San Francisco Chronicle: Channeling Miles, plust hot new licks
Jazzschool trumpet concerts honor legacy, introduce new talent

  Jerry Karp, Special to The Chronicle Saturday, August 7, 2004

The past, present and future of jazz trumpet will be on display during the next two weeks at two concerts at the Jazzschool, a nonprofit jazz education venue and performance space in downtown Berkeley.

On Aug. 14, veteran performer Bill Ortiz will present a tribute concert to Miles Davis. And on Aug. 21, Ambrose Akinmusire, who at 22 is already performing with major contemporary jazz stars, will show off his razor-sharp sound in a concert featuring original compositions.

The Jazzschool is the 7-year-old brainchild of director Susan Muscarella, former director of the jazz program at UC Berkeley. The school offers classes for musicians of all ages and skill levels, with instruction for a wide range of instruments, including singing, composing, arranging, improvisation and music history. Student and faculty jam sessions are an integral part of the mix, with the faculty list boasting an impressive roster of local jazz instructors and performers.

"My concept is to offer students a comprehensive curriculum and to combine their studies with performance opportunities," says Muscarella, who took out a loan against her house to open the original facility. "At the end of each quarter, students sign up for a performance so they're able to apply all that they've learned in the classroom."

The Ortiz and Akinmusire trumpet showcases are part of a continuing concert series that often includes nationally known jazz players. Concerts take place in the school's intimate performance space. Ortiz has served as band member and sideman in just about every form of popular music. Known especially for his skills as a Latin and Afro-Cuban trumpeter, the 46-year-old San Francisco native has spent significant time with Tito Puente, the Pete Escovedo Orchestra and John Santos' Machete Ensemble. But just a partial list of Ortiz's additional activities includes swing-blues with Lavay Smith's Red Hot Skillet Lickers, blues rock with Boz Scaggs and Latin rock with Santana. From 1988 to '95, he played progressive, "outside" jazz in bands led by Peter Apfelbaum and Don Cherry. Clearly, the man can play it all.

Speaking by phone from Montreux, Switzerland, during his tour of Europe with Santana, Ortiz says his ensemble for the Jazzschool evening will include saxophonist Charles McNeal, pianist Dave Matthews, guitarist Ray Obiedo, bassist Peter Barshay and drummer Darrell Green. During the first set, the band will explore Davis' music from the '50s and '60s. After the break, they'll delve into some Davis' electric ventures of the '70s.

The goal is not just to play Davis' music, Ortiz says, but also to touch on his musical philosophy. "Miles changed the sound of the trumpet, but his influence goes beyond the trumpet to his musical vision. He broke from the standard arrangement where every song consisted of an opening melody followed by a series of solos. He described it as 'playing inside the music.' The piece would be different from night to night, with a lot of interplay between the soloists, so the arrangement itself was being improvised. When you approach music that way, you feel inspired every night, because you're playing different music each time."

The concert will rely heavily on improvised interplay between the musicians, Ortiz says. "If you're going to do a Miles Davis tribute," he says, "you can't just play the songs, you have to tap into the essence of what he did."

Rising trumpet star Akinmusire, an Oakland native and graduate of Berkeley High School's high-powered jazz program, still has a semester to go in his studies at the Manhattan School of Music, but he's already toured Europe with the influential jazz/groove sax man Steve Coleman and performed and recorded with innovative leaders such as saxophonist Greg Osby and pianist Vijay Iyer.

For his Jazzschool show, Akinmusire will front an impressive band of local young talent, including saxophonist Dayna Stephens, guitarist Charles Altura, bass player Davel Ewel and, once again, Green. The group will play pieces created by Akinmusire especially for this performance.

"Any time I have a gig," the trumpeter says, "I write specific compositions for that gig, with particular people in mind. We'll have a lot of rehearsal time, so it should be fun."

Akinmusire's fascination with music became apparent to his family when, at the age of 3, he began running up to the front of his family's church each Sunday to bang on the piano. "They used to think I was just crazy," he says, laughing, "but finally my mom said, 'Maybe I should just get him piano lessons. ' "

By high school, Akinmusire had switched to trumpet. And while his studies had brought him into contact with trumpet masters such as Lester Bowie and Nicholas Payton, Akinmusire says that Roy Hargrove was the first big-time trumpeter to really influence his career.

"I met Roy when I was in 11th grade, at the Monterey Jazz Festival," Akinmusire remembers. "I could really associate with him. He was just so honest with the music. I went up to him, and he was totally cool. He gave me his number without having heard me play a note. He came back, maybe three or four months later, with Johnny Griffin, and he gave me lessons. He was really inspiring. So I started practicing harder after that. I never wanted to play like Roy Hargrove. I've just always wanted to be as honest with the music as he is.

"I'm trying to swing and also do something modern that's challenging and try to grab from other cultures, as well. So I'm trying to do it all and also fit it into something that my generation can relate to."

One big fan of Akinmusire's music is Ortiz. "I love Ambrose's playing," the veteran musician says. "He's a great player. For many, many years, there was a drought of young players. But over the past few years, there's been a huge number of young players coming up like Ambrose. It's really encouraging to see players that young playing with that level of maturity."

San Francisco Chronicle: Channeling Miles, plus hot new licks