D.C. Festival Oral History Project INDEX

Interviewee: Brother Ah (aka Robert Northern)

Interviewee’s relaonship to the topic:

Brother Ah is an internaonally recognized Jazz musician, radio host, and music instructor. Born in , 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 migrang north aer his father had a confrontaon 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 presgious 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 educaon. In New York, he played in the most presgious venues in the world, including Carnegie Hall, where he experienced racial discriminaon, and legendary Jazz Clubs such as Birdland where he got to know and . He then moves to be a music professor at Dartmouth and Brown. The remainder of the oral history is dedicated to Brother Ah’s me 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 and raised in The Bronx, Northern studied at the

D.C. Jazz Festival: Brother Ah, index, page 1 Manhaan 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 , John Coltrane, , , McCoy Tyner, Roland Kirk, and the Jazz Composers Orchestra. He also worked with , , , Miles Davis, , , , and .

He lived in New York City from 1963 to 1971, and aer a period of increasing interest in non-Western music, visited and studied in Africa (, and ) during seven consecuve summers (1972 -1977). In the 1970s he released several albums as a bandleader; his 1974 release Sound Awareness featured and M'Boom. These albums were reissued on CD on the Ikef Records label in the 2000s. In addion to horn playing, Northern also branched into percussion and flute performance later in his career. He taught at Dartmouth College from 1970 to 1973, 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, Nave American and American musical tradions 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 staon WPFW in Washington.

Time Description 0:00-02:29 Miles didn’t have many interacon 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 unl 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 Sll under contract with City radio hall and played with his band for 10 years aer 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 substute 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 me in Kenya, went to a big fesval 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 le 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 me 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 posion 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.

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