A short time ago, I
was asked to lead a jazz orchestra in New York through an incredibly versatile
program; compositions from Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Don Ellis, Don Sebesky,
my own arrangement of AEC’s “Nice Guys” and the iconic oeuvre of Thad
Jones. This was a hand picked, 18 piece
ensemble of some of the greatest jazz musicians in New York.
In preparation, I reflected on some previous experiences to
help shape the experience and how I would manage the process of rehearsal,
performance execution, etc.
I went back to a defining event for me. At 17 years of age, as a trumpet player, I
had the unimaginable opportunity that introduced me to Thad Jones and I was
invited to the lead trumpet chair of the Thad Jones Mel/Lewis Orchestra every
Monday night at the Village Vanguard in Manhattan.
It was for only three months that summer and after the three
month stint with the band, Thad, in his infinite, fatherly wisdom, insisted I
returned back to school in September (He threatened to fire me if I did not
resign…laughingly).
Now for those who may have no idea who the Thad Jones/Mel
Lewis Orchestra was all about, it’s worth a quick Google search. That summer, at 17, I had to convince my
parents that it was OK to venture into the catacombs of the Village Vanguard in Lower
Manhattan.
At the time, the staples of the band included Pepper Adams
(Baritone Sax), Lew Soloff (Trumpet and founding member of “Blood, Sweat and
Tears”), Cecil Bridgewater (Trumpet, and my trumpet teacher), Joe Henderson
(Tenor Sax), Billy Harper (tenor Sax) and a long list of jazz luminaries.
What was quite unnerving was the unending group of musicians
would ‘drop by and sit in.’ Basically,
this would be other musicians who would join the band for a song or two and
then relax and listen to the balance of the set (performance).
“Unnerving?”…Here’s why I use this word. In my very short tenure, the list of visiting
musicians included Thelonious Monk, Elvin Jones, Jon Faddis (whom, after I
leave the band to return to school,
takes over the lead trumpet chair), Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and
well…last, but not least, Miles Davis.
Yesterday, I reflected on a moment when this teacher/mentor
(Thad Jones in this case) imparts wisdom that you carry with you for the rest
of your life. When I started with the
band and we were rehearsing, he told me
I needed to relax…breathe…and play ’behind’ the beat instead of forcing the
precision of the prescribed meter.
I was a bit confused, but I listened to Thad carefully as he
simply stated “it is not essential to force meter; music can relax…meter can
relax…and most importantly, you can relax.”
He asked me to listen to a recording and explained that
“playing behind the beat can yield
beautiful results.” I never heard about
playing ‘behind’ the beat (or meter). He
asked me to listen to a recording of Count Basie’s Orchestra playing Lil’ Darling.
So here it is.
If you choose to listen to even the first two
minutes…playing “behind the beat” may become as disruptively profound to you as
it has been to me.
Bil