you are listening to "Stepping Out" by Sugar Pie De Santo
"Jazz is the only pure American Art Form" Ranie Smith
UC Jazz Features
About the author:
Ranie Smith is the Executive Director of the UC Jazz Newsletter. His love for Jazz has been translated into a deep understanding and appreciation for Jazz. He is guiding our UC Jazz Club into existence with his enthusiasm and ability to keep everyone focused on the true meaning of the UC Jazz Club. Enjoyment of this pure American Art Form, as well as raising the funds necessary to keep the UC Jazz Ensembles financial needs adequately addressed. Ranie Smith has gained his corporate experience as an executive at Shell Oil company.
Ted Moore
Mr. Moore is Director of UC Jazz Ensembles at UC Berkeley. Aside from his administrative duties, he offers his skills as the Percussion Director of UC Jazz Ensembles Advanced Combo II and the Improv Workshop.
A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Ted Moore has toured the world with Paul Winter, Marian McPartland, Stan Getz, Joe Williams, Eric Gale, Jack Wilkins, Gene Bertonzini, Joey DeFrancesco, and many others. For several years, he lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, performing timpani and percussion with the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, as well as touring and recording with one of Brazil's leading saxophonists, Victor Assis Brasil. Mr. Moore has composed original scores for several films and television series, including the NOVA science series on PBS.
Since graduating from the Eastman School of Music, Ted has pursued a career which has taken him to many parts of the world with many different artists. He is leader and composer for his own Brazilian jazz group, Brasilia, which has released its first CD to national acclaim.
On tour, Ted has performed throughout the US and Canada, as well as Japan, Spain, England and Holland. He has played in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the Cathedral of St. John in New York, Grace Cathedral in San Francisco and Suntory Hall in Tokyo.
Read our features about Stanley Clarke, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Thelonious Monk.
A dinner with friends to discuss Jazz was a novel idea, at least to me. I had previously advised my guests of the planned discussion topic – music and Jazz in particular. The hope for the evening to was to share some provocative conversation around the topic. To some degree, aside from being purely social, the evening was a thought provoking success which carried over for number of weeks to other gatherings and events.
I queried my daughter, who is now in her thirties on her thoughts on the Jazz genre, reminding her, as I have done with so many others that Jazz is the only pure American art form, and in my opinion inheritably demands a high degree of reverence. In deference to her father obvious passion, she “whole heartedly” agreed, with one caveat. She exclaimed, “Dad, it just doesn’t pop”. I was taken aback by the remark and my response was almost akin to accusing her of blasphemy. After some reflection, I remembered her musical background resided in Reggae and anything Caribbean. It seems her Aunt and cousins had a greater influence than I. There are five of them than and only one me. Peer influence is so much greater than parental influence after a certain age. I felt victimized as if I had lost a “soul”.
My brother stopped by for a visit this last Saturday and I recanted my daughter’s remarks regarding Jazz. I was soberly reminded of our evolution into “Jazz Aficionados”, and that “the appreciation” didn’t happen overnight. Don is younger than I and has almost total recall. He further exclaimed, “you and I didn’t always like Jazz”. I replied, “wash your mouth out with soap”. With relative ease he recalled that for a great deal of our young years we were strictly R & B and Blues devotees. R & B and Blues singers dominated. Singers seem to be more easily remembered than their instrumental counterparts. During the fifties, then as now, music that was danceable rather than pure listening experiences, provided the driving force for the younger set. Juke boxes were heavily loaded with R & B and Blues from the likes of, Etta James, Johnny Ace, John Lee Hooker, Ray Charles, Lowell Folsom, Sugar Pie DeSanto, et al.
Our Aunt Wilma holds the distinction for expanding our musical appetites through the introduction of Jazz into our musical diets. At least one weekend day a week would find us at our Aunt and Uncle’s house. Her daily routine was chain smoking and playing music – Virginia Slims and vinyl records at 33-1/3 rpm. Weekends would find us spending an entire day at their house. What a musical indoctrination. Don took to the music like a Coot to water. This was true musical immersion and a very unique learning experience. While listening she would inject bits of information and Jazz concepts (which I did not understand, but Don did) like “call and response”; changes and how each musician “played off the other”. She would give explanations of what band members were doing musically at different passages in a tune.
“Aficionado” status eluded me for awhile. The Jazz genes kicked in later, as my peers who had now survived adolescence and were now doing “grown folks” things and buying Jazz records; listening to live Jazz. As a college freshman, my buddy Larry introduced me to the Les McCann Trio recording – “The Shampoo “and later Horace Silver’s – “Filthy McNasty”. This was my true beginning of a musical love affair that has propelled me to “Aficionado” status.
The music does “pop” as my daughter is beginning to hear through continuing fatherly musical facilitation..
The Individual Voices of Jazz Students
by Ted Moore
While UC Jazz is truly a community, it is a community of individuals, and jazz remains one of the best measures of individuality available in all the arts. It has always been about unique individual expression and in UC Jazz we hear student musicians developing their own unique voices and personal expression. Jazz is loved and respected throughout the world for the depth of individuality it produces and UC Jazz students have the opportunity to feel a part of that history of voices.
Not every experience in a young person's educational process encourages creativity and personal expression. However, even though jazz students may learn the same theory and practice identical exercises, these will eventually be transformed into something very personal. Only a certain type of student is drawn to this music and its challenge. It is truly a gift in their lives to learn the lessons of personal expression that jazz teaches. The community spirit of jazz urges the creation of unique voices which these students will take with them out into the world, undoubtedly affecting everything they do.
More articles by Ted Moore click here