Inside: Keith Jarrett and Gary Peacock, Jazz Calendar Earshot J Seattle, September 1988 \ Mirror and Focus for the Jazz Community | ^ and at Cornish. Privately, he studied with Dave PASSING ON THE TRADITION Coleman, Sr, whom he credits with developing his musicality. Sarin spent a year at the Univer­ Seattle's New Jazz Generation sity of Washington, where the emphasis was on Last year, a young guitarist from Kirkland to him for getting me to switch to bass. His jazz big band and fusion, but left in search of small named Brad Schoeppach splashed onto the band kept me in school. He instilled a lot of self- ensemble playing. Silverman and Schoeppach Seattle jazz scene. Amazed by his youth, polish confidence in us and I knew early on that my life introduced him to Granelli and Clayton. "Just and intensity, I wrote a story on him for Earshot was going to be playing music." being around Jerry is an education,'' says Mike. (7/87) that was the beginning of some exciting Silverman continued to study everywhere "I got to play with Julian Priester — he's a discoveries. Schoeppach's trio featured an­ he could, first with Dan Dean and Jerry Gray— legend!—and Hadley Caliman and Jim Knapp. other 22-year-old — Aaron Playing with experienced musicians is crucial Alexander, a creative drum­ to your development." mer who wowed me with his sophistication and the way he "You need to play, to hang left a lot of space in his playing. Not long after hearing Alexan­ out, to learn about the past der, I caught Linda Dowdell's from veteran players before trio and there was Mike Sarin, another drummer whose adept you can put your own sound brush work and layered sound together/' —Mike Sarin knocked me out. Dowdell's bassist, John Silverman, also In 1986 Sarin attended Dave Holland's showed a skill and depth of workshop in Banff. Playing with Holland and tone that belied his 23 years. At alto saxophonist Steve Coleman was a chal­ Michael Bisio's record release lenge. "Jazz education is school can only go so party last spring, I discovered far," he observes. "You need to play, to hang tenor saxophonist Mike West, Brad Schoeppach, Mike West, Mike Sarin out, to learn about the past from veteran pi ayers plopping out these wonderfully round notes and "a fantastic teacher who set impossible tasks, before you can put your own sound together." improvising all over his horn. like learning ten standards in ten keys in one Twenty-five-year-old Mike West agrees. Clearly, anew jazz generation had grown up week!" said Silverman, shaking his head in dis­ He played the Still Life Coffeehouse's festival in the Seattle area. Intensely curious about these belief — then two years at the University of with Michael Bisio's Quartet, featuring visiting extraordinary young players, all indigenous to Washington. In 1986, Silverman attended the saxophonist Carter Jefferson, a gig touted as the area, I conducted a series of interviews to Bud Shank Workshops at Port Townsend. He one the year's best. "Carter was very respect­ find out what drew them to jazz and how they became a student of Cornish drummer Jerry ful," comments Mike. "He could have blown us had excelled so early. In the process, I learned Granelli and took a free ensemble class with away." West's father was a professional drum­ that Seattle is a fertile spawning ground for vocalist Jay Clayton. "I had thought you didn't mer. Their music room at home was the scene of young jazz musicians that has provided strong need a music degree — you just got out there many jam sessions where friends, visiting mu­ public school jazz programs (at least in the and played it. Suddenly (at Cornish) I realized sicians and Mike's younger brother, Pat, a past), including competitions that allowed stu­ the need to be a complete musician — to know trumpeter and vocalist, sat in. "I played drums dents from all schools to meet; a wealth of theory and piano. Jim Knapp was an enormous before I walked and improvised on alto before internationally-known resident players as influence on me, too." I could read music," recalls West. mentors; and a steady diet of quality live music, Three years ago, Silverman switched to A multi-instrumentalist with a passion for from Out to Lunch concerts to Jazz Alley's acoustic bass and began studies with Gary classical music as well as jazz, West studied parade of great groups. The jazz tradition is Peacock. "Gary has such a beautiful sound. He violin and bassoon in elementary school, then being passed on here from one generation to the and Jerry have been my strongest musical influ­ transferred to Roosevelt High to play under next. ences." Waldo King. He studied privately with Jabo "My older sister took me to hear Waldo Mike Sarin is another Granelli protege. Ward, Johnny Jessin and Bert Wilson. West King's Roosevelt High School jazz band, and I Twenty-three in August, Sarin grew up on graduated from Western Washington Univer­ was hooked," says John Silverman, who played Bainbridge Island listening to his mother's jazz sity where he pursued a teaching career and trumpet at Eckstein Middle School and studied records. "I got my first taste of being in a played tenor in the big band. He also took up guitar privately. Silverman auditioned for the minority in fourth grade when I brought Teddy flute and clarinet, which he plays with the legendary King, innovator of Seattle's public Wilson's'Blues Waltz' to school as my favorite Mazeltones, a popular Klezmer group. "It keeps school jazz programs (Earshot, 12/87) and was record," says the soft-spoken Sarin. "Everyone you adept at playing in minor keys!" West says accepted, even though the band already had a else brought Elton John.' Sarin played in school with a big grin. guitar player. "That Waldo is a beautiful per­ jazz bands and sought out as much live jazz as Mike works at a dry dock and plays with the son,." says Silverman. "I'll be forever grateful possible—in concerts, Out to Lunch programs (Continued on page 2) Continued from page I big band, The Jazz Police. He went to the Port In One Ear... Townsend Jazz Festival this year just to hear Kim Ewing has packed in her jazz shows at the Pete Christlieb, the great tenor player from Los Club Baccarat...Rhoda Mueller's winding up Angeles. "Pete evokes the whole history of the for a reopening of the Rainbow, very horn in his playing,'' effuses Mike. "He doesn't soon.. .Julian Priester just returned from New copy licks. He recreates them, keeping his own York, where he played a capacity house tribute voice all the time, but reminds us of the great with Max Roach at Alice Tully Hall. "Max players." • Roach, the Man and His Music," was part of a West's respect for the tradition is typical of five-concert series directed by Wynton Mar­ his generation. Says Aaron Alexander: "You John Silverman salis. Featured with Max were Billy Harper, have to have humility and appreciate all the a week. When he returned to Seattle 18 months Abbey Lincoln... Judith Broadhurst, prime great players before you. Jazz is an evolving art later he faced up to his drug use. "That's behind mover behind thenascent Jazz Alliance in Port­ that is always reaching back into the tradition." me now," he says, "and I'm putting my life in land, has left the Rose City for the shores of Alexander and Silverman just returned from order, working, playing when I can, and prac­ California, where she'll be raising money and the Banff workshop where Aaron performed a ticing every day. I'm reaching for virtuoso corporate support for Kuumbwa, the thriving concertof his ownmusic. "I'mexploring time," level, working on the technical things that hold Santa Cruz jazz center...Recognize the voice he says thoughtfully, "working on Julian's me back." behind the new United Way commercial on theory of interposing time signatures." Says Alexander, West, Silverman and Sarin all TV? You're right, it's Ernestine Anderson Silverman of the Banff workshop: "The kids plan careers in jazz, but they accept the instabil­ ..Jay Granelli has been tapped by John Clay­ from Cornish were really strong on the concep­ ity and financial insecurity of their choice. S ays ton to study bass down in Los Angeles. Jay tual stuff — better than the Berklee and North West, "I've got to keep the music fun and not leaves at the end of the year...The Frank DeMi- Texas State students." feel pressure to make money from it. If you have ero Jazz Camp on the campus of Puget Sound Alexander began on Suzuki violin at three, to depend on it for a living, the lack of rewards Christian College in Edmonds hosted 140 high playing in a chamber group and youth sym­ can be frustrating." Schoeppach's group, Bor­ school vocal jazzers, 40 rhythm players and 25 phony. At nine, he got his first drum sticks and ders has recorded a demo tape. Schoeppach teachers. The week-long event (Aug 15-20) practice pad. As a teen-ager he and guitarist recently received a Seattle Arts Commission also featured a performance by Take Six, the a John Schott listened to vintage jazz records grant for a septet performance. "Banff helped cappella sextet out of Nashville that has been together, but the beginnings of substance abuse me to look at music as a legitimate career," says blowing everyone away...If you are interested began to plague him.