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by Seth Rogovoy
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., Aug. 29, 1996 -- The annual Tanglewood Jazz Festival never has a purported theme, other than a little bit of this and a little bit of that. But this year, whether by design or sheerly by coincidence, the festival boasts a mini-theme of sorts. Nearly half of the musicians at Tanglewood this weekend -- every one performing in the afternoon shows -- is the son of a jazz musician.
To drive the point home, one of them, guitarist/singer John Pizzarelli, is even bringing along his dad, famed guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli. Another, T.S. Monk Jr. -- the initials stand for Thelonious Sphere, same as his dad -- is the son of the legendary pianist and composer. And while the fathers of Joe Lovano and Christian McBride were never household names, both were working musicians whose chosen careers greatly influenced that of their sons.
The fact is that if you pick any group of jazz musicians younger than 40, you are likely to find more than a few who are chips off the old block. Among other so-called young lions of jazz playing in their fathers' footsteps are Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Joshua Redman, Nicholas Payton and Robbie Coltrane.
"When you have blood of that magnitude, I guess in some way, shape or form, it's going to run into you," said bassist Christian McBride, in a phone interview from his New York apartment. McBride's father, Lee Smith, played bass with the Delfonics, Billy Paul, Blue Magic and Major Harris. His great uncle, Howard Cooper, also played acoustic bass, with such avant-garde musicians as Sunny Murray and Byard Lancaster. Even sons of legendary musicians who don't play, they definitely know something about the music that someone else doesn't know, said McBride.
Tony Big T Lovano played tenor saxophone in what his son, Joe Lovano, describes as a thriving club scene in Cleveland in the '60s. Thus, the young, aspiring saxophonist was exposed very early on to such greats as Sonny Stitt, James Moody, Dizzy Gillespie, Lester Young and Rahsaahn Roland Kirk. As a teen-ager, Lovano was even able to sit in with some of these performers.
"I definitely had the advantage of my dad's experience, and he drew me into it," said Lovano in a phone interview from his country getaway in the Hudson River Valley. But it was more than just the scene itself that Lovano was exposed to. "For me, just growing up like that, you grew up with not just the sound of jazz around but you heard someone playing live all the time around you. That's really a heavy influence. That's the deepest influence you could have, to hear that tone or that sound."
Perhaps no one had quite the first-hand education or exposure to great jazz musicians as T.S. Monk Jr. His father's home was legendary as a gathering place and practice room for musicians like Art Blakey, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach. Roach gave him his first pair of drum sticks and Blakey gave him his first full drum set. He even played drums in his father's band for two years.
Monk pere, however, was a notoriously taciturn man, and when it actually came to discussing music, few words were exchanged between father and son. "My father never said anything to me about music," said Monk in a phone interview from his New Jersey home. "He talked to me about music for about five minutes once when I was 15." After his short stint playing with his dad, Monk went his own way, playing funk in his own band in the early '80s. My father's motto was do your own thing. So I did.
Having a famous jazz musician for a father is not all it's cracked up to be. Although Monk admits it has probably opened a few doors, he said in his case, sharing his dad's name puts added pressure on you. "The critics are gunning for you. They don't like you tampering with the image."
Lovano says the father-to-son trend in jazz is inevitable. Jazz is not that old, he said. "Cats in my generation now and younger guys come from families that grew up with jazz." But playing jazz was never something that was expected of him. "My dad had a big passion for the music. He didn't force it on me. He just captured my attention, just by listening to him practice. Before I knew it, I was trying to create that sound myself."
The following is a guide to the performers in this weekend's Tanglewood Jazz Festival, which begins tonight and runs through Monday. All performances will take place in Seiji Ozawa Hall. Dates and times are in parentheses. Comments in quotations are bassist Christian McBride's off-the-cuff impressions of the musicians, most of whom he has performed with.
Arturo Sandoval: A protege of Dizzy Gillespie, this 47- year-old trumpeter was one of Cuba's leading instrumentalists before defecting to the U.S. in 1990. The versatile virtuoso is equally at home in Latin jazz, bebop and classical music, and he has recorded numerous soundtracks and with pop stars including Gloria Estefan.
"I don't think there's anything on the trumpet he can't do. I've heard him play some notes that only a couple of people can play."
(Thurs., 7:30)
Betty Carter: Carter may well be the ultimate jazz singer.
She truly plays her voice as an instrument in a fashion often described as surreal. Her abstractions are to voice what Charlie Parker was to the saxophone, which partly accounts for her nickname, Betty Bebop. The 67-year-old vocalist is also noted for her role in encouraging young talent.
"One of the greatest teachers ever. So many people in jazz have gone through her band. Between her and Art Blakey, those are the two top schools in the world. Not Berklee, not Manhattan School of Music. Betty Carter University."
(Fri., 7:30)
John Pizzarelli: A rare dual threat on vocals -- in the tradition of Sinatra and Nat King Cole -- and guitar, the 35-year- old Pizzarelli is one of the most entertaining young performers in jazz. His trio includes his brother Martin on bass and Ray Kennedy on piano, and on this date they will be joined by his father, guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli.
"A very talented musician, a fantastic guitarist, which I'm sure he gets from his dad. I've had the chance to play with both of them. A great singer, also."
(Sat., 1:30)
Dave Brubeck: "You've got to be kidding. Piano. Jazz. Take Five. One of the great masters of this music. Thank goodness he's still around to share all his knowledge with all the youngsters. I had the pleasure of recording with him on his new album as well. It was an honor to have a man who's written as many memorable compositions as he has write a song for me."
(Sat., 7:30)
T.S. Monk Jr.: Drummer Monk and his sextet favor works by lesser known composers mixed with classic tunes by his father, the legendary Thelonious Monk. Rounding out the sextet -- a veritable, little big-band -- are bassist Gary Wang, pianist Ronnie Matthews, alto saxophonist Bobby Porcelli, trumpeter Don Sickler and tenor saxophonist Willie Williams.
"He has a fantastic band that really plays a lot of music you don't hear too often. I'm glad he's back playing jazz again, because he didn't do it for a long time."
(Sun., 1:30)
George Shearing: The London-born pianist, arranger and composer has written hundreds of songs, many of them now standards, including Lullaby of Birdland. The 77-year-old Shearing's unique improvisational style jumps easily from classical to jazz motives.
"He's another one like Dave Brubeck. I'm glad he's still around to share his knowledge with all the youngsters. He's fantastic, a marvelous pianist and so classy. His piano playing personifies class."
(Sun., 7:30)
Joe Williams: For many years the vocalist with the Count Basie band, the 87-year-old Williams is one of the last surviving jazz singers of his generation. Known primarily as a big-voiced blues singer, he also is an accomplished ballad singer.
"King of the blues, him and B.B. King, you can't get much more soulful that that.
A very soulful man."
(Sun., 7:30)
Joe Lovano: Widely regarded as the premiere saxophonist in jazz today, Lovano is an irrepressibly creative spirit, working with a variety of lineups in styles ranging from straight-ahead standards to far-out freestyle. He'll be appearing with his quartet featuring bassist Anthony Cox, pianist Kenny Werner and drummer Yoron Israel.
"The tornado! I love the way Joe Lovano plays. He plays so uninhibited. He's a fiery saxophone player. His personality manifests itself through his saxophone. Very lively, very fun to listen to, as he is a person -- he's fun to be around."
(Mon., 1:30)
Christian McBride: At age 23, bassist McBride has already appeared on nearly 100 albums as a sideman along the way to establishing a reputation as the hottest bassist in jazz today.
Unlike many of his more conservative peers, however, his musical taste ranges from straight-ahead and bebop all the way to fusion and James Brown-style funk. He'll be joined by Tim Warfield on tenor saxophone, Carl Allen on drums and Joey Calderazo on piano. He's also very modest.
"He's all right. We'll check in about ten to twenty years from now to see what kind of progress he's made."
(Mon., 1:30)
-- Seth Rogovoy
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