You are an accomplished musician, composer, and professor. What prompted you to create a weekly Jazz program?
Jazz and the American Spirit came to be from an observed opportunity to connect the dots for people about jazz music, and how it relates to the American Spirit- from everyday life to cornerstones of the American experience, for example, the representation of Democracy.
Your show features jazz from the 1940s through the present. Is there a particular era that is your favorite, and why?
I like to call it “living in the big room”. As a former member of Sam Rivers Avante garde band, to recording with Benny Carter, Frank Wes, Maynard Ferguson, Ernestine Anderson, Kevin Mahogany, etc., all of this music resonates with me. I’m also very interested in jazz music leading up to the Great Depression. The music was wild, seemingly without boundaries, which reflected the sign of the times.
You have played with many jazz legends, including on Benny Carter’s Grammy-winning album “Harlem Renaissance.” What are some of your most memorable performances?
I like to say that my next gig is always the one that I look forward to the most. I’ve played thousands of gigs and made hundreds of recordings. Jazz music is about a collaboration of minds, in the moment, all in the medium of swing. For me, what’s on the horizon is what’s always resonating with me the most. Looking back on a jazz performance or jazz album would be like revisiting old conversations with friends. While those conversations might be memorable, the “here and now” is vital for all of us.
You are not just a musician; you are the Pegasus Professor and Director of Jazz Studies at The University of Central Florida. Tell us a bit about how you inspire your students to appreciate music that may be older than their grandparents.
When I started teaching, a lot of the luminaries we learn from were still alive. Frankly I’m always amazed at how relevant the youth of today see artists like Buber Miley, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Hank Mobley, etc. Maybe part of that is these young players are developing a connotation of the works that proceed them. Think about it in terms of our youth revisiting topics of years past. Usually, those topics are still relevant and can be viewed through a present day lens. Take the idea of love found, love lost, freedom, oppression…. These and many more experiences are not simply relegated to one generation.
What is a little-known fact about you that our readers should know?
I love being on the water. I grew up in Potomac, MD. We also had a beach house on the Jersey Shore. I bought my first boat when I was 10. I’m also an avid cook.
Which current jazz artists will we still be playing in 60 years?
A bunch of my students. Wow, I have some that really sound great. Daniel Bonnett, Sal Martinez, Saul Dautch, Tanner Goulet, these are some players to watch out for. I imagine my two sons, as well. Preston, my oldest son is a Junior at Juilliard, and plays trumpet. He’s a fine improviser. His little brother Django is 15, and is playing the heck out of the saxophone.
Thanks, Jeff!
