DownBeat March 1983 [antikvár]

education in jazz —-by Gary Burton Ganj Bui-ton's latest album is Picture Tliis (ECM) Before you selcct a music scliool, understand wliat makes u well-schooled musician. To start with, there is a certain amount of fundamental knowledge one , has lo have. You need to understand how harmony works and how rhythm works, for instance. In most music schools, such basics are taught in theoretical ways with little direct application to the kinds of music most professionals play. Improvisation, for instance, is a basic musical skill, and its study should be encouraged instead of ignored or only occasionally referred to as in many schools. Berklee is unlike any other school. Berklee continues to offer training of the most direct and useful nature, with emphasis on music that is happening today . . . and, its aimed at producing musicians of individual musical personalities . Berklee was my school, where I found out what I wanted to know and what I needed to know. I was encouraged to be my own musician and given the skills and confidence lo approach my career. I teach at Berklee where I can work alongside people with whom I am comfortable and creative in a professional sense. And, I enjoy the students because they are a source of new perspectives. Berklee's my school. Maybe it should be your school. for catalog and information write to: BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC Dept. D 1140 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02215 For those who cannot attend Berklee at this time a special CORRESPONDENCE COURSE includes • Modern Harmony • Improvisation • Arranging • Jazz Composition, etc. For inlormalion write to: BERKLEE PRESS PUBLICATIONS, Dept. D P.O. Box 489, Boston, MA 02199 QK BY ART UNGE JAZZ APPEARS PERIODICALLY AT THE White House like a Presidential in-law, treated with delerence if not devotion, wined and dined with great show bul no real concern or commitment. There have been exceptions of course—Jimmy Carter's bash on the lawn, Duke Ellington's 70th birthday celebration during the Nixon regime—but in the main, no one really seems to know why it's there and what it's supposed to do. The most recent occasion followed suit. Offered as part of the ongoing Outstanding Young American Artists series sponsored by the White House and taped for public television (and already aired on some stations), this event suffered an identity crisis, fy^uch excellent music was heard (though as is the case with most concerts taped for tv, much of the best music ended up on the cutting-room floor), and the musicians—Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz and his quartet (Jim McNeely, Marc Johnson, Adam Nussbaum), Chick Corea. Miroslav Vitous, and Roy Haynes— could not be faulted. Among the highlights were a reuniting of Getz and former-sideman Corea on the latter's Litha, supposedly an example of "cool" playing but hot as Hades on the uptempo sections: a medley by the Corea/Vitous/Haynes trio comprised of a spontaneous improvisation/Auiumn Leaves/Rhythm-a-ning which was thunderous/puckish/crisp; and two numbers by Getz and group revealing real ensemble interaction and the tenorman at yet another peak period of playing—his interpretation of Billy Strayhorn's Blood Count has become a haunting dirge for jazz casualties and survivors alike. No, as always, the problem was not the music, but the trappings surrounding it. No one seemed to know just how these particular musicians were chosen to represent the music, and, as Gary Giddins has reported in the Village Voice, even Mrs. Reagan didn't know who wrote her simplistic, cliched opening speech. And who was host? Not Martin Williams, esteemed critic and head of the jazz department of the Smithsonian Institution. Not Dan Morgenstern, esteemed critic and head of the Jazz Institute at Rutgers University Not even Dizzy No, it was Itzhav Perlman, esteemed classical violinist and (lately) talk show personality His opening statement. "I love jazz," may have been heartfelt, but sounded condescending. His remarks implied that jazz was "legitimized" by its Ravel and Stravinsky adaptations, as if anyone thought the music still needed such highbrow acceptance. And if nothing else his barely ornamented chorus on the Sum-mertime jam finale showed him for what he was—a great violinist desperately out-of-place. Stan Getz' gentle tenor mooing following Perlman's vibrato-laden "solo" punctured all possible pretensions. But Perlman was not the only less-than-ideal choice. Remember, this event was meant to showcase Outstanding Young American Artists, and while Diz, Getz, Roy, Chick, et al- certainly fit three-fourths of this designation, none qualify exactly as "young," So Dizzy brought along Jon Faddis. his part-time protege and perennial prodigy, to trade licks with. And Getz introduced Diane Schuur, a vocalist/pianist who is obviously talented, but whose material and vocal style is more reminiscent of Phoebe Snow or Carole King than any jazz vocalist you might care to name. It's a shame that enough foresight was not put into this event so that some of the truly representative, outstanding young American jazz talents could have been showcased in this noteworthy, prestigious evening. There are thousands of musicians who deserve such recognition, who are keeping the music fresh and vital, expanding its horizons and reinvigorating its tradition. Where were they? Nejh month will find us covering just such musicians, including features on Grover Washington Jr, whose saxophone playing has combined commerciality and creativity. James Nevrton, the flutist following in the barrier-breaking footsteps of Eric Dolphy; Marcus Miller, bassist extraordinaire in the studio and on the road with Miles Davis, David Sanborn, and countless others; a Profile of the energetic trombonist Craig Harris; Miles Davis and Spyro Gyra Caught in performance; and more. * 6 down beat march 1983