JAZZ CULTUREThe New York Jazz Project

In These Pages: Review 1-2Rome Event by L. Fabris 2‐3How‐To by R. Stone 3-4MusicianCorrespondents 4-5Frank Foster by C.Bridgewater 6-7Jazz Scene 8Contact: Tel. : 646-312-7773

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Marion CowingsREVIEWMarion Cowings

Friday February 1 7, 201 2

Caught Marion Cowings at Smalls. Hil ites: Marion sang

the melody on American Songbook standards l ike “Girl Next

Door,” “Without a Song,” and jazz standards l ike “Fee Fi Fo

Fum,” “Mr. PC.” On “If I were a Bell” he authored a witty

vocalese to Miles Davis’ solo, and on “Just Friends” scatted

faster than most singers can hear “1 . ” He projects honesty,

humil ity, humor and phrases ballads l ike “Street of Dreams”

l ike a viol in, and on all songs, showed the influence of

master singers.

Rarely do singers become complete jazz singers,

mastering phrasing, interpretation, intonation, scatting,

repertoire, knowledge of harmony and jazz history, voicings,

and a unique style. Marion Cowings has. There are tens of

thousands of beautiful voices. But Mr. Cowings is a world

p.1Jazz Culture by �YJP vI-n1

class mantle-bearer of distinction. He puts on “a really good

show.” He uses his body for rhythmic emphasis, a kind of

subtle hipster array of gestures that help vocally.

Bob Albanese is a swinging pianist who uses 1 6th note

triplets. Saul Rubin comped and soloed well . Mr. Jackson is

an inventive soloist. Dave Jackson and Wil lard Dyson were

compatible rhythmical ly. With a really strong rhythm section,

the singer can float above or swing hard against it. Marion

Cowings is a great singer and his current cd is “Hank &

Frank” on Amazon.

ROME EVE�T

Luciano Fabris, pianist

From March 19-23, 2012 at the Felt Club in Roma, Italy, there

was an international masterclass featuring Barry Harris with 90

students from 19 different countries, including Europe, the United

States, Canada, Israel, Syria, Russia, Japan, and Cyprus. The

highlight of the event was on Friday, March 23, when Barry Harris

played also a memorable concert with Luca Pisani on bass and

Oreste Soldano on drums.

This was the 1 1 th time a unique event of this kind has been

produced in Rome by the Roma Jazz Workshop Cultural

Association. Over 600 students have had the possibility in the last

seven years to study with this great teacher, composer, and

performer of jazz music. Besides being the foremost musician in

the world with knowledge ofCharlie Parker and Bud Powell's

music, he is recognized worldwide as an innovator, also because of

the great contribution to musical theory of his sixth/diminished

scales.

Barry Harris has a unique way of teaching. He believes that the

best place to learn how to play is a class, where people of different

levels come together and can improve. Seeing Dr. Harris at work,

sitting in front of a bunch of horn players ready to play scales and

phrases at really fast tempos and challenging them to play faster is

a remarkable experience.

p.2 Jazz Culture by �YJP vI-n1

For many years Barry Harris has traveled all over the world to

teach young people and spread his message and his passion for

jazz. In Rome, the brilliant pianist Andrea Papini collaborates with

Dr. Harris as translator. Also every night, passionate jam sessions

were held until late in the night, conducted by different piano

players. Italian audiences had the chance to listen to some great

players as Richard Clements from USA and Kuno Kurner from

Germany, beside the Italians Fausto Ferraiolo and the above

mentioned Andrea Papini.

After the class was over, as always we received a lot of

messages of joy sent for days from students and audiences alike,

filled with gratitude. Things like that can happen when somebody's

heart is touched.

HOW-TOby Rick Stone

As a practical matter, I'd

put an emphasis on learning

repertoire and would

probably suggest that at least

50% of your practice time be

spent on learning tunes.

What tunes a person is bound

to ask? The answer's really

pretty simple; find a jam

session or playing situation

you'd like to be involved in

and start by learning the

repertoire being played at

that session. When I first came to NYC I used to do this constantly

and it can become a very effective core of a "self-study" program.

Memorizing tunes is of the utmost importance. You can't be

showing up at jam sessions to play and be constantly pulling out a

fake book to play tunes that are well known to the other

participants. It just shows that you haven't done your homework.

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The rest of the time should probably be divided between Sight-

Reading (something guitarists are often pretty weak at), Ear-

Training (a must for EVERY musician), Theory (really knowing

ALL the basics and having a thorough and instantaneous access to

how everything is SPELLED is of the utmost importance), and

Technique (scales, arpeggios, patterns, licks and phrases in all

keys, etc.).

Well, guitar is a relatively easy instrument to get into initially,

but to REALLY learn to play it well is exponentially more

difficult. I can't remember who said it, but remember a quote from

somebody that the guitar was "the easiest instrument to learn to

play badly, but the hardest instrument to learn to play well." I think

that's still pretty accurate. Part I I in next issue.

MUSICIAN-CORRESPONDENTSLuciano Fabris is an Italian

pianist from Rome who plays in

clubs there. He produces

concerts, jam sessions and

workshops. His first jazz

teacher was guitarist Agostino

DiGiorgio and he now studies

with Barry Harris. See Barry

Harris Workshop in Roma on

Facebook.

John Watson is an English

pianist born near Blackpool, a

singer-pianist with his own trio

at the Langham in London. He

went to Royal Northern College

ofMusic and the Guildhall

School ofMusic and Drama. He

plays in clubs, concert halls and

theatres and gets radio play in

England. See Johnpianoman. co. uk

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Kuni Mikami is a Japanese

American born near Tokyo.

He studied classical piano,

arranged and is a musical

director. In New York he

studied with Barry Harris, and

worked with Lionel Hampton

for ten years. He had a big

band, the East-West players,

has cd’s, and travels to Japan. See Kunimikami. com

Rick Stone is a well known guitarist in NY. He teaches, gigs with

his trio and his cd, Fractals, was named a top cd of 201 1 . See

rickstone. com

Clarence Banks is a trombonist from New Jersey who has been

working with the Count Basie

Orchestra for many years, played

in combos, recorded and played

at festivals and concert venues

internationally. He wrote a book

on the trombone, and does clinics

and seminars. See

Discogs. com/Clarence+Banks

Maggie Malone is a proofreader who is also a singer in NYC.

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JAZZ HERITAGEDr. Frank Foster

by Cecil Bridgewater

I moved to NY in 1970 and in 71 he had a rehearsal band just

rehearsing his music. So I went by the rehearsal, I sat in and he

started hiring me for his small group and big band. Then he came

into Mel and Thad’s band and we performed around the world and

he played on one ofmy composition, “Love and Harmony” on a cd

called The Thad Jones Mel Lewis Orchestra: ew Life. He was a

natural leader. Going back to Wilberforce, he was writing

arrangements then and getting notoriety and it was a natural

progression, he finally joined the Basie band in 1953 and began to

write for the band. But along the way he had in his mind that he

would have his own band. He did a number of his small group

recordings and we performed on that album The LoudMinority.

Innovations: He and Ernie Wilkins and Thad Jones and Frank

Wess were the main writers within the Basie band. They

developed a certain style, the idea of the sax section being

adventurous. He was obviously a great soloist. He’s known for

“Shiny Stockings.” In the early 70’s he was utilizing harmonies

that were new, with an emphasis on saxophones as a section that

did difficult things. In YThroughway he was utilizing sounds that

hadn’t been utilized in a big band before.

In Loud Minority he was trying to give young Afro American

players the experience, in a big band, of playing flute and

clarinet…The theory had always been that black musicians can’t

read, so he wanted to give them the experience. He was

experimenting with harmonies and melodies and trying to not just

continue what he did with the Basie band…at the time he formed

the Loud Minority he had been writing for 20 years.

Jazz Culture by �YJP vI-n1p.6

[His writing reflected] the tenor of the time, through the civil

rights movement of 60’s, he shared a birthday with John Coltrane.

I was attracted to his playing as all of us were, and the opportunity

he gave me to play in his band, [it made me] gravitate towards

him. AlsoThad Jones was a cousin ofCecilia Jones, so there was a

natural connection. He and Cecilia had enough respect and …

asked me to take over as Music Director. It was intimidating at

first and it wa s also quite an honor just to be asked. He said, “I

want you to also write for the band, not just continue in the vein.”

To stand in front of any band is a thrill, to stand in front of a band

with the music he was writing--it was a thrill to stand up there and

conduct the band and rehearse and make it work. “ The few times

we did play he was able to hear the band and he was appreciative

ofwhat I was trying to do as far as keeping his legacy alive.”

He was one of those people who was very giving at all times.

He would sit and talk with you on any subject. But he’s one of the

people—[it’s] a term that applies to him, [he was] a genius. He

was like in any airport or train, [he’d] pull out his music and start

writing, he did not need a piano or anything. The band was in

Japan and they lost the sax book. He was able to sit down and

write all the parts, hear it and retain it and reproduce it. In

rehearsals, if the trombone was having a problem with their part,

he would play their part on the sax, same with trumpet… he had

that kind ofmind. He was about music, and human beings, very

much concerned about all the guys in the band just to see that they

doing well. He was very funny. He and I had a saying, whenever

we would [talk] . . “Yest ofCourst.” It didn’t mean anything, but

he could tell stories, jokes, he was a great story teller. The same

kind of thing Bill Cosby used in Fat Albert, a guy who was

mumble talking -- Frank could do that. Cosby got that from Frank

and Johnny Coles. He was hilarious, at the same time extremely

serious, how he wanted [music] to be played. You respected his

musicianship on all levels and you respected his humanity on all

levels. Part I I in next issue.

Jazz Culture by �YJP vI-n1 p.7

p.8 Jazz Culture by �YJP vI-n1

Jazz Scene in NY and ElsewhereAt the Rum House At Fat Cat

Small 's Rumhouse

Barry Harris Workshop in New York and Rome

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