Although I'm primarily a pianist, I've always been fascinated with the drums. On the rare occasions that I play drums on a gig, people will ask me if I took lessons. I didn't have many lessons, but I consider my lessons to be the opportunities I have had to play with so many great and varied drummers. Since I recently got to play with a bunch of great drummers all in the space of two weeks(Warren Wolf, Bill Stewart, Chris Brown, Kelby McNayr, and John Davis respectively), I started making a list. I decided to try to think of ALL the drummers I had played at least one tune with since 1989-ish. The more I thought about it, the more drummers I had to add to the list. Some of these are drummers I have spent a lot of time with over the years. Some were drummers I played with in my formative years. Some are drummers I might have played with once at a jam session, or recorded with once. Be that as it may, it was quite a trip down memory lane compiling this list.( I know I am missing somebody-if you think I left you out, tell me! I didn't leave anyone out intentionally.
It's nostalgic to compile this list because it reminds me of my years in New York, and all of the great opportunities I had to make a living as a freelance musician. It's also a strange feeling to look at that list and think about people whom I spent time with years ago making great music and now I rarely see them. Facebook is no substitute for musical and personal interaction. Music is meant to be played, not ranted about on social media!
Again, if I forgot you, tell me! Also, these are in no particular order.
List Of Drummers I've Played With:
Jack DeJohnette
Bill Stewart
Ralph Peterson
Al Foster
Lenny White
Terri Lynne Carrington
Cindy Blackman
Billy Hart
Rodney Holmes
Billy Higgins
Carl Allen
Jeff Watts
Mike Clark
Harvey Mason
Dave Weckl
Marvin Smitty Smith
Dennis Chambers
Clarence Penn
Greg Hutchinson
Jon Seligman
Mike Smith
Matt Wilson
Phil Haynes
Keith Carlock
Jordan Perlson
Johnathan Blake
EJ Strickland
Towner Galaher
Gene Lake
Gene Jackson
Nate Wood
Chris Carroll
John "Smiley" Wilson
Damon Duwhite
Steve Johns
Keith Kilgo
Adam Cruz
Jeff Ballard
Victor Lewis
Jochen Ruckert
Ari Hoenig
Brian Blade
Idris Muhammed
Greg Bandy
Rudy Royston
Quincy Davis
Lewis Nash
Ali Jackson
Joe Saylor
Jeff Hirschfield
Steve Williams
Mark Johnson
Byron Landham
John Arnold
Jimmy Cobb
Mickey Roker
Vince Davis
Owen Hart
Jeff Williams
Aaron Walker
Lenny Robinson
Nasar Abedey
Kush Abeday
Damian Reid
Tony Martucci
Warren Wolf
Larry Banks
Alvester Garnett
Adam Niewood
Lee Pearson
Bryan Carter
Harold Summey
William Goffigen
Tom Rainey
Peter MacDonald
Sylvia Cuenca
Vanderlai Pereira
Larry Bright
Steve Hass
Bob Moses
Lionel Cordew
John Lampkin III
Billy Drummond
Howard Curtis
Colin Stranahan
Marc Miralta
Jordi Rossi
Adam Stranburg
Jamire Williams
Donald Edwards
Billy Murphy
Chris Perry
Paul Hildner
Chuck Carna
Phil Cunneff
Micah Hummel
Milo Peterson
Ben Dixon
Jim Hannah
Leon Parker
Obed Calvaire
Tommy Campbell
Owen Howard
Tyson Stubelek
Morten Lund
Anders Mogensen
Alan Jones
Mel Brown
Troy Davis
Howard Franklin
Ron Steen
Todd Strait
Mike Kuhl
Chris Brown
Jason Palmer
Reinhardt Melz
Terry Clarke
Jesse Cahill
Jeremy Blynn
Scott Peaker
Vince Ector
Cecil Brooks III
Kenwood Dennard
Jim Douglas
Nick Fraser
Sam Foulger
Jaime Carrasco
Woody Williams
Dwayne Cook Broadnax
Jim Orso
Drori Mondlak
Adonis Rose
Mark Kolenburg
Steve Davis
Hans Schumann
Dion Parson
Rodney Greene
Scott McLemore
Kendrick Scott
John Bishop
Matt Jorgensen
Curtis Nowosad
David Gibson
Keith Hall
Ted Poor
Ulysses Owens
Alvin Atkinson
Terreon Gully
Ted Warren
Pete Retzlaff
Ian Fromann
Marcello Pelletteri
Kenny Wolleson
Ben Perowsky
Ben Whitman
Mark Griffith
Daniel Freedman
Allison Miller Shingo Okudaira
George Schuller
Ryan Biesack
Danny Fischer
Falk Willis
Gabriel Globus-Hoenich
Adrian Greene
Vinnie Colaiuta
Marlon Browden
Brian Melvin
Johnathan Pinson
Tom Williams
Shane Endsley
Nicholas Payton
Eric Harland
Phil Stewart
Eric Halverson
Roland Schneider
Louis Hayes
Gary Hobbs
Jaimeo Brown
Darrell Green Camille Gainer
Ricky Loza
Rick Montalbano
Jakob Hoyer
Dana Hall
George Fludas
Bobby Durham
Greg Grainger
Will Calhoun
Chuck Braman
Joe Farnsworth
Henry Cole
Aaron Kimmel
George Gray
Jay Moody
Steve Weinless
Tony Jefferson
Tony Leone
Tony Sweet
Eric Kennedy
Joe Strasser
Wilby Fletcher
Pete Van Nostrand
Phil Yoon
Adam Carlson
Fred Kennedy
Charles Neal
Darren Beckett
Grant Pierce
Dave Lang
Jon Wikan
Eric MacPherson
Nasheet Waits
George Jones
Warren Shad
Steve Lyman
Tim Paxton
Michael Raynor
Dafnis Prieto
Tyshawn Sorey
Rob Garcia
Ryan Diehl
Dominic Smith
Oleg Butman
Eugene Ryaboy
Joe Chambers
Dick Berk
Guillermo Magill
Susie Ibarra
Otis Brown III
John Davis
Adam Nussbaum
Karriem Riggins
Herlin Riley
Kendrick Scott
Jon Rae
Gene Caldarazzo
Tom Bancroft
Sherrie Maricle
Kenny Grohowski
Tina Raymond
Neal Smith
Nathaniel Townsley
Willard Dyson
Tim Rap
Kelby McNayr
Tom Pollard
Kevin Congleton
Duncan Branom
Randy Rollofson
Charlie Doggett
Mark Ferber
Jon Huteson
Mario Sandoval
Brandon Braun
Dana Elizabeth
Jason Marsalis
Winard Harper
Dan Weiss
Scott Cutshall
Carlton Jackson
Brad Turner
Don Daumit
Harold Mann
Sean Rickmann
Jim West
Rod Youngs
David Haynes
Matt Mayhall
Tony Moreno
Gerry Gibbs
John Hollenbeck
Justin Faulkner
Anthony Pinciotti
Josh Dixon
Dan Reiser
Justin Tracy James Johnson III
Mark DiFlorio
Pheeroan Aklaff
John Mettam
Dane Richeson
Cordero Kingsley
Charles Ruggerio
Tony Reedus
Chuck Redd
Mark Taylor
Horacee Arnold
Mark Gilmore
Marcus Gilmore
Jeff Boudreaux
Shai Zelman
Masanori Amakura
Richard Seals
Mike Sarin
Bruce Cox
Justin Greville
Billy Kilson
Tommy Crane
Bernard Purdie
Derrick Phillips
Chris Dave
Mike Petrosino Diego Voglino
Paul Wells
Drummers I would like to play with someday:
Roy Haynes
Marcus Baylor
Ben Riley
Billy Cobham
Peter Erskine
Joey Barron
David King
Jim Black
I'm getting geared up for our 3rd annual jazz camp. Our special guest, Dr, Alex Norris, is one of the greatest musicians you will ever meet. There are few trumpet players with as much information. His improvisational vocabulary rivals saxophone players! Additionally, we are happy to have another special guest: bassist David Ephross, who has been on the New York scene for over 20 years. The camp is geared towards all levels. We hope to see you there!
Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble in Co-sponsorship with Portland
State University present “The Shed” Third Annual Portland State Summer
Jazz Camp, July 14-18 in Lincoln Hall on the campus of Portland State University
Director George Colligan
featuring special guest New York trumpet star Alex Norris
additional faculty includes
Darrell Grant
Charley Gray
David Ephross
David Valdez
Dan Balmer
Ryan Meagher
Jeff Baker
and many others
(for more infö email ghc@pdx.edu or go to http://theshedjazzworkshop.wordpress.com/
Now in its 3rd year,
Portland State University’s Summer Jazz Intensive Workshop is open to
high school, college and adult instrumentalists. “The Shed” is based
around a select repertoire of jazz tunes. We accept students of all
levels and ages. Activities include jam sessions, coached ensemble
sessions, masterclasses, lectures, group lessons, and concerts. It’s a
great way to develop your skills as a jazz improviser in a fun and
friendly environment.
Our special guest this year is trumpeter Alex Norris. Dr. Norris has
spent 2 decades in New York playing with many of the greats in jazz,
including Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Chris Potter, Stefon, Harris,
Carl Allen, Eric Alexander, John Pattitucci, and Brian Blade.
Additionally, in the Pop/R&B world, Norris has toured and/or
recorded with Incognito, US3, Philip Bailey, Steve Winwood, Gloria
Estefan & Miami Sound Machine, and Jon Secada.
PLACEMENT AUDITION
Students will audition for placement in combos on Monday morning, July 14th.
Check back soon for information on what to prepare for this audition.
__________________________________________________________
LODGING
On campus lodging is available for student enrolled in The Shed Workshop through Portland State Campus Housing.
Horace Silver was one of the giants of jazz. One of the creators of Hard Bop, Horace Silver brought jazz back to it's funky, soulful, bluesy roots. Furthermore, he was one of the most prolific jazz composers. As a bandleader, he was comparable to Art Blakey, Miles Davis, and Betty Carter, in that getting a chance to play with him meant the "seal of approval". As a pianist, his percussive attack, thundering left hand, aggressive comping, and clear, direct right hand were unmistakeable. Horace Silver has left us a huge body of compositions to play(everybody knows "Song For My Father," "Peace," Strollin," and "Nica's Dream") as well as a huge discography to listen to. I've always thought it was interesting that as great a musical force as Horace Silver was, it seemed as though most jazz pianists don't claim his as an influence. Horace Silver died yesterday after a number of years of declining health. I did a tribute to his music this past December in Portland for the PDX jazz series. Let's continue to listen to Silver's music; let's continue to perform his compositions. RIP Horace Silver.
During one of our student performances, one of our loyal community supporters leaned over and said, " You must be kvelling right now, no?" I said, " Absolutely!" She smiled, " Do you know what kvelling means?" I said, " Yes I do!" I'm not fluent in Yiddish, mind you, but I know the words that have infiltrated every day conversation (at least in New York City, bubelah). It means, " bursting with pride." When you teach students for an extended period of time, they almost become like your children; you want the best for them and you want to see them succeed. So when they do, you feel pride, and it's a joyous occasion. Hence, the kvelling( I'm a little verklempt over here....).
It's recital season at Portland State University, so we are seeing a lot of students present finished products, or close to finished products. While there is always room for improvement, it's nice to actually step back and listen to the music the students are playing and enjoy it. Sure, train wrecks happen and wrong notes occur. Guess what? It happens to professionals as well. While I want to hold students to as high a standard as possible, I don't want anyone to become so worried about performing that it sucks the enjoyment out of the experience.
It's interesting for me to observe how students really put a lot of effort into their recitals. It's a special occasion; people dress up(for Portland, anyway), they put lights on the stage, they invite their families, they make food. I have fond memories of getting geared up for big performances when I was in high school; as a professional, even playing with greats and getting paid, a gig is a gig is a gig. I'm a bit jaded after being a professional for almost 25 years. It's great to see folks at the beginning of their careers who are full of promise and energy.
Last night, I went to a different sort of performance; my son Liam performed at his pre-school with all of the other kids. He played one of the dragons. He really enjoyed getting up and "roaring" in his costume. Most people had a good time, but one little girl who was playing one of the fairies got nervous and started crying. It made me think of how being a musicians and being an actor are similar yet different. We are both "performers," yet, musicians can hide behind their instruments. Actors tend to be people that "love the spotlight," that feel comfortable getting up and jumping around in front of everyone. Musicians spend so much time alone in the practice room and can oftentimes end up being introverts. As comfortable as I feel being on stage with an instrument, I don't know how comfortable I would be getting up to do acting. I definitely couldn't be a dragon as well as Liam!
Although I've had more than my share of luck and success as an accidental jazz pianist, I was very interested in the drums. I recall that during my frustrating freshman year at Peabody Conservatory, I had secret fantasies of transferring to Berklee College of Music or The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music and switching my major to drums. I did graduate from Peabody with a degree in Trumpet and Music Education, however, by that time, I was pretty much on my way to playing piano full time. ( I actually sold all of my trumpets upon graduation in 1991, and didn't own a trumpet again until 1998.) Even so, I still maintained a fascination with drums and drumming. I believe that rhythm is the essential and distinctive element of American music. It's the most primal and universal regardless of simplicity or complexity. ( I have a great memory of hearing Steve Coleman's group at the Jazz Gallery many years ago. I had ingested a large quantity of Nyquil, as I had a terrible cold. I didn't know what meter Coleman's music was in, but I really enjoyed the grooves and the angular improvisations. Coleman's music is based on drum chants, which are essentially complex "claves" similar to African or Afro Cuban music, and it gives the music a foundational structure from which to expound upon. I remember thinking that people could have easily danced to this music if it wasn't a "jazz club.")
I'm still interested in developing my skills as a drummer. One thing that drummers spend a lot of time
doing is practicing rudiments or exercises with a metronome. The metronome is a device which we use to set a mechanically consistent tempo and play selected passages along with the device so as to make our timing as consistent as possible. Although there were earlier attempts to invent such devices, the metronome as we know it was invented in Amsterdam in 1814 by Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel, although someone named Johann Maelzel may have lifted the idea and patented it himself in 1815. Beethoven was the first famous composer to write "metronome markings" in his music ( for example, Quarter Note= 150 and so forth). Now, stand alone metronomes are quite advanced; musicians use things called "Dr. Beat" to program odd meters and other complicated rhythmic training exercises. Furthermore, the use of computer software has given a whole new meaning to the idea of rhythmic precision. Studio drummers are expected to be able to play along with "the click," or "click track." (I've had to do this in various studio settings as a drummer, and it is not easy. Many "jazz" drummers have a hard time with this.) In fact, the use of virtual software instruments has gotten to the point where if you want your drum track to be absolutely 100 percent precise, you can just program drums that sound almost exactly like real drums, thereby eliminating the need to make a drummer sit there and try to "play with the click."
It's interesting that when I looked up "metronome" on Wikipedia, I discovered this controversy:
Human beings seldom play music at an exact tempo with all the beats
exactly the same. This makes it impossible to align metronome clicks
with the beats of a musically expressive performance. This also has led many musicians to criticize use of a metronome. "Metronome Time" has been shown to differ from "Musical Time".
Some go as far as to suggest that metronomes shouldn't be used by
musicians at all. The same criticism has been applied to metronome
markings as well.
And there were several interesting quotes which were against the metronome:
The metronome has no real musical value. I repeat, the metronome
has no value whatsoever as an aid to any action or performance that is
musical in intention. [...] refer by analogy to the sister art of
drawing. Graphic artists understand well enough the essential and
generic difference that exists between mechanically-aided drawing on the
one hand and freehand on the other. Similarly, musicians ought to
distinguish between (1) the sort of timing that results from dull,
slavish obedience to the ticking of a soulless machine, and (2) that
noble swing and perfect control of pulsation which comes into our
playing after years of practice in treating and training the sense of
time as a free, creative human faculty.
—The Amateur String Quartet by James Brown III
... this series of even, perfectly quantized, 16th notes, is no more evocative of samba, than a metronome would be. In fact, this representation neglects what
makes up the samba essence in the first place — the swing!
—Understanding the Samba Groove by Pedro Batista
[...] using the metronome as a constant guide to ramp up the speed
or to keep the rhythm. This is one of the worst abuses of the
metronome. [...] If over used, it can lead to loss of your internal
rhythm, loss of musicality, and bio-physical difficulties from
over-exposure to rigid repetition
—Fundamentals of Piano Practice by Chuan C. Chang
Reading these quotes makes me very conflicted; one of the first things I ask my students who are having trouble with rhythm is, "Do you practice with a metronome?" (It's also weird because I don't practice with a metronome very often, although I did when I was younger. I used to spend a lot of time recording seqence tracks on keyboards and then in the computer program Logic, so I spent time "playing to the click," so to speak.) My students will say that they use the metronome, but It's hard for me to tell. I think you should use the metronome for practicing certain grooves or passages, but it's true that you also have to develop your own sense of internal time; you can't use the metronome as a crutch. You can't(well, you shouldn't....) have a metronome on stage while you play( I realize some bands play to a click....). You need to develop your sense of how to play with others. This might be actually more important that having good time. Bands that sound good fluctuate TOGETHER; they shift with each other as they play. I also suggest playing along with recordings, which I think can be highly beneficial for young musicians.
I found something called "In Search Of The Click Track" which really blew me away. The site shows various drummers performances with the tempo fluctuation interpreted by a graph. The real human drummers had lots of fluctuation, while the pop songs with "The Machine" were flat-lined. Stewart Copeland, the drummer from The Police, had a lot of fluctuation, as did Bernard Purdie on James
Bernard Purdie, one of the most recorded drummers
Brown's "Say It Loud(I'm Black And I'm Proud)." It just made me think about whether we want our music to be metronomic or just have a good feel and not worry about it so much. I think if you are rushing or dragging enough to where it's really noticeable, then it needs to be addressed. However, I think having a little bit of wiggle room is good for the future of music made by humans rather than by computers. Computers and metronomes are tools for humans to create music. We shouldn't be slaves to them.
On that note, I leave you with a decidedly human track from a forthcoming album I'm working on. This features my band Theoretical Planets, which is Jon Lakey on bass, Nicole Glover on tenor and soprano saxes and Joe Manis on tenor and alto saxes. Enjoy!
Although it's common knowledge that when it comes to making money in music, jazz doesn't seem to be the easiest way to do it; although there are people who make a good living as jazz musicians, the majority of professional jazzers have to augment their living with teaching at the very least, if not a full time day job or outright separate profession altogether. We know that the market share in the United States for jazz is around 3%, if even that. Despite the doom and gloom, college jazz music programs chug along, churning out musicians who, if they are talented and work hard, will face challenges, and if they are less talented and work less hard, are going to be in for a rude awakening.
Meanwhile, south of the Mason-Dixon line, another style of music (which shares some common heritage with jazz) is flourishing: Country Music. Although not as popular statistically as Rock or Pop, according to the Nielsen Soundscan Sales Records, you can see that Country is moving up faster than other categories. For example, in Digital Album Sales, Jazz was down by 3%( the only genre that went down in this category, sadly.) while Country went up over 37%! That's more than any other genre.
Genre Total Album Sales
Genre Digital Album Sales
(In Millions)
(In Millions)
Genre
2012
2011
% Chg.
Genre
2012
2011
% Chg.
Alternative
52.2
54.6
-4.30%
Alternative
26.7
24.4
9.50%
Christian/Gospel*
22.9
23.7
-3.40%
Christian/Gospel*
5.3
4.8
11.10%
Classical
7.5
9.4
-20.50%
Classical
2.6
2.3
14.60%
Country
44.6
42.8
4.20%
Country
11.2
8.1
37.80%
Dance/Electronic
8.7
9.9
-12.00%
Dance/Electronic
4.9
4.8
1.20%
Jazz
8.1
11
-26.20%
Jazz
2.5
2.6
-3.60%
Latin
9.7
11.7
-17.60%
Latin
1.4
1.1
23.20%
Metal
31.9
31.9
-0.30%
Metal
11.2
9.6
16.30%
New Age
1.7
1.9
-12.90%
New Age
0.6
0.6
13.60%
R&B
49.7
55.3
-10.20%
R&B
16.3
14.8
10.20%
Rap
24.2
27.3
-11.40%
Rap
10.7
9.3
14.70%
Rock
102.5
100.5
2.00%
Rock
43.1
36.3
18.80%
Soundtrack
12.3
13
-5.20%
Soundtrack
6
5.4
12.70%
Country has been doing so well in the past few decades that SESAC (the Performing Rights Organization which I utilize to collect my royalties for airplay and so forth), which used to seek out indie jazz musicians in the 90's, put a halt to that and moved their offices from New York to Nashville( Music City U.S.A. and the center of Country music recording).
If we care at all about whether our students are able to earn a living in music, is it not within the realm of possibility to consider that perhaps we are leading them down the wrong path by pushing jazz on them? I say this because many of my students have a sort of vague idea of what they want to do in music when they graduate. It ranges from , "I wanna teach," to " I wanna do studio work," to " I want a job like the one you have, " to "I wanna be in a sweet-ass rock band." I find that many young jazz students don't automatically have an ingrown love of jazz music, or much of a relationship with it outside of playing in their high school big band and maybe a few youtube videos. Many students, even ones who diligently practice, still have trouble playing jazz authentically because they don't listen to it on a regular basis and don't hear the nuance in the rhythm and phrasing. Furthermore, the skills required to be a really great jazz musician take hours of practice and even then the goal of being able to play something like "Giant Steps" can still be somewhat elusive for some.
I know some of you are going to think I'm insane, and I probably am( it was the CRNs that pushed me over the edge, ha ha) but why should we not have a Country Music program? Indeed, whether you love country music or not, you have to admit that there is a demand for it. It's certainly way more popular than jazz. It's probably a lot easier than jazz, in terms of technical skill( no value judgement, by the way.) If students don't have any predisposition for any particular genre, why not steer them towards one which will give them more possibility of financial gain?
I was thinking about this because I am actually fairly ignorant regarding country music. This is in part because, being an East Coast College Educated Liberal Elitist whatever you wanna call me, I have a probably unfair prejudice against country music; I associate it with white people in cowboy hats, pick up trucks, voting for Republicans and terrorizing minorities. Although it would be naive to think that many country music fans don't fall into the Conservative- Pro- Gun -Anti- Abortion -Hate- Non -White- South- Will -Rise- Again box, things have changed and it's not as cut and dry geographically. Look at Austin, Texas; it's almost as weird and liberal as Portland. Heck, the entire state of Texas, in political terms, could potentially be a blue state by the next election(due to the rise in the Latino population, and maybe because white folks are waking up? Maybe because Governor Rick Perry is so embarrassing?).
It's unfortunate that my own political prejudice kept me from listening to certain music. It's interesting to note that Johnny Cash, considered one of the greatest heroes of Country Music, would probably be considered a bleeding heart liberal in today's climate. Here's a quote from an article from The Daily Beast:
A few years after he recorded Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian (1965)—a
record filled with references to Native Americans being
marginalized—Cash performed at the St. Francis Indian
Johnny Cash
Mission in South
Dakota to help raise funds for a new school. He clearly related to the
economic despair he saw, but could not understand why the government had
not stepped in the way it had intervened to help his family during the
Great Depression. “I wonder where in the hell’s the federal aid, the
state aid, where’s the funds the people’s supposed to have for things
like this?” This was an artist whose politics came from the gut.
Another interesting thing to note about Country Music ( white as we believe it to be , and which before the 1940's was referred to as hillbilly music),is that Wikipedia claims it owes a debt, just like every other form of American music, to the African American experience:
Country music is often erroneously thought of as solely the creation of
European Americans. However, a great deal of style—and of course, the
banjo, a major instrument in most early American folk songs—came from African Americans.
One of the reasons country music was created by African Americans, as
well as European Americans, is because blacks and whites in rural
communities in the south often worked and played together, just as
recollected by DeFord Bailey in the PBS documentary, DeFord Bailey: A Legend Lost. Influential black guitarist Arnold Shultz, known as the primary source for thumb style, or Travis picking, played with white musicians in west-central Kentucky.
I also found this tidbit about another God of Country Music, Hank Williams, interesting:
Rufus Payne(an African American street performer) met Hank Williams Sr. when Hank was eight years old and
according to his Jr., Rufus would come around and play Hank Williams Sr.
guitar. Tee Tot(Payne) is best known for being a mentor to Hank Williams, Sr. His influence in exposing Williams to blues and other African American influences helped Williams successfully fuse hillbilly, folk and blues into his own unique style, which in turn expanded and exposed both white and black audiences to the differing sounds.
I'm starting to open my mind towards country music. I spent all weekend with a Johnny Cash CD in the CD Player in my car. It's a "Lost Session" album; I bought it at Starbucks. It's not bad; I and my 4 year old son found Cash's bass -baritone voice to be soothing(my son said, "This is relaxing music!"). Meanwhile, my jazz pianist wife kept begging me to turn it off!( I think she believes I've gone batty. Blame it on the CRNs.....)
Clearly, I'm no expert in Country music. If we were going to add country music to our curriculum, I wouldn't, at this point, feel remotely qualified to teach a class on it, much less teach a class on melodic metalcore( so many types of metal, bro....). So where would we look to find a model for our new Bachelor of Music in Country Music Studies? Yes, I did a search for this, and all I could find was at East Tennessee State University, they have in their Department of Appalachian Studies a Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies program!
Founded 30 years ago in 1982 by Jack Tottle, Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies at East Tennesse
State University is the oldest established program of its kind at any
four-year institution. This unique program has thrived on the
philosophies of preserving the musical traditions rooted in Appalachian
culture while at the same time encouraging creativity and development of
prevailing styles. Students from around the globe come to ETSU
exclusively to study the music of the mountains in the rich cultural
hearth of Northeast Tennessee.
If you are serious about pursuing a full-time career in
music we suggest you look closely at our new Bachelor of Arts degree in
Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies – the only degree of its
kind in the world.
If you look at the alumnipage and see how many "Album Of The Year" awards their graduates have won( including Kenny Chesney), then maybe you might start to wonder if we should change our tune, literally. Maybe, although I believe that success in any musical genre is not guaranteed. A graduate of a jazz program might wanna think about moving to New York City, whereas a Country Music person might want to consider Nashville; both are almost impossibly competitive. Check out this article on what NOT to do in Nashville. It's clearly not a walk in the park. It seems as though musicians on both the jazz scene and the country scenes experience a lot of paying dues more often than overnight stardom and success.
I actually asked my Guitar Heroes class the other day, " If you had a choice between a country music program and a jazz program, which would you choose?" Well, they all said jazz, and the reasoning was that studying jazz gives you the skill to learn any genre of music. Ok, Cool!
I suppose in theory this is true. I don't believe you can play jazz on a high level if you don't really commit to it. Do we want to graduate an army of musicians who, because they look at jazz as a stepping stone to some other unnamed genre of their choosing, play jazz only well enough to pass their classes? I'm not really sure. My gut says no. (But this is already happening, unfortunately.)
But what is the definitive answer to my original question? Should we add Country Music to our program at PSU? Well, if you read this article, the answer is a resounding NO! While browsing for information on Country Music, I happened upon this by Steve Slack of Wayne University and Jim Gundlach of Auburn University; they have done extensive research on " The Effect Of Country Music On Suicide." ( I am not making this up!)
In this article, we explore the link between a particular form of popular music(country music) and metropolitan suicide rates. We contend that the themes found in country music foster a suicidal mood among people already at the risk of suicide and that it is thereby associated with a high suicide rate. The effect is buttressed by the country subculture and a link between this subculture and a racial status related to an increased suicide risk.
Holy Waylon Jennings! It's an 8 page article which links Country Music airplay to white suicide. I guess we might want to hold off on changing our curriculum. Perhaps Country Music albums should come with a warning label? We don't want to lead anyone to suicide, that's for sure. I guess I'll have to put a hold on my outline for a Norwegian Black Metal ensemble as well.......
