Jazz, the no-nonsense way (the Don Braden interview)
November 8, 2011
Back in 2000, tenor saxophonist Don Braden knocked me out when he performed at the Ottawa International Jazz Festival, not only with his fiery playing but also with his articulate speaking and amiable, easy-going nature during an onstage interview that preceded his hard-swinging quartet’s set. Braden gave me the impression that he was someone I’d like to sit down with and talk about jazz.
Our conversation, however, had to wait until last week. It also had to transpire by email, but I wasn’t disappointed — the medium also let me know that Braden is the kind of guy who capitalizes “Jazz” and “Blues,” which I definitely respect.
There was certainly a lot of ground for us to cover, given the 47-year-old’s blue-chip career (it includes stints with Tony Williams, Betty Carter and Wynton Marsalis) and his expertise as an educator (he directs the jazz studies program at Montclair State University in New Jersey, directs the annual Litchfield Jazz Camp in Litchfield, Connecticut, and teaches regularly at Dutch music conservatories).
Jazz, the no-nonsense way (the Don Braden interview)
November 8, 2011. 1:00 pm • Section: Jazzblog
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Posted by:
Peter Hum
Recent Posts From This Author
A Lick SupremePosted on Nov 14, 2011
Solo piano excursions V (Bill Carrothers CD reviewed)Posted on Nov 14, 2011
Solo piano excursions IV (Denny Zeitlin CD reviewed)Posted on Nov 14, 2011
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Back in 2000, tenor saxophonist Don Braden knocked me out when he performed at the Ottawa International Jazz Festival, not only with his fiery playing but also with his articulate speaking and amiable, easy-going nature during an onstage interview that preceded his hard-swinging quartet’s set. Braden gave me the impression that he was someone I’d like to sit down with and talk about jazz.
Our conversation, however, had to wait until last week. It also had to transpire by email, but I wasn’t disappointed — the medium also let me know that Braden is the kind of guy who capitalizes “Jazz” and “Blues,” which I definitely respect.
There was certainly a lot of ground for us to cover, given the 47-year-old’s blue-chip career (it includes stints with Tony Williams, Betty Carter and Wynton Marsalis) and his expertise as an educator (he directs the jazz studies program at Montclair State University in New Jersey, directs the annual Litchfield Jazz Camp in Litchfield, Connecticut, and teaches regularly at Dutch music conservatories).
I didn’t even get around to asking Braden about what it was like to attend Harvard University to study computer engineering before he embarked on his jazz path, or about being the musical director for The Cosby Show.
The peg for our chat is Braden’s visit to Ottawa this Thursday, Nov. 10, when he will lead an improvisation workshop at Galerie240, using the Tim Murray Quintet as his “lab band.” Braden, who has also taught at the JazzWorks jazz camp at Lake MacDonald north of Ottawa will also play a gig in Toronto this Saturday with some JazzWorks alumni friends including vocalist Julie Michels and pianist Dave Restivo.
Below, Braden, as clearly and amiably as I’d expected, discusses the global jazz student cohort, dispenses some fundamental jazz-playing advice, and relates what Betty Carter, Williams and Marsalis have in common.
1) Given your experience teaching jazz in the U.S. (at Montclair and at Litchfield), in the Netherlands, and to a lesser extent, Canada, I’m curious to know: how do the jazz “student cohorts” compare from country to country? What do they have in common, and how do they differ?
I think the main differences between international students are cultural. For example, students from Bulgaria typically have a strong feeling for odd meters and complex forms since their native music has those attributes. As another example, American students have more of an affinity for the Blues than most European cultures. Other differences between students in general have to do with students’ learning styles and previous music playing experience (which of course can have a cultural element). Some students are more intuitive while others are more cognitive; some students have played in bands for years without learning a single scale, while other students are primarily readers and improvise almost solely based on scales. One interesting difference between the students I teach in Europe and those in America: the European students are several years older on average, which can certainly lead to a different teaching experience.
In terms of similarities, almost all students have the standard technical challenges like the need for improved control of sound, rhythm, harmony and general instrumental technique (especially as it applies to Jazz performance). Almost all students need to learn how to listen more deeply and in more specific ways. Probably most important is that most students have to learn how to be free with emotional expression in their Jazz playing; they’re usually so busy worrying about technical issues of various types that they have a hard time emoting.
2) In your experience, what are the most common strengths and weaknesses in aspiring jazz players? What are some of the common recommendations you offer with respect to improvement?
Today’s aspiring Jazz players (I assume you mean those who are serious) have plenty of strengths: good technique, pretty good sound, solid basic time, good skill at negotiating chord changes, plenty of slick licks and ideas. Things they could work on: more emotion in their playing, more Blues aesthetic, better melodic concepts and motific development, stronger swing and more rhythm (interactive syncopation).
Naturally I have many general recommendations (and each one below could be a chapter), but here’s a brief start. The most important: develop a vision of how you want to sound. To enhance this, I’d recommend listening more carefully to more of the masters, especially the older cats. Most aspiring players listen pretty well to younger players they like and perhaps some masters from the ’60s on, but not enough have really checked out Lester Young or Louis Armstrong or even Bird or Clifford Brown. Also, listen to more vocalists (vocalists: listen to more instrumentalists!), and learn to sing. The voice is the most natural instrument and can help with melodic improv. Learning the lyrics to standards is very helpful. Basic jazz piano skills are very important; drums skills help, too. Regular focused practice is critical — set clear goals and make and execute good practice plans. In addition to practicing technical stuff, practicing improv/creativity with emotion is very important. When improvising with an ensemble, listen carefully all the time, and seek to engage the rhythm section. If they feel like you’re listening to them, they will play better with you. Along those lines, do whatever you have to do to develop your rhythm and harmony so you don’t lean on the rhythm section — if your own time and harmony are strong (as evidenced by the way you interact with them), they will be much more relaxed and the music will fly!
3) Your bio concludes: “As a saxophonist, composer, arranger, and teacher, Don Braden will continue to represent the highest levels of strength, creativity, discipline, joy, and soulfulness as he moves along the classic jazz path: to express a contemporary point of view in the powerful, spiritual, intelligent, and (most importantly) swinging jazz style.”
I wonder: what’s your take on up-and-coming jazz players who seem to favour a different, less-classic jazz path, the ones who apparently have less time for swinging?
In the end, music is about human inspiration through expression, so if that is achieved, it’s all good. My personal preference is that someone who calls himself a Jazz player should seek to aspire to the highest levels of Jazz performance, including swing. Swing is the key. Improvisation exists in many forms, but the Jazz Masters have taken it the furthest, and the swing is where the dance is, and where the music connects to Africa. That connection is essential to the Jazz aesthetic. That’s where the soul is.
4) Turning to Don Braden the music lover — what’s the last music either live or recorded that had a really big impact on you? Why did the music move you?
In general, I love Miles Davis’ 1960s era: My Funny Valentine, Four n’ More, E.S.P., …lots of swing, intellect, interaction, melody, soul, virtuosity, everything! I love Take 6 for the same reason; I’ve transcribed many of their tunes for harmonic progressions. I’m into Billy Strayhorn’s music, too. My favorite recently discovered music is by La Orchestra Familia, led by Brazilian composer Itibere Zwarg. He’s a protege of the great Hermeto Pascoal. Crazy, complex, grooving, beautiful music, which I have yet to sit down and decode, but I love it, and want to fly (with my horn) with it!
5) Finally, I’ll ask you for any impressions, recollections or anecdotes you’re willing to share regarding these three musicians that you came to know and play with:
Betty Carter
Betty was no-nonsense. She taught me to swing consistently, and to not overplay, especially when playing with singers. Philip Harper and I were the first horn players she seriously considered educating, just before she started her Jazz Ahead program. She always seemed to personify one of my favorite creative dictums: at the gig, don’t play what you practice — create!
Tony Williams
Tony was also no-nonsense. That band was the most swinging band I ever played in. It was also the most powerful (and loudest!) I really had to practice hard to keep up, but I was there for four years.
Tony was the ultimate professional, and utterly consistent. His virtuosity was scary. He and Freddie Hubbard –
those two were the scariest! It was he (Tony Williams) who really taught me the value of detailed listening. One time in the can on the road somewhere in Europe, a song came on the radio. He listened for a minute then said: “Kenny Clarke.” I asked him how he knew, and he said: “his left foot…, and his right foot…, and his left hand, and his right hand.” I realized that if you listen deeply, the answers are there!
Wynton Marsalis
Wynton was also no-nonsense (do you sense a pattern here?) and still is. Wynton was the one who taught me the value of checking out the older masters, and the importance of the Blues. Admittedly, it took me awhile to get it since I was only 22 when I joined his band in 1986. I also learned a lot about the pursuit of swing from being in his band. With all the slick music we were playing (the material from Black Codes From the Underground and J Mood), the main goal still was to swing.
Jazz, the no-nonsense way (the Don Braden interview)
November 8, 2011. 1:00 pm • Section: Jazzblog
ShareThis 46 0 0
Increase Font Size
Print Page
RSS Feed
Posted by:
Peter Hum
Recent Posts From This Author
A Lick SupremePosted on Nov 14, 2011
Solo piano excursions V (Bill Carrothers CD reviewed)Posted on Nov 14, 2011
Solo piano excursions IV (Denny Zeitlin CD reviewed)Posted on Nov 14, 2011
Five questions for Zakari FrantzPosted on Nov 14, 2011
Back in 2000, tenor saxophonist Don Braden knocked me out when he performed at the Ottawa International Jazz Festival, not only with his fiery playing but also with his articulate speaking and amiable, easy-going nature during an onstage interview that preceded his hard-swinging quartet’s set. Braden gave me the impression that he was someone I’d like to sit down with and talk about jazz.
Our conversation, however, had to wait until last week. It also had to transpire by email, but I wasn’t disappointed — the medium also let me know that Braden is the kind of guy who capitalizes “Jazz” and “Blues,” which I definitely respect.
There was certainly a lot of ground for us to cover, given the 47-year-old’s blue-chip career (it includes stints with Tony Williams, Betty Carter and Wynton Marsalis) and his expertise as an educator (he directs the jazz studies program at Montclair State University in New Jersey, directs the annual Litchfield Jazz Camp in Litchfield, Connecticut, and teaches regularly at Dutch music conservatories).
I didn’t even get around to asking Braden about what it was like to attend Harvard University to study computer engineering before he embarked on his jazz path, or about being the musical director for The Cosby Show.
The peg for our chat is Braden’s visit to Ottawa this Thursday, Nov. 10, when he will lead an improvisation workshop at Galerie240, using the Tim Murray Quintet as his “lab band.” Braden, who has also taught at the JazzWorks jazz camp at Lake MacDonald north of Ottawa will also play a gig in Toronto this Saturday with some JazzWorks alumni friends including vocalist Julie Michels and pianist Dave Restivo.
Below, Braden, as clearly and amiably as I’d expected, discusses the global jazz student cohort, dispenses some fundamental jazz-playing advice, and relates what Betty Carter, Williams and Marsalis have in common.
1) Given your experience teaching jazz in the U.S. (at Montclair and at Litchfield), in the Netherlands, and to a lesser extent, Canada, I’m curious to know: how do the jazz “student cohorts” compare from country to country? What do they have in common, and how do they differ?
I think the main differences between international students are cultural. For example, students from Bulgaria typically have a strong feeling for odd meters and complex forms since their native music has those attributes. As another example, American students have more of an affinity for the Blues than most European cultures. Other differences between students in general have to do with students’ learning styles and previous music playing experience (which of course can have a cultural element). Some students are more intuitive while others are more cognitive; some students have played in bands for years without learning a single scale, while other students are primarily readers and improvise almost solely based on scales. One interesting difference between the students I teach in Europe and those in America: the European students are several years older on average, which can certainly lead to a different teaching experience.
In terms of similarities, almost all students have the standard technical challenges like the need for improved control of sound, rhythm, harmony and general instrumental technique (especially as it applies to Jazz performance). Almost all students need to learn how to listen more deeply and in more specific ways. Probably most important is that most students have to learn how to be free with emotional expression in their Jazz playing; they’re usually so busy worrying about technical issues of various types that they have a hard time emoting.
2) In your experience, what are the most common strengths and weaknesses in aspiring jazz players? What are some of the common recommendations you offer with respect to improvement?
Today’s aspiring Jazz players (I assume you mean those who are serious) have plenty of strengths: good technique, pretty good sound, solid basic time, good skill at negotiating chord changes, plenty of slick licks and ideas. Things they could work on: more emotion in their playing, more Blues aesthetic, better melodic concepts and motific development, stronger swing and more rhythm (interactive syncopation).
Naturally I have many general recommendations (and each one below could be a chapter), but here’s a brief start. The most important: develop a vision of how you want to sound. To enhance this, I’d recommend listening more carefully to more of the masters, especially the older cats. Most aspiring players listen pretty well to younger players they like and perhaps some masters from the ’60s on, but not enough have really checked out Lester Young or Louis Armstrong or even Bird or Clifford Brown. Also, listen to more vocalists (vocalists: listen to more instrumentalists!), and learn to sing. The voice is the most natural instrument and can help with melodic improv. Learning the lyrics to standards is very helpful. Basic jazz piano skills are very important; drums skills help, too. Regular focused practice is critical — set clear goals and make and execute good practice plans. In addition to practicing technical stuff, practicing improv/creativity with emotion is very important. When improvising with an ensemble, listen carefully all the time, and seek to engage the rhythm section. If they feel like you’re listening to them, they will play better with you. Along those lines, do whatever you have to do to develop your rhythm and harmony so you don’t lean on the rhythm section — if your own time and harmony are strong (as evidenced by the way you interact with them), they will be much more relaxed and the music will fly!
3) Your bio concludes: “As a saxophonist, composer, arranger, and teacher, Don Braden will continue to represent the highest levels of strength, creativity, discipline, joy, and soulfulness as he moves along the classic jazz path: to express a contemporary point of view in the powerful, spiritual, intelligent, and (most importantly) swinging jazz style.”
I wonder: what’s your take on up-and-coming jazz players who seem to favour a different, less-classic jazz path, the ones who apparently have less time for swinging?
In the end, music is about human inspiration through expression, so if that is achieved, it’s all good. My personal preference is that someone who calls himself a Jazz player should seek to aspire to the highest levels of Jazz performance, including swing. Swing is the key. Improvisation exists in many forms, but the Jazz Masters have taken it the furthest, and the swing is where the dance is, and where the music connects to Africa. That connection is essential to the Jazz aesthetic. That’s where the soul is.
4) Turning to Don Braden the music lover — what’s the last music either live or recorded that had a really big impact on you? Why did the music move you?
In general, I love Miles Davis’ 1960s era: My Funny Valentine, Four n’ More, E.S.P., …lots of swing, intellect, interaction, melody, soul, virtuosity, everything! I love Take 6 for the same reason; I’ve transcribed many of their tunes for harmonic progressions. I’m into Billy Strayhorn’s music, too. My favorite recently discovered music is by La Orchestra Familia, led by Brazilian composer Itibere Zwarg. He’s a protege of the great Hermeto Pascoal. Crazy, complex, grooving, beautiful music, which I have yet to sit down and decode, but I love it, and want to fly (with my horn) with it!
5) Finally, I’ll ask you for any impressions, recollections or anecdotes you’re willing to share regarding these three musicians that you came to know and play with:
Betty Carter
Betty was no-nonsense. She taught me to swing consistently, and to not overplay, especially when playing with singers. Philip Harper and I were the first horn players she seriously considered educating, just before she started her Jazz Ahead program. She always seemed to personify one of my favorite creative dictums: at the gig, don’t play what you practice — create!
Tony Williams
Tony was also no-nonsense. That band was the most swinging band I ever played in. It was also the most powerful (and loudest!) I really had to practice hard to keep up, but I was there for four years.
Tony was the ultimate professional, and utterly consistent. His virtuosity was scary. He and Freddie Hubbard –
those two were the scariest! It was he (Tony Williams) who really taught me the value of detailed listening. One time in the can on the road somewhere in Europe, a song came on the radio. He listened for a minute then said: “Kenny Clarke.” I asked him how he knew, and he said: “his left foot…, and his right foot…, and his left hand, and his right hand.” I realized that if you listen deeply, the answers are there!
Wynton Marsalis
Wynton was also no-nonsense (do you sense a pattern here?) and still is. Wynton was the one who taught me the value of checking out the older masters, and the importance of the Blues. Admittedly, it took me awhile to get it since I was only 22 when I joined his band in 1986. I also learned a lot about the pursuit of swing from being in his band. With all the slick music we were playing (the material from Black Codes From the Underground and J Mood), the main goal still was to swing.
I learned some things about business from him, too; he had (and still has) and great team. To this day Wynton is still one of the most amazing musicians I’ve ever met, not least because of his profound productivity and effectiveness and promoting Jazz, but also because of his great music.
