JAM: August/September 2002 Issue: Storyville

10 Questions with

BILL MOODY

Born in Missouri (Webb City) and raised in California, drummer, writer, radio host and teacher Bill Moody has studied at Berklee, worked and taught in Las Vegas, gigged with heavies like Jon Hendricks, Lou Rawls, Jimmy Rushing, and Maynard Ferguson, and has published his sixth book (the fifth in his semi-fictional "jazz crime series"), Looking For Chet Baker. Other titles include The Jazz Exiles: American Musicians Abroad (1993), Solo Hand (1994), Death of a Tenor Man (1995), Sound of the Trumpet (1997) and Bird Lives (1999).

Moody visited KC in early July, and JAM had the chance to ask a few questions of the multi-faceted creator of "jazz detective" Evan Horne. First we wanted to know how playing jazz and writing about it compare.

BM: For me there is a strong connection between the two. With jazz, you have the framework of the tune and then you improvise on it. With the writing of the Evan Horne series it's the same. I don't outline; I start with a premise and then expand on it. But there is the framework of the mystery, just as a jazz soloist deals with the framework of a tune.

JAM: We'll assume you came to music first as a player. When did the writing bug first appear?

BM: Well, I wrote a column for my high school paper, so I've been at it a long time. But as far as fiction goes, I started writing some short stories first then tried my hand at a novel. I was very taken with "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin, and "The Horn" by John Clellon Holmes. I thought: I can write about jazz from the inside and hopefully be entertaining at the same time.

JAM: In your Evan Horne crime series, you freely mix real jazz musicians with fictional characters. Have you ever been conflicted about that? You know, tinkering with history and all...

BM: For the real characters, I stick to the facts for the most part. From talking to many people who knew them, I try to get a feel for how and what they might have said. For Chet Baker, I worked a lot with Jack Montrose and Carson Smith, so I had very good impressions from them. It's a tricky line to walk between real life and fictional characters, but I guess it's working, as sometimes people can't tell the difference.

JAM: Speaking of Chet, your latest book, Looking For Chet Baker, has Horne investigating the 1988 death of the great trumpeter. What drew you to that subject?

BM: I've always loved Chet's music. And given the mysterious circumstances of his death, it was the perfect vehicle for an Evan Horne investigation. I went to Amsterdam, and to the hotel he died in, and really got a different perspective on things. Plus, I know so many people who knew Chet well, and I ended up working with some of them. So, it was a natural progression.

JAM: All fiction aside, what do you think really happened to Baker that night in Amsterdam?

BM: The investigating detective said it best: "No one but Mr. Baker knows what happened, and he's not here to tell us." By all accounts, Chet was loaded and simply leaned out the window too far and fell to his death. But, like Wardell Gray's death, we'll never know for sure.

JAM: Another Chet Baker question that always comes to mind is: Would he have played with such soul and pathos had he stayed straight his entire life? Or did his destructive lifestyle actually enhance his music? What do you think?

BM: Chet went through an awful lot. More than most people. And, although he brought a lot of it on himself, I'm sure it played a role in his playing. That was his life: playing. And sometimes it sounded like he was turning his soul inside out. So, it's difficult to tell what might have been.

JAM: Did you ever meet Chet? And if not, did you ever hear him perform live? Assuming the answer is yes, what were your impressions?

BM: I heard him live a couple of times, but I never met him. I was just blown away by the emotional feeling he could convey. One critic said there was no barrier between his horn and his emotions. And then, after the gig, Chet could just go out, get in his car and drive off to the next gig. It was amazing.

JAM: In your 1993 book, The Jazz Exiles: American Musicians Abroad, you profile various American jazz expatriates. In your opinion, why have so many jazz artists -- like Baker, for example -- felt driven to spend more time in Europe and other countries than in the US?

BM: I spent three years in Europe myself. The attraction is simply the European attitude toward jazz and its artists. They really have a love for the music and get very involved. Musicians like Dexter Gordon or Johnny Griffin were treated like celebrities in Europe. The same is true for Japan.

JAM: Do you have any new book projects in the works?

BM: I'm starting work on a screenplay for the Chet Baker book, which looks like it might actually happen. I'm also doing some rough planning for the next Evan Horne book, but nothing is set right now.

JAM: One more question. You are involved in so many different facets of jazz; you perform, write, teach (at Sonoma State University) and have hosted a weekly radio jazz show during your Vegas years. Which profession do you identify with the most?

BM: Sometimes I consider myself a drummer who writes fiction; and other times I'm a novelist who plays drums. It's hard to separate the two, but since I'm not on the road anymore, I guess you could say that writing is taking precedence, although I can't imagine not playing.

Looking For Chet Baker is published by Walker & Company in New York and can be purchased at Amazon.com.






	Search our site:		10 Questions with BILL MOODY Born in Missouri (Webb City) and raised in California, drummer, writer, radio host and teacher Bill Moody has studied at Berklee, worked and taught in Las Vegas, gigged with heavies like Jon Hendricks, Lou Rawls, Jimmy Rushing, and Maynard Ferguson, and has published his sixth book (the fifth in his semi-fictional "jazz crime series"), Looking For Chet Baker. Other titles include The Jazz Exiles: American Musicians Abroad (1993), Solo Hand (1994), Death of a Tenor Man (1995), Sound of the Trumpet (1997) and Bird Lives (1999). Moody visited KC in early July, and JAM had the chance to ask a few questions of the multi-faceted creator of "jazz detective" Evan Horne. First we wanted to know how playing jazz and writing about it compare. BM: For me there is a strong connection between the two. With jazz, you have the framework of the tune and then you improvise on it. With the writing of the Evan Horne series it's the same. I don't outline; I start with a premise and then expand on it. But there is the framework of the mystery, just as a jazz soloist deals with the framework of a tune. JAM: We'll assume you came to music first as a player. When did the writing bug first appear? BM: Well, I wrote a column for my high school paper, so I've been at it a long time. But as far as fiction goes, I started writing some short stories first then tried my hand at a novel. I was very taken with "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin, and "The Horn" by John Clellon Holmes. I thought: I can write about jazz from the inside and hopefully be entertaining at the same time. JAM: In your Evan Horne crime series, you freely mix real jazz musicians with fictional characters. Have you ever been conflicted about that? You know, tinkering with history and all... BM: For the real characters, I stick to the facts for the most part. From talking to many people who knew them, I try to get a feel for how and what they might have said. For Chet Baker, I worked a lot with Jack Montrose and Carson Smith, so I had very good impressions from them. It's a tricky line to walk between real life and fictional characters, but I guess it's working, as sometimes people can't tell the difference. JAM: Speaking of Chet, your latest book, Looking For Chet Baker, has Horne investigating the 1988 death of the great trumpeter. What drew you to that subject? BM: I've always loved Chet's music. And given the mysterious circumstances of his death, it was the perfect vehicle for an Evan Horne investigation. I went to Amsterdam, and to the hotel he died in, and really got a different perspective on things. Plus, I know so many people who knew Chet well, and I ended up working with some of them. So, it was a natural progression. JAM: All fiction aside, what do you think really happened to Baker that night in Amsterdam? BM: The investigating detective said it best: "No one but Mr. Baker knows what happened, and he's not here to tell us." By all accounts, Chet was loaded and simply leaned out the window too far and fell to his death. But, like Wardell Gray's death, we'll never know for sure. JAM: Another Chet Baker question that always comes to mind is: Would he have played with such soul and pathos had he stayed straight his entire life? Or did his destructive lifestyle actually enhance his music? What do you think? BM: Chet went through an awful lot. More than most people. And, although he brought a lot of it on himself, I'm sure it played a role in his playing. That was his life: playing. And sometimes it sounded like he was turning his soul inside out. So, it's difficult to tell what might have been. JAM: Did you ever meet Chet? And if not, did you ever hear him perform live? Assuming the answer is yes, what were your impressions? BM: I heard him live a couple of times, but I never met him. I was just blown away by the emotional feeling he could convey. One critic said there was no barrier between his horn and his emotions. And then, after the gig, Chet could just go out, get in his car and drive off to the next gig. It was amazing. JAM: In your 1993 book, The Jazz Exiles: American Musicians Abroad, you profile various American jazz expatriates. In your opinion, why have so many jazz artists -- like Baker, for example -- felt driven to spend more time in Europe and other countries than in the US? BM: I spent three years in Europe myself. The attraction is simply the European attitude toward jazz and its artists. They really have a love for the music and get very involved. Musicians like Dexter Gordon or Johnny Griffin were treated like celebrities in Europe. The same is true for Japan. JAM: Do you have any new book projects in the works? BM: I'm starting work on a screenplay for the Chet Baker book, which looks like it might actually happen. I'm also doing some rough planning for the next Evan Horne book, but nothing is set right now. JAM: One more question. You are involved in so many different facets of jazz; you perform, write, teach (at Sonoma State University) and have hosted a weekly radio jazz show during your Vegas years. Which profession do you identify with the most? BM: Sometimes I consider myself a drummer who writes fiction; and other times I'm a novelist who plays drums. It's hard to separate the two, but since I'm not on the road anymore, I guess you could say that writing is taking precedence, although I can't imagine not playing. Looking For Chet Baker is published by Walker & Company in New York and can be purchased at Amazon.com. RETURN TO AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2002 MAIN INDEX © Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2002. All rights reserved.