I was asked three questions by an interviewer. Each one prompted further questions and suggested that listeners to my music may be experiencing it substantially differently than I intend as I am creating it. Perhaps my answer to question 3 might have been, "Get my message.”
I’ll certainly try to answer your questions as best I can with the understanding that my responses today may be different tomorrow. Moods and musical circumstances can change.
1) Pick a “dream band."
How might I pick an ideal drummer? Kenny Clarke, Max Roach, Roy Haynes, Larry Bunker (surely among my favorites) or the less well known and perhaps the most wildly inventive, Donald Bailey. Then I would have omitted Billy Higgins and who knows who else I should include. There is no easy answer. If I must pick one, then my choice is Donald, but oh how I’d miss the others.
Favorite pianist is easy, but Hank Jones and Tommy Flanagan are not far behind, and Miles Black (in Vancouver, BC) would be my choice for a band of living musicians I could form now. Maybe Kenny Washington would be a good drummer for that band. Aaron Diehl would be another good pianist, and Cécile Salvant would be my choice as a singer, though Joe Williams would be there too, were he alive to join.
This gets a little crazy — picking favorites among the hundreds of people who have contributed to the richness of my musical life. Nobody outplayed Charlie Parker, but Phil Woods was superb. Lucky Thompson, Paul Gonsalves, Zoot Sims, Stan Getz, Sal Nistico and Hank Mobley, are some favorites, in no particular order. Baritone sax is easier — Joe Temperley, unless you need a more chromatic player, then it’s Ronnie Cuber. Do you prefer JJ Johnson or Jimmy Knepper, Miles Davis or Clifford Brown? Charlie Porter satisfies my trumpet needs in my bands today, and I never think about anyone else when Charlie is playing. That’s the litmus test: is there room during one performance to compare it with another? If the performance of the moment fills the attention space, it’s the momentary ideal.
The question of creating a personnel list for an ideal band is most often asked by people who don’t play in bands. All-star teams don't beat a good working team. Art is created by working around limitations as well as abilities. My ideal band is the band I work with at any given moment, assuming everyone is sufficiently experienced and applying his or her full attention to realizing a consensual musical goal. Of course, some musicians are more closely attuned to my musical goals than others, and some exceed them. But my deepest musical pleasures come from teamwork and the sense that, for the moment, my life is connected with others — not a lonely experience.
Ellington’s band was less an ideal band than he was an ideal composer/arranger/leader.
In some ways, this question makes me feel lonely in that it demonstrates that people who appreciate my music may also be misunderstanding some of its fundamental values.
2) Pick one memorable musical event.
I find this also not easy to answer. There’s a list of several, for sure: a number of performances with Bill Evans — the Town Hall Concert; the recording with Monica Zetterlund; almost any night at the Gyllene Cirklen in Stockholm when the entire cast of the Gula Hund review (wonderful Swedish actors/singer/musicians) would show up for the last set, night after night, for two or three weeks in a row; the concert at the ORTF Hall in Paris with Bill; working with the Metropole Orchestra conducting my compositions and arrangements; many performances with the National Jazz Ensemble. It’s a long list, and I would not choose to omit any of these nor a number of others I am simply not remembering at the moment.
3) Make a wish for the 21st Century.
Make America (and those in the rest of the world who seem to be following our political lead) sane again.
I have hopes for musical changes as well, but I am not in control of much of any of this, so I am more concerned with making good choices in circumstances I can control rather than hoping for others to make the choices I’d prefer.
I grew up in a most unusual era during which popular music was written by and supported by educated people. I thought this was normal. History proves otherwise.
I lost about $30,000.00 USD to a fake cryptocurrency trading platform a few weeks back after I got lured into the trading platform with the intent of earning a 15% profit daily crypto trading on the platform. It was a hell of a time for me as I could hardly pay my bills and got me ruined financially. I had to confide in a close friend of mine who then introduced me to this crypto recovery team with the best recovery (Web Wizard Crypto Recovery Experts) i contacted them and they were able to completely recover my stolen digital assets with ease. Their service was superb, and my problems were solved in swift action, It only took them 48 hours to investigate and track down those CONS and my funds were recovered to me. I strongly recommend this team to anyone going through a similar situation with their investment or fund theft to look up this team as the best appropriate solution to avoid losing huge funds to these CONS…
Quickly reach out to (Web Wizard Crypto Recovery Experts), on their EMAIL: fundrecoverywebwizard@mail.com
AI has caused me more problems than it has solved. I was connected to a cryptocurrency trader through AI and lost my hard-earned money to a scam. If it weren’t for the assistance of Lord Meduza, whom my sister-in-law recommended to me, I wouldn’t have been able to win the $435 MILLION Mega Millions Lottery. My life could have taken a drastic turn due to the overwhelming bills I faced after being cheated by the crypto traders. Lord Meduza utilized his extraordinary spell powers to determine the perfect six numbers I needed to win the Mega Millions Lottery, and I followed his instructions to play those numbers. I am incredibly thankful for the support, love, and kindness he has shown, which is beyond measure. For further info about his services, please visit his website: lordmeduzaspelltemple.com or If you need an immediate response, you can Whats – App the number on his website or email: lordmeduzatemple@hotmail.com
Crypto Assets Recovery – Find the Best Crypto Recovery Experts at Alpha Recovery Experts
I recently had a frustrating experience with stolen cryptocurrency and decided to reach out to ALPHA RECOVERY EXPERTS for help. Recovering the assets on my own felt risky, and I was worried I could end up losing even more money. After some research, I thought it was worth giving them a try, and I’m glad I did.
The team was knowledgeable and walked me through every step of the process, making it much less overwhelming than I anticipated. They were patient and took the time to explain how they work, which really put my mind at ease. While recovering lost funds can never be guaranteed, my experience with ALPHA RECOVERY EXPERTS felt reassuring, and I truly appreciate their help during a stressful time.
Contact Alpha Recovery Experts;
Email; Info@alpharecoveryexpert.com
WhatsApp: +447457424681
Website; Alpharecoveryexpert.com
I used to think that luck simply wasn’t on my side. For years, I played the lottery and never won more than a few pounds. One day, I stumbled upon the story of a mysterious spell caster known as Priest Alaska, who was said to help people attract fortune and positive energy. Curious yet skeptical, I decided to contact him. He spoke about focusing intentions, clearing away bad luck, and opening a path to abundance. I followed his advice to the letter, treating it as an act of faith or perhaps just a fun experiment. A week later, I played the numbers he had given me, incorporating a few small changes he had suggested. When the results were announced, I was absolutely stunned: I had just won £2.3 million. It felt unreal. Whether it was destiny, faith, or pure coincidence, that day changed my life forever. I share this story now not as proof of magic, but as a reminder that anything is possible when hope meets action. I recommend that anyone wanting to win big in the lottery contact Priest Alaska. You can reach him via email at alaskaspellcaster44@gmail.com or visit his website for more information: https://dralaskaspellcaster.mystrikingly.com
I wish the best of luck to everyone reading this comment! Last year, I filed for bankruptcy after several business failures. I used to play the lottery just for fun, but as my financial situation worsened, I sought help to win a major prize; that was when I found a man named Priest Alaska, who has helped countless people around the world with their financial troubles. He cast a powerful spell for me that revealed secret lucky numbers. I played those numbers and, to my surprise, discovered I had won the $209.3 million Powerball jackpot after just 7 months and 14 days exactly as he had predicted. Today, I am debt-free and have various investments around the world. Without Priest Alaska, I would not have overcome the hardships I faced last year. Priest Alaska is truly a divine presence among us. If you are currently facing difficulties in any aspect of your life, contact Priest Alaska using the information below. You can contact him via email: alaskaspellcaster44@gmail.com Visit his website for more information: https://dralaskaspellcaster.mystrikingly.com