Afterbeat Podcast: Recent Episodes
Rick Fleishman
Sax player, arranger, composer, leader of small and large bands, educator, freelance musician - Kim Richmond has done all of this and more. A veteran of the Stan Kenton band, Kim recently released his own large ensemble's tribute CD to the Kenton sound including standbys like "Artistry In Rhythm" as well as Richmond originals. We talked about his intro to the clarinet and then the sax as well as how he learned to write, getting established in Los Angeles, his time teaching at USC and his own adventures as a public radio host. Kim's always doing something new.
Afterbeat #19 Kim Richmond
So, Summers and I were on the way home from a very nice gig and I asked him to be on the podcast. He graciously agreed (as soon as I explained what a "podcast" is) and showed up a few days later for a great talk, even as he suffered through a cold. He's really one of the nicest guys in town, gentle and self-effacing, and I'm sure he'd agree, kinda "old school" in the best sense. He's also a superb jazz player and a great technical trumpet player. His resume includes all the big bands you'd want to hear, notably the Basie band - not the easiest gig to get or hold onto once you have it - studio work, small bands, a little jazz ed., some composing. Spend an hour or so with this gentleman of jazz; it's time well spent.
Afterbeat #17
Here, finally, is my talk with producer/writer/director Judy Chaiken. Primarily, we talked about her doc "The Girls In The Band" which covers the role of female musicians in big and small bands and their struggles with sexism, racism, and just plain bad behavior. What these "girls" had to endure just to find a place to play and a gig makes for a gripping story,mostly serious, sometimes tragic and sometimes hilarious. Judy struggled also to get this film out and her story provides a look into the sausage-making involved in conceiving and launching a documentary. It ain't always pretty and there is a lot of hard work and disappointment before the happy ending. As I write this, the film is now showing in Los Angeles and, I think New York City as well.
A personal word here: This episode was recorded in September of 2012. I never intended for it to be delayed, but events interceded. Among them, my production computer became totally unreliable, then began a six-month odyssey of "we've fixed-it-no-we-haven't" dealing with various repairs until Apple interceded and gave me a new machine (no; we never found out what was wrong with the first one. No; you can't buy it from me. Apple took it back.) During this time it was impossible to get any real recording work done, so I didn't post any shows at all from late September to, well, this week actually. I did get a MacBook Pro in December so that I could get some work done; I recorded the Bob Summers show on that and was finally able to start working again in my studio but the impetus to do the podcast kinda fled for a while. I didn't have a full-sized production machine until early Spring.
Also, there were other setbacks: my wife broke her kneecap last summer, about a week before the Judy Chaiken show was recorded. This required surgery and a long recovery (as well as a second surgery recently to remove stuff left in her knee to help it heal, and another unrelated surgery for a minor hand issue.) On the same day as Judy's show was recorded, my mother-in-law died after years of physical problems and Alzheimer's disease. At 94, she had outlived much of her family and practically all of her friends. She had also outlived her time in many ways and was thoroughly old school in her habits and beliefs. She stayed home and raised her five kids and made a home for them and her husband and their large extended family. She loved her family above all and if she seemed bewildered and confused at the world as it was, she countered this by keeping her home and her self consistent through the years: Sunday was for pasta; women did not travel long distances; grandchildren were loved but regarded with wariness; the living room was never - never - to be actually lived in. She liked my way with pasta gravy and with a roast chicken, and she liked that I was a musician. Given a choice, she would have filled her life with music. She sung in her church choir for fifty years. Her husband played the flute and violin and mandolin with devotion if not always with perfect pitch or time, and the two of them taught their children to treasure music. I loved that she had given birth to the woman that I love. While you couldn't describe our relationship as "warm," we figured each other out as best we could. As often happens, there was a long decline as she reached her nineties. Her remaining family was not speaking with one voice regarding her care, and it has been, and continues to be a complicated subject for all involved.
Sadly, and unexpectedly, Judy Chaiken's husband, trumpeter and contractor Jules Chaiken also passed away in this time. He was an important and well-loved figure on the L.A. music scene. He had a lot of good work, as we say, and he inspired love and loyalty from eveyone who knew him. As someone who has done a fair amount of contracting, I know the pressures that come with this chair. Jules was always a gentleman, always treated musicians with respect and love and stood up for his players when necessary. He will be missed. With every loss of a man like Jules, a little much-needed decency goes out of the music business.
I take some time at the beginning of the show for a little essay on this. Bear with me for a few minutes; Judy is well worth the wait. She's a fascinating, smart, funny and determined woman and she tells a great story. The sixteenth episode of the Afterbeat is in memoriam to Marietta Bocchicchio and Jules Chaiken.
Afterbeat #16
We're back, with another show on the future of jazz and jazz education with a pair of young lions. Guitarist/arranger David Shorr and saxophonist Ian Roller co-lead the Late Night Jazz Orchestra (LNJO). Based in Los Angeles, these recent Cal State Northridge grads have organized their own big band made up primarily of other twenty-something players around town. Who does that at that age? These guys I guess; I dunno - I didn't do it; I have enough trouble keeping a quartet together. Both play with maturity and command of the technical and emotional components of music. In addtion, David Shorr is beginning to get noticed as writer, with charts in the LBJO book as well as contributions to the act of singer/actor Melora Hardin.
LNJO has played at the Blue Whale and Typhoon, among other L.A. venues and they've recorded music for the upcoming re-boot of vid game classic Leisure Suit Larry. Most of the members are making their mark on the L.A. scene as sidemusicians and leaders in their own right. These guys are definitely the ones to watch, and they are able to speak eloquently about their experiences in both academia and the real world. Listen to Afterbeatpod #16 and hear the future.
Afterbeat #18
It's time for The new Fall Season!!!! of podcasts, sponsored by the all-new 1966 Chevy Bel-Air!
Right? See what I did there? None of that is true, of course, except that I'm doing a show on Friday 9/28 with Judy Chaiken, the woman behind the new doc The Girls In The Band, a study of female jazzers and their struggles to be heard. This should be an interesting show. I haven't seen the film and I don't know Judy, though I know and have played with some of the women featured in the film, so I expect learn a lot in this hour. I'll let you know.
In the last few weeks, gigs the needs of a wife with a broken leg, and the heat that makes my little studio a hellmouth in the afternoon until I turn on the air conditioning have conspired to keep me off-mic for a while, but I'm lining up guests for the Fall, so watch this space and Twitter for details.
Meanwhile, surf over to www.thegirlsintheband.com for a preview.
I've been on the road for a combination of gigs and vacation, so the last month has not been as active as usual. I'm in the process of lining up guests for the next few weeks, though, so keep visiting the site and watching iTunes. There will be new shows posted after Labor Day.
Thanks to Leo Laporte (and Ozzie) for showing the web site to several thousand people and letting me plug the podcast while I was visiting the TWIT studios recently. TWIT is must-see for a podcaster of any ambition. Leo has a pretty good understanding and appreciation of music and always seems to find a few minutes to hang out with fans; a real gentleman in every way.
Meanwhile, I'm playing live here in town this week. Check out my itinerary page for details and come in and say hello.
Sax player, arranger, composer and educator Dr. Thom Mason joins me for a two-part episode on "Jazz Ed." Since most of the previous shows have touched on this subject, I wanted to get a full-time educator in to explore jazz ed in depth, and there's no one that I know better equipped. Thom founded the USC Thornton jazz department, and was its first and long-serving chair. He's thought about these issues; he even brought in notes when we recorded! In addition, he played with Buddy Holly (and didn't get on the plane, obviously). That's a story worth hearing.
This is a two-part episode, so get comfortable and enjoy.
Summer break is over, at least here at the Afterbeat podcast. We're getting back to bidness with a subject that's been a recurring theme on almost every show: jazz education. I've lined up an expert: Dr. Thom Mason, the founder and first chairman of the Jazz Studies Dept. at the USC Thorton School of Music. A fine sax player, composer and arranger, Thom's also an old friend; we've played pretty much every kind of gig there is to play. He's one of the smartest cats I know, and he really thinks about jazz ed - where is it going; how does it stay relevant; should we be teaching now what we taught then? All good questions; it should be a lively discussion.
Thom will be recording Friday (7/13); I'll post the show on Sunday (7/15). Some great guests coming up, so watch the twitter feed (@afterbeatpod) or check this page for updates as well.
Great talking with Bob. We reminisced about the days when he had hair, of course, but weightier matters soon prevailed. Jazz education seems to be an ongoing subtext on the show, possibly because most players also teach at some level and tend to be thoughtful about the experience. Sheppard is no exception to this and has a lot to say on the subject, but we also touched on his Philly roots, his days teaching and gigging in New York and NOLA and how that led him to Los Angeles and gigs with everyone from Kristin Chenoweth and Horace Silver to Steely Dan and Chick Corea.
I like his recent album Close Your Eyes. Bob himself says he's "under-recorded" as a leader and has plans to make more CDs. Busy as he is with gigs and teaching at USC, I hope this happens. He's a West Coast guy now, but he retains an aggressive East Coast attitude in his playing, maybe the closest thing L.A. has to the late Michael Brecker.
I somehow forgot to get a pic, but I found one online. More info on Bob at www.bobsheppard.net.
..but we had to re-schedule. He'll be coming on on Friday, May 18th. I'll post the episode on Sunday the 20th. Go back to what you were doing before.
Sax player, composer, Steely Dan vet Bob Sheppard stops by next Friday for a chat. I'll post on Sunday (5/13) as usual. Haven't seen Bob in a while; looking forward to a good talk.
BTW - also fixed a problem with the feed of #13, so get your John Daversa fix at iTunes. Web feed was always OK.
John Daversa is an interesting, softspoken and gentle guy. Trumpeter, composer and educator, he leads a big band and a small band around L.A. as well as the CSN "A" Jazz Band, whose recent victory at the Monterey "Future Festival" competition earns them a spot on the 2012 Monterey Jazz Festival stage.
Daversa is also the first guest I've had who I didn't know prior to recording, but we had a nice talk. He's the son of pro musicians - a trumpeter dad and flutist/vocalist mom, so he grew up knowing the drill. His family moved around some, and so has he since he turned pro. John's back home in L.A. now and busy, but not so busy as not to have definite ideas on creativity, education and how to be yourself. I enjoyed our time.
Bonus - family dog Bailey makes his afterbeatpod debut.
Levon's voice was like a distillation of all the voices of American roots music, an original primal thing like the voices of Johnny Cash or Robert Johnson or Bill Monroe or Maybelle Carter. Like them it seemed to have always been, and it seemed that it would always go on. There was no mistaking that voice or the great backbeat he played, and no possible reaction except joy and wonder at his ability to combine both at once (how do drummers play and sing at the same time, anyway?).
The simplicity and deep groove of his drumming, a signature of the Band as surely as Robbie Robertson's Tele twang, is not as often discussed as his singing, but it's impossible to imagine The Weight or Rag Mama Rag or Up On Cripple Creekwith any other drummer.
Even with his health problems in recent years, it was hard to think about this voice ever being gone, but we've lost him as surely as we've lost Johnson and all the rest. At least we have high-quality recordings of Helm singing and playing with the Band and elsewhere. Listen and remember. This was a giant.
It's pilot season here in show-biz land, so there's that keeping me busy, and I'm going out of town for a gig this weekend. But new eps are in the pipeline, so don't leave this spot.
Next Friday, April 13th, ace trupeter/bandleader/composer/educator John Daversa comes in for a chat. We'll be talking about his recent competition-winning visit to the Monterey college jazz band festival. His Cal State Northridge A-band won the whole thing, so they'll be playing at the main festival in September. Meanwhile, check him out at www.johndaversa.com.
Charles Owens settled in Los Angeles in 1971, got involved in the studio scene and kept playing jazz as well. That's a hard dual life to keep up, but he's done it with style while keeping his integrity and his chops intact. Composer, educator (at UCLA and UC Irvine), current conductor of the Luckman Jazz Orchestra, veteran of the bands of Buddy Rich and Mongo Santamaria, Charles is one of the most admired guys on the L.A. scene, (although he just wants a little time to play some "greasy stuff" with his organ group). We had fun getting acquainted.
The thing is, I don't just talk about music. I write music, play and produce and teach others to do so. This is how I make my living, and I count myself lucky for it. Sometimes I do a lot of this in a small bit of time and I get overloaded, like the last few weeks. But I'm back to my usual schedule now, so Afterbeat #11 will feature the great Charles Owens, sax palyer and composer of long standing on the L.A. scene. We'll record on Friday 3/30 for posting on Sunday 4/1. More on this impoertant artist in the next post, and some great guests coming up on the Afterbeat podcast, so come back soon and subscribe on iTunes as well.
Really had a great time with Doug. Born in Philadelphia, but raised mostly in Hawaii, he talks about meeting Stan Kenton as a kid, playing jazz in the islands - yes, there is jazz in Hawaii - coming to los Angeles to hang out with Howard Roberts, and his brief stay in New York. Doug and I are old pals and we get a little guitar-geeky too.
Good talk. Enjoy.
Back after a busy couple of weeks. Gigs sometimes get in the way; not that I'm complaining...
Great guitarist, nice guy, and old pal Doug MacDonald is coming in Friday to record a show that I'll post on Sunday March 4th. Doug is well-respected and well-traveled - born in Hawaii, and a veteran of gigs with Stan Getz, Ray Charles and Rosemary Clooney, among many others. Active as an educator and composer as well, Doug brings a lot to the table. I'm looking forward to a great talk.
Of the three great Los Angelest jazz arrangers - Clare Fischer, Bob Florence, and Willis (Bill) Holman - only Holman remains and he's still going strong. He wrote for all the classic jazz bands: Kenton, Rich, Basie, Herman, as well as for Doc Severinson's Tonight Show band. He wrote for the Liberty and Pacific Jazz recording sessions that defined mid-century modern jazz on the west coast. Singers like Natalie Cole, Peggy Lee and the Fifth Dimension sought him out, as did the Norwegian and German radio orchestras. He wrote all the charts for the recent debut CD of Pete Christleib and Linda Small's Tall And Small Band. (Pete spent a good bit of Afterbeat #4 talking about these charts; that's high praise indeed.) His charts are in the books of every rehearsal band in Los Angeles. He's also got one of the best bands currently working, an all-star group that defines hard-swinging good taste.
Willis discusses all of this and more on Afterbeat #10, including his approach to arranging: he wants his charts to sound like "improvised music" and he certainly hits that mark. Holman's music may be challenging, but it's also rewarding with a constant sense of swing and surprise. Although he says he's not much of a teacher, listening to or playing one of his arrangements is a lesson in voicing, rhythmic organization and pure musical joy (and quite a bit of envy for those of us who also try to write). He was generous with his time and remains one of the great gentlemen on the L.A. scene.
The audio on Bill Holman's mic was not all it could be, and I apologize for that. It's the fault of a bad cable as well as bad mic placement on my part. I think the photo below of an actual session shows just what I'm up against in my small studio: it's almost impossible not to get the occasional gremlin in the works.
Rest assured the offending cable has been banished forever and I'll be making some other changes to assure better quality in the future.
Legendary - really - arranger/composer Bill Holman records a show next Friday. I'll post on Sunday 2/19. Willis has been on my "wanted" list since the Afterbeat began, so I'm really honored that he's coming in. This will be cool; really cool.
Great talking with bassist Ryan McGillicuddy and pianist Gary Fukushima, both composers as well, about the Collective and the future of jazz and progressive music in Los Angeles. These guys will make it happen; I'm convinced of that.
The L.A. Jazz Collective's sampler CD - original members playing their own compositions - is on their website, www.lajazzcollective, as well as at CDBaby.
Here's a pic with the bears:
I'm putting together a panel on the future of jazz in Los Angeles: what is the current state of the art, how do you - can you - pull a living out of the music, are things getting better or worse? Most of the guests on previous shows have brought this topic up; it's time to devote a full episode to the discussion.
The "future," means youth, of course, so I'll be talking to some of the younger players on the scene. More details as things gel, but this will be an intriguing discussion in any case. Watch this space.
Ron, Barry and I were all attending and playing at a recent party. Here's a vid I shot of the two guitarists and pianist Ben DiTosti playing.
Afterbeat Extra - Ron Anthony and Barry Zweig play guitars from Rick Fleishman on Vimeo.
What a great time with Ron Anthony and Barry Zweig, two of the nicest guys you'd ever want to hang out and/or play music with. They're both firmly rooted in that elegant laid-back post-bop jazz guitar style of Joe Pass and Jimmy Raney. Longtime friends - even their moms were friends - Ron and Barry talk about how they each found their way to the guitar (Ron did singing impersonations as a kid; Barry played the violin), how Ron gave Barry his first L.A. gig, and more. Ron was with Frank Sinatra for over a decade; Barry played with Buddy Rich and recorded the famous "West Side Story" album, and was in the house band on Dinah Shore's TV talk show in the 'seventies. Two of my favorite L.A. guitarists, and great guys in general, they have a lot of history in music together and separately. It was great to look back and remember Al Viola, Tommy Tedesco and Al Vescovo.
Here's a pic of the two old friends.
- www.ronanthonyjazz.com
- www.barryzweig-guitar.com
L-R: Ron Anthony, Barry Zweig
Drummer, singer, songwriter, barista - Dave Tull has been all of these things. Now he just does the first three, and exceedingly well. I know that 'cause we've worked together, but you can find out for yourself on Afterbeat #7. Dave talks about life on the road with Chuck Mangione and Maynard Fergusun, growing up in Berkeley, and playing and teaching in L.A.
You can check out Dave's CD on his site - www.davidtull.com. Tell him you heard about it on the Afterbeat podcast and he'll autograph it for you.
OK; it's finally up - the iTunes store feed. You can subscribe at the store or here's the direct feed - http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/afterbeat-podcast/id492763258.
Here's a quick list of everything Afterbeat:
- twitter - @afterbeatpod
- www.afterbeatpod.com
- email- afterbeatpod@gmail.com
- phone - 818 564.7096
- mail - Visual Music Service; 9507 Santa Monica Blvd., #202; Beverly Hills, CA 90210
In other news, I'm cramming in two shows this week; Tuesday I'll be talking with drummer/songwriter/singer Dave Tull. More about him at davidtull.com. Then, on Wednesday, the long-awaited show with pals Ron Anthony and Barry Zweig. We'll be talking guitar for an hour or so. Is that possible? can we really hold it to an hour? I dunno; better check it out. I'll post these shows over the next two weeks. More on these guys at barryzweig-guitar.com and ronanthonyjazz.com.
Now that the iTunes Store is available, I'll be trying to promote the show as much as possible, so help me spread the word, and feel free to add a comment.
And...thanks to all at Squarespace.com for their incredible patience and help sorting out the problems with the feed.
The guitar episode with old friends Ron Anthony and Barry Zweig is now scheduled to record on January 18th. I'll post it on Sunday, the 22nd.
Thanks to all who have listened to the shows, and to the great musicians/guests who have helped me get this going: Roy McCurdy, Carl Saunders, Lanny Morgan, Pete Christleib, Phil Ranelin and Sam Most.
Still having tech problems putting up the iTunes feed. Advice is always welcome...Thinking I may have to leave Feedburner to get this straightened out. I'll be getting into major promotion mode as soon as I have the Itunes feed up. For most people, iTunes is just easier than streaming off a website, though both will always be available. For now, steer your friends toward this site to hear the shows.
I've had to table the Barry Zweig/Ron Anthony/me guitar summit for now due to scheduling difficulties, but we'll record it as soon as we can get the three of us in the same place at the same time.
Hope everyone had a great holiday season, lots of gigs and plenty of rest. See in 2012, ands thanks for your support.
R.