Jazzed Up And Ready To Go
I began to learn a little bit about jazz in the late 1960s visiting often with my late friend, jazz DJ Ron Cuzner. He usually broadcast from midnight to 6:00am on WFMR-fm in Milwaukee. Ron clearly knew his stuff and those conversations compelled me to listen outside my comfort zone.
I remember walking, in the summer of 1967, into a record store on Chicago’s near north side. I was on my way to a club called the Earl of Old Town where I was to hear a local folkie perform. Everyone had heard about the recent death of John Coltrane, and as I browsed through the bins I picked up (and bought) a vinyl copy of Coltrane's legendary 1964 recording , A Love Supreme. It was a touchstone for me in my appreciation of jazz. I was not yet fully aware of the impact of Coltrane's death. That would come later.
Meanwhile, A Love Supreme, recorded by Coltrane's "Classic Quartet"—McCoy Tyner, piano, Jimmy Garrison, bass, Elvin Jones, drums, and Coltrane, saxophone—was the centerpiece of three vinyl albums I purchased in the late '60s. In addition to 'Supreme, I bought Les McCann and Eddie Harris’ album Swiss Movement featuring “Compared To What”, and the album Feeling Blue by Phil Upchurch. Happily I still have all three vinyl LPs.
I met Quincy Jones in 1972 while working for A&M Records. Q, as others referred to him, was in Chicago to promote a new album and I was taking him to various radio stations and press interviews. Quincy was genial, talkative and yet, one sensed he was in a hurry, on a mission, as if there was too much music in his head and he wanted to make certain it all got out of there. I stayed in the music business for 25 years, but from those early introductions to jazz, my affection for the genre never faded.
In 1996 I was hired by Universal Music to turn around a failing jazz label named GRP Records. The label hadn’t always been a business basket case, but in 1996 it was. It took almost two years to turn a profit, but we did. A side benefit for me was meeting and working with the likes of legendary players, like Horace Silver, Dr. John, and George Benson. One of my most memorable moments happened while in The Netherlands for the North Sea Jazz Festival. Meeting for dinner at a restaurant in The Hague (my memory tells me it was called "Roberts".) More important than “where” was “who”. Seven of us spent the evening socializing, but more importantly I found myself sandwiched between producer Tommy Lipuma (on my left) and Jazz great McCoy Tyner on my right. The dinner was memorable, but I have no memory of the food. I spent my time listening to the stories Tyner told, including some during his time with Coltrane's "Classic Quartet" (he left the group in 1965.) All in all it was a magical evening. In 1998 I left the jazz label, but not jazz.
A few years ago I discovered a jazz station with its own iPhone app. The station goes by the name "TSF Jazz" (www.tsfjazz.com). It’s a French station in most ways: its programming comes from Paris and most of the on-air voices speak only French. But the music they play is steeped in classic American Jazz. So you’ll be listening to a set of 2 or 3 recordings, say Louis Armstrong or Miles Davis, and the announcer will tell you "Que Wass Louis Armstrong avec 'Saint James Infirmary'". (Understand, my French is passable only in restaurants, so I offer this translation: “That was Louis Armstrong with 'St. James Infirmary'”). I highly recommend the station and the app.
Last month I had time to visit our daughter in Marina Bay (next door to Richmond in the East Bay). My second day there I realized I had been listening to KCSM radio in her home and car. She’s become a bit of a fan of this Bay-area jazz station. It’s a rarity these days to find a 24-hour jazz station but happily, San Francisco and surrounding communities seem to support this oasis for jazz lovers, and those simply wishing to escape anything else, even if only for few hours here and there.
Traveling further north into Mendocino County, the only station offering thoughtful, informed, and highly listenable jazz is KZYX. There are multiple programmers who each, happily, bring a personal (and informed) approach to the music they play. Most of the programs have alternating hosts, as on Sunday nights with Jim Heid, Fred Adler (yes, Gualala’s own), and Dave Barre sharing the two-hour time slot. Monday afternoon veteran writer and jazz lover Jerry Karp and talented musician Jon Solow alternate holding the 2:00pm time slot. Thursday morning Ron Hoffar and Toby Gleason do a similar balance of jazz 'yin and yang'. Other programmers dabble in jazz, occasionally incorporating the genre into their music programs but the focused effort is found in those 6 hours.
If radio and recordings are not your thing, you’ll be happy to learn that during the past 4-5 years, live jazz has found an increasing fan base in Mendocino County. My neighbor and friend Harrison Goldberg is an amazing musician, usually embracing his favored instrument, the alto sax. By seeing Harrison perform, I’ve also met musicians Chris Doering, Dave Jordan, Tim Mueller, Dorian May, Dorothea May, Charlie Vally, Gabe Yanez, and the fusion ensemble BAKU: Harrison Goldberg, saxophones and percussion, Chris Doering, 7-string guitar and guitar synthesizer, Tim Mueller, 6-string guitar and guitar synthesizer, David French, upright bass and percussion, and Nancy Feehan, cajon and percussion.
Mendocino has attracted all sorts of creative people. Perhaps there’s some faintly heard siren call luring them all here. Maybe it’s simply serendipity. Whatever the reason, a solid group of musicians and a group of fans have been drawn here. From the Russian River to Point Arena—and beyond, live music and ready listeners have embraced each other.
Music can be heard regularly at the Timber Cove Inn, the Sea Ranch Lodge, Annapolis Winery, Mendoviné, 215 Main, St. Orres, and Arena Theater. It’s no accident that the annual Gualala Arts Whale & Jazz Festival keeps the talent coming as well, as they’ve helped develop a space for more than art and sculpture, but also for terrific music. And if you’re traveling even further north, there’s the Sequoia Room at North Coast Brewing’s Tap Room Restaurant in Fort Bragg. The Sequoia Room is a 60-seat venue, offered as a gift to music lovers from the founders of North Coast Brewing. Most weekends the Sequoia Room features some of the best players traveling the club circuit, and their website boasts a couple of hundred names, all of whom have performed there.
Whether you want to travel a few miles or 60 to hear some great music, why not do it while you’re here? Look through this issue of the Lighthouse Peddler; you’ll find some of the players cited above performing this month, and what better place or time to hear live music than here and now.
