New IfCM Summer Intern!

Hello everyone!

Kai Shibuya

My name is Kai, and I am one of the interns at IfCM for this summer! I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. Currently, I am a rising senior at Princeton University, majoring in Anthropology with minors in Musical Performance and East Asian Studies.

Although it is not my major field of study, music is definitely something I’m very passionate about. I’ve grown up listening to (everything from classical to electronic to heavy metal and everything in between) and playing music (violin - mostly classical) for basically my entire life. At school, I’m part of the Princeton University Orchestra and also participate in chamber music ensembles whenever I have time. I also recently completed a junior year research paper analyzing the state of classical music (through the symphony orchestra) in modern-day America, looking specifically at the way assumptions about the genre have been constructed and how those affect the way the genre is perceived by the general public today. Which is a very complicated way of saying that I looked at what we really mean when we say “classical music” and what that means for the industry.

What brought me here? Having played the violin for many many years and completed a semester abroad at the Royal College of Music in London during the fall, I was interested in continuing music-related activities over the summer to supplement my main studies in anthropology. While my adventures in music have been almost exclusively in the classical tradition, I believe that learning music of all kinds is something that everyone should be able to experience, and experience as an actual joy rather than something tedious and difficult. I have a lot of friends who have shied away from music because they see it as something that is too complicated, too esoteric. Perhaps learning an instrument does take a lot of time and dedication, which can be difficult to commit (especially for busy college students - they do say, “Studying, social life, sleep - pick two”), but it’s a form of expression that I’ve found to be worth every second of my time, every ounce of my energy. So naturally, I try to encourage everyone to at least dip their toes into some music-making.

But I understand that some people might not have had great experiences - if any - in creating music, for reasons extending beyond personal ones of time - namely reasons relating to lack of resources or opportunities. With this in mind, discovering IfCM and what the organization does seemed like an answer. IfCM’s vision of a more holistic, interactive, and fun approach to music education for a broader audience especially intrigued me. (Plus I watched some of the videos on the website and - let’s face it - IfCM is doing some pretty cool stuff!) I was hoping that I might be able to help out in expanding that vision and turning it into real projects. So here I am now!

I’m looking forward to a summer of creative thinking and of course, creative music!

Beyond "The Time"

At the beginning of May, I had the opportunity to work with high school students from three schools in the Miami, Florida area. I had a lot of fun visiting the New World School of the Arts, South Dade High School, and Michael Krop High School - I want to thank the students and faculty of these schools for opening their doors to me! It's inspiring to see such passionate young people playing music around the country!

Reflecting about the kinds of things we talked about in our sessions, I noticed a common thread (including visits to other areas, not just specific to these schools). We always talk about the importance of "the time." I don't think there's much argument about the importance of developing a good sense of rhythm and time, meaning you can play things without changing the tempo inadvertently. But this is just the beginning! Beyond that, there is the FEELING of the time. Every person's time feels different, not just rhythm section players, but everyone's!  A player's time-feel manifests differently on every instrument. The most obvious might be a drummer's ride cymbal pattern. Listen to the ride cymbal closely of Philly Joe Jones, and then Art Blakey. Regardless of which you might prefer, they FEEL different.

To take an ensemble to that next level, it isn't necessarily important that they can play a chart without veering from the metronome marking you started at (although it is surely an important skill). It is about FEELING the time together, and moving together through the music as a cohesive unit.

There are three main ways that musicians talk about the placement of the beat: "on the front," "on the back," or "in the middle". Different parts of a piece might call for different beat placements, but is everyone feeling the beat in the same way? When everyone is FEELING the music together, it sounds even better. The unification of the feeling of the time applies to the relationship between all of the instruments. The obvious one manifests itself between the drummer's ride cymbal, the bassist's quarter notes, and the band's eighth notes, whether the music is swing, Latin, funk, or anything else.

What should the time feel like? It should feel like the character of the piece. It should feel like it sounds. But most of all it should feel good! I always say, you have to put energy and character into each line and phrase, and bring  the story of the piece to life!

Posted by Co-Artistic Directer and Founder of the Institute for Creative Music, Nick Finzer

Ad Hoc! Chalkboard Concert

Our friends and collaborators Ad Hoc are presenting a concert this weekend, April 27th!  Go to there!

Here's a video of us playing together in January on Matthew Golombisky's "Louis Steps":

They'll be keeping it casual at Christ Church in Rochester with some Grainger and more.  Get some Grainger. www.adhoc-music.org

IfCM Collective - Chris Ziemba

1) Who do you listen to/emulate on your primary instrument?

I have a very long list of people that I enjoy listening to and whose approaches resonate with the way I’m trying to play.  I can’t say I try to emulate any one person, but I’m trying to figure out some elements that I like from each player and toss them into the melting pot to create my own sound.  Some artists who have generously (and unknowingly) contributed to my melting pot are: Brad Mehldau, Taylor Eigsti, Jason Moran, Danilo Perez, Fred Hersch, Thelonious Monk, Wynton Kelly, Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, Ahmad Jamal, Jaki Byard, and Hank Jones.  Just to name a few, because there are way more.

2) What are some of your ‘essential albums’?

1. Hank Mobley: Soul Station.  Blue Note, Catalog #7465281.  Recorded on February 7, 1960.  Personnel: Hank Mobley (tenor saxophone), Wynton Kelly (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), and Art Blakey (drums).

2. Bill Evans: Portrait In Jazz.  Riverside Records, Catalog #1162.  Recorded on December 29, 1959.  Personnel: Bill Evans (piano), Scott LaFaro (bass), Paul Motian (drums).

3. Joe Henderson: Inner Urge.  Blue Note, Catalog #92422.  Recorded on November 30, 1964.  Personnel: Joe Henderson (tenor saxophone), McCoy Tyner (piano), Bob Cranshaw (bass), Elvin Jones (drums).

4. Kenny Wheeler: Gnu High.  ECM, Catalog #8255912.  Recorded in June 1975.  Personnel: Kenny Wheeler (flugelhorn), Keith Jarrett (piano), Dave Holland (bass), Jack DeJohnette (drums).

5. Wayne Shorter: Footprints Live!.  Verve, Catalog #5896792.  Recorded July 14-July 24, 2001.  Personnel: Wayne Shorter (soprano and tenor saxophone), Danilo Perez (piano), John Patitucci (bass), Brian Blade (drums).
This is a wide spectrum, but is a good starter list.
3) Favorite bands?

Brad Mehldau Trio, Ahmad Jamal Trio, Wayne Shorter Quartet, San Francisco Jazz Collective, Miles Davis 60’s Quintet (especially the Plugg Nickel recordings), also Miles’ band at the Black Hawk (with Wynton Kelly, Hank Mobley), Bjork, Radiohead, Sufjan Stevens, soooo many more…
4) Who are some contemporary groups (or groups who are new to you) that you’re currently enjoying?

Becca Stevens Band, Gretchen Parlato, The Bird and The Bee, Genevieve Artadi/Louis Cole, Miguel  Zenon, Billy Hart Quartet, Craig Taborn, Dave Binney (Graylen Epicenter, whoa!).  Older artists that I’m just now getting around to checking out are: Abdullah Ibrahim (also known as Dollar Brand), Elis Regina, Denny Zeitlin, Herbie Nichols, Andrew Hill, Paul Bley, Ran Blake…
5) How do you learn new music?

If I’m learning a new standard or previously-recorded tune, I try to find as many recorded versions I can to listen to.  For standards, if there are lyrics, I try to listen to vocal versions first to get an idea of what the song means and to check out the most humanistic way of expressing the melody.  If there aren’t words (and you really have to be sure that there aren’t, because so many of the standards have them), I try to find the original recording, and it’s absolutely the best if the composer recorded it because who better to learn how to play the tune from than its writer?!  Then there’s a certain amount of experimentation on my own that I do, “playing” at the tune, if you will.  I’ll get to the point where I’ve listened to the tune enough that I can sing the melody on my own away from any instrument.  Then, at the piano, I’ll play the harmonies and try to sing the melody.  I’ll play the bass notes by themselves just to hear the way they move, and then I’ll sing the bass notes under the melody.  From there I start experimenting with actually playing the tune as if it were a performance.  This out of necessity starts off pretty simple, but after a good amount of time I’ll hopefully be able to find a bunch of different ways to navigate presenting the melody, but this is before I’ve even begun to improvise.  It’s really important to know that melody cold no matter what before you attempt to improvise, because the best improvisations are going to involve the melody (at least on standards).

If it’s contemporary music, or music composed by my peers, I find that I have to ask the composer as much as possible, get inside his/her head because there won’t be an audio template upon which to base your learning of the song!  Even in these situations, though, I’m relying on all the music I’ve already heard that may contain similar musical elements so I’m not completely in the dark on what to do!  Here too, really knowing the melody and the framework of the piece is key to learning it in the most complete sense.6) How do you write/create music?

I don’t have a set method for this.  Much of my writing occurs at the piano, but I find it’s difficult for me to go in with the agenda of creation.  I find for me it’s kind of like letting the proverbial muse strike.  I can noodle around at the piano, trying to find an idea, for hours without coming up with anything I like…or it can be 5 minutes and a tune just starts to make its way out.  It’s really unpredictable (and sometimes frustrating).  Usually when something does appear, it’s either a melodic fragment that I like (which I then develop and figure out harmonies beneath), or a small harmonic progression which I’ll try to complete and add a melody to.  If I’m having a relatively long period of unproductivity, I will try to create something away from the piano so I’m not just relying on all of my unconscious tendencies.  For fun, I have a method of creating a tune which is as close to the jazz version of aleatoric (or “chance”) music that I can get, in which I try not to make any pre-determined musical decisions…and then when I take that to the piano the challenge is to really try to make music out of it because I will have generated some things that have no relation to one another!  Most of these pieces I never perform because they don’t amount to much, but each one ends up providing me with some interesting choices that I can use in serious pieces later on.

7) What YouTube or audio clip best represents your playing right now (we'll just embed a link in the profile)?

8) What do you like to do when you’re not playing music?

I really enjoy reading, reading in random places, taking walks (a lot of my practicing gets done on walks), playing video games (Xbox360 ftw), playing tennis when it’s seasonable, playing darts.  I find it’s really important to have a number of hobbies outside of music to keep my life in perspective.  For me, the other things are a way to keep stress levels at check and create a lifestyle that is a good balance of disciplined and unfettered; I can be very spontaneous at times and also focus intensely on one thing for a long time…the way I create music is reflective of both of these processes!
9) Any additional words of wisdom?

Always, always be listening to music!  Even if from the very first notes you react negatively to it, try to listen to the whole song, piece, etc.  Everything deserves one whole hearing, if not another.  Listen to styles you’ve never heard before, don’t just listen to jazz.  Everything will inform who you are as a player and as a person…you’ll be surprised at what kinds of things you’ll find that you really like, but you won’t know until you find them and listen to them!  Also, listen with friends who are also passionate about music because that forces a different kind of listening than the passive in-the-car or walking-around-with-headphones type of listening that we’re prone to.  When you’re with friends you’ll automatically start talking about what each of you found as hip in that last recording, you’ll rewind it back to hear it again, you’ll be listening much more intensely.

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If you haven't already, check out earlier profiles on Matthew Golombisky,  Nick Finzer and Mike Kaupa. Chris Teal will soon get his act together and fill out his own survey...  Also investigate the new IfCM Collective page with more in-depth bios and glamour shots.

IfCM Collective - Matthew Golombisky

For installment number three in the "Meet the Band" series, we corresponded with bassist, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and sonic-manipulator Matthew Golombisky.  Matthew is currently living in Oakland, CA and we're very excited to get back together and enjoy his contagious enthusiasm and amazing musicianship.  Read more about Matthew at his website, www.matthewgolombisky.com

1) Who do you listen to/emulate on your primary instrument?  

Charlie Haden, especially his work with Ornette, Liberation Orch., and the Montreal Tapes.  Larry Grenadier.  

2) What are some of your ‘essential albums’?  

My Funny Valentine 1964 Concert Miles Davis, Miles Smiles, Alone Together Jim Hall Ron Carter, The Shape of Jazz to Come Ornette, Out To Lunch Eric Dolphy

3) Favorite bands? 

e.s.t., Opeth, The Bad Plus, Bjork, Radiohead,

4) Who are some contemporary groups (or groups who are new to you) that you’re currently enjoying?  
- Phoenix, Passion Pit, Cut Copy, Miike Snow

5) How do you learn new music?  

First I learn the melody!  I sing it, play it, and then find harmony beneath it.  From there I learn the harmony that the composer wrote.  After that, it's repetition.  And remember you can learn/rehearse a tune with or without your instrument: analyzing changes, singing the melody and guide tones, can be done anywhere!

6) How do you write/create music?  

I found myself freely improvising, composing on the spot, during most practice sessions.  I'd spend 10 minutes practicing a new scale or chord progression and then get distracted.  From there, I'd freely improvise for the next several hours.      

7) What YouTube or audio clip best represents your playing right now? 


We Have Signal: Nomo from We Have Signal on Vimeo.



8) What do you like to do when you’re not playing music?  

Cook!  and EAT!

9) Any additional words of wisdom?  

It's all life!  Everything ties into everything.  So be good, eat well, and open your ears/eyes; the ride's more fun that way.
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If you haven't already, check out earlier profiles on Nick Finzer and Mike Kaupa.  Coming up in the the next couple of weeks, profiles with Chris Ziemba and Chris Teal

IfCM Collective - Nick Finzer

For installment number 2 in the "Meet the Band" series, we quizzed trombonist, composer, and IfCM co-Director Nick Finzer!  The Flathead Project will mark Nick's second time in Montana and 3rd trip to the inland Northwest.  Since graduating from Juilliard's jazz program in the spring of this past year, Nick has been wrapping up his debut album, "Exposition".  Read more about Nick at his website, www.nickfinzermusic.com

1) Who do you listen to/emulate on your primary instrument?

Some of my favorite trombonists are: JJ Johnson, Curtis Fuller, Slide Hampton, Steve Davis, and Steve Turre. Although, I like to take influence from a lot of non-trombonists like Chick Corea, Joe Lovano, Michael Brecker, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and Miguel Zenon.


2) What are some of your ‘essential albums’?

JJ Johnson - "In Person"
Dexter Gordon - "A Day in Copenhagen"
Chick Corea - "Now He Sings, Now He Sobs"
John Coltrane - "A Love Supreme"
Herbie Hancock - "Speak Like A Child"
Miguel Zenon - "Alma Aldentro" + "Esta Plena"
Michael Brecker - "Pilgrimage"


3) Favorite bands?

Maria Schneider Orchestra, Chick Corea's Origins, Michael Brecker's Quindectet, Oscar Peterson Trio.


4) Who are some contemporary groups (or groups who are new to you) that you’re currently enjoying?

Miguel Zenon, Joshua Redman, Dafnis Prieto, Luis Perdomo, Mason Brothers Band (Brad and Elliot Mason), Booker Little (just started checking him out!)


5) How do you learn new music?

Learning new music has always been both exciting and challenging, and my process has pretty much taken a 180 since I started playing music! I used to try to memorize and learn tunes by memorizing off of the page, but at this point I've transitioned to a more aural approach. By listening and learning from the recordings, not only can you learn the tune, but you can develop your ears at the same time!


6) How do you write/create music?

As far as my writing process goes, it has changed a lot over the past couple of years. A few years back my process usually consisted of finding a musical moment that I really enjoyed, and trying to recreate it (sometimes by stealing something directly from the original!).

Then, it shifted to a more chordal or bass line/vamp, and try to build a tune around that. However, I found that I always had a hard time finding a good melody that fit over those vamps. Often I would compose this way at the piano away from the horn.

Which has led me to my current approach, focusing on the melody first, and then finding the right accompaniment. Now composing on a combination of my horn and singing the melody. So for me, it has been a constantly evolving process, I'm sure it will change again...


7) What YouTube or audio clip best represents your playing right now?



8) What do you like to do when you’re not playing music?

Writing music, organizing projects, reading business/marketing books, web design, The Office and the Buffalo Bills (don't judge!).

9) Any additional words of wisdom?
       
Practice Slow!

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Check in next week for a profile on bassist and composer Matthew Golombisky

IfCM Collective - Mike Kaupa

As we get geared up to travel to Montana in November, the IfCM will post a Q&A with each member of the traveling band.  We hope these will be informative and entertaining. Feel free to ask more questions in the comments section.  

Up first, trumpeter, flugelhorner, and master jokester Mike Kaupa: 

1) Who do you listen to/emulate on your primary instrument?

MK: Miles, Kenny Wheeler, Joe Lovano (approaching tpt like it is a tenor sax...Freddie Hubbard did that, too)

2) What are some of your ‘essential albums’?

MK: Miles Davis..."My Funny Valentine",  Kenny Wheeler "Gnu High",  Miles Davis  "Milestones"

3) Favorite bands?

Joe Lovano groups...Pat Metheny Ryan Kisor groups

4) Who are some contemporary groups (or groups who are new to you) that you’re currently enjoying?

Brad Mehdau,  Ben Monder/Theo Blackman

5) How do you learn new music?

Listen, read (if necessary), eventually memorize/internalize

6) How do you write/create music?

one method...borrow form from one piece (ex. I want to write something shaped like "Maiden Voyage) , groove from another (maybe something the kids would like, like reggae or funk) , create very simple melodic motive (two/three notes) that lasts throughout much of the piece, depending on who I'm writing for, the chord progression can be very simple and fairly unoriginal (a blues, or similar to a jazz standard) or very original and challenging

7) What YouTube or audio clip best represents your playing right now?

"I hear a Rhapsody" with Ben Monder, Steve Wilson, Montez Coleman, Bruce Barth, and Ed Howard. recorded in Spain, 2005

8) What do you like to do when you’re not playing music?

golf

9) Any additional words of wisdom?

In life, stick with the straight shooters.
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Learn more about Mike at www.mikekaupa.com