John Denver Epiphany

[April 2010] I was enjoying a rare evening at home with my wife, listening to some records (yes – Records). We were going through some sides that haven’t been spun in ages. A touch of jazz, a bit of disco, some “easy listening”, and then we ran across a record that I needed to spin again and again and again. It was John Denver’s Rocky Mountain High. Fantastic! He was a brilliant tunesmith and that song Prisoners is a work of Art. So here I am living in an entirely Dominican neighborhood of Manhattan listening to John Denver… Huh!?! What’s going on here?

A great thing about New York is that it’s a veritable smorgasbord of jazz music. It’s all here. You can go out on any night and find the specific style that you really dig. Bebop, Big Band, Vocal, Latin Jazz, Free Jazz, Swing, Post-Bop, Lounge Jazz, Experimental, Student Ensembles, Electric, etc., the list goes on and on. All of the music that I love to play on my horn.

When pausing to reflect, I am aware of a dramatic difference between the music that IS happening and the music that was taught to me during my previous academic existence. The Academic musical cannon contains “correct” music that you “should” listen to, especially as a trumpeter. There is a rich history of classical (and jazz) music that is Right. The repertoire contains famous orchestral works and excellent solo opportunities, it traverses the beauty of the baroque all the way to the angst of contemporary atonal composers, plus it can offer the opportunity to perform music written by the worlds greatest composers. I really do love this music, which is good considering the years of study and performance that I have invested both as a student and as a teacher. Yet this laborious study is not significantly represented within my current world of sound.

As an Artist, there is a constant need to self analyze, to reflect upon one’s creative output. I carefully consider the music that I would like to present, especially as a leader. I realize that life is too short to invest in a path that is not true. But something seems unsettling. There’s a hole in my head. What’s missing? Why don’t I feel complete when combining these two huge influences? Classical and jazz?

The epiphany:

I like John Denver’s music.

Here are some additional artists and bands that I’m almost embarrassed to like: Lionel Richie, Barry Manilow, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zepplin, Iron Maiden, ZZ Top, Cinderella, Guns & Roses, Living Color, Primus, Rage Against the Machine, Prince, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Sting, and the list goes on and on. They’re not highbrow or serious enough for classical musicians; and they’re not cool or obscure enough for jazz musicians. But there it is, dig it.

My complete musical package includes everything I’ve ever internalized through repetitive listening, including the Good, Bad and Ugly. I need to accept and deal with these three sides of my musical personality: Classical, Jazz AND Rock. I’m sure Rock and Pop has influenced my musical subconscious as much as jazz and classical, perhaps even more. Now I can play what needs to be played.

Axiom of Jazz: Choice lies not with what you export to the audience, but with what you import into your subconscious through diligent study.

If you aspire to be an improvising musician, you should play what needs to be played according to your own set of ears. Do NOT play what you think someone else thinks should be played; they hired you, or paid to listen to you, wanting to hear what you think should be played. Truly improvised creative musical ideas are based upon your musical subconscious, primarily built through what you choose to listen to over the course of your lifetime. This is what comprises your “voice” as a jazz artist. Believe in your own voice - I finally do.

Modern Range Expectations

[April 2010] This post addresses the range requirements of a modern professional jazz trumpeter, so it may be a little too specific for most people. You know… high notes and stuff…

Professional jazz trumpet players are expected to play higher today than ever before in the history of the instrument. Perhaps the closest historical comparison would be during the baroque era, or as Ed Tarr would say, “the golden age of the trumpet.” The picture above is a great example of a typical working trumpet section (L-R: Kelly Rossum, Seneca Black, Andy Gravish, Alex Norris).

Tarr claims that the golden age of the natural trumpet lies between 1600-1750 (can’t argue with that). The virtuosity required to perform even the simplest baroque trumpet music is often beyond the modern trumpeter’s abilities. To perform baroque melodies based upon stepwise motion and other standard melodic shapes, the trumpeter must stay in the upper most register of the instrument for the duration of the piece. The composers of the baroque era almost always wrote for individual performers, whom they knew personally, in order to assure the level of proficiency needed to execute their parts. These performers would occasionally take apprentices, to share the secrets of playing the trumpet. Only then would the master’s knowledge and experience, forged through years of heat (have You ever tried to play these things?!?!) be passed along to the next generation. Guilds of the time were very strict in allowing only highly trained trumpeters into the ranks of the artist class.

There are three primary factors contributing to today’s situation: 1) Jazz, 2) Technology, and 3) Population.

Louis Armstrong was a beast on the trumpet. Period. His influence went far beyond the virtuosic skills he so brilliantly incorporated into his improvisations; his persona influenced an entire nation’s cultural contribution to the world. The explosion of jazz across the globe (with Louis leading the charge) renewed a sense of wonder for the upper register of the trumpet. Trust me, the 19^th Century wasn’t so happening for high notes. Jazz also championed the individual skills of the performer, much more so than the previous focus upon the composer. This focus on individuality led to unusual techniques and upper register specialists. The first generation of individual jazz artists not only greatly influenced subsequent generations; they left unspoken technical challenges evidenced within their recordings.

The discovery and popularization of recorded music cannot be underestimated when discussing technical aspects of musical production on acoustic instruments (i.e. high notes). We do not have any aural records of Johann Altenburg or Goetfried Reiche; we truly do not know what they sounded like. With recorded sound, we can continue to study and learn decades past the actual performance. Modern technology also influences the production of the instruments themselves. Although a trumpet has primarily stayed the same over hundreds of years (buzz your lips in one end - sound comes out the other), the sheer availability of quality instruments has changed so radically over the past 100 years we forget to consider its global effect. And of course, we are now in the Age of Information, essentially connected to the combined consciousness of the human race through this little glowing screen in front of us. We can see and hear thousands of trumpeters, through decades of recorded media, at any moment. The next generation of trumpeters will be a sight to behold indeed! Technology has changed the world and we have yet to understand its long-term effects.

In this modern era, more people are playing the trumpet throughout the world, simply because there are more People. If we were to keep the same approximate percentage of virtuosic playing, as say the Golden Age of the Baroque Trumpet, and then factored in today’s Global Population, that would give us thousands more outstanding trumpeters today. This will only continue.

The results of these three contributing factors are most evident in today’s Big Band trumpeters.

The big bands of the 30’s and 40’s were so numerous; there were literally hundreds of working trumpeters. Out of that number, only a relatively small percent of them had the chops and training to play lead. Even the big name outfits only had one or two cats covering lead, the others really couldn’t (or wouldn’t) deal with the range requirements of the charts. I’m not knocking any of these players, far be it, the situation of today has just changed, that’s all.

The GRP big band from 1992 is an example of a band comprised of “stars”; now it’s commonplace for name big bands to be comprised entirely of absolute monsters, including the trumpet sections. The soloists are often lead players, and the lead players will often improvise. This could arguably be due to the increase in skill amongst the professional ranks in conjunction with the current number of working big bands.

The common division of roles still found in academia is simply not true in the professional arena. Most college bands are reading music that was actually written for college jazz ensembles. This of course creates a vicious circle of low expectations for big band trumpeters. The need isn’t there to develop a section of skilled individuals, because the charts are expressly written for their “assigned skills” (i.e. 2^nd = solo, 1^st = lead, 3^rd & 4^th = section). High school bands are even worse. Everyone SHOULD solo and everyone SHOULD play some lead. Before you think I don’t understand the difficulties of academia, consider the expectations of a professional Symphonic Orchestra musician. Nobody would ever expect a young professional to successfully audition for an orchestra after only focusing on the fourth trumpet part throughout their entire academic studies! Why is this considered OK for a Jazz musician?? In NYC, every chair can play every other chair on 97% of the charts. Plus, solos are often determined by the leader; when they point at you, blow!

When I listen to modern jazz trumpeters, especially when they are playing within the high-energy environment of a large ensemble, I realize the overall level of individual skill has risen dramatically during the past 50 years. They are not only heavy weight soloists, but are also outstanding section players (tone, pitch, blend), sight-readers, and can hold down a lead book if needed. Some of the names you may recognize are: Greg Gisbert, Sean Jones, Ryan Kisor, Wynton Marsalis, Alex Norris, Terell Stafford, Jim Seeley, and there are many, many more out there burning it up.

I believe we are entering a new golden age of the jazz trumpet. Dig it!