Saxophonist Charlie Rouse Delivers Some Hot Jazz
The weather was frigid last night, but during tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse’s concert at Downstairs at Actors it was Le Jazz Hot.
The concert put Rouse, best know for the years he spent from 1959 to 1970 as a member of the legendary jazz pianist Thelonius Monk’s Quartet, together with a rhythm section composed of some of this area’s finest jazz musicians. It’s hard to say who played better, Rouse or the local boys.
One of the problems that besets traveling jazz solo acts is they must depend on local musicians to accompany them. Sometimes the musicians or good, and sometimes they’re bad. Last night’s players - pianist Ray Johnson, bassist Mark McCulloch and drummer Jonathan Higgins were more than good they were excellent.
Johnson, who spent 20 years as a jazz pianist in New York City before returning to his hometown of Louisville a few years ago, got things going with a driving rendition of Charlie Parker’s “Billies Bounce.” McCulloch held things together with a solid bass line and drummer Higgins poured on the steam.
When Rouse came on stage for the first number, “What is this Thing Called Love,” the air was already charged with excitement he added even more by rushing through the song’s chord changes and interjecting his own unique musical ideas. Johnson came up from behind playing like a mad man on several smoking choruses, McCulloch and Higgins followed with good solos.
And it went on like that throughout the concert on a string of Monk standards like “Bolivar Blues,” “Light Blue” and “Straight No Chaser.” Rouse would state the theme, play the first couple of choruses and then turn it over to Johnson, who would take the song apart and put it back together, being careful to throw in a few Monk-like licks of his own.
Only once, on a standard “Lover Man,” did Rouse fail to deliver. On this song the tenor star had some intonation problems that caused him to play sharp through most of the piece.
But he made up for this infraction with a fireball version of “Straight No Chaser” that showcased his jagged phrasing and gruff tone. Johnson was particularly exciting on this song, bouncing up and down as his fingers raced along the keyboard. Bassist McCulloch also played a fine solo on this tune, which gained a laugh of recognition from leader Rouse and a round of applause from the audience.
After an intermission, Rouse and the band came back with an imaginative jazz line based on the chord changes of the standard “Out of Nowhere.” By this time the saxophonist was really getting loose, biting off huge chunks of changes and molding them to fit his peculiar taste and style.
The only problem with last night’s concert was that Rouse is the third saxophonist in less than a year to be featured in concert by the Louisville Jazz Society. It would be nice to see the society bring in some jazz vocalists like Sheila Jordan, Ben Sidran or Mark Murphy. After all, diversity is what jazz is all about.
Danny O’Bryan
The Louisville Times
January 28, 1986
From the up-coming book “Derby City Jazz.”
Monday, February 21, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Jazz Great Charlie Rouse
Jazz Great Charlie Rouse to play Louisville
In the summer of 1964 I attended the Ohio Valley Jazz Festival at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, Ohio. The performers that night included the legendary pianist Thelonious Monk and his quartet.
Monk was in a fickle mood during the concert, occasionally jumping up from the piano and dancing around the stage while his saxophonist played with the bass and drums.
Monk’s saxophonist, Charlie Rouse was in great form, blowing chorus after chorus of strong angular jazz. Rouse’s tenor sax was a perfect complement to Monk’s unorthodox piano style. Some critics said he sounded like Monk playing saxophone.
Monday at 5:30 p.m. Louisville jazz fans will get a chance to see Rouse when he performs with the local rhythm section of pianist Ray Johnson, bassist Mark McCulloch and drummer Jonathan Higgins at the Louisville Jazz Society’s Jazz Party at Downstairs at Actors, 316 W. Main St.
Rouse, 61, was born in Washington, D.C. In 1943, he joined Billy Eckstine’s orchestra, which was one of the greatest all-star big bands in jazz history. It included such luminaries as singer Sarah Vaughn, alto saxophonist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie.
In a telephone interview, Rouse talked about those days.
“When I was growing up there were so many places to play and there was a wealth of jazz talent. Everyone has their own individual styles and all the great jazz artists were working back then,” Rouse said.
Saxophonist Ben Webster was the first established jazz musician to befriend Rouse. Later he would be Webster’s replacement in the Duke Ellington Orchestra. But the new sounds of bebop that were being created by musicians like Parker, Gillespie and Monk were to be Rouse’s major influence.
After leaving Eckstine, Rouse joined Gillespie’s band.
“Dizzy left Eckstine about the same time I did. He formed the big band, and we did a tour down south. After that I joined a group headed by pianist Tadd Dameron featuring trumpeter Fats Navarro,” he said.
Rouse also worked with trombonist Benny Green, saxophonist and vocalist Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson and a small band led by Count Basie. But he’s probably best known for the years, from 1959 to 1970, that he spent with Monk.
“Monk was a genius. He was one of the great American composers and jazz pianists. He could get a sound out of a piano that no one else had,”
Rouse said.
He said his best years with Monk’s quartet was from 1960 to around 1968. During that time the group recorded numerous albums for Columbia Records and toured Europe on a yearly basis.
“Playing with Monk was a real challenge because you never knew what tunes he was going to do on any given night,” Rouse said.
In recent years, Rouse has been playing with Sphere, a quartet that specializes in Monk’s music.
“I’ll be playing a concert with Sphere at Purdue University the day before I perform in Louisville,” he said.
Danny O’Bryan
The Louisville Times
January 25, 1986
From the up-coming book “Derby City Jazz.”
In the summer of 1964 I attended the Ohio Valley Jazz Festival at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, Ohio. The performers that night included the legendary pianist Thelonious Monk and his quartet.
Monk was in a fickle mood during the concert, occasionally jumping up from the piano and dancing around the stage while his saxophonist played with the bass and drums.
Monk’s saxophonist, Charlie Rouse was in great form, blowing chorus after chorus of strong angular jazz. Rouse’s tenor sax was a perfect complement to Monk’s unorthodox piano style. Some critics said he sounded like Monk playing saxophone.
Monday at 5:30 p.m. Louisville jazz fans will get a chance to see Rouse when he performs with the local rhythm section of pianist Ray Johnson, bassist Mark McCulloch and drummer Jonathan Higgins at the Louisville Jazz Society’s Jazz Party at Downstairs at Actors, 316 W. Main St.
Rouse, 61, was born in Washington, D.C. In 1943, he joined Billy Eckstine’s orchestra, which was one of the greatest all-star big bands in jazz history. It included such luminaries as singer Sarah Vaughn, alto saxophonist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie.
In a telephone interview, Rouse talked about those days.
“When I was growing up there were so many places to play and there was a wealth of jazz talent. Everyone has their own individual styles and all the great jazz artists were working back then,” Rouse said.
Saxophonist Ben Webster was the first established jazz musician to befriend Rouse. Later he would be Webster’s replacement in the Duke Ellington Orchestra. But the new sounds of bebop that were being created by musicians like Parker, Gillespie and Monk were to be Rouse’s major influence.
After leaving Eckstine, Rouse joined Gillespie’s band.
“Dizzy left Eckstine about the same time I did. He formed the big band, and we did a tour down south. After that I joined a group headed by pianist Tadd Dameron featuring trumpeter Fats Navarro,” he said.
Rouse also worked with trombonist Benny Green, saxophonist and vocalist Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson and a small band led by Count Basie. But he’s probably best known for the years, from 1959 to 1970, that he spent with Monk.
“Monk was a genius. He was one of the great American composers and jazz pianists. He could get a sound out of a piano that no one else had,”
Rouse said.
He said his best years with Monk’s quartet was from 1960 to around 1968. During that time the group recorded numerous albums for Columbia Records and toured Europe on a yearly basis.
“Playing with Monk was a real challenge because you never knew what tunes he was going to do on any given night,” Rouse said.
In recent years, Rouse has been playing with Sphere, a quartet that specializes in Monk’s music.
“I’ll be playing a concert with Sphere at Purdue University the day before I perform in Louisville,” he said.
Danny O’Bryan
The Louisville Times
January 25, 1986
From the up-coming book “Derby City Jazz.”
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Bits and Pieces
A dangerous woman
photo by Danny O'Bryan
"Trying to penetrate the act of naming (language) is like trying to see a
mirror while standing in front of it. Trying to get a hold of it is like
trying to get a hold of the means of which we get a hold of everything else."
"The universe and all known phenomena within it maybe accurately described
according to one term - dyadic - interactions - cause and effect."
Walker Percy
"Existentialism is based on the doctrine that existence takes precedence over
essence and holds that man is totally free and responsible for his acts, and
that this responsibility is the source of the dread and anguish that
encompasses him."
Yardhog's Journals
February 3, 1997
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Indulge in JOY
JOY
photo by Danny O'Bryan
"Man is a wanting animal and one desire is no sooner satisfied than another
takes its place."
Maslow
"If the self does not become itself it's in despair whether it knows it or
not."
"When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that
the dunces are all in confederacy against him."
Jonathan Swift
"The finest people marry the two sexes in their own person. Hermaphrodite is
the symbol of the finished soul."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
For flowing is the secret of things. No wonder the children love masks and to
trick themselves in endless costumes and be a horse, a soldier, a parson or a
bear and older delight in theatricals as in nature, the egg is passing to a
grub, the grub to a fly, and the vegetable eye to a bud, the bud to a leaf, a
stem, a flower, a fruit. The children have only the instinct of their race,
the instinct of the universe in which becoming something else is the whole
game of nature and death the penalty of standing still - Liberty means the
power to flow."
Emerson
Yardhog's Journals
5/14/97
Monday, February 14, 2011
Jazz Drummer John Roy
Front & Center - John Roy
John Roy and I recently did a bit of time travel. When the 68-year old veteran Louisville percussionist arrived at my studio for our interview, I was playing a recording of “Bernie’s Tune” on my phonograph. The musicians on the 1969 date, recorded at the old Port O’Call on Zane St were guitarists Jimmy Raney, tenor saxophonist Bobby Jones, pianist Bobby Lam, bassist Jack Brengle and Roy on drums. Tragically, all the musicians featured in that concert are deceased today excepting Roy and Brengle.
Even back then, Roy was keeping the best of company, Raney one of the world’s finest jazz guitarists, had returned to his hometown from New York city and was being showcased along with some of Louisville’s finest.
Bobby Jones had already proved his musical worth in the bands of Tex Beneke and Woody Herman and would soon become the featured saxophonist with jazz bassist Charles Mingus’ band.
Bobby Lam was soon to move to New York City and even Brengle, who normally liked to stay in one place, would venture on the road with the Buddy Rich Orchestra.
Roy instead chose to spend most of his time in Louisville playing and teaching drums.
“I started raising a family when I was in my 20s. I had a wife and four children and I didn’t want to leave town on a permanent basis,” Roy said.
Despite his lack of wanderlust, Roy managed to become one of the city’s most respected musicians, playing for everyone from the Glenn Miller Band to the Louisville Orchestra and backing up stars like Bob Hope and Eartha Kitt, plus spending nine years as President of the Musicians Union, Local 11-637.
How did it all start?
“I was born in the inner-city around Shelby Park. When I was real young, my parents moved to the south end. From the time I was about three years old, I would always ask for a toy drum for Christmas,” Roy said.
“Finally when I was about six, they bought a real field drum at Durlauf’s music store. When I was nine, they got me into a drum and bugle choir. We wound up playing at the World’s Fair in New York City.”
When he entered the old Louisville Junior High School his drumming career took off. He played drums in the junior high school band but also was chosen to play with the Louisville Girl’s High School Orchestra, which was in the same building.
“It was a great experience for three years I got to play everyday with the band and the orchestra,” Roy said.
When he transferred to Manual High School, he got a scholarship to a summer band program at Eastern State University.
“Kids came from all over the country. We played music eight hours a day for five weeks during the summer, with about three concerts a week. That was a great experience for me,” Roy said.
When he was 17, Roy joined the Musicians Union and began substituting with the Louisville Orchestra and playing weekend jobs with dance bands. During the 1950s he worked industrial shows for big companies like Zenith Appliances and Ford.
“They would put together a musical show to enhance their product for the dealers, it’s something you don’t see that much today,” Roy said.
Roy was also a regular on local television for 15 years. He was the drummer in pianist Johnny Schrader’s band, which backed up performer’s on WHAS teenage variety “High Varieties.” Joining him in the band over the year’s was bassist Ralph Lampton, saxophonist and clarinetist Mel Owen and guitarist Gene Klingman.
Roy, who was divorced from his current wife, met his current wife, singer June Kelly on that show.
“She was 16 and I was about 32 at the time. Years later we met again and got together,” Roy said.
During the early 1970s, Roy played on the WAVE “Morning Show” with pianist Bob Millard and bassist Neil Burris. At about the same time, after years of teaching drums at Durlauf’s Music Store, Roy decided to open his own drum shop in St. Matthews. Some of Roy’s favorite drummers are his former students.
“Terry O’Mahoney is wonderful. I just had lunch with him the other day. He just finished a three-month touring show in Japan. I also taught Marvin Maxwell, Bruce Morrow and Mike Hyman.
Roy’s favorite drummer of all time was Buddy Rich.
“The first time I heard Rich I was eight or nine years old and he was 19 or 20. He was terrific then. I saw him again at least 20 times and he always seemed to get better,” Roy said.
During his years of playing Roy had to contend with some strange personalities.
“I once played with trombonist Buddy Morrow who was fronting the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. He had a unique way of calling up tunes. He would call up one chart at a time and while you were playing it he would walk around the band an call the next chart. Everybody in the horn section had a little break to get up but the rhythm section didn’t. So, when we finished he’d kick off the next tune and we’d be scrambling. The first time I worked with him, I was sight reading the book and it was all new to me. But he wouldn’t waste time, you either got it up or had to wing it,” Roy said.
Another time, Roy played with the Glenn Miller Orchestra that was being led by drummer Ray McKinley. McKinley, who had played with the original Miller Orchestra, was only featuring himself a few times a night.
“When that happened, I’d get up off my drum set and he’d be the star. He told me when I started the job that he wouldn’t bother my drums but as the evening went on, he would keep lowering my cymbals or changing the angle on my toms toms until pretty soon I felt like I wasn’t working on my set. Finally I told him I didn’t want him to change anything so, he left it alone.
Since 1994 Roy has suffered a number of physical setbacks. That year he had an aneurysm of the aorta and in 1995 he under-went triple heart by-pass surgery. This spring he was operated on for cancer of the esophagus.
Despite these traumas, Roy continues to perform with the Ovation Orchestra, which features his wife June Kelly Roy as vocalist. He also leads a jazz quartet that regularly performs on Sunday nights at Bobby J’s nightclub. Like all of Roy’s bands it features some of the best musicians in town, which includes pianist Todd Hildreth, trumpeter Charlie Nieoff and saxophonist and flutist Dick Hiller.
A modest man, Roy calls himself not necessarily a jazz drummer, but instead a drummer who likes to play jazz.
“When students used to ask me what was the most important thing about playing drums, I’d tell them if you could get from beat two to three at the same distance that you got form beat one to two, you’d be a winner, because that’s called keeping good time,” Roy said.
“And no matter what rhythm you play on each beat, what style your playing, the evenness from beat to beat is the most important thing a drummer does. The licks that you play or the icing on the cake. But if you can’t put it together in a steady flowing manner, then you’re not a drummer, you’re just a person playing a set of drums,” Roy said.
After 40 years of teaching drums, what are Roy’s thoughts on the current state of the art.
“The printed material today is unbelievable. If a drummer wants to learn how to play rock, funk or jazz the instructional material is just endless. All they have to do is practice and listen and they can be proficient on their instrument,” Roy said.
Danny O’Bryan
Louisville Music News - September 1997
From the up-coming book “Derby City Jazz”
John Roy and I recently did a bit of time travel. When the 68-year old veteran Louisville percussionist arrived at my studio for our interview, I was playing a recording of “Bernie’s Tune” on my phonograph. The musicians on the 1969 date, recorded at the old Port O’Call on Zane St were guitarists Jimmy Raney, tenor saxophonist Bobby Jones, pianist Bobby Lam, bassist Jack Brengle and Roy on drums. Tragically, all the musicians featured in that concert are deceased today excepting Roy and Brengle.
Even back then, Roy was keeping the best of company, Raney one of the world’s finest jazz guitarists, had returned to his hometown from New York city and was being showcased along with some of Louisville’s finest.
Bobby Jones had already proved his musical worth in the bands of Tex Beneke and Woody Herman and would soon become the featured saxophonist with jazz bassist Charles Mingus’ band.
Bobby Lam was soon to move to New York City and even Brengle, who normally liked to stay in one place, would venture on the road with the Buddy Rich Orchestra.
Roy instead chose to spend most of his time in Louisville playing and teaching drums.
“I started raising a family when I was in my 20s. I had a wife and four children and I didn’t want to leave town on a permanent basis,” Roy said.
Despite his lack of wanderlust, Roy managed to become one of the city’s most respected musicians, playing for everyone from the Glenn Miller Band to the Louisville Orchestra and backing up stars like Bob Hope and Eartha Kitt, plus spending nine years as President of the Musicians Union, Local 11-637.
How did it all start?
“I was born in the inner-city around Shelby Park. When I was real young, my parents moved to the south end. From the time I was about three years old, I would always ask for a toy drum for Christmas,” Roy said.
“Finally when I was about six, they bought a real field drum at Durlauf’s music store. When I was nine, they got me into a drum and bugle choir. We wound up playing at the World’s Fair in New York City.”
When he entered the old Louisville Junior High School his drumming career took off. He played drums in the junior high school band but also was chosen to play with the Louisville Girl’s High School Orchestra, which was in the same building.
“It was a great experience for three years I got to play everyday with the band and the orchestra,” Roy said.
When he transferred to Manual High School, he got a scholarship to a summer band program at Eastern State University.
“Kids came from all over the country. We played music eight hours a day for five weeks during the summer, with about three concerts a week. That was a great experience for me,” Roy said.
When he was 17, Roy joined the Musicians Union and began substituting with the Louisville Orchestra and playing weekend jobs with dance bands. During the 1950s he worked industrial shows for big companies like Zenith Appliances and Ford.
“They would put together a musical show to enhance their product for the dealers, it’s something you don’t see that much today,” Roy said.
Roy was also a regular on local television for 15 years. He was the drummer in pianist Johnny Schrader’s band, which backed up performer’s on WHAS teenage variety “High Varieties.” Joining him in the band over the year’s was bassist Ralph Lampton, saxophonist and clarinetist Mel Owen and guitarist Gene Klingman.
Roy, who was divorced from his current wife, met his current wife, singer June Kelly on that show.
“She was 16 and I was about 32 at the time. Years later we met again and got together,” Roy said.
During the early 1970s, Roy played on the WAVE “Morning Show” with pianist Bob Millard and bassist Neil Burris. At about the same time, after years of teaching drums at Durlauf’s Music Store, Roy decided to open his own drum shop in St. Matthews. Some of Roy’s favorite drummers are his former students.
“Terry O’Mahoney is wonderful. I just had lunch with him the other day. He just finished a three-month touring show in Japan. I also taught Marvin Maxwell, Bruce Morrow and Mike Hyman.
Roy’s favorite drummer of all time was Buddy Rich.
“The first time I heard Rich I was eight or nine years old and he was 19 or 20. He was terrific then. I saw him again at least 20 times and he always seemed to get better,” Roy said.
During his years of playing Roy had to contend with some strange personalities.
“I once played with trombonist Buddy Morrow who was fronting the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. He had a unique way of calling up tunes. He would call up one chart at a time and while you were playing it he would walk around the band an call the next chart. Everybody in the horn section had a little break to get up but the rhythm section didn’t. So, when we finished he’d kick off the next tune and we’d be scrambling. The first time I worked with him, I was sight reading the book and it was all new to me. But he wouldn’t waste time, you either got it up or had to wing it,” Roy said.
Another time, Roy played with the Glenn Miller Orchestra that was being led by drummer Ray McKinley. McKinley, who had played with the original Miller Orchestra, was only featuring himself a few times a night.
“When that happened, I’d get up off my drum set and he’d be the star. He told me when I started the job that he wouldn’t bother my drums but as the evening went on, he would keep lowering my cymbals or changing the angle on my toms toms until pretty soon I felt like I wasn’t working on my set. Finally I told him I didn’t want him to change anything so, he left it alone.
Since 1994 Roy has suffered a number of physical setbacks. That year he had an aneurysm of the aorta and in 1995 he under-went triple heart by-pass surgery. This spring he was operated on for cancer of the esophagus.
Despite these traumas, Roy continues to perform with the Ovation Orchestra, which features his wife June Kelly Roy as vocalist. He also leads a jazz quartet that regularly performs on Sunday nights at Bobby J’s nightclub. Like all of Roy’s bands it features some of the best musicians in town, which includes pianist Todd Hildreth, trumpeter Charlie Nieoff and saxophonist and flutist Dick Hiller.
A modest man, Roy calls himself not necessarily a jazz drummer, but instead a drummer who likes to play jazz.
“When students used to ask me what was the most important thing about playing drums, I’d tell them if you could get from beat two to three at the same distance that you got form beat one to two, you’d be a winner, because that’s called keeping good time,” Roy said.
“And no matter what rhythm you play on each beat, what style your playing, the evenness from beat to beat is the most important thing a drummer does. The licks that you play or the icing on the cake. But if you can’t put it together in a steady flowing manner, then you’re not a drummer, you’re just a person playing a set of drums,” Roy said.
After 40 years of teaching drums, what are Roy’s thoughts on the current state of the art.
“The printed material today is unbelievable. If a drummer wants to learn how to play rock, funk or jazz the instructional material is just endless. All they have to do is practice and listen and they can be proficient on their instrument,” Roy said.
Danny O’Bryan
Louisville Music News - September 1997
From the up-coming book “Derby City Jazz”
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