HOW HAVE YOU LEARNED MOST OF THE THINGS IN YOUR LIFE?
DID SOMEONE SIT YOU DOWN AND DICTATE INFORMATION TO YOU?
WELL, SOMEONE PROBABLY DID THAT, BUT THAT’S NOT HOW YOU LEARNED MOST OF THE THINGS YOU TAKE WITH YOU IN YOUR LIFE JOURNEY.
MOST THINGS WE PICK UP ARE FROM THE NON-VERBAL LESSONS WE GOT FROM OUR PARENTS, RELATIVES, TEACHERS, FRIENDS AND SPIRITUAL ADVISOR.
ONE OF TODAY’S MOST ACCLAIMED KEYBOARDISTS, ARRANGERS AND COMPOSERS, JOHN BEASLEY, HAS BEEN NOMINATED FOR AND HAS WON A NUMBER OF AWARDS FOR HIS WORK WITH HIS MONK’ESTRA AS WELL AS PRODUCING SOME WONDERFUL ALBUMS BY ARTISTS LIKE MARIA MENDES.
HAVING EARNED HIS CREDENTIALS WITH THE LIKES OF SERGIO MENDES, FREDDIE HUBBARD AND MILES DAVIS, JOHN BEASLEY CARRIES WITH HIM AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WISDOM NOT JUST FOR MUSIC, BUT FOR LIFE.
WE HAD A CHANCE TO CHAT WITH HIM ABOUT HIS MUSICAL LIFE, INSPIRATIONS AND GOALS.
HOW HAVE YOU ADAPTED TO THE LOCKDOWN?
During this year in lockdown, I’m been producing two trans-Atlantic projects (from Los Angeles to Lisbon and Stuttgart) via this new software called Audio Movers. It allows you to plug into another party’s board system. There’s about a half second delay. So, it’s good for producing, mixing, doing overdubs, and even conducting rehearsals, but you still can’t play together.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT YOURSELF DURING THIS TIME OF “SOCIAL DISTANCING”?
I’ve discovered that I feel this big void and figured out that it’s because musicians do this non-verbal communication when playing music. This visceral feeling is so part of my being.
I’ve been playing music for people and with other musicians without major interruption since I was 6-7 years old. For the first few months in the lockdown, I didn’t mind having this ‘forced’ time off playing with people, but as time passed, I started to feel upside down – what’s going on here?”
Last April, I played my first ‘livestream’ concert for the Blue Note Tokyo’s virtual Jazz Festival. All dressed up, I sat in my studio and played a 30-minute set for an invisible audience.
It was a nice experiment, but since there’s no interaction with the audience; I couldn’t feel an aura, a vibe… I couldn’t tell whether they liked it or not.
I guess the number one thing I’ve learned about myself during this prolonged lockdown is how much I love playing for people and with people.
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“the number one thing I’ve learned about myself during this prolonged lockdown is how much I love playing for people and with people”
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LET’S TALK ABOUT SOME OF YOUR PROJECTS. WHEN I FIRST HEARD THE MARIA MENDES CLOSE TO ME ALBUM THAT YOU PRODUCED, I REALIZED THAT THIS WAS COMING FULL CIRCLE FROM YOUR DAYS WITH SERGIO MENDES
(Chuckles). Yes, from Sergio Mendes to Maria Mendes!
Sergio introduced me to the music of Ivan Lins, Djavan, Gilberto Gil. and all of that Brazilian beautiful harmony. Oscar Castro-Neves was in the band, so I was hanging with this master orchestrator. That experience has never left me; it’s now my DNA and has become such a huge part of my harmonic concept.
To be able to use what I’ve learned 30 years ago with Maria on a Fado-jazz project truly is coming full circle, because Fado is the folk music of Portugal that made it to Brazil because of colonization. It’s a part of the roots of Bossa Nova, with that style of songwriting and singing, saudade they call it.
THERE ARE SOME PARTS OF YOUR CAREER THAT PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT. YOU WERE ON THE “NEW AGE” LABEL WINDHAM HILL FOR AWHILE. WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?
While I was out touring with Miles, Windham Hill created the jazz imprint and hired Steely Dan’s Walter Becker to produce records for them.
I had been working with Walter on various records and his own solo-artist releases.
Actually, we were working on Rickie Lee Jones “Flying Cowboys” record in 1989, when I got ‘the’ call from Miles Davis to join his band. I was scared to tell my mentor Walter. Also, I have never walked out on a project so, I was torn about leaving in the middle of Rickie’s recording, but Walter knew better and pushed me out the studio door and said, “You’ve gotta do this; you’ve gotta go!”
So, when Walter started got this gig with Windham Hill, he got me signed to a multi-record deal and produced my first two records, before they sold the label.
IN RETROSPECT, WAS THERE A DIFFERENT FEEL WITH WINDHAM HILL THAN WITH YOUR SUBSEQUENT RECORDINGS? 707
My first record “Cauldron” was written while I was on the road with Miles, so my songs were very influenced by Marcus Miller’s compositions on Tutu and Amandla, the music we was playing.
Windham Hill was a very supportive label. Back then we had decent-sized budgets to make records. It was a great experience to get to know Walter in the studio and as an artist. He’s one of the smartest guys I’ve ever known.
He was brilliant; a sharp-witted guy. He could slay you. (chuckles) He was always reading about different subjects. He was into different kinds of music such as Ska, Punk, African music, and, of course, jazz. He turned me onto Red Garland records that I hadn’t heard before.
THE OTHER RINGER IN YOUR CATALOG IS YOUR OBSCURE “MOSE THE FIREMAN” WHICH HAS AUTHOR ERIC METAXIS WRITING MATERIAL THAT WAS READ BY ACTOR MICHAEL KEATON, WITH YOU WRITING MUSIC WITH WALTER BECKER
Mose the Fireman was a book that came with a cassette. That project was really fun. It was another Walter Becker project, but this time we co-wrote the music and recorded in his studio in Hawaii. Sax wizard, Steve Tavaglione, played the horns. We had such a ball writing music for a storybook.
I am not sure it’s available for purchase, but you can find anything online. I have one book/cassette left! (laughs). We’ve given it to kids over the years. Michael Keaton did the wonderful narration.
DURING YOUR TIME WITH MILES, DID YOU EVER PICK HIS BRAIN ABOUT MONK OR ANY OF THE OTHER ARTISTS HE PLAYED WITH, IN ORDER TO GLEAN INFORMATION FROM HIM?
We talked a lot about Bird (Charlie Parker). Unfortunately, I didn’t ask him about Monk.
While on a tour bus, Miles talked about the duality of Bird being such a smart, articulate, well-read, and technically brilliant musician, but also self-destructive. Even under the influence, he said that Bird could still be so articulate in rehearsals and also give him advice, like a big brother, as Miles was 10 years younger.
Miles also talked about Sonny Rollins, and how he had kicked his drug habit and returned to New York. His first session was on Miles’ first record date (Collector’s Items with Bird on tenor sax.
Sonny had told Bird that he was clean, because Bird ironically did not like musicians who were using drugs, especially Sonny because he was like a son to him… so he got pissed.
Sonny had come back to town, and said to Bird “I’m clean; everything’s cool. I’ll see you tomorrow at the session.”
But Sonny went out with his old buddies, and used drugs that night, so Bird spent that next day upset at Sonny.
That story came about because Miles’ band was rehearsing at S.I.R. Studio in New York, and Sonny’s band was rehearsing next door. At one point, both bands were taking a break. Sonny and Miles were in the hallway together. They saw each other and nodded. They spent what seemed like an eternity facing each other, not saying a word, but just acknowledging each other. There were a lot of ghosts in the closets.
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“Miles talked about the duality of Bird being such a smart, articulate, well-read, and technically brilliant musician, but also self-destructive”
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AS A MUSICIAN, WHAT DO YOU CARRY WITH YOU TODAY FROM YOUR DAYS WITH MILES?
Mile was always dropping nuggets of wisdom that my young 20-something self didn’t appreciate and understand fully. It took time to pass and life situations to occur, for me to have light-bulb moments: “That’s what Miles was trying to tell me!”
For example: He would say “You should get your own band” or when we were rehearsing if I said “Let’s try this,” he’d say, “You need to get your own band, man.”
He was encouraging me to find the courage to start my own band, and to be myself musically, and come up with my own sound, but I didn’t read it that way when he dropped the hints.
On stage, he would come up to me when I was soloing, and he’d take my left hand away and put it behind my back. He pushed us all to think differently, and not to play things that we’ve practiced. He was saying: “I’ve heard you play that before, and I’m going to rock the boat a little to get you out of your own head”
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‘He pushed us all to think differently, and not to play things that we’ve practiced. He was saying: ‘I’ve heard you play that before, and I’m going to rock the boat a little to get you out of your own head'”
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DID YOU EVER FEEL THAT THERE WAS A BAPTISM BY FIRE WITH EITHER HIM OR FREDDIE HUBBARD?
Oh, with Freddie, for sure.
With Freddie, we never really rehearsed. Luckily, I already knew all of his music because I was a Freddie Hubbard freak.
For the first tune of every set, he’d play his tune “Birdlike” at an incredibly fast pace. Nobody was really warmed up; but BAM! we had to turn up the fire high instantly.
When we asked him “Why do you start with a powerhouse tune?” His reply was “After that, it’s all downhill, man! It’s true, after that I could relax the rest of the set as I’ve gotten anxiety all out of my system!” (laughs)
Freddie would stand up behind me while I was soloing or comping, and he’d look over my shoulder, or call tunes that nobody knew. It was awesome learning by playing: the “old school jazz” way of learning by playing with older musicians. That was my college education.
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“For the first tune of every set, he’d play his tune “Birdlike” at an incredibly fast pace. Nobody was really warmed up; but BAM! we had to turn up the fire high instantly”
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I’VE SEEN YOU IN TONS OF DIFFERENT SETTINGS, WITH THE MONK’estra, WITH LEE RITENOUR OR HARVEY MASON AND BEYOND. WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR TOUGHEST GIG, EITHER IN STUDIO OR AT A CLUB?
My first response is working on American Idol. Seriously!
It wasn’t so much of a “playing” gig as much as serving as a psychologist for some of these young musicians.
Most of them have never even played with a “live” band before. They didn’t even know what keys they liked songs in, or how to put themselves in the right key. Plus, they were nervous as hell, because reality shows meant being criticized for the whole world to see.
Given their anxieties, my approach was to write arrangements for them and around them in a compassionate way, so things wouldn’t throw them off.
Learning that ‘reality show’ game was a big lesson for me.
My big challenge technically as an artist these days is a funny story for a pianist. I started taking piano lessons after 40+ years. I’m learning Chopin and Scriabin Etudes and Preludes and they are kicking my ass the most!
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“My (most challenging gig) is working on American Idol. Seriously!”
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WHEN LISTENING TO YOUR MONK’estra ALBUMS, I THINK OF WHAT KENNY BARRON ONCE SAID ABOUT MONK’S MUSIC. HE SAID, “THE KEY IS TO NOT LET MONK GET INSIDE YOUR HEAD”. AS AN ORCHESTRATOR OF MONK’S MUSIC, WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT MEANS?
As a pianist, a first instinct is to want to play like Monk when you’re playing Monk’s music…I think that’s what he means.
In my 20s, I was in a Monk band called Thelonious with Buell Neidlinger. We had long rehearsals. The band really drilled into me that I had to learn more of Monk’s voicings. I fell into that trap. You can hear this on the record. I sound like a bad imitation of Bud Powell and Herbie Hancock playing Monk. I was too naïve to protest!
The lesson that I carried forward when I began to “re-discover” Monk and started writing the MONK’estra project was to be courageous like Monk. He didn’t change his sound for people so he can be liked more. He really stuck to his soul… his conviction to play his way and what he felt in his heart and what he heard in his head. He paid a dear price for staying firm. It took people decades to appreciate him. Now, he is the second most recorded jazz artist with only 70+ songs after Duke Ellington who has 1000s of songs.
The lesson he gives us is to “be yourself” and be myself even with his music.
That’s why you might hear “Monkisms” in MONK’estra’s sound, but in a different way. I’m not copying Monk.
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“The lesson (Monk) gives us is to “be yourself” and be myself even with his music
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THAT’S WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOUR ALBUMS. YOU DON’T USE HIS BIG BAND RECORDINGS AS A TEMPLATE FOR YOUR OWN CHARTS
Monk sat next to arranger Hal Overton and showed him on the piano all of the voicings that he wanted to hear. Hal wrote them down, put the charts together and that was Monk’s big band.
My MONK’estra music calls up 40+ years of musical experiences and influences, from Brazilian and Afro-Cuban music, Freddie, Miles, Steely Dan, A.R. Rahman’s Indian music, cinematic, and TV work, to doing R&B.
YOU’VE PLAYED WITH SOME OF THE BEST DRUMMERS AROUND, SUCH AS PETER ERSKINE, VINNIE COLAIUTA AND HARVEY MASON. WHAT IS YOUR COMFORT FOOD OR PET PEEVE WITH DRUMMERS?
Man, I love drummers! I’m a drummer at heart.
I started on drums. As a pre-teen, I played along with records while on drums for hours. This taught me how to listen.
When I go to a club, I sit on the drummer’s side, because that’s where it’s at.
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“I’m a drummer at heart…When I go to a club, I sit on the drummer’s side, because that’s where it’s at”
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WHAT DO YOU LISTEN FOR?
Number one is having good swinging time that feels great and the beat. Every drummer has a unique style of drumming. I do check out how they interact with the rest of the band.
And I’m always looking for a pocket; it can be a moveable pocket, too. Like a “liquid pocket.”
IS THAT THE SAME WITH PIANISTS, THAT YOU LISTEN MORE FOR INTERRACTION THAN CHOPS?
Interaction, yes. Chops are astounding, but maybe it’s because I don’t have any chops so it’s not what I usually listen for! (laughs)
When I go to a club, I sit on the drummer’s side, because that’s where it’s at.
I look for how the pianist interacts with the drummer –that non-verbal communication is key.
ARE YOU SURPRISED HOW THE MONK’estra HAS CAUGHT ON AND HAS got YOU 6 GRAMMY Nominations? 2700
Totally. MONK’estra started out just as an exercise in learning Sibelius writing software. Then, I realized I had enough tunes to play one set at a club, so I put together a big band and at a jazz residency I had at the Blue Whale Jazz club, we played the same set twice. to a full-house audience.
I think people liked MONK’estra partly because the music was just audacious. It has a huge sound, and it’s Monk’s music played differently. People started following us from club to club around Los Angeles.
TELL ME THREE BOOKS YOU WISH EVERYONE WOULD READ
Right now, because of the times, White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo and Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.
I’m a Nichiren Buddhist, so I’ve been reading Buddhism and a New Light.
WHO IN WORLD HISTORY WOULD YOU LOVE TO SIT DOWN FOR AN EVENING AND PICK HIS OR HER BRAIN?
Duke Ellington
WHAT ARTIST WOULD YOU PAY $1000, LIVING OR DEAD, TO SEE PERFORM?
J.S. Bach.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE PEOPLE TO SAY AT YOUR MEMORIAL SERVICE?
“Humble, evolving and caring”
WHAT GIVES YOU THE MOST JOY?
I still get a great kick out of making music. That really does it for me. And, great food and wine.
Of course, hanging out with my daughter and wife. This year in lockdown has been hard because I miss seeing my family when I want and at special occasions. Let’s get vaccinated as it’s the pathway back to playing gigs and seeing our loved ones.
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“When I go to a club, I sit on the drummer’s side, because that’s where it’s at”
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WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE GOALS?
I’d love if people could just get back to yearning for the truth and solid values with the goal of being a better person.
I would love to get proficient at playing Bach and Scriabin. I’d love to compose some piano preludes.
THAT IS WHAT’S GREAT ABOUT BOTH MUSCIAL AND SPIRITUAL JOURNEYS; THERE’S ALWAYS MORE TO DISCOVER
Thank curiosity!
IF YOU LIVE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, YOU ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE EASY ACCESS TO THE MUSICAL WORLD OF JOHN BEASLEY. DON’T TAKE HIM, HIS MUSICAL HISTORY OR HIS MONK’ESTRA FOR GRANTED, AS, IF NOTHING ELSE, THIS LOCKDOWN HAS SHOWN US HOW WE CAN MISS THE NON VERBAL JOYS OF TAKING IN AMERICA’S GREATEST MUSIC.
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