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This Sunday Heidi Chang |
What a difference a little
taste of jazz can makeLast Father's Day, as I was listening to "Song For My Father" by jazz musician Horace Silver, I couldn't help thinking about how much its infectious melody has a way of lifting my spirits.
Horace wrote the song as a tribute to his dad, who was black-Portuguese from the Cape Verdean islands off the coast of Africa. He combined the Cape Verdean folk music he heard as a child with the bossa nova rhythms he heard when Sergio Mendes invited him to visit Brazil. After "Song For My Father" was released in 1964, it became a jazz standard performed by countless musicians. You can even hear the song's bass line in Steely Dan's 1974 pop hit "Rikki Don't Lose That Number."
When Horace and I talked story recently, he said he was pleased that "Song For My Father" remains his most popular song. Lately, the 74-year-old jazz legend has been working on his autobiography at his home in Malibu, and he has quite a story to tell. The prolific composer, pianist and band-leader has been a major creative influence in jazz for more than half a century. He's known as the father of hard bop piano and for his funky, bluesy style, which pioneered the soul-jazz movement of the 1950s and '60s.
Horace said that in his book he plans to recount a visit he made to Hawaii many years ago. Back then, I was hosting a jazz show on KGU radio when Horace dropped by for an interview. I mentioned that it happened to be jazz trombonist Trummy Young's birthday. So Horace called Trummy to wish him well and told him how much he loved the Jimmie Lunceford band, which Trummy once played in.
Horace's father took him to see that band when he was 11 years old and living in Connecticut.
"When I saw the Jimmie Lunceford band I was flabbergasted. They sounded so great. The music just touched my soul. And I said to myself, that's what I want to be, a musician," Horace recalled.
A little inspiration goes a long way. In 1950, jazz saxophonist Stan Getz took Horace on the road with him, back in the days when blacks and whites weren't allowed to eat together in restaurants. Some of the band members would wait in the car for Getz to bring them food. Horace went on to perform with other jazz greats such as Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Miles Davis and Art Blakey.
Through the years, Horace has nurtured many talented musicians in his own bands. He's still doing it today with the Horace Silver Foundation, which is awarding its first $10,000 jazz piano scholarship this year. Any U.S. citizen between the ages of 18 and 28 can apply for it until July 31.
This brings to mind the Hawaii International Jazz Festival, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary next month and looking to award jazz scholarships to some lucky high school musicians.
The stellar line-up will include artists such as Larry Coryell, Tierney Sutton, Nestor Torres, Tiger Okoshi and Makoto Ozone. Among the featured Hawaii jazz musicians are Gabe Baltazar, Jimmy Borges and the Honolulu Jazz Quartet. Free educational jazz classes and clinics will be offered to the public. The festival will take place July 18-19 on Oahu and July 25-26 on Maui.
It will be a great opportunity to hear some good music, so bring the whole family. You never know what a difference a taste of jazz can make in the life of a child.
To get an application for The Horace Silver Foundation Jazz Piano Competition, call 310-459-1554 or write to P.O. Box 1114 La Costa Station, Malibu, Calif., 90265.For information about the Hawaii International Jazz Festival, call 808-941-9974 or visit www.hawaiijazz.com.
Heidi Chang is a freelance writer and producer. She is one of four local columnists who take turns writing "This Sunday."