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An Improvised Life
You've undoubtedly heard of Phi Mu Alpha's Man of Music for 2009, and if you've never heard of him, you may have heard his voice. You know. That familiar Indiana twang counting off: "One, two, one, two, three, four…" Ring a bell? How about "Bb tuning note"?
The 2009 Man of Music is author, teacher, and jazz musician Jamey Aebersold, Gamma Tau (Indiana) '58. His accomplishments include 125 volumes of jazz-improvisation books and play-along recordings (with a 126th one in the works) as well as playing host to people of all ages who attend his jazz workshops across the country.
Being a saxophone player with a strong interest in jazz, Aebersold's original plan was to go to school in New York and find his place in the professional jazz gigging and recording scene. But, things didn't work out that way.
In the mid-1950s when he began his college search, he wrote to the Manhattan School of Music (New York) to inquire about their music program. He received a response, but it wasn't what he wanted.
"They said they didn't offer saxophone [as a major]," Aebersold said. "So, I said, ‘I guess I'm not going to New York.'"
He stayed close to home and attended Indiana University. At that time Indiana didn't offer a degree in saxophone or jazz either. He would
need to obtain a degree in woodwinds which included playing clarinet, flute, and oboe. Regardless, |
Jamey Aebersold
Photo courtesy of Indiana University. |
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he went through the program and tried to make small changes during his tenure. It was also during his time at Indiana that he was initiated into Phi Mu Alpha.
"I respected the people in [the chapter]," he said. "It seemed like the right thing to do."
His best memories were the meetings they had. He said the meetings were inspiring and the people running the chapter were interested in music and in people. That intrigued him.
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Aebersold stayed true to the art that he loved – jazz – even though it was only about "5% of the time." While he went along with the system at Indiana, jazz nor the saxophone was officially recognized.
"I was really naive, I thought theory classes would be telling me about what Stan Kenton, Maynard Ferguson, and Charlie Parker were arranging and doing on their instruments," he said. "I think it was the first day of my second year when I walked to my theory class and I remember sitting there and saying to myself, ‘Jamey, these people are not talking about what you're interested in. You're interested in the music that's happening today, they're talking about music that happened 200 years ago.'"
This realization for Aebersold was "disappointing," but he decided to "stuck with it and I did what they asked me to do."
"I felt like I was a peon as a freshman and a sophomore, I didn't think there was hope to change things."
However, he did start to change the environment as he approached his junior and senior years.
At his junior-year jury, when he was taking lessons with Roger Pemberton, a graduate student on saxophone, he went in to play a Bach flute sonata on saxophone. Pemberton, met with other professors after he played and came out with good news and bad news.
The bad news was that they wouldn't let him play the Bach Sonata, the good news was that on his senior recital he could play jazz.
Aebersold met this with open arms and planned a jazz performance. They played a Pemberton arrangement in a combo for a packed house and |
were rewarded with a standing ovation. He went out to play an encore, something that was unheard of for a recital. After the performance, he avoided the Dean of the music school out of fear that he would scold him for the performance and even expel him from the school.
After he graduated, Aebersold moved back home to New Albany, Indiana. He started working for his father and took any playing gig that came his way. He was also "delighted not to have to go to classes [he] wasn't interested in" anymore. In the afternoons he gathered enough interested students to start a private studio and from this he was able to give young people experiences in jazz and improvisation. This led to him hosting a regular jazz combo and eventually to publishing his first play-along recording.
Improvisation for all musicians has been Aebersold's passion. His workshops (for those of all ages) and the 126 volumes play-along publications are evidence of this.
"If you can get people to improvise, that's what they'll do their entire life," he said. "They'll play music for enjoyment. Having music in front of you is good and bad – it can stifle creativity."
And although the way we receive materials such as Aebersold's has changed, the wave of technology doesn't distract him in his mission to bring jazz and improvisation to the masses. According to him, jazz will always be a relevant art form. He is also using new technology to spread his message and get information to more people
With his website, http://www.aebersold.com, students and others interested in learning more about improvisation and jazz |
(L-R) Ryan Ripperton, executive director, Jamey Aebersold and Matt Garber |
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can read more about Aebersold, find information about his workshops, discover new (and old) play-along books and recordings, and even follow Aebersold Jazz on Twitter (@aebersoldjazz).
Aebersold dreams of giving aspiring music teachers the skills they need to teach jazz and improvisation to their students.
"There's not enough being done now. It goes back to colleges who aren't doing enough with [future] teachers," he said. "I would love to see all the heads of college music departments and talk to them for an hour or two and encourage them to have a jazz pedagogy class. I thought it would have changed by now, but it hasn't."
When asked if he will use his "Man of Music" status to encourage this discussion, Aebersold said the more organizations that can gather together, the better and that Phi Mu Alpha would be a great organization to push for more awareness.
Aebersold is also involved in a number of other causes. For the past 15 years, he has been working with people of all ages to further the cause of tobacco cessation. He also runs a "prison ministry" where he sends instruments and other musical items to prisoners across the country.
"Music provides them a source of enjoyment and helps them keep their self worth," he said.
Ultimately, everything that Aebersold has done is a far cry from a fast-paced life in New York as a jazz musician and recording artist. However, he said he said he wouldn't change the outcome.
"Life has been very interesting; it's definitely not what I expected," he said. "My life has been very rewarding. It's hard to believe that I'm the oldest person in the room, I don't think of myself as being an adult. I think like a kid - everything is possible."
Aebersold's message to Sinfonians is a simple one. His motto is "Music for Life." And maybe more importantly: "Come to convention. Bring your horn. Keep spreading the word – music is good."
Special thanks to Andy Scheurer, Gamma Epsilon (Michigan State) '01, for writing this article. |
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