With Open Ears, Open Heart: An Interview With Lynne Arriale
© 2009, Andrea Canter
Although jazz by its nature is an ever-evolving art form, those of us in the audience often take for granted the stability of some of the long-standing contributors to the music. Bill Evans, despite changes in personnel over his career, was essentially married to the trio format. Oscar Peterson, too, was a champion of the trio, shifting to a quartet format in his later years. Although he has worked with symphonies and octets, Dave Brubeck will always be associated with the quartet. And Keith Jarrett, Brad Mehldau, and Lynne Arriale have sustained long-standing trio partnerships in the modern era.
Or at least that was true for Arriale until recently. After more than a decade and ten trio recordings that garnered critical acclaim if not true popularity with American audiences, pianist Arriale responded to a confluence of life changes with a shift in personnel, then a shift in instrumentation and creative direction, yielding what is arguably her most exciting work to date, Nuance: The Bennett Studio Sessions (released May 12th on Motema Records). A double dose of the new quartet with Randy Brecker, George Mraz and Anthony Pinciotti, the CD/DVD project still bears the unmistakable imprint of a formidable composer who reveres melody, yet also makes dramatically clear that melody is a point of departure, not a boundary. There’s a sense of awakening, of renewal, of discovery that permeates the two discs and, indeed, that seems to describe Lynne Arriale in 2009. Lynne shared with JazzINK her thoughts on this sea change and the forces that drive her music.
JI. Following a decade (or more) writing and playing in trio format, and particularly working with the same trio for many of those years, what motivated the change to the new quartet format?
LA. It seemed like time for a change. Music is music, whatever the configuration is. I treasure all of the years I spent with Steve [Davis] and Jay [Anderson], there’s something special about being able to concentrate on one thing, such as trio playing and work with that format, year after year.
I wanted to work with a quartet, and I had always wanted to record with Randy, so he came to mind immediately. Playing with him is so exciting; he’s so versatile, so able to go in any direction. So he was an obvious choice for me. I had played with Anthony before, and I feel that we have a wonderfully deep musical connection. This was the first time I had played with George or Randy. George is incredible―he brings a balance between support and interaction, and his lyricism is remarkable. The musical conversation is very stimulating; it takes us in different directions because there is a fourth voice.
Do you feel you are moving in a more “free” direction? I hear this particularly in your compositions as well arrangements, like “Crawfish and Gumbo” and your arrangement of “I Hear a Rhapsody.” Is the trumpet opening more directions?
I think, in general, that the music has opened up; I think it has become more free. I feel very much at home, that I can just allow the musical palette to expand. I’ve experienced some changes in my life in the past few years, and it seems that new energies are coming forth, and playing with a new group definitely stimulates different parts of my mind. It’s very much like meeting someone new and you find yourself saying things that don’t normally come up in conversation, probably because the energy from that person stimulates new areas of your consciousness and touches on areas that are not normally present. In the same way, with music, we can find new parts of ourselves that haven’t been accessed before. In a new conversation with different people, things are bound to change, we have to keep our ears open, our hearts open and really be listening and have sense of trust to let the music go wherever it goes.
What challenges or new opportunities have you faced in writing for an ensemble with horn?
I was specifically thinking of Randy when I was writing, listening to his recordings while I was writing to get the feel of his spirit...I got together with a group in Jacksonville, where I live, with Ray Callendar (trumpet/flugelhorn), Billy Thornton (bass) and Peter Miles (drums) and tried all kinds of different ways of approaching the tunes. I would ask Ray how a particular key felt to him, for example; I needed as much information from him as I could get. It’s not just a question of the range of the instrument, it’s also important how it sounds and where it feels really right to the player. I would go back and work with as many as four keys for a tune for several weeks in a row, figuring out what was comfortable for him and what sounded good to me.
There was a lot of preparation for the project. I wanted a certain richness in tunes which often meant choosing a different key. On “Ballad of the Sad Young Men,” for example, I went back and forth between having it played in D or E-flat. D had more of pathos than E flat, so I left it in D. I wanted the song to have a very lonely feel. First we tried it on flugel, but then I decided that the Harmon mute would impart a more stark sound.
I always want to treat each tune with the attention and respect that it deserves. “Ballad of the Sad Young Men,” was originally an AIDS anthem, and now that young people are going off to war, not knowing what their future will be; the tune has wider implication. I wanted the music to convey that. When I hear the trumpet with the Harmon mute, it reminds me of taps.
[At the recording session, where the four musicians played together for the first time]The musicians were so open to my expressing my concept for each tune and the specific things I was going for. Within each tune there was an inherent character that needed some explanation sometimes; I described what it was and the particular feel I was looking for. There was plenty of room for magic to occur….the unexpected, but everyone really embraced the music with open hearts.
The Lynne Arriale Quartet
(photo © R. Andrew Lepley)
Regarding Nuance: Why these particular covers (Sting, Monk, Wolf, etc)?
I’ve always loved “Ballad of the Sad Young Men.” It has a great “Americana” feel to it. And the Monk tune, “I Mean You” — I like having that drunken loose feel with another melody player. I intentionally played in a way that I might possibly be several beats behind where Randy was, which created that wobbly feeling.
I had thought of a way to present “Wrapped Around Your Finger” with the piano solo first, and the piano peaking while Randy came in. We intentionally had him start with high intensity, rather than having the band drop down as his solo was beginning. I continued my lines as he was soloing; that’s the texture I was going for. I wanted many things happening at once to add to the density; like a flurry of activity and the tension building from that point to a higher intensity.
Is “A Gentle Soul” dedicated to or inspired by someone in particular?
It is dedicated to all of the gentle souls in each one of us!
Monk seems to be following you across the album, not just “I Mean You” but in the use of odd rhythms and some playful themes. Was Monk a major influence early in your career?
I love Monk’s music, but I don’t consider him a direct influence. I think that the message from Monk is “be yourself!” His tunes are great vehicles for exploration, but the way I play them has no relationship to the way he plays them. His tunes provide such great material for improvisation and having fun. Imitating Monk, from my vantage point, would be like trying to imitate someone else’s personality. Music is so intensely personal; if we truly play from our hearts, it will be our own sound. I never played along with a Monk record or tried to transcribe his music. He is so unique—from my perspective, it goes against the grain to think about imitating him. I think that would be totally missing the point.
So rather it seems that Monk has been a source of inspiration—to be yourself. Have you drawn inspiration from other artists?
Yes, in the beginning: The bebop players—Bud Powell, Charlie Parker, etc. Later, Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett and Herbie Hancock. And I’ve been inspired tremendously by Richie Beirarch on all levels, but especially regarding motivic development. I’ve been influenced by the spirit of different players... not so much what they are playing, but the presence that comes through their music.
You’ve always said that the melody is the key.
For example: The melody of “Yada Yada Yada” gives us the motive for the solos—the foundations of all of our improvisations. We take this simple idea and use that rhythm and interval throughout the solo, varying it in many different ways. I wanted that, it gives the tune continuity and distinguishes it from what we often hear—just playing the melody and improvising, without a real, deep connection to the original melody. I like hearing the connection to the melody, as it creates a more cohesive musical piece; i.e., everything is related.
In my opinion, it is a greater challenge to play this way, because we are treating each tune as a special piece, rather than playing the melody and then improvising with material that could apply to any tune. I always ask my students the question, “Is ‘Billie’s Bounce’ the same tune as ‘Straight, No Chaser?’” They are both blues in the key of F, yet they are totally different tunes. Why would we just play our “blues material” when we improvise, without really taking into consideration what the essence of each particular tune is and reflecting that in our solos?
Sometimes journalists say things like “she sticks close to the melody,” which is actually not correct, in my opinion. I “use” the melody to have the improvisation be an organic outgrowth of the melody, and I also take motivic ideas from the melody and develop them in my improvisations. I think it is a greater challenge to do that than to “blow over the changes” (as challenging as that is) without any particular connection to the melody. It’s very similar to writing a paragraph, article or short story. There are ideas that are introduced, and they are developed throughout the piece. If that doesn’t occur, all we have is a series of unrelated sentences. In music, the same holds true: Every idea contains the seed for the next idea.
You sing as you compose. Do you, or did you ever, spend time listening to vocalists?
I have listened to vocalists over the years, but now I just sing to myself and try to pay attention to my “inner voice,” for lack of a better term. I’m listening and patiently waiting for ideas to come into my mind. I write every idea down without evaluating it; because if I were to try to decide if it was a good idea or not, I immediately would get out of the space I’m in. So, I might look over the melodies later and see how I feel when I am listening to them.
I have a ritual when I’m writing for a recording: I get up in morning and go right to the piano. I don’t turn on any music or radio, etc., so as to be as close to the sleep state as I can be. It’s easier to find melodies that I like when I do that. I think it’s because I haven’t had a chance to let my mind get in the way.
Lynne Arriale.
(Photo © R. Andrew Lepley)
How is the audience responding to the quartet vs the trio? Does the horn seem to change their response?The response has been wonderful. We just returned from a European tour, and each night the music opened up more; the tunes transformed and took different shapes, and the audience totally responded to what was happening in the group.
Are there differences in the audiences in the US versus Europe?
Not really, we have great audiences here and in Europe. But there are more venues in Europe. We’ve done two tours in the past two months, and there are more concerts coming up in the summer.
Do you foresee expanding into larger ensemble projects? Or smaller—you performed in Tampa as a solo last fall. Are you likely to do more solo performances or even a recording?
I have a solo recording planned for September. I am working on the music for it right now. I may do some larger projects in the future, but I like to focus on what’s happening right now.
You played with Benny Golson in the past year. Are you likely to do more with him?
I’ve played with Benny in several configurations—with the trio and Benny as our special guest, as well as with his “I Remember Clifford” project and various other quintet performances. I believe we have a concert in Europe during the summer. I also played with Benny, Rufus Reid and Anthony Pinciotti at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival. Benny is a tremendous inspiration in every way; I look forward to playing together again.
How did you end up at the University of North Florida?
I first moved to Tampa, then got the position of Assistant Professor of Jazz Piano and Director of Small Ensembles at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. I relocated about a year and a half ago… I love it. My colleagues are world class: Bunky Green (head of jazz), Danny Gottlieb (drums), Dennis Marks (bass), Barry Greene (guitar), Clarence Hines (arranging), Mark Dickman (low brass), J.B. Scott (trumpet) and Michelle Amato (vocals). I’m thrilled to be part of the faculty.
How do you translate your experience as a touring musician to the classroom?
I lived in New York for fourteen years and had the opportunity to hear and play with such inspiring, masterful musicians. That influenced my entire musical outlook. Being on the road teaches us many things that we really can’t learn any other way; it strengthens us, and teaches us how to rise to the occasion, no matter how we are feeling physically. Often, the circumstances might not be optimal, but that is part of what shapes us professionally―to learn how to handle different challenges and always give everything we have to our audiences.
Does teaching influence you as a performer?
Absolutely. I have learned how to explain things in many different ways over the years. Everyone’s mind is different. It helps me in my own process to be able to find different solutions to my challenges.
For a review of Nuance, click here.