MOST PEOPLE DISCOVER JAZZ FROM A FRIEND, OLDER SIBLING, PARENT OR EVEN THROUGH A CLASS IN SCHOOL
HOW MANY DISCOVER IT THROUGH A VOICE?
PIANIST AND EDUCATOR LYNNE ARRIALE, WHO’S PERFORMING APRIL 26 AT THE GRAPE IN VENTURA, CHANGED HER ENTIRE MUSICAL DIRECTION FROM A VOICE FROM ABOVE
I had an interesting introduction to jazz.
I had heard a little bit of jazz in my life, I mean, maybe a few hours, and I didn’t know what it was; it didn’t make sense to me at all
When I was finishing a Master’s Degree in The Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, I was walking down the street, and I heard a voice in my head, and it said “You should study jazz”. Not “I should study jazz” but “YOU should study jazz”.
It was out of the blue, and I had no idea of what jazz was
I went for a lesson with Tony King at the Conservatory, and he put down a copy of “Round Midnight” in front of me. He said “Play It’ and I stumbled through it.
He said “Play the melody, and then make up new melodies over the chord changed.
I said “Are you kidding? I get to do that?” I was just floored, because I did understand that concept. When I was very young, like 3-4, I would play by ear and make up new melodies. But I had now idea that this was what jazz was
So I stumbled through “Round Midnight” and created new melodies over that; at that moment I had an epiphany, realizing that I had to study this amazing art form
But, when I started to listen to jazz, it felt confusing, kind of like a traffic jam. I didn’t know how to listen in a “layered” way. Like, first listen to the whole thing, then listen to the pianist, then the saxophone player, then the bassist and isolate each one of those instruments. Then, put them back together when you’re listening
It took awhile before this all made sense to me
What really inspired me was that when people hear jazz much of the time, they don’t know what we’re doing, but they are somehow really drawn to this spirit of invention, the being in the moment and spontaneity that happens at a concert.
They don’t know what we’re doing
I’ve given presentations about jazz improvisation, and people will come up to me and say, “I’ve been listening to jazz for 30 years and have had absolutely no idea of what you guys were doing”
So, when that happens, it’s really a testimony to the strength of this art form
ITS QUITE THE PARADOX, BECAUSE WHEN YOU’RE TAKING IN THE CONCERT, YOU THINK THAT THEY AREN’T PAYING ATTENTION TO EACH OTHER, WHEN IN FACT THEY’RE LISTENING MUCH MORE INTENTLY THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE.
That is exactly what I’ve experienced
SO, IN ONE OF YOUR EARLIEST EXPOSURES TO PERFORMING JAZZ, YOU MUST HAVE BEEN IN HEAVEN AT THE “100 FINGERS” CONCERT WITH SOME OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN JAZZ. WHAT DID YOU GLEAN FROM THAT TIME?
I was dropped into that environment, to be sure
I was substituting for Marian McPartland, and had played in New York with Jamil Nasser, the wonderful bassist who’s played with Ahmad Jamal for many years. He recommended me to Harold Mabern, who was the one who told the people to call me.
Everyone was so gracious and supportive
I remember being on the plane going over to Japan, and (pianist) Ray Bryant walked up to me and said “We’re really glad you’re on the tour”, and I thanked him and got all teary.
It was such an amazing experience to hear each pianist, every night, playing and hearing the changes that they would make, the things that were in common with their previous performance, and especially to hear the different touches that each pianist had, and on the same piano.
For example, we’d each do a solo performance
So, on the same piano, I would hear Tommy Flanagan, Hank Jones and Cedar Walton, and that was a revelation, because without thinking “oh, it’s a different piano, how close was the mic, what was the room like”, none of those things existed, so I could hear their approaches in a pristine and clear way.
And to hear each different touch, It’s hard to put into words
****Each person had a different sound that they produced at the piano, as well as how fast the attack was, how strong the accents were, and of course the content of what they played went into their whole overall sound.
We also played duo performances. I did one with Harold Mabern and Roger Kellaway, and then a trio performance with Kenny Barron and Junior Mance. Three pianos!
Three pianos being played together is very challenging, because you really have to listen in order to not get in the way
It’s very delicate, because everyone can be in the same range so you have to be aware of not getting too dense. That was an amazing experience.
We also played piano trios with (bassist) Bob Cranshaw and (drummer) Alan Dawson. It was great, and the promotors and hosts were so gracious
I remember hearing from other members of the group, “This is your first tour; don’t get used to this. They’re not all like this”! (laughs)
DID YOU PICK ANYONE’S BRAIN DURING THAT TIME?
***Sometimes it’s really hard to find the right questions to ask, because the whole experience was overwhelming.
I tried to soak things in
I would ask Cedar Walton and Monty Alexander how they would practice.
***I asked Monty Alexander how to play calypso music. He said “listen to Harry Belafonte. Have him on all day long”. So I did
I overheard Hank Jones talking to Monty Alexander and saying something very complementary about his touch at the piano, and the strength of his right hand, how it really spoke
But the most impressive experience was just listening to how they played.
ITS QUITE THE PARADOX, BECAUSE WHEN YOU’RE TAKING IN THE CONCERT, YOU THINK THAT THEY AREN’T PAYING ATTENTION TO EACH OTHER, WHEN IN FACT THEY’RE LISTENING MUCH MORE INTENTLY THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE.
That is exactly what I’ve experienced
SO, IN ONE OF YOUR EARLIEST EXPOSURES TO PERFORMING JAZZ, YOU MUST HAVE BEEN IN HEAVEN AT THE “100 FINGERS” CONCERT WITH SOME OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN JAZZ. WHAT DID YOU GLEAN FROM THAT TIME?
I was dropped into that environment, to be sure
I was substituting for Marian McPartland, and had played in New York with Jamil Nasser, the wonderful bassist who’s played with Ahmad Jamal for many years. He recommended me to Harold Mabern, who was the one who told the people to call me.
Everyone was so gracious and supportive
I remember being on the plane going over to Japan, and (pianist) Ray Bryant walked up to me and said “We’re really glad you’re on the tour”, and I thanked him and got all teary.
It was such an amazing experience to hear each pianist, every night, playing and hearing the changes that they would make, the things that were in common with their previous performance, and especially to hear the different touches that each pianist had, and on the same piano.
For example, we’d each do a solo performance
So, on the same piano, I would hear Tommy Flanagan, Hank Jones and Cedar Walton, and that was a revelation, because without thinking “oh, it’s a different piano, how close was the mic, what was the room like”, none of those things existed, so I could hear their approaches in a pristine and clear way.
And to hear each different touch, It’s hard to put into words
****Each person had a different sound that they produced at the piano, as well as how fast the attack was, how strong the accents were, and of course the content of what they played went into their whole overall sound.
We also played duo performances. I did one with Harold Mabern and Roger Kellaway, and then a trio performance with Kenny Barron and Junior Mance. Three pianos!
Three pianos being played together is very challenging, because you really have to listen in order to not get in the way
It’s very delicate, because everyone can be in the same range so you have to be aware of not getting too dense. That was an amazing experience.
We also played piano trios with (bassist) Bob Cranshaw and (drummer) Alan Dawson. It was great, and the promotors and hosts were so gracious
I remember hearing from other members of the group, “This is your first tour; don’t get used to this. They’re not all like this”! (laughs)
DID YOU PICK ANYONE’S BRAIN DURING THAT TIME?
***Sometimes it’s really hard to find the right questions to ask, because the whole experience was overwhelming.
I tried to soak things in
I would ask Cedar Walton and Monty Alexander how they would practice.
***I asked Monty Alexander how to play calypso music. He said “listen to Harry Belafonte. Have him on all day long”. So I did
I overheard Hank Jones talking to Monty Alexander and saying something very complementary about his touch at the piano, and the strength of his right hand, how it really spoke
But the most impressive experience was just listening to how they played.
ITS QUITE THE PARADOX, BECAUSE WHEN YOU’RE TAKING IN THE CONCERT, YOU THINK THAT THEY AREN’T PAYING ATTENTION TO EACH OTHER, WHEN IN FACT THEY’RE LISTENING MUCH MORE INTENTLY THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE.
That is exactly what I’ve experienced
SO, IN ONE OF YOUR EARLIEST EXPOSURES TO PERFORMING JAZZ, YOU MUST HAVE BEEN IN HEAVEN AT THE “100 FINGERS” CONCERT WITH SOME OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN JAZZ. WHAT DID YOU GLEAN FROM THAT TIME?
I was dropped into that environment, to be sure
I was substituting for Marian McPartland, and had played in New York with Jamil Nasser, the wonderful bassist who’s played with Ahmad Jamal for many years. He recommended me to Harold Mabern, who was the one who told the people to call me.
Everyone was so gracious and supportive
I remember being on the plane going over to Japan, and (pianist) Ray Bryant walked up to me and said “We’re really glad you’re on the tour”, and I thanked him and got all teary.
It was such an amazing experience to hear each pianist, every night, playing and hearing the changes that they would make, the things that were in common with their previous performance, and especially to hear the different touches that each pianist had, and on the same piano.
For example, we’d each do a solo performance
So, on the same piano, I would hear Tommy Flanagan, Hank Jones and Cedar Walton, and that was a revelation, because without thinking “oh, it’s a different piano, how close was the mic, what was the room like”, none of those things existed, so I could hear their approaches in a pristine and clear way.
And to hear each different touch, It’s hard to put into words
****Each person had a different sound that they produced at the piano, as well as how fast the attack was, how strong the accents were, and of course the content of what they played went into their whole overall sound.
We also played duo performances. I did one with Harold Mabern and Roger Kellaway, and then a trio performance with Kenny Barron and Junior Mance. Three pianos!
Three pianos being played together is very challenging, because you really have to listen in order to not get in the way
It’s very delicate, because everyone can be in the same range so you have to be aware of not getting too dense. That was an amazing experience.
We also played piano trios with (bassist) Bob Cranshaw and (drummer) Alan Dawson. It was great, and the promotors and hosts were so gracious
I remember hearing from other members of the group, “This is your first tour; don’t get used to this. They’re not all like this”! (laughs)
DID YOU PICK ANYONE’S BRAIN DURING THAT TIME?
***Sometimes it’s really hard to find the right questions to ask, because the whole experience was overwhelming.
I tried to soak things in
I would ask Cedar Walton and Monty Alexander how they would practice.
***I asked Monty Alexander how to play calypso music. He said “listen to Harry Belafonte. Have him on all day long”. So I did
I overheard Hank Jones talking to Monty Alexander and saying something very complementary about his touch at the piano, and the strength of his right hand, how it really spoke
But the most impressive experience was just listening to how they played. 1002
I remember Cedar Walton warming up. What does Cedar Walton do when he warms up? (laughs)
***He was doing sequential patterns, which makes perfect sense, because you pick a pattern that has the same shape, and you take it through the changes. So, it does sound like an exercise, but it actually helps you to connect with the structure of the tune and the changes of the composition
AS A TEACHER, WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST THINGS THAT YOU WANT YOUR STUDENTS TO LEARN FROM YOU>
***I want them to learn the spirit and the practice; I want them to learn how to practice on their instrument, how to work with small amounts of information so that their brain does not get overwhelmed.
Kenny Werner related to me a story about how he was at a cocktail party with Bill Evans with all ****of the pianists in NY were there. They asked Bill, “What do you practice?”
He said “I work on one thing at a time” and he stopped. It was short and succinct.
****He worked with great focus on an idea or concept, and just stayed with it for awhile, carving out miniature masterpiece phrases
I try to use that philosophy with my students
***I think the tendency with most musicians is to ‘do more’
For example, I say, “Let’s just play the simple notes on the I III V of the chord, and do it with great emotional intensity” which is important, so that your brain thinks and your mind that you’re really improvising, and you are.
But it’s very simple. And then my students will tend to do more
I can feel at that moment the stress in their minds. I tell them, “That’s coming up, but let’s go back to this simple step”
****I want to feel that when I’m listening, you can do this at 4 o’clock in the morning if I woke you up. Could you do this and have no stress at all?
I use the analogy of “What’s two plus two? What’s four plus eight? What’s twenty four plus twenty seven?” Everyone starts slowing down there, and then I ask them again “What’s two plus two?” and then tell them “That’s the metric. Is it as easy as two plus two? If it isn’t, you’re not done yet.”
HAVING SAID THAT, HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT TODAY’S YOUNGER STUDENTS, DUE TO IPHONES, ETC, HAVE A HARDER TIME MEMORIZING AND PRACTICING THAN WHEN YOU DID GROWING UP?
I’m not sure, but I think that it’s gotten more challenging.
***I always tell them that the easiest way to memorize something is to not just keep playing through it, because your mind goes into overload. Or you are inaccurate, at 80%
***And if you practice at 80% accuracy, that means that your mind is accepting that as the way things should be, and 80% does not cut it
But if you do two bars, or even one measure, and do it perfectly, your mind grasps that as the right level. Then you go on to the next bar and put them together
***The mind loves small pieces. If we make it small enough, and slow enough, you are able to grasp it and then move on
Before putting on any metronome or “Play-Along” piece, I tell them to figure out the first bar or two bars, because there is no hurry. They can take a minute to find the next chord and figure it out. That helps them a lot.
Then when we add the dimension of time, it adds an additional component of stress. But I want them to feel that it is easy.1557
Then, the next challenge is going to feel like a challenge, because the minute you turn on the “click” or “play along”, it’s not negotiable. The time is the time, and you have to arrive. We may start at a very slow tempo.
When I hear that they’ve done it 3,4,5,6,7 times, without any issue, we can move on.
Or, if there are real issues with it, sometimes I will move on anyway, because there have been studies that show that the most effective practice is to do short amounts on many things, which seems to be contra-intuitive, the other way around
***I remember Bill Evans talking about it being better to practice one hour a day than 6-7 hours on one thing. Your mind is doing all kinds of processing when you’re awake, when you’re asleep as when you come back to it there are new neurological patterns that have been formed
MANY OF YOUR ALBUMS ARE TOPIC RELATED, COVERING TOPICS RANGING FROM COVID TO REFUGEES. HOW DO YOU PUT OUT MUSIC WITH A MESSAGE WITHOUT SOUNDING “PREACHY”?
That’s a great question.
***First and foremost, I want to approach things with gentleness and kindness
I think about tone. In the liner notes I think about the tone in what I’m writing because I want to invite people in
I have created themes over the last bunch of albums, so there is a focal point as opposed to “this is my collection of music”.
***There is a story and an undercurrent of what my particular worldview is, but I don’t want to clobber people over the head with it. I don’t want to push them.
And even with my attempt to do that, people will still get upset, but usually they write to me ***and tell me that their upset about something. I tell them that the music is for everyone, and if the them bothers you, then just let go of the theme and listen to the music.
On one song I put Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman as a hero, and someone was very upset about that. I didn’t engage in a political discourse with her. I told her to put in the person that is a hero to you so it will have the right spirit for you. Or just listen to the music only. I’m not telling you what to think; we can agree to disagree
***I think that the most important thing is that you reached out to me and that we could come together.
She was very surprised that I did that and said “Thank you so much”
The initial email was very intense; she was very upset and tempers are hot right now. People are very emotional. And rightly so; these are unprecedented times
****As artists, what do we have to offer in these times?
*****If I expressed all of my frustration and anger through the music, it wouldn’t help the situation. I want to express warmth, kindness and be uplifting to whatever extent I am capable of doing that
**and perhaps remind myself and others that at the end of the day, we’re all human beings, we all breathe the same air and all treasure our children
***If there were somebody laying in the street, we would not say “who did you vote for?”. We would say “this is another human being and needs help”. It’s hard to keep that focus when we are so upset about what is going on
THERE’S THAT GREAT BIBLE VERSE “THE ANGER OF MAN DOES NOT PRODUCE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD” AS WELL AS ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI’S PRAYER “HELP ME TO UNDERSTAND RATHER THAN BE UNDERSTOOD”
That is the truth
YOUR ALBUMS HAVE ALSO INCLUDED SONGS BY THE BEATLES AND PAUL SIMON. DO YOU APPROACH OTHER PEOPLES’ MATERIAL DIFFERENTLY THAN YOUR OWN OR THAN “THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK”?
To me, music is music
I just look for great compositions, a compelling theme, a song that has a particular message, or one in which I just love the melody
***In the context of my piano trio, I’m singing them in my mind, but the melodies have to be strong, independent of the lyrics. Thus, I’ve made certain choices
Often, songs that I choose, like the Paul Simon’s “An American Tune”, have a strong message. And, when I need to work with vocalists, I need them to convey that message in its totality
HAVE YOU EVER HAD A “BAPTISM BY FIRE” WHERE YOU WONDERED IF YOU WERE MUSICALLY UP TO IT?
This type of music is very challenging, so it’s an ongoing issue to just deal with all of the things that artists need to deal with right now.
***We are our own managers very often, our own booking agents, and it can be overwhelming. It can be hard to actually get to the instrument and practice, because there are so many other things that we need to deal with
I think that is where my frustration is, and I’m trying to find balance, but it is hard. I am trying to cordon off so many hours in order to practice. So far I haven’t succeeded! (laughs)
If I have even an hour, which doesn’t feel like much at all, that’s just enough to warm up with my scales. I say to my self, ‘You’ve got an hour…GO!”
That is the challenge
SPEAKING OF TIME…YOU HAD A GAP OF A NUMBER OF YEARS WHERE YOU DIDN’T RECORD. WHAT HAPPENED?
Life got in the way. I got really busy.
It was about five years; before I knew it the time had passed. I was incredibly busy, teaching at the University of North Florida, where I’ve been for 17 years. I’m grateful every day for this wonderful position.
I’m the Professor of Jazz Studies and direct to Combo Program
I was just incredibly busy at that time, and before you knew it, oh my goodness! But I didn’t go into seclusion; I was just really busy with life.
YOU’VE HAD A COUPLE LONG TERM TRIOS WITH THE SAME BASSIST AND DRUMMER. IS IT A CHALLENGE FOR YOU AS A PIANIST WITH A NEW TEAM? HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO ADAPT TO EACH OTHER BEFORE YOU’RE COMFORTABLY IN SYNC?
Hopefully, I’m in sync with them right from the beginning, and that’s why I’ve hired them.
I spend a lot of time checking out musicians on Youtube, and then going to New York and ***playing with them. It’s not enough to just listen to them on a recording; I need to have that experience of having them play our music and see what they bring to it, and see how it feels just to work with them
***It’s a very subtle dynamic to find what works. It’s a big deal; it’s a relationship
WHAT GIVES YOU THE MOST JOY?
***What gives me the most joy and what inspires me, is when I see kindness in the world
Just the littlest things of seeing people being gentle with each other and being supportive, taking that extra time to validate each other in order to notice the good things
**I know somebody who always seems to comment on what is good about a person, almost as a spiritual practice. I notice that, and I need to do that, even if things get dicey and there are mistakes or problems. That is inspiring to me, because it is taking the time to acknowledge, ,whether it is done out loud or not, to realize that this person is working really hard and trying, and that they’re really a wonderful person.
***That’s what inspires me and is what I want to do. Appreciation and an attitude of warmth towards that person.
IS THERE A BOOK, PHILOSOPHY OR RELIGION THAT HAS BEEN YOUR MORAL COMPASS?
Life. The experiences in life, and learning from every single person I have had the great fortune of encountering.
****Life is constantly teaching us; the question is ‘are we listening?’
WHO IN WORLD HISTORY, LIVING OR DEAD, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SIT DOWN WITH AND PICK THEIR BRAIN?
Gandhi. He embodied the spirit of non-violence, even when it was at a great cost.
Nelson Mandella. Martin Luther King
WHAT MUSICIAN, LIVING OR DEAD, WOULD YOU PAY $1000 TO SEE PERFORM?
Keith Jarrett. Herbie Hancock. John Coltrane. Miles Davis.
WHAT BOOKS HAVE YOU READ THAT YOU WISH EVERYONE WOULD READ?
I love the work of Dr. Joe Dispenza, who teaches meditation and transformation
I have found his meditation tapes to be deeply and powerfully relaxing, as well as transformative
Whether it be his written work or his many meditations on line, his work has been very helpful to me. 3109
WHEN YOU LISTEN TO A PIANO PLAYER, WHAT DO YOU LISTEN FOR, AND WHAT IS YOUR PET PEEVE?
**I listen for the spirit behind what they are doing. Are they projecting a certain energy through their music?
****By that, I mean, are they really speaking clearly and reaching out to the audience with their sound and with the content of what they are doing?
***Do they engage the audience? Do they let us breathe in between their phrases? Do they let us absorb what they are doing?
***My pet peeve is when musicians don’t take the time to have the lyrics be reflected in their performances of standards
***I have my students have the music opened with the lyrics, and they have to sing them. That helps them to phrase things in a way that is natural and allows us to develop our own voice.
If we say “My heart is sad and lonely; for you I pine, for you dear only” before you play that, it allows for flexibility instead of just thinking “I’m going to phrase it like so and so”
That person already has his identity, and a player needs to deepen his own connection with the ***music and also with their own personal voice by working with the melody and starting with the lyrics. The lyrics and melody go hand in hand, and usually the composer wrote the lyrics, or ok’d them, so that they reflected the song
If there aren’t lyrics, like “Airegin” or “Dolphin Dance”, we should still look at the phrasing the same way that a classical musician would, and still respect the melody
****Alec Wilder used to write to musicians for playing his melodies correctly! (laughs) ***Composers have taken hours, weeks and even months to refine that melody, and I want to honor that
WHEN YOU TOUR THIS TIME AROUND FOR YOUR NEW ALBUM, ARE YOU GOING TO GIVE THE MESSAGES BEHIND YOUR COMPOSITIONS?
Yes, I’m definitely going to talk about the message
I dedicated these songs to people who have inspired me like Greta Tunberg and Malala Yousafzai. People seem to respond and get the feel for the music in a slightly different way when they understand the dedication, and what the message of the song is.
BUT THE ALBUM IS NOT JUST ABOUT THESE PEOPLE, BUT ABOUT THE BEAUTYOF BEING HUMAN
Absolutely.
All of the different characteristics (although this is a short list), and what it means to be a human being.
IF YOU WANT TO DISCOVER WHAT JAZZ IS ALL ABOUT, LISTEN TO SOMEONE WHO LISTENS TO HER BETTER ANGELS. SHE’S TOURING WITH HER TRIO IN SUPPORT OF HER LATEST ALBUM, BEING HUMAN, WHICH REPRESENTS MODERN JAZZ PIANO AT ITS BEST. CHECK OUT BOTH THE ALBUM AND HER CONCERT PERFORMANCE.