MY PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
Growing up in a family of New York City school teachers, I recall many conversations that took place about education between my parents and their teacher friends. These conversations didn’t interest me much because like most kids I wasn’t overly enthusiastic about school in general. Pedagogical discussions over dinner didn’t turn me on to say the least.
Lo and behold fifty years later, teaching is a major component of my professional life as a jazz artist. Little did I know when Jamey Aebersold, of whom I knew nothing at the time, called me in the late 1970s to teach at a clinic in the dead of the winter in Hays, Kansas, that education would play such a major role in my life. Of course I teach in a very specialized area and an art form to boot. My students, be it at clinics, the Manhattan School of Music where I presently teach graduate courses, the International Association of Schools of Jazz Meetings, or my annual Saxophone Master Class are hardly beginners and are by and large highly motivated as well as more mature than their contemporaries in their early to mid twenties. However the principles of what constitutes good pedagogy are universal, no matter the subject or group. This article is a collation of my thoughts on the subject, first about education overall and then to the specifics of jazz.
GENERAL EDUCATIONAL CONCEPTS
Education is the communication of knowledge and skills. Besides the obvious value of good education to both the individual and society as a whole, there may be the implication that the student will eventually use this information to be engaged in work of some personal and social value. On a surface level, a teacher imparts tools and techniques. But in an art form it goes deeper. The teacher is an important source of inspiration and motivation towards the student’s ability to form his own personal mode of expression. In essence a student learns in order to find himself. At the same time a good teacher provides the spark for a student’s desire to continue learning. Not every educational situation necessarily encourages this ideal model to exist, but certainly in teaching an art form providing inspiration and at the same time instilling creativity and imagination towards self knowledge is a high priority goal.
For me, process precedes content in importance for education. This implies teaching a student how to learn. How does one take a bit of information, cognize it accurately for oneself, practice the material until it becomes habit and then personalize it in one’s own unique way? If a student knows how to take fresh information and process it for use in the present and future, then he will always be able to repeat and use this model of learning. If we accept that acquisition of knowledge is a lifetime pursuit and necessary no matter the field, then learning to learn can be of great value. Content, specifics, facts et al follow when process is in place. This is not to say there is no place for memorization of raw information, only that there should be a balance between retention and how it is processed. A good teacher may have to delve deeper to impart process rather than merely repeating pieces of information to be memorized.
TEACHER METHODOLOGY AND RESPONSIBILITIES
To be an effective teacher requires a variety of personality attributes. One must exude confidence because ambiguity is generally viewed by students as a weakness. A teacher must convince students that (s)he is sure of what is being taught whether it is presenting facts, a personal opinion or specific instructions as to what is expected of them. I don’t think that it is wrong to say that effective teaching involves a great deal of acting, dramatizing and exaggerating, a kind of “showtime”, hopefully resulting in drawing the students into the teacher’s world. Obviously, an engaging and charismatic personality is a plus.
Discrete exaggeration is an important tool to use when teaching. In a sense the teacher is trying to persuade students to see things his way, at least for the time being. By purposely building something up and putting energy and enthusiasm into the presentation, there is a higher likelihood that the student will retain at least some part of what was conveyed. Whatever the result a student should feel the strength of the teacher’s convictions.
Along with exaggeration, a teacher can at times play the role of devil’s advocate, meaning being on opposite sides of an issue for the expresses purpose of instigating discussion. This can be quite effective when not overly done. The idea is to position oneself against something, whether the teacher believes it fully or not, in order to get students to defend or argue the opposing view. As a corollary a teacher doesn’t have to unveil everything all at once about the subject. He can tell a story or follow a line of reasoning nearly to the end, but leave the conclusion open. This can be most effective for prodding students to fill in the empty blanks, challenging their imagination and initiating self discovery without them being necessarily aware of it.
A teacher must be completely clear in the presentation. It is nearly impossible to present something in language that all the students will understand equally. Therefore it is important that practice instructions be very presented directly with specifics provided. The students should at least leave a teaching experience with an exact understanding as to how to reinforce new material through some organized practice or repetitive system. Artistic concepts in particular often take time to have an effect and be put into real use. Therefore a great deal of conceptual learning is after the fact so reinforcement through practice routines need to be strongly imprinted to leave a lasting impression. Meanwhile, the selective use of handouts, not as a replacement for attentiveness in class but as an aid to reinforce the material after the presentation stage can be useful. From time to time the teacher should insist that students take notes on a particular subject, but not to bury their heads in their notebooks, writing rather than listening.
Depending upon the material, demonstration of the material is quite useful. This is especially true in an art form where visually seeing and hearing something has a dramatic effect. This doesn’t mean that a teacher must demonstrate everything, only on occasion when both the material demands it and the teacher is confident of their own demonstrational skills. Students are both the most appreciative audience of good work but also the most demanding and critical.
Instilling objectivity in students is important. It is human to have an opinion, but with artistic concepts it is only with experience that a mature judgment as to the value of something should be made. If a teacher’s presentation is non-judgmental, students get the feeling that what they are learning is not valued as good or bad, it is just information. How a student personally feels about the material is not important in the early stages. After being absorbed and practiced there is time for subjective judgments, especially when the stage of forming one’s own aesthetic begins as it should later in the artistic process.
A teacher’s ability in discerning student strengths and weaknesses is a very subtle skill, especially in large groups. If we think imagine how just one word or expression can be interpreted differently by any group of individuals, similar are the variations on how people differ in their abilities to absorb information. Some students cognize primarily by aural means, others by visual while another may be more sensitive to tactile approaches. For a teacher experience is the key. After observing and experimenting a teacher can fine tune his approach towards the most effective means of communication for the most students, but always with flexibility towards change of tact if necessary.
Finally, a teacher should encourage experimentation and creativity by promoting an atmosphere where honest mistakes and questions are encouraged. Students should feel that they themselves are a work in progress, that the process of learning is open ended and like everything in life, not perfect. To be flexible and take chances is important, possibly more so than being one hundred percent correct. This is a sensitive issue because students naturally feel that the system expects perfection which is the necessary evil of the grading system. But if a student’s work is honest and done with real integrity and effort, being “right” is not always the most important thing. Creating a time for questions is an important part of any learning schedule. Students should not be embarrassed by asking questions, even those considered elementary.
Learning proceeds at the border of order and chaos. With too much order the system becomes frozen and change or growth is difficult. With too much chaos there is difficulty in cognizing the steps along the way and organized learning becomes impossible. Balance as always is the key.
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
Though the student is on the receiving end of the education process, (s)he is also an active participant. It should be made clear at the outset of any educational experience that besides attending and doing the assigned work there are other responsibilities.
An extra effort has to be made by a student to not only “hear” what is said but to “understand” it. This means to take what is presented and personalize the language in a way that makes sense. This is especially true in learning an art form where language is used to describe abstract concepts or as in the case of music, sound. A student should attempt to translate what is said to his own words and way of seeing things. If there is confusion it is often just a matter of language. It is the student’s responsibility to probe further and ask the teacher to repeat or amplify what was said possibly instigating a new approach. That is the only way a teacher knows whether the material is being comprehended. Without cues from students, a teacher assumes that everything is clearly understood and then the student is responsible for knowing the material. Naturally, the teacher moves on and here is where problems can arise. Something not clearly perceived may cause a compound effect whereby new material has little chance of being comprehended because of the initial lack of clear communication. This is crucial when it comes to the exact practicing routine for reinforcing new material. A student should leave a teaching situation with a precise understanding of what he needs to practice or study and how. I know that in my early studies, at times I was completely confused by what I had heard. If and when I was brave enough to ask for further explanation, most of the time the teacher would alter the presentation enough so that for me it became clearer. Often, students wait until after class to ask questions. Though this ”private” time might alleviate embarrassment, the teacher should make it clear that if it is a question about the material it should be asked in public since it is very likely that other students have the same queries.
Of course all of the above assumes a positive and earnest attitude on the part of the student. Taking notes, observing other student’s work and interaction, staying alert and having an open mind are personal keys to success. Hopefully as described in the teacher’s responsibilities, creativity, experimentation and openness have been encouraged, all geared towards imagining what is possible rather than only what is known. Learning how to learn is a challenge and a student has to sincerely desire this to obtain the most from it.
Education can be compared to a stone thrown in the water. The stone makes waves whose ends are not visible, but go on in perpetuity. Education can truly change lives.
TEACHING AN ART FORM
When we enter the world of learning art as compared to other more factual subjects one must be ready to appreciate ambiguity. Surely there are facts to be learned and memorized, but in this realm conceptual thinking reigns supreme. All the elements described of flexibility, openness, an attitude of trial and error, questioning, etc., are even more important when it comes to learning art. After all, the goal is to encourage creativity and the use of the imagination rather than mere repetition of information. We are trying to enter the realm of feelings and emotions through music, painting, writing, etc. We are asking a young person to arrive at a point where their body responds to their will, meaning in music that the fingers go where the ear dictates, that the embouchure assumes the proper placement to get a certain sound and onward depending upon the mechanics of each instrument. This is physical training on a very subtle level. There are many facets to learning an art form. So much so that I propose the following conceptualization of the artistic process in an attempt to have a coherent and unified vision of what teaching and learning an art form concerns.
THE THREE STAGES OF ARTISTIC GROWTH:IMITATION-STYLIZATION-INNOVATION
Serious artists, no matter the area of endeavor go through common stages. The first is imitation which means obtaining a working understanding of what came before. It is the ability to duplicate information in a convincing fashion that shows true grasp of the historic antecedents one is dealing with. This is completely an objective area involving analysis, memorization and organized study. Creativity per se is not called upon. However, a creative approach to practicing and learning is of course valued. Imitation means what it implies: personality and subjectivity are minimized during this first stage in order to truly absorb the fundamentals and legacy of an art form. Towards the end of this initial period, integration with the personality of the student is encouraged setting the stage for stylization.
The stylization stage implies several aspects. One has learned what came before to such a degree that the information inevitably becomes integrated with a student’s personality and the present time he is living in meaning the current styles of the day. Along with the beginnings of some degree of a personal approach to the language, the student has hopefully had some outside reinforcement and encouragement in the real world. In other words, the young musician is performing in public and entered the particular scene of his immediate milieu. Stylization can be and often is the end game, meaning an artist may remain in this stage perpetually with wonderful results and some sense of contribution to the immediate artistic world.
But on rare occasions, an artist goes beyond style to evolve into innovation. This means a contribution, small or large, which is of such a unique character that it stands by itself, affects others in the field and will endure the test of time. Innovation can be on the instrument itself, in a way of playing or performing, composing, etc. It doesn’t only mean
dramatic developments. Innovation can be as subtle as a new way of fingering a note for example to achieve a different color.
These three stages do not necessarily follow in a neat sequential order. In fact many innovations have been accomplished by artists of such youth that they either skipped or had not yet contemplated the imitation stage. And a stylist, no matter how individual (s)he may be will often look backwards to either reinterpret or search for inspiration in the past, in a certain sense re-entering the imitation phase. The main point here is for teachers to recognize these stages and deal with students accordingly since a student may not be conscious of these developments as they are occurring.
THE LEARNING PROCESS:MIND-BODY-SPIRIT
Equally important is to have a framework for understanding the ways in which one learns. Because we are dealing with more than mere recollection and recitation of facts and figures, but also with human feelings as portrayed in art, we have to consider how mind, body and spirit interact when learning an art form.
The mind is where we consider the information on an objective level. The intellectual part of our brain figures things out and comes to conclusions. All the material gleaned from books and teachers goes through this processing center. It is the body which initiates the “how to” aspect of the art. The purely physical aspects of playing an instrument or writing or painting and using the acquired language are concerns of the body and how well it is trained to respond to one’s impulses and in the case of music, imagined sound. This is where years of practice are necessary to coordinate the flow of the body movement within the specific area of expertise. Finally the emotional aspect of who we are places the mind and body information into a meaningful context. It is the
spirit where one’s feelings, thoughts, ethics, moral principles and beliefs are all combined with mind and body for final communication to the world at large. It is the sum of our experiences, both learned and felt which puts the frame around all the facts and practice we have done up to that point.
The relationship of these three stages of learning is important for a teacher to recognize. Though a perfect balance between mind, body and spirit would be ideal, the reality is that human beings don’t work according to neat formulas or timetables. We all learn at different rates in different ways depending upon a myriad of circumstances, some beyond our control. In a given area for a particular individual, the mind might be stronger, meaning the body has to catch up. Or one might “feel” something but not be able to articulate it physically or mentally.
Artistic work of merit should strive for a balance between content, mode of presentation and feeling. It excites the passion while making one think and at the same time the audience or listener is in awe of the technique being displayed. In the same way the learning process attempts to balance head (mind), hand (body) and heart (spirit). A good teacher should be aware of these ways of learning and adjust accordingly to the student and material.
DIFFERENT TEACHING SITUATIONS
I have found that different situations demand a flexible approach as to what would be the most effective tact to take for best results. There are four general teaching situations which a teacher may confront in the arts.
1-LECTURE/DEMONSTRATION/MASTER CLASS
These quite similar situations can range from one hour to several days in length. What they all have in common is that one is presenting or demonstrating to a group, large or small. The master class is slightly different for if done in the standard manner, the teacher comments on student or ensemble playing, but the dynamics are similar since points are being made via one student to all who are present. Most of these situations are formatted in such a way that the lecturer is free to speak or do whatever they wish. We are past the time when you could walk into this type of setting and rely on students asking questions to get the ball rolling, a situation that existed when such clinics were novel. For a variety of reasons (mostly overexposure to guest speakers), most students will not ask questions at the beginning of a session unless they are “fan” type, meaning about somebody famous or something notable you did. In my case these are the Miles Davis questions concerning the period I worked with him in the early 1970s. Hopefully at the end of the session there will be genuine questions about the material covered.
As in any public presentation a lecture should have all the same elements one would expect in a musical performance such as a good beginning, a summarized and strong ending, changes of pace and mood, a varied language style (from formal to slang to technical), the use of visual and of course aural aids, humor, levity and more. Style of presentation is important related to sitting, standing, pacing, facial and body language, the modulating of one’s voice, specific eye contact with one person from time to time as well as general vision scanning the entire audience. After all here is a group of people who may be only slightly familiar with you if at all and they need to be entertained along with educated. (Referred to as “edutainment”.) It is theater of sorts, pure and simple, but with an underlying lesson. I have found that making one major point with several lesser ones is most effective to getting this type of job done well. Personal stories whenever possible help to lighten the atmosphere and punctuate the deeper, more philosophical thoughts under the surface. Since it is music, one must demonstrate and/or play examples as points are made. This reinforces and validates the verbalized material. Depending upon the presentation it can be very effective to begin with the aural demonstration or example and work backwards towards explanation.
This is the most demanding teaching situation as far as sheer work goes. Audience boredom and apathy are the enemy. I encourage questions be asked at any time and make it clear that though they may be embarrassed to ask something in public, they are actually doing a service since it is highly likely that others in the class have the same thought. Silly or challenging questions should be reinterpreted so that they appear in a positive light.
2-WORKSHOP/CLINIC
This is a different situation because of the direct interaction with the students. Usually this takes the form of coaching small ensembles and/or big bands on specific musical and technical points related to the music being played. The biggest factor affecting the style and content of this teaching has to do with the level of the student’s abilities. Because there is a definite time lag between instruction and its implementation there cannot be great expectations that something taught in the moment will be successfully demonstrated during the present workshop period. Learning new or improved musical activity takes months to bring to fruition assuming that the students practices the material at all, let alone diligently. The length of time is determined by the difficulty of the material combined with the student’s level of expertise and desire for change. My experience demonstrates that three to six months is an average window for measuring the lag time between cognition and implementation of something new to take root in one’s playing. On the other hand small points of arranging, soloing sequence and such matters can be manifested more or less on the spot.
Through teacher demonstration, which is the key to good hands on coaching, students can be inspired to do their best immediately and into the future. What is most important is the potential inspirational power of positive interaction with students. The time worn master/apprentice system in which elder musicians indirectly trained younger ones on the bandstand speaks for the power of experience and personal interaction. The more possible scenarios that a teacher can address, be it towards various instruments or styles being played, etc., the more successful this teaching experience is for the students. Being a horn player and having to explain a rhythmic point to a drummer constitutes a positive learning experience for everyone. Good teaching usually implies good learning in some way for the observant and dedicated teacher. It offers a chance for a teacher to frame his thoughts verbally towards specific musical points.
3-CLASSROOM
In some ways the classroom situation is the most difficult, because you have to spread the information over weeks which means above all good organization. Keeping the motivation of the students is a major challenge. On the positive side in the slowly evolving class situation you can present things in a cumulative fashion, meaning more in-depth and detailed analysis. You can also afford to repeat material and try several approaches over a period of time. And of course you do have ways of monitoring how well the student is doing through tests, papers, etc. The problem with this kind of teaching when it is done semester after semester is that one’s enthusiasm can drop causing the presentation to become mechanical.
4-PRIVATE LESSON
This is the situation that most musicians will be involved at one time or another even those who do no other form of teaching. Nothing can replace one to one instruction and for the really experienced teacher, this is where a major effect on a student can be observed most readily. Sizing up a student’s strengths and weaknesses in order to find the best approach is basic.The aforementioned triumvirate of mind-body–spirit is really applicable in the private lesson, since it is easier to focus on a student’s particular learning mode.
Some students respond more to the intellectual approach, while others do better by ear and so on. The variations are countless. The important thing here is to respect and encourage the uniqueness and potential of each student rather than putting them all together for the sake of convenience. Depending upon the level, as I have alluded to several times above, it is crucial to be organized in the lesson itself as well as when stating what you expect of the student, explicitly describing the most beneficial practice routine. Being completely honest and straightforward, courteous but firm and open to the student’s responses in order to promote what is best in the long run are some traits the teacher should possess. These aspects can make or break the effectiveness of the private lesson program. After all, the teacher is a direct link to the whole undertaking which a student enters. It can have a life-long effect even beyond the subject matter itself, because of the very sensitive and personal dynamics of trust and respect brought up in any one to one, mentor-student relationship.
As mentioned in the introduction, most of my teaching is to interested students who are serious about jazz at this time of their life. I have the utmost respect for teachers of beginners, no matter whether it is in the arts or humanities. To face the uninitiated is daunting, but as those who teach youngsters realize there is great satisfaction when witnessing extremely rapid growth and comprehension as only the young so readily exhibit.
MY PERSONAL EDUCATIONAL CONCEPTS
From several decades of teaching I have by now created my own personal thoughts about teaching. Obviously they reflect many experiences during my apprenticeship years in the early 1970s with drummers Pete LaRoca, Elvin Jones and of course Miles Davis since I did not have any formal jazz education at any time. These “lessons” were learned on the bandstand but I have made an effort to transfer them to the standard teaching situation. Because I teach mostly mature and motivated students, I can afford to be highly conceptual. They are already serious about playing and have passed through the basics. Of course I may delve into topics such as transcription, rhythmic feel and tone production but usually this is more for remedial purposes rather than as new material. I am in a sense “preaching to the converted” but even at this level the essential task of inspiring students remains paramount. My job with the majority of students is to help them discover who they are. In the next section I will describe some general teaching axioms applicable to whatever subject I may be teaching, be it saxophone, ensemble, harmony or composition.
FLEXIBILITY AND VARIETY
One of the major points is that a musician should have a variety of approaches in any given area. This is especially important in jazz because if one is truly improvising as compared to playing written or practiced music, then the improviser must be ready to change approach or direction at any moment. The essence of the improvisational process in real time is constant adjustment. For example in the area of tone, a musician should be able to portray several different timbral approaches in order to best communicate his ideas at any given moment. (Sound and texture help to delineate mood and ambiance).On another level, an improviser should be able to conceive of a chord or scale from different vantage points, besides the obvious root position. Rhythmically, the ability to change one’s placement of the pulse (ahead, behind or in the middle of the beat) is crucial to interacting with a rhythm section. Further examples abound. Basically it means that a musician has a variety of approaches and the necessary flexibility to use them at will. Possessing these skills on a level where they are second nature and can be used in a spontaneous situation takes a good deal of practice, discipline and trial and error.
SPECIFICITY
When I ask a question about what was just listened to I urge my students to speak in specific, non-general terms. I am not satisfied with responses such as “it sounds good” or “exciting” and so on. I demand that they use language that is more exact and technical. I offer the metaphor of a brain surgeon operating and saying to the nurse: “Give me one of those scalpels over there and we’ll cut somewhere in this area.” I wouldn’t want to be on the operating table with a doctor giving such directions! Of course music is not a life and death situation. Nonetheless I tell the students that they are experts, scientists of the trade and should use exact, non-judgmental, objective language to describe what they are hearing when it comes to music. This is not only for the sake of their achieving more clarity in their own thinking but also to communicate with other “scientists” in the field. To the layman music is enjoyment and pleasure, but to those involved in a daily level besides being an abstract art it is also a science. A student should learn the habit of being able to communicate about the subject with exactitude when called upon. There are ample opportunities to be more general approach when describing music, a tact which by the way can help to achieve other purposes when directing musicians. I have been in many situations where less said, the better. I don’t think Miles Davis said more than twenty words about music to anyone in the time I was with him!!
THE STUDENT AS A SPONGE
Though I have the utmost respect for my students as human beings, they are as of yet relatively inexperienced in life and music overall. Without being condescending, authoritative or pretentious, I try to make it clear that teaching is not a popularity contest or debating club. I encourage serious questions and will always restate something to clarify a point, but what I am teaching is not up for argument. I expect a student to fulfill his part of the job which is to make an attempt to comprehend the material and if need be practice it till learned. Judgments as to the relative value of the information or its use should be reserved for later stages when comprehension has been accomplished and allowed to ripen over time. The metaphor of a sponge, absorbing water, then being wrung out to further absorb is an appropriate one.
ART AND CRAFT
Students, especially serious ones should understand the difference between being an artist and a craftsman. Craft implies technical mastery of the subject and the ability to execute in that field with sureness and skill. It implies that a craftsman can reproduce at least several manifestations of the art on demand. The artist goes beyond craft into realms of feeling and expression. He uses the craft to express his deepest thought and emotions. I want students to understand the challenge ahead of them if they decide to be artists. There’s nothing wrong with being an excellent craftsman who are necessary in any walk of life. But to those that entertain the goal of being an artist, unique and singular, it is a commitment of a different sort. A student has no way of knowing where they will end up in the future but they should be aware of what might be ahead.
ART VERSUS ENTERTAINMENT
Similar to the craftsman-artist comparison, there should be an understanding of what the line is between art and entertainment. We as teachers are not only providing information but inadvertently we are forming the student’s world view. As stated they are not yet in a position to deal with future issues but I want it understood that at some point those who will be performers will have to decide where to draw the line between art and entertainment or it will be done for them.
If one performs, they are entertaining, pure and simple. But the sophistication of the content and its presentation has a great deal to do with the relative acceptance one will receive. This is a fact that has precedence throughout the history of art. Although there have been exceptions like Beethoven or Picasso, two of the deepest artists of all time who were acknowledged contemporaneously, we all must recognize that the
public is for the most part not ready to deal with expression and content which demands repeated and concentrated exposure and at least some degree of education to appreciate. Without going into an indictment of our modern culture, suffice to say it has always been more or less true that the audience is not present to be lectured or educated. They are there to be entertained. This maybe true of a Baroque music audience as well as pop. This dichotomy works across all idioms. High art in any field is a risky endeavor.
In any case the aspiring performer/composer/bandleader will have to face these issues when they begin to make a living and form the parameters of their own aesthetic and lifestyle. Trying not to be dogmatic, I feel it is my responsibility to clearly distinguish between the various aspects of the art versus entertainment question.
CREATIVITY ET AL
Questions of creativity and imagination are very important concepts to be cognizant of. For the sake of clarity I distinguish between the two. Creativity is something that can be accomplished more easily than one might think. To be creative is in some ways simply a matter of putting facts A and B together to make a new C. If the information is at hand and understood, then realizing different combinations is not so far beyond a disciplined student. The process involves examination and trial and error of different scenarios. Not being afraid to be wrong and a strong desire to achieve are the most important behavioral parts of creativity. Mistakes are not irretrievable and can be turned to advantage.
Imagination on the other hand goes beyond merely reassembling information. Using one’s imagination means to dream about what is not seen or heard in front of you in any way. It is about using feelings and the intuition to establish a picture of what might be possible. Imaginative journeys are abstract, rare and transitory in nature, but they are what real change of any sort is about. It is through one’s imagination when cultivated and encouraged that the greatest rewards and discoveries occur. A teacher should inspire students to begin the journey into their imagination without knowing where it will lead. Instilling curiosity towards where the imagination can lead is an important function of teaching an art form. In some ways a vivid imagination is a gift, but even a slight talent for it can be developed, trained and at the least greatly encouraged.
THE “VOODOO” FACTOR
Finally I want my students to be aware of the spiritual and mystical nature of music and jazz in particular. The world they are entering is populated with people of great talent and wisdom who have dedicated their life to an art form without in many cases tangible material rewards. Why someone writes or paints or plays music is a mystery beyond comprehension. Where does it come from and what does it achieve? Especially in music where the sound is in the air and can’t be touched or held, these types of mysteries permeate what we do. I want students to realize they are entering a kind of holy space. Music has mystical powers as attested to by so many ancient cultures and religions. If you hear Coltrane or Bach at the right point in your life it can change one’s future. Great music is a very powerful and positive force for good. Students should realize the depth of the world they are entering.
SPECIFIC TEACHING POINTS
TONE AND TIME
The two main components of a personal musical language are sound and rhythm. These are the areas where one’s musical personality can be most easily discerned. An instrument should feel like an extension of the musician’s body. Tone production, no matter the instrument has several common elements whether it is through the breath and embouchure as in horn playing, or the fingers and hands in percussive instruments. There is the central aspect of touch which is almost inexplicable. This is concerned with the appropriate balance between tension and release, exertion and relaxation. These are all matters of motion and how an individual’s physical characteristics combined with aural and mental images result in the sound being produced. One guiding principle is that we all wish to achieve maximum results with a minimum amount of tension and exertion, leaving the body and mind free to be involved with more subtle matters of creativity, nuance and expression. Using the proper physical principles which work with the body, rather than against is the aim. For example on saxophone, the emphasis should be on the vocal cords and how they feel when vocalizing, to be extended to blowing, rather than putting too much attention on movements in the embouchure and mouthpiece area. Usually it is at the beginning of instrumental training when these principles can be most effectively taught. Unfortunately, one often sees students who have internalized counter productive habits and need remedial instruction to change course for better results and rehabitualization.
After the initial tone of one’s voice, it is body and facial nuances which differentiate one person from another. On an instrument we are also dealing with similar musical characteristics which distinguish musicians from each other even if they are given the same material to play (therefore equalizing content). These are matters of “how” one plays rather than “what”. Some of the factors that go into the expressive mix are dynamics, articulation, attack and decay of notes, vibrato, grace notes, grupettos, trills, glissandos, vocalizations (in the case of horn players) and other subtle combinations of effects. Whatever the means, expression, after tone color is the main component of what separates one artist’s musical personality from another and results in an experienced listener’s ability to immediately recognize one instrumentalist from another within hearing a few notes.
Because jazz is primarily a rhythmic music, this element gets high priority on the agenda of what is necessary and basic to playing. What I refer to as “time feel” means the manner in which one plays the basic division of jazz which is the eighth note. Eighth notes in jazz, though written evenly as equally placed divisions of the beat, are interpreted with a slight lengthening of the downbeat followed by a shorter upbeat. It sounds more like a dotted eighth followed by a sixteenth or written in a slightly different way as a triplet with the first two parts of the division on the downbeat and the last third on the upbeat. However, the duration of these divisions, the intensity of each division’s onset (attack), the weight of each note, dynamics and of course expressive nuance, all determine the ultimate sound or “feel” of the rhythm. Within these parameters there is a lot of room for individual interpretation. Mastering these basics in an accurate flowing manner is mandatory in jazz. With years of playing a great deal of eighth note lines, the next stage is to use more syncopation, rests and broken up rhythms. For the most part this is a later development after the basics of eighth notes have been mastered. In practicing, the metronome can be of great help to establish a sense of sureness of the beat. After a student is comfortable with the metronome on the second and fourth beat (essential to jazz), (s)he should move the clicker to different parts of the measure. For example, using the click on the upbeats of one and three or just on the upbeat of four, etc. Being creative with the metronome is very useful towards establishing rhythmic independence meaning the ability to hold one’s own pulse no matter what complexities are going on in the background.
With the eighth note flow mastered, the next step is to achieve flexibility with the pulse meaning stating the time as either slightly behind or ahead of the beat and its many variations. This is often referred to as playing “on top” or “on the bottom” of the beat and is comparable to having available a variety of tone colors for expressing nuances of mood and feeling. With a loose and flexible sense of pulse placement an improviser keeps the listener and the other musicians alert because of the unpredictability, yet necessary accuracy of the beat. The illusion of relaxation and excitement is amplified. On a more sophisticated level some artists become adept at playing in counter rhythms against or over the pulse, subdividing the beat and even implying other meters (metric modulation).Perceiving time as an area in space, like a measure of distance rather than as a specific point can help an artist develop these skills conceptually, conceiving of the metronomically measurably beat as the middle of that space.
Ordered surprise is one of the most important aspects of good improvisation meaning that the listener/accompanist who naturally expects a predictable response is instead inspired by something unexpected, even a seemingly subtle point such as beat placement. Their involvement level rises. In my years of listening to jazz one of the most fascinating moments is when the improviser transitions to a different part of the beat midstream. This elasticity or plasticity of the pulse is not acquired overnight, but through listening, conceptualizing and most of all, trial and error. The goal is the ability to play on any part of the beat in any idiom with any musicians at will.
A good sense of basic rhythm is to a degree acquired by environment meaning what one hears as they grow from childhood. Being surrounded by “groove” oriented music naturally permeates a youngster’s rhythmic milieu. However, regardless of background, through study and imitation of good models a strong foundation can be developed. The model for an organized study of the imitation process is the transcribing process.
TRANSCRIBING
How does one learn tone, nuance and develop a true jazz sense of rhythm? Certainly there are exercises and method books which can help a student attain these goals, but there is a built in elusiveness to these concepts meaning they are seemingly impossible to notate in any convincing fashion. The best approach is exact aural and tactile imitation-the first stage of artistic growth. In jazz as mentioned earlier, the most valuable form of imitation is direct master-apprentice work in which the live model (master) demonstrates directly to the student for immediate and exact repetition until mastered before moving on. Learning in this way becomes a natural outgrowth of exposure and reinforcement on the spot. But without that opportunity, I have found transcription is the next best method. Some musicians object to transcribing as stealing other people’s ideas. My contention is that in one way or another, whether it be as detailed as I will describe or as casual as Charlie Parker supposedly standing outside of a club in Kansas City hearing Lester Young and then going home with phrases in his ear and mind to practice and recall, most artists have done something of this sort. And the best players are usually the ones who will tell you immediately that so and so was their main inspiration and they began by copying him. This is a process-a means to and end and to my mind very necessary.
I have a video titled “The Improviser’s Guide to Transcription” (Caris Music Services) which describes the process in detail with actual demonstrations. Transcribing involves the three part learning apparatus mentioned above: body, mind and spirit-in that order. Being an auto didactic system, the process involves the student 100% in his own work with tangible and measurable rewards a teacher as the guide if present at all. It is exhaustive, complete and very satisfying in that the results can be immediately perceived in most cases as directly related to an improved time feel and more subtle use of nuance. Transcribing is like learning how to speak a language, similar to when one travels to a country where he may have studied the language in school. Finally a student can hear the way the language is actually used and pronounced rather than written by being immersed in a foreign culture on a day to day basis.
THREE PART PROCESS
In general the three part process involves at first saturated listening to the chosen solo with the first goal being to sing along in scat fashion. A student should arrive at the point that with or without the recording playing he can reasonably sing the solo. The important musical skill acquired and honed in this process is pitch control within the student’s inner ear without the crutch of the instrument at hand, which will come later. This also reinforces a strong sense of rhythm as we expect the student to keep the correct pulse without the aid of a metronome or the recorded version to lean on when singing without the tape.
Next is the time consuming process of writing out and playing the solo. In some cases, depending upon the proposed solo and individual skills of the student, the exact sequence of events can be changed accordingly, meaning learning the solo first on the instrument followed by notation. But in any case the goals are exact duplication of every aspect of the solo including all nuances besides the pitches as well as having it written down accurately. It is in this stage of imitating the solo that the acquisition of subtleties such as tone color, nuance, variations of time feel, etc., is subconsciously absorbed, not to mention improved technique. It is a reservoir being filled for eventual use by the student in the real world of his own playing. This is the most important stage. There should be little or no difference to one’s ears between the original and the student when this stage is completed.
Aside from the obvious technical rewards of having to carefully and accurately notate the specifics of rhythm and pitch, I have the student write out the solo so that it can be analyzed and used for further study. This third part of the process is where, depending upon the solo, a certain amount of harmonic and possibly compositional knowledge may be necessary for understanding what was played. Certainly a teacher can be of benefit at this point with their experience. The goal here is to first try and understand the thinking, rationale and concept of the improviser under study as much as can be deduced after the fact about an improvisation. Though there are of course inexplicable events which occur musically, with analysis at least some patterns and repetitive ideas reflecting the thinking process of the artist in question can be discerned.
To digress for a moment, the unitiated might consider improvisation in jazz as what it appears to be-completely spontaneous and in the moment. But we know that what is actually being played (outside rare moments of fresh inspiration) is a result of habit and experience to a large degree, albeit cast in the moment. Though one’s phrasing may alter from idea to idea or day to day depending upon the player’s temperament and response in relation to the surroundings, audience, venue, accompanists and more, the content itself will be less sensitive to change. Of course content hopefully evolves with time as in the case of great innovators like John Coltrane, Duke Ellington and Miles Davis whose styles changed monumentally in different ways over varied amounts of years. For other artists it may be more gradual and at a slower rate. In any case this analysis procedure is crucial to understanding the intellectual component of the musical material being played.
What are we specifically looking for in the analysis stage? A short list might include specifics of scales and chord types used, melodic motifs and their variations, overall structure of the solo in regards to both content and emotion, rhythmic diversity, uses of patterns and other repetitive devices, passages of lyricism versus harmonic complexity and much more. We are trying to put ourselves into the mind of the improviser who is far removed from present time without any concrete idea of what was on his mind that day. This “second guessing” can have far reaching consequences for the student.
Following this analysis we get more involved with the tools that were discovered. The student isolates melodic lines which belong to certain harmonic progressions, at first those that are most common in jazz like the II-V-1 or I-V1-II-V, etc., and then compose variations that still retain the integrity and core of that particular chosen line. Also with the aid of a teacher if needed we try to sort out qualitative differences between lines that were played. For example noticing the differences between those lines that used only chord tones or blues notes compared to more complex examples using harmonic substitutions and more. In other words we try to develop within a student an objective way to judge the musical sophistication of a line in order to get his mind and ear up to a level of knowing the difference between merely good lines and great ones. Criteria such as contour, rhythmic variation, varied pitch choices are some elements that are involved in these evaluations. The student should choose some of the better lines to use as models for composing variations as well as transposing them to other keys and tempos.
Other extended exercises consist of taking lines from different sections of the solos and cross referencing them, in a sense constructing several alternative versions of the original material. Also I will have the student compose several “perfect” choruses, meaning within the style using the best material that he has developed in the line variation exercises. Then of course the student must play spontaneously with a rhythm track or accompanist (even with drums only) in the style of the original solo but using his own material, which by now should be considerable. By the way, vocalists and percussionists should also be doing some form of this transcription process.
All of this work will hopefully result in absorption of the feeling and content of the solo. The student has not only observed what was played but after spending so much time with the solo should naturally feel akin to the spirit and temperament of the soloist him or herself. This in-depth study can be revealing on many levels. There is something very honest and validating about studying the past in this manner. It gives a student a
sense of being connected to the tradition and of having earned his way.
WHAT SOLOS / WHICH ARTISTS
For the first solo the student will probably spend a few months involving several hours a day to go through the entire process. This will speed up with each solo. A student can eventually work concurrently on several solos possibly singing one while playing another and analyzing a third. With this much commitment it is important that the correct choices of material and soloist be carefully thought about for the obvious reason of maximizing time.
It is beneficial to have the student transcribe material that can be of practical use in the future. For example, transcribing a blues, rhythm changes and well known standards will be of more benefit at this stage than an original tune played only by a particular artist. At the least what will be gleaned from the process will be of use in the real playing world on these types of tunes which are so common in the repertoire. Concerning what artists to transcribe I have found that the metaphor of a tree is an effective tool in trying to organize the prodigious amount of recorded history available for a student to discover. Where does a student begin?
A tree has six parts: root, trunk, limb, branches, twigs and leaves. As we progress up a tree we get further away from the source which is the root in the ground. In any field of endeavor there is a similar historical architecture. Simply put, without the roots or originators there would be no further story; the trunk symbolizes the main sources of discovery and stylization; the limbs are people who created their own direction stemming from the sources and spawning a whole other area; whereas the branches go off in their own singular direction. Twigs are less dramatic developments while leaves fall to the ground each season to be forgotten. If we trace the history of jazz or even just the saxophone or piano for example we could have some very interesting discussions filling in parts of the tree. Suffice to say, if we had unlimited time it would be best to transcribe from the root up but this is not realistic. So I urge my students to begin with the bebop tree and work their way through hard bop into modal and free jazz meaning the music of the 1950s and 1960s for the most part, a period rich in recordings and innovations. What we are after at the beginning stages of transcription is a solo with good eighth note lines and a great rhythmic feel. There are abundant examples on blues, rhythm changes and standards to choose from during the recommended period.
The student should choose a solo that he loves and if he could, would wish to play like tomorrow. This is important in order to keep the inspiration fresh. I don’t choose a solo for my students but I direct them to the group of artists who would fit under the guidelines described. The solo need not be complex or fast. It should be something challenging but not so much above the student that it will frustrate him. Early Miles Davis through “Kind of Blue” is a great place to start as is Chet Baker, Dexter Gordon, Wynton Kelly, Wes Montgomery and others of that ilk. Beginning on the student’s home
instrument at first is advisable because at least pitch recognition will be more directly related to his situation. Eventually other instruments are important to transcribe because the technical aspects of transferring the material to one’s own instrument will challenge the student to come up with different responses when playing exactly along with the solo.
HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH
With any massive study project it is important to see a light at the end of the tunnel. After a few transcriptions most students feel really great about the undertaking and certainly sound better at least on the tunes they transcribed and probably on a lot of similar material. A tremendous sense of reinforcement and accomplishment is felt. But there is a danger of using transcription as a source of ideas rather as a means to an end. After all the goal as an artist is to find an individual voice. There is a point where it isn’t artistically honest to keep using other people’s material, even with the transformation process that I have described through the techniques of analysis. My recommendation is that students transcribe a blues, rhythm changes, a standard, a modal and free tune with possibly a few more of particular interest. But in any case two years is the maximum amount of time one should transcribe, assuming it is done as described. As stated, when the process speeds up and becomes routine the student will be able to devote less hours to transcription and return to other studies. (More on practicing below). Selective transcription on the other hand goes on forever. That is taking off a few bars or chorus of something that intrigues you. The same goes for all the transcription books available in that they should be used like an encyclopedia for reference, sight reading and to satisfy one’s curiosity.
FINDING ONESELF
How exactly does one find a unique and individual style? Is it something that is as inexplicable as it appears? Do you either have it or not? What happens after the transcription and style stages? Realizing that many great artists were not prodigies but slow, methodical workers answers that question. Surely there is great talent in such an individual and most important a burning desire to express himself. As the cliché goes, great works of art involve 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration or something to that effect. It is hard work with a vision that enables some individuals to rise above the pack. I have discovered some guidelines for this journey which to one degree or another had an effect on my development at different stages.
1-Admit the possibility: You have to imagine that you can find your voice, that you have something unique to offer, that anything is possible. This is a matter of good old fashioned positive thinking and looking at the glass as half full rather than half empty. You can find something if you work hard enough.
2-Be clinical, objective and disciplined: Finding oneself should not become too much of an emotional issue although of course there are overtones of personality and psychology imbedded in this or any deep process. When you go about the musical end of things, treat it as business with order and consistency. And be hard on yourself. This is not a “walk in the park”. You must be vigilant and demanding.
3-Strip away and submerge obvious influences: This is the hard part. At first you must admit that you are playing someone else’s ideas. By concentrating enough even while performing and not letting yourself play the same familiar patterns, you create a space for new things to evolve. We are all a product of our influences but the best artists find ways to submerge these factors beyond recognition except to a few experts. You may have nothing to replace the old material with for awhile and therefore your level of playing may appear to others to be faltering. Don’t let that throw you. In fact maybe you should take some time off from playing if this is the case in order to leave some space for the new to take root. Imagine who you are rather than who you are through others. Surrender has traditionally been the pathway to self knowledge.
4-Transcribe yourself: In order to discover what is different and good in your own playing transcribe something recent and listen hard. You are bound to find something that is not directly related to your influences, even if it is something minor like the tone on a certain note of your horn, or a certain nuance, or possibly a rhythmic thing. This takes heavy analytical powers but by now you are prepared to notice such fine details.
5-Write exercises and compositions: Take what you hear from yourself and write ten exercises or compositional studies that manifest the device or idea in different ways. Be creative and try everything so that the seed that you planted can grow cumulatively.
6-What is missing: Once you have some written material and a concept of what you are doing check out what is missing from a standpoint of tension and release, opposites, balance and other musical elements. Fill in the blanks both compositionally and from the playing standpoint.
7-The instrumental trap: Beware of the association of how rather than what. In other words don’t let a musical element borne out of the fingers rather than the music itself become a substitute for a quality idea when looking for those seeds mentioned above. A skilled musician by this time has a lot of finger patterns that work but these are not necessarily of the highest musical value or useful when searching for oneself.
8-Look outward: For inspiration go outside the immediate circle of jazz. Listen to other types of music, observe other arts and sciences, and try to “graft” principles from another field to your own, meaning taking something unrelated but changing it to fit your needs. Be imaginative and take chances, but most of all be curious.
In the end, no matter what the final product years later, this process will reveal parts of yourself that would have never been observed. Treasure this time and use it wisely. And don’t wait too long to do it!!
PRACTICING
Probably the most important skill in learning is knowing how to practice. Once an individual forms his own way of achieving results it can be repeated for life. I divide practicing into three main areas. First is the instrument and the need to develop the necessary virtuosity. Tone, technique, finger dexterity, etc., are all part of the mastery of an instrument. Without high skills on an instrument, a student is at a serious disadvantage no matter how fertile his imagination is. The second area is the music: the vocabulary and rules of improvisation. This large subject includes transcription, repertoire, chords, composition, keyboard knowledge, everything connected with learning the vocabulary itself. The third area is aesthetics meaning in this case one’s development as an artist with a thorough understanding of the history of his chosen art form, a cultured and sophisticated understanding of the arts in general and some sense of self. Here we delve into matters of philosophy, wisdom, spirituality and more. This is the life area of study.
The goal of any practicing is to instill new or changed behavior via repetition towards habitualizing the activity until it becomes instinctive and can be accomplished without conscious thought. Specifically in music it is the auditory cortex of the brain which becomes physiologically connected to the brain’s motor area of cells in order to bring about the desired action. Repetition solders this connection. The success of the practice process is dependent upon the clarity and difficulty of the desired goal in combination with the individual’s makeup. There are several guidelines to good practicing.
1-Ritual: The basis of all religious indoctrination is ritual, repetitive chanting and in some cases exercises of meditation. It is the same with trying to change or instill new behavior in music. Whatever the task it must be done everyday for at least enough period of time to take root. To practice a lot one day and little the next is not effective. It has to be the same thing over and over again for a new action to have a chance to become instinctive.
2-Organization of time: It is crucial that the student organize the hours (s)he realistically has on a daily basis (at least five times a week and three hours for minimum improvement) into units. A basic unit would be one hour per practice item before moving on to the next. This is the area where a teacher should be of help in focusing the student’s units effectively.
3-Priority: The question becomes where do I begin with so much that there is to do. I urge the student to make a list of his strengths and weaknesses on a page, or subtitle the page “should do,” “would do,” “could do.” Objectively judge the strengths which need to be reinforced at the present time or perpetually (as in instrumental warm-ups for example) and those that can be put on a back burner for the time being. Then looking at the weaknesses begin the practicing for the next few weeks with the most glaring deficiency that by its improvement will make a significant difference. Start with the most necessary items on your list and hopefully in a lifetime you will work through most of it!! All serious artists have a long list of what they would do if they could but there is never enough time. We do the best we can in this regard.
4-Singularity: When practicing one activity do it with one main objective in mind and possibly a minor one. Be clear as to the objectives. For example if you are doing long tones, is it for breath control, clarity of tone, evenness of sound, attacks and decays, etc? It shouldn’t be all at once. The focus should be clear for each unit to get the most benefit.
5-Objectivity: Serious practice at the level I am describing is not fun, nor is it drudgery. IT JUST IS!! One should cultivate a feeling of neutrality rather than feeling good or bad every day about the practice session. It is objective, self improvement type of work. Save the emotion for performing.
6-Attitude: Being positive, patient and consistent with total concentration is what real practice is about. Anything less means you are indulging in busy work with minimal gains to be had. If this isn’t for you, then admit it and do something else.
7-Practical hints: Try to practice at the same time of day, maybe splitting the program into two parts. Do the rote stuff like long tones, technical exercises, etc in the morning possibly saving the creative part of repertoire, listening, transcription, composition, etc., for later in the day. Saturated listening, meaning the concentrated and repeated listening to certain tracks for specific pedagogical reasons should be done in the evening. Find a practice space that is if possible completely private with no one within listening range. Obviously there should be no phone or any distractions and take a break every hour or so. This is business and it should be treated that way.
Serious practice is easy to find time for when one is young. Those who are in school think that they have little time but in the real world matters of making a living, performing, personal life and so on intrude. I hope that at some point every serious student can set aside at least four to six months for a daily eight to ten hours of practice. This will have an effect for the rest of that person’s life. Keep a journal of thoughts about your practice. Jot down how things are going. This is good for review and also reinforcement to see how far you have advanced
WHY JAZZ EDUCATION
After all is said and done I have always felt that when teaching an art form, you are accomplishing much more than the obvious transmission of skills and expertise. There should be a rationale and purpose for teaching that goes beyond the art form itself. The reality of the real world situation is obvious: supply and demand are way out of balance for artists of all types and always has been. We have many more good musicians than needed and as far as truly gifted artists are concerned though they may be rare, they are also in abundance compared to the opportunities for them to display their skills. So what benefits derive for a young person who immerses themselves in the study of jazz but may not find an outlet to use it?
There are the by now well documented benefits for the brain through the learning of music and the accompanying positive attributes (Mozart effect, etc.) To me the most important lesson learned in jazz playing is how to cooperate and work within a group situation while maintaining and exploring individuality. The members of a jazz group have to work together to achieve musical results but each musician eventually gets a chance to assert their own will at one time or another with all the others in supportive roles. This constant changing of position (more on some instruments than others) is very dynamic and is a wonderful lesson in group interaction, something that all people have to deal with in life.
Freedom of expression is a cliché but on an individual level jazz reinforces the notion that what an individual has to say is valid and meaningful, that (s)he has worked on the subject and is ready to deliver it. The sense of validation an aspiring musician gets when he hears back a solo and is acknowledged by his peers or elders is something very special. The relaxed atmosphere in the jazz community and surrounding environment means that though praise may be verbally muted or referred to using slang, it is deeply felt. Any person gets a real boost from this approval and knows he has honestly earned it. Music does not lie.
Speaking about the casual and relaxed feeling of the jazz world also translates to modesty and understatement in general. Being popular, wealthy or whatever values are bandied about in our culture have little place in the jazz world. This is a rich tradition built by real people from recent history of whom legendary stories are still spoken. This reality factor and lack of pretense gives the participants in jazz a real grounding based on true human values. A dry sense of humor pervades the jazz world and understatement abounds. Musicians involved in jazz are generally private people whose only desire is to play this very deep music knowing that material rewards are few and far between. To me this wonderful and rare trait of humility is widely common among jazz musicians by and large.
Playing jazz combines several qualities: instinct, honesty, confidence, experience, trust, imagination and a positive attitude. No matter what walk of life one enters in the future these are qualities that will serve any human being well. The saying that “the pen is mightier than the sword” is applicable to how I feel about teaching. To my mind, though this may appear to be an extreme and categorical judgment, unless an individual is an innovator who changes the history of an art form, one’s influence as a teacher, be it
formal or not is more powerful than the playing of the music itself. It is important and noble work.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Usually this is the kind of list you see on recordings. The truth is I have never mentioned many of the people with whom I have been involved with one way or the other from nearly the beginning of my musical life. I can recall something I learned from most of the people on this list.
Without my parents, Frances and Leo, my wife Caris and daughter Lydia, in-laws Natalie and Harold none of this would be possible for their patience with my intense workaholic hours and of course their feedback. And then are the incredible amount of musicians I have played with. I am grateful to all the artists I have played with over the years in countless situations all over the world. I learn from most musicians I play with, if not what to do, then definitely what NOT to do. The great masters, Pete LaRoca, Chick Corea, Miles Davis and Elvin Jones whom I played and lived with on the road had immeasurable influence on my music and more importantly, philosophy of jazz and living the life of an artist in general.
Joe Allard, the great saxophone guru was a fundamental force not only for the saxophone but for principles of learning and teaching. My first teachers, Luba Galprin on piano and at Bromley Studios in Brooklyn, Faye, Buster and Eric Bromley along with saxophone-clarinet instructor Nat Shapiro taught me every Saturday morning for years and introduced me to jazz and playing with other musicians, for which I will be eternally grateful. Even a high school teacher, Marvin Feldman had a big influence on me intellectually and I remember him fondly. The first real playing (bar mitzvahs and the Catskill Mountain resorts) and thinking about music I did was with friends Mike Garson, Steve Satten, Mitch Kerper, Gary Zehner and Bob Katz in our teenage years while the great nights listening to Trane live in the Apple were with Steve Lipman-an experience still vivid in my mind and instrumental for everything I have done musically and spiritually. It goes without saying that without the experience of hearing Coltrane live, I wouldn’t have gone so deeply into this music. Also valuable were my experiences with drummer Bob Moses who was my first guide to the jazz world in more ways than I could mention. It is with the greatest respect that I mention my time spent taking lessons with Lennie Tristano and Charles Lloyd, two wonderful artists who made me realize the seriousness of the subject at hand as well as pianist Art Murphy, who was among the first to verbalize what to practice.
I owe a considerable debt to Richie Beirach for years of companionship and hard work in playing, teaching and formulating ideas. And brothers Steve Grossman, Gene Perla and Don Alias for the great playing and hanging we did together in the Elvin Jones Group. Other notables in my learning process have been artist Eugene Gregan and his wife Beverly from Lookout Farm for principles of art and all the drummers I have played with since they are a wealth of spiritual power of a different sort than others: Bob Moses, Jeff Williams, Badal Roy, Al Foster, Jack DeJonette, Adam Nussbaum, Billy Hart, Jamey Haddad. My deepest appreciation for the loyalty from former band mates in my groups, recordings and other projects: Pee Wee Ellis, Link Chamberlain, Jimmy Strassburg, Tony Saunders, Chris Hayes, Sky Ford, Frank Tusa, Randy Brecker, Terumasa Hino, Ron McLure, Rufus Reid, Cecil McBee, Pat Metheny, Jim McNeely, Hal Galper, John Abercrombie, Eddie Gomez, Dave Holland, George Mraz, Bill Dobbins and John Scofield. My present band members since 1991, Vic Juris, Tony Marino and Marko Marcinko have been as loyal as the day is long and have inspired me to continue the quest.
I am blessed to have pianists Phil Markowitz and more recently Marc Copland as accompanists through the years: my gratitude for their support and incredible
musicianship. I could never express enough thanks to Brother Gunnar Mossblad who has collaborated on more projects with me than anyone else. My appreciation to a great educator and friend, Pat Dorian with whom I have been working with in many ways for the past decade near my home in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Thanks to reed maker and saxophone adviser Tom Alexander, mouthpiece producer Gary Sugal, microphone man Les Silver and Kent and Lois Heckman at whose studio, Red Rock, I have recorded most of my music since the late 1980s. In the States I have over the years established relationships with some great musicians from New Orleans:Steve Masakowski, James Singleton, John Vidakovich and in Chicago with Kelly Sills, Jim Trompeter and Joel Spencer-I appreciate our good times together. My appreciation to Mike Brecker for years of friendship and in the early days countless learning jam sessions and recently as well to Joe Lovano and the positive energy received through the Saxophone Summit performances. Personal friends Jed Luchow, Arthur Barron, Leon Segal, Jonathan Rome, Miku Narunsky, Ernst and Trudie Bucher and Jean Jacques Quesada have supported me for years in countless ways and are dearly loved. Mike Cherigo, a friend and associate who has booked me wherever we could find it for years and Walter Turkenburg who helped me form the International Association of Schools of Jazz, probably my proudest achievement in the musical world, are two indispensable people in my professional life. Also the support of Thomas and Anna Stowsand, Kurt Renker, Hans and Veronica Gruber and Jean Jacques Pussiau for my European endeavors and recordings. And my appreciation to the other great musicians in Europe who have supported me through the years: Lars Daniellsen, Bobo Stenson, Jon Christensen, Daniel Humair, Michel Portal, J.F.Jenny Clarke, Jean Paul Celea, Wolfgang Reisinger, Joachim Kuhn, Ronan and Conor Guilfoyle, Mike Nielsen, Maurizio Giammarco, Marc Van Roon and Michel Portal. Finally there are the original inspirations and models for jazz teaching whom I have gotten to know and work with: Jamey Aebersold (also as publisher of many of my works), David Baker, Jerry Coker, Dan Haerle and Ed Soph. To all my students everywhere I appreciate the opportunity and respect you have given allowing me to work all these ideas through.
Thank you all for your love, respect, knowledge and wisdom.
