Black History, Black Culture, Black Audiences, Black Lives

I have to first apologize for not being so much of a blogger lately. I'll try to get better at doing more posts, but I honestly can't promise it. The more I get into playing this music, the more I realize I have so much to learn and very little time to do so. But again, I will try... thanks for being patient... 

The reason for this post, is to respond in full to a post by a fellow musician, the great pianist Ethan Iverson. I've been listening to Ethan's playing since I first heard him with the band "The Bad Plus". From there I went on to find him on recordings by Reid Anderson (one of the first bassist I used when I first started my band in Philly at the age of 15), and the great drummers Billy Hart and Tootie Heath. 

I’ve always been into reading blogs and I’ve been following Ethan Iverson’s blog “Do the math” for years now. He recently did a great post on the movie “Whiplash” that caught my attention. I hadn't seen the movie and was wondering why I was so apprehensive when it came to it. Ethans post pretty much summed up why I didn't want to see the movie.  But near the end of his post, I came across these two paragraphs, which I honestly read probably 5 times before I finished his post:

Nobody in jazz these days plays to predominantly black gatekeepers or audiences, whether in the clubs or in the schools. It's essentially an esoteric art music for those who love it, everybody welcome - because we truly do need every goddamn fan we can get!

Naturally, the more black people involved the better. Unfortunately, when the topic of contemporary jazz is at hand, it feels like - although I don't know for sure! - many in black intelligentsia aren't that interested.

A few days after reading that, I was compelled to respond to Ethan, which I did on Twitter with these Tweets to him.

I read your post on Whiplash. Just wanted to address the part about "black intelligentsia not being interested"

For one, I think we have to remember there was a time when blacks couldn't use the same entrance to clubs as whites

If a club told me I had to use a separate entrance, I still wouldn't want to go to that club once things changed.

We also have to remember that there used to be clubs in black communities (like Harlem) that blacks went to & even owned...

Of many things that have changed, It's very clear that there aren't many "jazz" clubs in black communities any more.

We also have to consider education. I never learned about "jazz" or anything that had to do with my culture in grade school.

Luckily I had a mother that was into this music & exposed me to it & other styles of music at a young age.

In school, the (meant to say we) learned about Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart.

I love Bach, but looking back, I wonder why I wasn't taught about Bird, Ellington, & other American musicians in school.

I was a music ed. major at Berklee. When I went to do my student teaching I noticed the urban schools had no music classes.

Meanwhile, the suburban schools were learning all about Ellington, Monk, Armstrong and other American musicians/composers

Almost all of the suburban schools I visited didn't have many if any black students. The urban schools were all black.

I can't say this is exactly why "many in the black intelligentsia aren't interested" in jazz, but I think it's beyond a start.

I wish I would've responded via this blog first instead of posting all of that  on twitter, but hey, here I am now. And I'd like to explain every tweet I sent if they aren't clear.

For one, I have to I believe there are many different things that play into why there may not be many african americans/blacks in the audience at "jazz" shows and why it may be perceived that most black people aren't interested in the music. There have been many responses to this question. From the music becoming stagnant, to the location of the clubs, to how the music relates to black culture today.... It's definitely been a topic for a while now. At least it has amongst the black musicians.

I have to start by saying that I'm from Philadelphia. And throughout my early stages as a musician, I  always played to a diverse audience that not only included many different races, but also included many different age groups. In fact, I can't remember seeing anything BUT diverse audiences every time I've performed in Philly up until now. Though all of that seemed to change once I left Philly. I'm not sure why that is. I do know for sure that Philadelphia is a special place, but is Philly less segregated than other cities around the world?? And do more people know about jazz in Philadelphia than other places in the US? Maybe. 

So why is it that we don't see african americans/black people in jazz clubs and why does it seem like some of us aren't interested in it? I'd like to first talk about black history/culture in schools.

 I was a dual major in music education and performance at Berklee College Of Music. During my second to last semester at Berklee, I visited many schools inside and outside the city of Boston to decide which 2 schools I was going to go to do my student teaching. While researching the schools in Boston, I was surprised to find that some of the schools in the urban communities didn't have a music class at all, while the suburban schools not only had a music class, but were teaching their students about the great composers and musicians in American history. And I'm talking about Black American composers and musicians like Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, and John Coltrane....! It was amazing.

   When I look back at my education in Philadelphia, I wasn't taught very much about my history as an African American in grade school or high school. I received history lessons about my culture at home from my mother and from the many great mentors and teachers I had OUTSIDE of the Philadelphia school system. That goes for Black art, music, and literature as well. Luckily, my mother was (and still is) a huge fan of jazz music and was listening to John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Pharaoh Sanders, Miles Davis, and more before I was even born. So I was exposed to that music as a child and continued to learn about it as I began playing the saxophone. But where would I be or who would I be if my mother hadn't been exposed to that music or her culture and history? I can surely tell you I would not be here typing this very post right now if it weren't for everything I've learned from her.

   

  The truth is, if a child is not getting exposed to his/her culture and history at home and isn't getting it from school. Where is he/she going to get it? How can we hold him/her responsible for getting that information? My answer?  We can't. The sad thing is, in situations like this, it becomes a cycle. And if that child grows up and has children that get the same education at the same kind of school that he/she did, the history becomes lost and that child grows up not truly knowing about his/her culture and heritage and how great it is.

To go even deeper into this, I have to say that I believe black history and black culture is not only important to the black community but is important to our country (and the world) as a whole. When I think about what happened in Ferguson, Missouri with Mike Brown and in New York with Eric Gardner,  I wonder what the police officers responsible for those deaths learned about black culture and history when THEY were in school. Or if they were even exposed to anything that had to do with a Black man outside of what they may have seen on TV or in the movies. 

If everything those officers saw about black culture came from TV or the movies, that means 9 times out of 10, they've only been exposed to negative portrayals of  black men and nothing but stereotypical figures that paint us as uneducated, violent people who's lives aren't worth much and don't have a future. There's definitely tons of that in the media. I don't think those police officers were exposed to the great African Americans that help build this country. Or about slavery and how it was one of the most horrendous things to happen in the history of this WORLD. Or about the great black leaders that fought to end slavery. The civil rights movement....  About the great African American inventors that are responsible for so many things that we all need in every day life.... About the great writers like James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, and Lorraine Hansbury...  Or the great composers and musicians like Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Billy Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus and others that have influenced and inspired people around the world.

The truth is, black culture/history is American culture/history. And it's not taught in most schools. At least not in this country. There are some people that are given the opportunity to attend schools that include black culture and history in their curriculums, and there are those that are fortunate to have parents that teach them about black history and exposed them to the culture. But I truly believe that until it's taught in all schools and is considered as important as the other parts of American history that ARE taught in schools, we can not expect to see more diverse audiences or expect more people to be interested in jazz music anytime soon.

Lastly, I would like to discuss my tweet about the history of black people in clubs. I've always tried to imagine what it was like to perform in a club that didn't allow you to use the front entrance. And how it may have felt for blacks that wanted to attend a show where they had to use a different entrance than the one the white patrons used. I didn't live in those days, but I don't think those days were that long ago.  I personally can't imagine wanting to go anywhere that made me use a separate entrance than everyone else, let alone perform in one. 

As I say that, I know I would've been in trouble in those days based on the fact that it wasn't only clubs that didn't allow blacks to use the same entrances or bathrooms back in the day. I probably would've had to stay home most of the time to avoid being angered by those discriminating boundaries. But maybe like everyone else, I would've dealt with it if I was around during those times. I often wonder how many people were put off by those rules to the point that they didn't want to go to any clubs to see live music back in those days, but the truth is, many black people had to use separate doors and bathrooms almost every time they stepped out of their own doors. And the African American community has continued to go to the movies, go to restaurants, and go see concerts by artists of other genres today. So maybe I don't really have an argument when it comes to Black people not going to jazz clubs because of that part of history.

 There is one thing.. I've spoken to some of the masters of this music that were around during those times, and they all remind me that there was a time when there were many clubs in Harlem and other black communities. I've also been told that there were indeed more diverse audiences Uptown back then. Some of the clubs even had blacks owners. But when all of the black owned businesses in Harlem and the other black communities disappeared, that included many of those clubs and their black patrons. Which to me means that maybe we would see more black people in jazz clubs if there were more jazz clubs in the black communities...

To conclude, I believe it all boils down to exposure and education with this music, this history and this culture. I myself came to this music by being exposed to many different styles of jazz. And I'd be lying if I said I liked all of them at first. Some took time to grow on me, others I got hooked to immediately, while some are still growing on me to this day.

 So what can you do to help spread the word about this music?? Buy a friend a recording of something you think he/she may like, or take that friend to a show that you think he/she may be into.. Parents - take your children to performances and expose them to as much music as possible and buy them recordings too. And If you can, buy your child a musical instrument (I personally think everyone should learn to play something at some point in their life), have them take lessons, and expose them to the masters of that instrument. Who knows, you may be responsible for the next jazz master, next jazz journalist, or next huge jazz fan. Push to have more black history classes in your child's school. Write your representatives and let them know this is an important issue to you... So that your child can know the true story of America. What's most important is that you'll be giving someone a chance to better understand this culture and it's history, which is something I think more people need to do today.

Mulgrew Miller

One of my favorite musicians in the world passed on May 29th. He inspired me in so many ways. 

His phrasing was perfect, he had amazing melodic ideas, amazing harmonic ideas, and a great touch on the piano. He always swang so hard and was always extremely soulful. But most importantly, he was one of the most humble musicians I ever met. You felt it in his music and you felt it when you spoke with him.

I was introduced to Mulgrew Miller by the very amazing "Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw Sessions" that were issued on Blue Note Records in the mid 90s. This release features two CD's "The Eternal Triangle and "Double Take", which were recorded in the 80's and also feature Kenny Garrett Alto Saxophone, Ray Drummond on Bass, and Carl Allen on Drums. 

When I moved to NY, I became a huge fan of Mulgrew. Every chance I got to see Mr. Miller play, I was there. One of my favorite performances was of his trio with bassist Derrick Hodge on Bass, and Karriem Riggins on Drums at the Up and Over Club, a great place I used to frequent in Brooklyn that has been closed for some years now.

I always wondered why Mulgrew Miller was so overlooked… Why he wasn’t touring the world more with his own bands, playing at all of the major jazz festivals, playing at Carnegie Hall, or praised more for being the amazing musician he was… But when I talked to him I knew that that was the last thing on his mind. He was all about the music, and love… He was always very respectful and a true gentleman. And that meant and still means so much to me. I cannot explain how much this man inspires me and continues to give me such a great sense of pride… but today I wish I actually said this to him before he left us. Thank you Mulgrew Miller! You will truly be missed and your music will live on in our hearts!

Mr. Miller has many great recordings. I recommend all of his recent trio recordings - Live at the Kennedy Center (Volume 1 and 2) & Live at Yoshi's (Volume 1 and 2) as well as his recordings Hand in Hand, The Sequel, With Our Own Eyes, Time and Again, and The Countdown.

Life and Music as one.

I can say as a musician, that sometimes you get so caught up in music and your career that you don't realize how time is slipping by. You don't realize the things that are happening around you and you don't think of the possibilities.. The possibilities of losing a loved one or something happening around you or to you because you're not paying close enough attention.
 
In the past year, all of that came to light in my life. I lost a lot of people that were close to me in different ways. My cousin was killed in a motorcycle accident two days after I was with him at a surprise birthday party for my Mother, my Father (who I hadn't talked to in years) passed away suddenly, and relationships with others ended drastically, catching me on my blindside and totally knocking me off kilter. All causing an extremely traumatic, painful year that I still feel as though I'm recovering from.
 
 From these experiences,  I've learned to to be thankful for life. Thankful to have another chance everyday I wake up. Thankful for the people that are in my life that are truly genuine, sincere, and care. Those that aren't selfish and that I don't have to question in ANY way. My Mother being beyond a PERFECT example of that. I've also learned to pay more attention to my surroundings and to follow what my heart and gut tell me, because they almost NEVER lie. In the past year I've learned so much about the words respect, trust, and integrity.... Three words that everyone should look up from time to time.

  I've also learned what music means in my LIFE. How it affects it and how I should pay more attention to my life for the direction of my music. Charlie Parker said "If you don't live it, it wont come out of your horn". Although, I don't want to go through the things that have happened to me in the past year again, my eyes are wide open now and I certainly get it. Practicing everyday is one thing. Actually having a story to tell is another.

  So to those of you that are artists and those of you that are not... I'd like to say.. be true. Honesty and sincerity always come through in music and are eventually revealed in life. The reason our heros like Lester Young, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Billie Holiday, Charles Mingus, and Wayne Shorter were able to penetrate our souls was because they were sincere and honest in who they were. They didn't hide it in their personalities or their music. It was all one.  Live life to the fullest and cherish the people that are TRUE to you, support you, and LOVE YOU. The ones that are always around, always there for you and you don't have to seek. They don't HAVE to be there and may not be there forever.

MARK TURNER!

Those that know me know that I'm a fan of Tenor Saxophonist Mark Turner. I first heard him when I was in high school on a CD by Jimmy Smith called "Daaaam!", but it wasn't until I heard Mark's CD - "In This World" that I really started to check him out and became a huge fan. Besides his own recordings (one recording for Criss Criss and four recordings on Warner Bros that I highly recommend), Mark Turner has made amazing contributions to recordings by Guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel as well as a group that he co- leads with Bassist Larry Grenadier and Drummer Jeff Ballard called Fly. I'm also fortunate to have had Mark as a guest on my first CD "Perspective".

For a while I've been inspired by Marks sense of harmony, range, and control of the horn. But what stands out just as much as all of those qualities is his humility and sense of self control. Upon meeting him, you will find him to be a very cool, quiet person, almost in a meditative state. If you get a chance to sit down and talk to him, you'll find he has lots of information and is just seriously cool. I have a lot of respect for this guy. Nuff said... Here's a recent Q & A between the maestro and I.

Jaleel: I know you were born in California. Can you talk about what it was like growing up in California, how you came to play the saxophone, and who some of your early influences were? Also, how old you were when you started to get serious and realized this is something you wanted to do as a career? Was Berklee your first choice?

Mark: Actually I was born in Ohio, Wright Patterson Air Force Base. My father was a Captain in the air force...his job was navigator in B52 bombers. We later moved with my stepfather(bio father died in plane crash) to L.A. (where I grew up) when I was four. I started playing the clarinet in school band in 4th grade(age 9). There was also a citywide marching band in which I was also involved. I played clarinet until 9th grade when Jazz (big) band was an option so I switched to alto and later tenor (11th/12th grade).

Some early influences were my saxophone teacher Bill McNairn who was strongly inlfuenced by Lester Young, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn. Also My parents had some Sonny Stitt/Gene Ammons records, My Favorite Things, Stardust(John Coltrane) Sonny Rollins(The Bridge), Sonny Side Up(Dizzy Gillespie), some Brecker Bros. Also my parents listened to music a quite a bit - partiularly lots of R&B(Stevie Wonder,Al Green, The Spinners, Earth Wind and Fire, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding etc). Regarding getting serious, not sure how to answer that as I'm still working on that part.

That said, serious meaning consistant daily practice/ involvment in music...started to take shape first or second year of college then by the third I was "serious" about music. Berklee was my first and only choice as I didn't really know about any other music schools on the east coast. Incidentally, by the way I got to Berklee that was my third year of college. Notion of Music as a career? That was gradual and was never really sure. Just took it a day, month, year at a time while it became a more consistent part of my life.

Jaleel: How was your experience at Berklee College of Music? Who did you study with and what were some of the things you focused on when you were shedding at this time? Also, who else was studying at Berklee at this time?

Mark: My time at Berklee was generally good. When I came I didn't know anything so there was nothing to lose(musically) and everything to gain. I learned from the other students as much as from the teachers. At that time there was Josh Redman(across the Charles river), Seamus Blake, Chris Cheek, Chris Speed(NEC), Antonio Hart(Tony back then), Donny McCaslin, Jordi Rossy, Danilo Perez, Roy Hargrove, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Scott Amendola, Scott Kinsey, Laila Hathaway, Delfeayo Marsalis, Jim Blake, Skooli Svereson, Dan Rieser, Jeff Parker, as well others. Teachers were George Garzone, Joe Viola, Billy Pierce. At that time I was mainly trying to learn the vocabulary(transcribing) and play the saxophone reasonably well(technique/time). Basically learning how to play. I wasn't as interested in originality as in fundamentals. How could I approach making this music mine if I don't really know what it is and or cannot speak its language? I'm still learning it as the process is gradual but at that time it was more fundamental than the present for the most part.

Jaleel: One of the first things I noticed when I first heard you was your control over the horn, your range, and your sense of harmony. What are some things that you practiced regularly? Are these things you are pretty much consistent with today?

Mark: Much of that (harmonic sensibility, horn range) were things that came after Berklee. Although foundation started there. After transcribing a lot I had learned from that process things other than vocabulary such as voice leading/harmony, note groupings, ornamentation, pacing, phrasing, swing/time, sound. Transcribing helped me to learn how to assimilate/integrate information in my own way. So I tried to find ways to combine/continue these things without transcribing. For example play a two five with voice leading( two to six voices all smooth voice leading), see all common tones including all alterations/change of chord color, change cadence with final chord the same, keep cadence change final chord, use note grouping of some type, triads, intervals, use ornamentation etc. Range came out of necessity. There were things I wanted to play that required it. So these are all things that I still work on. Maybe content changes but the format is similar.

Jaleel: Another thing I've noticed about you is that you are a very centered, focused, and humble. On the gigs I've done with you, it sometimes seems like you are meditating before you play. Sometimes doing yoga too. How has this helped you today and do you think it has had an influence on your playing?

Mark: I just try to keep things in perspective and maintain mindfulness on the task at hand. Perspective(what is really important in the relative and absolute, what is one's role/intention in a given situation) helps keep the ego( belief/clinging to an inherently existent I/self. Which includes all things associated with self such as... my body, my mind, my hopes, my fears, my desires, my aversions, my friends, my enemies, my material possessions, me, me, me and on and on etc) in check. Besides, ego is the killer of imagination...drags you down. Have no time for it. Mindfulness/Meditation help to keep the mind clear, focused, pliable. Yoga and running help to keep body/mind reasonably healthy. I'm a slow learner so I need time. Don't want this body to fail too soon.


Jaleel: As both a great saxophonist and composer, who would you say are your biggest influences in music and why?

Mark: Although this not a musical influence I would say at this point my grandfather Lewis Jackson is my greatest influence. Born to a working class family, died an aeronautical engineer, educator(college level), multimillionaire. If you met him you would never know it. He didn't talk about himself, what he lacked, or what others had. He just did. Keep in mind that he did this during the height of mind twentieth century segregation, before civil rights laws passed in the sixties. He and my grandmother lived in the same modest home until his death and left almost all of their money to education, the arts, and other charities. He was curious, imaginative, practical, intelligent, action oriented, and generous up to the end of his life. He died as he lived.

John Coltrane. More or less the same reasons as my grandfather but of course applied to music, craft, and culture. I would like to add adventure combined with taste and elegance. power/strength with tenderness and lyricism, blues/folklore with complex harmony/melody. Maintains center no matter what. Sound

Joe Henderson. Master of fast tempos, time, and pacing. Always in the rhythm section, over it on command. In other words he wields/galvanizes the rhythm section...does not simply play his language over it. One of the fathers of quickly moving form(in composition) which we now take for granted. Master of playing different "styles" /bands and giving each what it needs while maintaining his musical integrity/language. Always makes everyone else sound good. Blues/folklore. Maintains slick, cool, swagger no matter what. Sound

Warne Marsh. Master of invention. Rarely repeats himself. Willing to fall/stumble(musically) to find a new melody. Improvises at all costs. Relies primarily on content, placement, anticipation rather than volume/ dynamic range and inflection. Brings an inward contained/concentrated energy rather then an outward spread. Maintains cool no matter what. Sound.

Wayne Shorter. Prolific, varied, composer. Conjurer. Wide imagination. Covers full range of emotion. Sound.

Thelonius Monk. In terms of composition and playing. Great attention to detail. Says a great deal with only what is necessary. Covers full range of emotion. Fully aware. Conjurer. Blues/folklore. Chords. Sound. Use of space.

Lester Young. Melody. Use of space, pacing. Says a lot with little in a short time. Intelligent, witty improviser. Blues/folklore.Sound.

Miles Davis. The power of one note.

Duke Ellington. Prolific composer. Able take a format and write on it inexhaustibly. Chords.

Morton Feldman, Arnold Shoenberg, Bach, Beethoven. Harmony, Form, Chords, Space

Issac Asimov, Ursula K. LeGuin. Imagination. Ability to created a world/paradigm that lives on it's own terms

John Lennon/Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder. Great song writers

All musical colleagues.

I could go on and on but need to stop somewhere.

Jaleel: Lately, I'm realizing a lot of the masters have moved out of NYC. And I've been reading some great books that talk about how EVERYONE used to live in NY and how there was a little more networking going on amongst the older and younger musicians back in the day. I'm also seeing a lot of great musicians move out of the city and even the country to pursue their careers. But it's something I'm kind of afraid to do. Do you feel a connection to NYC musically? How important is it for you to be in New York?

Mark: I do feel a connection to NYC musically although I don't feel a necessity to stay here. I did live in New Haven for nine years. There is no other energy like it anywhere else in the jazzworld. It is and has been important to get a taste of it. I would not be what I am (musically) if I had not lived here at some point...at the very least to experience the culture as I believe it is still here(NYC).

Jaleel: You were one of many great jazz artist that were signed to a major label and experienced the collapse of those labels. I still remember running into you at the Vanguard and you telling me that Warner Bros. Jazz was basically no more. How was it to experience something like that first hand and how do you feel about the direction the music scene is going as far as recording goes?

Mark: On many levels it was good experience. If put back in same time period I would do it again but with a different head. Namely I did not realize how much power I/we musicians have. The people I knew at Warner Bros. loved music and worked really hard to keep it going/living. Regarding collapse, everything arises, abides, and falls/ born, lives and dies. So what else is knew? Something is being born/created in terms of recording. More creative freedom. Home made recording. Mobilization from musicians/ community.

Jaleel: What do you work on now when you practice? Do you still transcribe?

Mark: I practice sound mostly. Time in various ways. Vocabulary, technique, Voice leading, Ear training, Mind exercise. I don't transcribe much...little bits here and there from any type of music

SET UP:

Mark Turner plays:

49,000 Selmer Balanced Action Tenor Saxophone

w/ and early Babbit Otto Link #7 mouthpiece & 4 1/2 - 5 Robertos Woodwinds reeds

and

Yamaha 62 Soprano (which I would like to change to a Conn)

w/ a Bill Street mouthpiece (super great) w/ 4 1/2 - 5 Robertos Woodwind Reeds

Better Late Than Never!

Hey,
It's been a while since I've posted anything, but it's been a crazy/busy year so far. Between the beginning of the year and now, I have recorded a new CD with the Roy Haynes Quartet that will include guests Chick Corea, Roy Hargrove, Marcus Strickland, Craig Haynes, and Robert Rodriguez. I also did performances with Christian Mcbride and Inside Straight in Europe and Bermuda, performed in Boston, Wayne NJ, and New York at the Jazz Standard with the Roy Haynes Quartet, Israel with the George Colligan Trio, and recorded a new CD with saxophonist Dayna Stephens that will include Ambrose Akinmusiree, Taylor Eigsti, Joe Sanders, Justin Brown, and guest vocalist Gretchen Parlato.

I'm looking forward to this summer. I'll be making my debut at Smalls Jazz Club in NYC with my own band, which will feature Lawrence Fields on Piano, Boris Kozlov on Bass, and Johnathan Blake on drums. I will also be performing with Orrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band, the Donald Edwards Quartet, Ben Williams Quartet, Roy Haynes, and Christian McBride and Inside Straight this summer. All of the information about those gigs can be found on my website - http://www.jaleelshaw.com

Something I'm really excited about is an interview series I will start on this blog. They'll basically be question and answer interviews with some great musicians on the scene today. So far I've just completed an interview with saxophonist Mark Turner and I have E.J. and Marcus Strickland lined up to do one (even though Ms. Beener beat me to an interview with Marcus! LOL! Check out that interview here! Look for the Mark Turner interview in the near future and the interview with Marcus and E.J. soon! Hope you are all well and I'm still trying to stay up on my posts... Hopefully I'll be more consistent in the future!!!

Health, Love, and LEEL in 2011

I just met with a natural medicine doctor tonight that gave me a new diet and health tips. One things he said to me really hit home. He told me to surround myself with people that LOVE me, are honest and want to be in HARMONY with me. And to find a companion that ADORES me and is patient, understanding, and all about resolving any issues. And to secure that adoration.

All I can say is that he hit the nail on the head... Just from him saying that, realized how I've struggled over the past years to keep some of my relationships stable or even existing. When on the other side of that my friend may not have been trying that hard or may not have cared.. And I realized how that struggle physically may have caused stress to my body and mind... Although I feel as though I let lots of that go over time and have found great people to surround myself with, I need to be more conscious of it and to completely be at peace. I feel as though I may have gotten away from the more peaceful, positive reserved Leel I used to be and I'm hoping to get back to that.

Another thing I need to be more conscious of (and the reason I went to see him) is what I put in my body. Although I THOUGHT I ate right, I still have had health problems to address. Sure, I shop at Whole Foods a lot, which is great, but it mean I shouldn't read labels to see what's in my food? Ok.. Enough of this super personal blog! Happy New Year!!!

End of the Year 2010!

Unfortunately, I've been away from this blog for a little while and it's been really hard for me to keep up... But I'd like to say some things for the end of the year....

It's been a great year for me and I'm thankful for the opportunities I had to go on the road and record with some great musicians this year.. This year I went to LA to perform with the Dave Holland Big Band, to perform in Cali, Maryland, and N.C with Christian Mcbride, to Moscow (for the first time) with the Vitaly Golavnev group, as well as a 5 week tour with Roy Haynes that took me to Finland, Germany, Italy, France, Sweden, Norway, Copenhagen, Spain and the UK.. I also recorded with Johnathan Blake and Ben Williams for recordings that should be released this next year!

I'm also thankful for the new friends I've made on the road as well as on the scene... I'm also thankful for those that we've lost this year. Unfortunately some amazing people that I met this year have left us. Mr. Sid Simmons, Mr. James Moody, and Ms. Trudy Pitts! They will truly be missed.

For those of you that don't know who Sid Simmons was, he was a great Philadelphian pianist that's best known for his work with Grover Washington, John Blake, and Gerald Veasley. He was also known for playing in the house band at Ortliebs jazz Club, supporting all of the great jazz musicians that have come through Philadelphia. I met Sid Simmons when I was only 11 years old. All I can say is he was one of the most supportive musicians I have ever met. He was always a very peaceful guy. He loved music and he loved people. Period. He was one of the most influential musicians I met coming up in Philly. Not only because he was an amazing pianist, but he was also an amazing human being. He was great to be around and was always positive. I feel as though part of who I am today is because of who he was.

James Moody was an amazing jazz saxophonist that is best known for his "Moody's Mood for Love" (There I go, THere I go,) and for his work with the great Dizzy Gillespie. I first met Moody when I was selected to participate in the Ravinia Jazz Summer Workshop in Illinois while I was studying at Berklee. He was also very positive and really loved music. I'll never forget the first day of the saxophone workshop in Ravinia. The first thing he did when he walked in the room was to ask all the students to take out a piece of manuscript and a paper and write some lines down for him to work on! LOL! He was always studying, and was willing to learn from anyone. That was one of the best lessons I've ever learned.

The Amazing Trudy Pitts was a great Jazz Organist from Philadelphia that was best known for her work with jazz guitarist Pat Martino. She's also recorded 4 records for Prestige records -

1967: Introducing the Fabulous Trudy Pitts (Prestige) with Pat Martino
1967: These Blues are Mine (Prestige)
1968: Bucket Full of Soul (Prestige)
1968: Excitement (Prestige)

Trudy was also very supportive and always gave very great advice. I think I rarely ever saw her without her husband. William Carney. I know he misses her truly.

I think I've learned a lot about love and humility from these people. The one thing I sometimes notice about musicians is humility is sometimes hard for some of us to address or attain. Sometimes the ego gets in the way.. or jealousy. And I've noticed how it can make it hard for some to actually love or enjoy the people. Some become less social or their ego gets so huge that they began to think they're above others.... And sometimes even their music or creative development suffers. And with this the Love for the music dies... I've also learned that Love, when it's real, is unconditional. It's real. We find it in the parent/s that raised us, and was there now just as they were when we were children. They call everyday to make sure we're ok and worry when they don't hear from you. We also find it in that friend that is always there for you and will have your back no matter what... without question. We also find it in the people that we may not see that often, but when we do, there's that sense of warmth and positivity that always lifts our spirits. And the feeling that time hasn't passed at all since you last saw that person. From these musicians, I've learned that it's so much more about what comes out of your heart, your real heart... Your honesty and sincerity as an individual, than what comes out of your instrument. It all comes down to Love in the end. The people can usually tell....

Trudy Pitts, James Moody, and Sid Simmons all had so much love that there was no time for ego or jealousy. They were all about helping people, teaching, supporting and learning from people. To quote Mr. Moody - ‎"Nobody else in this world is no better than me, and I'm no better than anyone else". I am just so thankful to have learned from these people. And I wish so many more had that opportunity to do so. They will all stay in my heart for ever.

Lastly, I wasn't able to record my 3rd CD this year. I'm kinda back at square one with it and now may be on to another project all together. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, I'd like to wish you all Happy Holidays!! See you next year!

Dave Holland in LA & Roy Haynes in Japan

So I've been late with updates... It's been hard for me to keep up, but I'm giving it a try... So what's new?? In the end of July I did another gig with Dave Holland at the Hollywood bowl. It was my first time playing at the Bowl and the night was a big band show that also featured the Dave Douglas and Count Basie Big bands. Since I'd never been at the Hollywood bowl before, I had no idea it was such a huge venue. We got out on the stage to find the audience was packed, which was a shock for me. So there ARE people that like jazz??? LOL! Anyway, as always, I had a great time performing with Mr. Holland and the big band. The music is always killing and there's just a great vibe in that band. One of the highlights for me was the fact that the Hollywood bowl has a revolving stage AND a timer.. So when the time is up on your performance, the stage starts to turn. Dave must've timed the show perfectly because we literally ended RIGHT when the clock ran out... It was hilarious!

So, what else.....? Well, last month I went to Japan (one of my favorite places to go in the world!!) with Roy Haynes and I have to say it was short, but as always I had a good time. Only thing is, it was in the 90's out there EVERYDAY, and the humidity was about 80% ( I never realized it's usually not higher than 40% in NY), so it was hard to hang out. The other thing that made it hard to hang out during the day was the fact that it was a Japanese holiday (Obon) and the club pushed the shows up to 4pm and 7pm. I did get to have some of my favorite sushi in Tsukiji, Curry around the corner from the hotel, and Okonamiyaki in Shinjuku! I also had a fun hang in Roppongi and Shibuya during the nights I could stay awake!

I must say, Roy was in rare form in Japan! I've seen him dance on the stage before, but this week was different. This time he danced in a tap dance fashion for a little while, scatted on a blues, and we even got into some funk. The audience loved it and we had a good time. It was also great to see so many of my good friends out there. I realize that I have so many friends in Japan from my Berklee days. Good times...

So what else... The Charlie Parker Festival.. I played with the Revive the Live group this year, performing a tribute to Bird. That show went over well and we all had a great time. The band included Igmar Thomas, Marcus Strickland, Corey King, and myself on the front line and Marc Cary, Ben Williams, and Justin Brown in the rhythm section. Raydar Ellis was the DJ and MC for the performance.

Also, I went to the Michael Jackson Party in Harlem this year.. It's an annual party hosted by Spike Lee that basically went from 12 - 5pm. Unfortunately, I got there at 3pm, but in enough time to hear some great music and hear Snoop Dawg do a special guest performance. It was a lot of fun. And I'm really digging the MJ Tshirt I purchased as well...

Well, I have more I'll try to catch you up on... I'll try to do that a little later.. - LEEEEEEEEL

The Essence Music Festival... (Jazz, Rock....?)

I was going through my facebook page the other day and noticed a friend of mines page and noticed her freshly updated pictures from the Essence Music Festival. I decided to go to the page and check out who was performing there... As I went through the roster of artists this year, I saw some great acts - Mary J. Blige, Jill Scott, Alicia Keys, De La Soul.... And I started to think about all the many other genres of music that I would've liked to see on this list.. (of course jazz was on it)... And it made me wonder why jazz music isn't popular in the African American culture.. Ok.. I did see some New Orleans artist on the list.. And there were some great names there... But I wondered why there were only jazz groups from New Orleans at the festival? Was it because the were FROM New Orleans and may not have cost as much since they were already home?

I guess this is a question I ask myself over and over again. As much as I love playing to ANY audience that appreciates my music, there are times when I look out in the audience and ask myself what has happened to the black community when it comes to Jazz music. Why don't more African Americans know about this music?

When I look back at my days in middle school and high school, I realize that I didn't really learn much about my history as an African American. Period. If I did, it was from my mother or people outside of school. And most of that was simply based on the fact that I was studying this music called Jazz and had dreams of becoming of musician from an early age...

I guess my hope is that this music and many other genres of music reach the people. There are a bunch of young jazz musicians that I think need to be heard.. There are also artist from other genres like J*Davey, Muhsinah, and Georgia Ann Muldrow that I think are coming up with some fresh new concepts as well... Sometimes I wish I could take over one of these popular music stations and expose people to some of the great music that's out here...

JazzInside Interview!

I have a feature interview in the June issue JazzInside Magazine...

Please visit

http://jazzinsidemagazine.com/publications/guide/june-2010

to download it...

For those of you that would like to have a copy of the magazine, it's available in most jazz clubs in NYC!

Roy Haynes 85th Anniversary Tour!

For those of you that don't know, I just got back from a 5 week tour with the great Roy Haynes! It's been a while since I've been out for such a long tour, but I have to say I had a great time! In those 5 weeks we traveled to Finland, Germany, Spain, Italy, France, the UK, Sweden, Copenhagen, Norway, and Denmark.

I must say Mr. Haynes is Amazing! He had way more energy than I did the whole tour. There were a few one nighters in Spain that were basically late night gigs and early lobby calls. Roy would be perfectly fine every morning, literally whistling as he came down stairs! Meanwhile the rest of us would barely be able to move. He also has a great sense of humor, which really came out when we got to London. While at Ronnie Scott's, Roy tested out some of his jokes on the crowd during one of the sets and had the audience as well as the band rolling..

The downside of the tour was that both of my horns started acting up. This could have been due to the fact that I was playing hard almost every day, or the fact that I was flying almost everyday and the horns were moving around a lot. Initially it was just the soprano, which I thought was leaking, so I took it to a shop called "Sax Machine" in Paris. They fixed it up, but two days later, before a gig in Brighton, I drop it.. So I have to take it to a shop in London. And they fix it up again.. So I'm thinking everything's cool and while I'm playing my alto that night at Ronnie's, the High D spring breaks... So now I have to go get my alto fixed! LOL! It was a mess to say the least. I think I need to get my repair chops up and start bringing some emergency tools and supplies with me for the next trip!

Overall, we had a great tour. I met many new friends and got to see some old friends I hadn't seen in ages. I have to say I've grown accustomed to London, even though the Pound is killing the Dollar. London is a pretty cool place.. Copenhagen was pretty cool too. I didn't get to see too much of it, but one thing that caught my eye was the fact that so many people over there ride bikes. Sometimes it looked like more people rode bikes than drove cars. Unfortunately, most of those people didn't wear helmets... Last but not least is Paris! Unfortunately, after having been there maybe 7 or 8 times I think I've come to the conclusion that I may not like French food... But I really enjoy Paris and hope I get to find more places to hang outside of the jazz clubs I usually frequent out there... What's next? My trio will be performing tomorrow night at the Bar Next Door and then I'm off to Moscow with the Vitaly Golanev Group this weekend!

Happiness

I just ran into my friend and his kids, who he'd just bought new toys. They looked SUPER excited and happy and it made me remember the days when I used to get so excited when I got new toys or gifts. Then I started to think that that never really changes in life.. We all like having/getting/doing new things in life and It's important to keep trying to do/find things in life to keep you happy/excited EVERYDAY..

Sorry...

I guess I'm not too good at this... Posting... It's been almost a year already... Pretty crazy. First off, I can say I actually have a long post that I kind of abandoned that was based on a status that I put on my facebook page near the end of the year last year. I basically said "I don't care if it's old school or new school as long as it's honest and sounds good. And if it's Jazz, it should have elements of Blues and Swing". What a commotion I caused with that! I tried to write a blog on it, but realized that there's so much to say and I have so many different thoughts on the Jazz world today. And why the words BLUES and SWING may scare the crap out of people that play so called jazz music today. Anyway.. Maybe I'll post that soon...

Anyways, life has been pretty cool over here. Since my last post I've done a bunch of traveling with Roy Haynes to Japan, France, Germany, Israel... I'm trying to think of the other places we hit in Europe last summer, but I can't now. Israel was interesting. It wasn't easy for me to get in to the country based on the fact that I have an Arabic name. Although I was born and raised Christian, upon entering Israel I was asked by a customs agent who named me. When I told him it was by my Uncle who was studying Islam at the time, I was taken into a room and interrogated for a while. The thing that disturbed me was the other people in the room were all muslims... Talk about profiling.. I guess the situation over there is a lot deeper than I thought it was. All that said, I had a great time there.. Especially on the beach.


Other highlights of the Fall included two performances with the Dave Holland Big Band and Octet in Chicago and Tanglewood, a performance with Christian Mcbride in Philadelphia, and an end of the year performance with the Roy Haynes Quartet at Birdland celebrating the clubs 60th anniversary. The first day was an invitation only party the included MANY legends of so called Jazz... All I can say is I walked out on the stage to see Hank Jones, Grady Tate, Lou Donaldson, Jimmy Heath, and Frank Wess in the front row alone. Lee Konitz, Paquito D'rivera, and Louis Hayes were also in the audience.. So needless to say, I was a bit nervous. I tried my best to be cool and kept my eyes on the picture in the back of the room the whole night! It was a great experience all in all and I got to talk to Lou Donaldson, who was very cool and told me he really enjoyed the performance.... Having read his latest Jazztimes before and after, I was relieved!

Well, I'm just getting back from a gig with the Gregg August Sextet and have a long day a head of me tomorrow. So I'm gonna split for now... Hopefully I'll have a more up to date post soon. - LEEL

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...

February/March

I've been hounded a little for not updating this thing.... So I'm going to try to give you as much as an update as I can... But for those of you that have been hounding me, how come I don't see your names in my followers list??

Well... I'm guessing I should start from today and go backwards, since my most recent activities are a bit clearer to me now... First off, I guess I should say it's 3:32am now and I am basically wide awake.. Which is due to my most recent Oceania Tour with the Mingus Big Band. The tour was a zig zag tour that started in Sydney, Australia and then went to Macau, China; and then Wellington, New Zealand. Although I had a good time, I didn't really get to see much. We basically spent 2 days in each city, which didn't give me time.. And because there was so much traveling involved, I was often too tired to get my butt out of the bed to go see the sites... But I did get to see a little...

It was my second time being in Sydney and although my time was limited, I did manage to get out to a nearby beach as well as walk around the town a bit. Sydney reminds me of London. It's very clean and organized. The one thing that disappointed me is that hardly see any aborignie's when I'm there... I think I may have seen 2 this time. The last time I was there the only aborignal people I saw were homeless. I guess I don't think of it as much in America, but I really think about it when I go to a country and hardly see any natives... I think it's pretty insane when I think about how English and European colonization has destroyed so many cultures and civilizations...

On to Macau... We basically had to take a boat from Hong Kong Airport to this Island. The first thing I saw when we arrived at the dock was a huge casino sign for SANDS... It's a huge GAMBLING town! I didn't get to see much of the town until a few hours before we were about to head to our final destination - New Zealand. But I did get a good idea of the town... I ended up going in to the more residential areas of Macau with a couple members of the band. One of them - trombonist Andy Hunter, speaks FLUENT Mandarin (he also MC'd the show..) So we didn't have much trouble getting around and seeing what we needed to... I'll try to post some pics soon....

Last, we went to Wellington, New Zealand... Which basically has the same London/Australia vibe... It's a pretty town though...

Ok... I'm getting sleepy... But before that.... I had my 31st birthday (Feb. 11th)! Yikes! I'm officially in my 30's! And in the beginning of February, I went out to UMKC in Kansas City, Missouri as an artist in residence. It was very special for me not only because it was my first residency, but because I was going to the school where one of my biggest hero's - Bobby Watson teaches.. I basically gave a workshop, and did two performances. One was with a group called Diverse that consists of some bad young cats that are coming out.. Look out for them... Herman Mehari on Trumpet, Will Saudners on Tenor Saxophone, John Brewer on Piano, Ben Leifer on Bass, and Ryan Lee on Drums. The next day I performed with The UMKC Big Band, which was also fun... When Bobby asked me what tunes I wanted to play.. All I could think of were the charts he'd arranged for big band that I always wanted to play... So of course, we played a bunch of them... And had a great time.. I don't remember all of the names of soloist that night. But the pianist and alto saxophonist Michael Shults took some pretty hip solos. There were a bunch of other young cats I got to hear out there... I can't name them all now because I am finally falling asleep... But I definitely had a good time out there and I wanna thank them all for it.... later...

It's Been A While...

It's definitely been quite a while since my last post... over 4 years! Alot has happened since then, including having released two CD's. The first one on Fresh Sound Records called "Perspective", was released in 2005 and features guitarist Lage Lund, pianist Robert Glasper, bassist Vicente Archer, drummer Johnathan Blake, and guest tenor saxophonist Mark Turner. The second release is on my own label Changu Records and is called "Optimism". It was released in March of 2008 and features the same cast with Joe Martin replacing Vicente Archer on bass and Jeremy Pelt as a guest on trumpet.

I've also been fortunate to have been given the opportunity to play with the Roy Haynes Quartet since 2005. So far we've recorded one album "Whereas", released in 2006.... What else?? Life!!!! I guess I have lots to catch you up on.... But I'll have to get to that another time....

My First Blog

Happy New Year... It's my first Blog at 6:30am!! I couldn't sleep, so I decided to get online and surf the net. I ended up finding this Blog site and figured - why not? I'm glad I can start this New Year fresh and with a clear head. It's a great feeling. I learned and experienced many things last year that made me realize I still have some growing and maturing to do. I'm glad God showed me these things and put me through those things too.
Well, this year my album will HAVE TO COME OUT! I know some of yaw'll are like COME ON LEEL, but I really want to try to get the best deal I can get. And I've learned that record company rule # 4080 (record company people are shady!) is oh so true! I also plan on shedding on some of my doubles a little more than I have in the past. Especially my sop. sax, flute, and piano. I want to get stronger on those.... Well, that's all I have to say on for today... I'm going to try to get some shut eye again. I hope this blog finds and holds the interest of SOMEONE out there.... If not, they can check me @ http://www.jaleelshaw.com
Later... - LEEL