Kuumbwa Jazz

Laurie Lewis Interview

Laurie Lewis will be performing at Kuumbwa with “Hills to Hollers” on May 21.

Bluegrass legend Laurie Lewis, Cultural Heritage Choir leader Linda Tillery and Grammy nominated singer/songwriter Barbara Higbie have created a vocal trio that taps into the most primordial roots of the American musical experience. “Hills to Hollers” explores American music from the hills of bluegrass and country, to the work songs and hollers of the African-American tradition. Performing with soulful abandon, three-part vocals, and champion musicianship, these women take it to the mat.

Laurie Lewis’ new album Skippin’ and Flyin’ is a tribute to bluegrass legend Bill Monroe.  It turns out that Lewis’ relationship with Monroe got its start backstage at Kuumbwa in the early 1980s.  Laurie took a moment to talk about that meeting and the upcoming “Hills to Hollers” show.  John Sandidge, of Snazzy Productions - and producer of that Bill Monroe show - also recounted for us his recollections of when Monroe graced the Kuumbwa stage.

Conducted by Bennett Jackson

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Laurie Lewis Interview

Can you recall the details of your band opening up for, and you meeting Bill Monroe at Kuumbwa?

I had met Bill previously, but I don’t think he would have remembered me before we met at Kuumbwa.  His bus driver at the time, Roland White, was a fan of my interpretation of a song written by Bill’s daughter, Melissa Monroe.  Roland made sure that Bill came into [Kuumbwa] and listened to me sing that song.  As you know, the back room is pretty tiny, and there wasn’t room in there for all the Blue Grass Boys and my 5-piece band.  When we got off stage, we needed to pack up as quickly as possible to make room for Bill’s band.  Bill was seated in a chair, and hoisted my guitar case up onto his lap and opened it or me, so that I could pack up.  He said, “I’ve never done this for anyone before.” and then he told me, “You’re better than you think you are.”

Did Monroe’s playing influence how you approached your music early in your career?

Most definitely.  I was given a copy of “The Great Bill Monroe,” an album of some of his early Columbia recordings, and was totally smitten by Chubby Wise’s fiddling and also by the raw, emotive singing on that collection.  Bill’s mandolin playing may not have influenced me personally too much, but his entire band’s sound certainly did.

Your latest album, Skippin’ and Flyin’ is a tribute to Monroe.  Was there a moment when you realized you wanted to pay homage to him in an album?

I think that it occurred to me to do this when I started hearing people re-recording Bill’s repertoire for the centennial of his birth [in 2011]. I thought about the huge impact his music has had on my music, and I wanted to express that in a personal way…not just by dong a bunch of his songs over again, but by exploring the ways he taught me (unknown to him) to take material from various sources and personalize it.

Will you be doing any tunes from Skippin’ and Flyin in the “Hills to Hollers” show?

Yes, we will be playing at least one song from that album: “The Pharaoh’s Daughter.”  It is about the woman who risked going against her father’s edict to save Moses from death.

How do you, Linda Tillery and Barbara Higbie decide on what material to include in the “Hills to Hollers” repertoire? 

We just get together and try it out, and see what fits us. If any of the three of us vetoes any particular suggestion, we move on, because there is so much material to draw from we have the luxury of making sure we are all on the same page. We like the material that seems to be from that time in American history when rural people, black and white, played and sang a similar repertoire. We use that as a jumping-off point for forays into all sorts of collaborations.

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John Sandidge on Bill Monroe playing Kuumbwa

           Somewhere between 1980 and ‘83, early on in Snazzy Production’s career, we brought Bill Monroe [to Santa Cruz] twice: once to the Crow’s Nest and once to Kuumbwa.  The Kuumbwa show really stands out in my mind, though.  At that time I was not very good about knowing what was going on in this business and I got a call [from Monroe’s management] that asked what time I was picking up Bill from the airport, and I said “well, I’m not…” and they told me I’d signed a contract saying that I would!  I looked it up…and I had!  At that time I owned an old Cadillac limo from the mid-to-late sixties, so I fired up the Caddy and went over the hill and picked up Bill Monroe, all of the Blue Grass Boys, Bill’s new wife, plus all their instruments and packed them into this limo and went back over Highway 17.

            When we hit the summit I turned on the radio to KPIG and they were playing a Bill Monroe tune.  Bill asked “How did you do that?!”  I joked and said “it’s new-fangled radio, I could do that anytime” and Bill says: “Well, have them play another one.”  So we get to Kuumbwa, and Bill had a reputation of being a pretty grumpy guy, but he had his new wife with him and he was just in a great mood and he was hanging out with some kids and the younger musicians while he was there.  We didn’t have a hugely [financially] successful show, but it was just a great experience…to have somebody of that caliber come to town…a guy who invented a style of American music that will last forever.

Kuumbwa Show Info: http://bit.ly/IPtDbI

Interview with Tuck & Patti

Tuck & Patti will be performing at Kuumbwa on Tuesday, February 14 at 7 & 9 pm

For three decades, the unique vocal/guitar jazz duo of Guitarist Tuck Andress and vocalist Patti Cathcart has cast its musical spell worldwide, capturing the hearts of lovers, the respect of jazz buffs, and the jaw-dropping awe of guitarists. This Valentine’s Day, join Kuumbwa in embracing Tuck & Patti’s one-of-a-kind formula of what the Boston Globe’s David Gérard has called “unencumbered yet passionate arrangements display(ing) the sort of panache that elevate them above the ‘jazz brunch’ moniker and underscore their music’s timeless beauty.”

Tuck & Patti chat about their Valentine’s Day tradition of playing Kuumbwa, some of the memorable moments on stage, as well as their new endeavors in teaching and passing along on their craft.  

Conducted by Bennett Jackson

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This Valentine’s Day marks another anniversary of your longstanding ‘date-night’ with Santa Cruz.  Do you remember how this tradition of the Valentine’s Day show got started?

Patti (P): The first time I think it just happened that Valentine’s Day fell on a night we were scheduled to play

Tuck (T): Yeah, we used to play there during different parts of the year but 2000 was the year where we first played on Valentine’s Day and we’ve targeted it for that time ever since.

Twelve years!  That’s a good longstanding tradition.

P: We may have missed a few in-between, but we’ve made most of them.  Our music is really suited to it, and its great to see the lovers get together.  We always get requests and have fun…debuting new tunes and stuff like that, and it’s always interesting because both shows [7 & 9 pm] seem to have a different flavor. 

Do you let the set-list unfold on-stage?

P: Yeah, that’s always the best way.  Aside from Valentine’s Day, there’s always stuff happening that [can influence what we play], and if we ever have new tunes to debut we try and do that there. 

Your latest album “I Remember You” (2008) was comprised of standards and Great American Songbook material.  Will you be performing songs off of that record?

P: Yes, we’ll do some of those.  We’re in the process of starting another [record], and there’s some tunes that we haven’t done before that we’ve been playing around with for the past few months, so we’ll throw a few of those in.  We keep it open to where the spirit may lead.

I read that “I Remember You” was mixed at your home studio.

T: Yeah, we’ve been mixing there for a while.

Was it recorded at home as well?

T: Yeah, we’ve recorded everything at our home studios, except for one album: “Dream” that we recorded in San Francisco, but other than that we’ve always recorded at home.

I imagine that having a home studio is very freeing in that you can get to the studio right when the muse strikes, and there’s no record company folks looking over your shoulder!

T: It’s true about not having anyone over your shoulder - though that was never really an issue for us - but we tend to schedule and record as if we were going into another studio…we book ourselves and plan our schedule.  But it is great to be able to do it from home.

So is this new album going to have standards on it as well?

P: It’ll be more like a classic Tuck & Patti record: some covers of tunes by people we love and some originals.  When we did the Great American Songbook CD, you can do an endless number of those tunes, so we’ll do more of those in our future, but we’re going to go to our classic “T & P” sound for this one.

Getting back to the Kuumbwa show.  Over those years of Valentine’s Day concerts, are there any moments that stand out in your memory?

P: One of the things that’s recurred and has been really cool is when someone proposes marriage during the show!  I usually talk to them first and make sure the person they’re proposing to isn’t going to turn them down and make it a traumatic event [laughs]!  A few times we’ve had people come up onstage and do it, but most of the time they ask us to do it in a song, it’s always pretty cool when that happens.

I didn’t know that there had been actual marriage proposals during the show…that’s awesome!

P: Yeah!  Also, it’s become a tradition for a lot of people and after all these years I recognize them.  I don’t know them, but I recognize their faces and I know that its something they try to do with each other each year, and that’s really cool.

It’s a great ‘Kuumbwa community’ event, and our patrons really look forward to it each year.

T: Recently we’ve been beginning a new project for us where we’re teaching, producing, recording and mixing other people’s projects now.  We’ve talked about this literally for decades and haven’t had the time to do it, but now we can.

P: We’ve really been enjoying it…it’s a really neat thing to be doing.

Are those joint lessons that you’re offering?

T: We have done that.  We teach guitarists and singers separately, but we coach duos and have even done entire vocal groups together.  One really fun thing to do in the process is to record them and help them make their CDs.

P: We are able to teach via Skype for international students, and it’s been a really wonderful thing to do.  We both love teaching and it’s that time of life where we need to pass it on.

T: Yeah, so many of our great heroes didn’t [teach] much…and we just think it’s so valuable to do that…It’s been really nice to use our experience to help other people.

To inquire more about lessons from Tuck & Patti please visit their website or contact them at info@tuckandpatti.com

Tuck & Patti: www.tuckandpatti.com

Kuumbwa Show Info: http://bit.ly/AbbebD

Interview with Regina Carter

Regina Carter will be performing at Kuumbwa on Monday, February 20

How do you take beautiful, traditional African/world music, infuse it with a modern feel, and stay true to its past, without compromise? Award-winning, classically trained jazz violinist Regina Carter’s latest effort, Reverse Thread (E1 Music, 2010), rises to the challenge. Lauded as one of the finest violinists of her generation, Carter captures both the essence and allure of the original music through a lens of contemporary interpretation. To achieve this end, Carter adds an accordion and a kora—the West African harp traditionally played by village storytellers—to her longstanding rhythm section for an uplifting and stirring result.

Regina thinks back on how the music she heard growing up in Detroit was an impetus for her latest album, as well as playing with a kora for the first time, and early-morning musical epiphanies.

Conducted by Bennett Jackson

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When you decided to embark on the “Reverse Thread” project, was there a particular part of Africa whose music you knew you wanted to highlight?

When I got this opportunity, my first thought was to research and record Arab music, especially the Chaldeans, who are Christian Arabs.  That idea came because I grew up in Detroit, which has the largest population of Chaldeans in the US, and that was my introduction to Arab music.  I thought it was so beautiful, with non-Western scale tones…I found it very appealing.  So that was my starting point, and then when I started listening to music in my research, someone at the World Music Institute [in New York City] handed me a CD of music by Ugandan Jews, and I was completely taken by that.  From there the concept went through many, many changes.  At one point I thought it would be music of African cultures from around the world, or music by African composers.  It took many turns, because in collecting music and listening, I would hear something that would lead me to another CD or another part of the world…but in some way I would always find my way back to the African continent.   Of course there’s such a mixture of religions, cultures and languages on the continent, there’s no way I could fit it all on one CD…so I just let the music guide me.  So many times in playing this music, people have come up to me asking: “have you heard this music?”…It’s opened me up to hear other music and has been a journey that will continue to the next record. 

It sounds like the project has taken on a path of its own aside from the actual album itself.

It definitely has!

I’m guessing that due to modern recording and the like, the original recordings that you researched sound quite different than the versions that ended up on your album, despite the melodies being the same.

For most of the tunes, that was the case.  There were a few like “Kothbiro” and “N’Teri” that were pretty much true-to-form, but there were some field recordings and some of the pieces from the Ugandan Jews where the melodies weren’t difficult, but they’re so simple that you think “what am I going to do with this?”  I had to think about where I could take it, but still keep the beauty that’s there in the naked melody.  It’s interesting because you think: “yeah, I can play this” but what can you do to bring life into it?  That’s the most difficult thing.  There are intricate things that you really have to pay attention to, and you can’t overplay…just let the beauty of the natural melody come through.  You also have to arrange it so there’s not too much stuff piled on top of the melody, so it allows it to go somewhere.  We had to do a lot of listening to figure out how to breathe life into the melodies while staying true to the music.

Did you let a lot of that formulating of arrangements take place prior to going into the studio, or was it done on the spot?

It was done prior.  We started the project 2 years before we went into the studio.  We came up with skeleton ideas for the pieces and then started gigging to see how people would respond to it…and to see how we would respond to the arrangements as well.  A lot of times after a gig, I’d wake up early in the morning and I’d know how to cut or move things around, then we’d try it again…and after two years of playing and arranging and letting things happen organically, we went in and recorded it. 

This album prominently features Yacouba Sissoko on kora (a 21-stringed gourd instrument).  Had you played with him, or any kora players, prior to the recording?

Yacouba is an amazing player and I had not played with a kora before.  In fact, the first instruments I used for this project – because I chose the instruments before I chose the material – were accordion and guitar.  But I decided I wanted another string instrument that was different from guitar.  My mentor [violinist] John Blake’s sister recommended Yacouba.  I had called several kora players before and the vibe wasn’t right, but when I called Yacouba he was very gracious and came to a rehearsal and it just worked…he studied the western scale system so he understands our key signatures and can tune to any key we’re playing in, while most kora players only play in 1 or 2 keys…that makes Yacouba even more of a specialist.

One of the things I really like about the instrumentation on “Reverse Thread” is that it takes the kora, which is typically West African, and blends it with the accordion, which is prominent in Southern Africa, making a really unique melange.

Yeah, I wasn’t sure how it was going to work, but it’s a pretty cool blend of sounds.  I’ve found that when people listen to the record or hear us live, they say they hear zydeco, or other things.  That is basically the whole point of “Reverse Thread” because I think of the human race being a huge garment, and if you pull one string it can unravel the whole garment…basically we’re all connected and you hear that in our music.

Have you had a chance to play this music live in Africa?

Yes, we actually went to South Africa and we’re looking for more festivals and places to play [in Africa].  Playing in South Africa was an amazing experience, it was my second time there and the people loved the project.

Is there material that you wish you had tackled for this project but weren’t able to?  Is there a Volume II on the horizon perhaps?

I’m looking at religious songs from Israel now.  There are a lot of melodies I’ve heard that are beautiful to me, but I know [they’re] not something that’s common to western ears.  But I’ve just found some really beautiful melodies so far…so that’s my plan, but who knows.  I let the music guide me.  I’m better off that way.  

Regina Carter: www.reginacarter.com

Kuumbwa Show Info: http://bit.ly/znz0v1

Interview with Charlie Hunter

Charlie Hunter will be performing at Kuumbwa on Monday, December 12

It’s become a December tradition, and by now, just about everyone knows that all those sounds are coming not from three musicians, but from the one and only Charlie Hunter. Pair the eight-string whiz up with master drummer and long-time accomplice Scott Amendola, and the potential is essentially limitless. Originally two-thirds of the heralded mid-1990’s Charlie Hunter Trio, Hunter and Amendola have since navigated an entire gamut of artistic endeavors, garnering a level of musical maturity that makes this reunion especially compelling. Expect reimagined classic repertoire as well as brand new material from Charlie’s latest release Public Domain (2011).

Charlie chats about his longtime drummer: Scott Amendola, the importance of making each record count, and coming ‘home’ to Kuumbwa for the holidays.

Conducted by Bennett Jackson

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This upcoming performance is a duo with drummer Scott Amendola.  Is it more challenging or more freeing for you to make music in a duo format?

It’s both…It’s more challenging because you can’t downshift your mind…you’re always having to be completely on point.  [If] you’re playing in a trio you can let your mind have a little rest every now and again.  In a duo, you really can’t.  But then, on the other side it’s incredibly freeing because any idea you have, you can execute right then and there.

Especially if you’re not playing with another chord-based instrument, you basically have free reign.

Yeah, that’s very true.

Amendola has been with you since the Charlie Hunter Trio of the 1990’s, so would you say that by this time, the two of you know where the other one is going to go musically?

Yeah (laughs), we know how to play together.  We’ve been playing off-and-on together for almost twenty years now, so we know how that machine works.  It’s like an old Volkswagen Bug; you can pretty much take it apart and put it back together in a couple hours!

Is there a manual for that, haha?!

No manual, man…blindfolded!

And I’m sure there are still moments where the two of you still surprise each other musically.

Totally, otherwise forget it…what’s the point?

With a duo, it’s a free atmosphere where you don’t have as many people around you to pick up slack.  Is there a rehearsal schedule for a situation like that?

Rehearsal?! (Laughs)  There’s not rehearsal.

No charts I guess, so you guys just let it happen?

Yeah.  Maybe we’ll run through a new song at soundcheck, but no rehearsals.

Charlie Hunter & Scott Amendola @ Kuumbwa in the mid 1990’s (photo: Will Wallace)

Nice.  Will you be playing music from your most recent album: “Public Domain” (2011)?

Yeah, I’ll do some of that and I’m working on some new music…plus whatever standards and other songs we want to play.  Scott’s been writing for the last ten years and has some nice songs…we’ll play some of those.  We move from thing to thing.

You mentioned you have some new material.  Do you have plans to hit the studio anytime soon?

Not yet, I feel like I’ve made so many records in the past twenty years, I want the next one to be really strong.  I don’t want to make a record just because it’s time to make a record.  I’m really taking my time and working on material…I don’t even know what the instrumentation will be.  I also have to pay for the record myself, so I really want to make sure it’s something I feel will be really strong and will be different from the  other records I’ve made.  I think all of my career I’ve tried to do that, to make each record – even if it’s similar instrumentation – somewhat different from the ones that preceded it.

It’s become a  bit of a December tradition to have you at Kuumbwa…

Yeah, man.  I’m into it!

Do you consider it part of your holiday season?

Yeah, I think it is.  It used to be that I’d play Kuumbwa and Yoshi’s, but I’m not doing Yoshi’s anymore, so now it’s just Kuumbwa.  I think [Tim Jackson – Kuumbwa’s artistic director] was telling me that I’m usually the last show of the season, and I always look forward to it!

Charlie Hunter: www.charliehunter.com

Kuumbwa Show Info: http://bit.ly/ubmWKz

Interview with John Scofield

John Scofield will be performing at Kuumbwa on Monday, October 24

John Scofield’s guitar work has influenced jazz since the late 70’s and is going strong today. Possessor of a very distinctive sound and stylistic diversity, Scofield is a masterful jazz improviser whose music generally falls somewhere between post-bop, funk edged jazz, and R&B. He has prominently led his own groups in the international jazz scene, recorded over 30 albums as a leader (many already classics) including collaborations with contemporary favorites like Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden, Eddie Harris, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Bill Frisell, Brad Mehldau, and many others. This straight-ahead inception of Scofield will include Michael Eckroth – piano, Ben Street – bass, and Greg Hutchinson – drums.

Scofield recalls how Kuumbwa has seen every one of his groups over the years, and how returning to the jazz quartet format is like a pleasant home-coming for him.

Conducted by Bennett Jackson

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Kuumbwa has seen you bring countless groups to stage over your many performances here. 

I know!  I think every group I’ve ever had has played at Kuumbwa, which is pretty cool.

It’s a cool thing for us to have on our resume as well!  So this jazz quartet this time around will feature Michael Eckroth (piano), Ben Street (bass) and Greg Hutchinson (drums).

Mmm hmmm.  I’ve been playing with Michael Eckroth a lot lately.  He’s a pianist and was actually a student of mine at NYU and I thought he sounded so good I had to bring him out on the road.  I’ve done a lot of stuff without piano but I’ve been getting into it again lately, working with a piano player that can play the chords behind me so I can kind of be like a singer, you know?

With the addition of the piano giving you that different chordal background, will you guys be performing any of the material off the ‘54’ (2010) album which featured a lot of orchestration?

Well, we won’t be doing so much from that one.  I have a new record that’s coming out at the end of September and we’ll be doing stuff from that…which is a piano quartet also.  It’s a different band than the one that I’m bringing [to Kuumbwa], but it’s called “A Moment’s Peace.”  That’s with Larry Goldings on piano, Brian Blade on drums and Scott Colley on bass.  Different quartet, but we’re going to be playing some of the music from that record, which is a ballads record.

We’ll look forward to that record.

But the band that’s playing at Kuumbwa, I’m planning on doing stuff from all different eras of my career…all my tunes…from different albums, some of the older stuff, but also some jazz standards.

(photo: Scofield performing at Kuumbwa in the 1970s.  Photo by Will Wallace)

When you do projects with strong personalities such as the orchestrated ‘54,’ or the New Orleans flavored Piety street group, does it feel comforting to return to a jazz quartet, or more traditional jazz setting?

Yeah, I think it’s home for me, just to play straight-ahead jazz.  I like to mix it up with some of my originals that have little different things, but it’s very comforting for me to play ‘in the tradition.’

With regards to playing in that tradition, I read on your website that you’ve been playing an old 70’s Howard Roberts model Gibson, an archetypical jazz guitar.

[laughs] I got this guitar, it’s actually in my lap right now, but its not the guitar I’m playing live.  I bought this really cool old guitar that I really love and I want to use in certain situations, but in a way it’s so cool I don’t want to bring it out of the house or fly with it…but I’ve got this Ibanez guitar I’ve played since 1980, when the Ibanez company in Japan gave it to me, and that has really become an appendage.  I keep buying other guitars and getting cool stuff and using them more for recording but on the gig I always play this 1980 Ibanez because I know what it can do.  It’s my friend, you know, it’s my wife.

That Ibanez is a semi-hollowbody right?

Yeah, It’s a semi-acoustic AS200.  It’s like a Gibson ES 335 copy that they made.

I want to go back to something that you mentioned earlier, as far as joining forces with Michael Eckroth because of your position as an adjunct professor at NYU.

Yeah, I teach a little bit there.  I’m on the road so much that I’m not able to teach consistently to college students.  But NYU has really set me up with a great situation where I do 7 Master Classes a semester.  And I also sometimes take a semester off, which I’m going to do this fall because I have so many gigs.  I love doing it and in the Master Class I get to play with some of the really good players at NYU and we hang out…it’s great.

NYU is my alma mater…

No kidding?!

Yep!  So when you went into that situation were you expecting to could get a future bandmember out of the arrangement, or did that catch you by surprise?

Well yeah, I think actually at NYU there are all these guys who are professional but go there so they can get a masters degree, or doctorate.  So yeah, I was looking, because I knew there were some really good players, especially in the grad school.  I mean, that’s just where it’s at today.  You meet really good players that are going to school…in the old days maybe you’d meet at jam sessions because they didn’t have jazz schools, but now they do.

And NYU has got an impressive lineup of other adjunct professors such as Lenny Pickett and Joe Lovano.

Yeah, Lovano’s there…Lenny…it’s pretty heavy.

Any parting words about this upcoming show with the quartet?

I just think that the Kuumbwa audience always brings out the best in us…I love playing there and have been for so many years.  The room itself – I hate to sound mystical – but it has some vibrations that set up the creative process.  The best place to hear jazz is in a club, I’m sure of that….and I can’t wait to get back there.

John Scofield: www.johnscofield.com

Kuumbwa Show Info: http://bit.ly/nnNwWJ

Interview with Jimmy Webb

Jimmy Webb will be performing at Kuumbwa on Wednesday, September 28

Despite being the only artist ever to receive Grammy Awards for music, lyrics and orchestration, singer/songwriter Jimmy Webb is scarcely a household name. His work, however, speaks for itself. Time-honored masterpieces like Wichita Lineman, By the Time I Get to Phoenix, Up Up and Away and The Highwayman have launched artists Glen Campbell, James Taylor and Joe Cocker to the top of the charts. When he’s not composing the next instant classic, Webb serves as an ASCAP board member and chairs the Songwriters Hall of Fame. This rare, solo appearance, based on Just Across the River (2010) is certain to shine.

Jimmy talks about the business of songwriting & composing, making music with his sons, and the new record he’s working on in Nashville.

Conducted by Bennett Jackson

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This performance at Kuumbwa is going to be a solo performance.  Is solo piano your preferred method of playing your songs?

Yeah, I enjoy accompanying myself.

Have you ever written on other instruments?

Well, I won a Grammy when I was about 20 for the arrangement for Macarthur Park, which I wrote for a 60-piece orchestra.  I continue to write for orchestra.  I just wrote sixteen minutes of music for the Centennial celebration of Oklahoma for full symphonic orchestra.  The thing is there’s not as much of a demand for that kind of writing today as there has been in years passed.  I love doing it, but it’s the law of supply and demand.

Jimmy Webb: http://bit.ly/aaGO15

Kuumbwa Show Info: http://bit.ly/nncxee

Interview with Oliver Lake

The Oliver Lake Organ Quartet will be performing at Kuumbwa on Monday, August 29th

A celebrated poet and performance artist besides, Oliver Lake blows the alto saxophone with a fire unrivalled in his generation or any other. His impressive portfolio ranges from big band and free jazz to orchestral works and even compositions for popular acts like Bjork and A Tribe Called Quest. This powerful quartet features the brilliant Hammond B3 organ of Jared Gold, trumpet player Freddie Hendrix and drummer Chris Beck. Expect a night of bebop and funk alongside Lake’s natural avant leaning’s from the quartet’s critically acclaimed 2011 Passin’ Thru Records release Plan.

Here, Oliver raps jazz nonprofits, New Jersey’s young lions of jazz and St. Louis’ historic Black Artists Group.

Conducted by Bennett Jackson

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You first played Kuumbwa in 1978, which would make you one of the original veterans of the Kuumbwa scene!

Wow…I knew it was a long time ago, but I didn’t know it was 1978…it’s been a while!

Being one of the longest recurring visitors to the club, are there any particular memories or shows that stand out in your mind over that time period?

You know, it’s difficult man…the last time I played there was with Trio 3: Reggie Workman and Andrew Cyrille…but I think of all the shows, and what’s remarkable to me is how much energy the audience would always have when we played at Kuumbwa and the sense of community I’ve gotten from the audience over the years.

That energy is definitely there, partly because we’ve been around long enough for people like yourself to have played there for 30 years and cultivate relationships with the audience.

Exactly

So the new organ quartet that you’re bringing in features Jared Gold on organ, right? 

That’s right…Jared Gold on organ, Freddie Hendrix on trumpet and Chris Beck on drums.

Has this group been touring for a while?

We’ve been together for a while, though our drummer has switched around quite a bit…but basically this group has been together a while.  Originally I started out with Jonathan Blake on drums and he did both the recordings (Trio 3 & Path), but for about the last year or so, Chris Beck has been playing the drum role.

Your musical projects are pretty wide-ranging and since this is an organ quartet, did you compose music specifically for this group?

That’s correct.  I wanted to get a different take on the organ group sound…to imprint my sound on the organ group concept.  A lot of the organ trios in the past have been where the organ has been associated with more of a groove, blues-based feeling, and I wanted to hopefully get a different, original sound going through the space of the organ.  On the latest CD, which is called Plan, I think I accomplished that a little bit more than I did on the one before.  The first album is more in the pocket and this new one is a little more experimental with all original tunes and so-forth.  A resurgence of the organ has happened in the past ten years or so…the organ sound kind of waned for a while after it was very popular in the 60s and 70s and now its come back in the past ten years and there are a lot of great young players.  Jared Gold is, I think, one of the premier young players, so I’m really happy he’s part of the group.

You’re currently based out of New Jersey, so is Jared Gold an East Coast guy?

Yeah, he’s from New Jersey.  And I have to speak about all of [the band members]…Freddie Hendrix is an exceptional trumpet player, he’s also from Jersey, and Chris Beck is from Philadelphia but he lives in Jersey and is a protégé of Jonathan Blake’s.  When I couldn’t get Jonathan because he’s so busy, he recommended Chris and he’s has been with the group almost two years now.

Jersey has got such a great little jazz scene…it’s like its own little Brooklyn.

Haha, yeah but Brooklyn has gone crazy in the past couple years!

On a slight change of subject, I know you founded the non-profit organization called Passin’ Thru, which is an organization dedicated to advancing knowledge and appreciation of jazz that also doubles as your record label.

That’s correct, it’s a nonprofit and the record label is a part of it…within that we present concerts and have an educational component where I have workshops and so-forth.  I’ve had that going for more than 20 years now.

I was struck by the similarities of Passin’ Thru to Kuumbwa.  They’re both nonprofits and have the same ultimate goals of furthering the legacy of jazz while doubling as a separate business entity, be it a record label or venue.  Was there something in particular that inspired the founding of your organization?

Well, I think it was a product of wanting to be in control of my destiny as an artist and musician.  One way of doing this is applying for grants, which is very useful and I know that a lot of dance companies and theatre companies were doing that years ago…but not too many jazz musicians.  Then there was a group of us in New York that decided this was a route to take.  For me, it’s definitely been the way to go.  It’s about being in control of my artistic endeavors and Passin’ Thru allows me to do that.

Aside from your career as a musician, you’re also involved in visual arts and poetry.  Does the nonprofit tie in with those components as well?

Oh yes, it’s all a part of one big thing for me.  It involves all the creative endeavors I pursue as well as those of a few other artists we present and record.

Does working as a painter or poet influence the way you compose or play, or vice versa?

I think they all influence on another, and this goes back to the work I started with the Black Artists Group back in 1967/68.  That group in St. Louis was a mix of all art-forms and I ended up accompanying poets, writing music for plays and big bands, writing poetry and seeing the visual artists who were a part of that group.  It ended up kind of being a school for me.  I wound up doing all these things that I love to do…music being the main thing, but still integrating all the other things about my career that I really love: poetry, painting and performance.  Being able to incorporate all of that into what I do is a direct result of being a part of the Black Artists Group.

That group was formed in St. Louis?

Right.

You were born in Arkansas, but was St Louis the first formative scene that you were involved with?

Most definitely.  I was raised in St. Louis…we left Arkansas when I was a baby at six months and I lived in St. Louis all the way up until I moved to New York, so St. Louis is my home.

I was driving through St. Louis recently and I found a great jazz radio station, so it seems like there’s still a working scene there.

You know I don’t get back too often…mainly just to play, but there is a scene there with a few places to play and there’s still a lot of great young musicians coming out of St Louis.

Well, we’re certainly looking forward to hearing how the new organ quartet sounds as well adding another tally mark to your total number of Kuumbwa performances!

Thanks!  I just want to encourage people to come and check out the group…these young guys are really at the top of their form and I think the sound we have is very unique as an organ group.

Oliver Lake: http://bit.ly/9Qejut

Passin’ Thru: http://bit.ly/o7G4bu

Kuumbwa Show Info: http://bit.ly/mT7n3O

Interview with Sasha Dobson

Sasha Dobson will be performing at Kuumbwa on Monday, August 1st

Born into Santa Cruz’ musical Dobson family, Sasha Dobson tackled New York’s jazz scene at age seventeen, and was soon performing widely: from the famed Small’s in New York to Japan’s Blue Note. Initially a darling of the jazz world, Dobson honed her style with a talent for scatting, improvisation and phrasing. 2004’s The Darkling Thrush (Small’s) proved her ability as one of the great young scat singers, while 2006’s Modern Romance (Secret Sun) added guitar to her ever-growing musical palette. Recently, she supported Norah Jones’ most recent tour with both guitar/percussion accompaniment and vocal harmonies.

Sasha talks about ‘the big time’ and how Kuumbwa shows are like a family reunion.

Conducted by Bennett Jackson

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So you’re coming back to Kuumbwa…

Yeehaw!  Yeah, I’m excited.

You’ve been a New Yorker for a long time now, but you still come back to Kuumbwa occasionally.  What’s the best part of coming back to play?

It’s nice to finally come back now because that was a pretty big journey last year with Norah [Jones]…it’s still powerful to come back there, year after year…ever since I was a little girl.  I was raised singing there…such history there…so I made it a point to hire guys [for the gig] who I grew up with, like Dan Robbins who was my dad’s UCSC TA and did tons of gigs with us [The Dobson Family Band] on bass.  Then Zach Olson, who’s a totally amazing jazz drummer but also plays with lots of rock bands.  Graham Connah will also be on keys.

Are you planning have any special family guests?

Well, the Kuumbwa gigs are always like a reunion.  I’ve sort of held out on coming back because the last time I played was when my record [Modern Romance - 2006] came out and the time was right.  I figured I could wait to come back when I released another album, and now I feel so much more connected to what I’m doing.  The stuff with Richard [Julian] and Jesse [Harris] was just the beginning of my whole life now.

I remember you at that last gig, telling me that you were just learning to play guitar and were modestly hoping to be able to play guitar onstage sometime in the future.  Now you are a guitar player in Norah Jones’ band!

Never in a million years, times a billion, would I ever think I’d end up being Norah’s accompanist.  On all the duo songs I was the one chosen to accompany her on rhythm guitar or banjo, not Smokey Hormel…which is amazing.

 That’s a great one to have on the resume for life…

That tour was such as amazing experience, it’s really taken me awhile to come down and re-center.  And in regards to how that gig is hopefully going to open up many doors in my career, as a sideman or just as a great piece of my resume…I haven’t even begun to tap into that.  I’ve sort of been in shock ever since I got back. 

I know a lot of folks in Santa Cruz are really proud of that accomplishment; watching you with Norah on Dancing With The Stars, that kind of stuff…so it was cool for the community too.

Keep talking, haha!  Looking back, it’s feels like dreams really come true sometimes.  It’s so easy to get overwhelmed by playing and performing, but I felt a new level of calm being onstage with Norah and I’m looking forward to coming back and bringing that to my own music.

And now you’re able to say you’ve shared the stage with Willie Nelson, Neil Young and many more artists.  Any ideas on how to cool the red, hot sun of my jealousy?!?!

Hahaha…it all happened so fast.  I made it a point to ponder the unbelievable element of magic involved and how life occasionally has a way of snapping you out of it or into it.  When I got offstage after performing with Willie I just burst into tears and Norah was like “what are you doing?!?!?!” but I was so happy!  It was a pleasure to be able to walk down that road with her for a little while.  And, it’s very reassuring to meet all these successful people in that world while feeling respected…feeling that “I belong here, these people and I are on the same vibration and I can’t believe it.”  It really brought the whole element of success on that level down to earth.   

You recently put out an EP called Burn.  Are you currently working on any new recordings?

I’m just holding out for the right opportunity to complete this new phase…getting the right people on board and cutting some new tracks.  I’m also starting to write on piano…figuring out things that I must’ve learned from my dad through osmosis. In terms of looking for a record deal, we use the word ‘label’ but it’s more about having a ‘team.’  The bottom line is, I’m a musician, and what I mostly need to focus on is writing.

It’s a tough balance between being musically productive and trying to tackle the business end of things.

Yeah, but all the stuff that I’ve had to figure out is exhilarating.  It’s good to figure stuff out on your own.

So if you record more, would you package them together with songs off your last EP?

It depends…I have a feeling that EP is going to live its own life and I may re-record a couple songs, or use a couple tracks from it, but I’m really excited to get back into the studio because my skills have changed and evolved from when I started the EP in 2007. 

And you have new songs…

Yeah!  And I’ve been singing a lot of jazz and been incorporating my jazz singing into what I do as a songwriter, kind of honing in on what I love about jazz singing, which for me has always been bass, drums and voice…and simplifying the rhythm.  What I’m thinking about now is almost like a rock band, just bass drums and guitar…me on guitar, and with not a lot of lead…focusing on harmony and having it be forefront to the melody.

So are you going to have just the quartet at this gig?

Well, I’ll have Zach, Dan and Graham - the Santa Cruz warriors - and then I’m definitely going to have some very special guests…NORAH JONES!!!!

Norah Jones ANNDDDDD Neil Young!

Hahaha

I always like to ask what is it that makes Kuumbwa such a unique place to play.  You could probably go more in-depth than most with this question, given your family’s connection to the club, but are there any quick impressions that come to mind?

Well, I’m biased, but it has to do a lot with [Tim Jackson – artistic director] and him bringing in the right people all these years.  Once that tone is set (no pun intended!) it becomes a magnet for people on that same vibration.  That’s my first instinct…is to say that it’s that positive energy snowball effect.  It’s just been a great place…so diverse but always reliable in that it has good music and great people.  And I do feel this way because of my history…but it’s not just me, there are a lot of people that feel the same way.  And as you get older and travel the world, there are very few places you find like that…it’s very special.

Sasha Dobson: http://bit.ly/rmOc6Q

Kuumbwa Show Info: http://bit.ly/pHxIS9

Interview with Les Nubians

Les Nubians will be performing at Kuumbwa on Tuesday, May 24th

The rich Parisian slam poetry circuit was ground zero for Helene and Celia Faussart. The sister duo soon adopted the moniker Les Nubians and set to work crafting an a capella R&B hybrid inflected with Afro-Caribbean rhythmic sensibilities. They gained a Grammy nomination and worldwide attention with a pair of major label releases and have since maintained an influential presence on the hip-hop and soul vanguard. This appearance marks their return to the states and will feature brand new music from a 2010 release entitled Nü Revolution (Nubiatik / Shanachie).

Helene and Celia riff on singing in both English and French and about being back in the Monterey Bay area.

Conducted by Bennett Jackson

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Monterey Bay area fans last had a chance to see you guys perform this past September when you headlined at the Monterey Jazz Festival.  Will you be bringing a similar show or band to Kuumbwa?

Basically it will be the same band we performed with at the Monterey Jazz Fest.  The show at Monterey was already a presentation of the new songs and this time we’ll definitely be supporting and touring with those new songs.  So there will be a few similarities and of course new additions for this show.

You have a new album coming out called “Nu Revolution” and it’s been a few years since your last album.  How does it feel to have this one under the belt?

 It feels great…we’re very excited about it.  As you said, it’s been a little time between the two albums…we couldn’t wait to come out with new music, so we’re excited to share [it] with you.

The track “Liberte” off the new record is streaming on your website and features your trademark mélange of French and English.  Do you put much thought into the ratio between each language in your songs, i.e. do you make a point to have more French than English in some songs, or is the blend a natural occurence?

 It comes pretty naturally, we don’t wonder about it.  What we wanted to do with our music when we wrote our first album “Princesses Nubians” was to definitely sing in French…which is the language of our hearts and our #1 language.  But in the last fifteen years we’ve built up an amazing relationship with an English speaking audience and we feel more comfortable speaking it…even more now that we have a message and some emotion to carry in English.  It’s very difficult to hide yourself behind a language that you don’t know and we feel more comfortable definitely with English now.

Do you find your French speaking fans gravitate more towards the French material or vice-versa for English

Well I think our French speaking fans might not be disappointed [with the English material].  I think it’s all about music first and then the language that carries the melody…but there are still songs in French anyways, really!  But, this is the first time we recorded an album in America.  I think that by being here on this continent to record and create part of this album (we also recorded in Paris)…it came naturally for some songs to have English.

Where did you record in the States?

We recorded in New York at Flood Studios with Fabulous Fab, who’s an amazing producer and mixer…we had the chance to cross paths and he participated in the album.  We recorded in Detroit also.

Your music has a global sound and is very popular across different genres in the United States, from neo-soul to hip-hop, world and jazz.  How different is your marketing/touring approach when you’re in the States vs. in France or elsewhere?

I think we approach all that the same way…which is with love, humanity, and inspiration…wanting to share our music.  Basically we don’t have a different approach in different markets.  We go with ourselves and our sincerity, and present our music the way it is composed…the same way to people of the world everywhere…even if it’s a jazz crowd or a more hip-hop crowd.  We don’t necessarily format everything for a certain type of audience.  Sometimes we make little changes but I think our audience is broad and we just try to make it sincere so people can join in our music.

Les Nubians: http://bit.ly/PJF9a

Kuumbwa Show Info: http://bit.ly/mogigM

Les Nubians performing at the 2010 Monterey Jazz Festival (photo: Bennett Jackson)

Interview with Zakir Hussain

Zakir Hussain will be performing with Pandit Shivkumar Sharma on Friday, May 6th at the Rio Theatre

Universally acclaimed as the world’s greatest santoor player, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma is a world ambassador for the elegance, exuberance and complexity of Indian music. Sharma will be joined by world renowned tabla and percussion virtuoso Zakir Hussain for this special concert.  A classical tabla virtuoso of the highest order, Hussain’s consistently brilliant and exciting performances have not only established him as a national treasure in his own country, India, but gained him worldwide fame as well.

Zakir shares his thoughts with us about this collaboration and the upcoming show in Santa Cruz.

Conducted by Bennett Jackson

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You keep a very busy touring & performance schedule.  Is there anything in particular that makes the Santa Cruz area a special place to play?

Santa Cruz is a city of world cultures, there is an audience here that has great understanding of non western traditions.  It is also like playing at home because I live a short distance to the north in Marin [county]…there is a special fondness for Indian classical arts here, thus creating the right ambience for our music. 

This upcoming concert at the Rio Theatre features the master of the santoor Pandit Shivkumar Sharma.  You’ve collaborated with instrumentalists ranging from Sharma to guitarist John McLaughlin and banjoist Bela Fleck?  Are there any particular instruments you find most enjoyable to collaborate with?

Instruments are an extension of the musician, and so I look for a deep relationship with the artist I am working with.  It is important to interact as friends, as fellow students of the arts, understanding each other’s likes and dislikes, etc.  All this helps the music to be more real and complete.

You’ve also collaborated with many styles of drummers/percussionists as well, from Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead to Airto Moreira.  Have many non-tabla-playing percussionists influenced the way you play or approach your instrument?

Every artist I play with points to something in my music that I may have overlooked…seeing myself through their eyes is a very important learning process.

What will you and Sharma be bringing to the stage with you on this current outing?

I have played with Pandit Shivkumar Sharma for almost 3 decades…it is this detailed experience that we will bring to the stage. Making music together is not a project-based interaction, it is not ‘lets do an album, tour it and we are done’ event. After many years of working with Pandit ji, I can now attempt to understand in depth what he is saying through his music…and maybe it is the same for him.

Pandit Shivkumar Sharma: http://bit.ly/6MwfiK

Zakir Hussain: http://bit.ly/dbDXAR

Kuumbwa Show Info: http://bit.ly/iHzDzq