity of the East Coast. I'm now in Southeast Portland, in the Hawthorne-Mt. Tabor area, which is nothing but bungalows and tree lined streets.

In addition to all of these things, I've been attending junior and senior recitals. I've also been playing on some. I played on a double recital this past Sunday that was really a blast. I was still warm from a two night stint at Jimmy Mak's with the great tenor saxophonist Azar Lawrence. If you aren't familiar with Lawrence, he played with piano legend McCoy Tyner for about 5 years. We were presenting a tribute to the late great saxophonist and musical innovator John Coltrane. The two nights also featured tenor saxophonist Devin Phillips, bassist Eric Gruber, and drummer Alan Jones. Both nights were packed; the gig was well promoted by Don Lucoff and PDX Jazz. I was thrilled because

Azar Lawrence

Lawrence, especially the second night, really stretched out in a way in which I don't get to do often in Portland. It reminded me of some nights in the 90's playing with Gary Bartz; it's a type of intensity which is of course inspired by Coltrane. In order to really play long solos convincingly, you need endurance, limitless ideas, imagination, energy, and the trust and support of your rhythm section. All of these elements were present on the stage at Jimmy Mak's, and it was quite satisfying for me. I felt that, especially on the second night, drummer Jones and I really hooked up in terms of the flow of the music.

In some ways, I think of the recital on Sunday as a continuation of the Coltrane tribute gig. This has a lot to do with the students who were performing; drummer Brandon Braun and saxophonist Nicole Glover have been studying privately with me this whole year. They are not only talented musicians, but they also work hard and ask a lot of questions. What's most interesting about these two students is the types of music they listen to just for fun.

These days, jazz music is certainly not a part of everyday American life. There are many distractions: facebook, youtube, twitter, smartphones, Angry Birds, whatever. Even when one considers all the jazz that there is on youtube which is extremely accessible; for some reason, the fact that you can dial up so many FULL albums for free(as opposed to walking to the library and signing out a handful of RECORDS and listening to them over and over) makes us take the music for granted. I'm finding that many students just don't do enough listening to jazz on their own to absorb the language. If you don't listen to jazz, you will have a hard time improving and playing the music with any authenticity at all.

This is why my students Braun and Glover are so interesting; the things they check out are extremely hip, and it's not because of me. They figured out that they like these things on their own. Braun came up to me the other day and said, "Man, I've been checking out Max Roach's drum solos. He takes

Nicole Glover

some of the best solos ever." Braun is into Woody Shaw, McCoy Tyner, and Victor Lewis. Not too many kids his age are even aware of jazz, let alone any trumpeters besides Wynton Marsalis. Nicole Glover is constantly checking out music; she's actually turned me on to some recordings which I wasn't that aware of. She's into Coltrane and Wayne Shorter, but she's also checking out Ornette Coleman, Billy Harper,  Michael Brecker and Gary Thomas. It's students like these which give me hope for the future.

Both recitals were supposed to be junior recitals, but they felt like regular concerts to me. Braun's selection of "Jean Marie" by Ronnie Matthews, "Inner Glimpse" by McCoy Tyner, "Naima" by Coltrane and "Stepping Stones" by Woody Shaw was a very challenging set of tunes. Glover also choose challenging yet meaningful music; her set, which went easily over an hour, consisted of Don Cherry's "Guinea", followed by Ornette Coleman's "Garden of Souls" followed by Mulgrew Miller's "Farewell To Dogma" (Glover attended William Patterson and studied with the recently deceased Mr. Miller). A rousing rendition of Billy Harper's "Capra Black" preceded the closing ballad, Wayne Shorter's "Contemplation." I believe the highlight of the set was "Garden of Souls," which was a gateway to free improvisation featuring inspired drumming by Alan Jones and a passionate solo bass cadenza by Jon Lakey, another fine PSU jazz student.

I believe that Portland needs to have more bands with a mix of age groups. In this way, the older cats can teach the young cats, while the young cats can also keep the old cats on their toes. For me, playing jazz and teaching jazz and learning jazz are all the same, and it really doesn't matter how old or young the musicians are. We can all learn from each other and we can all communicate through the music. This it was keeps jazz vibrant and ALIVE!

R.I.P Mulgrew Miller

A few days ago, sadly, Mugrew Miller passed away due to complications from his recent stroke. There was much confusion on Facebook as to whether or not he had passed. I believe he was in a coma for a while. Miller was much too young to pass. I know so many musicians who were inspired by his presence in the jazz world. I regret not having a chance to interview him. I was lamenting yesterday regarding a transcription of "Pressing The Issue" I did a few years ago; I had always wanted to call Miller and ask him if I had gotten the chords right.

Much will be said about Miller in the days to come; indeed, there is an article in the New York Times about his career. Even so, in some ways, Miller had really faded from the limelight of the 80's and 90's; Miller was teaching at William Patterson University in New Jersey, which I can imagine took up a lot of time. Furthermore, it seems as though the jazz mainstream press isn't all that interested in players if they are between the ages of 30 and 70. I saw this from the great guitarist Russell Malone:

A lot of musicians, who ought to know better, have gone on to co-sign and endorse a lot of substandard music, played by substandard musicians, just so they can give the appearance of being open minded, hip, and "down with it". Mulgrew Miller was never about any of that. The man is all about integrity. He never allowed certain individuals, who run the industry, use him validate any mediocre player that they were trying to push and elevate, at his expense. He never let anyone dictate to him who he should have in his band. Instead, he was forever loyal to his sidemen. If they were on the road with him, road-testing the music every night, then they would be on his recordings. I know that now that he is not well, all of the magazines like Downbeat, and JazzTimes are probably going to give him some "love". But where the hell were they when the man was healthy, strong, and playing great? To my knowledge---and I hope I'm wrong--- Mulgrew Miller has never been on the cover of either one of these magazines. I've seen a few articles where he was featured, but never a full-blown cover story. How can they justify that? But I've seen other piano players get cover stories. Some of them more than once. And a few of them can't even play, in my opinion. But through all of that, the man kept his head up and continued to do what he was put here to do. He never lost his cool, he never let his standards drop, and most of all, he never lost his integrity. 

I think Miller, like so many great jazz musicians, didn't get enough credit. Sure, he had a solid career and I'm guessing a somewhat comfortable life, which many musicians never attain. However, Miller was never the darling of the industry or the press. This could be attributed to his style, which was arguably conservative compared to some contemporaries and younger players. Nevertheless. Miller was undeniably part of the music and the more recent history. Miller made some great recordings and influenced countless pianists. Why can we not appreciate folks like this when they are alive? 

It's not a new thing for artists to labor in obscurity and then once they reach a certain age, or are gone, all of a sudden there is interest in their work. Theolonious Monk is a good example; he wasn't appreciated until he was much older. I wonder if this will ever change. Maybe this might influence the jazz media to be more aware of folks who are making viable music sans the industry hype. Well.....probably not. I guess they have to sell magazines. 

Here's a very insightful quote from Mr. Miller himself, regarding the state of jazz as he saw it:

I maintain that jazz is part progressive art and part folk art, and I’ve observed it to be heavily critiqued by people who attribute progressivity to music that lacks a folk element. When Charlie Parker developed his great conception, the folk element was the same as Lester Young and the blues shouters before him. Even when Ornette Coleman and Coltrane played their conceptions, the folk element was intact. But now, people almost get applauded if they DON'T include that in their expression.

While I think that art should always move forward, I do think that you can't go forward unless you understand that which has come before you. Therefore, as a musician and an educator, I agree with this. Also, as a listener and observer of the jazz scene, I think he's right in that a lot of things which are fairly watered down, or lacking in what Miller is discussing, seem to be lauded as the next great thing. I don't consider myself a traditionalist or conservative, but I don't think that newer is always better. Unfortunately, and somewhat ironically, as jazz moves more into the educational realm, the folk art aspect is getting obscured.  

But all is not lost; when you have programs where one could study with those who practice the art as a folk art, then you are at least getting exposed to the music from a real source. Which is why it's a great thing that William Patterson had teachers like Mulgrew Miller and James Williams. Books and recordings are great; however, we still have people around who are actually connected with the lineage of great jazz musicians. Let's try to appreciate them more while they are here. R.I.P. Professor Miller.

HIgh Intensity Practice

I remember back in the early 90's when I was just a lad; my only responsibilities were show up to my gigs and make rent. It wasn't any more complex than that. I had 4 to 8 hours a day for heavy practicing, and I was play constant gigs, so I always had a chance to try out the stuff I was working on at home. I was writing a lot, and listening, and transcribing. I was very methodical. I barely ever missed a day. If I wasn't practicing, I was thinking about practicing, much to the dismay of my girlfriend at the time! Even before that, I was into practicing in middle and high school(although I was mostly practicing trumpet). 

Cut to twenty some odd years later; I barely remember what it's like to touch a musical instrument for longer than a few minutes. But when I do get the chance to actually play a gig or a concert or even a rehearsal, I'm expected to perform as if I've been shedding and playing all the time. Well, maybe more of the expectations are coming from me, but even so, you always want to sound as if you are at the top of your game.

So, the dilemma is as follows: how do I maintain my responsibilities as an educator, administrator,

father, husband, and homeowner while still growing as a musician? It's really not easy. In fact, it's darn near impossible. If I get two minutes of practicing a day, it seems like a lot. Ten whole minutes of practice is an occasional luxury. And a free hour of solid practice? Wow, that would be amazing! and unfortunately, quite rare to occur.

One of the issues is that now, with such limited time, when I do finally sit down to play an instrument, I don't really want to play anything REALLY challenging. I want to just PLAY; play tunes I know and play stuff I know. Well, this is most definitely NOT practicing, it's just playing my instrument for fun. Even though it might just help to maintain a touch on an instrument, it's still not going to push you enough. You have to force yourself to practice something hard, something that you will NOT sound good on, or even feel good playing it. I would call this HIP(groan....), or High Intensity Practice. (I'm sort of joking with this....but hey, if it catches on....then I'm not. Anyway, it's an analogy.)

Yes, I believe that this type of approach is much like the difference between doing LONG SLOW CARDIO and HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING. Yes, going out for a long run on a beautiful day can be relaxing, but it's the fast, shorter sprints and hard running alternating with slow running that will boost your fitness and burn more fat. (Hey, at least that's what Men's Health Magazine says. And they say it every month. In fact, every month is almost the same magazine. "Flatten Your Abs" is the cover story almost every or every other month. What a racket.) My point is that intervals, while difficult and unpleasant, really do your training a lot of good. What's great about them is that you don't have to slog about for hours; you should be done your workout in 30 minutes or less. (This is why I like the analogy, because Interval training, like short bursts of practicing, both appeal to people like me with very little free time.)

In this way, practicing REALLY HARD, at a sort of all out intensity, for a short period of time,

followed by rest periods of varying degrees, will be more beneficial than having a general sort of "play" for 6 hours. Not to say that even just playing anything for 6 hours wouldn't have benefits; hey, if you played the Enya Songbook on trumpet for 6 hours a day, you might have an embouchure of steel!(Actually, trumpet is perhaps a different issue, and honestly, because I play trumpet even just on occasion, I find myself looking for time "just to get the horn on my face." Maintenance is a huge part of trumpet playing. If you don't play trumpet everyday, you are kind of screwed. Which is maybe why trumpet can be so unmusical; we spend so much time with long tones and lip slurs and exercises that we forget how to make music. No offense.)

We always have to ask ourselves, "Is this really practice or just playing?" Believe me, there is nothing wrong with just playing. Much of being on the bandstand on a jazz setting is about that. However, if you only had 10 minutes a day to practice and grow as a musician, what would you do? Play a song you know, or work on something really difficult which would stretch your capacity? For example, working on "Freedom Jazz Dance" in every key is something which will be difficult. That's not the easiest thing in the world. 10 minutes of that will not be fun at first. BUT, if you worked on that for

10 minutes a day for 2 weeks.....you might be having more fun with it at that point. 

Sight-reading is something we can all stand to work on. If I decided to spend my 10 minutes on sight-reading, I would pick something either moderately difficult and try to read it in tempo, OR I would pick something extremely difficult just to stretch the brain. The good news is you're only doing it for 10 minutes! As with High Intensity Interval Training, you don't do it for hours on end. You do it in short bursts. 

If you are young and have lots of time, try practicing high intensity for 10 minute intervals and then either rest or do something else; watch TV, mess with your phone, etc....then do another 10 minutes. Unfortunately, I probably wouldn't have another 10 at this point in my life....although when this school term is over......ah, please make it be over......oh, sorry, what was I saying? 

See how it works for you. Whether you have endless time or a tight schedule, try to ramp up your intensity. And by the way, you aren't going to sound good during those 10 minutes. You shouldn't! This is something which prevents us from getting better: worrying about sounding good! 

It's fascinating watching the Ken Burns documentary on Jazz and watching Artie Shaw talk about the Glen Miller Band during the Swing Era.

And I didn't like Miller's band, I didn't

like what he did. Miller was, he had what you'd call a Republican band. It

was, you know, very straight laced, middle of the road. And Miller was that

kind of guy, he was a businessman. And he was sort of the Lawrence Welk of

jazz. And that's one of the reasons he was so big, people could identify with

what he did, they perceived what he was doing. But the biggest problem, his

band never made a mistake. And it's one of the things wrong, because if you

don't ever make a mistake, you're not trying, you're not playing at the edge

of your ability. You're playing safely, within limits, and you know what you

can do and it sounds after a while extremely boring.

 

Artie Shaw