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Sowing the Seeds of Jazz Greatness By LAUREN MCMINN
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| Hubert Laws
(Photo by Henry Salazar) |
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It is only in recent years that Juilliard has added a Jazz Studies program to its educational spectrum, but the School has produced a number of musicians over several decades who have carved out careers as predominant artists and innovators in the jazz world. The four musicians featured here—bassist Christian McBride, saxophonist Pete Yellin, flutist Hubert Laws, and pianist Chick Corea—represent only a handful of the classically trained Juilliard alumni who have utilized their education as a springboard into new frontiers in the world of jazz. Though their career paths and individual musical styles vary, each is characterized by a special kind of fearlessness and exploratory spirit that has fueled their respective journeys and creative choices. Throughout their careers, McBride, Yellin, Laws, and Corea have been able to collaborate on various occasions—on albums, in concert, and on tour—and each speaks of the unique value of his Juilliard experience.
Both Hubert Laws and Pete Yellin began with a classical focus. Laws was inspired to begin studying flute by hearing the William Tell Overture. Drawn initially to the classical repertoire, he endeavored to completely master his instrument and be able to speak many languages on it. In high school, he studied classically with a flutist in the Houston Symphony, and played in a local jazz band called the Crusaders.Pete Yellin's musical journey began later than most. Yellin began playing clarinet and saxophone during his first year of college on a basketball scholarship at Denver University. His father, a studio pianist and arranger at NBC, steered him toward classical music study; Yellin picked up the instruments so quickly that within a year he had moved from Denver to New York, making the decision to pursue a full-time musical education and garnering acceptance at Juilliard in 1958.
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| Chick Corea (Photo by Karen Miller) |
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From the beginning, Chick Corea was always attracted to the looser, more relaxed atmosphere of jazz musicians, as exemplified by his father, Armando Corea. He later became interested in classical music while listening to the works of great composers, and began to study the compositions more carefully when trying to create his own music. Early on it was Bartok, Berg, and Stravinsky—then later, Scriabin, Mozart, and Scarlatti.
A dual jazz and classical career was Christian McBride's goal from the beginning of his studies. During high school, he studied classical bass in his native Philadelphia with Neil Courtney (of the Philadelphia Orchestra), then jammed with jazz and R&B musicians at his high school. When he arrived at Juilliard in 1989, McBride continued to balance gigging and strict classical study. He relished playing the role of "instigator" in many situations—whether by blasting out James Brown in his dorm room at the Y, or by randomly recruiting students in the practice rooms to try out his jazz compositions.
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| Pete Yellin
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There weren't any official jazz classes at Juilliard, but Yellin, Laws, and Corea still managed to fit jam sessions into their daily routine. Different students brought arrangements to the group, and sometimes noted musicians from the New York jazz scene would come in and play—Woody Shaw, Art Farmer, Ed Levinson, and Bobby Thomas, among others. Laws says he found the competition at Juilliard a powerful incentive to work harder, while realizing that the same tools acquired in his classical study would inform any other musical idiom he chose to perform. He learned to apply the same discipline of learning a classical concerto to jazz improvisation—by thoroughly understanding the chord structure and progressions, he could then apply his innate style to create his own compositions.When McBride's regular jazz gigs started interfering with his studies at Juilliard, he realized he had a difficult decision to make between continuing school and pursuing his career. Though he valued his studies, it was the career that eventually won out, and he joined Roy Hargrove's first band, then later Freddie Hubbard's band in the early '90s.
After Juilliard, Yellin launched immediately into a full-time jazz career, playing with great musicians like Tito Puente, Joe Henderson, Buddy Rich, Lionel Hampton, and Chick Corea. In the '70s, Yellin was dismayed by the effects of the electronic scene on jazz, and he resisted distorting the sound of his instrument to match other electronic instruments in various musical settings. While continuing to play jazz gigs, he started doing studio and Broadway work. At the same time he noted a growing interest in jazz education that was starting to connect the form and function of jazz. After going back to school and obtaining a master's degree in saxophone at Brooklyn College, Yellin was offered the chance to start a jazz program at Long Island University, where he has maintained leadership over the past 20 years.Whether playing in the orchestra at Juilliard, pulling together jam sessions, or gigging at night, each musician mastered the art of appreciating all musical styles and learning to navigate through them effortlessly. McBride views classical and jazz as offering a very natural marriage of forms: "There are only a handful of musicians left who try to fight it," he says. He notes that most jazz musicians are "very open to listening to classical music," and even use classical motifs in their playing.
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| Christian McBride
(Photo by Deborah Feingold) |
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Most musicians acknowledge that many different styles exist on the jazz spectrum, and that individuality in voice and expression are defining characteristics of any style. Yellin acknowledges that he is more of a traditionalist in jazz. He doesn't like imitation or trickery, but admires musicians who fit into a broad range of styles. When performing, his musical goal is to "play in any musical context without condescension or imitation."Corea says he is able to "learn from all forms of music and art" and appreciate "richness in every form of art from every culture in the world." This inspiration has always fortified him to create something of his own, finding that whatever technique assists him to do this well is the correct technique—"no matter where it came from."
Most of Laws' writing has been in the jazz vernacular with a strong emphasis on beautiful melodic structure, though always with the goal of emotional interaction and communication with the listener. For Laws, the flute is his "voice," and when playing with others he listens closely to "what the other instruments have to say."When performing, McBride likes to "keep tradition in mind, but still remain an instigator in creativity and curiosity." He respects artists who "like to get right to the core of something, and don't spend too much time scouring the outside." He often recalls the uncanny ability of Miles Davis to see straight through to the "meat" of the music. With a simple "let's take these two bars out, and put this note in here," Miles was able to "get right to the crux of the matter."
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Recent and Upcoming Activities
The Christian McBride Band performed at Birdland last month, and will be recording their next CD this month.
Hubert Laws will soon release two CDs: a classical release of Bach sonatas and a jazz release in March 2004.
Pete Yellin will continue to tour with jazz musicians across the country this spring, in addition to teaching at Long Island University.
Chick Corea recently returned from a three-week tour of Spain with his New Quartet, and just finished mixing the first recording of his Elektric Band in 12 years, with all the original band members. He has also been commissioned to write a string quartet for the Orion Quartet.
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These four jazz legends have learned many lessons along their journeys. Yellin believes that, in order to successfully study and perform jazz, you must follow your heart. "If you want to rebel against standards, go for it. If you want to learn from the bottom up in the classical way, you should go for that. Go with who you are and what you love to do, what you love to hear. Be committed, and eventually you will create your own path, your own jobs, and your own work."McBride also echoes the importance of "finding things out for yourself." He encourages tireless curiosity, and insists artists should never "go on automatic pilot." Laws, too, would encourage young artists to "listen to the world and have an open mind," while maintaining key qualities of endurance and perseverance. "Don't go through life with tunnel vision, or limit yourself to one thing.""The musician's goal is to keep the creative spirit alive and kindled in all the people he reaches," says Corea. To be a good artist, he notes, one must have both "a high regard for one's own inventions and tastes, and a genuine respect and love for one's audiences." He adds: "The only valuable freedom in art is the freedom to be oneself and create exactly as one sees. Every musician and artist should work out for himself what true success would mean to him. Life is wide open. One can always choose a different path—anytime. There are no 'rules' against this—and, if there were, my cheap advice would be to ignore them."
Lauren McMinn is associate director of national advancement/alumni relations.
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