If I may be so bold, I would venture to say that most instrumental musicians have “a thing” about singers. Of course, we revere Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Peggy Lee, Carmen McRae, and others of that class, but the majority of our experiences over the years is not in dealing with singers on that level. The jokes are many, and the feelings about singers are usually very negative. The reasons for this is that most singers are not well educated musically, and, if they do have talent, they usually have not done their homework by listening to great artists, training their voices as do instrumentalists, and many do not read music. Having to share the stage with a singer such as this does not produce good results or promote positive feelings.  Alas, I too find myself in the category of that musician who, over the years, has hated sharing the stage with most singers. Having said this, I must tell you that I have seen the light and have repented! This is due to my discovering, all within the last seven months, three singers of extraordinary talent. Let me tell you about them.

My first discovery was actually made several years ago, but my opportunity to perform with this singer only came this past January at the IAJE Conference held in New York City. Texas native Rosana Eckert is a uniquely talented person and an extremely well-trained musician. Influenced by singers like Shirley Horn, Chet Baker, and Carmen McRae as well as players like Stan Getz, John Coltrane, and Oscar Peterson, Rosana exhibits a style all her own, performing both standards and original compositions. She has beautiful tone quality, excellent intonation, horn-like phrasing, and an approach to improvising more like that of an instrumentalist than a vocalist; she sings long lines, utilizing vocal tools that make it unnecessary to employ the usual, corny “scat” syllables.  It is a style that is, to me, reminiscent of Miles Davis’ approach.

Performing with Rosana in January was very rewarding experience. It is so easy to play with her because she is such a schooled and experienced musician. She is extremely respectful of the members of her group, allowing each one his space to “blow.” Her group is definitely a Jazz group rather than that of a singer with an accompanying trio or quartet. The music and Rosana’s group is all about “we,” not “me,” and it was very easy – as a guest soloist - to be integrated into their music.

Rosana grew up in a musical family and was recognized as an outstanding musician during her four years of high school. She entered the University of North Texas (UNT) on a French Horn scholarship. At UNT, she became immersed in the school’s renowned jazz program, playing horn in the Jazz Repertory Ensemble and singing with the UNT Jazz Singers. In 1999, Rosana completed a Masters degree in Jazz Studies as a vocalist and joined the UNT Jazz Faculty. Besides her teaching, she also writes and arranges for the vocal jazz ensembles. She toured with the 1999 IAJE “Sisters in Jazz” Collegiate Sextet and in 2000 was a selected participant in the IAJE Thelonious Monk Aspen Jazz Colony.

Rosana is also a very busy studio singer in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, performing “live” with several Dallas-based bands as well as leading and writing for her own jazz quintet. She works as a clinician and adjudicator, and performs at a number of Jazz festivals.

It would be my pleasure to perform with her again - anytime, anywhere. She is something very special. Rosana’s first solo CD, At the End of the Day, was released in 2003. You can check out this CD and learn more about Rosana on her Web site: http://www.rosanaeckert.com.

During our March tour, Bill Mays and I performed a private duo concert in San Francisco at the home of Jazz aficionado John Sullivan. One of his invited guests was singer Madeline Eastman. I had heard Madeline’s name for a number of years, but was unfamiliar with her singing. Unlike many musicians, I am not a “CD-buying junkie,” and vocal CDs, in the past, have not really been a priority. As a result, while familiar with Madeline’s name, I was unfamiliar with her work.

 During the second set of our concert, Bill and I invited Madeline to come up and sing a tune with us. She chose Leonard Bernstein’s “Some Other Time,” and because this was so clearly a moment for her, I decided not to play, leaving all the attention on the two of them. “Some Other Time” is a beautiful tune with a marvelous lyric, and Madeline sang it with such deep feeling that I can remember clearly the feelings with which she left me. Her phrasing was so beautiful, her rendering of the lyric so poignant, that I was on the brink of tears. It was certainly a moment I will treasure.

Madeline is a passionate singer and an individual stylist. Having said this, I suggest you not make the mistake of thinking this means she uses gimmicky vocal devices and effects. Absolutely not! She sings in a very straightforward style from deep within her soul, interpreting the music right from her heart. She knows how to express her innermost feelings through the music, reaching out to touch her listeners.

Madeline first recorded with the Full Faith and Credit Big Band in San Francisco Since then she has recorded a number of albums in the company of musicians such as Phil Woods, Kenny Barron, Tony Williams, Tom Harrell, Cedar Walton, Rufus Reid, Akira Tana and Randy Porter. The great Jazz vocalist Mark Murphy has also appeared on her CDs. You don’t find yourself in company like this unless you deserve to be there.

Madeline is a marvelous musician, one of great depth and sincerity. If you have the opportunity to hear her sing, don’t miss it. Madeline’s current recording is The Speed of Life, on the Mad Kat label and you can learn more about Madeline on her Web site: www.madelineeastman.com.

Early in July, I was in Italy; I spent five days in Rome, and then traveled to Ancona for a day before returning home. I was invited there by Giancarlo Dinapoli, one of the producers of the Ancona Jazz Festival, to perform in an opening concert of the festival “in duo” with singer/pianist Dena DeRose. Dena had performed in Ancona before, but this was a first time for me.

I arrived there in the late afternoon after a long, hot four-and-a-half-hour train ride from Rome. After a short rest and an opportunity to clean up, Dena and I got together at the hall for a half-hour “talk-over” to choose the tunes we wanted to play for our ninety-minute concert. We then went for a lovely dinner in a small restaurant that provides marvelous Italian fare of the region. Oh yeah! Yay, Italy!

The concert began at 9:30 P.M. We performed in a lovely two-hundred-seat hall to an audience of very enthusiastic listeners. Playing in duo is easy only when performing with another player of like mind who has the ability to listen closely, hear what his or her partner is doing, and then play and respond with great sensitivity. Dena possesses all these qualities; performing with her while she sang and played piano was an easy task, a real joy. The ninety minutes flew by quickly and the concert was over before we realized it.  The audience loved what we did and insisted on an encore. They wanted another, but adhering to the rule of “always leaving them wanting more,” we bowed out. It was a marvelous time, one which both Dena and I hope will be repeated.

Dena is both an outstanding singer and pianist. If she were a vocalist only, she would knock you out; but the same would be true if she were only a pianist because she is extraordinary in both areas - and I do mean extraordinary! Dena has quickly become a favorite musician of mine.

In her singing, Dena phrases like an instrumentalist, like a horn-player, without using any of the gimmicky vocal affectations that many singers use. She sings wonderfully in tune with a pure, clear tone quality. She has total control of her voice, never sounding strained in any register. It is easy to hear and to understand her lyrics, and as she sings, it is like she is speaking directly to you. I can’t remember hearing anyone who sings with more clarity than Dena.

Dena plays the piano on the same level of excellence as she sings. She has excellent technique, but it is her musical expression, her lines and creativity that are so captivating. Bill Mays brought Dena to my attention; he loves Dena’s playing – and singing. To me, that is a real testament to her talents. I have written many times of my love of playing with Bill, and nothing will ever change my feelings toward our musical partnership. But playing with Dena is also a joy in a different but, then again, a similar way in that she is also so very sensitive and attuned to other performers in the group. It is not all about “Dena,” but rather about the musical partnership with those with whom she is playing. In principal, it is the same as my relationship with Bill.

Dena is a native of Binghamton, New York, where she studied classical piano as a youngster. In high school, she became enamored of Jazz, playing in the Jazz ensemble with Tony Kadleck, Maria Schneider’s lead trumpet player and one of my favorites. Dena went on to college to continue her musical studies, while traveling frequently to New York to listen and absorb the music of her idols, Hank Jones, Kenny Barron, and Mulgrew Miller. She began singing when, after an operation for carpal tunnel that took her away from the piano, she stepped to the microphone one night on a dare to sing a song. She liked singing and went on to develop her vocal style. When she healed from her operation, she also returned to the piano, combining both talents. She moved to New York in 1991 and since that time has advanced an exceptional career. Two of Dena’s most recent CDs are Love’s Holiday on the Sharp Nine label and A Walk in the Park on the Max Jazz label. You can learn much more about Dena and get the complete picture by visiting her Web site:  www.denaderose.com.

So there you have it! In a short period of seven months, I have been converted by three extraordinary musician/singers. Does this change my general attitude about singers? Probably not – but it surely has opened my ears up a bit! To their credit alone, these three ladies have really turned my head around and made me adopt a much more flexible and accepting attitude about singers. Not an easy thing for an “old trumpet player” to do!

** Author’s Addendum: Just after writing this article, I, along with my wife Nancy and some friends, attended the Litchfield Jazz Festival in Litchfield, Connecticut, with the express purpose of catching Dena DeRose’s set. This festival is an excellent three-day affair featuring a number of current major Jazz artists. Dena’s trio included bassist Martin Wind and drummer Matt Wilson, both of whom I have had the great pleasure to play. Nancy, too, knows them well because they also play with Bill Mays’ trio, and we are all friends.

Nancy had not heard Dena until I played her the two CDs that Dena so kindly gave me in Italy; our friends were completely unaware of her work. From hearing the CDs, Nancy thought Dena was a fine singer, but this reaction was miniscule compared to her hearing Dena’s music in person. This was one great set of pure, of-the-moment Jazz! Dena sang with such passion; no matter what emotion she was expressing in her music, she plumbed the depths of each. From the fiery “Lover” to the lovely and meaningful John Lennon tune, “Imagine,” to the swinging “Detour Ahead,” she took us on a journey with each piece. We were all deeply moved.

From the instrumental point of view, the trio was on fire! They “took it to the max” with each tune! This was a set to experience, and the three musicians communicated so beautifully that it seemed they were “joined at the hip.” Martin’s time feel and his solos were beautiful whether pizzicato or bowed. And Matt’s creativity is becoming legend. The sounds and effects he gets from the drums and accompanying percussion are always perfect for the moment. These three are on the same wave length, and the music shows it. While they all are sensitive to each other and contribute to the final product, the catalyst in all this is Dena. She is so strong in musically leading this group, and she knows just how to get the most out of her singing and her playing. Martin and Matt respond in kind.

We were all really happy to be there for Dena’s set last Sunday and were completely knocked out by their performance. Don’t miss hearing Dena's trio! You’ll be knocked out too!

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So, Where Ya' Been Lately?

The previous Cadenzas ended as Bill Mays, cellist Alisa Horn, and I had just performed the premiere concert of Bill’s “Fantasy for Cello, Trumpet and Piano” in Evanston, Illinois. This was followed by two evenings playing at Pete Miller’s Steak House in Evanston with drummer Joel Spencer and bassist Kelly Sill. Since that time, much has been going on.

Upon our return to New York, Bill and I spent two days in Clinton Studios with composer/arranger Jack Cortner, finishing up his big band CD for which Jack has written some really great stuff. Jack and I have been friends since I first moved to New York, and for a period of six years we lived in the same building (uh-oh!). Jack has written a number of big band arrangements for my library and has also contributed several arrangements to my symphony library, among them the twenty-minute “Ellington Fantasy.”

The band on this CD sounds fantastic, musically led by lead trumpeter Bob Millikan, lead alto Lawrence Feldman, and rhythmically impelled by drummer John Riley. The rest of the brass section included trumpets: Tony Kadleck, Brian O’Flaherty, Danny Cahn, Bud Burridge; trombones: Jim Pugh, Birch Johnson, Tony Studd, Paul Faulise (bass). Among the saxophones were Lawrence Feldman, Jerry Dodgion, Dave Tofani, Dennis Anderson, and Kenny Berger. Pianist Bill Mays, bassists Jay Anderson, and guitarist Jeff Mironov completed the rhythm section. Trombonist Bruce Bonvisutto, baritone saxophonist Ronnie Cuber, and bassist Martin Wind appeared on two tracks.

I thoroughly enjoyed being a featured soloist throughout, along with Bill, Mays, saxophonist Dave Tofani, and trombonist Jim Pugh. I am quite excited about this recording, entitled Jack Cortner NY Big Band - Fast Track, and happy that it will be released and distributed on the Jazzed Media label, the same label as our Live at Birdland CD. It will be available from this Web site when released sometime around the first of October or of November. Jack is quite a modest person, but also an extremely talented one. I hope this CD will bring Jack some of the attention he so greatly deserves.

Following Jack’s recording sessions, I flew to England to spend four days with my daughter, her husband, and my new granddaughter. Then it was on to Zurich to begin a seven-day tour of Switzerland and Germany with the George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band. For this tour, we performed the music we recorded in New York last year for George’s new CD, Tiger by the Tail.

This tour was great fun as always. We started three days of rehearsals, concerts, and workshops for the Interlaken Jazz Society in Interlaken, Switzerland. What a beautiful place this is – an ideal setting to launch a tour. Our stay in Interlaken was followed by concerts in Basel and Luzerne, Switzerland, and Freiburg and Munich, Germany.

As usual, George put together a great band comprised of European and American musicians. Among them were trumpets: M. S., Kenny Rampton, Tobias Weidinger, Matthieu Michel; trombones: Dave Bargeron, Joe Gallardo, Gary Valente, Earl McIntyre (bass); saxophones: Chris Hunter, Sal Gorgiani, Dave Liebman, Larry Schneider, Howard Johnson; rhythm: George Gruntz, piano; Ari Volinez, bass; Danny Gottlieb, drums.

This tour was short, but it was packed with lots of music! There was so much great playing on this tour, but special for me was that of Kenny Rampton, Matthieu Michel, Danny Gottlieb, Joe Gallardo, and Dave Liebman. “Lieb” and I had a good deal of time to hang out, one afternoon visiting a museum in Luzerne that featured a great many Picassos as well the works of other great painters – a really enjoyable time.

I returned home May 8 and had the opportunity to “sub” for Bob Millikan on Bob Mintzer’s band. This is always fun for me because I get the chance to hear one of my favorite Jazz trumpet players, Scott Wendholt. But then, everyone in that band is a great soloist - and chief among them is Bob Mintzer. I’ve been playing with and listening to Bob for about 20 plus years, and I have yet to hear him play even one mediocre solo. He is unbelievable! Other great soloists are Bob Malach, Pete Yellin, Roger Rosenberg, Keith O’Quinn, and Mike Davis. And of course, the rhythm team of drummer John Riley and bassist Jay Anderson is always a trip! I also had the opportunity to hear trumpeter Mike Rodriguez, who was also subbing that evening; this young man can also really play. What a pleasure to hear so many fine players in one evening.

 After a few days off, we went into rehearsals for the May 20 concert of Beatles music with the Westchester Jazz Orchestra. Most all of the music this WJO season was commissioned, and this concert was no exception. Commissioned for the Beatles concert were arrangements by Mike Holober, Tony Kadleck, Jens Wendelboe, Mark Lopeman, Mark Patterson, Brian Pareschi, Jim Rotundi, and Eddie Xiques. There is a lot of talent among the players in this orchestra, and it is exhibited and reaffirmed with every performance. This concert featured some very difficult music, all of which was beautifully performed and well received by the audience. I greatly enjoy working with this group.

The first weekend in June was, for the second year in a row, dedicated to “Swing ‘n Jazz,” a weekend of Jazz, golf (for those who are prisoners of this sport), food, and wine. “Swing ‘n Jazz” takes place in Rochester, New York, and was brought to life by Ned Corman, a former musician and retired teacher who ran one of the best high school music programs in New York State. As a player, Ned was very busy on the scene in the Rochester area. When I met him, he was holding down the baritone saxophone chair in the band and orchestra led by Chuck Mangione.

Ned asked me to be the musical director of this year’s festival, a task that, for the most part, entailed organizing the musicians and putting together the main concert that takes place on the Saturday evening of the event in Hochstein Hall. Hochstein is a very fine older hall that has excellent acoustic properties, necessitating only minimal amplification, something that makes most musicians quite happy.

The Rochester musicians this year included drummer Rich Thompson, saxophonist Carl Atkins, trumpeter Paul Smoker, trombonist Mark Kellogg, and guitarist Bob Schneider. The out-of-towners included, besides me, pianist Mike Holober, bassists Jay Leonhart and Phil Flanigan, drummers Anthony Pinciotti and Akira Tana, saxophonist Ken Hitchcock, trumpeter John Schneider, and LA trombonist Scott Whitfield. We performed a second more loosely organized concert Sunday evening for the festival finale at Greystone Country Club. All these musicians are terrific players, and the music was superb! The food and wine were excellent too. The golf? You’ll have to ask someone else.

A great addition to this year’s event was that of writer/musician Doug Ramsey. Doug wrote the recently-released book Take Five: The Public and Private Lives of Paul Desmond published by Parkside Publications in Seattle, Washington. The research for this book was a monumental undertaking - detailing the life of a tremendously influential musician in Jazz - and Doug has received well-deserved acclaim for this wonderful biography. Doug was sponsored by the Greater Rochester Visitors Bureau to cover the festival and also to write about his visit and his adventures in Rochester; he contributed details daily about both for his blog, Rifftides The link to Doug's blog is http://www.artsjournal.com/rifftides/.

Over the past three years, Mike Holober and I have become close friends. Mike, a truly marvelous pianist and composer/arranger, is, like me, a wine enthusiast (not to be confused with the term “wino”!).  Doug Ramsey, like Mike and me (and also Ned Corman and drummer Rich Thompson) is also a wine enthusiast, quite knowledgeable about a wide variety of wines. Being the adventurous souls we are, Doug, Mike, and I explored the wilds of Century Wine and Spirits, one of the truly great wine stores in the U. S. We had the opportunity to meet with Michael Misch, one of the owners of Century, and to purchase some excellent examples of Century’s wares. Michael very kindly contributed a magnum of fine Burgundy to a final night’s get-together of about eight of us, which proved to be one of the highlights of the weekend!  Also while in Rochester, we reconnoitered Max’s East, one of the best restaurants in Rochester and the surrounding area, and had a fabulous dinner for which we all contributed some fine wines from our personal cellars. Believe me, this was a tough job – but someone had to do it. Needless to say, we all had a great time in Rochester.

After one day at home, I left again to attend the annual International Trumpet Guild (ITG) Conference; I was asked to be a judge for the Jazz trumpet competition. This year the conference was held in Glassboro, New Jersey, and featured many fine trumpet performers from various genres of music. Among them were David Bilger, principal trumpet with the Philadelphia Orchestra; Barbara Butler, professor of trumpet at Northwestern University; Randy Brecker; and the Monzil Brass. A concert with the Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra that featured French artist Eric Aubier, German virtuoso Matthias Hof, and American Rodney Mack was a special event. All three played wonderfully, but I had never heard Matthias Hof, and I was truly blown away with his playing. I have never heard anyone with such control of his sound and texture in any register, from the top to the bottom of his instrument. Amazing!

But the highlight of the conference for me (as it always seems to be) was the concert presented by the Monarch Brass, an all-female brass orchestra founded by St. Louis Symphony principal trumpeter Susan Slaughter. I use the term orchestra because this is what the ensemble sounds like to me. Anyone who professes the belief that women are incapable of performing on a brass instrument with the fire, passion, intensity, and forcefulness as does a man is completely clueless! This group and these ladies have it all! Once again, they played with such sound, feeling, and emotion that they moved me to tears! I cannot express in words how moved I am every time I hear the Monarch Brass. They are truly one of my all-time favorites! The musicians in this group are of some of the finest brass performers in the world of classical music; among them are a goodly number of orchestra and service band principal players. If you have the opportunity to hear this group, don’t miss it! You’ll be inspired by the great music you will hear.

As for the Jazz trumpet competition, everyone played well, but the young man who won the competition, Jean Caze, was especially outstanding for his individual sound and creativity. His style was understated, not trying to impress, but rather to reach inside for an original way of expressing himself. He had a lovely, softer side, played with a pure tone, and performed on a very professional level. Jean Caze was the unanimous choice of the judges. The other two judges were Terrell Stafford, a wonderful Jazz trumpet artist who teaches at Temple University and Leonore Raphael, who is a Jazz pianist and recording artist.

The ITG always gives me an opportunity to be with friends for whom I have great affection but, because of geographic logistics, I don’t get to see as often as I would like. I spent a lot of time with Dennis Najoom, Mario Guarneri, and Dale and Diane Olson. Dennis has developed a new cup mute that I am now using, and everyone remarks how much they like the sound. Mario, who developed the BERP mouthpiece practice device, is one of the truly great musicians. He spent fifteen years as second trumpet in the Los Angeles Philharmonic and also worked in the film studios. Now living in the San Francisco area, Mario is teaching at the San Francisco Conservatory and playing more Jazz with his quartet or quintet than he is performing in classical ensembles. He is such a great player; I do not understand why he never gets invited to perform at the ITG conferences. Dale and Diane Olson are dear friends of mine from the time I first arrived at the University of North Texas. At the conference, Dale gave his lecture on “The Equilibrium Concept of Trumpet Performance.” Anyone interested in this scientific analysis of trumpet playing can view it on the Kanstul web site at: http://www.kanstul.net/pages/daleolson/index.html.

Another close friend I got to “hang out” with is Marion Egge, now retired from the Allentown Symphony, but still a long-time member of the Allentown Band. Besides being a fine trumpeter, Marion is also a professional editor who ensures that this newsletter maintains a level of sanity and only a little coherent raving, despite this writer’s urges to the opposite!

After a week at home (finally!), I flew to South Carolina to do the second annual Charles Pruitte Scholarship Concert in Newberry, South Carolina. “Chief” Pruitte was a special human being, one of those true mentors who touched the lives of so many young men and women who played in his groups at Newberry College. The concert, organized by Chief’s former student and my dear friend Richard McMahan, also featured saxophonist Roger Pemberton. The big band with which we played was made up of Chief’s former students. From all over, they gave up their time and paid their own way to come participate in this tribute. Outstanding among these musicians was guitarist Steve Watson, a very fine, accomplished Jazz musician. I really enjoy making music with him, and would be happy to play with him anytime.

Clem DeRosa, one of our great Jazz educators and a past president of IAJE was also supposed to take part in this event, but had to cancel because of illness. Roger, Clem, and I have been at Newberry College many times for Chief Pruitte. Clem is a long-time, dear friend, and he promised he would be there for the next get-together honoring the Chief. This concert, like the initial one last year, was very successful both musically and financially. The money raised goes into a scholarship fund. I can think of no worthier affair to honor this man’s life. Richard McMahan and Jim Hale are to be congratulated for all the time and hard work they put into this wonderful event.

I was asked, as part of the JVC Jazz Festival in New York, to contract the orchestra for the Dave Brubeck 85th Birthday Celebration Concert at Carnegie Hall. We went into rehearsal a day after my return from South Carolina. The concert featured the Dave Brubeck Quartet (Dave, piano; Michael Moore, bass; Randy Jones, drums; Bobby Militello, saxophone) on the first half of the concert. The second half featured the orchestra playing big band music composed by Dave in the ’50s and ’60s. One piece, the eighteen-minute “Elementals,” was written for symphony orchestra, but the original scoring was reorchestrated by the late Rayburn Wright for big band. Our portion was conducted by Dave Brubeck’s musical director, Russell Gloyd, who also happens to have been an alumnus of the University of North Texas and a former student of my teacher, John Haynie. The orchestra members were, trumpets: Tony Kadleck (lead), Frank Greene, Danny Cahn, M. S.; trombones: Keith O’Quinn (lead), Mark Patterson, Bruce Bonvisutto, Paul Faulise (bass); saxophones: Lawrence Feldman (lead), Jerry Dodgion, Lou Marini, Mike Migliori, Kenny Berger.

This is one heck of a group, and Russell was ecstatic. The next day we had a two-hour sound check in Carnegie and then performed the concert. Dave and the quartet were wonderful, and the band played just beautifully! I loved being in the company of these players as they always perform to such a high level of musicianship. Tony Kadleck’s lead playing always knocks me out, as does that of Keith O’Quinn and Lawrence Feldman. But all of these guys are just fantastic players. Russell and Dave were thrilled as was the festival producer George Wein. And each member of the orchestra told me how honored they were to share the stage with Dave and the quartet. It is great to witness and be a part of something where there is such mutual respect among participants.

The next day, I was on a plane again, this time to Dallas to participate in Bert Truax’s Basic Brass Trumpet Camp. This was the second year of the camp and the lineup was pretty awesome! Besides Bert and me, the participants were mouthpiece maker Gary Radtke, Hollywood studio artist Jon Lewis, and New York Philharmonic principal trumpet Phil Smith. Former Dallas Symphony principal trumpet Richard Giangullio also gave a master class. For those of you not familiar with Bert Truax, he is an excellent composer/trumpet artist who was for many years second trumpet in the Dallas Symphony. He now performs with several opera companies and other groups, and appears many times in the trumpet section of the Ft. Worth Symphony.

Because I couldn’t be in Dallas until after the Brubeck concert, I missed presentations by Gary Radtke and Jon Lewis. Gary is a good friend (I play his mouthpieces), and Jon is one of the very fine soloists on the trumpet; I was sorry not to be able to observe their presentations. But I did get to attend Bert’s concert the Thursday evening I arrived – it was an excellent performance that also featured his wife Sarah on the electric violin.

I appeared on Friday, giving a master class with pianist Stefan Karlsson in the morning and a lecture demonstration in the afternoon. Stefan, whom I have written about many times in Cadenzas, is an outstanding pianist, a featured member of the Eddie Gomez Trio, and the Jazz piano professor at the University of North Texas. Stefan is a very original and inventive Jazz artist with whom I always enjoy playing. In the evening, Stefan and I were joined in concert by drummer Ed Soph and bassist John Adams. I have also written many times about my working with John, and, of course, Ed is a member of my working quartet with Bill Mays and Rufus Reid. This concert was just lovely; we played in a church that needed no amplification at all. These three musicians are always inspiring to play with, and the audience for the concert let us know how much they enjoyed our music.

I stayed over for an extra day because Phil Smith invited me to perform one of the pieces on his concert. I attended Phil’s morning master class wherein he worked with the students, and I learned a great deal from his commentary and demonstrations. I attend as many master classes as possible given by musicians like Phil because I find that they concentrate so much on the musical side of performance rather than the technical, and I always learn so much from them. We rehearsed for Phil’s concert a bit later in the day. Phil is such a marvelous artist, and he gave a fantastic concert.  What a pleasure it is to hear someone plays so beautifully, always trying to bring the most out of the music. It was a pleasure to be even a small part of his concert.

All the students at Bert’s camp were eighteen years and younger, the youngest being, I believe, eleven. I must tell you that the majority of playing I heard by these young people was marvelous. I am a pretty critical person, even when it comes to younger players, and I am always looking for their being grounded in the basics, producing a good sound, having decent technique, and demonstrating a musical approach to playing their instruments. When I say that they were some of the best young players I have heard in a while, I am speaking from a critical viewpoint. They were a joy to listen to and they restored in me some of the faith I have lost in the teaching of music over the last ten years or so. I told Bert that he could call on me to return next year and thereafter as long as I could work with people like him and Sarah and be in the company of youngsters like these.

I had a wonderful ten days at home before making my final long journey in the first half of 2006, but I found, as I often do, that my time at home is occupied with “catching up” on all the things that have accumulated while away. There is also the time-consuming email and telephone communication to book future dates and to take care of details for upcoming appearances. Many times, the supposed “down time” at home is filled with a great deal of mundane detail work, but that is the way of life for a free-lance artist. So one does what one has to do to live and maintain the life he or she has chosen. Would I change it? Not on your life! But sometimes, the drudgery, as in everyone’s life, becomes tiresome.

My next appearance was to be four days of playing and teaching in Rome, followed by a day in Ancona performing “in duo” with pianist singer Dena DeRose. Since British Airways many times offers a promotion allowing for some time in the U. K. followed by journeying onward to the continent, I took the opportunity of going first to England to visit with my daughter Marisa, her husband Ian, and my granddaughter Charlotte. I had four-and-a-half days enjoying them to the fullest. I am very close with all three of my daughters, each unique in her own way, all possessing a lot of “moxie.” Along with my wife, Nancy, they are the loves of my life. My son-in-law Ian and his family are the perfect additions to our family. Ian is a certified chef, and he and his dad share my love of wine. (How lucky can one get!) While in England, Ian and I visited our favorite wine store, which happens to be in Tunbridge Wells, the town where they live. I always have a wonderful time being with the English contingent of our family.

I flew to Rome on the Sunday of the World Cup Final being held in Munich. Rome was insane! Thousands gathered in the old Circus Maximus to see a large screening of the game. Other sites around Rome were designated for the same purpose. My friend, Massimo Nunzi, arranged for me to join him and several friends at their apartment for a buffet dinner and to watch the game. When Italy won the Cup, the city exploded! It seemed that the whole town erupted and celebrated throughout the night. After leaving his friends’ apartment, Massimo drove me home, riding on the back of his motor scooter, a principal mode of travel in that city – and country. While Massimo experienced no moments of anxiety, I can assure you that I did, racing through the streets amidst all the crowds and the pandemonium - on the back of a speeding motor scooter.

Most of my time in Rome, Monday through Wednesday, was to be spent teaching at the St. Louis College of Music. On Thursday morning, I was to rehearse with Massimo’s Jazz Orchestra for our featured appearance at Rome Jazz Festival later that evening. Massimo is a great composer/arranger who is also a fine trumpeter. He and I met eight or nine years ago when he arranged for me to teach and play at another school in Rome, and we have become closest of friends since that time. He had a great deal to do with arranging my return to Rome this time as well, and, because of the language barrier, he was to be my translator. I was looking forward to this trip for many reasons, chief among them our time to hang out and perform together.

On each of my three teaching days, I held three class periods of one-and-a-half to two hours long. My first class in the morning was with three trumpet players, Valerio, Roberto, and Johnny. (I tried to call him Giovanni, but he was having none of that.) We spent a lot of time reading and playing charts as a section, then discussing my views on big band playing. We also talked about my approach to practicing and developing certain areas of playing the horn. I stressed their spending a portion of their practice playing softly, something that I feel is not emphasized enough by many teachers. I feel that if a player can get the embouchure to respond to many things practicing softly, getting it to respond loudly is only a matter putting more air through the horn. We also spent a great deal of time talking about sound and tone quality. I became quite close with Valerio and Johnny, and we shared lunch together each day. These are two gentlemen with whom I hope to have an enduring friendship.

The small group for my second class included Johnny and Valerio, a saxophonist, plus piano, guitar, bass, and drums. We played a lot of tunes and talked about approaches to improvisation. With the rhythm players, we also discussed “comping” and listening intently to those with whom they are playing. This group contained players of varying levels, so we tried to ensure that everyone played on each tune and also got the individual attention they deserved. The bassist with this group was an electrical engineer and an excellent player – a nice sound and good time. This combo, with the exception of Valerio, was made up of amateurs or students.

There were no horns in my third class - two guitars, piano, bass, drums, and two singers. The level of this group was very high and several of them were already working musicians. They all played well, most needing only to be made aware of the subtleties of the music. I find this usually to be the case when I work with fine young musicians. Somehow, they concentrate of the obvious, rarely understanding that the reason we enjoy listening to great musicians can be found in the subtle elements of their playing. Both guitarists were very inventive, and the bassist and drummer started really “hooking up” after the first day. The singers were quite good, too, just needing someone to make them aware of their phrasing and diction. They both seemed to sing well in tune.

But I was especially impressed by the sixteen-year-old pianist, Enrico Zanisi. His parents are both classical musicians, as is his brother, so he has a strong musical background. He is the first Jazz musician in the family, but has a good classical foundation on the instrument. Strangely, he never had any instruction in “comping,” but he wasn’t far off of the mark. And, with his ears, he will gain considerably by listening to the really good rhythm sections in classic recordings. He is very inventive and has many excellent ideas. I would love to have the opportunity to play with him at some point in the future.

On the third day of teaching, in addition to my regular schedule, I gave a master class to all the students attending this summer session at the school. I listened to some really fine instrumentalists and vocalists, then had an opportunity to speak with them about their approach to the music. They were all very open to my suggestions, and I encountered no “attitudes” from any of these people. I must also stress that every person in my three classes, no matter the level of competence they had attained, showed great enthusiasm for learning and playing this music. Working with all these people was a pleasure. The same must be said for working with the director of the school, Stefano Mastruzzi, and with Francesca Gregori, who coordinated all the pertinent and important details of my teaching and travel to Rome.

The highlight of my final day in Rome was to be the big concert for the Rome Jazz Festival with my friend Massimo Nunzi's Jazz Orchestra. Much was made of this concert. It was announced in all the papers, in which several articles promoted the concert. It was to be a big thing for both of us. This was my first appearance at the Rome Jazz Festival, and the pairing with Massimo and his group was a special event. Over 2,500 people were expected to attend this concert.

Massimo called late the night before the concert to tell me that our performance for the following evening had been canceled. The festival was being held outdoors at the Casa del Jazz, and the complaint was that on the preceding two evenings, the music from our festival could be heard on the stage of the Caracalla performances. Caracalla is the big opera company in Rome that, in the summer, presents a series of "open air" performances not to far away in another part of the city. Because the Casa del Jazz is surrounded by the Old City walls, the music from the Jazz festival, acoustically amplified by the surrounding walls, could be heard on their stage, even though it was a good distance away. This evidently threatened their performances. Since the Casa del Jazz is owned by the city, and because the opera company is a stronger group politically, our concert was canceled - even though the opera company was only rehearsing that evening - not giving a performance.

Relocating the Jazz festival stage would have taken two days, so not everything would be in place in time for our concert. Of course, we were all greatly disappointed, but what could we do? The powers-that-be had spoken. I can only feel that "this is life," and these things happen. There may be the possibility of performing the concert next summer, but who knows. I hope this is the case because I am looking forward to returning to Rome, especially to perform with Massimo.  He worked very hard for several years to get me over there to perform with his Jazz orchestra, so I hope it will eventually take place.

The day after our concert was to take place, I boarded the noon train to Ancona for my duo concert with Dena DeRose. Since you will already have read about Dena and our concert in the preceding article in this edition of Cadenzas, I won’t repeat myself except to say again that it was a joy sharing the stage with her, making beautiful music!

 I had to leave Ancona at six o’clock the next morning. To be able to meet my noon flight from Rome to London, then connect with my second flight to New York, I had to catch two trains – one from Ancona to Rome and a second one from there to the airport. Fortunately, I had no trouble with either train. But after I arrived at Fuimicino Airport, everything fell apart. It seems that the computer that governed and coordinated ALL the ground services at Heathrow Airport in London was out. This meant that there were monstrous delays in and out of Heathrow, backing up traffic all over the British Airways system. It was necessary for me to arrive in New York that evening because the next afternoon my quartet was to open the afternoon segment of the Hartford Jazz Festival in Hartford, Connecticut. If I didn’t make my connection, I wouldn’t get to the concert. Well, I won’t bore you with all the details, but it was a day from Hell, and I was only one of many suffering through it. Fortunately, after a series of continuous foul-ups and twenty-three hours of travel door-to-door, I made it home. But my bag didn’t! And that is another story with which I won’t bother you.

I drove to Hartford the next day to meet up with Bill Mays, Rufus Reid, and Ed Soph (who flew in for this performance). Since we opened the concert, it went off on time and, though it was a really warm afternoon, we played a great set of standards and originals. We were all feeling really good and were happy to be reunited again onstage. As to be expected, the music reflected that. Whenever I’m away from these three guys for a period of time, our coming together always feels like an event! I love standing in the middle of them when I’m not playing, being swallowed up by the sounds of their music. Bill, Rufus, and Ed are such a marvelous combination; they are seamless, and the music just flows out of them. What more can I say except that they are the best, and they always make me sound great.

The following Saturday, Bill and I performed a private duo concert that had been purchased in auction at our annual ABC Charity Concert which takes place every September at the home of Philip and Christine Lodewick in Ridgefield, Connecticut. The person who bought this concert gave it as a Christmas gift to her parents in whose home we presented the concert. It was a very nice affair and the attendees appreciated our music, coming forward afterwards to ask questions and speak with us about the music.

I’m going to relax the rest of this summer, playing only a select few concerts, but mostly enjoying being home for a while. I am playing a few gigs near home with the quartet of drummer John Cutrone, which I always enjoy. I will also play with the Westchester Jazz Orchestra in a concert for the Jazz Arts Forum in Dobbs Ferry. The Jazz Arts Forum is trumpeter Mark Morganelli’s organization, and Mark does a fantastic job presenting many Jazz artists in concert throughout the year.

I’m also playing at the Sackets Harbor Jazz Festival in upstate New York (outside of Watertown) with Russ Kassoff’s group. Russ is an excellent pianist and composer; he has invited tenor saxophonist Ted Nash and me to join him for this concert along with bassist Martin Wind and drummer Dennis Mackrel. Vocalist Catherine Dupuis, on whose CDs we have all performed, will also join us for few tunes. This is the seventh annual festival, so it is also a kind of family getting together that will afford us time to relax and enjoy each other’s company for two days.

Later in August, I will return for a second year to Prescott, Arizona, for Mike Vax’s Prescott Jazz Summit. While I don’t know all of this year’s participants, I do know that trombonist Scott Whitfield, pianist Bob Florence, and drummer Gary Hobbs will also be performing. Prescott is a very nice town and the people there are very appreciative of Jazz, so this will again be a great time.

The fall brings many new things, but I don’t want to think much farther ahead than these next few weeks that, except for the above events, are reserved for time with family and friends. It has been a great touring season since the beginning of March, but now it is time for some R & R. I hope the summer is going well for all of you and that come September, we will all feel refreshed and ready to get back to work.