Wednesday, 2/26/97
Series gives UCLA jazz ensembles, combos chance to jam with
legendary artists
Relatively new Jazz Studies Program gives students opportunity
to learn from greats
By Jessica Yorke
Daily Bruin Contributor
Since world-famous guitarist Kenny Burrell set up his Studies
Series at UCLA last fall, jazz has been the music department’s key
word
Now that the series is into its second quarter, the members of
UCLA’s jazz ensembles and combos have certainly been bitten by the
jazz bug. And with the likes of Burrell, Herbie Hancock, Gerald
Wilson and Garnett Brown teaching students how to improve their
technical abilities, the ensemble members seem beyond hopeful of
full recovery.
On Wednesday, with a little help from friends Wilson and Brown,
Gordon Henderson, the Associate Director of Bands at UCLA, will
direct the jazz ensembles in their fourth live concert of the jazz
season in preparation for their performance at the Reno Festival in
two months. The ensembles will perform arrangements by Thelonious
Monk, chart-topper Quincy Jones, bluesman John Coltrane and numbers
such as "Teri," written and arranged by Wilson himself.
"It’s been unbelievable,"explains Michael Uhler, the acoustic
bass player with the first ensemble. "I mean, Kenny’s brought in
all these great legends to this new department. You know, we’ve had
the chance to play with the trumpet player Oscar Brashear, Harold
Land, who plays the sax, Billy Higgins the famous drummer. …
Basically, they all drop in when we’re rehearsing and jam with us
or help out by directing.
"We’ve even done concerts with Kenny when Garnett sat in and
there was another faculty concert a week ago with Herbie Hancock
when practically everyone was playing together. I can’t believe how
great it’s turned out."
Uhler also spends time practicing with his own jazz combo, which
he has put together with five other students in the department. He
explains how he enjoys "arranging, rehearsing" and "experimenting"
with new jazz material on his own, although Henderson is not far
away when they need assistance.
Since the program’s inauguration, signs of jazz enthusiasm such
as this have swept throughout the department. With the list of the
new department’s guests reading like the ‘Who’s Who’ in jazz,
students are finding it hard to suppress their excitement.
"When I’m on stage," explains Ken Weimer, a sax player in one of
the ensembles, "nothing’s going through my mind except the music. I
can’t concentrate on anything else. All I’m thinking of is the
notes and how they’ll be formed, the phrase spontaneous
communication comes to mind."
Weimer is still not rid of the jazz bug he caught while studying
at UCLA. As an undergraduate, he played in the big band for four
years and now, working as a technician in the music department, he
has returned to play with the ensemble.
His main interest, jazz music, has brought him back to the
department for more wild, but also what he calls "sober" musical
creativity.
"Right now, I feel pretty lucky because I’m coming in at the
start of this whole program and I’m just trying to savor every
moment I can. I mean, Herbie Hancock’s presence at rehearsals was
enough for me."
The most energetic of the student appraisals goes to 78-year-old
Gerald Wilson, who joined Burrell in the faculty last year. Wilson
directs the first ensemble which consists of students of higher
musical ability and who have a greater experience of jazz than
their counterparts.
Uhler gushes: "Gerald? He just gives the band a complete lift
… he’s inspiring."
"Oh, Gerald is just one of the greats," continues Alan Serber, a
member of the first ensemble. "I mean, he’s seen the whole
evolution of the jazz scene. You can’t understand how important
that is for a player like me, younger musicians to have the
opportunity of playing with someone like him. It matters for the
future of jazz music."
It is evident that these students are taking part in the musical
tradition which was started by Burrell last year. Lauded veterans
of the jazz world such as Wilson are passing on this appreciation
to a new generation of musicians. This is all happening at
UCLA.
Wilson’s energy and musical wisdom appears to be stronger than
ever despite his graying temples. A legend in the jazz world,
Wilson won two first place Down Beat Awards over 30 years ago for
‘Best Big Band’ and ‘Best Arranger and Composer’. Since then he has
been a DJ on his own radio show, written the 25th anniversary score
for the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1990, and received the American
Jazz Master’s Fellowship.
Burrell’s achievements are not so dissimilar. Since 1951, he has
been active as a composer, producer and recording artist and has
built up a list of legendary co-players such as Duke Ellington,
Dizzy Gillespie and Billy Holiday. His current post as director of
the Jazz Studies Program is not even his first position at UCLA.
Burrell taught a self-created course on the music of Ellington,
titled ‘Ellingtonia,’ for 18 years. Once again, Burrell was
responsible for UCLA earning more points in jazz credential, as his
course was the first regular college class on Ellington in the
world.
Wednesday’s performance hopes to take the audience back the
smoky dens of the bygone jazz age and the movement’s heyday that
Wilson and Senior Lecturer Henderson hope to recreate. Their
combination brought tears to the eyes of audience members at their
last gig together and they hope this date will be even better.
The next major date on these musicians’ calendars is the April
18 Reno Festival, when the ensembles, combos and big bands will
compete with musicians from all over the U.S., hoping their
fast-stepping numbers will win them the standing ovation they
received last year.
Currently, their time is being spent fine-tuning their routine
with their band leaders to ready for Wednesday’s concert. The
ensemble players agree that although they may be coming from
different directions, their two directors bring out the same degree
of jazz creativity.
"Gordon and Gerald definitely have different ideas and see
things in a different way, but that’s good for the music," explains
Matt Altmire, a member of the second ensemble. "Gordon, well, he
has a different way of communicating the music, but they both have
the same goal, and that’s to perform jazz the best they can.
"The jazz series is all about music education for everyone. I’m
not a music major, in fact, it’s a surprisingly random collection
because there are some music and non-music majors even in the first
band, for instance, the drummer in the first band and his brother
do econ and geography. That’s not important, it’s the education
part of it that counts."
Player Alan Serber explains how he relates to the music with
similar instincts.
"When you say the word ‘jazz,’ I get images of the color blue,
of Miles Davis, of excitement, imagination. Jazz is all about
spontaneity in music, not planning it before hand but just
listening to what’s going on around you and going with that."
MUSIC: UCLA Jazz Ensembles, with Gerald Wilson, Garnett Brown
and Gordon Henderson as conductors, will perform Wednesday at 8
p.m. in Schoenberg Hall. Tickets are $7, $3 students.
The most energetic of the student appraisals goes to … Gerald
Wilson.
Since the program’s inauguration, signs of jazz enthusiasm …
have swept throughout the department.