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Tuesday. June 6. 2000
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BY J. GOLDFil
Page 3
The Sultans of Jazz
Local musicians spell out the steps to becoming a ‘King of Cool’
Kristen Young
The Battalion
Jazz bands are not founded on adolescent whimsy. They
American law officerssayrMre not spawned by pimply teenagers who spontaneously
>nse is possible yet because:.; ;et the gang together in the garage. Just ask D. A. McDow-
1, Michael Holleman and Bryan Littman. All three are pro-
essional musicians in local jazz bands. McDowell is the
ounder of Jazz III, Littman founded Big Apple Trio and
der patrol supervisor) s holleman is a drum player for Big Apple Trio. "Jazz is not
id stuff," McDowell said. "You have to do your homework,
azzis high art; it's a sophisticated art."
To become a real jazz musician, to form a real jazz band,
■equires years of passionate commitment to the art. Ac-
:ording to Holleman, the best place to start is alone with
me's instrument. "Learn (to play) the instrument properly
nd you'll go further" Holleman said. "MTV makes it look
;o easy. Jazz has become a visual thing instead of audio. It's
HoUft lArtR iarc * 1:0 players anymore."
McDowell acknowledges the advantages of a formal
usic education. However, the biggest asset for a jazz play-
risthe ability to improvise. "Jazz is loose," Holleman said.
There's a lot of space in the music that allows the musician
p get creative. In jazz there are more jumping off points. You
an play with the notes. Space creates tension and gets the
istener involved." According to McDowell, a song may last
even minutes at one gig and 15 minutes at the next, de
ending on the soloist's creative inspiration.
All three musicians agree that improvisation is a God-giv-
n talent. "A jazz musician is like a running back," McDow-
II said. "You can't tell him how to run and dodge. Jazz is
boutimprov." Holleman comparesjazz to basketball: There
js a general game plan, but the situation is constantly chang-
ng and the player must be able to react spontaneously to
hose changes. "Jazz is like a language" McDowell said. "You
ither have enough knowledge to pick it up or you don't,
azz musicians can play with others right away."
McDowell asserts that the only way to learn the lan
guage is to "get into the music scene subculture.
"It takes a lot of listening" McDowell said. "Learn frorn
guys like John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Oscar Peterson.'^
Littman recommends tuning in to local radio jazz
providers KAMU 90.9 and KEOS 89.1. He urges aspiring
musicians and college students to attend live jazz per
formances. "Go out and culture yourself," Littman said.
"Try it all!"
Granted, College Station is not exactly the jazz hub of
America. The prevailing attitude among many a cultured
townie seems to be: If you can't boot-scoot to it at Harry's,
it's not music. Nevertheless, there is a limited number of lo
cal venues where one can experience jazz: Sweet Eugene's,
the Tavern, Christopher's and a few others.
Holleman recommends prospective jazz musicians be
come acquainted with other musicians. "The music busi
ness is a small world," says Holleman. "People tend to
know each other." Holleman encourages the aspiring jazz
musician to "sit in" for one of the players in a band and
prove one's talent. "Good players seek out other good play
ers. Band leaders look for people who communicate well.
Musicians must be able to bounce off each other. The soloist
instigates where the song is going. Others have to be sensi
tive enough to compliment each other." Once the rookie mu
sician is plugged into the network and his talent is estab
lished, groups who are in need of a musician will know who
to contact.
McDowell advises rookie musicians to spend a few years
as a band member before attempting to organize a band.
"Play in someone else's band, then you can learn your own
part before having to handle the entire band," McDowell
said. Once the band is established, there are many new con
siderations.
One major challenge is how to effectively market the
band. "You have to market yourself," McDowell said. "The
leader of the group has to be the business leader of the
group. Most of our jobs come from references from past
jobs. But you have to make cold calls sometimes."
Another consideration is geographical location. The
prospective jazz band leader might consider settling in a
large metropolitan location. Littman said that
attempting to succeed as a jazz musician
in College Station is a definite chal
lenge. "There aren't many venues
to play in. Jazz is something
you have to acquire a taste
for and people around
here have an apathetic
attitude toward trying
something new. I get
frustrated some
times trying."
It is evident that
fleeting inspiration
and random
whimsy do not pro
duce a successful
jazz band. But if you
have the passion, the
talent and the
courage to admit to
your Dixie Chicken-fre
quenting friends that you
abhor Merle Haggard and
that jazz is your passion, then
forge on. But remember the advice
of Michael Holleman: "Don't be afraid
to make a mistake. And if you do make a
mistake, remember to make it again and again
Such is the nature of jazz.
- M
RUBEN DELUNA/The
John Kelley *
High Desert Sound System 2
CD Courtesy of Moonshine Records
Track selection is everything in a mixed CD and John Kelley's new release is a blueprint for
how it should be done.
On High Desert Sound System 2, Kelley combines an eclectic mix of songs from numerous genres into a work that
takes the listener on an hour-long journey through a night at the best club imaginable. Kelley starts off with minimal
techno and goes into tech-trance followed by a smooth transition from tribal techno through ghetto house and
finally ending up in smooth, late-night house. Kelley picked future classics for this compilation — Ben
Simm's tribal remix of Joel Mull's "The Mole," and Novy and Eniak's "Pumpin'," an early Frankie
Bones style ghetto-tech groove. The good news is there is something for everyone on this mix CD with
tracks by producers as varied as Timo Maas, Samuel L. Session and Southside Spinners.
The bad news is that Kelley's mixing style is questionable at times. There are no major
mistakes in the mixes, but one can hear the occasional push and off-beat. More impor
tantly, Kelley*seems to favor some tracks over others to the point that the best parts of
some songs are lost.
"The Mole" is a great track because of its breaks, but the listener only hears two of them on
Kelley's mix, whereas "Pumpin'" is played for a full seven minutes. It is a good song, but it is left
in so long that the listener is tempted to skip past it after three or four minutes. This is a shame,
as Kelley's mix out of "Pumpin'" and into Ben Simm's minimal tribal techno track, "Work
It," is the smoothest and trickiest of the album.
Despite the bumpy spots, this is one of the best mix CDs of the year. (Grade: B+)
— Jason Bennyhofi
The Aislers Set
The Last Match
CD Courtesy of Slumberland Records
The '60s have been over for thirty years,
but someone forgot to mention it to the
Aislers Set. This band sounds like it should
have come at the height of the flowerpow-
er era — the listener can almost picture
them opening for the Beatles on The Ed Sul
livan Show.
The album is a collage of folk style acoustic guitar and vocal ballads mixed
with Siouxsie and the Banshees style punk songs full of power chords and
xylophones. The Last Match is the most diverse album of the year so far, and
that is the album's greatest asset and its biggest flaw.
While there is something for everyone on this album, there are also songs
for no one. Many songs on the album suffer from singer Amy Linton's flat
vocals and the proliferation of the pseudo-word "la." The album was also
recorded in a garage on a reel-to-reel recorder, trading sound quality for an
indie feel.
Still, there are some notable successes on the album, "The Way to Market
Station" and "Lonely Side of Town" among them. However, they barely make
up for the rest of the album's disasters. (Grade: C+)
— Jason Bennyhoff
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