D.C. Jazz Festival Oral History Project INDEX
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D.C. Jazz Festival Oral History Project INDEX Interviewee: Brother Ah (aka Robert Northern) Interviewee’s rela/onship to the topic: Brother Ah is an interna3onally recognized Jazz musician, radio host, and music instructor. Born in New York City, he has lived in Washington, D.C. since 1986. He hosts a radio show on WPFW, and previously lectured at the Smithsonian and the University of the District of Columbia. Interviewer(s): Rusty Hassan and Willard Jenkins Date: August 21, 2017 Descripon: In this oral history Broth Ah speaks about his life in, and love for, Jazz music. He speaks about his family migra3ng north aTer his father had a confronta3on with the Klu Klux Klan. As a young child growing up in Harlem and the Bronx, he learned the Bugle. He then enrolled in a pres3gious preforming arts school in New York, there he felt pressure from being one of just 6 black students. Military service in Korea interrupted his college educa3on. In New York, he played in the most pres3gious venues in the world, including Carnegie Hall, where he experienced racial discrimina3on, and legendary Jazz Clubs such as Birdland where he got to know Miles Davis and John Coltrane. He then moves to be a music professor at Dartmouth and Brown. The remainder of the oral history is dedicated to Brother Ah’s 3me in Washington D.C. He speaks about encountering Washington, D.C. as “Chocolate City,” and the thrill of playing at the Lincoln Theatre and Howard Theatre. The reader is informed that D.C. had the best ribs in America. He speaks about a lecture series on Jazz that he gave at the Smithsonian and, later, University of the District of Columbia. A wonderful story about how fire fighters helped him to save his instruments. In recent years, Brother Ah has run a popular Jazz focused radio show on WPFW. Biography: Robert "Bob" Northern, known professionally as Brother Ah, is an American jazz French hornist. Born in North Carolina and raised in The Bronx, Northern studied at the D.C. Jazz Festival: Brother Ah, index, page 1 Manha`an School of Music and at the Vienna State Academy in the 1950s. He is perhaps best known as a session musician, working extensively in the 1950s and 1960s with musicians such as Donald Byrd, John Coltrane, Gil Evans, Sun Ra, McCoy Tyner, Roland Kirk, and the Jazz Composers Orchestra. He also worked with Don Cherry, Thelonious Monk, Freddie Hubbard, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Eric Dolphy, Charlie Haden, and John Lewis. He lived in New York City from 1963 to 1971, and aTer a period of increasing interest in non-Western music, visited and studied in Africa (Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania) during seven consecu3ve summers (1972 -1977). In the 1970s he released several albums as a bandleader; his 1974 release Sound Awareness featured Max Roach and M'Boom. These albums were reissued on CD on the Ikef Records label in the 2000s. In addi3on to horn playing, Northern also branched into percussion and flute performance later in his career. He taught at Dartmouth College from 1970 to 1973, Brown University from 1973 to 1982 and then at the Levine School of Music in Washington, D.C. from 1982. Northern is also the founder of the World Music Ensemble, a group which explores African, Japanese, Spanish, East Indian, Na3ve American and American musical tradi3ons and the founder of The Sounds of Awareness Ensemble which explores the sounds of nature and music. Northern, as Brother Ah, hosts a weekly jazz oriented radio program, The Jazz Collectors, on sta3on WPFW in Washington. Time Description 0:00-02:29 Miles didn’t have many interac3on with the band he didn’t say too much or do too much as well. Work with John Coltrane through Miles. 2:29-4:08 No rehearse, had no idea what we was going to play and we didn’t know anything. ask Coltrane what you want me to do , did a different sound. 4:09-6:00 As a leader he was very gentle spirit but he didn’t directed the session, was directed by Eric Garvered and Kyle Mansind. The session was 2:00 and train didn’t walk in un3l 12 midnight. D.C. Jazz Festival: Brother Ah, index, page 2 Time Description 6:16-9:00 Mansheam walk with Ella Fitzgerald, went to a place called Americano Hotel, got a phone call from Benny Carter, can I come down to play cause he need a horn player. Johnny Mathis, Peggy Lee, Ma` Monroe and played mostly nightclub and recording sessions. 14:49-16:33 When joining Sun Ra every new player had to sit next to him, had a whole new French notebook, he wrote in it real fast he had the whole band stop playing while I did a solo. 16:40-18:10 S3ll under contract with City radio hall and played with his band for 10 years aTer my military tour came back home my unit 802 to work in public school system to teach brass music instruments I was in my hometown of Bronx New York to fourth- sixth graders. 18:24-20:35 Dawn call me said I’m teaching at Dartmouth College and is opening up a school and can you subs3tute for me end of the semester said that I’m going to be here for 3 years and the chairman call said to offer me a three year contract. 20:35-21:40 Was divorce and had two kids from the first marriage. The oldest boy wanted to be a drummer, the youngest boy is a guitarist, and my daughter is a vocalist and composer has a wonderful music out now. 21:40-23:05 Wanted to get back to New York to pick up my career. At one of my performance was George Bass and was teaching at Brown University came backstage and ask do I mind teaching at a university. D.C. Jazz Festival: Brother Ah, index, page 3 Time Description 23:40-24:53 At Dartmouth got the name Ah and came to class one and the class would go ah and it was a nickname that stuck. 24:53-27:50 In 1971 or 1972 went to Danny Zala who became an African priest somewhere in Queens went there and that he was taking his family to Ghana and that for 300 I can go with and this was my chance to go where I dreamt about. 30:13-35:44 Went to Kenya, spent 3me in Kenya, went to a big fes3val was going to visit my cousin took a bus from Nyrousa to tensina stop at a place in messiah, brother had all kinds of shield but was wearing blue jeans and learned the greatest lesson was the rhythm from animals. 37:07-39:44 1960s went on the road by bus never been to dc and love it. Perform at Howard just like my dad did in the 60s had the best rib place next door always wanted to live in D.C., what took me was my wife leT Brown University and my father work at Howard Theater and moved here in 1986. 38:00-40:00 First move here played at clubs on H St was blown away with the sound we played and was the first 3me playing in D.C. Became a music director composing and directed with a theatre company. D.C. Jazz Festival: Brother Ah, index, page 4 Time Description 42:15-47:38 Record Sound of Awareness the music came to me in a vision. The bus stop was across from my apartment, and suddenly felt strange never did drugs or drink alcohol. Walk up to my apartment up the step found myself on 85 st and New York Ave walk around and was back to my apartment few minutes later heard this music came out of the blue sky and hear all this music in my head. 48:39-51:49 Got a call to release the album only two people record on the stram bass gave him the masters. Call Max been rehearsing and want you to do your first performance at Dartmouth, he sprung a surprise on me to do a half of 95 of my students and then Bada Boom, max came to me at breakfast wanted to do a piece call Love and had no script. 51:56-53:00 Depends, the piece call the Sea heard it on the beach in Jamaica, everything I do is inspire by something in life, everything I do has a meaning. Nobody inspire me to do it for money comes straight for myself. 53:00-56:11 First teacher posi3on wanted to started a outreach project about the World Music Assemble, taught vocal and some flute. Before put a group World Music assemble at Brown University in dc put a group together went to the embassies and from japan, India call my first rehearsal. 57:17-1:03-155 The rewards of teaching students kept me young. Learn so much from children. Told my class to create their own rhythm. D.C. Jazz Festival: Brother Ah, index, page 5 .