The home of JazzNhouse – the place for acclaimed Canadian and international jazz musicianship
We feel JazzN..ca is an unique forum for those jazz-focused individuals who we have come across, to publish narratives of their experiences, uniquely informed perspectives and jazz-inspired dreams. While aware of the maxim “writing about music is like dancing about architecture” (a quote most commonly attributed to Martin Mull), we boldly invited some of our jazz friends to contribute their thoughts.
- January 2016: Carlos Alberto Santana, LEND ME YOUR LIVING ROOM
- February 2016 Chris Maskell, LEARNING THE CRAFT
- April 2016: Peter Liu, JAZZ ON THE BRAIN
- May 2016 Jason Raso I'M OLD SCHOOL - HARD WORK, PRIDE OF CRAFT
- June 2016 Mike Rud. A LOVE LETTER...
- July 2016 Avi Albers Ben Chamo LOOKING FOR THE JAZZ IN AMERICA.
LOOKING FOR THE JAZZ IN AMERICA
by Avi Albers Ben Chamo
by Avi Albers Ben Chamo
By way of prelude
We met Avi when we were in Berlin a couple of years ago. Always prowling for jazz joints in preparation for our travels, we happened upon Avi’s website which offered night time walking tours of Berlin’s jazz clubs. Without hesitation we got in touch and confirmed a date. We still love talking about that night, a Wednesday as I recall. Among the highlights were, wandering through back courtyards somewhere off of Oranienburger Strasse to discover an ancient hall bursting with swing music and dancers, elbowing our way through a smoky bar and down flights of stairs to a jazz “keller” packed with young people listening to Dixieland performed by a band of old timers who seemed to have come directly from New Orleans, ending up at “Quasimodo” listening to smooth jazz into the early morning hours.
It was a great night. Since then, through social media (http://www.jazzclubsinberlin.com), we have kept in touch with Avi, always impressed with his passion for Jazz, politics and social justice, his never-ending entrepreneurial spirit and his great love of people.
Here are his musing from a very recent trip to America.
Arnie & Ingrid
We met Avi when we were in Berlin a couple of years ago. Always prowling for jazz joints in preparation for our travels, we happened upon Avi’s website which offered night time walking tours of Berlin’s jazz clubs. Without hesitation we got in touch and confirmed a date. We still love talking about that night, a Wednesday as I recall. Among the highlights were, wandering through back courtyards somewhere off of Oranienburger Strasse to discover an ancient hall bursting with swing music and dancers, elbowing our way through a smoky bar and down flights of stairs to a jazz “keller” packed with young people listening to Dixieland performed by a band of old timers who seemed to have come directly from New Orleans, ending up at “Quasimodo” listening to smooth jazz into the early morning hours.
It was a great night. Since then, through social media (http://www.jazzclubsinberlin.com), we have kept in touch with Avi, always impressed with his passion for Jazz, politics and social justice, his never-ending entrepreneurial spirit and his great love of people.
Here are his musing from a very recent trip to America.
Arnie & Ingrid
It all started at the corner of 261 Columbus Street in San Francisco. Around noon I entered an old book shop, a famous one, that is run by a nonprofit organization - City Lights. The music in the background was a misty tenor saxophone playing a summery psychedelic melody. Behind the counter stood a black strict guy, who showed me the way to the jazz section. After going down the stairs a huge shelf of Jazz books was welcoming me. I was happy to find this in my first hours in town. Hello San Francisco!
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But the answer I got later from that guy at the counter was about to change it all. Where can I find a good Jazz club around here? His answer was dry as sharp: we don't do this anymore, Jazz clubs. This city is too expensive. He turned around, gave me a bumper sticker of "Howl", and: next please.
The church of St. Coltrane Day 3. The sun is here, and the light is soft and silky. I'm dragging my poor wife up and down the steep hills to find the Reverend of the Church of St. Coltrane. Maybe he can help me to find a place where the jazz is happening. In a little corner church north of Fillmore less black and more white people are sitting on the benches and waiting for their moment to play a note at this Sunday local church jam. The only one, who is calm and settled is the Reverend holding his tenor sax, leading the mass. On my way out he takes my hand, looks me in the eyes, and says: you see, we used to be 70 percent black people here. Now we are 30. Maximum. He smiles. I leave. And shit, I'm still without direction. On a side street
As long as I drove down Highway 1 from SF to LA and back, seeing all these remarkable bays kissing those big golden american mountains, I found less and less black people and no jazz music. Well, one day I did find the black people. It was on kind of a side street, after the red light district in SF. Tenderloin. Here they were, homeless, junkies, cripples, asking for less than a Dollar to close the day at least with a piece of bread. I read about it, but now I saw it clearly. Hello San Francisco. |
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Berlin, Schöneberg
When I finally got back to Berlin, a place, where every second week a new jazz jam session is being established, where every year a new jazz club opens its doors, a scene, where black people are respected and someone to learn from, I asked myself, if the America, that I read about is only in my mind? |
Layla Tov, good night
And now, when the day comes to an end, and the Berlin sun goes down, with a glass of Benedict liqueur in my hand, I close my eyes, and I can see, that it will take some time, but one day, the Jazz, that taught me so much about life, will come back big time.
And now, when the day comes to an end, and the Berlin sun goes down, with a glass of Benedict liqueur in my hand, I close my eyes, and I can see, that it will take some time, but one day, the Jazz, that taught me so much about life, will come back big time.
Image courtesy of Avi Albers Ben Chamo.
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About the author
Avi Albers Ben Chamo is a bassist, artist and jazz entrepreneur in the City of Berlin. Avi is an intrepid innovator of jazz jams and a fierce voice for jazz in his adopted city. The founder of Jazzy Berlin had a dream to take jazz out of the jazz clubs to more people and he went about doing that in Berlin with his unique Jazz Guide, (a useful resource for visiting musicians and tourists alike) and with the Jazzy Berlin Jam Sessions. Since 2011, these have run at the Katerholzig techno club, then the Neu Heimat and in 2016 at Klunkerkarnich and Anita Berber. Contact: www.jazzclubsinberlin.com/ |
A LOVE LETTER...
by Mike Rud
by Mike Rud
Sleepily, stiffly, the twenty-year-old boy stumbled off of the train he had boarded 3 days prior in Edmonton. He sucked in a chestfull of Montreal’s swelter, and felt the thrill of being out on his own. There was art to learn about. There were cafes, museums, and beautiful women. Life was so exciting, so exploding with promise, that for him sleep was only possible on a belly full of exquisitely greasy Quebec diner food.
Of course that was me in 1988 when I took my first apartment on Durocher street, and signed up for my courses at “The Harvard of Canada,” McGill University. The circumstances were *perfect* for what I wanted to do with my life; I had lucked out supremely, without knowing it. See, a 1960s government tuition freeze, coupled with a deeply slumping real estate market (VERY cheap rent), and count them FOUR universities, made Montreal something like moving to Prague: a cosmopolitan, European-style living experience on a Camrose, Alberta budget.
But the real gem was the newly-established jazz program at McGill. If you were young, Canadian, and foolish enough to want to study jazz for your college degree, here was the only place in Canada then offering a ‘Bachelor of Music’ in that field. There was also a terrific program over at Concordia University as well. To teach, McGill hired chiefly great local jazzers (some very fine players and colourful role models!). I’m convinced these were the best possible teachers. They really performed many nights a week in Montreal’s vital jazz scene, competing with each other musically, and interacting with New York, Toronto and Europe. This gave those teachers a powerful mystique to us students, and since we thought of our teachers as credible success stories, we LISTENED to their teaching.
McGill was a bottleneck. Young Canadian players had few university choices. They could go to the states (prohibitively expensive) or they could go to one of Canada’s smaller and less-well-situated schools. So there was this juggernaut of young talent, shunted toward McGill.
My dear friend the trumpeter Dean McNeill took me down to the 2080 Club on Clarke Street. I don’t remember who played that night. But the place…
It was small and very dark, maybe about the size of a small Starbucks, and a good quarter of the room was the stage. Coloured lights, a piano, overpriced alcohol, and a suspicious looking crowd, who seemed to appreciate what was happening. On ballads they often went absolutely silent. This new dank world was populated with upright basses, thick cigarette smoke, old-school tube amplifiers, and real bebop, both on the stage and on the sound system during the breaks. On a Wednesday night, not only was 2080 open with live jazz, but it didn’t start sometimes until 10:30! Ending on a weeknight at 2:00 am! True, the place had a dark edge too, but that’s not what was important to us. Places like this were a highly-nuanced cultural phenomenon that can only be generated by homo sapiens, supply-and-demand, creativity and beer. Music burned at its centre.
The older players often complained that Montreal’s scene had, in years gone by, been vastly stronger with more clubs and more audience. That pre-Drapeau, organized crime had been great for music.
To a boy from Edmonton, a city with about 1.5 clubs at the time, a stronger scene scarcely seemed possible.. I recall one night in the late 80s, standing on a street corner and wondering who to go hear. There was an amazing American guitarist at the Grand Hotel; world-famous New York horn players at the 2080; still another New York band on a four-nighter at the gorgeous Montreal loft club “Claudio’s,” and Quebec’s world-renowned fusion group Uzeb, at the superbly hip “L’Air Du Temps” club in Old Montreal. On top of that, there were great groups playing in smaller venues.
I saw in those years, New York and Toronto giants like Tom Harrell, Ed Bickert, Peter Leitch, Joe Lovano, Ed Thigpen, Marvin Smitty Smith, Big John Patton, Curtis Fuller, Rob McConnell, Barry Harris and John Ballantyne…in the clubs!
At concert venues, often in the vaunted Festival International de Jazz de Montreal, the thing just went on steroids: Pat Metheney (many times) Herbie Hancock, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, (those last 4 names there were in one single band!), Mike Stern, Bob Berg, Michael Brecker, George Benson, Larry Carleton, Sonny Rollins and Miles Davis.
But the real learning came during the whole rest of the year.
The locals were a complete treasure --kindred spirits and mentors. Guitarists Greg Clayton, Mike Gauthier, Nelson Symonds, and Bill Coon; trumpeters like Kevin Dean and Charles Ellison, …Yannick Rieu, Vic Vogel, Fred Henke, Pete Magadini, Andre White, Normand Guilbeault, Charlie Biddle, Geoff Lapp, Dave Turner, and an army of other jazz “lifers” who just seemed to exude a love of this music, and an authoritative command over swing, the jazz language, and the great American Songbook. Only by watching them across months would you begin to see what they were really doing. And that made it all the more addictive. They were great guys too, when I had a chance to talk to them a little. Generous about passing on what they knew, which was an astounding amount.
In the years to come I would live in other cities, all of which I loved, but that showed me what a treasure Montreal had been. In 1992 I moved away to Victoria, then to New York (yes, it absolutely dwarfed Montreal jazz-wise, but for me was nowhere near as appealing as a home), then in '96, back to Montreal again. Then Vancouver, then Ottawa. By the third time I moved here (2007 till now) it was clear I was in love with the place. That’s why I wrote a whole album of lyrics and music set here: Notes on Montreal.
Now the scene is very different. The number of clubs is smaller, but the city still bursts with talented, dedicated jazz artists. I’m proud to call many of them my friends. I’ll always be so grateful for this place.
Of course that was me in 1988 when I took my first apartment on Durocher street, and signed up for my courses at “The Harvard of Canada,” McGill University. The circumstances were *perfect* for what I wanted to do with my life; I had lucked out supremely, without knowing it. See, a 1960s government tuition freeze, coupled with a deeply slumping real estate market (VERY cheap rent), and count them FOUR universities, made Montreal something like moving to Prague: a cosmopolitan, European-style living experience on a Camrose, Alberta budget.
But the real gem was the newly-established jazz program at McGill. If you were young, Canadian, and foolish enough to want to study jazz for your college degree, here was the only place in Canada then offering a ‘Bachelor of Music’ in that field. There was also a terrific program over at Concordia University as well. To teach, McGill hired chiefly great local jazzers (some very fine players and colourful role models!). I’m convinced these were the best possible teachers. They really performed many nights a week in Montreal’s vital jazz scene, competing with each other musically, and interacting with New York, Toronto and Europe. This gave those teachers a powerful mystique to us students, and since we thought of our teachers as credible success stories, we LISTENED to their teaching.
McGill was a bottleneck. Young Canadian players had few university choices. They could go to the states (prohibitively expensive) or they could go to one of Canada’s smaller and less-well-situated schools. So there was this juggernaut of young talent, shunted toward McGill.
My dear friend the trumpeter Dean McNeill took me down to the 2080 Club on Clarke Street. I don’t remember who played that night. But the place…
It was small and very dark, maybe about the size of a small Starbucks, and a good quarter of the room was the stage. Coloured lights, a piano, overpriced alcohol, and a suspicious looking crowd, who seemed to appreciate what was happening. On ballads they often went absolutely silent. This new dank world was populated with upright basses, thick cigarette smoke, old-school tube amplifiers, and real bebop, both on the stage and on the sound system during the breaks. On a Wednesday night, not only was 2080 open with live jazz, but it didn’t start sometimes until 10:30! Ending on a weeknight at 2:00 am! True, the place had a dark edge too, but that’s not what was important to us. Places like this were a highly-nuanced cultural phenomenon that can only be generated by homo sapiens, supply-and-demand, creativity and beer. Music burned at its centre.
The older players often complained that Montreal’s scene had, in years gone by, been vastly stronger with more clubs and more audience. That pre-Drapeau, organized crime had been great for music.
To a boy from Edmonton, a city with about 1.5 clubs at the time, a stronger scene scarcely seemed possible.. I recall one night in the late 80s, standing on a street corner and wondering who to go hear. There was an amazing American guitarist at the Grand Hotel; world-famous New York horn players at the 2080; still another New York band on a four-nighter at the gorgeous Montreal loft club “Claudio’s,” and Quebec’s world-renowned fusion group Uzeb, at the superbly hip “L’Air Du Temps” club in Old Montreal. On top of that, there were great groups playing in smaller venues.
I saw in those years, New York and Toronto giants like Tom Harrell, Ed Bickert, Peter Leitch, Joe Lovano, Ed Thigpen, Marvin Smitty Smith, Big John Patton, Curtis Fuller, Rob McConnell, Barry Harris and John Ballantyne…in the clubs!
At concert venues, often in the vaunted Festival International de Jazz de Montreal, the thing just went on steroids: Pat Metheney (many times) Herbie Hancock, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, (those last 4 names there were in one single band!), Mike Stern, Bob Berg, Michael Brecker, George Benson, Larry Carleton, Sonny Rollins and Miles Davis.
But the real learning came during the whole rest of the year.
The locals were a complete treasure --kindred spirits and mentors. Guitarists Greg Clayton, Mike Gauthier, Nelson Symonds, and Bill Coon; trumpeters like Kevin Dean and Charles Ellison, …Yannick Rieu, Vic Vogel, Fred Henke, Pete Magadini, Andre White, Normand Guilbeault, Charlie Biddle, Geoff Lapp, Dave Turner, and an army of other jazz “lifers” who just seemed to exude a love of this music, and an authoritative command over swing, the jazz language, and the great American Songbook. Only by watching them across months would you begin to see what they were really doing. And that made it all the more addictive. They were great guys too, when I had a chance to talk to them a little. Generous about passing on what they knew, which was an astounding amount.
In the years to come I would live in other cities, all of which I loved, but that showed me what a treasure Montreal had been. In 1992 I moved away to Victoria, then to New York (yes, it absolutely dwarfed Montreal jazz-wise, but for me was nowhere near as appealing as a home), then in '96, back to Montreal again. Then Vancouver, then Ottawa. By the third time I moved here (2007 till now) it was clear I was in love with the place. That’s why I wrote a whole album of lyrics and music set here: Notes on Montreal.
Now the scene is very different. The number of clubs is smaller, but the city still bursts with talented, dedicated jazz artists. I’m proud to call many of them my friends. I’ll always be so grateful for this place.
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About the author
Montreal's Mike Rud has been a professional musician since 1986. Originally from Edmonton, he has also lived and worked in Ottawa, Vancouver, Victoria and New York, performing regularly across Canada. He won the 2014 Juno Award for his release, Notes on Montreal, showcasing his lyrics, songwriting and string arranging. Mike has performed alongside jazz luminaries like Herb Ellis, Kenny Wheeler, Joey DeFrancesco, Randy Brecker, Tommy Banks, Ross Taggart, and PJ Perry. He studied with the great jazz guitarist Jim Hall in New York, has a Masters degree in music, and worked in the Levitin Laboratory for Music Cognition at McGill. A prolific private music teacher, Mike has also held teaching positions at McGill, Western Washington University, Carleton University and elsewhere. Website: www.mikerud.com/ |
I'M OLD SCHOOL: HARD WORK, PRIDE OF CRAFT
by Jason Raso
by Jason Raso
Jason Raso and Michelino (Mike) Strombolo
I’ve never been comfortable with terms like “gifted” or “talented.” I’ve always felt these terms undermine the amount of work that goes into mastering your craft. I’ve never been comfortable calling myself an “artist “ either. I’ve always preferred to think of myself as a craftsman.
My father, Michelino, is a craftsman of the highest order. Growing up I watched this man work harder than anyone I have ever known. He is an old school cabinetmaker. I watched him build absolutely beautiful pieces of furniture. I realized later that these pieces of furniture were not just beautiful to look at, they were also rock solid and built to last. These pieces had form, function and design.
As a child I remember my father listening to all kinds of music but it was the classic soul that stuck with me: James Brown, Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, Motown and more. When I started playing bass that music became even more important to me. I found the bass players in that style to be much more active than the rock music I was listening to at the time. I started to study players like James Jamerson, Duck Dunn and Chuck Rainey. I sought out more players and found Jaco Pastorius, Charles Mingus, Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller and more. I didn’t realize it at the time but this research would become my life’s work.
I am not sure my father was thrilled when I told him I wanted to be a professional musician, but he never discouraged me. Instead he encouraged me to work harder. He said that when he went to work he put in 8-10 hours (sometimes more) per day. That stuck with me. I’ve based my whole career on that concept. I do my best to put in the work.
Trying to make a living as an independent jazz musician is not an easy undertaking. I’ve certainly had my moments of doubt. Recently, I was sitting in my living room wondering if all the work has been worth it. Just then I happened to glance across the room at a stunning cabinet my father had built. I realized that everything I strive to be as a musician was right there in that cabinet. Michelino’s blood, sweat, and dedication to craft were built in to this piece. He doesn’t take “short cuts. “ He does things the right way. It is most certainly worth it.
My father, Michelino, is a craftsman of the highest order. Growing up I watched this man work harder than anyone I have ever known. He is an old school cabinetmaker. I watched him build absolutely beautiful pieces of furniture. I realized later that these pieces of furniture were not just beautiful to look at, they were also rock solid and built to last. These pieces had form, function and design.
As a child I remember my father listening to all kinds of music but it was the classic soul that stuck with me: James Brown, Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, Motown and more. When I started playing bass that music became even more important to me. I found the bass players in that style to be much more active than the rock music I was listening to at the time. I started to study players like James Jamerson, Duck Dunn and Chuck Rainey. I sought out more players and found Jaco Pastorius, Charles Mingus, Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller and more. I didn’t realize it at the time but this research would become my life’s work.
I am not sure my father was thrilled when I told him I wanted to be a professional musician, but he never discouraged me. Instead he encouraged me to work harder. He said that when he went to work he put in 8-10 hours (sometimes more) per day. That stuck with me. I’ve based my whole career on that concept. I do my best to put in the work.
Trying to make a living as an independent jazz musician is not an easy undertaking. I’ve certainly had my moments of doubt. Recently, I was sitting in my living room wondering if all the work has been worth it. Just then I happened to glance across the room at a stunning cabinet my father had built. I realized that everything I strive to be as a musician was right there in that cabinet. Michelino’s blood, sweat, and dedication to craft were built in to this piece. He doesn’t take “short cuts. “ He does things the right way. It is most certainly worth it.
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At the end of the day it is not about accolades. It is about having pride in my chosen craft. It is about leaving something behind that my daughter can be proud of. I may never reach the level of craftsmanship of my father but I will strive to do so every day. I can’t thank my father enough for the great example he has set.
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The song is "Michelino" and was written for my father. We recorded this version live at the Jazz Room in Waterloo this past fall and I was really happy with it...
Click to play. |
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About the author
Over the past two decades, eight albums and countless live performances, Jason Raso has shown that he not only has the skills to pay the bills, but more often than not, enough musical currency left over at the end of the month to make good on the debts other musicians have welched on. A Hartke Canadian Artist Search Winner (2010), Raso is a master of the four and six-string bass guitar whose music has been heard on public radio and jazz stations around the globe. And because seeing is believing, his virtuosity has also brought him in front of the camera to play for television viewers across Canada. Website: www.jasonrasomusic.com Email: info@jasonrasomusic.com Phone: 519-821-7765 |
JAZZ ON THE BRAIN
by Peter Liu
by Peter Liu
Over the years, jazz and psychology have both occupied increasing amounts of space in my own brain. They have both been life-changing passions for me, and here is the story of my journey. Throughout my life, I’ve never fit in well with labels, which made my identity and career development particularly difficult. Even during the clearest and most directed moments, I’ve always had an unshakeable awareness that all is temporary, shifting, and complex, in ways that are impossible to ever fully comprehend or define. As an adolescent and young adult, I sometimes became paralyzed with anxiety, depression, and confusion about this awareness, keeping me up many nights.
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Somehow, I made it to university, and after two years of sampling the buffet of many different courses, I discovered that my greatest field of interest and aptitude was in psychology, and I decided to major in it. Learning more about the human mind, brain, and behaviour was endlessly fascinating, and continues to this day. After university, I spent a few years trying to figure out where I wanted to go career-wise, and it became a very close decision between neuroscience (interdisciplinary study of the brain), and clinical psychology (assessment, treatment of psychological disorders, and promoting wellness). Ultimately, I decided that becoming a clinical psychologist would be the best fit for me, but I’ve always retained an interest in neuroscience.
While in graduate school, one of the first courses that I took was “Active Listening”, where we learned fundamental skills in psychotherapy. We learned how to ask good questions to help encourage people to share their thoughts and feelings, and how to reflect what we hear that help that person to feel heard, understood, and validated. Through sensitive discussion, we would learn how to explore the increasing complexities and deeper layers of their experience. The lessons learned during that semester have permeated deeply into every part of my life, both professionally and personally. I learned that everyone has a story to tell, and when people are actively listening to each other, the isolated worlds we all inhabit start to become shared, allowing us both to learn and grow from each other. |
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Later that year, I began listening to jazz, with a different mindset and appreciation. In the past, I had often dismissed this genre of music as random musical gibberish, boring elevator music, or esoteric intellectual pretentiousness. However, I soon realized that these were judgments that were not based on any real listening, in the same way we can make dismissive judgments about other people without any attempt at getting to know them. The more I listened, the more interested I became. Over time, I started noticing that there was something alive in jazz music, something mysterious, organic, and surprising, like what happens when you are engrossed in an interesting deep conversation with a friend. I learned that in contrast to many other forms of music, jazz had a remarkable degree of moment-to-moment unpredictability.
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After becoming a clinical psychologist in private practice, I discovered over the years that the concepts, skills, and research I learned in graduate school, although valuable, and helpful to draw upon, were not as important as listening well to clients, and creating a safe and supportive space where exploration and discovery could occur. What we know about brain functioning is that in order to form optimal new neural connections with effective long-term memory storage and retrieval, the learning must be accompanied by strong positive emotion, moderate excitement, and a meaningful engagement with the material. Negative emotional states such as stress, anxiety, frustration, and boredom have the impact of impairing the learning process.
Over the years, I found myself singing along to many of the jazz recordings I was listening to, and I was inspired by the emotional and personal vocal delivery of the greats. I began studying and training in vocal jazz, and one of the first things that I noticed was the encouraging and supportive attitudes among musicians of all levels. I was excited to learn that the Ottawa jazz community was not only very huge, but also tremendously friendly and warm. Mistakes were welcomed, humour was ever present, and I met so many musicians that were incredibly generous with their time, positive energy, creativity, and resources. |
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I had found a community where learning conditions were optimal, where I felt safe to falter and stumble without fear. It was also a community that welcomed diversity and uniqueness, and where labels and judgment were discouraged. I was told that as jazz musicians, we are all in different places on the same learning path, the same mutual journey of growing and becoming more. I was also taught that jazz is a forgiving genre of music, with no perfectionistic standards to live up to…train wrecks were laughed with, not laughed at. Whether listening, learning, practicing, or performing, I could feel my brain in a state of a sort of awakening. Although our brain cells are continually dying as we age, we can always form new neural connections between them throughout our life, which also helps slow the rate of deterioration. Over time, my adventures into the jazz world has led to continual learning with new challenges, and I am grateful that this is helping my brain to survive and thrive.
As a performer, I find that the most exciting and joyous experiences happen when active listening goes in all directions among all of the band members, and when the band as a whole engages in a meaningful moment-to-moment conversation with the audience. It’s comforting to me that every performance is unique, full of surprises, and that no matter whether each moment works or doesn’t work, the conversation and our connection continues until its natural end. That idea, once so haunting and scary to me, that everything is temporary, shifting, and complex, in ways that are impossible to ever fully comprehend or define…it’s jazz, and it’s beautiful.
As a performer, I find that the most exciting and joyous experiences happen when active listening goes in all directions among all of the band members, and when the band as a whole engages in a meaningful moment-to-moment conversation with the audience. It’s comforting to me that every performance is unique, full of surprises, and that no matter whether each moment works or doesn’t work, the conversation and our connection continues until its natural end. That idea, once so haunting and scary to me, that everything is temporary, shifting, and complex, in ways that are impossible to ever fully comprehend or define…it’s jazz, and it’s beautiful.
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About the author
Well known in Ottawa and beyond for his warm expressive voice, creative phrasing, and engaging presence, Peter Liu is passionate about singing jazz and connecting emotionally with audiences. With a steadily rising profile, he frequently performs with the finest professional jazz musicians at public and private events across the region. Phone: (613) 422-1649 Email: pete@peterliuvocals.com Website::www.peterliuvocals.com |
LEARNING THE CRAFT
by Chris Maskell
by Chris Maskell
Yamaha All-Star Band 2012. Image courtesy Chris Maskell.
On a recent trip back home, I made use of my time on the Greyhound to listen to several classic jazz albums. A sudden thought occurred to me halfway through Speak No Evil – the last time that I had played the album’s title track was in elementary school. The more that I considered the idea, the stranger it seemed. What group of 13-year-olds spend their free time playing Wayne Shorter tunes?
The answer, as it turns out, lies in the fact that aspiring musicians in our nation’s capital have many great opportunities to become involved in jazz from a young age. As I thought back, it became clear that this incredible training ground helped bring me to study at one of the country’s best music schools.
My humble introduction to music was in elementary school, where I began playing saxophone as part of the School Board’s mandatory music program. To make sure that I did well in class, my parents signed me up for private lessons with local professional Brian Asselin. Despite that I was 12 years old and in sixth grade, Brian soon suggested that I pick up a copy of the Charlie Parker Omnibook. Along with this substantial collection of Parker solo transcriptions, I bought several CDs of Parker’s music to discover what all of these notes were really supposed to sound like. From that moment, I was hooked by jazz.
Soon, my newfound love for music became my main hobby. I began studying with James O’Farrell, who taught me most of the things I know about saxophone sound production. I also played in Yves Laroche’s youth band in Bells Corners for several years, which gave me weekly opportunities to practice improvising and ensemble playing. It was also through this group that I met a group of kids my age who were equally enthusiastic about jazz and who have remained my friends to this day.
As I got older, I began to take music more seriously. Through high school, I studied under Mike Tremblay, who helped me improve a great deal. His influence on me was so great that just the other month, an audience member in Ottawa asked me if I had taken lessons with him for a while. Mike also provided me with important opportunities as a developing musician, as he frequently offered his higher-level students the chance to take gigs that he couldn’t make.
Although I didn’t actually take any music classes in high school, music took up the majority of my time. Through Mike, I was able to join the Carleton University Jazz Ensemble while I was in 10th grade, where I met Mark Ferguson. I also became a member of Nick Dyson’s Capital Youth Jazz Orchestra, which helped teach me the nuances of big band playing. I would also frequently visit Garry Elliott for private lessons, during which we would improvise over jazz standards together.
There were also plenty of chances to learn about music outside of the school year. For several years, I participated in both Mike’s saxophone camp and the Carleton University Jazz Camp. Through these events, I was able to meet and play with Canadian jazz greats such as Alex Dean, Pat LaBarbera, Ted Warren, Kelly Jefferson, Kieran Overs, Kirk MacDonald and John MacLeod. The camps also served as great networking opportunities, as they introduced me to more of Ottawa’s professional musicians, including Tim Bedner, John Geggie and Elise Letourneau.
As my days in high school came to an end, I decided to follow my love for music and study Jazz Performance in university. After hours of practicing for auditions and several existential crises, I was accepted into McGill University’s Schulich School of Music. Before I left for Montreal, however, my high school music experience culminated with my week playing in the Yamaha All-Star Band. This big band was made up of the strongest high school jazz students from across the country, and gave me my first taste of the calibre of musicians that awaited me in university. Interestingly, all of the students selected from Ottawa had been fellow members of Yves’ band. Coincidence?
The answer, as it turns out, lies in the fact that aspiring musicians in our nation’s capital have many great opportunities to become involved in jazz from a young age. As I thought back, it became clear that this incredible training ground helped bring me to study at one of the country’s best music schools.
My humble introduction to music was in elementary school, where I began playing saxophone as part of the School Board’s mandatory music program. To make sure that I did well in class, my parents signed me up for private lessons with local professional Brian Asselin. Despite that I was 12 years old and in sixth grade, Brian soon suggested that I pick up a copy of the Charlie Parker Omnibook. Along with this substantial collection of Parker solo transcriptions, I bought several CDs of Parker’s music to discover what all of these notes were really supposed to sound like. From that moment, I was hooked by jazz.
Soon, my newfound love for music became my main hobby. I began studying with James O’Farrell, who taught me most of the things I know about saxophone sound production. I also played in Yves Laroche’s youth band in Bells Corners for several years, which gave me weekly opportunities to practice improvising and ensemble playing. It was also through this group that I met a group of kids my age who were equally enthusiastic about jazz and who have remained my friends to this day.
As I got older, I began to take music more seriously. Through high school, I studied under Mike Tremblay, who helped me improve a great deal. His influence on me was so great that just the other month, an audience member in Ottawa asked me if I had taken lessons with him for a while. Mike also provided me with important opportunities as a developing musician, as he frequently offered his higher-level students the chance to take gigs that he couldn’t make.
Although I didn’t actually take any music classes in high school, music took up the majority of my time. Through Mike, I was able to join the Carleton University Jazz Ensemble while I was in 10th grade, where I met Mark Ferguson. I also became a member of Nick Dyson’s Capital Youth Jazz Orchestra, which helped teach me the nuances of big band playing. I would also frequently visit Garry Elliott for private lessons, during which we would improvise over jazz standards together.
There were also plenty of chances to learn about music outside of the school year. For several years, I participated in both Mike’s saxophone camp and the Carleton University Jazz Camp. Through these events, I was able to meet and play with Canadian jazz greats such as Alex Dean, Pat LaBarbera, Ted Warren, Kelly Jefferson, Kieran Overs, Kirk MacDonald and John MacLeod. The camps also served as great networking opportunities, as they introduced me to more of Ottawa’s professional musicians, including Tim Bedner, John Geggie and Elise Letourneau.
As my days in high school came to an end, I decided to follow my love for music and study Jazz Performance in university. After hours of practicing for auditions and several existential crises, I was accepted into McGill University’s Schulich School of Music. Before I left for Montreal, however, my high school music experience culminated with my week playing in the Yamaha All-Star Band. This big band was made up of the strongest high school jazz students from across the country, and gave me my first taste of the calibre of musicians that awaited me in university. Interestingly, all of the students selected from Ottawa had been fellow members of Yves’ band. Coincidence?
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Now, after four busy years at McGill, I’m in the final semester of my undergraduate degree. Being so close to the finish line provides me with an excellent chance to look back and reflect on how truly fantastic the experience has been overall.
I’ve had the chance to learn from many of the country’s best musicians and educators, including Donny Kennedy, Rémi Bolduc, Frank Lozano, Kevin Dean, André White and Christine Jensen. They’ve been strong role models and have given me plenty of inspiration to work hard. On top of that, I’ve had the chance to play with many of them, which served as a lesson in itself.
Almost all the courses I took as part of my degree were related to jazz in some way, including classes such as arranging, composition, ear training, improvisation, ensembles and a few music business electives. As result, I’ve developed into a much more knowledgeable and well-rounded musician compared to when I entered the program.
My peers have proven to be equally inspiring. An advantage of McGill’s small jazz department (with fewer than 150 students total) is that we all know each other on a first-name basis. Together, we share a passion for music and encourage each other to keep improving. Also, unlike classes in other university programs where students cram into huge lecture halls, the majority of my classes are made up of fewer than ten people.
Pursuing my passion for music has been a great experience. I’ve met many like-minded people, performed in many interesting venues and learned a great deal about myself as an individual. In the end, however, it all comes down to one thing: if it hadn’t been for Ottawa, all of this might never have happened.
I’ve had the chance to learn from many of the country’s best musicians and educators, including Donny Kennedy, Rémi Bolduc, Frank Lozano, Kevin Dean, André White and Christine Jensen. They’ve been strong role models and have given me plenty of inspiration to work hard. On top of that, I’ve had the chance to play with many of them, which served as a lesson in itself.
Almost all the courses I took as part of my degree were related to jazz in some way, including classes such as arranging, composition, ear training, improvisation, ensembles and a few music business electives. As result, I’ve developed into a much more knowledgeable and well-rounded musician compared to when I entered the program.
My peers have proven to be equally inspiring. An advantage of McGill’s small jazz department (with fewer than 150 students total) is that we all know each other on a first-name basis. Together, we share a passion for music and encourage each other to keep improving. Also, unlike classes in other university programs where students cram into huge lecture halls, the majority of my classes are made up of fewer than ten people.
Pursuing my passion for music has been a great experience. I’ve met many like-minded people, performed in many interesting venues and learned a great deal about myself as an individual. In the end, however, it all comes down to one thing: if it hadn’t been for Ottawa, all of this might never have happened.
About the author
Born in Ottawa, Chris Maskell is a saxophonist and writer living in Montreal. The two-time JazzNhouse performer talks about his experiences in jazz education – all the way from starting out as a pre-teen to wrapping up a degree at McGill University. You can follow Chris’ musical adventures at:
chrismaskell.com
Twitter: @maskellch
Instagram: @maskellchris
Born in Ottawa, Chris Maskell is a saxophonist and writer living in Montreal. The two-time JazzNhouse performer talks about his experiences in jazz education – all the way from starting out as a pre-teen to wrapping up a degree at McGill University. You can follow Chris’ musical adventures at:
chrismaskell.com
Twitter: @maskellch
Instagram: @maskellchris
LEND ME YOUR LIVING ROOM
By Carlos Alberto Santana
Image courtesy JazzN.ca
"Sunset at Sunset" – a song from Eugenio Toussaint, the contemporary jazz composer from Mexico City - started to fill the room with a tropical groove that made you feel closer to the Caribbean Sea. It was not an ordinary living room, but a place where you could enjoy the view of the living landscape of green forest in Almonte in the middle of Mississippi Mills, one of the most beautiful towns in eastern Ontario. The weather could not have been better in the midst of a flourishing Canadian spring.
It was in the 1840s, several thousand miles south, where Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna fought the war with the Americans, ending with one of the saddest defeats in Mexican history and the incorporation of Texas into the American Union. Santa Anna's trusted military strategist, Juan Nepomuceno Almonte, who later went on to became ambassador of Mexico to the United States, inspired the citizens of a Canadian town in Ontario to name it after his last name. So it is noted in Canadian history, Almonte's “honourable” participation in the Mexican war with the American.
With Alvaro de Minaya on the drums and Daniel Chavolla on bass keeping a tight 5/4 on Sunset at Sunset, this tune connected Mexican jazz to a Canadian audience, much like monarch butterflies link the two countries, both of which are rich in nature but also in the warmth of their people. The evening would not have been possible without Shirley and Al opening their beautiful home to host a springtime JazzNhouse concert. This great concept has become a popular way to allow jazz lovers to enjoy professional-calibre jazz bands to perform in the comfort of a private home. Arnie and Ingrid's efforts have made this series possible and is much appreciated by both the listeners and the musicians, who find attentive audiences to appreciate their art.
This time Santana, not Santa Anna the General, nor the other SANTANA, from Black Magic Woman, but Carlos Alberto's trio presented in Almonte a collage of Latin and North American songs, most of them originals. Following an amazing opening by the young musicians of the Notre Dame Jazz Combo band, the audience enjoyed over an hour long trip to Mexico, Cuba, Brazil and Argentina. The audience connected to the music as well as to the landscape. Originals from Carlos Alberto, Piazzolla, Camargo Mariano and Lecuona left the audience riveted to Latin jazz as well as to the landscape from a beautiful Living Room!
It was in the 1840s, several thousand miles south, where Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna fought the war with the Americans, ending with one of the saddest defeats in Mexican history and the incorporation of Texas into the American Union. Santa Anna's trusted military strategist, Juan Nepomuceno Almonte, who later went on to became ambassador of Mexico to the United States, inspired the citizens of a Canadian town in Ontario to name it after his last name. So it is noted in Canadian history, Almonte's “honourable” participation in the Mexican war with the American.
With Alvaro de Minaya on the drums and Daniel Chavolla on bass keeping a tight 5/4 on Sunset at Sunset, this tune connected Mexican jazz to a Canadian audience, much like monarch butterflies link the two countries, both of which are rich in nature but also in the warmth of their people. The evening would not have been possible without Shirley and Al opening their beautiful home to host a springtime JazzNhouse concert. This great concept has become a popular way to allow jazz lovers to enjoy professional-calibre jazz bands to perform in the comfort of a private home. Arnie and Ingrid's efforts have made this series possible and is much appreciated by both the listeners and the musicians, who find attentive audiences to appreciate their art.
This time Santana, not Santa Anna the General, nor the other SANTANA, from Black Magic Woman, but Carlos Alberto's trio presented in Almonte a collage of Latin and North American songs, most of them originals. Following an amazing opening by the young musicians of the Notre Dame Jazz Combo band, the audience enjoyed over an hour long trip to Mexico, Cuba, Brazil and Argentina. The audience connected to the music as well as to the landscape. Originals from Carlos Alberto, Piazzolla, Camargo Mariano and Lecuona left the audience riveted to Latin jazz as well as to the landscape from a beautiful Living Room!
About the author
Carlos Alberto Santana is a musician and composer, originally from Mexico who immigrated to Canada in 1998. He studied jazz with Juan Jose Calatayud in Mexico and Jan Jarczyk from McGill University in Montreal. Carlos has played in most popular festivals in the National Capital Region and recorded on different projects with Mighty Popo album "Muhazi" (Happy Rock Studio, 2007); Servantes album "Bluesy Andalucy" (Studio Champagne, 2009); CBC Live Radio 2, 2010 and Maria Has Lost her Soul (Rimbombante, 2012). In 2002 he founded of Latin Jazz Trio YA!. His major influences are Scott Joplin, Ernesto Lecuona, George Gershwin, Claude Bolling, Michel Camilo, Astor Piazzolla, Mario Ruiz Armengol and Chick Corea. Carlos Alberto is also is an electrical engineer working for the IT sector in Ottawa, Ontario.
Carlos Alberto Santana is a musician and composer, originally from Mexico who immigrated to Canada in 1998. He studied jazz with Juan Jose Calatayud in Mexico and Jan Jarczyk from McGill University in Montreal. Carlos has played in most popular festivals in the National Capital Region and recorded on different projects with Mighty Popo album "Muhazi" (Happy Rock Studio, 2007); Servantes album "Bluesy Andalucy" (Studio Champagne, 2009); CBC Live Radio 2, 2010 and Maria Has Lost her Soul (Rimbombante, 2012). In 2002 he founded of Latin Jazz Trio YA!. His major influences are Scott Joplin, Ernesto Lecuona, George Gershwin, Claude Bolling, Michel Camilo, Astor Piazzolla, Mario Ruiz Armengol and Chick Corea. Carlos Alberto is also is an electrical engineer working for the IT sector in Ottawa, Ontario.
