56 rue Lepic - Paris. Where jazz is not just a legend.

Vandojazz

ANNONCE VANDO 3 BEC V16 us+mtal

10/01/07

15:37

Page 1

The new jazz standard

Every once in a great while something comes along that turns expectations upside down, redefines how you approach things and sets a new standard for everyone else. Its happened again theres a new standard in jazz saxophone mouthpieces. Introducing the new mouthpieces from Vandoren. These extraordinary mouthpieces combine the rich sounds of mouthpieces from the 50s and 60s with the precise articulation, dead-on intonation and lightning response that you expect from Vandoren. Play one and youll see what we mean. The standard has been raised. Vandoren the new jazz standard.

www.vandoren.com

Vandojazz
Director of publication: Anne-Sophie Vandoren Creation and realization: La Maison, 16 rue de Naples 75008 Paris - Telephone: 01 44 90 02 20. Email: christophe@la-maison.net - Photos: All rights reserved: Vandoren - Registration of copyright: January 2007

news

FROM THE OUTSET

editorial
BY ANNE-SOPHIE NAN DOREN

NEW RELEASES
Vandoren is always on the go, living and breathing music Scores and CDs of every kind of music await you there, from classical to jazz, klezmer to contemporary. Among the most recent jazz and improvised music CDs in stock over the last few months, we feature clarinetists like Jean-Marc Foltz, Sylvain Kassap or Christophe Rocher; saxophonists with styles as varied as JeanChristophe Beney, Sbastien Jarrousse, Philippe Bourdin, Eric Pland, Sylvain Del Campo or Christophe Monniot Without forgetting the last CD of Vandojam MC Michael Cheret ( Serious things ). For a complete CD list or any other information, please send an email to Jean-Marie Paul: jmpaul@vandoren.fr

As organization of the 50th Vandojam gets underway, we can only rejoice in the success of this event. Exported a year ago to New York and Chicago, Vandojam has become a top class jazz venue. This is why we have decided to dedicate this Vandojazz edition to our activity in America and, more especially, in that other jazz capital, New York. These few pages offer a brief history of the Musicians Advisory studio, created 13 years ago and now directed by David Gould. Considered as one of the pillars of the Vandoren organization, a crossroads of current trends and a meeting-place for musicians, the studio is essential to product research and development. But more than simply detailing this activity, we also wanted to take the temperature of the musical big apple and its actors. So we have put together a mosaic of concise interviews, capturing the essence of musicians as talented and original as each other, musicians who all embody the spirit of New York. Among them, top artist Mark Gross, director of the Vandojams, who invites these musicians regularly to join him and his group on the stage of the Iguana, the Mexican restaurant located just above the studio (our point of departure). Though ambitious in scope (describing the New York jazz scene is no mean feat) this number still has a rather informal, homely feel.
3

IN MEMORIAM
Jackie McLean passed away on March 31st, 2006. A student of notably Bud Powell, a great inspiration to him, he played with Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis. In the mid sixties, he colored his hard bop with free jazz. Very involved in youth education from 1968 on, he taught jazz and Afro-American music history at Hartford University. And, lest we forget, the more recent disappearance of Charles Luter at the age of 83. An emblem of New Orleans in France and the jazz clubs of Saint-Germain, he played with the greatest: Barney Bigard, Sydney Bechet and Louis Armstrong.

Vandoren New-York

VANDOREN NEW-YORK

Vandojams have been part of the New York and Chicago scene for two years already. Here s the occasion for their leaders, Mark Gross and Michael Skinner, to present them to us A new Vandoren club in New York: the Iguana, ideally located right beside our studio run by David Gould, always ready to welcome you A presentation of the IAJE and its annual conference Plus a few favorite Vandoren artists and friends we wish to salute in passing for this third Vandojazz edition!

Vandoren in the US since 1928.

Robert Van Doren, the son of Eugne, studied the clarinet, graduating with a Premier Prix from the Paris Conservatoire. Embarking on a musical career, he went, in 1928, for a year on tour to the United States where he made a name for himself. He was one of the first French clarinetists to play as a soloist at Radio-City, the famous New York radio station. This was Americas initial contact with Vandoren reeds, leading to a popularity rising ever since with professionals of the New World.

The Vandoren Musicians Advisory Studio

Since its creation 13 years ago, the Vandoren Musicians Advisory Studio has been the axis of our jazz presence in New York and an invaluable asset to all its visitors, professional musicians, amateurs, teachers and students alike. The ideal solution for customers keen to try out and compare our whole range of reeds, mouthpieces, accessories and ligatures, this mini 56 rue Lepic , located in the heart of Manhattan, caters for both classical and jazz musicians. These continual encounters have triggered the research and development of the great majority of Vandoren products now played throughout the world. And in its own way, the showroom has been helping to launch musical careers for over a decade now. Artistic advisor David Gould says the Vandoren showrooms being above all a place of encounter and exchange, is based on the firms being a front runner in music and jazz for over a century.

Mark Brown in the company of David Gould, artistic The showroom displays every type of mouthpiece and reed for saxophone and clarinet. To try advisor and specialist of Vandoren products in New York them out, call David at 212-399-9457 or contact him at : dgould@vandorenusa.com since 1999. 5

Our address in New York: 250 W. 54th Street. Discover our showroom and the Iguana, the club hosting the New York Vandojam for a few months now. A new jazz venue in New York

Former saxophonist with Lionel Hamptons orchestra, Mark honors us by directing the New York Vandojam, for the greater swing pleasure of one and all.
NEW YORK VANDJAM FOR TWO YEARS NOW. BUT LETS GO BACK A LITTLE AFTER CLASSICAL TRAINING AT THE BALTIMORE SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS, MARK STUDIED FOR A SEMESTER AT HOWARD UNIVERSITY AND THEN FOR FOUR YEARS AT THE BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC FROM WHERE HE GRADUATED WITH A BACHELOR OF ARTS IN MUSIC PERFORMANCE. TWO OF BERKLEES BEST PROFESSORS, JOE VIOLA AND BILL PIERCE, WERE TO BE PARTICULARLY INFLUENTIAL IN DEVELOPING MARKS FINE . AFTER HIS DEGREE, IN 1988, MARK SET OUT ON HIS MUSICIANSHIP CARAVAN AS A PROFESSIONAL JAZZ MUSICIAN. MARK CREDITS HIS PROLIFIC SOUND TO THE LOVE OF GOSPEL THAT FILLED HIS PARENT BALTIMORE HOME DURING HIS UPBRINGING. HIS NEW CD, THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK, IS A CELEBRATION OF THESE ROOTS. MARKS FATHER IS STILL PASTOR OF HIS HOMETOWN CHURCH, MT ZION C.O.G.I.C. HIS PROFESSIONALISM HAD HIM RAPIDLY PERFORMING AND RECORDING WITH FELLOW PACESETTERS IN JAZZ MUSIC. TOURING FREQUENTLY, HE HAS PLAYED ALL OVER THE WORLD, NOTABLY WITH THE DUKE ELLINGTON ORCHESTRA, PHILIP HARPER, NAT ADDERLEY, DAVE HOLLAND, MULGREW MILLER, NICHOLAS PAYTON, DELFEAYO MARSALIS, WYNTON MARSALIS, DIZZY GILLESPIE, NANCY WILSON, JIMMY HEATH, THE DIZZY GILLESPIE ALL STAR BIG BAND, THE TOM HARREL BIG BAND, FRANK FOSTER AND THE LOUD MINORITY, FREDDIE HUBBARD, DONALD HARRISON, MARK WHITFIELD, JOE DUKES, JACK MCDUFF, JOE CHAMBERS, NEAL SMITH, REGINA CARTER, LIONEL HAMPTON, STEPHEN HARRIS, DON BRADEN, VINCENT GARDNER, LENORA ZENALAI HELM, MARLON SAUNDERS, SEPIA, JANN PARKER AND THE MARK GROSS QUARTET, TO NAME A FEW. THE WINNER OF TWO GRAMMY AWARDS, MARK GROSS HAS RECORDED OVER 40 ALBUMS, INCLUDING TWO UNDER HIS OWN NAME, PREACH (KING RECORDS) AND RIDDLE OF THE SPHINX (J CURVE RECORDS).

Mark Gross
M
ARK

GROSS

HAS BEEN DIRECTOR OF THE

Mark, now that youre looking after the New York Vandojams, what do you remember of your own first jam sessions in the early days? Amazing memories! I made my debut in Baltimore, Gary Bartz country and now that of Gary Thomas, Antonio Hart and Mark Gross. While I was still at university, jams used to scare me but they were fantastic. Musicians like Arnold Sterling, Andy Ennis and Michael Fields used to play everywhere in Baltimore. They had a regular jam session in a club called The Sportsmans Lounge. Going to this club was like going back in time. Like in those old films with everyone smoking, dressed up to the nines, fans in the front row, others in the back of the club talking away, and a group swinging for all it was worth. I used to hang out in the front row with my brother Vincent, a trumpet-player, and sometimes the club-owner would invite us to join the group: that was pretty scary!

Now I have great respect for musicians who have to play every night. Those guys were such great performers! At the time I didnt realize they were teaching me everything about playing in a group. This was my real school, the definitive one. The songs we used to play together: Sugar, Song for my father, along with loads of other blues. You cant imagine how great it was to play with my idols! And they used to let me and my brother play nearly all night with them. Thats where I learnt jazz vocab, playing standards with them. No sooner home, I would be rushing to look for the recorded versions in my own collection! What do you go for when youre in charge of a jam session? I first try to create a swinging atmosphere, for everyone. Not just for the musicians, but also for the public. You build up a public through what you give them. I want the jam, and the way the music is presented, to do justice

VANDOREN NEW-YORK
to both the musicians and the music being played. Then I think of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Thelonius Monk, Charles Mingus, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Stan Getz, Lee Konitz, Ornette Coleman, Sarah Vaughan, Julian Cannonball Adderley, etc., and I think: always keep it interesting, never let the music drop. In New York, we are lucky enough to have so many great musicians coming to the club, that a fourhour jam is really four hours of jazz. Sometimes, to let a certain musician play, I organize the jam according to tonalities, instruments and styles At the last Vandojam, for example, we had every saxophone model on Cherokee. It was fantastic, from soprano to bass, all played by Scott Robinson. Thats one of the amazing things about New York. I also want to give everyone time to jam, so rarely impose time limits like on the number of choruses, etc. Sometimes I do have to give a little sign though But the rhythmic section is so courteous. Special thanks to Chris Brown on drums, David Berkman on piano and Tom Dicarlo or Belden Bullock on bass. Is this your first jam? No. In the beginning of the 90s, I ran a jam for two years in a club on the East side of New York. What do you think about the current New York jazz scene? Very interesting. Ive been in New York now for 17 years and the city has changed considerably. Before, it was more active. Now there are less clubs and those greats who would have been in a position to educate the young, have passed away. There are fine schools like Julliard, the new School or the Manhattan School, but clubs are far too expensive for the budget of these young beginners. You have to pay for each set and theres a minimum drink policy. Even so, most clubs are full, despite excessive prices. Is it hard to play in New York? Once I had made a name for myself in jazz, there were no problems, but getting started was tough. But then, it is hard for kids just out of school. A funny story, an anecdote? It was in the beginning of my career. I was accompanying Lionel Hampton. My fee, for 90 minutes playing, didnt warrant a second more. But at the end of the set, Lionel just kept on playing, we couldnt stop him, we tried to tell him but there was nothing to do, he just kept on playing. Then, to try and bring him down to earth, they closed the curtain, but he just opened it by hand and kept on playing. One day, at the Meridien in Paris, the fire alarm went off and he kept on playing like a madman! Oh, one day I was playing in New York at John Jay College: I prepare everything in the morning, leave home for the concert, get into Manhattan, park the car at the garage, grab my saxophone case, go into the dressing room, open the case, and findno sax inside! That was a long time ago!
FAVORITE ACCESSORIES: SOPRANO SAX : MOUTHPIECES S35, V16 S8 - REEDS JAVA 2.5 - LIGATURE IN LEATHER / ALTO SAX : V16 A8S -REEDS JAVA 2.5 - LIGATURE IN LEATHER / TENOR SAX : T95 V16 - REEDS JAVA 2.5 - LIGATURE OPTIMUM

A brief history of the Vandojam in the United States

fter being originally based from Autumn 2004 at the highly electronic club The Knitting Factory, the Vandojam and its leader Mark gross have now moved to the Iguana. This restaurant, just below the Vandoren showroom run by David Gould, was to quickly prove ideal for the monthly event. And great for Vandoren, to be able to have a meeting-place for jazz musicians and an outlet for their select products at the same address. If you are interested in participating in the New York Vandojams, call David on 212-399-9457 or email him at: dgould@vandoren.com

VANDOREN NEW-YORK

Victor Goines
orn in 1961 in New Orleans, Victor Goines began to study clarinet at the age of 8 and, very soon after, saxophone with Carl Blouin at St. Augustine High School. In 1980, he went to study clarinet and saxophone at the University of Loyola, majoring in 1984 with a Bachelor of Music Education. From 1983 on, Victor studied privately with Ellis Marsalis, joining his teachers quartet 8 months later. He left New Orleans in 1987 to continue studies at Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond), graduating in 1990 with a Masters in Music. Today Victor Goines is the first artistic director of jazz at the Julliard School in New York, conductor of the Julliard Jazz Orchestra and a member of the Julliard jazz faculty. He has been a pedagogical consultant at the Lincoln Center and given masterclasses in many prestigious schools: the Denver School of the Arts, the John Schreiber Group, the Greater New Orleans Suzuki Foundation, Cornell University, the Columbus Youth Jazz Ensemble, Scranton University, etc. Totally committed to jazz pedagogy, he offers each of his students the opportunity to explore all facets of American jazz. Victor Goines is also recognized as a distinguished musician and composer. He has played notably with Ray Charles, Diana Krall, Delfeayo Marsalis, the Wycliffe Gordon Quintet, Branford Marsalis, the Smithsonian Masterworks Orchestra, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Garth Fagin, Rene Fleming, the Herlin Riley Quintet, Mark OConnor, Terence Blanchard, Bobby Watson, Diana Ross, Marian McPartland, Ruth Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Nancy Wilson, Paquito DRivera, James Taylor, Lionel Hampton, Harry Connick, Jr, Dianne Reeves, Don Vappie and the Creole Jazz Serenaders, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Irma Thomas, Marcia Ball, Bo Diddley, Freddie Hubbard, James Moody, Damon Short, Freddie Green and the George French Trio.

Who has most influenced you in your career? All the legendary figures like Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Louis Armstrong, Ben Webster, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Clifford Brown and on and on. Theyre the ones who defined what jazz is and what jazz musicians are all about. As an teacher, what do you think is the greatest responsibility you have to your students? Being honest with them and totally dedicated to the whole pedagogical process. I also feel I have an obligation to help my students explore jazz from A to Z. How do you manage to keep up your playing standard on so many different instruments with such a tight schedule? I have several methods. Maybe one time I will choose to work on straight technique, at another time, on sound quality. The most important thing for a young musician is to realize that consistency and regular practice are essential to progress. In the long run, the standard of your playing is directly related to the work you put in. Its up to you!
FAVORITE ACCESSORIES: CLARINET IN Eb : TRADITIONAL N3 REEDS / BASS CLARINET: B45 MOUTHPIECE - TRADITIONAL N2.5 REEDS / CLARINET IN Bb: TRADITIONAL N3.5 REEDS / SOPRANO SAX: S25/35 MOUTHPIECE / TRADITIONAL N3 REEDS / ALTO SAX : V16 N2.5 REEDS / TENOR SAX : T75 JAVA MOUTHPIECE - V16 N 3 REEDS

Bruce Williams
THER TO

WASHINGTON, D.C. HE BEGAN TO PLAY ALTO SAXOPHONE AT THE AGE OF 12, INSPIRED BY HIS ELDER BROANTHONY WHO PLAYED THE VERY QUICKLY, BRUCE AFTER
PERFORMING IN

RUCE

WILLIAMS

WAS

BORN AND BRED IN

TENOR SAX. IMPROVISER.

SHOWED HIMSELF TO BE A TALENTED SEVERAL GROUPS AT SCHOOL, AND WINNING SEVERAL AWARDS FOR HIS SOLO PLAYING, HE GOT A SCHOLARSHIP STUDY JAZZ AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, TRANSFERRING TWO YEARS LATER TO WILLIAM PATERSON COLLEGE IN WAYNE, NJ. HE STUDIED WITH STEVE WILSON, RUFUS REID, GARY SMULYAN, WILLIAM SHATEL AND JOE LOVANO. HE WAS ENGAGED TO PLAY IN THE BANDS OF LIONEL HAMPTON AND MCCOY TYNER. JAMMING EVERYWHERE IN NEW YORK FOR NIGHTS ON END, BRUCE WILLIAMS WAS SOON SEEN AS PART OF A NEW WAVE THAT INCLUDED RUSSELL GUNN, GREG TARDY, STANLEY COWELL, T. S. MONK, FRANK FOSTER, CECIL BROOKS III, LITTLE JIMMY SCOTT, THE WORLD SAXOPHONE QUARTET, THE COUNT BASIE ORCHESTRA AND ROY HARGROVE. THE WINNER OF TWO GRAMMY AWARDS, BRUCE IS CONTINUALLY PLAYING ALL OVER THE WORLD, NOTABLY WITH BEN RIELYS MONK LEGACY SEPTET AND ROY HARGROVES RH FACTOR. HE LEADS THREE BANDS UNDER HIS OWN NAME AND HAS APPEARED ON OVER TWENTY RECORDINGS, THREE OF WHICH WERE AS A SOLOIST. HIS LATEST CD MORE TO GO IS RELEASED ON HIS OWN LABEL: BRUSHWOOD.

Why is jazz such a tough business? First of all, because jazz has such a limited public It takes years to build up a real following. You have to go to Europe and Asia, get known internationally, before really becoming a big name in the States, even if youre playing serious gigs with big stars. Theres no lack of talent, in every field, from hard bop, to traditional or avant-garde ! I really do think that jazz is the hardest music to play. How would you define your playing? My playing is based on rhythm and a good ear for harmony. I see myself as a kind of painter. I try to go places in the music, I love interacting with the piano harmonies. I guess what I love most of all is the musical dialogue. If you could have been there for one great moment in jazz history? Id choose when John Coltrane composed A Love Supreme . How incredible to see him go so deep inside himself, and bring out such a piece.
FAVORITE ACCESSORIES: CLARINET : MOUTHPIECE 845 LYRE TRADITIONAL REEDS OR V.12 N3 OR 56 RUE LEPIC N3,5 / ALTO SAX : MOUTHPIECES V16 A9S, A8S AND OPTIMUM AL4 - REEDS V16 N3 / TENOR SAX : MOUTHPIECE V16 T35, REEDS JAVA AND ZZ N3 AND N3.5 / SOPRANO SAX : TRADITIONAL REEDS N3

Benny Reid
B
ENNY

Jason Marshall
WAS BORN AND BRED IN BEGAN TO

REID

THE HEART OF THE MULTICULTURAL

TOWN OF

WESTFIELD NJ. HE

ASON

YORK

MARSHALL ARRIVED IN NEW IN 2003. FOND OF DIFFE-

RENT MUSICAL STYLES VERY EARLY ON, JASON DEVELOPED AN ATYPICAL VERY AFRO -AMERICAN. INFLUENCED BY LEO PARKER, NICK BRIGNOLA AND BRUCE JOHNSTONE, HE HAS NO PRECONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE BARITONE SAX. JASON STUDIED WITH THE BEST TURY BARITONE ARTISTS LIKE STYLE,

PLAY ALTO SAXOPHONE AT THE AGE OF JAZZ CLASSICS.

7,

AND WAS QUICKLY LISTENING TO THE GREAT

AT

THE SAME TIME, HE WAS

TRANSCRIBING AND RAPIDLY PICKING UP THE BASICS OF JAZZ LANGUAGE.

AT

THE AGE OF

17, BENNY

WENT TO THE PRESTIGIOUS

UNIVERSITY OF INDIANA AND SOON BECAME A JAZZ FIGURE ON THE CAMPUS. ON GRADUATING, BENNY BECAME ONE OF THE MOST HIGHLY DEMANDED SAXOPHONISTS IN JAZZ CLUBS IN THE MIDWEST. HE CAN BE SEEN THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, NOTABLY IN NEW YORK CLUBS, WITH HIS OWN BAND. HIS FIRST ALBUM FINDINGS WILL BE RELEASED THIS WINTER ON CONCORD RECORDS. Benny, as a young musician, how did you break into the jazz business? Right from university, I was always playing in public or going out to hear my favorite musicians. That helped form my musical ear and my network. At Indiana, I was combining gigs with formal training, so I had a chance to quickly make a name for myself on the jazz scene. I also had some lucky breaks in recent years, performing with Winard Harper, Eric Reed or the Chico OFarrill Orchestra. They helped me progress yet allowed me to stay true to myself. What are your goals? I am happy that I am achieving the main objectives I set myself, but of course I want to go further, to develop myself though my own music, my playing and my performances. Who were you most influenced by musically? I have had so many idols that I admire, but today my main references are Pat Metheny, Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, Sonny Stitt, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Paul Desmond, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson and Eric Alexander.
FAVORITE ACCESSORIES: MOUTHPIECE V16 - REEDS JAVA 3S

20TH CEN-

SAXOPHONISTS,

HAMIETT BLUIETT, RONNIE CUBER AND GARY SMULYAN. HE PARTICULARLY PRAISES THE TEACHING OF LORENZ WHEATLEY. JASON PLAYS WITH THE THAD WILSON JAZZ ORCHESTRA AND BLUES-MAN ROY GAINES. HE CURRENTLY TOURS WITH ROY HARGROVES BAND, RH FACTOR, AND BLUES STAR JAMES HUNTER. HIS OWN BAND OVER NEGRITUDE IS NOW PREPARING THEIR DEBUT ALBUM.

How did you discover jazz? As an Afro-American, my black culture is not just something to affirm, its a fact of life. I saw jazz as the facet of black culture that most spoke to me. How do you practice to improve? I spent a long time looking for the ideal combination on the baritone sax between soul music and bebop. I also do a lot of scales and arpeggios, etc. And often work in the utmost register to try and cut through all the cliches surrounding the baritone sax. When did you first realize you were a musician? When I joined Roy Hargroves band in April 2005.
FAVORITE ACCESSORIES: SOPRANO SAX : S35 MOUTHPIECE AND N2,5 TRADITIONAL REEDS / TENOR SAX : V16 AND T95 MOUTHPIECE, AND N2.5 JAVA REEDS / BARYTON SAX : B95 MOUTHPIECE AND ZZ N3 REEDS / CLARINET: 5JB MOUTHPIECE AND 56 RUE LEPIC N3 REEDS / BASS CLARINETTE : B46 MOUTHPIECE

A week in New York

he legend is confirmed: New York is well and truly the jazz capital of the world. Paris, in my opinion, is a close runner-up. But NY has more clubs, small or large, legendary or underground. The first big difference with Paris, the one you cant help noticing on every street-corner, is that over there, jazz fits naturally into everyones culture (though it must be losing a bit of ground for, to my great surprise, it was impossible for the taxidriver bringing me to Manhattan from the airport, to find a jazz station on the radio), whereas in Paris, jazz is like some art object for connoisseurs. How exhilarating to hear Coltrane blaring onto the sidewalk from the speakers of a music shop one morning around 9 a.m. as I was strolling around 48th. New Yorkers like listening to this music; they play it collectively at school (the big-band in college); they know what makes it tick. As audiences, both

par Michal Cheret

cians who really know this AfroAmerican music of the sixties: the spirit, the intros, the codas, the counter-melodies, everything was there. The jam of the 2nd set was no disappointment either, with some cool discoveries on my part: Jason Marshall on the baritone ( who has since then come to jam at the Sunset Vandojam in June) and Anat Cohen, a fabulous musician, clarinetist and saxophonist. Mark Gross is a big specialist of Cannonball and directs his New York Vandojam in a relaxed, humorous way.: what class! The NY Vandojam began again in September at the Iguana, on 54th , just beside Vandoren. The Paris one began again in October, taking place, like last year, every 1st Tuesday of the month at the Sunset. For the next Vandojams, consult our website: www.vandojazz.com Hoping to see you all again for a jam season as much fun as last year. Cheers Michal CHERET

interested and interesting, they are motivating and more likely to appreciate risk-taking than comfort-zone playing. New Yorkers are also a vid club-goers, respect jazz and its performers, and find it normal to pay (sometimes quite a lot: from 8 euros to 35 euros a set) to listen. In France we like jazz most when you dont have to pay for it! Its not part of our national culture yet to pay for this music And how often does a musician hear: But what do you do for a real living? Is this the consequence of a fairly generalized phenomenon in France where amateurism is encouraged (associations are formed like wild fire) more than helping professionals? The other amazing draw about New York is the programming in clubs. Most of the great jazz names actually live there and go clubbing to try out their projects, have a jam, take a few risks, making for the kind of line-ups unheard of in Europe. My best evening out had to have been the night that began at Blue Note with a concert of Gil Goldstein with Richard Bona, Don Alias, Randy Brecker, Chris Poster, a string trio and Bobby McFerrin pop-

ping in for a jam. Followed by the latenight-hour jazz-buff scene in smaller, more underground clubs where you can hear excellent musicians, often completely unknown in Europe, playing 4 or 5 sets (a different group for each set) that start rolling at 1.30 in the morning! And finally came the moment Id been waiting for and the reason for my visit to NY: the Vandojam at The Knitting Factory, a homage to Cannonball Adderley where I was the guest of Mark Gross and his trio. It took a while to break the ice, but once the music began, it was all smiles on the faces of my brothers , encouragement and enthusiasm like I never felt from French musicians. New York musicians keep cool before they know whether you can play or not. Music speaks for everything, even their socializing a shame perhaps! Another striking difference: the relationship between the leader and the rest of the group: the rhythmic section is totally at the bid and call of the soloist, following him wherever he wants to go without ever taking the initiative. I love this way of working. And what a buzz to play with musi-

OHIO

BLANDING WAS BORN ON AUGUST 14TH, 1971 IN CLEVELAND,

ALTER TO A MUSICAL FAMILY AND BEGAN

STUDIED AT

HE LAGUARDIA HIGH SCHOOL, THEN AT THE NEW SCHOOL FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH, GRADUATING IN MAY 2005. HIS DEBUT ON TOUGH YOUNG TENORS, ONE OF THE BEST JAZZ ALBUMS OF 1991, WAS HIGHLY ACCLAIMED. SINCE, HE HAS PLAYED
AND RECORDED WITH GREAT JAZZ NAMES

PLAYING SAXOPHONE AT THE AGE OF SIX.

How did you get into jazz and the saxophone? Music has been my whole life. My father was a bass-player, my mother, a pianist and a singer. They had a funk band and were always rehearsing at home. My grandmother was also a classical pianist, composer and organist, the musical director of several churches in Cleveland and Atlanta. She also taught music history and theory at the Cleveland Institute of Music. When we moved to New York in the 80s, we all began exploring jazz more profoundly. You currently play in a big ensemble. What are the prerequisites for good ensemble playing? Above all, no matter what the size of the ensemble, a musician has to be able to really listen to the music being played, I mean be totally aware of all the other musicians. Its a good combination of attention to musicality, instinct and ability to make musical decisions that allows a musician to integrate in harmony with other band musicians. Thats the key to success. Thats what the musicians and the public will thank you for. You have played all over the world. What are you favorite spots? I never really realized how lucky I was to be able to travel around the world thanks to music. My favorite places, apart from New York, are Italy, Japan, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, South America. My favorite venues: Dizzys Coca-Cola Club, . Rose Hall to cite just a few I dont mind playing the Village Vanguard, Frederick P in different types of venue: concert halls, clubs, schools, churches, in private homes What I most prefer is intimacy between the musicians and the public.
FAVORITE ACCESSORIES: V16 MOUTHPIECE - JAVA 3 REEDS

CAB COLLOWAY ORCHESTRA, ROY HARGROVE, THE COUNT BASIE ORCHESTRA, TONY BENNET, THE ILLINOIS JACQUET BIG BAND, DIANNA ROSS, WYCLIFFE GORDON, LIZA MINELLI, MARCUS ROBERTS, WYNTON MARSALIS, AND MANY OTHERS. HE TEACHES IN HIS OWN SCHOOL IN TEL AVIV, EXPORLIKE THE TING HIS TEACHING THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

HE IS CURRENTLY A MEMBER OF THE JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA AND THE WYNTON MARSALIS QUINTET.

Walter Blanding

Michael Skinner
A
MEETING WITH MICHAEL SKINNER AT VANDOREN, RUE LEPIC. A CHANCE TO GET TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE VANDOJAMS IN

CHICAGO, HEADQUARTERS OF THE LATEST IMPORTER OF THE LABEL TO THE UNITED STATES TWO YEARS AGO.
Michael, you are with your company DANSR the new importer since 2004 of Vandoren products to the United States. What kind of relationship do you have with your musician clients? Established in Chicago, our principal mission is to distribute Vandoren products and allow artists and clients to discover and understand them. And eventually help them to get into the Vandoren community in the United States. How do you go about this? We have created an American website www.vandojazzusa.com giving information about Vandoren products and our sales network, along with concert information, technical advice, links to other Vandoren artists and announcements of the Vandojams in the United States. And so tell me about the Chicago Vandojams, the ones youre closest to. Its an extension along the same lines as Paris and New York. The jam now takes place in a jazz club that has been well-known venue for 30 years: the Velvet Lounge. Everyone knows the place, its a superb spot for Vandoren. It takes place here every last Monday of the month. In Chicago, our jazz is very rich, very mixed. First of all, theres a real and very active salsa movement here, along with a form of post Coltrane, post modern jazz, a new type of bop that we call the neo-Bop. And in our first jams, we managed to mix the two, something quite unique in the world. Both communities mixed and the public loved it! Its a really powerful movement that is developing here. Our rhythmic section is composed of Ernest Dawkins, Mark Colby on saxophone, Avreeayl Rah on drums, Larry Gray on bass and Vjay Tellis-Nayak on piano. How do you organize contacting musicians in Chicago? We actually also have a studio like in New York so that musicians can come hear the Vandoren sound and try out products if they wish to. They need to get in touch with Steve Baughman, our studio manager. You have just released a first Vandojam artist CD? Tell me about it? So many artists come here to Chicago to record their albums, its a good market to exploit. We thought a CD of artists playing Vandoren would help us expand our network and clientele. We plan to bring one out every year. This one combines 6 French and 6 American musicians. Its excellent! What are your other projects? We are not considering developing the Vandojam concept elsewhere than in New York and Chicago, because it needs the implantation of a parallel outlet where clients can try out products. Which is today not the case in Los Angeles or Miami. Whats more, Los Angeles is so big, youd have to have four Vandojams! On the other hand, we are thinking to invite university professors to come and run a Vandojam from time to time. It would be great for their students and Im sure they would enjoy it!

TK Blue
Julius Tolentino
BLOOMFIELD, NJ, JULIUS BEGAN TO STUDY PIANO AT THE AGE OF 7, THEN THE CLARINET AT 10. HE FINALLY BEGAN THE SAXOPHONE AT 13, THE INSTRUMENT ON WHICH HE WAS TO REALLY GET INTO JAZZ. DURING HIS YEARS AT UNIVERSITY, HE PERFORMED THROUGHOUT THE STATE WITH LOCAL BANDS AND WON A DOZEN SOLOIST AWARDS. HE THEN WENT TO THE HARTT SCHOOL OF MUSIC TO STUDY WITH JACKIE MCLEAN. IN 1999, JULIUS JOINED THE ILLINOIS JACQUET BIG BANG FOR A CONCERT TOUR AND RECORDED WITH THEM FOR 5 YEARS. HIS FIRST CD FOR SHARP NINE RECORDS, JUST THE BEGINNING WITH STEVE DAVIS AND JEREMY PELT PLUMMETED TO 8TH PLACE IN THE JAZZ CHARTS. JULIUS NOW DIRECTS A WEEKLY THURSDAY JAM SESSION IN NEW YORK AT CLEOPATRAS NEEDLE. HE WILL BE PERFORMING ON DECEMBER 9TH AND 10TH IN HOLLYWOOD AT THE CATALINA JAZZ CLUB AS PART OF THE SECOND FILIPINO FAZZ FESTIVAL. JULIUS TOLENTINO HAS ALREADY PLAYED WITH THE BIGGEST NAMES IN JAZZ: THE ILLINOIS JACQUET, ERIC REED, CYRUS CHESTNUT, PHILIP HARPER, NATALIE COLE, KEVIN MAHOGANY, JEREMY PELT, LOUIS HAYES, THE COUNT BASIE AND THE DUKE ELLINGTON ORCHESTRAS.

ORN IN

NEW YORK TO A MOTHER FROM TRINIDAD HE BEGAN MUSIC WITH THE TRUMPET AT THE AGE OF 8. DURING HIS UNIVERSITY STUDIES, HE PLAYED FLUTE, THEN TOOK LESSONS WITH BILLY MITCHELL, THE LEGENDARY SAXOPHONIST, AND MASTERED THE SOPRANO AND THE ALTO SAXOPHONE. HE GRADUATED WITH A MASTERS IN PEDAGOGY FROM THE TEACHERS COLLEGE OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, STUDYING WITH JIMMY HEATH, CHRIS WOODS, ERNIE WILKINS, FRANK FOSTER, SONNY RED, JIMMY OWENS, THAD JONES, BILLY TAYLOR, RASHAN ROLAND KIRK, YUSEF LATEF, JOE NEWMAN, BILLY MITCHELL, PAUL WEST AND REGGIE WORKMAN. BETWEEN 1981 AND 1989, TK BLUE LIVED IN PARIS WITH A STRONG DESIRE TO LINK UP WITH AFRICAN MUSICIANS LIKE MANU DI BANGO AND XALAM. HE WORKS WITH THE COMPOSER PIANIST RANDY WESTON AND, SINCE 1990, HAS MANY DIFFERENT FACETS: MUSICAL DIRECTOR, ARRANGER, COMPOSER, HE FOUNDED THE BAND TALA WITH JAMES WEIDMAN. SINCE 2001, APART FROM HIS TEACHING POST AT THE LITCHFIELD JAZZ SUMMER CAMP , HE HAS BEEN PERFORMING WITH THE DON BRADEN BIG BAND, JIMMY SCOTT, AND PLAYED AT A GREAT NUMBER OF FESTIVALS INCLUDING THE PANROYALE JAZZ FESTIVAL (TRINIDAD), THE NORTH SEA JAZZ FESTIVAL (HOLLAND), THE LINGANORE WINE JAZZ FESTIVAL (MARYLAND) AND THE CAPE MAY JAZZ FESTIVAL IN NEW YORK.

TK

BLUE

WAS BORN IN

AND A JAMAICAN FATHER.

Your association with Vandoren dates from a few years now. How did it come about? I was in Paris in December 1981. I met Bernard after a concert with drummer Kenny Clark. He said I should work with Jean-Paul Gauvin at the Vandoren factory and asked me to come see their latest line of saxophone mouthpieces. Jean Paul and I quickly became friends and so the story continues In a constantly evolving musical world, how do you manage to stay at the top and always be working? Finding new ways into new forms of jazz makes me feel so humble and grateful to those around me that my first thought is: how can I be useful here? . You play so many instruments. Which one do you think is your ultimate voice? Tough question! Probably the alto saxophone and the flute on which Ive spent so many hours working.
MATRIEL JOU : TENOR SAX : JUMBO T95 MOUTHPIECE - ZZ N3,5 REEDS / ALTO SAX : V16 A8 MOUTHPIECE (SMALL CHAMBER) - ZZ N3,5 REEDS / SOPRANO SAX : V16 S8 - ZZ N3,5 REEDS

What have been your most important musical influences? Studying with Jackie McLean was the greatest influence on my musical and personal life. He taught me, like all his students, to become someone. Not just as a musician but also as a human being. How did you start out? Like many, I caught the music virus early on in life. I remember hearing when I was young the recordings of Charlie Parker who affected me deeply. Before finishing my sophomore year at university, I decided during a summer camp that I wanted to pursue music as a career. My first official gig with the Illinois Jacquets Big Band was an excellent way for me to get into the jazz world. You direct a weekly jam session in New York. How do you run it? I have been running this jam since 1998, always using the regularity of the event for programming recordings or exchanging information. Then, with playing the music of Cannonballs Quintet with Louis Hayes, and big jazz names coming to hear others, things just developed naturally.
FAVORITE ACCESSORIES: V16 MOUTHPIECE - JAVA 3 REEDS - OPTIMUM LIGATURE

VANDOREN NEW-YORK

Vandoren, mem
The International Associ
For several years, Vandoren has been a member of the IAJE, an association with a mission to ensure the development of jazz and its teaching throughout the world. Presentation of the association and its next conference, January 10-13, 2007 in New York where Vandoren will be present as in 2006, next time with the complete V16 mouthpiece range, including the ebonite soprano and brand new tenor. The mission of the IAJE and the means at its disposal
The principal mission of the International Association for Jazz Education is to ensure the continued development of jazz and jazz education throughout the world, initiating programs which nurture and promote the understanding and appreciation of jazz and its heritage. The association assists teachers and practitioners with information and resources, and plays an active role in organizing all kinds of events at local, regional, national and international levels. The International Association for Jazz Education also promotes the application of its jazz principles to the manufacturing of musical materials and the creation of teaching methods at all levels. It encourages research, providing financial assistance and advocating the cause of jazz in every forum. The IAJE is also committed to informing its public: professional artists or amateurs, educators, students and the music industry at large. At their annual international conference in January, the IAJE hosts the presentation of thirty or so specialized magazines covering a wide range of topics (from personal recollections to pedagogical theories, from sociological research to musical analysis, etc.). The best articles are then published each year by the association in the form of the Research proceedings yearbook. The IAJE is most remarkable in the way it works with teachers. IAJE and MENC (the National Association for Music Education) have joined forces to offer them a regular workshop lasting for two and a half days. These workshops are designed for private teachers, bands, strings and vocalists keen to strengthen their competence in the field of jazz teaching. The sessions, also open to university students currently enrolled in a music education program, have been highly successful, since they cover every aspect of music from performance to improvisation, from analysis to the question of evaluation. IAJE membership is continually expanding. With more than 8000 members in nearly 40 countries, the IAJE is today a recognized authority in jazz promotion through teaching and research.
12

To contact the IAJE: IAJE EducationPO Box 724 Manhattan, KS 66505 U.S.A. info@iaje.org Phone: (785) 776-8744 Fax: (785) 776-6190

ber of the IAJE,

ation for Jazz Education
Jean-Paul Gauvin and TK Blue in the show-room. A try out session.

Vandoren present at the 2006 conference

Michal Cheret, Grant Stewart, Dmitri Baevsky and JPG at the 2005 IAJE

A 34 edition on the history of pedagogy.

The IAJE, back in New York
Next January, on the 10th and the 13th, the IAJE comes back to New York, like in 2006, for its annual conference. Located in the heart of Manhattan and the famous theatre quarter, the conference promises an in depth exploration of the history of jazz pedagogy and the participation of very many students and teachers from all over the world. More than 7000 visitors are expected : teachers, professional and amateur musicians, recording companies, festivals, publishers, instrument and accessory manufacturers, universities, colleges, agents and the media.

th

Victor Goines Essais sur le stand

David Gould, Bob Mallach, JPG

Jazz pedagogy and teaching

The history of jazz pedagogy is the theme of the conference comprising numerous events and located in more than 20,000 m of exhibition space. The goal of this years conference is to provide maximum information on any technique applicable to collective or private teaching.

A user friendly atmosphere

The atmosphere will once more be user friendly , with the idea of each person contributing his own experience. An opportunity will also be given to all the teachers and professional musicians involved to present their pedagogical methods to young students, through a series of sessions called Connecting with kids . A space will be specially devoted to technological advance, with all the new pedagogical tools and the most recent computer programs on the market. A hands-on lab will offer demonstrations in small groups to those interested. The conference will begin with a fanfare on the Thursday evening.
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Michael Cherret, Scott Robinson

Bobby Watson, Michael Skinner

The Vandojam Summer

Apart from the monthly Jam at the Sunset (Michael Cheret Quartet) each first Tuesday of the month, this concert-jam concept is catching on in different towns throughout France. Since the beginning of the year, Vandojams have been developing in popular jazz venues. An ideal vehicle for communication for us, they are also a guarantee of high quality to the public. .
January 2006 The Hot Club in Lyon allowed us to organize a workshop followed by a Vandojam featuring Francis Bourrec in quartet. Since the month of October, this has now become a monthly jam with Eric Prosts quartet which, with a very precise theme, encourages young talent to participate in excellent musical conditions. April 2006 The rose-colored town picked up on our concept. Thanks to a few local musicians (Michael Itier and Jean Franois Recouderc), Toulouse came out in strength to this Vandojam event orchestrated by our godfather , Francis Bourrec. June 2006 In a preview of the Bordeaux New Orleans festival, the Vandojam opened this festive event with as lead, uncontested master, Mr Jacques Gauthe. The Jazz Vienne Festival welcomed on June 29th, after a concert in its antique theatre devoted to Sonny Rollins, an original formation: the sax springboard . In its little Italianate theatre, transformed into a jazz club, this podium of young talented saxophonists was also a Vandojam directed by Michael Cheret and featuring Irving Acao (Cuba), Christian Weidner (Germany), Gabor Bolla (Hungary), Luigi Grasso (Italy), Antonin Tri Hoang (France). Serious hard hop July 2006 For the first time in the National Park of the Chevreuse Valley: 6 hours of non-stop jazz including a line-up from Jazz Vienne with our godfather Francis Bourrec. The Vandojam fitted into this mini festival where a great number of Vandoren artists were also playing: the group Madsax and the Nagual Quintet with Florent Hubert on tenor sax. This successful night was to directly precede the Vandojam on the next day at the Sunset in Paris. August 2006 Jazz in Marciac. 4 concerts programmed in the off festival along Vandojam lines with our Parisian leader Michael Cheret and guests Gabor Bolla (Hungary), Christian Weidner (Germany) and our dynamic and very talented Max Pinto. October 2006 Jazz between the two towers of the Festival of La Rochelle. Two Vandojam evenings were programmed, one with Michael cheret for the overture of the festival and a second for the close of the festival with that giant of hard bop, Francis Bourrec. Though the concept of the jam is not new, the will and energy of our artists has caught on. The press has this to say: The Vandojam is one of the most reputed jams in Paris A convivial atmosphere with music of a very high standard The place where saxophonists get together etc.

Check out Vandojam events on our website: www.vandojazz.com

ABOUT PRODUCTS
THE REED AND JAZZ, AN INCONTROVERTIBLE ALCHEMY THAT ENDURES, DESPITE TRENDS AND MUSICAL CURRENTS
sax mouthpieces (Java and Jumbo Java) for alto and tenor. Vandoren became more familiar with the jazz world and artistic relationships developed very quickly. Vandorens presence in the American market became stronger, making the company a reference in jazz culture on the other side of the Atlantic. The sound belongs to the musician. Sound color belongs to the musician. It depends on the organization of the embouchure and of course on the morphology of the instrumentalist, given the configuration of the mouthpiece used. V16, Java or ZZ can be qualified in a few words: brilliance, resonance, improved sound and suppleness. Reed strength is measured in terms of reed flexibility which, itself, is linked to the density of the fibre. Reed thickness is therefore not the only absolute criteria of the latter. Given the same strength, no model will ever be the same (for example, a V16 n3 reed is closer to a ZZ n3,5, a Java n3 reed will be closer to an easy V16 n3). The series of V16 mouthpieces (soprano ebonite, alto ebonite, tenor ebonite and tenor metal) is perfectly adapted to three reed models. The same applies to Java and Jumbo Java mouthpieces. Those convinced: Steve Coleman A55 Java mouthpiece. V16 n3 reeds. Bobby Watson V16 A8s mouthpiece. ZZ n3 reeds. Michael Cheret V16 A7s , mouthpiece, Java n3 reeds Francis Bourrec V16 T95 metal mouthpiece. ZZ n3 reeds. Erick Prost V16 T75 metal mouthpiece. Java n3 reeds. A REED IS A NATURAL MATERIAL THAT NEEDS TO BE PREPARED AND TESTED EACH HAS ITS OWN QUALITIES OF VIBRATION AND SOUND. ITS UP TO YOU TO APPRECIATE THEM

How did Jazz first come to Vandoren. From Benny Goodman to Stan Getz and Gerry Mulligan (to cite but a few), many of the great names of jazz have perpetrated the tradition of Vandoren reeds. The development of relationships between artists and technological experts turned the 80s into a decisive period for reed manufacturing: the creation of a new model, the JAVA reed (Jazz-Vandoren) which was soon associated with a range of

Jazz V16, ZZ or classical? The Java reed is different from the classical reed ( the blue box ) with its chamfered edge. The profile of the reed gains in suppleness while still preserving the sound and adapts itself more easily to mouthpieces with strong timbre. The different models of reeds proposed today (Java, Classical, V16 and ZZ) are identified by criteria of equilibrium and apportionment of the wood to the vibrating part of the reed.

THE V16 MOUTHPIECE SERIES SOPRANO, ALTO, TENOR EBONITE

Nearly ten years ago now, the V16 alto mouthpiece affirmed itself as the reference in the jazz world, as much from a manufacturing point of view as from its own inherent artistic worth. We are not in the habit of citing all the jazzmen who have adopted it. The list would be too long. All are unanimous: this mouthpiece, whether open or closed, maintains its equilibrium (low and high) and its timbre certainly recalls the classic sounds of the great names of Bop. The V16 label will soon include a range of mouthpieces for soprano and tenor. This series is perfectly adaptable with V16, Java and, of course, ZZ (jazz) reeds. The soprano mouthpiece Technical and artistic development associates the brilliance and sound depth of this new V16 mouthpiece while preserving the identity of the soprano sax. The conception of the rather unusual interior of the mouthpiece is the fruit of close collaboration between our specialists and musicians. Three openings are possible: S6 - S7 - S8. The tenor mouthpiece Since jazz has often been a language through which artists leave their mark on their epochs, the materials they choose are essential. The striking personalities of Stan Getz and Joe Henderson contributed directly to a current infatuation for the tenor sax mouthpiece in ebonite. Vandoren Java and Jumbo Java mouthpieces were thus able to gain a certain notoriety, and the recent development of the new ebonite V16 tenor mouthpiece will now reinforce this. The concept of this mouthpiece is above all very methodically inspired by the influences of this epoch. Three openings are possible: T7 - T8 T9. Each mouthpiece is a compromise between the length of the curve of its table and its opening. The interior is also a predetermining parameter in sound quality and mouthpiece resonance: variants in interior form define the sound dynamic. An open mouthpiece is not systematically difficult to control: this depends on the choice of the reed and the curve of the table of the mouthpiece. The high standard and care brought to the manufacturing of our mouthpieces has created a quality label recognized by artists. Antonio Hart, Alain Debiossat, Steve Wilson, Michael cheret, Sbastien Jarousse, Bobby Watson, Max Pinto, Vincent Herring, Sylvain del Campo, Jean Toussaint, Mark Groiss, Francis Bourrec, Eric Seva, Jan Garbarek, Gabor Bolla, Sophie Alour and so many others

Vandojam NY

the 50

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All Vandojaminfo on www.vandojazz.com

All the Vandojams

MADRID, CASTELLON DEL MAR, VALENCE, LJUBLJANA, BERLIN, TOULOUSE, NEW-YORK, CHICAGO, BORDEAUX, LA ROCHELLE, MARCIAC, LES MOLIRES, VIENNE