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Jazz Inside Magazine

ISSN: 2150-3419 (print) • ISSN 2150-3427 (online)

November-December 2018 – Volume 9, Number 9

Cover Photo and photo at right of Charles Lloyd

By Eric Nemeyer

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CONTENTSCONTENTS

CLUBS, CONCERTS, EVENTSCLUBS, CONCERTS, EVENTS 13 Calendar of Events 18 Clubs & Venue Listings

4 Charles Lloyd 10 Helen Sung

Jazz History FEATUREJazz History FEATURE 32 Clifford Brown, Pt 3 by John R. Barrett

INTERVIEWSINTERVIEWS 20 Patty Waters by Ken Weiss

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By Eric Nemeyer

JI: Could you discuss some of what you ex-

perienced or discovered playing in jazz clubs

in California with Ornette Coleman, Eric

Dolphy, among others, during those times in

the late 1950s while you were pursuing a

Master of Music degree at University of

Southern California?

CL: Master Higgins and I found each other in

L.A. Billy started playing in my band—

with Don Cherry, Bobby Hutcherson, Terry

Trotter and Scott La Faro—we gigged all over

Los Angeles. Master Higgins and I became

lifelong friends and collaborators. Ornette,

Eric and I had a lot of interaction as well, dur-

ing those years. It was a powerful and rich

cauldron. But New York was calling.

JI: What were some of the challenges and

opportunities you began to experience when

you moved to New York in the 1960s?

CL: Just figuring out where to live was a

challenge. When I first got there I went to the

Alvin Hotel where my hero, Prez had

stayed—but fortunately, the first night I was

there my friend, Booker Little, said, “Oh, no.

You’re coming home with me.” He saved me

from a few roads to destruction and des-

pair early on. We often stayed up late into the

night talking about music, but he also told me

how important character is. I came to under-

stand what they used to tell me on my grand-

father’s farm when I was growing up - “Every

tub’s got to have it’s own bottom.” I learned a

lot about survival during those early years in

New York City.

JI: Could you talk about the kind of musical

understandings that you developed with Ga-

bor Szabo while you were in drummer Chico

Hamilton’s band from 1960 to 1963, that in-

spired your compositional direction, and per-

formance interplay?

CL: Gabor and I were both Pisces, both

dreamers. He had been a freedom fighter in

Hungary. I brought him to Chico’s group. We

were very close. When we played it was al-

most telepathic. He already had the guitar

playing of the Roma people in his blood and I

opened him up to Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar

Khan. He started bending his notes more. We

had amazing musical moments together.

JI: What kinds of discussions did you have

with Cannonball Adderley, or what words of

advice or suggestions did he offer during your

tenure with his band in 1964, that made an

impact on your own music and or career?

CL: Cannon was a great man and very sup-

portive, encouraging, warm, a humanist. He

was very eloquent, and he liked fine cuisine—

and he was serious in the kitchen himself.

When we went through Memphis we would

eat at my folks house, and in Florida, we al-

ways ate at his parents house. He gave me a

lot of space to grow in the music. We traveled

coast to coast in two station wagons, 50 weeks

a year. The rhythm section was very special to

play with—Joe Zawinul, Sam Jones, Louis

Hayes. Playing with them every night made

me pick up the tempo in terms of develop-

ment. Cannon told me he wanted to be able to

hear that growth from night to night. In 1964

there were labor exchange laws and when the

Beatles came here, we were the exchange

group that went to England—where we were

received very warmly and enthusiastically.

JI: What kinds of driving forces and criteria

played a role—in the selection of players

and repertoire—in the creation and organiza-

tion of the quartet that you led from 1966-

1969 with Keith Jarrett, Cecil McBee [and

later Ron McClure] and Jack DeJohnette?

CL: Nature—the laws of attraction.

JI: How did the immense popularity of the

1966-69 group—having a commercial success

with the album Forest Flower, and being the

first jazz group to play at the Fillmore—

compare with what expectations, if any, that

you might have had initially?

CL: This is not something I was looking for.

It just happened. When we performed “Forest

Flower” in Monterey, we had no idea it was

being recorded. But it captured that mo-

ment. For some reason people in all walks of

life identified with “Forest Flower.” It was

like an anthem at the time.

JI: By comparison to the 1960s, when your

groups had reached a high level of popularity,

in the 1970s you were less active on the jazz

scene. What was your creative life like at that

point and what kinds of studies and personal

development were you pursuing?

CL: My mother died in 1969, and my best

friend Booker Little had died at the age of 23

in 1961. Scotty [LaFaro] died in the early 60s

as well. These deaths affected me profoundly.

I started to think that there must be more to

life than fame and fortune. My success came

very fast as a young man. I began living a life

of extreme excesses—life in the fast lane

which Booker had warned me about. On top

of that the music business wanted to control

me and put me in stadiums as a product. I

didn’t see what that had to do with music.

So I got off the bus, so to speak. I realized that

if I wanted to change the world through the

beauty of music, I had better start by changing

myself. I first moved to Malibu, California –

and then a few years later I moved to the more

reclusive and beautiful Big Sur, further up the

“The rhythm section was very special to play with—Joe Zawinul, Sam Jones, Louis Hayes. Playing with them every night made me pick up the tempo in terms of development. Cannon told me he wanted to be able to hear that

growth from night to night.”

Charles Lloyd

“...how important character is”

INTERVIEWINTERVIEW


coast. I fasted and meditated and hiked the

mountains. The years stretched on. It was a

difficult and wonderful period for me.

JI: How did your work with the pop group—

the Beach Boys—impact your creativity and

musical development? Mike Love was a

friend of mine. We share the same birthday,

March 15th. I had recorded on a couple of

their albums – and I think he thought it would

be novel if I went on the road with them from

time to time, since at that time I wasn’t per-

forming publicly with my own group.

JI: What was it about Michel Petrucciani that

inspired you to emerge in the 1980s from

what appeared to be a sabbatical from per-

forming and public involvement with your

music?

CL: Michel inspired me to come down off the

mountain, to leave my retreat. I wanted to

help him, as the elders had helped me. I saw a

fragile being and heard a strong, great talent.

He had the gift. So my friend Steve Cloud,

who had been trying to get me to perform for

a few years, organized several California con-

certs and then we took him to Europe in the

summer and fall of 1982, and again in the

summer of 1983. Later, I went back to the

mountain, but after a near death experience in

1986, I rededicated my self to this indigenous

art form called jazz. I returned to recording in

1989 with ECM and Fish Out of Water.

JI: Could you talk about your current group

and how they provide the elements you are

seeking to be inspired, at your creative best?

CL: I met Eric [Harland] shortly after Master

Higgins passed away in 2001. I was to have

opened at the Blue Note on 9/11. When we

did finally play on September 14, he was

playing with a midnight jam band. I would sit

and listen because something about Eric drew

me to him. I knew that from the other side

Higgins had sent him. Higgins had said he

would “always be with me”, so, I recognized

Eric immediately. Eric has been with me the

longest and he has grown immensely. Our

level of communication and understanding

has nothing to do with words. When Robert

Hurst left to perform with Diana Krall, I was

at a low point because I thought it was a great

4tet. Check out “Jumping the Creek.” Eric

said, “You know the things you love in Bob,

and the things you miss in Bob’s playing? I

know a bass player who will give you all of

that.” He was speaking of Reuben Renwick

Rogers from the islands. And sure enough he

brought it. When Reuben came aboard, it gave

us even more elasticity which I had been

longing for. So it was organic and we just

keep going. I met Jason [Moran] backstage at

Carnegie Hall when we performed there in

2006 with Sangam, the group with Eric and

Zakir Hussain. I went to Eric’s dressing room

to say hello to his mother who had come up

from Texas to hear the concert. There was

Jason glowing. I had not met him until Eric

introduced us. He said “your music touched

me all the way to my back bone.” And being

from the South I knew what that meant. Last

spring we had a scheduling problem with Geri

Allen who had been playing with me for sev-

eral years. Eric let me know that Jason want-

ed to play with me – “He understands.” I said

“Welcome.” Jason was the missing piece of

the puzzle. We have deep conversations every

night in the music. And he brings his own

unique perspective and language, reflecting

his deep knowledge and understanding of all

that came before and what is happening at this

very moment. It is a blessing to have this level

of clarity to interact with each time we play.

JI: What kind of direction have you received

if any, and/or freedom or latitude have you

been afforded in your recording efforts with

ECM Records?

CL: From the beginning, big freedom and

latitude. Much mutual respect and care be-

tween Manfred and myself. I was not just

starting out as a musician when I recorded

Fish Out of Water. But since I had been gone

so long from the music scene, there have been

a couple generations of music lovers who are

just now discovering my music.

JI: Could you talk about the kinds of inspir-

ing sounds, sights, people, situations, and op-

portunities, especially involving jazz, that

played a significant part in your upbringing in

Memphis and that contributed to your career

pursuit?

CL: I was nine when I got my first saxo-

phone. Soon I had gigs with blues musicians

in Memphis—Howlin’ Wolf, Bobby Blue

Bland, B.B. King, Roscoe Gordon, Johnny

Ace, Jr. Parker. Memphis had a long tradition

of great jazz musicians from Jimmy Lunce-

ford, W.C. Handy, Bill Harvey, Willie Mitch-

ell—and a lot of jazz bands came through

town: Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton,

Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Louis Armstong,

Dizzy Gillespie, Billy Eckstine, Dinah Wash-

ington. Since there were no hotels for Blacks,

my mother rented out rooms to musicians

when they came through. I would get up at the

crack of dawn every morning waiting for

them to come down. Then I would pounce on

them to try and learn everything about the

music. Duke and Hamp were always very

kind to me. This is the music I grew up listen-

ing to, along with the blues I heard on my

grandfather’s farm in Mississippi, the songs of

my great grandmother, Sallie Sunflower

Whitecloud and the “shake in your shoes”

gospel singing on Sundays. I was about nine

when Phineas Newborn turned me on to Bird

and gave me a record, “Relaxin’ at Camaril-

lo.” Bird stole my heart with his modern ap-

proach and flight. This is what I wanted to

do. Phineas was a mentor to me. He grabbed

me after I won an amateur show and told me I

needed lessons bad. So, right away, I came

back to earth after so much applause and adu-

lation. He took me by the hand and lead me

around the corner to Irvin Reason on Beale

Street, who became my teacher. But Phineas

was a beautiful soul, with a great gift. A cou-

ple years later, he had me join his father’s

band. Knowing Phineas and having him look

after my development was a great blessing in

(Continued on page 8)

Charles Lloyd

“I realized that if I wanted to change the world

through the beauty of music, I had better start

by changing myself.”


my life. Phineas was a genius. He was our

Bach and Beethoven rolled into one. He was

in the lineage of Art Tatum and Bud Powell.

George Coleman lived a block from my high

school. He was very helpful to Booker [Little]

and myself. He was another great Memphis

musician who developed early and was very

encouraging to us. When I got out to Califor-

nia in the mid 50s to study at USC, I had 300

years of European classical music during the

day, but at night, I found people to jam with

like Billy Higgins, Bobby Hutcherson, Or-

nette Coleman, Don Cherry. Horace Tapscott

and I, along with Cherry, Eric Dolphy, Harold

Land, Elmo Hope, Clifford Jordan, Walter

Benton were in Gerald Wilson’s big band.

And Buddy Collette, who is the spiritual fa-

ther of Mingus, and Eric [Dolphy], began to

mentor me and send me on gigs. He is respon-

sible for my joining Chico.

JI: Having developed your sound and skills as

an improviser over many years, in many dif-

ferent inspiring situations, what kinds of prac-

tice, perspectives or approaches do you cur-

rently undertake to stay fresh, and constantly

expand your approach?

CL: I spend a lot of time in my laboratory and

hiking the mountains, swimming under water,

walking along the sea and reading. I am a

solitary creature, so when I am not touring,

people don’t see me around much. It’s been

said I play a mean game of ping pong.

JI: Could you discuss the kinds of processes

and challenges that you go through and expe-

rience in composing a new composition?

CL: That is such an internal process, it is not

something I can not discuss with fluidity. It is

beyond words.

JI: Discuss the temptation to focus on or be

drawn to technique over the music itself that

some artists experience. How have you

worked to balance the two?

CL: I am a sound seeker, and I am in service.

I still have to row the boat.

JI: Dan Boorstin, former Librarian of Con-

gress stated that “The greatest obstacle to dis-

covery is not ignorance, it is the illusion of

knowledge.” How have you experienced and

dealt with this in your life? In dealing with

others?

CL: As a young man I knew too much, the

older I get, the less I know.

JI: What are some of the things that you’d

like to do musically and artistically that you

have not yet done or otherwise accomplished?

CL: My next concert. I try to have a begin-

ner’s mind.

JI: How do you stay balanced—as an artist,

as an individual in contemporary society in

the face the stress and sensory overload that

surrounds us?

CL: Who told you I am balanced? I just do

the best I can and put one foot in front of the

other and try not to trip.

JI: Are there words of wisdom or a quote

that has significantly influenced you that

you’d like to share with the readers?

CL: “Truth is one, sages call it by various

names.” Rig Veda

JI: If there is one for you, what is the connec-

tion between music and spirituality?

CL: All this is that. We are all spirits on a

human journey and music is the best way I

know to communicate more directly and most

deeply to the heart.

(Continued from page 7)

Charles Lloyd


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Interview By Eric Nemeyer

Photo by Kat Villacorta

JI: Could you talk about your new album on Con-

cord and the transition or expansion you have made

from Classical music to jazz.

HS: I feel like I’m treading water finally. I feel like

I had failed all of my classical stuff. I played classi-

cal for so long but I failed it because I was really

chasing this jazz thing. I did do a CD that was kind

of a mix of the classical and jazz and I’ve been

introduced to a whole bunch of other music. But

those are the big pillars I would say—kind of the

running theme. Then the goal of any artist, any

leader, is to have a consistent band—and that’s

hard. From my experience it hasn’t been the easiest

thing because everybody’s so busy doing different

things. But I’ve gradually kind of formed a pool of

musicians I’d really love to work with. These are

the musicians that I’ve selected for this recording

because I felt like the music for this recording rep-

resented—because the process never ends. You’re

a fellow artist, you know that.

JI: The process is endless. When we stay on the

path of mastery, we definitely can reach levels of

subtlety that we never could have imagined when

we first started out.

HS: Yes, exactly. The more you get into swing,

there are just more and more levels of that. That to

me is one of the most wonderful and infuriating

things about music [laughter because I’m a perfec-

tionist and it’s never perfected. It’s a balance I have

to hold. It’s a tension, I guess, one has to hold.

JI: So I guess when you listen back after recording,

do you sometimes want to jump off a bridge when

you hear certain things that weren’t quite as you

expected? It’s happened with me and numerous

artists with whom I’ve spoken. Astonishingly,

when you let it go for weeks or months and you

come back to it, it’s not uncommon to say, “Wow,

that’s really good.”

HS: [laughter] Yes, I know exactly what you’re

talking about. I do. Yes, that’s hilarious. Once you

make the record, you’re like “Oh, my God, I don’t

want to listen to that anymore.” With this album, as

my first five albums—I am proud of them, and the

recording of them. I hear many voices, well-

meaning, from teachers, mentors and what not, just

“Helen, you need to check this out, Helen, you

need to be more that, Helen did you think about

this?” Even though every album I had an idea for

it, I feel like with this album it’s the beginning of

me being more confident about who I am as an

artist and where I’m headed. So I’m so excited and

thankful that this coincided with my first major

label.

JI: I heard you get a little anxious there when you

used the word but. Maybe try the word “and” in-

stead.

HS: “And” [laughter]. Thank you. I’ve got to re-

member that one. I don’t mean to denigrate the

former albums or the labels associated with them

because I’m so grateful for those labels who be-

lieved in me as an artist to release my work. I’m so

thankful. Like you said, sometimes when I go back

and listen I’m like “Wow, that wasn’t as bad as I

thought.” That’s very fortuitous because Concord

is great. They have such amazing history and just

this incredible roster of artists and I’m really hon-

ored to be a part of that. They have an amazing

platform for introducing me to hopefully a whole

bigger audience and a level of exposure, and I’m

excited. I’m excited to see how this album is re-

ceived.

JI: Well, I think that being with Concord is a really

good development for you. Over the last fifteen

years of publishing Jazz Improv and Jazz Inside

Magazines, I’ve had the opportunity to observe and

experience how every record label, publicist, pro-

moter, and manager works — or doesn’t work. The

positive, upbeat attitudes among the staff at Con-

cord are palpable. Their clarity of communication

and responsiveness is noteworthy. And, the percep-

tiveness and business savvy at the company repre-

sent models of success that industry participants

could derive benefit for themselves—and for those

artists and industry participants who may have in

good faith signed over their masters and their mar-

keting in hopes of getting the service and results

they were promised.

HS: [laughter] Oh dear. Well that makes me feel

good because my experience with them has been

really positive too. So I’m really grateful. I was so

lucky that all these people came together, were

available, and then also, of course, to have Paquito

[D’Rivera] and Regina Carter—what an icing on

the cake. I appreciate their individuality and their

artistry. I also love how they play my music - what

they bring to the table. They bring it alive. As a

classical artist who was never encouraged to write

music when I grew up, I’m just floored. I have to

laugh that, “Wow, I wrote this and I played and

people played.” It’s such a great feeling. I know

you know what I’m talking about.

JI: Yes, to hear something that you’ve struggled

with ... Sometimes it comes easy, sometimes you

struggle with writing the music, and you think,

“Well gee, should the bridge be maybe a whole

step up or a third down? I wonder what that sounds

like.” I remember reading in one of Ellington’s

biographies how he agonized over the bridge to

“Sophisticated Lady.” I think the book actually

showed two or three or four different bridges he

wrote – representing different tonal modulations.

HS: Oh my goodness. That’s so fascinating.

JI: But, you have to decide on something –commit

to it – and move forward. What are you going to

do, write fifteen versions?

HS: That’s the great thing because back in the day,

Ron Carter was our Artistic Director at the Monk

Institute and he would say that they [Miles Davis’

group] would be playing these songs for months,

five to six nights a week, sometimes seven nights a

week, two or three sets a night. They’d be working

all of this stuff out – and a lot of their recordings

are the product of this continuous accumulation of

songs or performance. That’s what I think makes

those recordings so rich and so complex. Unfortu-

nately, the way things are done these days is a little

bit different. It seems like it’s almost backwards:

you record and then you tour the music, which I

accept. That’s our world and we have to deal. I

didn’t mean to wait this long to make a recording,

to make my next recording. But in a way it was a

blessing because I had a chance to - I guess the

term is workshop - workshop the music on a lot of

my gigs. So I did try out some of the fourth or fifth

or sixth versions [laughter].

JI: That means things evolve. Everybody is in

process.

HS: Yes, I know. Band members were like, “Okay,

Helen, what’s different this time?” [laughter] So

that’s maybe one way I try to get some of that pro-

cess in before I record. I think it’s important. I

think both ways can work. But for me, it takes a

while for it to reach where I feel like this is kind of

the form that I want it to be. But even then, one of

the songs I performed on the album … I don’t play

it that way anymore. So it’s just a big mess some-

times. It’s messy but that’s what I love about jazz.

It’s real life. It’s grounded. It’s earthy. It’s messy

but full of great surprises, and it’s life. That’s why I

feel like this music will always be relevant and

always alive.

JI: During my first few years in college, I was a

Biology major. During the first class, the first ques-

tion that one of the biology professors asked was,

“What distinguishes life from what is not living?

He proceeded to answer his own question saying

that life is distinguished by spontaneous movement

– isn’t that what improvisation is predicated upon?

HS: Absolutely. I love that.

JI: Yes. By the way, in reference to what you were

saying about what Ron Carter said about develop-

ing the music on the bandstand …. In an interview

with Lou Donaldson, Lou emphasized that all those

Blue Note albums that he did with Lonnie Smith

and others were the product of several months of

touring on the “Chitlin’ Circuit.” Then they’d come

back to New York and they’d record for Blue Note

based on having worked out those tunes on the

road.


Helen Sung

“keep being true to yourself”

INTERVIEWINTERVIEW

November-December 2018 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com 12 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 Visit JohnALewisJazz.com

New CD Release from Dallas Area Pianist

John A. Lewis

John A. Lewis, piano Merik Gillett, drums Robert Trusko, bass TRACKS: Backstory Deadline Jacked Complicity Bylines Liable Precocity Excerpt from the “Ancient

Dance Suite” What Say I A Cautionary Ruse All compositions by John A Lewis

http://www.johnalewisjazz.com

13 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 November-December 2018 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com

Thursday, November 1 Pat Martino Trio + Horns; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.

Andy Laverne Quartet; Troy Roberts Quartet; Charles Goold "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Jon Batiste & Friends - Jon Batiste, Piano/Vox/Harmonabord; Joe Saylor, Drums; Phil Kuehn, Bass; Tivon Pennicott, Tenor Sax; Patrick Bartley, Alto Sax; Giveton Gelin, Trumpet ; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.

Friday, November 2 Yotam Silberstein Quartet; Joe Farnsworth Trio; Corey Wallace

DUBtet "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.


Saturday, November 3 Smalls Showcase: Corin Stiggall Quintet; Yotam Silberstein Quartet;

Joe Farnsworth Trio; Philip Harper Quintet; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.


Sunday, November 4 Vocal Masterclass with Marion Cowings; Ehud Asherie Trio; David

Gibson Quintet; Ben Zweig Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.


Monday, November 5 Joel Frahm Trio; Jonathan Barber Quartet; Jon Elbaz Trio "After-

hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Tuesday, November 6 Shai Maestro Trio; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.

Spike Wilner Trio; Frank Lacy Group; Malik McLaurine Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Wednesday, November 7 Gilad Hekselman Trio; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.

Loren Stillman & Steve Cardenas Quartet feat. Ben Allison and Matt Wilson; Sam Dillon Quartet; Giveton Gelin Quintet "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Thursday, November 8 James Francies Band; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.

Carl Bartlett Jr. Quartet; Brian Melvin's Sacred Geometry; Sean Mason "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Friday, November 9 James Francies Band; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.

Vocal Masterclass with Marion Cowings; Ehud Asherie Trio; David Gibson Quintet; Ben Zweig Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Saturday, November 10 Marcus Strickland's Twi-Life; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.

Smalls Showcase: Jon Roche & Friends; Mike Boone Quartet; The

Flail; Brooklyn Circle; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Sunday, November 11 Marcus Strickland's Twi-Life; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.

Vocal Masterclass with Marion Cowings; Fat Cat Big Band swings the work of J.S. Bach, Strayhorn, Ellington, Basie, & Synstelien; Tim McCall Quintet; Alon Near Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Monday, November 12 Palladium: Celebrating Wayne Shorter; Joe Farnsworth Trio featuring

Buster Williams; Jon Elbaz Trio "After-hours"

Tuesday, November 13 Steve Nelson Quartet; Abraham Burton Quartet; Malik McLaurine Trio

"After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Wednesday, November 14 Remy Le Boeuf Quintet; Akiko Tsuruga Quartet; Aaron Seeber "After-


Thursday, November 15 Sean Jones Quartet; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.

Samir Zarif Sextet; Benny Benack Band; Endea Owens "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Friday, November 16 Sean Jones Quartet; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.

Paul Nedzela Quartet; George Coleman Jr. Quintet; JD Allen "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Saturday, November 17 Sean Jones Quartet; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.

Smalls Showcase: Ben Barnett Quintet; Paul Nedzela Quartet; George Coleman Jr. Quintet; Jon Beshay "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Sunday, November 18 Sean Jones Quartet; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.

Vocal Masterclass with Marion Cowings; Nick Hempton Band; JC Stylles/Steve Nelson "Hitting the Hutch"; Ben Zweig Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Monday, November 19 Lucas Pino Nonet; Jonathan Michel Quintet; Jon Elbaz Trio "After-


Tuesday, November 20 Maria Schneider Orchestra; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.

Robert Edwards Quintet; Frank Lacy Group; Malik McLaurine Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Wednesday, November 21 Maria Schneider Orchestra; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.

Marshall McDonald Jazz Project; Harold Mabern Trio; Julius Rodri-guez "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars: Dizzy's Birthday Celebration

Thursday, November 22 Wycliffe Gordon; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy


CALENDAR OF EVENTSCALENDAR OF EVENTS

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Maria Schneider Orchestra; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.

Carlos Abadie Quintet; Davis Whitfield "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.


Friday, November 23 Wycliffe Gordon; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy


Birdland Big Band; Birdland, 315 W. 44th

John Fedchock Quartet; Jason Marshall Group; JD Allen "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.


Saturday, November 24 Wycliffe Gordon; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy


Eric Comstock; Birdland, 315 W. 44th

Smalls Showcase: Michael Wang Quintet; John Fedchock Quartet; Jason Marshall Group; Brooklyn Circle; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.


Sunday, November 25 Wycliffe Gordon; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy


Ken Peplowski Big Band; Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra; Birdland, 315 W. 44th

Vocal Masterclass with Marion Cowings; Lezlie Harrison Quartet; Tad Shull Quartet; Alon Near Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.


Monday, November 26 Terry Waldo; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy

Mingus Big Band; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.

Bonnie Milligan; Birdland, 315 W. 44th

Ari Hoenig Trio; Joe Farnsworth Trio; Jon Elbaz Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Sheila Jordan's 90th Birthday Celebration

Tuesday, November 27 David Berger Orchestra with Harry Allen Celebrate the Four Brothers:

Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn and Gerry Mulligan; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy

Willerm Delisfort Project; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy

Frank Kimbrough: Monk's Dream; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.

Curtis Stigers; Birdland, 315 W. 44th

Phillip Johnston & The Silent Six; Abraham Burton Quartet; Malik McLaurine Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Mark Turner, tenor saxophone; Jason Palmer, trumpet; David Virelles, piano; Matt Brewer, bass; Nasheet Waits, drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.

John Scofield Quartet ft Gerald Clayton, Vicente Archer & Bill Stewart

Wednesday, November 28 David Berger Orchestra with Harry Allen Celebrate the Four Brothers:

Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn and Gerry Mulligan; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy

Willerm Delisfort Project; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy

Frank Kimbrough: Monk's Dream; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.


Tyler Blanton Trio; Patrick Cornelius Octet; Jovan Alexandre "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Mark Turner Quartet; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.


Thursday, November 29 Willerm Delisfort Project; Dizzy’s, Jazz At Lincoln Ctr, 60th & Bdwy

Mary Stallings with the Emmet Cohen Trio; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy

Aaron Goldberg Trio with Matt Penman & Leon Parker; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.


Landline; Luca Santaniello Trio; Mike Troy "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Mark Turner, tenor saxophone; Jason Palmer, trumpet; David Virelles, piano; Matt Brewer, bass; Nasheet Waits, drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.


Friday, November 30 Willerm Delisfort; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy

Mary Stallings with the Emmet Cohen Trio; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy

Aaron Goldberg Trio with Matt Penman & Leon Parker; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.

Mark Turner, tenor saxophone; Jason Palmer, trumpet; David Virelles, piano; Matt Brewer; Nasheet Waits; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.


Saturday, December 1 Eric Comstock; Birdland, 315 W. 44th

Steve Slagle Quartet; Joel Ross Quartet; Eric Wyatt "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Mark Turner, Tenor Saxophone; Jason Palmer, Trumpet; David Virelles, Piano; Matt Brewer, Bass; Nasheet Waits, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.

John Scofield Quartet Ft Gerald Clayton, Vicente Archer & Bill Stew-art; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.

Sunday, December 2 Mary Stallings with Emmett Cohen Trio; Willerm Delisfort; Dizzy’s

Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy

Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra; Birdland, 315 W. 44th

Vocal Masterclass with Marion Cowings; Tardo Hammer Trio; Angela Roberts Quartet; Ben Zweig Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th

Mark Turner, Tenor Saxophone; Jason Palmer, Trumpet; David Virelles, Piano; Matt Brewer, Bass; Nasheet Waits, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.

John Scofield Quartet Ft Gerald Clayton, Vicente Archer & Bill Stew-art; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.


http://www.jazz.org/dizzys


Pat Martino & Jimmy HeathPat Martino & Jimmy Heath

© Eric Nemeyer© Eric Nemeyer


Monday, December 3 Manhattan School of Music Jazz Orch with Paquito D'Rivera; Dizzy’s


Jason Kravits; Birdland, 315 W. 44th

Joel Frahm Group; Joe Farnsworth Group; Jon Elbaz Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Vanguard Jazz Orchestra; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.

Arturo Sandoval; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.

Tuesday, December 4 NY Youth Sympony Jazz with Roxy Coss; Alexander Claffy; Dizzy’s


Pharoah Sanders; Birdland, 315 W. 44th

Spike Wilner Trio; Frank Lacy Group; Malik McLaurine Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Peter Bernstein Trio - Jim Hall Birthday Celebration - Peter Bernstein, Guitar; Doug Weiss, Bass; Leon Parker, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.


Wednesday, December 5 Alexis Cuadrado; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy


DIVA Project; Birdland, 315 W. 44th

Kenny Brooks Quartet; Mike Karn Quartet; Davis Whitfield "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Peter Bernstein, Guitar; Sullivan Fortner, Piano; Doug Weiss, Bass; Leon Parker, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.


Thursday, December 6 Obba Babatunde & Friends; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th

& Bdwy


Michael Feinberg Quintet; Dan Aran's New York Family: Album Release Show; Jonathan Thomas; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Peter Bernstein; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.


Friday, December 7 Ben Allison; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy



Myron Walden Quartet; Dmitry Baevsky Quartet; Corey Wallace DUBtet "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.



Saturday, December 8 Ben Allison; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy


Eric Comstock; Birdland, 315 W. 44th

Myron Walden; Dmitry Baevsky; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.



Sunday, December 9 Ben Allison; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy

Eyal Vilner Big Band; Birdland, 315 W. 44th

Vocal Masterclass with Marion Cowings; Marianne Solivan Quartet; JC Stylles Organ Quartet; Alon Near Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.



Monday, December 10 Juilliard Jazz Ensembles Play Lennie Tristano, Charlie Parker; Dizzy’s


Michael Longoria; Birdland, 315 W. 44th

Ari Hoenig; Jonathan Michel; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.


Chris Botti; Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.

Tuesday, December 11 Sullivan Fortner; Alphonso Horne; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln

Center, 60th & Bdwy

Stacey Kent; Birdland, 315 W. 44th

Ian Hendrickson-Smith Quartet; Abraham Burton Quartet; Malik McLaurine Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Kenny Barron Quintet; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.


Wednesday, December 12 Sullivan Fortner; Alphonso Horne; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln

Center, 60th & Bdwy


Jonathan Kreisberg Quartet; Josh Lawrence "Color Theory"; Micah Thomas "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Kenny Barron Quintet - Mike Rodriguez, Trumpet; Dayna Stephens, Saxophone; Kenny Barron, Piano; Kiyoshi Kitagawa, Bass; Johnathan Blake, drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.


Thursday, December 13 Riley's Red Hot Holidays; Dizzy’s, Jazz At Lincoln Ctr, 60th & Bdwy


Jonathan Kreisberg Quartet; Joe Sanders Trio; Aaron Seeber "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Kenny Barron Quintet; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.


Friday, December 14 Joe Farnsworth; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy



James Barbour Celebrates the Holidays; Birdland, 315 W. 44th

Mark Soskin Quartet; Freddie Bryant Quintet; JD Allen "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.



Saturday, December 15 Joe Farnsworth; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy


James Barbour Celebrates the Holidays; Birdland, 315 W. 44th

Smalls Showcase: Kristina Koller Quintet; Mark Soskin Quartet; Freddie Bryant; Jon Beshay "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.



Sunday, December 16 Joe Farnsworth Quartet; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th &

Bdwy

Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra; Birdland, 315 W. 44th

Vocal Masterclass with Marion Cowings; Ralph Lalama & "Bop-Juice"; Bruce Harris Quintet; Ben Zweig Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.



Monday, December 17 Dick Hyman; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy

Steve Ross; Birdland, 315 W. 44th

Ari Hoenig Trio; Joe Farnsworth Group; Jon Elbaz Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.



Tuesday, December 18 Dick Hyman; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy

Isaiah J. Thompson; Dizzy’s, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy

Steve Ross; Birdland, 315 W. 44th

Landline; Malik McLaurine Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Kenny Barron Trio – Kenny Barron, piano; Regina Carter, Violin; Kenny Barron, Piano; Kiyoshi Kitagawa, Bass; Johnathan Blake, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.


Wednesday, December 19 Jason Marsalis; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy

Freddy Cole Quartet Featuring Special Guest Joel Frahm; Birdland, 315 W. 44th

New York Jazz Nine; Harold Mabern Trio; Micah Thomas "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Kenny Barron; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.


Matt Wilson's Christmas Tree-O + Special Guest Aaron Diehl; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.

Thursday, December 20 Jason Marsalis; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy


Russ Nolan Quartet; Caleb Curtis Quartet; Jonathan Thomas "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Kenny Barron Trio; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.


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Houston Person Quartet; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.

Friday, December 21 Barry Harris Trio; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy


Randy Johnston Trio; Robin Eubanks Group; Corey Wallace DUBtet "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Kenny Barron; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.



Saturday, December 22 Barry Harris Trio; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy


Smalls Showcase: Ben Barnett Quintet; Randy Johnston Trio; Robin Eubanks Group; Brooklyn Circle; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.



Smokestack Brunch: David O'Rourke Trio featuring Jim Ridl and Lorin Cohen; Houston Person Quartet; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.

Sunday, December 23 Barry Harris Trio; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy

Freddy Cole; Birdland, 315 W. 44th

Champian Fulton; Birdland, 315 W. 44th

Alex Hoffman Quintet; Charles Owens Quartet; Alon Near Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.




Monday, December 24 Barry Harris Trio; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy

Jake Ehrenreich with the Roger Kellaway Trio; Birdland, 315 W. 44th

Ehud Asherie Trio; Mike Troy Quartet; Jon Elbaz Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.



Tuesday, December 25 Jake Ehrenreich with the Roger Kellaway Trio; Birdland, 315 W. 44th

Steve Nelson Quartet; Malik McLaurine; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Chris Potter, Saxophone; David Virelles, Piano; Joe Martin, Bass; Marcus Gilmore, Drums; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.


Wednesday, December 26 Carlos Henriquez; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy

David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band; Birdland, 315 W. 44th

Itamar Borochov; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Chris Potter; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.


Michael Leonhart Orchestra "Holiday Show" with Special Guests; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.

Thursday, December 27 Carlos Henriquez; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy


Keith Brown Group; Carlos Abadie Quintet; Aaron Seeber "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.



Raul Midón; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.

Friday, December 28 Carlos Henriquez; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy


Valery Ponomarev Quintet; Dezron Douglas Group; JD Allen "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.



Raul Midón; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.

Saturday, December 29 Carlos Henriquez; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy


Billy Mintz Quintet; Dezron Douglas Group; Eric Wyatt "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.



Raul Midón Band; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.

Sunday, December 30 Carlos Henriquez; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy


Deborah Davis; Neal Caine Group; Ben Zweig Trio "After-hours"; Small's, 183 W. 10th St.

Chris Potter, Saxophone; David Virelles, Piano; Joe Martin, Bass; Marcus Gilmore, Drums) ; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.


Raul Midón Band; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.

Monday, December 31 Carlos Henriquez; Dizzy’s Club, Jazz At Lincoln Center, 60th & Bdwy


Chris Potter; Village Vanguard 178 7th Ave S.


New Year's Eve with Mingus Big Band; Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St.

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5 C Cultural Center, 68 Avenue C. 212-477-5993. www.5ccc.com

55 Bar, 55 Christopher St. 212-929-9883, 55bar.com

92nd St Y, 1395 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10128,

212.415.5500, 92ndsty.org

Aaron Davis Hall, City College of NY, Convent Ave., 212-650-

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Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, Broadway & 65th St., 212-875-

5050, lincolncenter.org/default.asp

Allen Room, Lincoln Center, Time Warner Center, Broadway and

60th, 5th floor, 212-258-9800, lincolncenter.org

American Museum of Natural History, 81st St. & Central Park

W., 212-769-5100, amnh.org

Antibes Bistro, 112 Suffolk Street. 212-533-6088.

www.antibesbistro.com

Arthur’s Tavern, 57 Grove St., 212-675-6879 or 917-301-8759,

arthurstavernnyc.com

Arts Maplewood, P.O. Box 383, Maplewood, NJ 07040; 973-378-

2133, artsmaplewood.org

Avery Fischer Hall, Lincoln Center, Columbus Ave. & 65th St.,

212-875-5030, lincolncenter.org

BAM Café, 30 Lafayette Av, Brooklyn, 718-636-4100, bam.org

Bar Chord, 1008 Cortelyou Rd., Brooklyn, barchordnyc.com

Bar Lunatico, 486 Halsey St., Brooklyn. 718-513-0339.

222.barlunatico.com

Barbes, 376 9th St. (corner of 6th Ave.), Park Slope, Brooklyn,

718-965-9177, barbesbrooklyn.com

Barge Music, Fulton Ferry Landing, Brooklyn, 718-624-2083,

bargemusic.org

B.B. King’s Blues Bar, 237 W. 42nd St., 212-997-4144,

bbkingblues.com

Beacon Theatre, 74th St. & Broadway, 212-496-7070

Beco Bar, 45 Richardson, Brooklyn. 718-599-1645.

www.becobar.com

Bickford Theatre, on Columbia Turnpike @ Normandy Heights

Road, east of downtown Morristown. 973-744-2600

Birdland, 315 W. 44th, 212-581-3080

Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd, 212-475-8592, bluenotejazz.com

Bourbon St Bar and Grille, 346 W. 46th St, NY, 10036,

212-245-2030, [email protected]

Bowery Poetry Club, 308 Bowery (at Bleecker), 212-614-0505,

bowerypoetry.com

BRIC House, 647 Fulton St. Brooklyn, NY 11217, 718-683-5600,

http://bricartsmedia.org

Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza, 2nd Fl, Brooklyn,

NY, 718-230-2100, brooklynpubliclibrary.org

Café Carlyle, 35 E. 76th St., 212-570-7189, thecarlyle.com

Café Loup, 105 W. 13th St. (West Village) , between Sixth and

Seventh Aves., 212-255-4746

Café St. Bart’s, 109 E. 50th St, 212-888-2664, cafestbarts.com

Cafe Noctambulo, 178 2nd Ave. 212-995-0900. cafenoctam-

bulo.com

Caffe Vivaldi, 32 Jones St, NYC; caffevivaldi.com

Candlelight Lounge, 24 Passaic St, Trenton. 609-695-9612.

Carnegie Hall, 7th Av & 57th, 212-247-7800, carnegiehall.org

Cassandra’s Jazz, 2256 7th Avenue. 917-435-2250. cassan-

drasjazz.com

Chico’s House Of Jazz, In Shoppes at the Arcade, 631 Lake Ave.,

Asbury Park, 732-774-5299

City Winery, 155 Varick St. Bet. Vandam & Spring St., 212-608-

0555. citywinery.com

Cleopatra’s Needle, 2485 Broadway (betw 92nd & 93rd), 212-769-

6969, cleopatrasneedleny.com

Club Bonafide, 212 W. 52nd, 646-918-6189. clubbonafide.com

C’mon Everybody, 325 Franklin Avenue, Brooklyn.

www.cmoneverybody.com

Copeland’s, 547 W. 145th St. (at Bdwy), 212-234-2356

Cornelia St Café, 29 Cornelia, 212-989-9319

Count Basie Theatre, 99 Monmouth St., Red Bank, New Jersey

07701, 732-842-9000, countbasietheatre.org

Crossroads at Garwood, 78 North Ave., Garwood, NJ 07027,

908-232-5666

Cutting Room, 19 W. 24th St, 212-691-1900

Dizzy’s Club, Broadway at 60th St., 5th Floor, 212-258-9595,

jalc.com

DROM, 85 Avenue A, New York, 212-777-1157, dromnyc.com

The Ear Inn, 326 Spring St., NY, 212-226-9060, earinn.com

East Village Social, 126 St. Marks Place. 646-755-8662.

www.evsnyc.com

Edward Hopper House, 82 N. Broadway, Nyack NY. 854-358-

0774.

El Museo Del Barrio, 1230 Fifth Ave (at 104th St.), Tel: 212-831-

7272, Fax: 212-831-7927, elmuseo.org

Esperanto, 145 Avenue C. 212-505-6559. www.esperantony.com

The Falcon, 1348 Rt. 9W, Marlboro, NY., 845) 236-7970,

Fat Cat, 75 Christopher St., 212-675-7369, fatcatjazz.com

Fine and Rare, 9 East 37th Street. www.fineandrare.nyc

Five Spot, 459 Myrtle Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 718-852-0202, fivespot-

soulfood.com

Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., Flushing, NY, 718-

463-7700 x222, flushingtownhall.org

For My Sweet, 1103 Fulton St., Brooklyn, NY 718-857-1427

Galapagos, 70 N. 6th St., Brooklyn, NY, 718-782-5188, galapago-

sartspace.com

Garage Restaurant and Café, 99 Seventh Ave. (betw 4th and

Bleecker), 212-645-0600, garagerest.com

Garden Café, 4961 Broadway, by 207th St., New York, 10034,

212-544-9480

Gin Fizz, 308 Lenox Ave, 2nd floor. (212) 289-2220.

www.ginfizzharlem.com

Ginny’s Supper Club, 310 Malcolm X Boulevard Manhattan, NY

10027, 212-792-9001, http://redroosterharlem.com/ginnys/

Glen Rock Inn, 222 Rock Road, Glen Rock, NJ, (201) 445-2362,

glenrockinn.com

GoodRoom, 98 Meserole, Bklyn, 718-349-2373, goodroombk.com.

Green Growler, 368 S, Riverside Ave., Croton-on-Hudson NY.

914-862-0961. www.thegreengrowler.com

Greenwich Village Bistro, 13 Carmine St., 212-206-9777, green-

wichvillagebistro.com

Harlem on 5th, 2150 5th Avenue. 212-234-5600.

www.harlemonfifth.com

Harlem Tea Room, 1793A Madison Ave., 212-348-3471, har-

lemtearoom.com

Hat City Kitchen, 459 Valley St, Orange. 862-252-9147.

hatcitykitchen.com

Havana Central West End, 2911 Broadway/114th St), NYC,

212-662-8830, havanacentral.com

Highline Ballroom, 431 West 16th St (between 9th & 10th Ave.

highlineballroom.com, 212-414-4314.

Hopewell Valley Bistro, 15 East Broad St, Hopewell, NJ 08525,

609-466-9889, hopewellvalleybistro.com

Hudson Room, 27 S. Division St., Peekskill NY. 914-788-FOOD.

hudsonroom.com

Hyatt New Brunswick, 2 Albany St., New Brunswick, NJ

IBeam Music Studio, 168 7th St., Brooklyn, ibeambrooklyn.com

INC American Bar & Kitchen, 302 George St., New Brunswick

NJ. (732) 640-0553. www.increstaurant.com

Iridium, 1650 Broadway, 212-582-2121, iridiumjazzclub.com

Jazz 966, 966 Fulton St., Brooklyn, NY, 718-638-6910

Jazz at Lincoln Center, 33 W. 60th St., 212-258-9800, jalc.org

Frederick P. Rose Hall, Broadway at 60th St., 5th Floor

Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Reservations: 212-258-9595

Rose Theater, Tickets: 212-721-6500, The Allen Room, Tickets:

212-721-6500

Jazz Gallery, 1160 Bdwy, (212) 242-1063, jazzgallery.org

The Jazz Spot, 375 Kosciuszko St. (enter at 179 Marcus Garvey

Blvd.), Brooklyn, NY, 718-453-7825, thejazz.8m.com

Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St., 212-576-2232, jazzstandard.net

Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St & Astor Pl.,

212-539-8778, joespub.com

John Birks Gillespie Auditorium (see Baha’i Center)

Jules Bistro, 65 St. Marks Pl, 212-477-5560, julesbistro.com

Kasser Theater, 1 Normal Av, Montclair State College, Montclair,

973-655-4000, montclair.edu

Key Club, 58 Park Pl, Newark, NJ, 973-799-0306, keyclubnj.com

Kitano Hotel, 66 Park Ave., 212-885-7119. kitano.com

Knickerbocker Bar & Grill, 33 University Pl., 212-228-8490,

knickerbockerbarandgrill.com

Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard St, 212-219-3132, knittingfacto-

ry.com

Langham Place — Measure, Fifth Avenue, 400 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10018, 212-613-8738, langhamplacehotels.com

La Lanterna (Bar Next Door at La Lanterna), 129 MacDougal St,

New York, 212-529-5945, lalanternarcaffe.com

Le Cirque Cafe, 151 E. 58th St., lecirque.com

Le Fanfare, 1103 Manhattan Ave., Brooklyn. 347-987-4244.

www.lefanfare.com

Le Madeleine, 403 W. 43rd St. (betw 9th & 10th Ave.), New York,

New York, 212-246-2993, lemadeleine.com

Les Gallery Clemente Soto Velez, 107 Suffolk St, 212-260-4080

Lexington Hotel, 511 Lexington Ave. (212) 755-4400.

www.lexinghotelnyc.com

Live @ The Falcon, 1348 Route 9W, Marlboro, NY 12542,

Living Room, 154 Ludlow St. 212-533-7235, livingroomny.com

The Local 269, 269 E. Houston St. (corner of Suffolk St.), NYC

Makor, 35 W. 67th St., 212-601-1000, makor.org

Lounge Zen, 254 DeGraw Ave, Teaneck, NJ, (201) 692-8585,

lounge-zen.com

Maureen's Jazz Cellar, 2 N. Broadway, Nyack NY. 845-535-3143.

maureensjazzcellar.com

Maxwell’s, 1039 Washington St, Hoboken, NJ, 201-653-1703

McCarter Theater, 91 University Pl., Princeton, 609-258-2787,

mccarter.org

Merkin Concert Hall, Kaufman Center, 129 W. 67th St., 212-501

-3330, ekcc.org/merkin.htm

Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd St NY, NY 10012, 212-206-

0440

Mezzrow, 163 West 10th Street, Basement, New York, NY

10014. 646-476-4346. www.mezzrow.com

Minton’s, 206 W 118th St., 212-243-2222, mintonsharlem.com

Mirelle’s, 170 Post Ave., Westbury, NY, 516-338-4933

MIST Harlem, 46 W. 116th St., myimagestudios.com

Mixed Notes Café, 333 Elmont Rd., Elmont, NY (Queens area),

516-328-2233, mixednotescafe.com

Montauk Club, 25 8th Ave., Brooklyn, 718-638-0800,

montaukclub.com

Moscow 57, 168½ Delancey. 212-260-5775. moscow57.com

Muchmore’s, 2 Havemeyer St., Brooklyn. 718-576-3222.

www.muchmoresnyc.com

Mundo, 37-06 36th St., Queens. mundony.com

Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave. (between

103rd & 104th St.), 212-534-1672, mcny.org

Musicians’ Local 802, 332 W. 48th, 718-468-7376

National Sawdust, 80 N. 6th St., Brooklyn. 646-779-8455.

www.nationalsawdust.org

Newark Museum, 49 Washington St, Newark, New Jersey 07102-

3176, 973-596-6550, newarkmuseum.org

New Jersey Performing Arts Center, 1 Center St., Newark, NJ,

07102, 973-642-8989, njpac.org

New Leaf Restaurant, 1 Margaret Corbin Dr., Ft. Tryon Park. 212-

568-5323. newleafrestaurant.com

New School Performance Space, 55 W. 13th St., 5th Floor (betw

5th & 6th Ave.), 212-229-5896, newschool.edu.

New School University-Tishman Auditorium, 66 W. 12th St., 1st

Floor, Room 106, 212-229-5488, newschool.edu

New York City Baha’i Center, 53 E. 11th St. (betw Broadway &

University), 212-222-5159, bahainyc.org

North Square Lounge, 103 Waverly Pl. (at MacDougal St.),

212-254-1200, northsquarejazz.com

Oak Room at The Algonquin Hotel, 59 W. 44th St. (betw 5th and

6th Ave.), 212-840-6800, thealgonquin.net

Oceana Restaurant, 120 West 49th St, New York, NY 10020

212-759-5941, oceanarestaurant.com

Orchid, 765 Sixth Ave. (betw 25th & 26th St.), 212-206-9928

The Owl, 497 Rogers Ave, Bklyn. 718-774-0042. www.theowl.nyc

Palazzo Restaurant, 11 South Fullerton Avenue, Montclair. 973-

746-6778. palazzonj.com

Priory Jazz Club: 223 W Market, Newark, 07103, 973-639-7885

Proper Café, 217-01 Linden Blvd., Queens, 718-341-2233

Clubs, Venues & Jazz ResourcesClubs, Venues & Jazz Resources

— Anton Chekhov

“A system of morality

which is based on relative

emotional values is a mere

illusion, a thoroughly vulgar

conception which has nothing

sound in it and nothing true.”

— Socrates


Prospect Park Bandshell, 9th St. & Prospect Park W., Brooklyn,

NY, 718-768-0855

Prospect Wine Bar & Bistro, 16 Prospect St. Westfield, NJ,

908-232-7320, 16prospect.com, cjayrecords.com

Red Eye Grill, 890 7th Av (56th), 212-541-9000, redeyegrill.com

Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge, parallel to Main St.,

Ridgefield, CT; ridgefieldplayhouse.org, 203-438-5795

Rockwood Music Hall, 196 Allen St, 212-477-4155

Rose Center (American Museum of Natural History), 81st St.

(Central Park W. & Columbus), 212-769-5100, amnh.org/rose

Rose Hall, 33 W. 60th St., 212-258-9800, jalc.org

Rosendale Café, 434 Main St., PO Box 436, Rosendale, NY 12472,

845-658-9048, rosendalecafe.com

Rubin Museum of Art - “Harlem in the Himalayas”, 150 W. 17th

St. 212-620-5000. rmanyc.org

Rustik, 471 DeKalb Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 347-406-9700,

rustikrestaurant.com

St. Mark’s Church, 131 10th St. (at 2nd Ave.), 212-674-6377

St. Nick’s Pub, 773 St. Nicholas Av (at 149th), 212-283-9728

St. Peter’s Church, 619 Lexington (at 54th), 212-935-2200,

saintpeters.org

Sasa’s Lounge, 924 Columbus Ave, Between 105th & 106th St.

NY, NY 10025, 212-865-5159, sasasloungenyc.yolasite.com

Savoy Grill, 60 Park Place, Newark, NJ 07102, 973-286-1700

Schomburg Center, 515 Malcolm X Blvd., 212-491-2200,

nypl.org/research/sc/sc.html

Shanghai Jazz, 24 Main St., Madison, NJ, 973-822-2899, shang-

haijazz.com

ShapeShifter Lab, 18 Whitwell Pl, Brooklyn, NY 11215

shapeshifterlab.com

Showman’s, 375 W. 125th St., 212-864-8941

Sidewalk Café, 94 Ave. A, 212-473-7373

Sista’s Place, 456 Nostrand, Bklyn, 718-398-1766, sistasplace.org

Skippers Plane St Pub, 304 University Ave. Newark NJ, 973-733-

9300, skippersplaneStpub.com

Smalls Jazz Club, 183 W. 10th St. (at 7th Ave.), 212-929-7565,

SmallsJazzClub.com

Smith’s Bar, 701 8th Ave, New York, 212-246-3268

Sofia’s Restaurant - Club Cache’ [downstairs], Edison Hotel,

221 W. 46th St. (between Broadway & 8th Ave), 212-719-5799

South Gate Restaurant & Bar, 154 Central Park South, 212-484-

5120, 154southgate.com

South Orange Performing Arts Center, One SOPAC

Way, South Orange, NJ 07079, sopacnow.org, 973-313-2787

Spectrum, 2nd floor, 121 Ludlow St.

Spoken Words Café, 266 4th Av, Brooklyn, 718-596-3923

Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, 165 W. 65th St., 10th Floor,

212-721-6500, lincolncenter.org

The Stone, Ave. C & 2nd St., thestonenyc.com

Strand Bistro, 33 W. 37th St. 212-584-4000

SubCulture, 45 Bleecker St., subculturenewyork.com

Sugar Bar, 254 W. 72nd St, 212-579-0222, sugarbarnyc.com

Swing 46, 349 W. 46th St.(betw 8th & 9th Ave.),

212-262-9554, swing46.com

Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway, Tel: 212-864-1414, Fax: 212-

932-3228, symphonyspace.org

Tea Lounge, 837 Union St. (betw 6th & 7th Ave), Park Slope,

Broooklyn, 718-789-2762, tealoungeNY.com

Terra Blues, 149 Bleecker St. (betw Thompson & LaGuardia),

212-777-7776, terrablues.com

Threes Brewing, 333 Douglass St., Brooklyn. 718-522-2110.

www.threesbrewing.com

Tito Puente’s Restaurant and Cabaret, 64 City Island Avenue,

City Island, Bronx, 718-885-3200, titopuentesrestaurant.com

Tomi Jazz, 239 E. 53rd St., 646-497-1254, tomijazz.com

Tonic, 107 Norfolk St. (betw Delancey & Rivington), Tel: 212-358-

7501, Fax: 212-358-1237, tonicnyc.com

Town Hall, 123 W. 43rd St., 212-997-1003

Triad Theater, 158 W. 72nd St. (betw Broadway & Columbus

Ave.), 212-362-2590, triadnyc.com

Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Chambers St, 10007,

[email protected], tribecapac.org

Trumpets, 6 Depot Square, Montclair, NJ, 973-744-2600,

trumpetsjazz.com

Turning Point Cafe, 468 Piermont Ave. Piermont, N.Y. 10968

(845) 359-1089, http://turningpointcafe.com

Urbo, 11 Times Square. 212-542-8950. urbonyc.com

Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave S., 212-255-4037

Vision Festival, 212-696-6681, [email protected],

Watchung Arts Center, 18 Stirling Rd, Watchung, NJ 07069,

908-753-0190, watchungarts.org

Watercolor Café, 2094 Boston Post Road, Larchmont, NY 10538,

914-834-2213, watercolorcafe.net

Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall, 57th & 7th Ave, 212-247-7800

Williamsburg Music Center, 367 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY

11211, (718) 384-1654 wmcjazz.org

Zankel Hall, 881 7th Ave, New York, 212-247-7800

Zinc Bar, 82 West 3rd St.

RECORD STORES

Academy Records, 12 W. 18th St., New York, NY 10011, 212-242

-3000, http://academy-records.com

Downtown Music Gallery, 13 Monroe St, New York, NY 10002,

(212) 473-0043, downtownmusicgallery.com

Jazz Record Center, 236 W. 26th St., Room 804,

212-675-4480, jazzrecordcenter.com

MUSIC STORES

Roberto’s Woodwind & Brass, 149 West 46th St. NY, NY 10036,

646-366-0240, robertoswoodwind.com

Sam Ash, 333 W 34th St, New York, NY 10001

Phone: (212) 719-2299 samash.com

Sadowsky Guitars Ltd, 2107 41st Avenue 4th Floor, Long Island

City, NY 11101, 718-433-1990. sadowsky.com

Steve Maxwell Vintage Drums, 723 7th Ave, 3rd Floor, New

York, NY 10019, 212-730-8138, maxwelldrums.com

SCHOOLS, COLLEGES, CONSERVATORIES

92nd St Y, 1395 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10128

212.415.5500; 92ndsty.org

Brooklyn-Queens Conservatory of Music, 42-76 Main St.,

Flushing, NY, Tel: 718-461-8910, Fax: 718-886-2450

Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, 58 Seventh Ave., Brooklyn,

NY, 718-622-3300, brooklynconservatory.com

City College of NY-Jazz Program, 212-650-5411,

Drummers Collective, 541 6th Ave, New York, NY 10011,

212-741-0091, thecoll.com

Five Towns College, 305 N. Service, 516-424-7000, x Hills, NY

Greenwich House Music School, 46 Barrow St., Tel: 212-242-

4770, Fax: 212-366-9621, greenwichhouse.org

Juilliard School of Music, 60 Lincoln Ctr, 212-799-5000

LaGuardia Community College/CUNI, 31-10 Thomson Ave.,

Long Island City, 718-482-5151

Lincoln Center — Jazz At Lincoln Center, 140 W. 65th St.,

10023, 212-258-9816, 212-258-9900

Long Island University — Brooklyn Campus, Dept. of Music,

University Plaza, Brooklyn, 718-488-1051, 718-488-1372

Manhattan School of Music, 120 Claremont Ave., 10027,

212-749-2805, 2802, 212-749-3025

NJ City Univ, 2039 Kennedy Blvd., Jersey City, 888-441-6528

New School, 55 W. 13th St., 212-229-5896, 212-229-8936

NY University, 35 West 4th St. Rm #777, 212-998-5446

NY Jazz Academy, 718-426-0633 NYJazzAcademy.com

Princeton University-Dept. of Music, Woolworth Center Musical

Studies, Princeton, NJ, 609-258-4241, 609-258-6793

Queens College — Copland School of Music, City University of

NY, Flushing, 718-997-3800

Rutgers Univ. at New Brunswick, Jazz Studies, Douglass Cam-

pus, PO Box 270, New Brunswick, NJ, 908-932-9302

Rutgers University Institute of Jazz Studies, 185 University

Avenue, Newark NJ 07102, 973-353-5595

newarkrutgers.edu/IJS/index1.html

SUNY Purchase, 735 Anderson Hill, Purchase, 914-251-6300

Swing University (see Jazz At Lincoln Center, under Venues)

William Paterson University Jazz Studies Program, 300 Pompton

Rd, Wayne, NJ, 973-720-2320

RADIO

WBGO 88.3 FM, 54 Park Pl, Newark, NJ 07102, Tel: 973-624-

8880, Fax: 973-824-8888, wbgo.org

WCWP, LIU/C.W. Post Campus

WFDU, http://alpha.fdu.edu/wfdu/wfdufm/index2.html

WKCR 89.9, Columbia University, 2920 Broadway

Mailcode 2612, NY 10027, 212-854-9920, columbia.edu/cu/wkcr

ADDITIONAL JAZZ RESOURCES

Big Apple Jazz, bigapplejazz.com, 718-606-8442, gor-

[email protected]

Louis Armstrong House, 34-56 107th St, Corona, NY 11368,

718-997-3670, satchmo.net

Institute of Jazz Studies, John Cotton Dana Library, Rutgers-

Univ, 185 University Av, Newark, NJ, 07102, 973-353-5595

Jazzmobile, Inc., jazzmobile.org

Jazz Museum in Harlem, 104 E. 126th St., 212-348-8300,

jazzmuseuminharlem.org

Jazz Foundation of America, 322 W. 48th St. 10036,

212-245-3999, jazzfoundation.org

New Jersey Jazz Society, 1-800-303-NJJS, njjs.org

New York Blues & Jazz Society, NYBluesandJazz.org

Rubin Museum, 150 W. 17th St, New York, NY,

212-620-5000 ex 344, rmanyc.org.

“It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world

and moral courage so rare.”

— Mark Twain

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Interview by Ken Weiss Photo by Chuck Stewart, Courtesy of Patty Waters

Patty Waters (b. March 11, 1946, Council Bluffs,

Iowa) is a groundbreaking avant-garde vocalist/

composer/pianist who made two arresting ESP-

Disk recordings in the 1960s – Sings (1965) and

College Tour (1966) – and then disappeared for

30-years. Waters’ career was originally kick-

started with the help of saxophonist Albert Ayler,

who recognized her uniqueness and introduced

her to Bernard Stollman of ESP-Disk. She is best

known for her shocking rendition of the tradition-

al song “Black is the Color of My True Love’s

Hair,” which was delivered with haunted wails of

anguish centered on the word “black.” That re-

cording, with the aggressive piano trio backing

led by innovative pianist Burton Greene, was the

first extended free-vocal solo on record. Waters’

original compositions are melancholic works that

are so openly pure and honest that they’re almost

unsettling to listen to. She has released a handful

of recordings over the years but has remained a

mystery, partly because she has eschewed inter-

views. Waters, who would like to reenter the per-

forming arena, graciously took part in this exten-

sive phone interview on August 18, 2018 from her

Santa Cruz, California home. Her website is pat-

tywaterssings.com.

Patty Waters: Before we start, I’d like to clear

up some inaccuracies in James Gavin’s Jazz

Times article [5/1/04] which seems to be a popular

article on the Internet. I mean it keeps re-

occurring through the years. He portrayed my

mother as mean, but she wasn’t mean, and he sort

of portrayed Clifford [Jarvis] as deserting me, and

that was not the case. We were always friends and

he came to visit us in California. I want to make

those two things

clear.

Jazz Inside Maga-

zine: The inter-

view you men-

tioned labeled you

the “Priestess of

the Avant-Garde.”

How comfortable

are you with that

label?

PW: That’s fine, I like it. No problem.

JI: Your fame came with a song that doesn’t rep-

resent the great majority of your work. Your ren-

dition of “Black is the Color of My True Love’s

Hair” was the first extended free-vocal solo on

record. The bulk of your music has been very

intimate and introspective. What do you make of

that irony, how do you view yourself as a singer?

PW: I think that’s not right. I think that song and

the rest of my songs go together very well. That’s

another thing that people have gotten wrong

through the years. I’m the same singer for both

and they do sound like one person.

JI: I asked that because you seem drawn to cover-

ing standards.

PW: Well, if I don’t write something, I love

standards. I’ve always known a lot of standards.

JI: The same Jazz Times interview used the words

“pathological shyness” to describe you.

PW: [Laughs] I don’t think pathological, but I

agree with shyness. He [Gavin] has a tendency to

add a little flourish.

JI: You’ve shunned doing interviews through the

years.

PW: Yes, and the example is that Jazz Times

article, because when they don’t get anything right

it bothers me. [Laughs] I can’t do much about it

but I did write a letter to the editor, as did Bernard

Stollman [of ESP-DISK Records].

JI: Indisputably, as closed off as you’ve been

regarding talking about yourself in public, your

songs are some of the most revealing and persona-

ble pieces on record. Would you talk about being

able to completely bare your soul onstage but not

off?

PW: Oh, gosh, I think that’s common with artists,

not unusual at all.

JI: In previous interviews, you’ve repeatedly

mentioned that you save write-ups from your per-

formances. Are you very affected by what’s writ-

ten about you?

PW: Yes, that’s an easy, easy yes! Everything

else has been so complimentary. I’m really happy

that I took a risk and it wasn’t negative like I

feared.

JI: Billie Holiday’s life and singing have had a

profound influence on you. What is it about her

that resonates with you?

PW: It’s her singing and the songs that she sang,

too. It was of the times that she was singing those

songs. I loved all of it, everything she ever sang.

For a while I had a huge record collection, and I

still have at least 25 Billie Holiday albums in vi-

nyl. I just love her. You know how you listen to

something and you just don’t want to stop? That’s

with her. I just can’t get enough, I love her.

JI: Billie Holiday lived a very hard life. Is that

something you relate to about her?

PW: I don’t think so. I’ve never been attracted to

her [use of] drugs, I’ve avoided that kind of thing.

I don’t know about that, I just have lots of love for

her.

JI: Most singers employ musicians to accompany

and support them but it seems you’ve taken the

approach of including and improvising with your

bandmates.

PW: Yes, I think that’s so, I think that’s especial-

ly part of my recent performances. I like doing

that and you can hear it if you listen to my newest

recording from Cafe OTO in London. The whole

concert is for sale through Cafe OTO’s digital

label - OTOROKU. There are a couple more re-

cordings coming. One from Blank Forms is due in

December [2018]. My concert in Houston will

also be coming out but I don’t know who will

release it. Both concerts each had their own flavor

and energy.

JI: Would you talk about your early years grow-

ing up on a dairy farm in Logan, Iowa, outside of

Omaha, Nebraska?

PW: I moved there with my family when I was in

fourth grade after living in Council Bluffs, Iowa

before that. So I started school in Council Bluffs

and I would visit friends after school and I’d walk

home or ride my bike. I was becoming social and

then we moved to Logan when I was 9, to a dairy


Patty Waters I took a risk

INTERVIEWINTERVIEW

“Do you know how there’s a kaleidoscope sometimes in life when things just kind of

move, a bunch of things move at once, those little pieces?”


farm that was very isolated. I went to a country

school with 14 people in it. I walked a mile to the

school and then back home. There were fun things

about it because the weather was so extreme.

We’d skate on the ice on the creeks and things

like that but it was a very isolated life from 9-

years-old until I was out of high school. I started

traveling with dance bands when I was a teenager

but I had an isolated childhood.

JI: Did you want to talk about your mother? You

mentioned that you wanted to set the record

straight about her.

PW: There’s been lots of stage mothers, and she

was like a stage mother, but she wasn’t like a

cruel stage mother. [Laughs] She devoted lots of

time to me, helping me learn lines for dramatic

contests. She sewed all my clothes and spent a lot

of time on me. Her life was devoted to having me

perform and preparing me for performances. I

wasn’t aware then that she and my stepfather real-

ly felt that they couldn’t afford college for me,

and that eighteen was a cutoff point, so I was pret-

ty shocked when they said I had to move away

from home [when I turned eighteen]. I’d done

some traveling but I didn’t expect that. I hadn’t

thought of anything like that. They couldn’t afford

college but I didn’t expect that I had to move

away. When I was in high school, my mother met

with the school superintendent and I was moved

to Council Bluffs. I lived in a rooming house there

when I was a senior and that was the start of the

lonely years away from home. There were a lot of

rooming houses after that, moving from place to

place.

JI: So you’re saying that you had to leave home

and go to Council Bluffs?

PW: My mother set it up that my senior year of

high school was to be done in Council Bluffs and

I sang four nights a week at a staff headquarters

on a big military base. My parents saw this as

preparation for my career. They thought I’d be a

singer. I don’t understand it but I was just sort of

expected to be a singer, and they used to tell me

that I was lazy when I couldn’t survive. [Laughs]

They were very religious, Catholic converts. They

didn’t know anything about how to help me so I

was really on my own. It was kind of tough.

JI: Why did you have to spend you last year of

high school in Council Bluffs? Was that to pre-

pare you for life away from your family?

PW: Yes, I guess so. I was singing four nights a

week and keeping my grades up, but I was driving

from our farm to clubs in Omaha, so my mother

thought it would be better for me to leave home

then and move to Council Bluffs to go to school

[and sing locally there]. They just thought it was

right for me to move at that time. It must have

been so important to them for me to continue

singing four nights a week. [Laughs]

JI: Do you feel that you were pressured by your

family to be a singer? As someone who is so shy

in the public eye, would you have chosen a career

as a performer on your own?

PW: I don’t know, that’s a good question. I really

don’t know. I really did love music so it was a

pleasure to sing or think about music. That was

fine but, no, I have no idea.

JI: There’s some discrepancy in previous inter-

views over whether you ever had formal voice

training or not.

PW: I didn’t ever have formal voice training.

JI: Do you see that as a benefit or a downside?

PW: A benefit. There’s a basic first lesson you

get when you sing. You need to sing from the roof

of your mouth and use your abdomen. Those are

the basics, but I didn’t have lessons.

JI: You spent some time in Los Angeles in the

early ‘60s. Were you pursuing work in the film

industry?

PW: No, I was pursuing a singing career. I lived

at the Hollywood Studio Club [a chaperoned dor-

mitory usually for young women involved in the

motion picture business] which was kind of fa-

mous. I was going out to hear music and working

as a waitress. After living there, I found work as a

singer at a nightclub in Ventura called the Royal

Lion. They set me up in an apartment with a pool

and a piano. That experience lasted only a few

months.

JI: By 1963, you were living in San Francisco and

ended up meeting Miles Davis who became a

mentor to you. How did you meet him and how

did he help you?

PW: That’s been exaggerated, I think. He just

helped me notate some music, which was fantas-

tic, and he advised me. His quote to me was,

“Don’t be afraid,” and “Accent your strengths,”

and it was good advice. After that I remember him

saying, “There are no mistakes,” that was how he

felt about things. I was very shy and he told me

not to be afraid.

JI: It seems that you had a romance with Miles?

PW: You know, I’m sure he had lots of other

ones. I don’t care to say.

JI: Do you have a memory of Miles to share?

PW: Helping me with notation was my favorite

memory.

JI: You knew [comedian] Lenny Bruce when you

lived in San Francisco.

PW: Yes, we dated. We both lived at the Swiss

American Hotel and he invited me to attend his

shows. He liked jazz and he liked for me to read

books to him. He never heard me sing.

JI: Were you performing in San Francisco?

PW: No, I was just listening to music. It’s kind of

a blur now but I was just friends with a lot of mu-

sicians. I’d go to hear music all the time.

JI: What spurred your move to New York City in

1964? By all accounts you were low in self-

confidence so was your plan to make a career as a

performer?

PW: I think it was an odd kind of thing. Do you


Patty Waters

“People appreciated that I was trying to make an art

piece, like painting a painting. You paint a picture, it’s done,

and that’s how I feel about ‘Black is the Color of My True

Love’s Hair.’ That was it, it was a complete picture.”


know how there’s a kaleidoscope sometimes in

life when things just kind of move, a bunch of

things move at once, those little pieces? A group

of us from San Francisco moved to New York in

1964. We were all jazz hopefuls [Laughs] and

everybody had a career after that. It was Dewey

Redman, Pharoah Sanders, Monty Waters, Joe

Lee Wilson, Jimmy Lovelace, Art Lewis, Henry

Grimes and Jane Getz. We didn’t talk about it, it

just happened. One year we were in San Francisco

and the next year we were in New York. We’d see

each other in New York. My apartment was just a

piano and a bed. [Laughs]

JI: Did you move with the intention of working as

a jazz vocalist in New York?

PW: Yes.

JI: Once in New York, you jammed on stage a lot

and privately with many star players including

Bill Evans, Chick Corea, Ben Webster, Herbie

Hancock, Mingus, Jaki Byard, Roland Hanna and

Kirk Lightsey. Would you share some memories

from that?

PW: I was in the clubs a lot. I worked lunch hour

in Wall Street as a waitress so I was in the clubs

hearing music all the time [at night], every minute

I could. I don’t remember how it happened but I

took a long subway ride with Bill Evans. We went

to his house and I met who I thought was his wife.

We rehearsed at his house and then I sang at the

Village Vanguard with him one night. Also, I kind

of knew Herbie [Hancock] a little and he let me

use his piano to practice when I moved to New

York. He lived on Riverside Drive. All the musi-

cians were nice. I did sing a little. I sang at loft

parties sometimes. I used to love hearing Keith

Jarrett practice. I’ve been very fortunate to meet

nice people, they were all sweet.

JI: Which musician helped you the most in New

York?

PW: I’m tempted to say Bill Evans but they were

all very kind. I don’t even understand how it hap-

pened or why it happened sometimes.

JI: It must have been quite a thrill to perform at

the Village Vanguard with Bill Evans.

PW: Yeah, but I was so shy and I was disappoint-

ed in my singing.

JI: You had an early experience with Salvador

Dali at Slugs.

PW: Yes, Salvador Dali and his entourage, maybe

9 or 10 people, walked into Slugs one night. I was

there so much. [Laughs] They walked in holding

candles. It was quite a beautiful entrance. They sat

at a big table and listened to jazz. I think he made

entrances at other places like that as well.

JI: So you spent a lot of time at Slugs. That was

located in what was known to be a very rough

neighborhood. Did you ever have any problems

there?

PW: No, I was lucky. I must have had a very

protective aura around me because I had no prob-

lems.

JI: You’re best known for your two 1966 ESP-

DISK recordings – Sings [recorded 1965] and

College Tour [recorded 1966]. Those recordings

were made possible with the help of Albert Ayler

who took you to meet Bernard Stollman of ESP-

DISK. There’s conflicting reports in previous

interviews regarding how Ayler “discovered” you.

Did he hear you performing on stage or in a pri-

vate setting?

PW: I guess he heard me on stage. I don’t remem-

ber the very first time we met but we became

friends and he came to my apartment a lot, he and

his brother.

JI: How would you describe your relationship

with Albert Ayler?

PW: We were simply friends.

JI: Did you perform with him in clubs?

PW: No, I never performed or sang with him.

JI: That was very nice of him to bring you to the

record company. Did he do that for many other

people?

PW: I don’t think so.

JI: Your first recording Sings includes eight

songs, the first seven of which are self-composed

and self-accompanied on piano. They’re all short,

most not even two minutes long, and are best

described as hushed, sad, delicate pieces. Talk

about those compositions and where that inner

torment, those extreme emotions, came from?

PW: It’s difficult to talk about because I was in

love and felt like writing them. I just enjoyed

them. I don’t think they’re very sad. You know

like how you say blues makes some people happy,

well sad songs also make me happy. [Laughs]

Blues and sad songs both make me happy.

[Laughs]

JI: Is there significance to why all the songs were

written at night?

PW: I guess because I was such a night owl. No,

there wasn’t [a reason]. I was a total night owl.

JI: Sings opens with “Moon, Don’t Come up To-

night,” a song that you’ve continued to sing

throughout your career. Does that song have spe-

cial meaning to you?

PW: Yes, I like it, I like the song. It was one of

my first songs. I was 18 when I wrote most of that

song.

JI: Is that your favorite song that you’ve written?

PW: Well, yes, I think so.

JI: The last song on Sings is your shocking ver-

sion of the traditional folk song “Black is the Col-

or of My True Love’s Hair.” What was your plan

going into the studio to record this tune with a

quartet led by pianist Burton Greene? Greene has

said that you planned to sing it in the traditional

way and that he intentionally pushed you out of

your comfort zone. Did he surprise you with how

he played or had you practiced that with the band?

PW: [Laughs] No, that’s not true. It’s funny how

in articles people write things that aren’t accurate.

I did read where Burton said he encouraged me,

and I even read where Richard Alderson, who was

the engineer in the sound booth, said, “I don’t

remember what I did but I must have told her to

loosen up.” That’s a farce. [Laughs] He didn’t do

that, he didn’t do anything. He was just there do-

ing the sound. He didn’t say, “Hey, loosen up

Patty.” Those stories get sort of crazy embel-

lished. [Laughs] I remember going to Burton’s

loft and we talked very briefly about what I want-

ed to do. It was fantastic to find the sound that he

did use inside the piano. That had a great deal to

do with how I sang, but in my head I was an or-

chestra, and I was singing a composition. I was

creating a composition.

JI: So you’re saying, you went into the studio

with the intention of singing the song the way you

actually sang it?

PW: Yes, absolutely. I planned that.

JI: Greene used a garbage can cover on the piano

strings for that eerie effect.

PW: I guess so. I don’t remember seeing one or

realizing that. I really don’t recall a garbage can

lid. I just remember hearing him play inside the

piano and I liked that.

JI: How did you put together the quartet that you

used to record that song?

PW: It was such a very short notice to go into the

studio for the Sings album. I put the word out that

I wanted to ask Clifford to play drums for me but

I had no luck in contacting him. So Burton found

Tom Price, who was wonderful. I only wish there

had been time enough on the recording for Tom to

play a drum solo. When I returned home to my

apartment that night, there was a note at my door

from Cliff saying he had been there. Clifford Jar-

vis was the great love of my life, and of which I

wrote most of my songs to side one of the Sings

album. And best of all, we had a beautiful baby

boy together. I wanted him to play on the Sings

album but couldn’t find him. He did visit us a few

times in California before he moved to Europe,

and I visited him in London in 1991. We had fi-

nally reached a point of calmness being together

and it felt really good.

JI: Your repeated blood curdling shrieks of the

word “black” made you an immediate vocal inno-

vator and spurred a cult following. Was your in-


Patty Waters


xxxxxxxxxx

tent to make a statement on civil rights?

PW: Yes, I mean that was the side effect of sing-

ing the word “black.” Sure, for whoever heard it,

they would take that out of it.

JI: Did you get angry feedback after the song’s

release? Any threatening situations?

PW: Never, never, never. No, in fact it was so

nice to be positively received. People appreciated

that I was trying to make an art piece, like paint-

ing a painting. You paint a picture, it’s done, and

that’s how I feel about “Black is the Color of My

True Love’s Hair.” That was it, it was a complete

picture.

JI: How many times have you performed that

song during your career? I would imagine that

audiences might expect you to sing it.

PW: That was it, only that one time in the studio.

I don’t want to do it anymore. Like I said, the

complete painting is done. I don’t think that peo-

ple expect me to do that song. I think people are

more evolved and they appreciate an artist decid-

ing what they want to do. I’m certainly not going

to repeat myself or say, ‘Well, this is a hit. I’ll

sing my hit over and over.’ No.

JI: What drew you to record “Black is the Col-

or?”

PW: I just thought it was a good idea. I liked the

song and I thought it was a great idea. I didn’t talk

to people about it. It was a good idea and I knew

it.

JI: So you were drawn to it through an attraction

for it as a traditional Scottish folk song or because

you wanted to make a heavy societal statement?

PW: Both.

JI: Nina Simone also famously sang that song.

Did you have any contact with her?

PW: No.

JI: Did you know that Beyoncé has been opening

her recent concerts with that song?

PW: No way! I didn’t know that. [Laughs] Very

cool.

JI: Your free vocalization on that song laid the

foundation for future jazz and contemporary ex-

perimental vocalists. You predated Jeanne Lee,

Linda Sharrock, Yoko Ono, Patti Smith and Dia-

manda Galas. Have any of them reached out to

you?

PW: No.

JI: Are you drawn to any other free vocalists?

PW: No.

JI: In your March, 1995 Cadence Magazine inter-

view, you noted that after you made that first al-

bum, “I took it to Jackie McLean, and I asked him

if he felt it was valid. When he said yes, I was

happy.” Why was Jackie McLean the validator of

your work?

PW: Yes, that’s true. I just thought he’d be a good

one to tell me and I respected his opinion. My

son’s father was working and recording with him

at the time.

JI: So honestly speaking, what was your reaction

listening to “Black is the Color” for the first time

after recording it?

PW: I kind of scared myself. [Laughs] Yeah, but

it was important. I knew that it was okay for me, I

was good with it. Everyone there was excited after

we finished the song, especially Bernard

Stollman. I could tell that they liked it and I was

glad about that.

JI: How do you follow that piece up without hav-

ing future experimental vocalizations sound

forced? How do you push the envelope in the

future without sounding the same?

PW: I like the question but I’m not sure how to

answer it. I think when I imagined that song being

a composition, I felt that I was sort of paying re-

spect to John Coltrane and Albert Ayler in my

vocal composition the day I was singing it. It was

an instinctual composition. As far as other songs

that have come since then, there hasn’t been that

intensity when I sing. I just want to be as pure as I

can be without copying [myself].

JI: In that same Cadence interview, regarding the

time when Sings came out, you said, “I didn’t

relate to people other than musicians that much.”

Can you explain why you felt that way and does

that still hold true today?

PW: No, it’s not true anymore but that was exact-

ly how I felt at the time. It was all music, all the

time [Laughs] in my life. I was happy to be in that

jazz community, to feel like I was possibly a part

of it.

JI: ESP-DISK arranged a tour of New York col-

leges in 1966 and you got to spend significant

time on a bus with Sun Ra, Ran Blake, Giuseppi

Logan and Burton Greene. What sort of things

were going on in that bus during that tour?

PW: That’s another one where James Gavin add-

ed his own interpretation because I certainly did-

n’t ever sleep on the bus. We stayed in hotels. The

Sun Ra Arkestra was also there, and Clifford was

the drummer in the band. It wasn’t an unpleasant

experience, just kind of a normal bus experience,

really. It wasn’t anything exciting. I don’t have

any stories or funny memories from the bus. It

was mostly some conversations. I do remember a

couple of the Sun Ra Arkestra band members

when we were in Syracuse, New York, I think,

there was a question/answer period after the per-

formance, and then when we got back to the bus

they said, “You know you should speak up. You

can represent yourself, you don’t have to be so

shy.” So it was nice of them to say that but I was

too shy to answer questions at that time.

JI: Your second album College Tour was com-

piled from the tour’s live shows and the material

was all new and considerably more aggressively

experimental than the bulk of your first recording.

Was that the direction you wanted to head to-

wards? Where did you view your future to be?

PW: I didn’t feel that way, I didn’t think the mu-

sic was different. I didn’t think like that, I didn’t

plan anything. Marion Brown invited me to To-


“I’ve never had anyone discourage me from sing-ing. I guess I just can’t do any more than what I’m doing. Back to the phrase, following my bliss …. I try to follow my bliss but I don’t work at promoting

myself. It’s really difficult for me. I’m excited for the future, life is unfolding as it should.”

Patty Waters


xxxxxxxxxx

ronto and I performed at the Cellar Café there, and

the owner asked to have me come back, but I

think I didn’t follow through. I was just so very

shy. I didn’t follow through on things. I wasn’t

thinking about trying to find things or do things. I

haven’t followed through on a lot of things. There

were invitations…

JI: Is there a reason for that?

PW: I don’t know. I really never have been able

to promote myself or introduce myself. [Laughs] I

never could say, ‘I’m a singer, I want to sing.’

JI: Although your two ESP-DISK recordings

were released the same year, your cover photos

couldn’t have been much more dynamically op-

posed. Your first album photo looks like it was

pulled from a Catholic high school yearbook

while the second album cover looks like an out-

take from the movie “Carrie.” Were you comfort-

able with how you were being presented?

PW: Yes, I was comfortable, although the ink on

the first album photo was a little too heavy. There

were a couple editions of that album reprinted that

were lighter photos. There were about three differ-

ent versions of that first album cover. Other peo-

ple told me that they liked the dark one the best,

that it was sort of a haunted look, and I agree. I

don’t think it’s an innocent looking photo. I think

it’s appropriate for the music, it’s sort of dark

looking. So I didn’t mind, and then the second

album cover – it was the same photographer,

Chuck Stewart.

JI: The only other recording you made while in

New York was one tune – “Lonely Woman”- on

The Marzette Watts Ensemble [Savoy, 1968] al-

bum. Why was another vocalist, Amy Schaeffer,

credited on the album and not you?

PW: I don’t know but it took a long time to

straighten that one out. [Laughs] I don’t know,

people make mistakes.

JI: You never got paid for that recording?

PW: No.

JI: Your two ESP-DISK recordings were well-

received and created a buzz for you but you soon

split for Europe and Canada for a period of time.

Why would you leave New York at a time that

you had just produced two recordings and your

career was starting?

PW: I didn’t know how those things worked. I

mean, I didn’t do anything to ruin my career, in

my opinion. I just thought I had an opportunity to

go to Europe and who wouldn’t take it? It was my

first trip over there. It was wonderful, I went all

over Europe. It was fantastic, no regrets. I saw my

Sings album in record store windows in Amster-

dam and London.

JI: Did you perform at all in Europe?

PW: No, I don’t know how to get singing work. I

still don’t know how to do it. [Laughs]

JI: So it wasn’t that you feared success?

PW: No.

JI: Eventually you returned to New York City and

while dating Clifford Jarvis, who was in the Sun

Ra Arkestra at the time, you became pregnant

with his child. Did that create any tension between

you and Sun Ra? You must have had a relation-

ship with Sun Ra since you spent time on the bus

with him. He didn’t like his Arkestra members

dating, he wanted them focused on the music.

PW: That’s very true, but I didn’t know that at the

time. No, there wasn’t anything negative, except

for one time, and that was before I was pregnant.

It’s not on the College Tour recording but one

time the audience called me back on stage to sing

an encore and I sang a cappella. I had asked if Sun

Ra would give his permission for Clifford to play

drums behind me as I sang and he did not agree to

that.

JI: Your son Andrew Miles Giuseppi Waters was

born in 1969. Would you comment on naming

him after Miles Davis and Giuseppi Logan?

PW: Well, I guess I thought I was doing the right

thing but I’m not sure if I should have included

Clifford’s name. I probably should have but I was

a little afraid to. He has in his family, three

Cliffords. I did it myself. I probably made a mis-

take there…

JI: We talked about the importance of Miles Da-

vis in your career but not Giuseppi Logan. Would

you talk about him?

PW: He was a friend. He used to come to my

apartment to visit, same as the Ayler brothers. We

were just friends.

JI: You had a couple of very negative experiences

in New York at that time that helped lead to you

relocating to California. One came during the time

you were out of the country. The person you had

sublet your apartment to didn’t pay the rent so

your piano got thrown out on the street and your

tapes and music were stolen.

PW: Right, that’s true. Also, someone put a knife

to my throat and robbed me. That was scary. It

was just someone on drugs. You could tell they

weren’t even seeing clearly in their eyes. They

weren’t there, really. That was about the time I

left New York.

JI: You ended up leaving New York for Califor-

nia to raise your son and were off the music scene

for 30 years. Did you always have the intention of

returning to your career?

PW: I think maybe I did, yes. I think so. I think

that’s just how it happened.

JI: The Cadence interview includes you mention-

ing a sad occurrence but it’s not clear when it

occurred. You point out that in high school you

were an honor student, class president, and a band

queen, but eventually your family disowned you,

“because I was a bad girl, but I wasn’t really. It

was soon after I left home. I was told not to come

home again, that I’d never loved them, and I never

would be capable of love.” When and why did

that happen and have you had contact with your

family since then? Do they know about your ca-

reer?

PW: No, I don’t think they know about my ca-


“Some people like

to talk and they don’t have anything valuable to say, they just think they have to say something.”

Patty Waters


xxxxxxxxxx

reer. It was a permanent kind of disowning. In

fact, I haven’t been back to Iowa since I was 19.

I’m still in touch with some nice people from

there, by way of Christmas cards, but that’s how it

happened. They were very religious and that’s

how they felt. I think they felt I would influence

the children of the family, and that if I was think-

ing a certain way, it would influence the children

in a negative way. They thought that I was think-

ing negatively. That’s what I think but I don’t

know. I don’t understand it.

JI: When did they disown you? Was it when you

became pregnant or was it earlier when you were

in an interracial relationship?

PW: It was when I was dating, I wasn’t pregnant

yet. I had no idea that they would react like that. It

was a shock but I always knew that I hadn’t done

anything that wrong. I still feel that way. I hadn’t

done anything wrong. No one else gave me any

trouble except my family.

JI: You mounted a short comeback with 1996’s

Love Songs (Jazz Focus), a recording of standards

with pianist Jessica Williams. What prompted the

resurgence?

PW: She invited me to sing with her and I was

happy about that. It was great to record with Jessi-

ca. I wanted to do more. It was too short and

sweet. I’d love to make another album with her.

[Note: Jessica Williams has married and retired

from performing]

JI: Your next recording came in 2004 with your

self-released You Thrill Me, a collection of unis-

sued songs from 1962-79 on your own label –

Water. It opens with a Jax Beer commercial

[including trumpeter Joe Newman] that you made

in 1964, the year before your first album was rec-

orded. Did you do a lot of commercial work?

PW: That’s the only commercial work I did. It

was a Texas beer. I was asked to do it. Malcolm

Dodds was the arranger and he invited me to sing.

I remember I got paid 43 dollars.

JI: I was just going to ask you if that was the best

paying gig of your career. So you didn’t get resid-

uals every time the commercial aired?

PW: [Laughs] No, and I still don’t know anything

about things like that.

JI: Have you ever tried a Jax beer?

PW: No, I never have. [Laughs]

JI: In 2004 you reported earning only a total of

$350 from your recordings.

PW: I guess so, I don’t remember. That’s some-

thing you’ve read and I think it’s accurate. I think

that’s in Bernard Stollman’s ESP Records book

[Always in Trouble: An Oral History of ESP-Disk,

Jason Weiss, Wesleyan, 2012] maybe, I think,

because I re-read it yesterday a little to try to pre-

pare for this interview.

JI: I thought I was the one who had to prepare for

this interview.

PW: [Laughs] Could I tell you something that I

read in the book? Bernard said that he was disap-

pointed that I didn’t want to participate in the

book but he did say on page 82 that he said that he

appreciated when I spoke to Robert Campbell

[1995 Cadence interview] and I was quoted to

say, and I still agree, ‘I really think ESP has a

fantastic place in history, and it put me in a posi-

tion where I was making history…I’m very, very

grateful to Bernard’ and I definitely feel now like

I’m happy that he recorded me.

JI: I wasn’t going to mention this but since you

brought up the ESP book, I will. Richard Alderson

is quoted to say that he asked you years later for

new material but that he was disappointed when

he heard what you gave him. He said, “This stuff

sounded as if Patty was on some mood stabilizer.”

PW: That’s very cruel, I don’t appreciate that. I

haven’t ever had any kind of [medicine like that].

He’s a cruel person, I guess. That’s fine. Some

people like to talk and they don’t have anything

valuable to say, they just think they have to say

something.

JI: Your last release was Happiness is a Thing

Called Joe [DBK Works, 2005]. Who do you

view to be your target audience at this point of

your career?

PW: Oh, gosh. I think European audiences might

be the most receptive to me because they’ve fol-

lowed me and the ESP records have continued to

sell. I have lovely scrapbooks full of nice reviews

from around Europe and Russia. I’ve had a really

fantastic reception through the years there.

JI: How often are you performing now?

PW: I’m not. I did two concerts this past April –

in New York and Houston. They were both rec-

orded. I’d love to perform a lot, especially in Eu-

rope.

JI: What are your pleasures outside of music?

PW: I love where I live. There’s nice weather. I

love to travel, number one, now that my family is

not living with me anymore. Good food, good

living, good music. I listen to everything.

JI: The last questions were given to me by other

artists to ask you:

Kirk Lightsey (piano) asked: “Would you talk

about your studies with Nat Jones at 9 Great Jones

Street? That’s where I met you. I had a space in

Nat’s loft in the late ‘60s to early ‘70s and you

took a lesson with Nat once or twice a week.”

PW: Wow! Hi Kirk, I’d love to sing with you!

Well, it’s not true that I ever took vocal lessons

from Nat Jones. He was a friend. Yes, Kirk was

living there, and I recall that Kirk was eating

health food at the time, and I was very im-

pressed—brown rice and things. Nat was lovely

and Kirk was wonderful. I wish I could have sung

with Kirk. I think I was too shy to ask him. They

had nice parties at Nat Jones’ loft and one even-

ing, Kirk Lightsey played piano as I sang “Come

Rain or Come Shine” while holding the hand of

Roland Kirk. This was before he named himself

Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Afterwards, Roland Kirk

said, “This girl is a singer!” Years later, I went to

the Keystone Korner after moving to Marin Coun-

ty in the ‘70s. I went to hear Roland Kirk play. He

remembered me and invited me up to sing, but I

was too shy. The same thing happened with Bob-

by Hutcherson when he played there one night

during that time. He remembered me from New

York and also invited me up to sing, but again I

was too shy.

JI: There was a lot of missed opportunity there.

PW: Yes, there’s been a lot of missed opportuni-

ties. Tom Wilson took me to Columbia rec-

ords. The piano there was beautiful but I had no

confidence and sort of apologized and thanked the

people there and left feeling defeated. It had been

a big chance to record for Columbia. I also felt

that same way when I felt defeated after singing

with Bill Evans at the Village Vanguard. I hurried

out after singing with him and felt so defeated. I

had wanted so much to make a success of singing

with him that evening. He was so kind. It was

very special that he invited me to sit in and


“They had nice parties at Nat Jones’ loft and one evening, Kirk Lightsey played piano as I sang ‘Come Rain or Come

Shine’ while holding the hand of Roland Kirk. This was before he named himself

Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Afterwards, Roland Kirk said, ‘This girl is a singer!’”

Patty Waters


sing. Those were both discouraging experiences. I

couldn’t ever face Bill Evans or Tom Wilson

again. I regret that I couldn't have faced them

again and should have apologized to them after-

wards. I ran away rather than believing in their

friendship as I should have done. I am also re-

minded of how I always struggled to have a piano

wherever I lived in Manhattan. I went through

moving pianos each time I moved into a new tiny

apartment. Sometimes they were hoisted through

the windows on cables.

Amirtha Kidambi (vocals) asked: “What was it

like being a vocalist in a predominantly instru-

mental scene of avant-garde improvised music?

Was it isolating or empowering? What were the

challenges you faced or the avenues that opened

up to you as you forged your path? In a communi-

ty that is still dominated by instrumentalists, I

think it is important for us young singers to hear

from those who came before us as we hone our

craft and demand space.”

PW: It was empowering. Even in high school, I

liked being the one woman in a big band. I’ve

never minded the percentage of one women to a

bunch of guys. I like it, [Laughs] I never thought

there was anything wrong with it. I’m making

light of this and maybe I shouldn’t because she’s

asking seriously. She deserves her place in music,

and all women do, absolutely. As far as what chal-

lenges I faced? I don’t know. [Author] Joseph

Campbell said, “Follow your bliss.” I was follow-

ing my bliss [Laughs] before he made that phrase.

Amirtha Kidambi also asked: “In terms of vocal

health, do you have any advice for vocalists who

are working with extreme or harsh techniques and

want to be singing for a long time?”

PW: Good question, I do not have a very good

answer. I’ve read what other singers have done,

like concoctions of herbal teas that have worked

for them. I don’t think alcohol is a good solution

but I use honey if I’m worried about my throat. I

think it’s about really just trying to relax. The

throat is most important so try not to strain. Don’t

stress and remember to breathe right.

JI: Would you address the gender issue? You

were a woman in a heavily male predominated

field, especially at that time.

PW: I never objected to any of that. I’ve always

thought of myself as a singer in a band, a big band

that’s the world of musicians. I have no problem

being part of a predominantly male community of

musicians. We all play music together and music

is our focus. There's always room for a good mu-

sician, male or female. I honestly think it will

continue. I think women will always be appreciat-

ed in music for the talents they offer. Men musi-

cians have been a great support to me through the

years.

JI: So you never had any problems with club

owners or musicians with unwanted attention?

PW: Never, never, never, they’ve all been good to

me. It may seem hard to believe, but this has been

true in my case. I can’t thank them enough, they

were supportive and kind and still are.

Warren Smith (percussion) asked: “I first saw

you in London while I was working with Janis

Joplin in 1968. Did Janis Joplin have much of an

influence on your singing?”

PW: Oh, Warren, I’d love to talk with him! He

wrote some arrangements for me. Janis Joplin, no,

she had no influence on me at all, but I liked her.

Ran Blake (piano) asked: “It’s been so many

years but I remember you as being multitalented

and your music could be raging and yet in person

you could be so gentle, so considerate. I keep

thinking of Jeanne Lee, Billie Holiday, Chris Con-

nor, Abbey Lincoln, Dinah Washington, Robert

Johnson, Ray Charles, Nat King Cole, and espe-

cially Mahalia Jackson. My heart belongs to them.

Have any of them been of special importance to

you?” [Since Billie Holiday was addressed earli-

er, Waters was asked to address the other artists

mentioned]

PW: Ran! I hope I get to ask you after this inter-

view how to get in touch with these people. Wow,

that’s some list, he named so many. I like all of

them. I didn’t grow up listening to Mahalia. I like

them all very much. I can say that I’ve always

liked Anita O’Day, Chris Connor I saw in person

in New York. Every singer is interesting to me. I

admire Sarah Vaughan, Ella, I loved Peggy Lee. I

wrote her a fan letter, [Laughs] I got back an 8 x

10 signed glossy.

Jessica Williams (piano) said: “Love and happi-

ness to you. I haven’t seen you in almost two dec-

ades but I enjoyed our project together. My ques-

tion is important and pertinent for all jazz musi-

cians at this time in the music’s history – How do

you make a living now, Patty? Dialogue is what

our world needs now and I am sure that you, my

friend, will give us some items to think about. I

just turned 70, got married, and am very happy

and lucky.”

PW: No! Jessica, oh, my gosh! I don’t really talk

about it but I’m a senior and I’m grateful to be

receiving Social Security in order to survive.

JI: Let’s expand her question to ask about your

years in California. You earned three degrees at a

community college. Was that done as a challenge

to yourself?

PW: Yes, I think so. It was perfect timing. My

son was in elementary school at the time and I

enjoyed going to school. I have a B.A. in Fine Art

and Art History. I did a variety of things while I

lived out here. A pre-school assistant working

with kids. I never did anything with my degrees.

Burton Greene (your past and occasionally pre-

sent pianist) asked: “I played with you in the ‘60s,

as well as the current day. How do you feel about

what you are doing with your vocals now as com-

pared to what you were doing in the ‘60s?”

PW: Hi Burton, he’s wonderful. I can’t compare

to the ‘60s, I was in better voice. The ‘60s were

when I was singing well.

JI: But now you have a lifetime of experience

behind you. Doesn’t that enter into it?

PW: Maybe, I guess so. Some people say I’m

hired because I have a legacy. [Laughs] So I have

a legacy now. I can’t wait to get on the road and

do more.

Sheila Jordan (vocals) asked: “You always sang

with such passion and depth so my question is

why did you stop giving yourself and the world

your profound messages? I have had lovers try to

discourage me for years not to sing but I never

gave up or gave into their demands. Music is part

of me and is an extension of my being. Did some-

one discourage you? I hope not. I hope you come

back on the scene with your beautiful songs. The

world needs you and you need you. Best to you

always....Sheila”

PW: Oh, gosh. I’ve never met her and I respect

her so much. Oh, I’m gonna cry and fall apart. Oh,

that’s so sweet. My goodness, so sweet. Well, I’m

a Pisces, if that helps explain anything. I’m al-

ways confused about what I’m doing. [Laughs]

Two fish – opposite directions! I don’t know what

to say? These questions - incredible questions. I

love her and I appreciate it. I’ve never had anyone

discourage me from singing. I guess I just can’t do

any more than what I’m doing. Back to the

phrase, following my bliss …. I try to follow my

bliss but I don’t work at promoting myself. It’s

really difficult for me. I’m excited for the future,

life is unfolding as it should. [Laughs] Pretty

corny, huh? I’ve probably had more pleasure than

I deserve during my life. I do feel extremely

lucky.


“Time makes heroes and dissolves celebrities.”

- Daniel Boorstin, Past Librarian of Congress

““The greatest discovery of any generation is that human beings

can alter their lives by altering the attitudes of their minds.”

- Albert Schweitzer

Patty Waters



HS: Yes. That’s so awesome. I bet those dates

were like bam, bam, bam, bam, thank you.

JI: The first time I saw you play was with Clark

Terry’s Big Band around 2006 at the Blue Note.

Why don’t you talk a little bit about your associ-

ation with Clark and the kind of advice or guid-

ance he might have given you during the time

you played with him.

HS: Sure thing. Yes. Well, I think if I hadn’t

gone to the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz—

it was at the New England Conservatory when I

attended—I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing

today. I am so indebted to that program and their

special vision of recreating a University environ-

ment the way jazz had been taught for most of

its history—which is on the bandstand from

master to apprentice. Clark was our very first

teacher. Besides being an unbelievable trumpet

player, flugelhorn player, he makes everything

sound and look so easy. I remember one time I

tried to play basketball myself and I’m like,

“Dang, they make it look so easy on TV.” I al-

most cracked my nail just trying to catch a re-

bound. So he’s just a phenomenal instrumental-

ist and his swing—he’s so woven into the histo-

ry of jazz. He’s also unique in that he really

pioneered jazz education. That to me is one of

his special qualities. He has such an amazing

legacy of people that he’s touched. I’m grateful

to him because I think he’s one of the band lead-

ers who made it a point to hire women musicians

back in the day. Sylvia Cuenca was his long

time drummer, and Terri Lyne Carrington before

that. He gave me a chance to play and a chance

to experience that whole world. You have to be

on your toes. You don’t know what he’s going

to play next and if he doesn’t like what he’s

hearing he’s going to let you know it in no un-

certain terms—no mincing of any words. He

was also always so encouraging. He always

asked “Well what are you up to? Let me hear

your record.” And the stories he would tell … I

really appreciated that about that generation

which unfortunately is passing. Just being with

them, spending time with them, that’s part of the

music too. It’s not just the technical nuts and

bolts of chord changes and stuff like that. Just

him letting me be a part of his musical world

and life was such a privilege. Hearing him play

is like a lesson. That big band thing, besides

being so much fun, it was also just a really great

learning experience, a history lesson every night.

Besides telling you the truth and kicking your

behind and all that stuff, they would also always

encourage you: “Look, you need to move the

music forward too.” So I’m so grateful for

Clark.

JI: I remember attending a clinic of his one time

and somebody was starting to get into analyzing

the music to the point of being a musical scien-

tist. Clark asked, “What are we doing here? Are

we trying to figure out the square root of B

flat?” I’ll never forget that.

HS: [laughter] ] Oh my God, that’s great. I nev-

er heard of that one. I’ve got to remember that

one.

JI: Where was the Thelonious Monk Institute

located when you were a student?

HS: They were housed at the New England

Conservatory of Music, but they weren’t part of

the Jazz department. They moved to USC for a

good while then they went to Loyola and now

they’re back at UCLA. So, yes, I was a student

of both I guess.

JI: So talk a little bit about some of the other

influential artists with whom you’ve either stud-

ied or worked. Perhaps, give a broad view of

some of the conversations you might have had

or things that they might have said that made a

significant impact on your own development as

an artist or your life.

HS: As a student I learned so much from Ron

Carter - the rigors of being on the band stand. I

remember him saying “You want to develop

your own voice? Then you need to write music.”

He would come through maybe once every two

weeks and be there for two or three days with us,

and we would have to have a new song every

time he came. We would perform the song and

he would critique it and give suggestions. That

was such an invaluable experience. Jon Faddis

was the one who said “Helen, I don’t hear

enough blues in your playing. You need to check

out the blues.” He made me learn Ray Bryant’s

solo on “After Hours” on that album Eternal

Triangle or was it Sunny Side Up, sorry?

JI: With Sonny Stitt and Sonny Rollins?

HS: Exactly, and Dizzy. Oh no, no, no. I’m go-

ing to get the two albums confused.

JI: I think it was the Eternal Triangle.

HS: Yes, that’s right. So for years after he’d

seen me, “Helen, let me hear that soul.” That

was just also so important; and Barry Harris

unlocking be-bop for me. What a guy, what a

master and beautiful spirit and soul. And bebop

for me is always the biggest challenge because

it’s the one thing I can’t fake. If you don’t un-

derstand it … I remember when I was trying to

learn it, it was the one I couldn’t fake. So I’m so

indebted to him for helping unlock some of that.

Be-bop is another thing that just gets deeper and

deeper, right. I also studied with Kenny Barron

and Danilo Perez while I was a student and both

of them were just so fantastic.

JI: Do you remember anything in particular that

Kenny suggested to you?

HS: Kenny was the type of teacher where he

would play for me and I would listen, and he

would talk through his playing and comment on

that. I was trying to absorb this new music that

to me had such a different approach at least ini-

tially versus classical music. One thing he said,

“Well Helen, the difference between classical

music and jazz is that in classical, you perfect it

in the practice room, and jazz you perfect on the

stage.” It made a deep impact on me because I’d

get very anxious, like “I hope this will be a great

performance.” It’s still something that I have to

watch - because of that perfectionist in me and

the whole classical aesthetic, where you practice

“Jon Faddis was the one who said ‘Helen, I don’t hear

enough blues in your playing. You need to check out the blues.’ He made me learn

Ray Bryant’s solo on ‘After Hours’ on that album [by Dizzy

Gillespie] Eternal Triangle or was it Sunny Side Up…”

Helen Sung


and you practice until it’s perfect. If you can

reproduce that perfect performance in the prac-

tice room on stage, then that constitutes a suc-

cessful performance. But jazz is not like that—

especially if you’re playing with a band—

because you’re dealing with at least two to three

to four other different conscious beings who

have their ways of hearing music, and you have

to allow that to impact you and work together

with that. That’s a whole different ball of wax. I

just love Kenny’s touch, his sound. It’s so in-

spiring and how he is as a human being. I really

looked up to him – not just as an artist but just

everything about him. After that, I really learned

the most from Lonnie Plaxico. He’s such an

amazing musician and I learned so much from

him, not just from playing his crazy music. He

has such vast experience and knowledge in mu-

sic. I can’t tell you how much music he lent

me—everything—the whole gospel, R&B to

fusion to funk—everything he liked, all the Mo-

town stuff—Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, all

that stuff through Parliament and Sly and the

Family Stone, Larry Graham, Stevie Wonder, all

that. I didn’t know any of that stuff. I kind of

peripherally did. So I was just like a crash music

course with him. Then to early hip hop tribe and

fusion, Weather Report, Light as a Feather,

Tower of Power was one of his favorite groups.

It’s just fascinating to see how all of that comes

out in his writing. But that was such an incredi-

ble experience for me. Playing with Wayne

Shorter was a milestone experience—seeing

how he works, and spending time with him and

listening to him talk about his influences. What a

privilege. He’s such a big influence on me in

terms of writing and harmonies. Working with

Terri Lyne Carrington—what an incredible mu-

sician and artist. I recorded that Mosaic project

CD with her back in 2010 I’d say, in the sum-

mer—I didn’t realize how much it had influ-

enced me in the making of this record, Anthem

for a New Day.

JI: In what ways did recording with Terri Lyne

Carrington influence your new record?

HS: She has so much experience in funk, urban

music, R&B, all that stuff. My jazz experience is

that you record in the studio and that’s it. I re-

member we recorded a trio track with her, me

and Esperanza. I was like. “Wow, that’s a nice

recording.” But then when I heard the final prod-

uct, she had added so much stuff in post produc-

tion — additional things she was hearing, that it

was almost a different piece.

JI: You mean she added things that she played?

HS: No, she added a clarinet, she added vocals

and background stuff too, layering stuff which is

very present day with the hip hop. So just that

idea that a track is the starting point - and that’s

how she goes into the studio thinking, versus

this is the track. It’s a different process. That

happened with some of my songs.

JI: Did you have any discussions with Wayne

Shorter that you’d like to share? By the way, one

of the albums of his on which I am fascinated by

the orchestrations is Atlantis.

HS: Oh yes. That blew me away. That’s one of

my favorite albums. I really think Wayne’s mu-

sic is not defined by any genre anymore. It’s

him, and when you hear him play you know it’s

him. I know when I hear Wayne on the radio—

and not just because I know all of his recordings.

His writing—I admire someone who has persist-

ed through to find that purity. That’s his music.

Even though you look through his history,

there’s that sense that what he writes is not de-

rivative, it’s just him. Monk is another person

like that who was like that out of the gate. I

think that is remarkable because he never sound-

ed like anybody but himself. That takes so much

courage and perseverance. I loved hearing

Wayne talk about his influences. A lot of it was

about movie music. I’d hear that, like on that

album Speak No Evil. He loved scary movies.

He loved Dracula. He loved The Blob and The

Sting and The Werewolf and all that stuff. He

gave me some advice. I had just moved to New

York. He said when he was in New York, he

floated around. He said there were many musical

cliques and circles but he called himself an ob-

server. He liked floating around in these differ-

ent circles, not necessarily being firmly en-

trenched in any of them but just observing. So

that’s something I did, because I’m the type of

person where I like to feel like I belong. It’s hard

as a jazz artist sometimes – for me, because I

came to the music so late. I didn’t really go to

school four years like a lot of artists did. So

sometimes I feel like a bit of an outsider. I feel

like a lot of people’s connections for the rest of

their musical career, they make in school.

JI: I understand how you would kind of feel a

little bit outside. Of course, everybody is strug-

gling with their own music and careers and al-

most narcissistically in a mode of thinking that

doesn’t go beyond themselves: “Do I sound

good? Did I sound good tonight? What did he

think, what did she think?” And there’s this kind

of paranoia now and then.

HS: No, that continues for me. I think it’s a life-

long struggle. Sometimes when I’m feeling like

“Oh man, where do I fit in,” it’s like, “It’s

okay.” You just have to keep being true to your-

self and being honest about what you hear. I

think the worst thing we could do as artists is to

change ourselves to try and fit in somewhere

because it’s not honest and it can’t be real.

That’s one thing jazz has taught me. That’s why

I’m so grateful. I feel like jazz has been used in

my life at least to help make me hopefully the

best or better version of who I could be. The

masters would say you play who you are. So I

had to deal with myself, work through a lot of

stuff in order to feel like an authentic musician

and person. Going back to Wayne really quick

before I forget it again … I was talking to him

about his approach to writing, and he said some-

times he would sit there at the piano all day just

trying to find what chord or note comes next. So

that to me was like, “Wow.” Sometimes I’ll be

trying, just banging out the chord here … no

here …. let me try this …. hear that again. It’s a

very organic way of composing. He is not going

to move on until that chord comes, until that

note comes. Just to think that Wayne Shorter

does that! [laughter] Wayne has been so encour-

aging too. He was just saying, “Keep doing what

you’re doing.” He would say it in his own very

cool, unique, peculiar way. To have someone

like that say something like that - to me, it was

just really …. and Herbie too! Gosh, these guys

are my heroes! I can’t tell you how much it

means. The business is hard enough—just to

struggle artistically. They’re like a drink of wa-

ter in the desert when you’re needing that extra

little push to help you keep going sometimes. I

really treasure those moments and just remind

myself how very fortunate I am.

JI: When you got to New York, what kinds of

gigs were you playing? What were some of the

challenges that you were experiencing?

HS: I was not one of those people who came to

New York and already had a gig. I hung out at

all the jam sessions I could find. There was one

in Brooklyn that I went to a lot. The club is no

longer there—the Up and Over Jazz Club. Then

of course, Small’s, Cleopatra’s Needle. That’s

how I got to meet a lot of musicians. I started

doing little gigs here and there. I worked a lot

with vocalists. I don’t do that as much anymore -

and I would love to again. I love playing with

vocalists. I’d play at African American social

clubs and I would look up and I’m the only

Asian person there. But they were so cool, so

accepting. That’s another really important part

of jazz I want to acknowledge. It is an African

American art form. It came from that culture and

I always say jazz is one of the most generous art

forms. I think it’s able to take in so many differ-

ent influences and treatments, but it’s jazz. It

still retains what it is. I think that’s very special.

That’s very unique. I think that’s what makes

jazz so timeless because somehow it’s still jazz.

I am just so grateful that jazz had room for me. I

really feel like that experience of being around

African Americans, hanging out with them, ob-

serving their culture—really helped me so much

in being able to be a better jazz player too. It’s

not just about the technical things. There’s the

whole spiritual, cultural—that’s all so much a

part of the music too.

JI: What was the culture like for you growing

up?

HS: Well, I’m the oldest of four kids and my

parents were immigrants. They were born in

[Mainland] China. Their families were on the

wrong side when the Communist revolution


Helen Sung


happened. So their families fled to Taiwan when

they were both young. That’s where they met.

My dad came here for graduate schooling and

my mom eventually also. That’s how I came to

be born in Houston, Texas. They were tradition-

al. We call it “Chinesey.” They were Chinesey

in some ways, or traditional. But in a lot of ways

they weren’t—meaning that we didn’t celebrate

Chinese New Year. I remember we didn’t get

upset about that until we found out our Chinese

friends got money on Chinese New Year —

“Wait a second, what is this?” It wasn’t like we

always ate Chinese food. One thing I really ap-

preciate about Houston is that it’s a huge city

and it’s diverse and it’s urban. We attended

magnet schools. Magnet schools were a big tool

back in the day to help desegregation. So I re-

member always being around different ethnici-

ties growing up. Unfortunately I did experience

my own little racism against Asians. So it wasn’t

like I only grew up around Chinese people or I

only grew up around white people.

JI: The racism against Asians that you were

experiencing—was that verbal?

HS: Yes, verbal. You know, the stupid calling

“chink” and all the words like that, and “jap”. I

was like “Wait, first of all I’m not Japanese so

why are you saying that?” [laughter] ]

JI: Like, get your ethnicities together, okay.

HS: Yeah. Like “slanty-eyed,” awful stuff like

that. Kids can be mean. They learn it from their

parents or whatever.

JI: Like in the book Lord of the Flies, did you

ever read that?

HS: Yes, oh my God, awful, right? Gee whiz.

But then I grew up in the tradition in the way

that we were expected to have straight A’s, nev-

er get in trouble at school.

JI: I think it’s really good to develop responsi-

bility and experience a quality upbringing.

HS: Yes. When I was young, I had a little red

toy piano that I always tucked under my arm.

My mom said that she would hear me play melo-

dies I heard on the TV or the radio. That’s why

they were like, “Well maybe she likes this and

ought to start taking lessons.” So I started piano

and violin at around age five. They were tradi-

tional. They never expected me to choose it as a

profession. They really wanted me to be a doctor

or something like that. Then I got into it and

studied under a very strict teacher from Russia.

“Nothing is worth listening to except classical

music.” So that was basically my life until I left

for college. Of course, I had some friends so we

would sneak in and listen to Michael Jackson

and Madonna. But I always felt a little guilty

[laughter] ]. That was it—pretty one dimension-

al artistically. I used to get really bent out of

shape when I felt, “Why don’t my parents sup-

port me and blah, blah, blah…” not just “Why

can’t they get into the music, why can’t they

understand.” I have so much appreciation for

them now. Wow, how do you do it? You come

to a country where you don’t speak the lan-

guage. You’ve studied it at home but it’s differ-

ent when you’re there. And you started a life and

you raised a family. They never had the chance

to cultivate an appreciation. That was a luxury

really. I’m so grateful that they worked so hard

to give me a life where I could make a living as

a musician. I get down like everybody else but

remind myself to be grateful.

JI: What is it that are attractors for you about

this music?

HS: I was talking about this with a friend of

mine, the drummer Donald Edwards yesterday.

He was saying that we get into the music so

much in terms of the breadth. He felt like when

he worked within other genres it was very fo-

cused – and they don’t want anything else but

that. But jazz is just a big mess I guess, in a

good way. It’s so wide ranging. What got me

into jazz was that feeling that swing gave me.

That it made me want to move, made me want to

jump up out of my seat. It’s so alive. At the

same time jazz has grown and it will continue to

evolve, and that’s the beautiful thing about jazz.

We get into all of it - that complexity, the nu-

ance, the layers upon layers upon layers

[laughter] ].

JI: What were some of the albums that you first

listened to that got you interested in the music?

HS: Oscar Peterson’s Night Train. Miles Davis,

Kind of Blue, I think that’s the first album I ever

bought. Bill Evans, Jazz Explorations. Herbie

Hancock, Maiden Voyage. Keith Jarrett - ow,

what is he doing? This solo piano thing - it was

just so remarkable. You could probably see

these all have kind of a classical shading to

them. That’s how I made my way in.

JI: What’s composing like for you? What kinds

of inspirations do you experience?

HS: Well, I’ll never forget something Gil Gold-

stein said. He said there’s always stuff going

through your head. There’s stuff going through

your ears. But there are a few seeds that you

know you need to pay attention to – and that if

you don’t pay attention to them it’s going to be

lost. That’s not consciously what I thought about

what I was doing. But it’s so true. Most of my

songs come from an idea. It can be rhythmic, it

can be melodic, it can be a harmonic progression

that somehow I see where this is going to lead. I

never took composition lesson - which I want to

do at some point – to have a more systematic

way of looking at things. Sometimes textures are

a source of inspiration for me - chamber music

textures, orchestral textures. Chamber music

also informs my writing. And like you said, tran-

scribing has helped me, like “What is that [chord

or melody line]?”

JI: Yes, sure. You’re trying to figure out that

one note that’s obscured by some other instru-

ment or chord, or whatever.

HS: Yes, because it all goes inside in the big

mix and it comes out at different times. I think

music is such a great responsibility. There’s a

creative aspect, but there’s also an emotional and

spiritual aspect. I feel like we’re receivers of

beauty that we are meant to transmit to the

world. It’s always like, “Oh, gosh, I wish I could

do more. Why didn’t I blah, blah, blah?” It is

important to be faithful to that because music is

a gift. I’ve been given this gift and I want to be a

faithful steward.

JI: In an article that I read years ago about Mas-

tery, a primary idea was that you’re on this path

of mastery as opposed to being a master at what-

ever you do. Also, we spend most of our time on

plateaus. For example, you’re practicing and

practicing and practicing and you feel like

you’re not going anywhere.

HS: Oh lord have mercy, yes.

JI: Then suddenly, you put it down for a day, a

week, maybe months, or maybe not at all, and

suddenly there’s this jump up to another level.

HS: Breakthrough.

JI: Yes. This breakthrough is a jump up to this

next level, but you don’t stay at that next level.

You drop back to a level that’s a little bit lower

than the one you’ve jumped to, but higher than

where you just were. So the path of mastery is

an ongoing series of spending most of your time

on plateaus, interspersed with jumps up to a

higher level and retreat back to somewhere in

between – until the next jump up.

HS: I like that. Wow. Cool.


“What baffles and even frightens most people are mere

smokescreens. You’ll see these events as simply the illusions they actually are and begin to walk right through them. You’ll understand that your success

lies just beyond your thoughts about these walls.”

- A Rich Man’s Secret

Helen Sung


By John R. Barrett, Jr.

Clifford’s July session for Pacific Jazz

(Clifford Brown Ensemble - Pacific Jazz PJ-19)

was unlike any he had made up to that point.

The band was an octet, with people he had nev-

er played with before (Zoot Sims, Carson

Smith, Shelly Manne.) The result was a blend of

East and West Coasts: the group swung like a

big-scale bop unit, and the sound palette was

richer than anything you’d find in the East. Two

Clifford Brown standards were recorded for the

first time, including “Daahoud,” a tune he start-

ed while in Algeria. Arranger Jack Montrose

put the group into sections: Brown plays, then

the reeds in a separate line, and the two rarely

intersect. Pianist Russ Freeman is

used as a percussionist, chiming in

between the horns. Clifford’s solo

seems “cooler” than usual, each

phrase having the same precision

you’d find in the chart. (Montrose

said “[I]n Brownie’s improvisations

all the notes were correct—like they

were written down by Beethoven.”)

“Joy Spring” begins with a sun-

ny walk—Brown starts gently and the

band answers with a chord. Here the

horns seem intrusive, obscuring the

tune’s clean lines; Clifford is nice but

his turn is too short. “Tiny Capers”

has the feel of a classical piece, with

its contrapuntal lines and resonant

brass. Brown stays near the theme,

wistful and calm; Stu Williamson’s

trombone is more active, with a tone

close to Clifford’s. Zoot plays Lester

on his wonderful solo, and Freeman

romps it back home. It’s an interest-

ing experiment; if the session proves

anything it’s that Clifford has no

“coast”—he is everyone’s.

On August 2 the quintet was at the Capitol

Tower in Hollywood, cutting their first session

for Emarcy. Some tunes would appear on

Clifford Brown and Max Roach (Emarcy MG

26043), the rest on Brown and Roach Incorpo-

rated (Emarcy MG 36008). “Delilah” is sensu-

ous, with Powell’s chords washing over a baião-

like bass. Clifford has a mute, snaking over the

desert sand; Land has a grainy voice and a

forceful attack. (His model was Lucky Thomp-

son, and you can hear some of that here.)

Brown’s solo is open-horn, and works from a

soft mumble into roof-raising shouts. Max holds

a clinic, going over everything in his kit: a

range of tonal color barely hinted on the GNP

sides. Land is alone for “Darn That Dream,”

choking up on those trembling, breathy notes.

The accompaniment is like a celeste, or a music

box.

Richie Powell contributed a tune of his

brother’s, “Parisian Thoroughfare”: the cymbals

go crazy and the horns honk. (Powell quotes

“La Marseillaise” on the theme.) Harold shouts

his solo while Clifford finesses his—a nice,

relaxed gait. Despite the bluster, there’s no real

hurry here; the group simply lets the beauty of

the tune display itself.

August 3 saw work on three tunes; Duke

Jordan’s “Jordu” is taken at a crawl. The horns

work together before Brown’s creamy solo;

Land’s is slippery and sly. “Sweet Clifford” is a

“Georgia Brown” variant, very fast and not

much else. There’s a quote of “High Society,”

which Clifford did often. Brown’s ballad is

“Ghost of a Chance,” told in hard, slightly wea-

ry tones. He yawns, then he wails— it’s a great

feeling. Four tunes came three days later: a tri-

umphant “Daahoud” (brass pitted against

drums, with Powell deep in the mix), a spar-

kling “Joy Spring” (Land uncorks a gritty gem

of a solo), the earthy “Mildama” (a tom-tom

spotlight for Max), and the delicate “These

Foolish Things” (a feature for Morrow, not re-

leased until the Brownie box set.) The result

was a potent album, full of good solos and a

showcase for Clifford’s songwriting. When the

disc was reissued as a 12” LP, more tunes were

needed, and these would be recorded later.

Several standards were planned on August

10: “Stompin’ at the Savoy” is almost sedate,

going slower than usual. Clifford starts the

theme, Harold completes it, and the theme gets

varied, almost from the start. (It sounds like

Brown is egging Land on.) Harold buzzes

through a happy solo; Powell’s turn is clever,

and Clifford’s is a warm whisper. “String Along

with You” is a solo for Richie, glistens with

romantic echo, and “I Get a Kick” is a storm

where the heat keeps building. Land takes the

bridge, and it’s impressive…but not like

Clifford. He begins by running through the

depth of his range, followed by some high pat-

terns, and then he goes faster. Land’s solo is

great, and Powell’s very good, but they can’t

compete with Clifford. After all, very few

could.

The next day was totally unplanned: a herd

of musicians in a massive jam session, to be

called Best Coast Jazz. (It was later reissued as

Clifford Brown All-Stars—Emarcy MG 36132).

Present were Kenny Drew, Herb Geller, Walter

Benton, Joe Maini, Curtis Counce,

with Brown and Roach. The numbers

are very long (the shortest exceeds

fifteen minutes!); there are good so-

los, but you have to wait for them. As

Nick Catalano remarks in his book

Clifford Brown: “This session goes

right for the gut before pausing at the

brain.”

On August 14, Emarcy called

again: it was another jam session,

only more organized. Dinah Wash-

ington was making a live album in

the studio (fifty guests were admitted,

for a “party” atmosphere) and she

wanted an all-star band. When

Clifford arrived, he was awed: he’d

be playing beside Clark Terry and

Maynard Ferguson (neither were fa-

mous yet, but would soon be.) He

told LaRue, “I won’t be able…” and

went to talk with Dinah Washington.

When he asked, “Do you really want

me to do this?”, her reply was

“You’re going to save me!”

The results were put into two

albums, Jam Session and Dinah Jams (Emarcy

MG 36000). If Dinah needed confidence, she

doesn’t show it: her voice bubbles and stings,

with a hint of Billie Holiday. She is sweet and

serene on “No More.” And in the distance you

hear Clifford, murmuring, slow and sad. Harold

has a long, lyrical solo on “Darn That Dream”,

and “I’ll Remember April” is a box of riches.

Max sets up a mambo rhythm, Dinah has a

smile in her voice, Terry growls through a

mute…and before he ends, Clifford explodes,

with some devastating high notes. He might not

have saved Dinah, but he made her session


Clifford Brown

His Life & Music — Part 3

FEATUREFEATURE


memorable.

The end of August was as memorable as

the beginning. Clifford won his first major

award: Down Beat’s New Star on trumpet, on

August 25. He also placed fourth in the trumpet

poll, behind Gillespie, Armstrong, and Eldridge,

but ahead of Miles Davis.

On August 30th the group played its final

concert for Gene Norman, at the Pasadena Civic

Auditorium. The music was transmitted, by

telephone line, to Radio Recorders in Holly-

wood, where it was mastered directly onto 16-

inch discs. (The engineer also did some on-the-

spot editing, against Norman’s wishes; many

sax solos were lost in the process.) These tunes

are similar to the Emarcy versions, perhaps with

a little more polish. “Jordu” is now faster, and

the peaks higher; Clifford triggers two waves of

applause with his loud, percussive solo.

(There’s an abrupt cut to the exchanges, which

is the only place we hear Harold Land.) Clifford

is then announced, playing “I Can’t Get Start-

ed”; he’s fine, but there’s a bad ring in his mi-

crophone. (His final flourish sounds like a rain-

storm; the crowd eats it up.)

“I Get a Kick” is very close to the studio

version; Land has a mellower tone, and Clifford

flutters his notes in a way you won’t believe.

“Parisian Thoroughfare” is taken up a notch;

Powell quotes “Can Can” and Harold is silky

smooth. Clifford is good, but Max is amazing,

going over his kit at various speeds and

rhythms. The applause is fit for a job well done.

After Pasadena, the band went on its first

tour, centered in the Northeast. They hit Chica-

go, Philadelphia, Detroit. When they reached

New York on December 16, Clifford had a job

waiting for him. Sarah Vaughan was about to

make a new record, and she requested his

horn—they had first met when he was touring

with Chris Powell. The other horns are Herbie

Mann and Paul Quinichette; the arranger was

Ernie Wilkins, who was beginning his long run

with Count Basie.

This album (Sarah Vaughan—Emarcy MG

36004) is full of small delights: Sarah scatting

low of “Lullaby of Birdland,” followed by

Brown in a similar tone. Jimmy Jones’ warm

piano on “April in Paris,” enfolding Vaughan as

she moans her regret. Quinichette, called “The

Vice President” for his resemblance to Lester

Young, shows why in his solo of beautiful sad-

ness. Sarah’s duet with Mann on “Jim,” leading

to Clifford’s bright solo in hopeful escalation.

(Herbie and Paul then whisper together, sound-

ing like one instrument.) Her mannered verse on

“I’m Glad There Is You,” with the horns weav-

ing through at odd moments. Brown’s muted

chorus on “September Song,” relaxed yet

busy—his impact is loud while his tone is soft.

Wilkins makes this small group sound like a

choir, a lovely fog through which Sarah’s star

can shine, and the glow is impressive.

Barely a week later, on December 22,

Clifford returned to the studio for another sing-

er: Helen Merrill in her first album, arranged by

Quincy Jones. (Helen Merrill with Clifford

Brown - Emarcy MG 36006.) With a great

rhythm section (again led by Jimmy Jones) be-

hind him, Clifford was the main solo voice.

Helen Merrill was so affected by this session

that forty years later she produced Brownie, an

album-length tribute to the man who helped her

career get started.

Brown-Roach started 1955 on the road,

playing Philly and Toronto before returning to

New York. The entire group, minus Land, was

on hand for Clifford’s next project: an album of

ballads with a nine-piece string section. (And he

was still 24 years old; some jazzmen wait their

whole lives for a string album.)

The arranger was Neal Hefti. A trumpeter

himself, Hefti knew of Brown but hadn’t yet

met him: “I was conducting the orchestra, but I

was really conducting Clifford. My eye contact

was more with him than anyone else…[W]hen I

heard Clifford Brown go into sixteen bars of

beautiful improvisation [on “Stardust”] after the

final chorus, I thought ‘Gosh, I never heard

anyone do it like that.’”

The strings had already been rehearsed

when Brown entered the Fine Recording studio.

By all accounts, it went smoothly: the strings

open “Yesterdays” lushly, then recede as

Clifford unleashes big, creamy notes. Max’

cymbals are the anchor, along with the light

guitar of Barry Galbraith. Brown trembles on

“What’s New?”, sounding frail even as his tone

is strong. Powell adds dramatic chords, and the

strings sort of sneak in. While the charts can be

heavy-handed, Clifford is understated; his sim-

ple lines on “Blue Moon” outdo the grandeur

around him. “Lovin’ Dat Man” shows the

strings at their jazziest, while Clifford comes on

like a sax. One note slides into another, and his

breath never falters; the command he displays

here is impressive. He’s loud and soft on

“Willow Weep for Me” in a duet with himself,

and “Stardust” is all Hefti says it is. The end

result was Clifford’s best-selling album

(Clifford Brown with Strings - Emarcy MG

36005) and it’s the record which inspired

Wynton Marsalis to become a trumpeter.

The quintet spent much of February in Bos-

ton, where they played the Storyville club on a

bill with the Modern Jazz Quartet. (It was dur-

ing this stay that Clifford and LaRue had their

third wedding ceremony.) On February 23 they

arrived at Mercury Sound Studios in New York

to make their next album for Emarcy, Study in

Brown. (Emarcy MG 36037.) Leftover tracks

from this session were added to Clifford Brown

and Max Roach when that disc was reissued as

a 12” album.

“Gerkin for Perkin” is a fast bopper with

“wrong” chords—it sounds modern even today.

Land has a lusty solo, full of grit; Clifford’s is

tightly wound, with high notes on top for deco-

ration. “Take the ‘A’ Train” arrives in a crowd-

ed station: Morrow plays 4/4 as Max goes 6/8.

Powell crashes down, faster and faster; a train

whistle roars through, and now starts the theme.

Harold starts the bridge slow with Brown in

double-time; the roles are reversed by phrase’s

end. Harold has oomph on his solo, a drive

you’d expect from Johnny Griffin; Clifford runs

fast, bopping between three or four notes.

“Land’s End” sneaks up on you, its busy bridge

contrasting with a greasy slow theme. Harold’s

tone has a blunt buzz, where Brown is careful


“The greatest day in your life and mine is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes.

That’s the day we truly grow up.”

- John Maxwell

Clifford Brown, Part 3

“On August 14, Emarcy called again: it was another jam session, only more organized. Dinah Washington was making a live album in the studio (fifty guests were admitted, for a ‘party’ atmosphere) and she wanted an all-

star band. When Clifford arrived, he was awed: he’d be playing beside Clark Terry

and Maynard Ferguson (neither were famous yet, but would soon be.)”


and cautious—it’s a beautiful contrast.

The following day was busy, with six dif-

ferent tunes getting cut. (Some alternate takes

were saved for More Study in Brown—Emarcy

814637—as was a truncated version of “Land’s

End.”) “Swingin’” is first on the menu: a Silver-

like bop line, it’s fast and lives up to its name.

“George’s Dilemma” was originally called

“Ulcer Department” and works Morrow’s bass

into a calm, exotic environment. Land’s solo

has no worry, and ambles with a warm assur-

ance. (Powell’s turn is drenched in echo, for a

different kind of beauty.)

“If I Love Again” is intricate and fast, with

phrases heard on other Brown solos; “Blues

Walk” is more like a jog, with everyone getting

their licks in. (The version on More Study is

faster, and I think I like it better.) “What Am I

Here For?” is very fast, sporting one of

Clifford’s best solos, and “Cherokee” starts on

the warpath, the band chanting together with

force. Harold is wonderful here, and don’t for-

get Max— as if you could from that opening.

Finishing up on February 25, “Jacqui”

finds the group in a salon, taking a prim theme

from the drawing room to the barroom. Brown

shows off his lower register, while Morrow

bows an ending which suggests “Con Alma.”

And the slow blues take us home on “Sandu”:

Clifford has a good double-time bit, while Land

seems even faster. This album is less mannered

than the first, more bluesy, and stronger…in

several different ways.

In their typically restless manner, the group

spent their springtime in transit, passing through

Detroit and Toronto before heading to Philadel-

phia. During their week at the Blue Note, Max

got hurt in a car crash and had to take five days

off. (During that time, he was replaced by Art

Blakey.) Then came two weeks at Chicago’s

Bee Hive; this engagement ended on July 15,

the opening day of the Newport Jazz Festival,

where the group was scheduled to appear. The

Newport show earned some of their best re-

views ever; afterwards they proceeded to Philly,

then to New York’s Basin Street, and back to

the Bee Hive, for six more weeks. As hard as

this seems, the group would soon be busier.

It was in Chicago, in Early November, that

Harold Land heard about his ailing grandmoth-

er. He wanted to care for her in San Diego, and

Clifford needed to find a new sax player. He

found out that Sonny Rollins was in town,

rooming with Billy Mitchell at the YMCA. Rol-

lins wasn’t seeking employment at the time;

he’d said no to Miles Davis earlier in the year,

and was delaying his answer to Clifford. Final-

ly, the silence was broken by Billy Mitchell:

“Look, if you don’t want the job, I’ll take it.” (A

tough tenor in his own right, Mitchell is best

known for playing with Count Basie in his

“atomic” period.) That sentence sped the deci-

sion process; starting in early November, Sonny

Rollins was the new horn.

After their stay at the Bee Hive, the band

moved up the East Coast, returning to Basin

Street. Plans were to record the band live, but

these were interrupted by the birth of Clifford

Brown, Jr., on December 28, 1955. Brown spent

two weeks at home, changing diapers, playing

music for his son, and talking to him. LaRue

says, “He was a wonderful father. He would

take the baby … have a whole conversation

with him about philosophy, art, or music.”

These two weeks would be about the only ex-

tended time Clifford would have with his child.

Business resumed on January 16, 1956; the

album was titled Clifford Brown and Max

Roach at Basin Street, although it was taped in

a studio. (The outtakes would end up on More

Study in Brown, along with some Harold Land

tracks.) “I Remember April” opens on a mambo

beat and stutter-riff horns; after two minutes

they ease into the theme. Rollins doesn’t growl

like his predecessor: his feathery tone favors the

high notes—like Harold Land in his early days

with the group. Brown may be good here, but

Sonny takes over. He sounds especially in-

spired. In one regard, he was: struggling with

addiction at the time, Rollins adapted the prac-

tice regimen of his bandmate. “Clifford was a

profound influence on my life. He showed me

that it was possible to live a good, clean life and

still be a good jazz musician.”

“Junior’s Arrival” was titled “Step Lightly”

by its author, Benny Golson; the name was

changed with the birth of Clifford’s son. Brown

plays high and pure on the theme, deep and

speedy on his solo. Sonny tries the same thing,

and is slightly garbled; when he slows down, he

unwinds a beautiful strut. “Flossie Lou” shows

the horns to great advantage, and a remake of

“Mildama” has a wider range of sound, from

Clifford’s high bleeps to a flood of tympani-like

thumps. Sweet thunder, indeed.

The itinerant life went on, with weeks in

Detroit (where Brown appeared on a Soupy

Sales Show and played two songs—this may be

the only film footage of Clifford), Boston, Phil-

adelphia (Rollins got hurt in a car wreck and

had to rest a while), Pittsburgh, and New York,

where on March 22 a new album was made.

Sonny Rollins was contracted to Prestige Rec-

ords when he joined Brown-Roach. In exchange

for Rollins appearing on the Emarcy disc, the

whole group would make one for Prestige, with

Sonny listed as leader. (Sonny Rollins Plus Four

- Prestige 7038/ OJC-243.)

The first track makes a statement: it’s a bop

waltz, at a surprising slow pace. Though

Clifford has problems with the theme, “Valse

Hot” is a natural beauty, and has become a

standard. Sonny has a richer tone this time, sails

through the changes with ease, and stuns with a

wondrous double-time passage. Brown’s solo is

decent; with his own rapid fireworks; Powell

glows with his comping. Both horns charge

through “Kiss and Run,” smooth as syrup, and

just as sweet. How pure are Clifford’s notes

here, how crisp his diction: it is very proper, and


“[Clifford] found out that Sonny Rollins was in town, rooming with Billy Mitchell at the YMCA. Rollins wasn’t seeking employment at the time; he’d said no to Miles Davis earlier in the year,

and was delaying his answer to Clifford. Finally, the silence was broken by Billy Mitchell: ‘Look,

if you don’t want the job, I’ll take it.’”



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unquestionably hot. “I Feel a Song” has a great

opening vamp and a “sheets of sound” solo by

Brown—and there is nothing wrong with “Pent-

Up House.” The theme is great, Clifford is intri-

cate, Rollins is earthy, and Max is thunderous.

After this strong effort, the band packed up and

headed to their next gig. It would be the last

album the group would make.

After a long stay in New York, the band

went south: a week in D.C., then a concert in

Norfolk, Virginia. On June 18, LaRue and

Clifford, Jr. flew to Los Angeles; Clifford

promised to join them (with the gift of a fur

coat) after the tour was complete. On June 19

Max and Sonny headed to New Jersey to record

Saxophone Colossus, possibly Rollins’ most

important record. Brown and Richie Powell

headed to Philadelphia, for a few days’ relaxa-

tion.

The house was empty, as wife and son

were in California. Clifford went fishing with

his pals, visited the folks in Wilmington, and

did a little nightclubbing. He played with old

friends in a bar in Chester, Pennsylvania; he and

Powell sat in with Cannonball Adderley at

Philly’s Blue Note. On June 26 (LaRue’s birth-

day and their second wedding anniversary),

Clifford packed his things for a gig in Chicago;

Max and Sonny were already there, having ar-

rived straight from Hackensack. Before he hit

the road, he decided to stop by Music City, a

Philadelphia music store that hosted Tuesday

night jam sessions.

This much is clear: Clifford Brown played

in a jam session at Music City, joined by local

players and recorded by a fan named Fred

Miles. What remains in dispute is the date. Billy

Root, who played on this session, claims it was

not made on June 26, 1956, the date usually

cited. (“So I went over with Clifford and they

took a tape and it was 8-9 months, maybe a year

before he passed away.”) Root, who played with

Clifford several times, does not cite a specific

date. Nick Catalano, author of the biography

Clifford Brown, offers the Music City newslet-

ter Jazz Digest, with a photo of the session’s

personnel, as evidence that the session took

place on May 31, 1955. Don Schlitten, who

purchased the tape from Fred Miles and who

produced the album The Beginning and the End,

cited the date on the original tape box—June 26,

1956—and the testimony of the man who rec-

orded it. This point might not be so important

were the music not as essential as it is.

Music City, on 1035 Chestnut Street, was

owned by Ellis Tollin, a music teacher and ses-

sion drummer. (In 1961, he would play on

Chubby Checker’s “The Twist.”) Begun as a

drum studio in 1948, it expanded to teach other

instruments and, eventually, sell them. On Tues-

days a part of the store would be cleared away,

a major star would jam from 7:00 to 8:00 PM,

and Tollin’s own group would play until 10:00

PM—all for the admission of one or two dol-

lars. Clifford played many times here, which led

to the confusion of the dates. Many times he’d

stay after the sessions and offer pointers to the

trumpeters in the audience, one of whom was

Lee Morgan. On this session, the players were

among the best Philly had to offer. The pianist

was Sam Dockery, later to join the Jazz Mes-

sengers; on tenor were Billy Root (who would

play in Dizzy’s big band) and Ziggy Vines (who

only made two records in his lifetime.) The

drummer, as usual, was Ellis Tollin. The music

they produced can, without exaggeration, be

called legendary.

“Walkin’” starts at a fast pace, propelled by

Tollin’s crisp cymbals. Brown takes the first

solo, with delicate high notes and low swoops.

And then he goes fast—someone screams, and

the crowd approves. Root, best known on the

baritone sax, gives to his tenor the power of the

big horn. His solo includes the “High Society”

quote Brown sometimes used, perhaps in ac-

knowledgment of Clifford. Ziggy is smooth and

sly, a tone so close to Lester Young it’s scary.

The crowd eats it up, and the exchanges are

something special.

Dockery opens a swift “Night in Tunisia”

with a tense little riff. Smooth, shiny notes

emerge from Clifford’s horn, and the fans shout

excitedly. This solo could be composed…it is

that perfect. (Those high notes will drop your

jaw.) Ziggy skates around with finesse, and

Dockery has a reflective solo. “Donna Lee” is a

little ragged at first, but builds into a speed trial

for Clifford. (Not as good as “Walkin,’” but it’s

close.) Dockery has an extended solo, his best;

Brown returns, with better control this time.

Ending with a flourish, Clifford Brown tells his

audience, “You make me feel so…wonderful. I

really must go now.” If this was his final night

on earth, those words seem positively chilling.

Right after the show, Clifford and Richie

Powell got into Brown’s car, heading towards

Chicago. At the wheel was Nancy Powell,

Richie’s wife. Max Roach believes Clifford

started driving, then handed the keys to Nancy

when he got tired. After a gas stop in Bedford,

Pennsylvania, the car hit a curve on the rain-

slicked road—a curve which had taken other

lives that week. The car leaped a guardrail, hit a

bridge abutment, and ran down a steep embank-

ment. Richie Powell, Nancy Powell, and

Clifford Brown were all killed instantly.

Max tried to keep the band going, with

Kenny Dorham in Clifford’s place; Sonny Rol-

lins soon left, and afterwards the group disband-

ed. Sonny would embark on a solo career, yield-

ing albums like Freedom Suite, Sonny Rollins at

the Village Vanguard, and the aforementioned

Saxophone Colossus. Max would proceed to

large-scale projects like It’s Time, Freedom

Now!, and the percussion group M’Boom. For

those who played beside him, knowing Clifford

Brown was a pivotal moment in their lives. His

presence is still felt today: as Nicholas Payton

has stated, “I don’t know if we’ll ever hear the

trumpet played like that again.”

This article is respectfully dedicated to the

memories of Harold Land, who played beside

Clifford Brown for nearly two years, and to

Ellis Tollin, who hosted the final performance

of Clifford’s life. Ellis Tollin died in Tamarac,

Florida, on March 30, 2001; Harold Land died

in Los Angeles on July 27,2001. For those who

knew them and their music, they will truly be

missed.

Special thanks go to Gene Norman, Don

Schlitten and Jeanette Tollin for participating in

the interviews which contributed to this article.

Their insights were invaluable for the prepara-

tion of this work.—John Barrett

“A man can get discouraged many times but he is not a failure

until he begins to blame somebody else and stops trying.”

- John Burroughs


“… returning to Basin Street. Plans were to record the band live, but these were interrupted by the

birth of Clifford Brown, Jr., on December 28, 1955. Brown spent two weeks at home, changing

diapers, playing music for his son, and talking to him. LaRue says, ‘He was a wonderful father.

He would take the baby … have a whole conversa-tion with him about philosophy, art, or music.’”


Carlos HenriquezCarlos Henriquez Appearing at Dizzy’s Club at Jazz At Lincoln CenterAppearing at Dizzy’s Club at Jazz At Lincoln Center

December 26December 26--3131

© Eric Nemeyer© Eric Nemeyer

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