Inside Jazz Magazine, August, 2010 Interview
Gary Heimbaur
Tim, Thank you for being a part of our bass issue.
Please begin by telling us what is currently happening in your career that you are excited about--new CDs, performances, groups, teaching, etc.
Thanks Gary, as it happens you’re asking at a time when a lot of things are going on all at once. As you know I have a new CD that was just released with a piano trio I have played with for a little over 20 years. The group is called Stevens, Siegel & Ferguson and the new release, is our sixth CD, and is appropriately called “Six”. It’s on the Konnex label and I’m happy to say it’s had very good reviews so far. The recording features two of my compositions as well as originals from the other members of the band; pianist Michael Stevens and drummer Jeff Siegel, and five standards. The trio really has a unique sound and we’ve played together so long that we have kind of developed our own ensemble style. I think this group is really at a high point right now and this recording is a great snapshot of our musical expression at this particular time.
Previous to that release I did a duo recording with another long-time colleague, guitarist Tom Dempsey. That CD is called “What’s Going On?”, on City Tone Records, and we were fortunate that it was also extremely well received. Tom and I have played together in a lot of different groups and situations over the years and we made a co-lead quartet recording in 2001 called “Perspectives”, on Imaginary Records, but the duo format has always been one of our favorites. We did a few tours in Europe in the ‘90s as a duo and we’ve played a lot of other duo gigs over the years, but this is the first CD we’ve made as a duo. We’re really proud of it and happy that response has been so positive. It’s the hardest I ever worked to make a recording and I think it’s one of the best I’ve ever been involved with. It was even voted one of the top 100 jazz releases of 2008 by Jazz 90.1 public radio in Rochester and as far as I know is still getting airplay on jazz stations all over.
As far as new groups go, I’ve got a couple of up-coming projects that I’m really excited about. In the next month I’ll be recording two CDs, and doing a number of live performances with two different bands that I’ve been working on. One is a quartet project that I’m co-leading with Tom Dempsey, (Tom Dempsey/Tim Ferguson Quartet). The group features Joel Frahm on saxophones and Eliot Zigmund on drums. Tom and I have been playing on and off with both of these guys at different times, but we haven’t played as a quartet until this project. I’ve known Eliot since I was in college at William Paterson University in the ‘80s. Eliot was teaching there and I’d always loved his playing with Bill Evans, so I was excited to get to know him. I’ve gotten the chance to play with him on and off in the years since and I’ve always found him to be a fantastic musician and person. Tom, Eliot and I have done some trio playing and it’s been great. Joel and Tom were in school at Rutgers together around the same time in the ‘80s and have played together semi-regularly since then. Thanks to Tom I’ve had the chance to play with Joel a number of times too and he’s one of my favorite musicians on any instrument playing today. When we started thinking about this recording those guys names came up, they were both available and it just seemed like the personnel kind of chose itself. Tom and I have been writing new music for the project and the group will be appearing at Fat Cat in Greenwich Village on Sat. Aug. 21 before we go into the studio on the 22nd and 23rd. I have a good feeling about this recording and I’m really looking forward to the chance to work with these wonderful musicians.
The other new project that I’m involved in is a trio I’ve been working with for the last year or so called Inside/Out. The group is Diane Moser on piano, Rob Henke on trumpet and me on bass. This is another example of musicians I’ve known for many years and have wanted to work with more. Rob and I go back to those William Paterson days and I’ve played for years with Diane in various groups including her Composers Big Band. Both Diane and Rob are musicians who have a very broad concept and this trio is a group that can play everything from standards, to through-composed pieces to completely improvised music...sometimes in the same tune! I have wanted for some time to do more playing that stretches the boundaries of musical styles but haven’t had the right outlet. I’m excited to be involved with a group that can play freely in a way that’s not just wildly or angrily. I’m interested in finding a kind of ensemble playing that allows us to play with the same dynamics and musicality whether we’re playing Stella By Starlight or a completely improvised piece, and to do it with an ensemble that really knows how to listen and accompany each other. This group has also been a font of new compositions. Everyone in the trio writes and I’ve found it to be a real inspiration to write for. We’ve been meeting to play every week at The Allwood Community Church. in Clifton, NJ and the group has really developed a wonderful personality. We’ll be playing a concert there as a part of their “Music for the Soul” concert series on July 28th and then we’ll be recording on the 29th.
On the education front: I just returned from the Hague in Holland where I went to the International Association of Schools of Jazz annual meeting. This is a group started by Dave Liebman and it was a great experience. The IASJ meeting brings together teachers from all over the world and a select group of international students. It was a fantastic week and it was particularly special for me as a bass player because the honored guest this year was Reggie Workman. I had met Reggie before, but this was the first time I had had a chance to really spend time with him and it was wonderful to be with one of the true giants of jazz and jazz bass playing. In addition, the week was incredible because of the astounding level of playing from the students. I had the opportunity to work with a septet made up of musicians from Israel, Belgium, Ireland, Switzerland, Estonia, Sweden and the U.S. and they were unbelievable. It was really an unforgettable experience and my great thanks go to Dave Liebman and all of the people who put together the event and the organization.
Coming up, August 1-6 I’ll be teaching a jazz bass bass seminar as a part of the National Guitar Workshop Jazz Summit in New Milford. CT. I’ve been teaching at NGW since 1988 and I always find it rewarding. Over the years I’ve had a lot of students there, some who have even gone on to become world renowned musicians, but the workshop is set up in such a way that it’s a satisfying experience for everyone regardless of whether they plan to be a professional or just play for fun. The Jazz Summit is a focused week for students who are particularly interested in jazz. They always have great guest artists and this year we’re incredibly lucky to have Ron Carter and Russell Malone coming to do a clinic for us.
I also have a new bass book which will be published by Alfred this fall. It’s called The Bass Line Encyclopedia and it’s exactly what it sounds like; a collection of bass lines in all styles. It’s my second book for Alfred. My first was The Total Jazz Bassist, which I co-wrote with my old friend the great bassist and educator David Overthrow. The first book was really successful and I wanted to do something this time that would reach a bigger group of bassists, not just jazz players. I think this book is really interesting and it has something for everyone, from Blues and Rock to Jazz and World Music. I had a great time writing all the lines and studying the styles of great bass players like John Paul Jones, Jack Bruce, Francis “Rocco” Prestia, Larry Graham, Ron Carter and Paul Chambers.
Can you talk about your involvement in Film and Television composing and music direction? what is the process like and how did you initially get involved in the industry? How was it working on Ray?
Working on Ray was a great experience. I got involved with that through my friend Gary Schreiner, a composer and producer that I have worked for playing jingles and commercial recording projects. He got a call from Curt Sobel, a colleague of his in L.A., who was the music coordinator for Ray and was looking for people to work with on the project. I was hired as a musical consultant and what I did was train an actor to act like he was playing the bass. I was extremely fortunate to work with Thomas Jefferson Byrd, who is not only a great actor but also great guy and who has since become a friend. Tom turned out to be a real musical talent, so I actually taught him to play the bass in the space of about 3 weeks. He was such a quick study that he really learned to play the instrument in that short period. I’m proud to say that on film he looks like a bass player whether he’s carrying the bass or playing in the band. I don’t think he’s had much chance to play bass since, with all the acting work he’s done, but he could be a good bass player if he had the chance.
As for composing for film, I have to admit that that’s on the list of things I’d still like to do. I haven’t had the opportunity yet. I’ve been composing music for many years, primarily for the purpose of creating vehicles for particular bands or musical situations. My focus tended to be on playing and working with ensembles and my composition has been in service of that. Recently though I’ve started to get interested in composing more seriously and I would love to get the opportunity to write for film.
What do you think is required for someone to achieve the level of success that you have in music? What are the necessary ingredients or character traits?
Well, first of all I’m not sure what level of success I’ve achieved. We live in a strange society for people who want to make something, and even stranger for those of us who want to make something as ethereal and seemingly unnecessary as the music that I play. I feel lucky that I can continue to play music that means something to me, and seems to mean something to the people that hear it, in spite of the difficult environment that I find myself in. I’m not a big believer in the idea that there was some kind of “golden age” of jazz that we missed. I don’t think that Charlie Parker’s life was easier than the life of a musician of his talent would be today, but I am aware that it’s not exactly a “bear Market” for jazz right now. It’s strange that while the audience for jazz seems to have diminished in my working life, the number of fine young players who want to play this music has increased enormously. If I were to give advice to those young players I’d say what I say to my students as often as they’ll listen: If you can think of something else to do for a living, do it! Music is one of the world’s greatest hobbies and one of the hardest careers. Almost any other job will be easier and more secure. Things like job security and ease of making a living don’t sound so important when you’re young, but they get important faster than you’d expect. If instead you can’t think of anything else you’d like to do for a living and you really are obsessed with music, welcome to the club. It’s a club of people who have to work much harder than most for much less, and when you hear people say, “you have to pay your dues”, remember, that doesn’t mean you pay them and you’re done, dues keep coming “due”. The best advice I can offer is to make sure that the music pays you. I don’t mean monetarily because if you’ve decided to do this you’re already accepting a certain financial reality, but make sure you get what you need from the music. For me that’s been about the people that I work with. As a bassist I’m an accompanist. I know that’s an old fashioned idea now that we have bass virtuosi like Jaco Pastorious, Christian McBride, Edgar Meyer and John Pattitucci, but those musical giants are the exception, (and by the way they all play or played beautiful accompaniment). The rest of us mortals who play the bass are mostly in it for the ensemble playing, or we chose the wrong instrument. For me the pleasure of playing with all the wonderful musicians I’ve known has been the best pay I’ve had. Living in New York has a lot of drawbacks, but the one thing that I can’t get enough of is the never-ending roster of talent. Playing with all of these musicians has been a fantastic experience and while there have certainly been more than one that I would have been happy to have missed, by and large it’s been truly great. That’s what pays me. The other thing I will say is learn to work early and well. When you practice you should feel like you’re praying. It’s not about you, it’s about something much bigger, but you have to prepare yourself well for your part in it and learning to work early will save you from having to waste time on it later.
Why do you continue to be so madly in love with this music day in and day out? I know that it is often hard to express why something makes one feel the way it does...it is often beyond logic, but if you can find a logical explanation for why this music continues to capture you day after day and year after year, please share it with us.
I don’t want to repeat myself, but for me it’s the ensemble playing that makes it all worth while. When I play with a band and feel like we’ve really created something that is a unique statement, a whole that is truly greater than the sum of its parts, that’s what I’m in it for. I love great solos, technical mastery and beautiful compositions, but it’s the collective voice that gets me every time. The longer I play the more interested I become in hearing music in which the individual voices really become one and the ensemble is suddenly all working for a greater good. If I think of my favorite recordings, almost all of them have an ensemble sound that is more important than any individual instrument. Even Miles Davis’ bands with players like John Coltrane or Wayne Shorter, or Weather Report with Jaco Pastorius or Bill Evans’ Trio with Scott Lofaro or Ornette Coleman’s Quartet with Don Cherry, Charlie Haden and Ed Blackwell, all had an ensemble sound that was vastly more important than any one voice and that’s what makes me continue to want to hear them and what makes me want to continue to try to do whatever I can to emulate that quality in whatever small way I can.
What are some of your goals either from day to day, or for the future? What are you striving to achieve?
I’m still learning and trying to grow. I hope I’ll grow as a bassist: working on my classical playing, improving my technique, sound and time, learning to work more efficiently and I hope to grow as a composer and arranger. As I mentioned, for most of my working life I’ve been much more involved in playing and working in the ensemble. I’m ready to write more music and take a more active hand in the musical direction of the groups I play with. I’m hoping that with these new recordings I can open some new doors to get out and play for more people in the coming years. I hope I’ll be lucky enough to keep doing what I do and getting better at it. One of the difficulties of what we do as musicians is that the real product that we’re constantly striving to improve is gone as soon as we make it. We can record, and we should and do, but the music that we make every day still disappears as soon as we create it. In some ways this is very poetic and beautiful, in others it can be extremely frustrating. In a competitive environment like the current jazz scene, particularly in New York, it’s easy to miss a lot of beautiful playing and to have the best music you make yourself not get noticed by the community. That’s where we need to be in touch with the music and be satisfied by it and not someone else’s opinion. I’m trying to learn that, to be demanding of myself and to satisfy myself with the music that I play. I hope the rest will follow eventually.
Gary Heimbauer - Inside Jazz Magazine
(Aug 1, 2010)