Sho 'Nuff

My Sound

It takes a long, long time before you can come into your own. You have to have a starting point. I’ve had several strong influences. First, Charlie Parker. Then here comes Miles Davis. And then here comes John Coltrane. Who I call the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost! The three guys I love most! They are three distinct personalities, but they had an effect on me because they were so real in what they were playing, and they were spontaneous. They were something different I had never heard before, so I began to emulate and imitate that. Put it all together, mix it all up. It’s like what Coltrane said; everybody dips out of one big bowl. Everybody is contributing. So, that’s the way I learned. Eventually I began to play from within myself, because I had something to say other than what they had influenced me with.

I first met Coltrane here in Kansas City at the Mutual Musicians Foundation. He came in looking for a drummer. Eddie Saunders and the band were practicing Have You Met Miss Jones. Trane said he didn’t know the tune, but he took Eddie’s horn and started playing. If you listen, the bridge is similar to Giant Steps harmonies. Later that night we were hanging out at the Mardi Gras, on the corner of 19^th street, and Trane played that tune. Just shows you that Kansas City can teach the big cats something.

Charlie Parker came into my life at a very early age… 14 to be exact. On the way to school, I would stop by my friend’s house and we would listen to his older brother’s jazz records… 78s.  My favorite record was Embraceable You by Charlie Parker.  We wore that record out!  Bird played it a certain way, and me, not knowing how it’s supposed to sound… it stayed in my mind for years. Then I heard Billy Eckstein do it.  I thought, that’s not Embraceable You, Bird didn’t play it that way. In my mind Bird was law. What ever he said, whatever he played, was it. That’s the way it was.

From that moment on, Charlie Parker became my musical guide to the saxophone.

Hearing him play, live and up close, is an experience that I will never forget. He had big fat fingers, but they were so fast, I couldn’t even see them move.

Once I asked Miles to show me some changes and he replied, “Don’t worry about it; you’re from Bird’s home town.”

Jay McShann and Alaadeen, life long friends

The bug hit me at the tender age of about five. I was living three or four doors down the street from Jay McShann at around 10th & Park at the time. I would constantly hear all of this commotion coming from Jay’s house – like people having a good time. They were blowing and playing and stuff like that. The music really moved me beyond description. However, my mother told me: ‘Boy, don’t you leave this porch. If you leave this porch, I’m going to have to do something to you’. But, despite the forewarned consequences, the music had a stronger influence than my mother’s order not to go any closer to listen. One day, the urge was too much and I left the porch to go down to Jay’s house. I recall looking through the screen door and seeing these people just having a good time playing this music. And from there, my mind was made up and I said that’s what I want to do. After several moments of actually being up close and watching the musicians as I listened to their music, I thought about what my mother said. I immediately ran back home to our porch. Of course, she was there waiting on me.

 

That particular band, which I heard rehearsing almost everyday was, of course, Jay McShann’s famous unit. It also included Charlie Parker. The positive impact of the experience stayed with me. My love for music and my choice of occupation has been sealed ever since.

99 Dollars

I took up the alto sax when I was in the 6th grade. “I got my first saxophone in the 6^th grade. It was an alto. There was a music store in town called Bohart’s around 13^th and Grand. They had this alto, and they wanted $99. for it. I begged and cried, you know, and finally got it. Then I started in elementary school with this teacher, Paris Jim Jones; he was a violinist.”

Straight To Hell

My professional career began at the age of 14. Then in 1950, I received my Union card. My parents told me I was going straight to Hell. They scorned those women with the short dresses and the paint on their faces…those gamblers. Well, I didn’t see all that, all I heard was the music. They were not in favor of me playing on the street, but I could play in church. They would ask me to play songs in church, which were the same notes I played on the street, but I guess when I went to church, the notes got holy. They were not very cooperative.

 Miss Creamy

I was a student at R.T. Coles. I would play hooky also and come up here to the 18th & Vine area. The song says, “Come with me if you want to go to Kansas City.” there’s a phrase in there that says “in Miss Creamy’s Dreamy town.” I knew Miss Creamy. I would actually go in Miss Creamy’s. And this was the atmosphere that this music was in.

Alaadeen & fanny

I finally got my own band in the late 80s, and formed Alaadeen and The Deans of Swing. The group performed standards and my original compositions.  That name came from a band at R.T.Coles, my old high school. There was a big band there at that time called The Deans of Swing. The McFadden Brother’s father was one of the acts and danced with this band. The old guys gave me a lot of flack because I used that name. They thought they were the Deans of Swing and I didn’t play the right music. They wanted me to play the old style – da di.. da di da di.. da.. da.

During this time I also met Fanny. She found some of my original  compositions scratched out on pieces of paper, stashed in a drawer. One tune, Big Six, I wrote back in the Fifties.  The first thing she did was to copyright these tunes, and then she began writing grants to cover the cost to perform and record them. I argued with her that they weren’t worth copyrighting. I didn’t think any one would like them. But later on, Big Six won a best unsigned band competition with Musician Magazine. Jimmy Jam was one of the judges and gave my tune high marks.

Gary Sykes, Reggie Thomas, Alaadeen, Steve Kirby

This is how I met Reggie Thomas and Steve Kirby. They were in St. Louis but I would use them on my gigs. We traveled around the Mid West bringing my style of Jazz to some of the larger cities and some underserved communities.  Steve Kirby went to New York and later told me that he had taken my tune, Perfect 10, and recorded it. He took the base line and made a composition out of it. I said “Man, where’s my royalties!” and he just laughed. Reggie fell in love with Big Six, and anytime I see him at one of his performances, he still plays it and recognizes me as being the composer.

So in 1990, Fanny and I incorporated Fandeen Publishing Company to record my originals.  One of the first things I recorded was Josephine. When I was playing with Jay, people would request that tune and every time Jay played it, he played it in a different key. I didn’t know the tune at the time, but this was how I learned it. I told myself that if I ever got my own band, we would play it. And I did and I recorded it on my first CD as leader, Blues For RC and Josephine, too.

To this date, We have recorded Live Jazz on the Plaza (1990),  Alaadeen and The Deans of Swing Plays Blues For RC and Josephine too (1995), Time Through The Ages (1997), New Africa Suite (2005) and And The Beauty Of It All (2007).

Recently I had the pleasure of visiting with Christopher Cooke, host of Jazz in the Afternoon and Last Call, KIOS-FM in Omaha. He hosts a mix of classic and new jazz recordings and promotes jazz events, but he took some time out from his busy schedule to come down to see my group perform in Kansas City’s Blue Room. We visited briefly between sets and the  next week he called and we spoke about my newly published manual, The Rest Of The Story, Jazz Improvization and History. And we talked a bit about my history playing the music.

I first learned about Christopher and his love for Jazz from David Basse several years ago. Christopher has been hosting jazz shows and interviewing artists since 1989! I’m honored that he chose to include me in his long list of artists and wish him continued success.   

You can hear the interview on Monday, March 15 @7:35 am and Tuesday, March 16 @4:44 pm. 

TUNE-IN HERE: http://bit.ly/KT8Q5

City Light Orchestra; David Basse, Alaadeen, Tim Whitmer, Laverne Barker

I played a lot of shows at the Lyric Theater in Kansas City, like Bubblin’ Brown Sugar, The Lena Horn Show and others. This was in the late 70’s. Horace Washington got a band together and said “Let’s go play some shows”.  So, I played clarinet, alto, and tenor.  Horace played soprano and let me have an old soprano of his at a pretty good price. It was silver, and gold plated on the inside; a sweet sounding horn with a tone to make a baby cry. It was real fragile and I fell in love with it. That was my incentive to play the soprano.

I started playing with the City Light Orchestra at the City Light Restaurant in Kansas City in the 80’s. I played tenor, flute and soprano.  Carmel Jones hooked me up. David Basse (drums and vocals), Tim Whitmer (piano), Laverne Barker (bass) and a percussionist by the name of Jano Mossman were in that band. Later, Sonny Kenner (guitar) joined. The band played 50’s R&B and copied Louis Jordan’s stuff.  David and Tim had a Country Music background, so I did the arrangements for them and showed them how to get through it. While performing with the City Light Orchestra, I took a lot of ridicule from my peers, because the band did not perform serious jazz. They put me down, “What are you doing playing with them!” Well, I also recorded with them: Raised Spirits in 1984 and Tain’t What Cha Do, It’s The Way How Cha Do IT in 1986.

The City Light Orchestra played all over, from New York to California. We were on a show with Ben Vereen at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego. I think that place was haunted. We played a lot of festivals including the New Orleans Jazz Festival. The Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors  chartered some train cars and we all traveled  down there together. The band also got booked in Switzerland but I was having passport problems and couldn’t make the trip. When the band arrived, they had to refund some of the presenter’s money because they were expecting my saxophone.  Once on a gig in New York at Hanratty’s, 91^st and Second, I was taking a solo when this dude in the audience kept beating on his glass, keeping time. It was irritating us. But at the break, he came up to me and told me that he really liked my music. We talked  and he said he was on his way downtown to hear a famous clarinet player. I found out that I was talking to Bennie Goodman.

I played baritone, 1st alto and tenor (at different times of course) in Eddie Baker’s New Breed Jazz Orchestra, an 18 piece big band that played a lot of Basie arrangements. We were called The Jr. Basie Band. Eddie thought he was the cat, even wore a captains hat.  We backed up singers like Della Reese, Ella Fitzgerald and Nancy Wilson, and  played some pretty good gigs which included playing opposite the Basie band for the governor. We even performed in Atlanta when Jessie Jackson ran for president.  I remember Max Roach was there in Atlanta and refused to play with David Newman or Nate Adderly, saying “They ain’t no Jazz masters”. One time, I met Oprah and asked for her autograph. She scorned, “Shame on you. I don’t give autographs.” 

Later, Eddie was instrumental in getting a few sub gigs for me with the Count Basie Orchestra. My most memorable gig was the first time I played for the Basie band. It was really something.  This was when Frank Foster had the band. He called me to sub for Kenny Hing, who was the first tenor player. It was weird, the first tune they played was  A Train… and this is the Basie band…and I had the first solo! I guess I played all right, because the trombone player, Mel Wanzo, sitting behind me, hit hit hit me with the slide when I was done. So I figured I got past that. The night just went beautifully.  I remember that the music called for tenor solos quite a lot. I kept jumping up for the solo called for on the chart, but later found out that everyone normally took turns with the solos. 

After I was discharged from the Army in 1959, I again attended The Conservatory of Music (now known as the University of Missouri-Kansas City). Saxophone was still not offered so I studied flute and theory. 

Later in the early 60s, I moved to New York, and performed there. I was kind of a character back then, not too stable. Sometimes things get a little fuzzy, because of the bad habits I had at that particular time; I was not always pristine and clean like I am now. I had to leave New York to clean myself up. So In 1965, I moved to Chicago and joined The Nation Of Islam, under the leadership of the Honorable Elijah Mohammed. Mohammed Ali was also there. One time when we were in Kansas City, he threw a punch at me. I caught it, and he remarked, “You’re fast!” While in Chicago, I also attended  DePaul University.

When I first met Lester Bowie, he was married to this R&B singer, Fontella Bass. We were on the road and backed her up.  Lester was the bandleader.  In Chicago, he stayed across from the Masjid. We would sneak out and hang at his place. The Captain knew we were doing something wrong but they just couldn’t catch us. We were Kansas City Slick.  Lester was working on getting the Art Ensemble together with Malachi Favors and guys like that… Joseph Jarman. The Art Ensemble was not really an influence to me because I was still into the melodic thing; it wasn’t my cup of tea.  I still love melody.  

I also played in a program led by pianist-composer, Muhal Richard Abrams. They had this organization that met on Saturdays. It was the beginning of the Association of Creative Musicians (AACM). Other members included Lester and Malachi.

My long-time friend, Sonny Kenner originally formed the group Quartet Shahid that included drummer T. Fillah, pianist/vocalist Luqman Hamza and me. We performed all over the East Coast from New York to Florida and were the house band at the Salaam Restaurant on the Southside of Chicago.  Lester would come hear us play at the Salaam Restaurant and we would hire his bass player to play with the Shahid. In 1968, when Martin Luther King was assassinated, riots broke outside the restaurant while the Shahid was on stage. When the whole sky lit up with fire, the Captain told us to go home; it wasn’t safe. Luqman drove, but we had to drive through the riots. We were scared to death. It was also at the Salaam Restaurant that The Shahid played for Jesse Jackson’s First “Operation Bread Basket”.   After the death of Elijah Mohammed, his son Wallace Deen Mohammed guided the followers into the true meaning of Islam. I followed his leadership and gave up the old racist attitudes. Then in the early 70s, I lived and performed in Denver and St. Louis.

Mutual Musicians Foundation, 18th & Highland Kansas City Missouri

During the early fifties, I spent hours hanging out at the Mutual Musicians Foundation in the 18th & Vine Jazz District. At that time it was the Local 627 Union.

I first met Trane there. I was upstairs playing poker and he came in looking for a drummer. I said “John Coltrane!” And he said “Yeah, what’s left of me.” Eddie Saunders and the band were practicing Have You Met Miss Jones. Trane said he didn’t know that tune, but he took Eddie’s horn and started playing. If you listen, the bridge is similar to Giant Steps harmonies. Later that night we were hanging out at the Mardi Gras, on the corner of 19th & Vine and Trane played that tune. The next day I asked the drummer who sat in with him, Marvin Patillo, what Trane told him. Trane had told Marvin to build naturally and not to force the drumming.

Actually, some of the best memories I have occurred at the Union, (what we now call the Foundation)…. like hearing the Basie Band rehearse with Billy Eckstine, or hearing a session with Sonny Stitt and John Jackson.

I remember rehearsing at the Union and who should walk in the door but Ben Webster wearing a big white beaver fur hat. Another time at the Foundation, Ben threw a punch at Joe Lewis. Lewis punched him back so hard that Ben started choking and vomiting.

I met Quincy Jones at the Union. He was the trumpet player for Lionel Hampton’s band, which was in town at that particular time. There was a tenor player named Joe Thomas and I was playing in his band. Quincy had written out one of Joe Thomas’ solos as a composition, and brought it to the rehearsal. Quincy kept asking him, “Man do you remember this?” And Joe didn’t. Quincy said: “This is your solo off of (such and such).” That blew Joe away. I was still in high school back then.

One time, while playing All The Things You Are with Willie Rice’s band, we made a modulation from the original key to another key and Jay McShann came up the stairs and Willie asked him, “Hey Jay, what key is that?” Jay said, “Yeaaah… F sharp.” That’s when I discovered Jay had perfect pitch.

I also hung out at Parker’s Show Bar at 18^th & Garfield for the sessions from 7 am till noon, the Blue Monday Breakfast. I missed school every Monday morning until the teacher called home and talked to my mother.

Miss Brown’s was another joint that musicians would come by and jam. Miss Brown ran an after hours joint where she bootlegged liquor and sold food. To get into Miss Brown’s, you had to be 21. So I would go to a movie every Saturday night and sneak into Miss Brown’s.

My college was the streets. I was learning improvisation on the bandstand. One of my early rude awakening experiences was at a jam session at Miss Brown’s. Some of the top musicians around town were there including Eddie Saunders. I got up enough nerve to go down and play. I took out my horn, acting hip and slick, and asked “What key, man?” They said key of G. I thought… one sharp. I got that covered. After I started playing, I found out that what I was playing didn’t match up with what they were playing. Eddie Saunders eased up on me and said, “Man, you’re playing in the wrong key.”  I answered, “You said the key of G”.  “G concert!” he said. “You should be in the key of E which is 4 sharps.”  (At that time I was playing alto). Needless to say, I was crushed and embarrassed and slinked off the band stand.

When I was a kid I used to practice soldiering. I loved playing military.

On April 8, 1957 I was inducted into the United States Army, where I played oboe in the 4^th US Army Band, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. I never registered for the draft, so they just came to my door and got me. I grabbed my tooth brush and left. I took my physical and left straight from there. Never got to come back home. I spent 2 years in the Army. During that time I attended St. Mary College in San Antonio, Texas where I studied oboe.

The Military became integrated in the early 50s. Before that, the African American units wore brown boots with buckles and brown shoes. But in 57, the band wore black boots with laces and black shoes and a blue uniform.

At Basic Training, I couldn’t do many push ups and I was awful at target practice. The drill sergeant cussed me out,  ”God dammit – you shot the other target. You didn’t even shoot your target! God dammit – you’re the sorriest soldier I ever seen in my whole life.” I loved the Military but I knew that if I were a good shot I would be put in the Infantry. They passed me as a marksman just to get me out of there.

When I first went into the Army, I was a medic, but the sight of blood was enough to make me pass out.

The 4^th Army Band needed an oboe player and sent for me to join the band. The soldiering was over once I got there. When I first arrived, I saluted an officer and he waved me off with “Don’t worry about that stuff, it’s too hot for that.” The 4th Army Band was an arrogant band with some bad musicians from New York and all over. We played ceremonies in the Quadrangle for the big wigs, like President Eisenhower, Vice President Nixon, the Secretary of State, and visiting Generals including Maxwell Taylor. We looked sharp with gold braid all over and figured out to use Arrid deodorant pads to make our shoes really shine. That way, we didn’t have to waste our time shinning them. We played for Generals’ retirements and even concerts for nursing homes, and united with Lackland Air Force to play festivals including the River Walk Festival.

I used to practice that oboe in the building behind the furnace. They were shocked that I could play and read music. They would ask me, “Where did you study?”  I guess I wasn’t supposed to be able to play. In High School, I used to listen to Classical players to get that oboe sound. Later I got to hear DeLancey and tried to get his sound down. And I learned to read music in High School. I could read fly paper. I didn’t make any mistakes reading.

I played alto in the Marching Band, but it was while I was playing in the Army Jazz Band that I picked up the tenor sax. We would play and jam at Felix’s and a place called The Cabana Club in San Antonio. When I walked into the Cabana they would clap. I was so arrogant in those days. At the Cabana I played with other enlisted men including Bobby Bradford who was in the Air Force.  Roland Ashby played piano in the Jazz Band and cymbals in the Concert and Marching Band. He was real bad. The guy could play.  Whenever he came into the Cabana, if another piano player were playing, he’d slide them off the piano and start playing. We had that place rockin’.  I don’t know what happened to him. I didn’t keep up with anyone after I left the Army.

To get me to reenlist, I was offered a move up in rank from Private E1 to E2. I almost did it. It was a pretty good life. All I did was play music. The rest of the time I’d practice, listen to music, play pool … but I left in 59.

Swearing in of New Officers; Mutual Musicians Foundation

Some of the best memories I have occurred at the Union, (what we now call the Mutual Musicians Foundation)…. like hearing the Basie Band rehearse with Billy Eckstine, or hearing a session with Sonny Stitt and John Jackson. I remember rehearsing at the Union and who should walk in the door but Ben Webster wearing a big white beaver fur hat.

Recently I had the privilege of swearing in the new officers of the Mutual Musicians Foundation. Will Matthews is the new President, Jayne McShann is VP, Joyce Johnson is Treasurer and the Secretary is Pam Hyder Johnson. It’s always good to get fresh ideas in our institutions. 

Last night I got to hear Logan Richardson and Harold O’Neal perform at Kansas City’s Blue Room. It was a good feeling to know that I played a small part in the development of such talented young musicians and to hear them play at the top of their game. They are getting national respect from other musicians and the trade magazines. In my own playing, I make it a habit to keep up with what the current tend in music is. I listen to the youngsters and always try to hire them in my band. It helps to preserve the intensity, the energy and the creative fire in the music.

This makes me realize how important it is to engage the young musicians and to encourage them to be involved in the Foundation. Among other things, this can be done by offering private lessons in Jazz technique and teaching standard Jazz repertoire. Small and large groups could be formed. We could have Sunday afternoon showcases and Jam with the youngsters.

I wish the new administration of the Foundation immense success as they keep the legacy intact and at the same time move forward.