IT’S RARE ENOUGHT TO BE ON THE FOREFRONT OF A MUSICAL MOVEMENT, BUT KEYBOARDIST JAN HAMMER HAS BEEN THE POINT GUARD FOR TWO OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BANDS IN FUSION, WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY CALLED ‘JAZZ-ROCK’ BACK IN THE FLEDLING DAYS.
HAMMER WAS THE KEY (PUN INTENDED) TO THE DRIVING HARMONIES OF JOHN MCLAUGHLIN’S FIRST TWO MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA ALBUMS, WHICH BASICALLY SET THE STANDARD FOR THE COMPLEX HARMONIES AND MELODIES OF FUSION.
THEN, AFTER LEAVING MAHAVISHNU, HAMMER TEAMED UP WITH GUITARIST JEFF BECK AND TOOK PART IN THE ALBUM THAT RE-DEFINED THE MIX OF JAZZ AND ROCK ON 1976’S WIRED.
HAMMER THEN WENT INTO THE STUDIOS AND COMPOSED THEMES FOR TV, SUCH AS THE UBIQUITOUS “MIAMI VICE” THEME, TAKING TIME OFF FROM TOURING.
HE’S RECENTLY RESURFACED WITH AN ALBUM IN WHICH HE PLAYS ALL OF THE INSTRUMENTS. IT’S A PLEASURE TO HAVE HIM BACK ON THE SCENE, EVEN TAKING THE STAGE WITH BECK FOR A REUNION AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL.
HAMMER WAS GRACIOUS ENOUGH TO TAKE THE TIME TO GIVE HIS PERSPECTIVE ON THE HALCYON DAYS OF FUSION AS WELL AS HOW HE BECAME PART OF THIS MUSICAL REVOLUTION.
YOU CAME FROM A MEDICAL FAMILY WAS ON THE PATH TO FOLLOW THE TRADITION. ANY REGRETS IN CHOOSING MUSIC OVER MEDICINE?
I was on the medical track throughout high school. I was going to go forward like my father, aunt and uncle into the medical field; many people in my family were medical doctors.
I started playing and writing music. One really smart older guy, a composer who was a friend of our family in Prague was familiar with my work. He told me, seriously, that if I didn’t follow music I would never be happy.
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“He told me that if I didn’t follow music I would never be happy”
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It was just amazing. I thought about it and told my father who took it ok. He knew what I was doing, so he said, “If you’re going to do music you might as well get the highest possible education.” That’s why after high school I went into the Prague Academy of Musical Arts, which was a very advanced music school was where 100 years ago Anton Dvorak used to teach.
I went to that school for two years and then went to Berklee, ending up in Boston.
YOU CAME ONTO THE MUSIC SCENE WHEN FUSION WAS NOT EVEN NAMED THAT YET. WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO WHAT WAS THEN CALLED “JAZZ-ROCK.”
I am from a jazz background mostly. When I first came over to the US I played with Sarah Vaughan and did some serious legit jazz. But, I noticed that the way modern jazz was proceeding, it was stalling. I wasn’t getting the satisfaction out of “old school” jazz music that I used to. A lot of people around Boston and New York thought of just getting together and experimenting and jamming. That’s how I ended up getting much more electric and futuristic.
That’s pretty much how when I was in New York, just from these chance meetings and playing that I got together with John McLaughlin and Billy Cobham. We just knew that we had to do something together.
SO IT WAS JUST A CHANCE MEETING THAT YOU GOT TOGETHER?
I wouldn’t call it a chance meeting in this case because I obviously knew who John was and he had heard of me from some records. So there was some connection.
But, you don’t know until you sit down and start playing if the sparks are flying. And that’s really what happened.
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“You don’t know until you sit down and start playing if the sparks are flying. And that’s really what happened”
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DID JOHN MCLAUGHLIN TRY TO SELL YOU ON A CONCEPT CALLED THE MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA, OR WAS IT A GRADUAL PROGRESSION?
At first it was just an organic getting together, but he then made a solid proposal. He said, “I want Billy and you and Jerry Goodman. We’re not sure about bass yet, but let’s do a band together.” It was John’s impulse.
WERE YOU SURPRISED BY THE IMPACT OF THAT BAND AND THOSE FIRST TWO ALBUMS?
It was just amazing. We started feeling it throughout the summer of 1971 when we rehearsing and getting ready to go that the thing was really coming together and becoming something much bigger than we had initially anticipated.
Just the way it sounded; it became really explosive music and grew beyond we could expect from these five people. Rich Laird eventually became the bass player to complete the group. Everybody contributed something; it was truly that the whole was much greater than the sum of its individual parts.
We felt it happening then, and once we started performing, people picked up on it and it became a “thing.” It was something where people said “You’ve got to see this band!”
DID YOU ALL FEEL IT WAS AN INDEPENDENT CREATION, OR WAS IT A RESPONSE TO MILES DAVIS’ ALBUMS AT THE TIME? WERE YOU PEERS TO WEATHER REPORT, OR WERE YOU SIMPLY ON YOUR OWN?
I’m not 100% sure of the chronology. Obviously Miles had been doing things with John before and John had been with Tony Williams in Lifetime. Those bands were very much a stepping stone for me, and I totally picked up on it.
I think Weather Report started a little later than Mahavishnu Orchestra, but I may be wrong.
ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT IN FUSION, TWO OF THE THREE MAJOR KEYBOARDISTS (YOU, JOE ZAWINUL AND CHICK COREA) ARE FROM EASTERN EUROPE? NOT TO MENTION BASSIST MIROASLAV VITOUS!
Joe and I had a lot in common, as we both grew up in the same fertile ground of Eastern European music. That really helps stand out and be something original and different than the run-of-the-mill stuff here.
The other thing that I’d like to mention is that in regards to bands like Weather Report, those bands were more like jazz-fusion bands. We were much more of a rock band that used jazz-like improvisation, but the band was really rocking.
I really stopped thinking of it like a jazz group. It was “in your face” rock, totally updated. And, with the Indian influences and jazz improvisational things, that’s what it was for me.
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“I really stopped thinking of it like a jazz group. It was “in your face” rock”
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All of it was due to Voice of America with Willis Conover, who was this incredibly famous announcer in Eastern Europe who played music on The Jazz Hour. He was our only source of modern music behind the Iron Curtain. That’s why Miraslav and (bassist) George Mraz all of us got together. George and I shared an apartment in Boston.
THERE WERE NO TERMS FOR IT BACK THEN LIKE “FUSION.”
Right. Those were the good times!
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BAND? DID IT JUST IMPLODE DUE TO ITS OWN WEIGHT AND COMPLEXITY, OR WAS IT JUST TIME TO MOVE ON?
A lot of the above, combined with my not feeling appreciated for the amount of contribution the rest of us were giving. I was the one who spoke up.
There were some things of which I felt were more of a collective creation and they did not get credited. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
But we were also burned out because we played so many concerts in those 2 ½ years. I was definitely ready to move on. I moved out of the city up to here in the Lower Hudson Valley.
DID YOU FEEL YOU WANTED TO CONTINUE IN THAT VEIN WITH ANOTHER GROUP?
I wanted to do something different. What we were doing was as complex as we could get, as well as as fast. I wanted to do something a little bit simpler, with more of a feel to it; with a groove. You could call it “funk” but it really wasn’t that. I just wanted to get away from that much complexity.
IS THAT WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO JEFF BECK?
We actually ran into each other when Mahavishnu and Jeff were both playing in Zurich, and it was Jeff’s birthday. We were staying in the same hotel, and he was having a big party. We ended up just hanging out, and Jeff and I got to talking about what we liked, and he liked what I like!
He was just about to record Blow by Blow, and we just gravitated together, working over and over for many years.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE BLOW BY BLOW AND WIRED ALBUMS IN RETROSPECT?
I think it’s phenomenal; I’m so glad that Jeff had the nerve and courage to go out after all of those rock and vocal things that he did and go completely instrumental like that. It was a great opportunity to be a part of it.
DID YOU GUYS DECIDE TO PUT OUT A JAZZ ALBUM OR A ROCK ALBUM?
Pretty much at that time we just got beyond labels. After Mahavishnu, which was definitely more of a rock situation, this was more of a hybrid of all of those things together. Whatever would work, it worked!
YOU’VE MADE SOME INCREDIBLE RECORDS WITH GUITARISTS LIKE MCLAUGHLIN, BECK, ABERCROMBIE AND DIMEOLA. WHAT MAKES IT WORK?
I think that they respond to me because I understand how the guitar flows, and then I create my own voice that sometimes reminds people of guitar. I make it so we can complement each other, and the guitarist picks up on it. Hopefully, I’m inspiring to them. I’m a collaborator with them.
This is why I eventually went to playing the mini-moog synthesizer, so I could stand on the same ground with them. I could be out front and not be buried by the avalanche of the guitar.
YOU WERE ONE OF THE FIRST GUYS TO USE THE MINI MOOG.
I wouldn’t call myself the originator as people like Keith Emerson were using things like that. But, as far as a solo instrument in a setting like this with an improvisational rock band I’m pretty much the first one who took it that way. I found my path; it was my voice from then on.
YOU WERE A PIONEER OF ELECTRIC JAZZ FUSION, BUT YOU ALSO DID SOME INCREDIBLE ACOUSTIC MATERIAL WITH ELVIN JONES, SARAH VAUGHAN AND JOHN ABERCROMBIE.
I’m just amazed that coming from Prague and listening to these people via Voice of America that I was all of a sudden among them. It was astounding and so satisfying. Instead of looking through the window and saying “I wish I could get in” I was inside!
I’m totally grateful to all of these people who took me in and helped me join the club.
YOU THEN STARTED A NEW CAREER COMPOSING FOR MOVIES AND TV SHOWS LIKE “MIAMI VICE.” HOW DID YOU GET INTO THAT GENRE?
I got approached. I made records like First Seven Days which were more theatrical in scope, as opposed to a group ensemble playing. People responded to it and I got offers to do things in TV and movies. Eventually the big one was “Miami Vice” which was an incredible stroke of luck. I was at the right place at the right time, meeting with Michael Mann and getting the go-ahead.
YOU HAVE RECENTLY RECORDED A NEW ALBUM (SEASONS PART 1) AFTER TEN YEARS, PLAYING ALL OF THE INSTRUMENTS YOURSELF. WHAT WAS THE IMPETUS TO RETURN TO THE JAZZ/ROCK FORMAT?
I feel very guilty for not doing it sooner. I was dreaming, imagining and hearing things for years. But, I also had a few years where I was almost giving up on music and almost retiring. There’s more to life than just working and just music. There was a lot of good living to do here; children growing up here and being able to hang out with them, play sports with them and go skiing or play tennis with them. It was just that “life” took over and I got a away from music for awhile.
I also lost the impetus; I didn’t know who to make music for. I was really surprised by the musical things that were really successful, and I couldn’t figure out why.
WHEN YOU FIGURE THAT OUT, WE’LL WRITE A BOOK AND MAKE A MILLION BUCKS.
Right! But when you think about it. In the 60s and 70s, every time you hear someone who’s making it, you could know exactly why.
WHAT HAVE YOU COME UP WITH AS THE COMMON DENOMINATOR?
Is the music worthwhile? Is there something genuine and original and powerful enough to move you?
The music business has basically moved on and created this cookie cutter factory. That sort of stumped me for awhile, but I got over it. People kept calling me to say “Why don’t you do something, man?” So I finally did, and here it is!
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“The music business has basically moved on and created this cookie cutter factory”
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YOU MADE A RARE CONCERT APPEARANCE WITH BECK AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL LAST YEAR.
That was phenomenal. I thought that I would never play live ever again, but this thing was so big and so special that I just had to go out there and do it. It was one of the most fascinating experiences on stage for myself, because I’d never seen the Hollywood Bowl before, never mind not playing there.
Then, just getting together and walking into the same situation as if nothing had ever changed. It was beautiful.
IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE SOME MAJOR APREHENSIONS OF PERFORMING AGAIN IN A CONCERT SETTING.
Basically, I’m not going to perform. It’s just not something that is in the cards. It would take something very special like Jeff’s 50th anniversary to get me out to play. I cannot imagine trying to put together a band, rehearse and go through the hassle.
And travelling? I don’t like flying; besides, I’ve done it to death, non-stop year in and year out back then. I won’t do that, but I’ll definitely be back in the studio and create more music.
THIS NEW ALBUM HAS YOU PLAYING ALL OF THE INSTRUMENTS. ANY THOUGHTS OF RECORDING IN A BAND SETTING?
I don’t know what it is with my head; I tend to work best with myself. I cannot imagine doing a band anymore.
YOU PLAYED WITH SOME OF THE HARDEST HITTING DRUMMERS. BESIDES COBHAM YOU WERE WITH ELVIN JONES AND TONY WILLIAMS. DID THESE POWERHOUSES INTIMIDATE YOU?
Not at all. I had spent years listening to both of them, and those two were my absolute favorite drummers.
If you listen to Elvin, it sounds more like a tectonic shift, like a volcano (laughs). Tony can actually disturb the time/space continuum. I’d think “What did he just do there?” I loved him.
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“If you listen to Elvin (Jones), it sounds more like a tectonic sift”
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IS THERE ANYTHING THAT INSPIRES YOU TO PERFORM MUSIC AND LIVE YOUR LIFE?
I’m sort of with John Lennon with religion. Other than that I just like smelling the flowers.
YOU LIVED IN AN EASTERN BLOC COUNTRY TO AMERICA. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON AMERICA WANTING SOCIALISM?
I’m for it. Look at Denmark; it’s not the caricature that you see on American TV. It couldn’t be further from that. The country that I lived in had a complete distortion of socialism. I think that the best examples are in the Scandinavian countries. It’s not socialism in that they own the means of production; it’s more of a safety net.
ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT FUSION IS MAKING A COMEBACK AND BRINGING IN ROCK ELEMENTS?
It’s all natural. I don’t think that you can keep going back to the well of the Old School. That type of jazz is like classical music now. You perform Beethoven and Bach, or you perform “Coltrane Lite.”
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED FOR?
Every piece of music that I’ve ever done!
Also, my family. My son Paul has a wonderful band, playing beautiful fantasy pop. That’s something I’m very proud of. I try to help him, but he’s able to take control of himself.
YOU’VE GONE FULL CIRCLE, WITH YOUR SON GETTING YOUR APPROVAL.
I’m really proud of him.
WHILE DESERVEDLY PROUD OF HIS PAST TRIUMPHS, HAMMER IS ONCE AGAIN INSPIRED TO CREATE NEW MUSIC. CHECK OUT HIS RECENT ALBUM, WHICH SHOWS THAT AS WITH ALL ARTISTS, THERE ARE ALWAYS NEW WORLDS TO CONQUER