Before & After: Dee Dee Bridgewater

Too bad we didn’t video record this listening session. To see Dee Dee Bridgewater’s animated facial expressions and watch her respond, both physically and emotionally, would add an extra layer or two of meaning to the text. I caught up with the peripatetic vocalist (and her little Maltese, Iyo) at her hotel during a tour with the Monterey Festival All-Stars, a few hours before their performance at the Kennedy Center. The actress and three-time Grammy winner continues to host NPR’s Jazz Set while pursuing her intercontinental musical adventures. Her latest recording is the compilation, Midnight Sun, on her own DDB Records.

 

1. Betty Carter

“Thou Swell” (from Social Call, Columbia). Carter, vocal; Ray Bryant, piano; Wendell Marshall, bass; Jo Jones, drums. Recorded in 1955.

Betty, man. She was so friggin’ underrated. She was a genius. I mean, just the way she heard music and how she could take a simple song like “Thou Swell” and turn it into a masterpiece of the moment. The trio was so tight and she just floats on top of it like a horn. People say they’re inspired by Ella, Sarah and Billie, but she’s my main inspiration.

Interview with Tim Berne

I recently found an interview I did 15 years ago with saxophonist, composer Tim Berne. At the time, he was on tour with his trio Paraphrase (including Drew Gress and Tom Rainey) and in DC to perform at Chief Ike’s Mambo Room in Adams Morgan. Chief Ike’s was just a couple of blocks from WPFW-FM, so Tim dropped by the studio for a bit of live on-air chat before sound check.

 

 

 

Tell us about the group Paraphrase. What do you see as the musical direction of this trio?

We had played together in different situations, always playing written music and improvising. We decided to depart from that strategy and just improvise. So we really don’t know what we’re going to do [laughs].

Russian-American Jazz Summit

On Sept. 30, 2009, I met with Russian author, journalist and Managing Editor of Jazz.ru Cyril Moshkow at the Library of Congress to discuss the history of jazz in Russia and the American influence on Russian jazz musicians.  The conversation was co-sponsored by the Open World Leadership Center and the Library’s Music Division.

Interview with John McLaughlin (conclusion)

Here’s the final part of this interview with John McLaughlin from June 2, 2012 at the Alfa Jazz Festival in Lviv, Ukraine. Pt. 1 of this interview can be found here.

You mention that you had a number of musical gurus in your life:  Ravi Shankar, Monk, Coltrane… who else?

Miles. Oh yeah.

Can you say what you’ve learned from Miles?

Interview with John McLaughlin Pt. 1

This interview took place June 2, 2012 at the Alfa Jazz Festival in Lviv, Ukraine. The festival had arranged a meeting room for us in the hotel and invited half a dozen photographers and other journalists to shoot and watch. Despite distractions and endless clicking of camera shutters, McLaughlin remained focused, thoughtful and open throughout.

 

 

When you listen to music, what you’re listening for?

Interview with Betty Carter

When I first started at WPFW, I naively tried to arrange an interview with one of my vocal heroes, Betty Carter. As a young man, I had more nerve than skills or common sense, not realizing I would have to pass her test before she’d agree to invest her time with someone so green. I went to Blues Alley two nights in a row before even approaching her. When I did, she asked me some questions, then sang a bit of melody in my ear and asked me if I knew the tune. I lucked out and told her it was the verse to “Stardust,” after which she agreed to give me 15 minutes following the next set.

 

You tour all over the world. What do you think of the way jazz is presented on radio in this country?

 Lousy! [laughs]. Not enough of it to expose the young kids to it, to make them aware of what’s been going on and what is going on. There’s really not enough music on the radio, jazz that is.

Interview with Sonny Rollins, Pt. 6 (conclusion)

Sonny Rollins, Molde

This interview with Sonny Rollins was commissioned as an NEA Jazz Masters oral history in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution’s Jazz Oral History Program, recorded on Feb. 28, 2011 at the Willard Hotel in Washington DC. Rollins, who was 80 years old at the time, seemed to enjoy the questions and the flow of the conversation, which stretched to nearly 3 hours, pausing only to change tapes. Pt. 1 of this interview is here, followed by Pt. 2, Pt. 3, Pt. 4 and 5. Photo by Larry Appelbaum.

 

Appelbaum:  What do you think makes a good improvisation?

Interview with Sonny Rollins, Pt. 5

This interview with Sonny Rollins was commissioned as an NEA Jazz Masters oral history in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution’s Jazz Oral History Program, recorded on Feb. 28, 2011 at the Willard Hotel in Washington DC. Rollins, who was 80 years old at the time, seemed to enjoy the questions and the flow of the conversation, which stretched to nearly 3 hours, pausing only to change tapes. Pt. 1 of this interview is here, followed by Pt. 2, Pt. 3 and Pt. 4.

 

Appelbaum:  You did an interview with Arthur Taylor–very interesting interview–that

was published in his book “Notes and Tones.”  And in the interview, you say, “I don’t have

the greatest opinion of myself.  I recognize a lot of my faults.”  And I guess, first, I need

to, I’m obligated to ask: What do you think those faults are?

Interview with Sonny Rollins, Pt. 4

This interview with Sonny Rollins was commissioned as an NEA Jazz Masters oral history in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution’s Jazz Oral History Program, recorded on Feb. 28, 2011 at the Willard Hotel in Washington DC. Rollins, who was 80 years old at the time, seemed to enjoy the questions and the flow of the conversation, which stretched to nearly 3 hours, pausing only to change tapes. Pt. 1 of this interview is here, followed by Pt. 2 and Pt. 3

 

 

Appelbaum:  Let’s jump ahead a little bit to your first recording session.

Rollins:  Okay.

Appelbaum:  I assume it was with the vocalist…who was…?

Rollins:  Babs Gonzales.

Interview with Sonny Rollins, Pt. 3

This interview with Sonny Rollins was commissioned as an NEA Jazz Masters oral history in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution’s Jazz Oral History Program, recorded on Feb. 28, 2011 at the Willard Hotel in Washington DC. Rollins, who was 80 years old at the time, seemed to enjoy the questions and the flow of the conversation, which stretched to nearly 3 hours, pausing only to change tapes. Pt 1 of this interview is here. Pt. 2 is here.

 

Appelbaum:  Let’s continue.  When you were at a certain crossroads, you were playing the

horn, you loved this music so much, you knew you’re going to dedicate your life to it, but

in terms of style, many people of your generation–horn players–went either

towards Coleman Hawkins or towards Lester Young.  And I wonder if you ever felt you

had to make a choice, and if so, how did you make that choice?