It has been almost a year since I last wrote and posted Cadenzas. Why? I don’t know! In my own mind there is the thought that it has just been a really busy year, and, frankly, I have been too occupied to write. Another part of me says that I just didn’t have anything to say. And another says, “Who the hell is reading this newsletter, anyway?” Maybe this question is closest to the real reason.

You know, the world as most people over forty years of age have known it has changed - not just in small ways, but dramatically. Most of us don’t want to think about it but, whether subliminally or consciously, we do. Americans torturing? And starting a pre-emptive war? Oil at $147 a barrel and gasoline over $4.50 a gallon? Yes! This is now a reality of everyday life. And it isn’t going away. We have to live with these and many other issues that were never previously a part of our lives. Can you get your head around it? I do. Sometimes.

So - I ask myself whether many of you bother to read Cadenzas. And is what I write really of interest to you in any small way? Or is it just something else to delete - just another piece of meaningless email? I wonder.

What I write comes from my experiences and from the heart. But this is my heart, my reality, and it is meaningful to me. All of you have your own life experiences, and those experiences are what are meaningful to you. Does my reality have any relation to or serve any purpose for you? Maybe! If music and related subjects are of interest to you, my words might take you away from all the “heavy” things in your life and put you into another, less stressful world for a moment. At least, I hope so.

Though Cadenzas is my reality, I AM interested and do think of those things making up your reality. We all lead very busy lives, so what IS meaningful? What does “meaningful” really mean? These are just rhetorical questions, I know. But when I sit to put down my thoughts, I try to ponder the bigger picture. Do my musings have meaning for any of you? Or am I just spouting self-indulgent words and thoughts that have no value except to me. I wonder. I do think about these things.

Yet, with all that has changed and continues to change in our world, I find life extremely meaningful to me - and to the wonderful, generous, and beautiful musicians I know and with whom I am privileged to make music. So, I write. I write about them.

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The Inventions Trio

What began as a lark - really kind of a dream of mine and Alisa’s - morphed over time into the reality of The Inventions Trio. I have written many times about my friend and musical soul mate, pianist Bill Mays, and more recently about cellist Alisa Horn and our Trio. But much has happened since I wrote extensively about them in Cadenzas - Edition XX from January 2006, so I have decided to devote a good part of this edition of Cadenzas to the Trio.

When I wrote last September of The Inventions Trio’s activities in Edition XXVI, I told about the release of our first CD, Fantasy, and of our upcoming West Coast tour. The tour, which began in the San Francisco area then moved to Los Angeles and San Diego, and finally to Seattle and Yakima, Washington, was a great success, both musically and audience-wise. We played eleven performances in fifteen days, including four private concerts in various presenters’ homes, two nights at Jazz Alley, a well-known Jazz club in Seattle, a concert at the Seasons Festival, a chamber music series in Yakima, and also at three universities - the San Francisco Conservatory, Pt. Loma Nazarene College, and LaVerne College - all in California.

The 2007 tour was lots of fun, and the reactions of some of the people to two older musicians traveling with a young lady - twenty-five years of age at the time - were quite amusing. I concocted a number of different “off the wall” stories as to how the group came about and the telling got funnier as the stories went on. One version was that Bill and I were driving down a country road near Shohola, Pennsylvania, where he lives, talking about expanding our duo by maybe adding a string player. Lo and behold, walking down the road was this waif in torn jeans and old cast-off clothes, carrying a cello on her back - obviously some runaway from a nasty family. We stopped, asked her if she played Jazz, to which she answered, “No, but I can learn.” And the Inventions Trio was born!

But to be honest, though I have known Alisa since she was a young girl, I really did wonder what it would be like traveling and living in close contact with her over a two-week period. I mean - Bill and I really ARE quite a bit older than Alisa! But I need not have worried. Alisa is accustomed to being among us “more experienced” people and not at all reluctant to “give as good as she gets!” Her sense of humor is really fun, and she jumps right in at all times as to whatever the situation might be. There was never an uncomfortable moment, never a moment when I became again “an old friend of the family” or was viewed as such. We were all just “road musicians.” And as I have often said, all of us who travel so much - especially when we get exhausted from it all - break up and laugh about some of the silliest stuff. This is what makes life on the road fun - and bearable.

As with my quartet, programming is very important and ever-present in our minds. Repertoire containing a variety of styles and tempos is essential, so we are continually adding to ours. We want to be able to adjust our programs according to how we feel each evening, so neither we nor the audience will become bored over time. Our “book” at the beginning of the tour numbered twelve; it now stands at twenty-five. The two extended pieces, “Fantasy for Cello, Trumpet, and Piano” and “The Delaware River Suite,” run twenty-two and thirty-two minutes respectively. And this list doesn’t include the duo pieces that Alisa and I play with Bill on each set or the solo piano pieces Bill might choose to perform. If one includes the entire Jazz repertoire that Bill and I possess, plus the duo pieces he has written for himself and Alisa, our repertoire has become enormous. And we continue to rehearse and add materials to the “book.”

After last fall’s tour, the Trio returned to New York and immediately went into the studio to record the new material that we had developed since the release of Fantasy. These included Villa-Lobos’ “Bachianas Brasilieras #5,” my composition, “Charlotte Delights,” the Miles Davis and Bud Powell classics “Sippin’ at Bells/The Dance of the Infidels,” Jobim’s “Zingaro,” and Bill’s new extended work, “The Delaware River Suite.” All of these new selections were arranged for the trio by Bill.

“The Delaware River Suite” is the second commission for the group and is dedicated to the river separating New Jersey and Pennsylvania that runs through the area of Pennsylvania where Bill lives. We went into the studio again last month to record more new material. We have a new suite of Bill Evans pieces, another of Thelonius Monk’s music, plus Django Rheinhradt’s “Nuages” and Rodrigo’s “Adagio” from the “Concierto de Aranjuaz” linked to Chick Corea’s “Spain.” Yet to be recorded is Ravel’s “Pavane” from the “Mother Goose Suite.” When we release our second recording sometime in the near future, the materials will be chosen from among these new pieces. As well, this past January, the Trio performed an hour concert of new music for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre PBS TV station that we may release as a DVD sometime in the near future.

Anyone interested in seeing our full repertoire at the time, can click on this link to The Inventions Trio and scroll down to the list of repertoire.

As you can see, it has been a very busy year. Since last fall’s tour and recordings, the Trio has also performed at a variety of venues among which are: The Deerhead Inn, Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Tusten Theater, Narrowsburg, New York; University of California, Fresno, California; and Bosendörfer Pianos, the Rubin Museum of Art, and the Kitano Hotel Jazz Lounge, all in New York City. In June we performed at La Belle Epoque in Toronto, Ontario, as part of the Toronto Jazz Festival. Everywhere we play, we are greeted with the expected surprised reactions to a group that features the instrumentation of trumpet (and flugelhorn), cello, and piano. But upon hearing our music, the audiences’ reactions to the music have been overwhelmingly enthusiastic. People love this group and the music we play.

We are very excited about the possibilities for this group. The three of us are committed to taking this to the limit. The future looks very bright with more engagements to come in the fall and spring, one of which is a tour in Italy. But enough from me! Following are thoughts by Alisa about her feelings and experiences as a member of the Inventions Trio.

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My First Road Trip

Guest Article by Ms. Alisa Horn,
Cellist w. The Inventions Trio

Picture this: You’re twenty-five years old. You’ve been playing the cello since you were four years old. You just got out of music school a year ago where, for the last six years, you were studying Unaccompanied Bach, the Dvorak Cello Concerto, octaves, Strauss orchestral excerpts, and Beethoven String Quartets. You have always wanted to be in a major symphony and you secretly dream of touring the world as a soloist, performing romantic sonatas with piano and concerti with orchestras. You think that you should just pile on more music degrees because in the end, the only job in music that you might actually get is a professorship at some out-of-the-way college and you will be really fortunate to get that job. You don’t even know if you want to be a teacher because right now all you want to do is PLAY—anything, everything. You believe everything you’ve been told about the music world revolving around pure luck and love for the craft, yet at the same time that it can be grueling, competitive, and unfair and that unless you find that one music-loving millionaire to marry you that you will be, well, broke. You’ve already lived in Chicago and now you’re sitting in your Los Angeles apartment thinking, “maybe I should try out New York City, too.” And you wonder where you will be in six months.

Now, imagine that you open your eyes and you’re cruising down the highway, sitting in the back seat of a rental car with your cello leaning on your shoulder. You’re on your way from San Francisco where you just played five concerts in a row to San Diego where you will be performing that night. You are thinking about how your walking bass lines in the Bud Powell/Miles Davis arrangement were a little bit behind last night and that tonight they would actually be “in the pocket.” You are listening to Bill Mays and Marvin Stamm (who are sitting in the front seat) talk about life on the road with Sarah Vaughn and Frank Sinatra, that Quicken is the best way to organize your taxes as a freelance musician, what ten jazz recordings are imperative to own, and which bottle of wine under twenty dollars is actually the best bang for the buck. Bill Mays hands you a check for the ten CDs that you sold the night before and reminds you not to “spend it all in one place.” Marvin is now arguing that he really is the best driver and Bill laughs, cranes his neck around the seat, and says to you, “if it gets any better than this, call me.” They tell you that they love traveling with you, that each night’s concert is better than the night before, and that they are so proud of you and the group. You think, “Where am I? What am I doing? How is it possible that I’m on my first road trip with two of the world’s greatest jazz musicians? Is this for real?” Well, it is real. It’s my life. That’s what happened to me.

As most of you reading this article probably know, Marvin Stamm has been a part of my life since infancy (he and my dad go back to their teens in the Tennessee All-State Band). Marvin has always been a mentor to me as one of the only professional musicians I ever knew and, more importantly, one of the only people in my life who truly understood why I wanted to keep playing and who always gave me musical advice and encouragement. He made trips to Memphis to visit his family and each time he stopped by our house and I would play something for him--show him how I’d progressed since the last time I’d seen him. On one of these occasions, he happened to bring Bill Mays along, his piano partner and pal who I’d always heard about, but never met. Bill insisted that we should play something together. I asked him if we could play Rachmaninoff’s “Vocalise” and well, the rest is history.

At that time, I never dreamt that one day I would be performing with Marvin and Bill, that we would be on the road together with a recording on a prominent jazz label—my name in print next to theirs. It’s all so surreal, and yet so REAL, and when Marvin asked me to write my memoirs of our tour, I had to think, well, what is the best way to summarize a time that has meant so much to me and has changed the course of my life (in so many ways) forever. I could go through our itinerary and tell you about all of the cities we went to, the places we played, the people we met, the conversations we had, and the things I learned . . . OR . . . I could simply submit what I wrote in my journal while I was on the trip (which pretty much sums it up the best, I think).

On our second night of the tour following our second concert in the same day and a couple glasses of wine, Bill took me into his room and showed me the money we made from all of the CDs we had sold that evening. He was counting the bills, writing everything down, as I looked on in amazement that any of that money was actually mine, and he looked up at me with a fire in his eyes and exclaimed, “First rule of road: Always know where the money is!” After that, we began making a list of all the rules of the road and each day we would add a few more. Here is an abbreviated list with thirty of the Rules of the Road—my favorites. (Some had to be omitted due to, um, inappropriate material and well, I didn’t want you all to get bored!) I am following that with another list I made during our plane ride back to New York. This one consists mostly of inside jokes and experiences, but will give you an idea of what a fabulous time we had together on the road.

It’s hard for me to describe the way it feels to be given such an amazing opportunity—not only to play beautiful music with the greatest musicians I’ve ever heard, but to spend time with them, absorb their endless passion and wisdom, have so much fun, and gain two of the best friends I could ever have. I can easily say that our tour was the greatest time of my life so far. In the immortal words of Bill Mays, “If it gets any better than this, call me.”

The Rules of the Road

(according to Bill, Marvin, and Alisa)

[It was only natural that this being Alisa’s first “road trip,” Bill and I would give her the benefit of our many years of road experiences. It started after the second night when Bill told Alisa, “The first rule of the road is. . . .” From that point on, anything that came up evoking either a serious OR funny reaction from the three of us, became a Rule of the Road; and, of course, the list grew quite a bit over the period of two weeks. Alisa, as our appointed official “Tour Secretary,” kept track and wrote them all down. Following is the greater part of her list of our Rules of the Road. And should anyone think that Alisa’s being appointed our Tour Secretary was an act of sexism, let it be known that if anyone’s performance clothes needed ironing, I was appointed the official “Tour Clothes Presser.” - M. S.]

1. Always know where the money is.
2. Marketing!
3. Have an inventory list at each gig—how many CD’s you start with, how many are sold, etc.
4. Unmentionable... . . . .
5. Always be on time!
6. Always rent a mini-van (says Marvin)—or a full-size car, but have the Jew pack it—don’t ask a poor, white Protestant preacher’s kid!
7. DON’T BREAK THE SEAL!!!
8. Don’t spend it all in one place. . .
9. Don’t believe Mapquest.
10. Don’t ever go sailing with a pianist.
11. When you leave your room, always put the “Do Not Disturb” sign up and
   leave the TV on.
11. Put as much stuff on your credit card as you can, but pay it off monthly. You never want to pay interest, but you do want the miles!
12. Never leave your door open with your purse unattended in your hotel room. . . . (oops!)
13. Always have SOME cash!
14. Always use earplugs for sleeping (or at least have them with you)!
15. Always bring a sandwich from outside of the airport!
16. Always check the gas gauge when leaving with a rental car.
17. Never go home with an audience member after the concert. (special contribution by bassist Martin Wind)
18. Always get as much sleep as you can WHEN you can!
19. When you go swimming with a drummer and the wife of the band leader, make sure to have a dry towel waiting.
20. Always let Marvin drive.
21. Always have a beer/wine bottle opener.
22. When recording, first takes are usually the best and the ones you end up keeping!
23. If the band leader’s wife is on the road, make sure she follows Rule No. 5!
24. Always tip the waitress, especially if you’re getting a free meal at the gig.
25. Always make sure the cello microphone (or any microphone) is in the right place before you start playing.
26. If you’re sharing a refrigerator, write your name on YOUR box of leftovers (or they might get eaten)!
27. Whenever you go into the recording studio, don’t try to record nine hours straight!
28. Always check at the door on your way out of a restaurant—there may be special treats waiting there…
30. “Drink all your beer or you won’t get any dessert!” (Mean Uncle Bill)

Alisa’s Most Memorable Moments of the Tour
(but in no specific order)

1. Yakimaquatics—the piece, the town, the people, the swim team, the whole thing
2. The Third Corner in San Diego—the food, the hang, the whole thing
3. The sailboat catastrophe-which turned into a motor boating trip with Bill
4. Ernie Shelton’s place—the concert, the hang, the whole thing
5. Judy Mays and me in the freezing-cold convertible
6. The drive from San Francisco to San Diego—the whole thing
7. The Rules of the Road
8. When the college students asked me how long I had been making money as a musician and I said, “Um, since this week!”
9. The Pearl (with its mirrored ceilings, wall-mounted fish bowls, and closet-sized rooms)
10. Playing “The Delaware River Suite” at the Finchers’ House after drinking just a little too much wine. . . . ?
11. “Hey Dude, we helped famous people!”
12. The moment when I played the exact same trill as Marvin in “Vocalise”
13. Fitting everything into the trunk of the Chrysler on that first night
14. Bill’s belly dancer/dancing
15. Aliso (the Great)
16. When we played the middle section of the 1st movement of “Fantasy,” when Marvin is improvising and people clapped and cheered
17. When Bill told the Nazarenes about his unusual concert preparations
18. All of the wines I tried (especially on the Yakima wine tour)
19. Every single concert we played
20. Every single note we played
21. THE WHOLE THING

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The Quartet in Italy

In April, my quartet flew to Italy. The group included Bill Mays, Rufus Reid, and drummer Andy Watson, who was playing for Ed Soph. Ed’s year-end school obligations at the University of North Texas prevented his coming with us this time. Andy is a marvelous musician and played beautifully, fitting right in with Bill, Rufus, and me.

On this seven-day tour, we played in five different towns – Marostica, Ferrara, Ancona, Villa San Giovanni, and Salerno - performing in one beautiful seven-hundred-seat concert hall and four Jazz clubs - all of which we packed. The Italian Jazz fans are very enthusiastic and quite educated in the music. They gave us standing ovations each evening. This, of course, made performing for them a pleasure.

The size of the clubs varied from town to town, but each one had its own unique decor. The club in San Giovanni had paper-maché figures all over the room, even a piano hanging from the ceiling. The club in Ferrara was in an old tower with brick cobble-stone floors. The concert hall in Ancona was beautiful, an amphitheater design which allowed the stage to be seen from any seat in the theater. It was quite lovely and the sound was excellent in each of the performance venues. All were fun places in which to play.

The Ancona concert began at 9:00 p.m. and consisted of one long set. The concerts in the clubs were usually two sets beginning at 10:00 or 10:30 p.m. and going till 1:00 or 1:30. We usually had a sound check at 7:30 or 8:00 and then had dinner in the clubs before playing. The food in these clubs and the wines, all local wines, were extraordinary. The same can be said for walking into any small restaurant or cafe in any of the towns. Great food is everywhere, even at the roadside places affixed to the service areas. (Try to get great food at one of the service areas over here!) Another excellent feature of these clubs is that after the gig, the musicians can usually “hang out” and are served an antipasto platter and wine or beer. We also had the pleasure of sampling the regional grappa and other local drinks. The Italian hospitality is just wonderful!

On the concerts, the quartet played a mix of Jazz and American Songbook standards along with originals composed by Bill, Rufus, and me. We have become very adept at programming, having the music possess an ebb and flow that doesn’t allow the audience to become bored. Each tune varies in style, tempo, and key from the one before, so the ears of the audience never hear the same thing from tune to tune. Lack of this kind if programming by many Jazz groups is a complaint I hear from a lot of people.

Everyone in our group gives 110 percent when it comes to the music, and all ears are open. As always, the sensitivity of these musicians and their being attuned to one another is extraordinary and clearly evident to the audiences. In responding to the music as they do, it is obvious that the audience is “getting it.” The music these players put out there is so sincere, so pure, that each and every moment on the bandstand with them is thrilling. I have said it so many times, “Standing in the middle of this group, holding the horn and just listening to what’s going on around me is as much fun as when I have the horn up to my mouth.” Every note means something, every moment is precious! Playing with this quartet and the Inventions Trio are among my greatest sources of musical joy.

A large part of the fun of tours like these, too, is the proximity of being together, being able to really enjoy each other’s company. We like to laugh a lot, and with all the crazy things that happen on any tour, we do just that. It takes away the tension and makes any hardships seem insignificant. It was great fun getting familiar with Andy Watson’s dry sense of humor. He had the three of us “regulars” laughing a lot. His stories about his African Gray Parrot were hilarious as were the sayings of his alter ego Chah-lie (a native of South Carolina).

This tour, albeit too short, was terrific, and I think I speak for the entire group when I say how much we enjoyed Italy - the music, the people, the food, and the wines. I believe each of us would go back in a New York minute. And I believe it will happen.