Kansas City New Music | Black House Improvisors' Collective

big bands are a pain the ass

Matt Otto, Russell Thorpe, hallway, Nick Howell, Nick Rowland

We're now in crunch time mode with only two rehearsals left before the April 15th performance. This will easily be our longest and most ambitious performance yet. Here's a taste of what you could hear if you come out:

Sol'sCatnap-Jeff Davis

Also want to mention that it's t-shirt time and if you want a super sweet BHIC shirt you either need to: nut up and come be a BHIC resident, sleep with me, or give me $12 and I'll order you one.

ehh??

One an unrelated note, I had the chance to enjoy Clint Ashlock's big band at Harling's this past Tuesday. I used to go to Harlings when I was a student at UMKC. Back then the band was filled with older musicians but now it's mostly young guys. I was particularly happy that I didn't know most of the players. It's good to be reminded that the scene is larger than it can sometimes feel. Anyways I've been a fan of Clint's work ever since our shared time at UMKC in Bobby's band and in Paul McKee's excellent arranging class. Running a big band is such a pain in the ass that only the most patient, diplomatic and passionate people choose to piss their time away doing it. Go check them out on Tuesday's from 9:00 to 12:00.

brief interviews with Black House

Andy

We're back with an interview with another first time resident, Andrew McGhie. Andy has been a great addition to this session and I'd really like to have him back to play some tenor since clarinet has been so fashionable for composers this session.

Where are you from and how did end up in Kansas City?

I am originally from Glasgow, Scotland. I moved to Kansas City with my family in 1998 after living in Houston, Texas for about 8 years. I went to high school here at Shawnee Mission East before leaving for school at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin in 2003 before leaving to New York to study at New School University. I moved back here in August of this year. 

Who are your main musical heroes and why?

My main influence from the get go was always Trane. I didn't really listen to any jazz before my junior year in high school. I was playing clarinet and only joined the school jazz band to work on sight reading, but when I picked up my first Trane cd, I was hooked. His music has always spoken to me in a way that I haven't found in many artists. As far as more modern players, I've lately been enjoying checking out the music of Logan Richardson, Mark Turner, Ambrose Akinmusare, Tyshawn Sorey, and Steve Lehman, amongst others.

You're doing your first BHIC residency, what have you thought of the experience so far?

BHIC has been great so far! It's a great place for composers to get a chance to write for unique instrumentation, and have a chance to rehearse the music without having to pay out the ear for rehearsal time. I think that it's a wonderful organization, and hope to get a chance for another residency in the future.

What kind of musicial training have you received?

I studied classical theory and ear-training in a conservatory setting while I was at Lawrence Universtiy, where I was in the classical saxophone studio and took lessons with an amazing classical saxophonist called Steven Jordheim. I also played in the big band and combos, took jazz saxophone lessons, and studied composition with the former head of the Eastman jazz program and ASCAP award-winner Fred Sturm. 

At New School, I studied with Reggie Workman, Vic Juris, Bennie Powell, Greg Tardy, Mark Turner, Bobby Sanabria,  Donny McCaslin, Jim Snidero, and Tyshawn Sorey.

How was your experience studying in New York?

My experience in New York was amazing. I learned so much about both music, and the way the world works. I got a chance to play, study, and hang out with some of the greatest musicians in the world. I got to play everything from Haitian compa to hip-hop and everything in between. Although I was sad to leave New York, I am happy to be in Kansas City where the talent level is very high, and the music scene is fertile and growing very rapidly.

What groups do you play with?

Besides the BHIC, I play with my own group, where I play my own compositions with a mixture of KC's young talent (including Hermon Mehari, Dominique Sanders, Ryan Lee, and Brad Williams), and some friends from NYC who have recently repatriated to various cities in the midwest as well (Peter Schlamb and Karl McComas-Reichl). I also play with Jeff Davis' Sir Threadius Mongus, and have recently been playing with pianist Eddie Moore's group with Dominique Sanders on bass and Ryan Lee on drums. 

What does one of your typical practice session consist of?

I wouldn't say I necessarily have a regular practice regimen, although I definitely should! Typically I work on long-tones and a mixture of improvising through song forms as well as practicing various scale-patterns. I also spend a fair amount of time at the piano composing, but definitely seek to step-up the amount of time that I devote to both of those endeavors. 

**I suppose I'm going to have continue interviewing everybody unless things starting getting catty at rehearsals. Seriously guys, my call-center day job has four times the political intrigue.*** 

Interview

 

Once again, this session is failing to provide the drama needed for good blogging. To the best of my knowledge there have been no fights, drunken hookups, or tanning involved. I haven't even been able to get one decent crotch shot of anyone. And since I'm largely at peace with the jazz world, it's a great time to bring back the interview. Here's an interview with current resident, Mike Stover, who's been getting a lot of attention lately due to a recent article in the KC Star and his general awesomeness that becomes apparent upon spending a small amount of time with him.

 

Where are you from and how did end up in Kansas City?

Grew up in southwest Missouri, near Joplin. Kinda out in the sticks. Lived in south Texas for awhile, then came to Kansas City in 1997 to work with a friend from Joplin in an experimental noise-tape project called Sucking Strange Divine.

 

Who are your main musical heroes and why?

Multi-instrumental sidemen/women who keep the trains running for rock stars. Mad genius session players who lurk in the shadows of your record collection. Composers and players with huge ears and open hearts.

What attracted you to the steel guitar?

At first, the novelty I suppose. And the history. There was a time (early 20th century) when the (Hawaiian) lap steel guitar was far more popular than the ubiquitous guitar of today. Magnetic pickups were attached to lap steel guitars before Leo Fender and Les Paul came along.

The steel guitar is rarely used in a lot of the music I like to play. There are some steel guitar jazz records but not many. It's such an adaptable instrument. I'd love to see it make a comeback.

You're doing your first BHIC residency, what have you thought of the experience so far?

So far there hasn't been much improvising! More of a composer's collective, it seems. I'm not complaining; all the music we've worked on has been fantastic. Everyone in the ensemble is full of fire and great ideas. It's been very, very exciting and I'm thrilled to be a part of it. 

What kind of musicial training have you received?

Mostly on-the-job. I dropped out of college for a year and forgot to go back. Playing with groups like BHIC and the People Liberation Big Band has been invaluable experience. Five years ago I could barely read a note of music.

What groups do you play with?

Mr.Marco's V7: Progressive pan-ethnic nonjazz  Dead Voices: Twangy rock & roll with lots of steel guitar  The People's Liberation Big Band: Large-ensemble insanity  The Phonologotronic: Modern pop standards, reworked for the band's enjoyment  Ernest James Zydeco: Roots music for fun & profit

What does one of your typical practice session consist of?

Generally I'll spend 10 or 20 minutes deciding which instrument I want to work on. Then I'll feel guilty for not working with the other instruments, or for not writing enough, or for not spending time with friends and family, etc. When I've finished beating myself up, I'll pick up a method book by a well-known musician--say, Joe Pass--which will remind me of an amazing recording he did with Ella that is somewhere in my record collection. Then I'll spend half an hour digging through my collection for the Joe Pass record, but will instead find an LP by Texas speed metal band Rigor Mortis that I didn't know I owned. I'll listen to that, which will remind me of my high-wattage guitar amp that I started fixing two years ago and is still in pieces on my workbench. Then I'll go upstairs for some cookies, and realize that it's 2am and I should probably go to bed.

 

How did you get into playing jazz?

I've listened to jazz since my teens, but without a teacher or music school, it took me awhile to figure out what was going on! Like a lot of younger players, my jazz education is backwards--discovering signpost artists like Zorn via the more adventurous side of the rock music world, and from there going backwards into the tradition. I guess my first 'legitimate' jazz work would be with Brad Cox and the PLBB. I was first invited on by Jeff Harshbarger as a soloist on a piece that he arranged, and eventually I found myself in the ensemble. Before that I had done a lot of improvisation with Mr.Marco's and other noisier projects, but rarely anything you might call jazz. 

If you could change something about KC music scene what would that be?

There's very little to complain about these days. Boatloads of talent. The venues are here. Journalists who are excited about what we do and help us get the word out. The standard of living and lack of "music business" trappings in Kansas City allow for experimentation and growth without worrying about the bottom line. Of course it would be nice to play to packed houses every night, but an evening of live music isn't for everyone--and isn't that the point of playing music that's left-of-center?