JAM: April/May 2005 Issue: Q&A with Bobby Watson

BOBBY WATSON

I recently had the opportunity to chat with my good friend Bobby Watson at his office at the UMKC Conservatory. Bobby was still catching his breath after returning from a very successful week-long stint at Lincoln Center, where he appeared with his multi-talented jazz quintet, Horizon. They performed to enthusiastic audiences at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola. If you had the chance to catch Horizon when they came to town last year, you know what a treat that was; they are truly a talented group of musicians. Prior to the New York performances, Bobby was off to Italy performing a tribute concert in honor of Kansas City legend Charlie Parker.

Bobby is active as a guest artist, clinician, teacher, and composer, and works tirelessly as director of the Jazz Studies program at UMKC. During our chat we discussed some important jazz happenings that are coming up in April.

JAM: Bobby, thanks again for taking time to chat with me. How was the gig with Horizon in New York?

WATSON: Yeah, it was great…phenomenal. The facilities are amazing; they have practice halls, classrooms, and the acoustics are state of the art. We did a week at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola. We had a very good time.

JAM: I understand you took the UMKC Jazz Orchestra northward to the festival in Elmhurst, Illinois, in February. I know the Elmhurst festival is an established and prestigious event. It's been around for 35 years or so hasn't it?

WATSON: Its been going on for 38 years actually. They've invited jazz greats like Cannonball, Duke, Count Basie, and the Buddy Rich big band to perform there. It's a great festival. The students enjoyed it and it was a good experience for them.

JAM: How did UMKC Jazz Orchestra make out in Elmhurst?

WATSON: We did very well. We received what they call the Award of Outstanding Recognition for both our Big Band and for our Latin Jazz Combo. That was wonderful. We had six musicians that won awards for Outstanding Soloist.

JAM: Congratulations! That's great news for the UMKC Jazz department. Who were the outstanding soloists?

WATSON: Zack Albetta - drums, Clint Ashlock - trumpet, Kevin Cerovich - trombone, Mark Lowrey - piano, Nate McLeod - alto sax, and John Thieben - alto sax.

JAM: I have seen a couple of those guys hanging out at Mike's Tavern on Thursday nights for the weekly UMKC-sponsored jam sessions. (The weekly jam sessions began last Fall and have been well attended as word has gotten around KC.) Would you like to talk about that and tell me how it all got started?

WATSON: Sure. Glenda Bushnell spoke with Mike Devine, owner of Mike's Tavern, and that started the ball rolling. Glenda works at the Conservatory assisting the ensemble directors in recruiting, scholarships, and helping the students get performances around town. I have wanted to get a regular place for a while that was close to campus so the students could perform on a weekly basis. The last few years the students have played out at various clubs throughout KC, like Jardine's, the Phoenix, and the New Point Bar & Grill, but it was never ongoing like the Thursday night jam session that we've established at Mike's Tavern. I feel it is an extremely important arm of the Jazz Studies program at UMKC. It gives the players a chance to gain valuable experience playing in front of a live audience, which is so crucial to their development as jazz musicians. Mike's is a friendly place where the students are free to experiment musically and can further hone their improvisational skills. It also helps me to better teach them. I get the opportunity to do a lot of teaching over there. Because it allows me to hear them play in a more relaxed environment and I can grab them as they come off stage and give them specific comments about their playing. I think the Thursday night Jam session at Mike's Tavern is probably one of the most effective components of the jazz studies program at UMKC.

JAM: I noticed the guys who were playing last Thursday were totally into jamming with you and were enjoying the chance to just hang out with you between sets. They have a chance to interact with a world renowned jazz musician on a personal level. That is a great opportunity for their professional development. You used to tell me to pick two or three tunes to function as a personal “laboratory” and use those tunes to experiment with new patterns, voicings, and ideas. It seems to me that Mike's Tavern has become an actual “jazz laboratory” for your students to experiment and develop their own ideas.

WATSON: Yes, that's right. That's exactly what it is…a jazz laboratory.

JAM: That brings up another point about Thursday nights. It is open to everybody, not just UMKC students. Is that right?

WATSON: Definitely! Everyone is welcome to stop by and sit in. I really want to get the word out to the cats in town to feel free to come out and play on Thursdays. We have a couple of our adjuncts that have already played at Mike's, like Stan Kessler and Paul McKee. Everyone is welcome! On April 14th we will be having a celebration and showcase featuring all of our outstanding soloists. I am asking all of our students from the UMKC jazz program to be there and inviting jazz fans from all over the Kansas City area to come out to Mike's Tavern and support our talented young musicians (Mike's is at 54th and Troost). The students have worked very hard this year and we wanted to have an evening to honor them for all they have accomplished. They have all made a lot of progress this year and I am extremely proud of each and every one of them.

— John G. Blair II, aka “The Shadow”

John Blair is busy finishing his doctoral studies in music composition at the Conservatory at UMKC. He originally hails from D.C. and moved to Kansas City two years ago to complete his doctorate. John has performed at many Jazz Festivals, including the Lionel Hampton Jazz Fest in Idaho. He has composed music in several styles and genres, including “Parallax,” a piece for solo piano that will be released on Capstone records this fall.






	Search our site:		BOBBY WATSON I recently had the opportunity to chat with my good friend Bobby Watson at his office at the UMKC Conservatory. Bobby was still catching his breath after returning from a very successful week-long stint at Lincoln Center, where he appeared with his multi-talented jazz quintet, Horizon. They performed to enthusiastic audiences at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola. If you had the chance to catch Horizon when they came to town last year, you know what a treat that was; they are truly a talented group of musicians. Prior to the New York performances, Bobby was off to Italy performing a tribute concert in honor of Kansas City legend Charlie Parker. Bobby is active as a guest artist, clinician, teacher, and composer, and works tirelessly as director of the Jazz Studies program at UMKC. During our chat we discussed some important jazz happenings that are coming up in April. JAM: Bobby, thanks again for taking time to chat with me. How was the gig with Horizon in New York? WATSON: Yeah, it was great…phenomenal. The facilities are amazing; they have practice halls, classrooms, and the acoustics are state of the art. We did a week at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola. We had a very good time. JAM: I understand you took the UMKC Jazz Orchestra northward to the festival in Elmhurst, Illinois, in February. I know the Elmhurst festival is an established and prestigious event. It's been around for 35 years or so hasn't it? WATSON: Its been going on for 38 years actually. They've invited jazz greats like Cannonball, Duke, Count Basie, and the Buddy Rich big band to perform there. It's a great festival. The students enjoyed it and it was a good experience for them. JAM: How did UMKC Jazz Orchestra make out in Elmhurst? WATSON: We did very well. We received what they call the Award of Outstanding Recognition for both our Big Band and for our Latin Jazz Combo. That was wonderful. We had six musicians that won awards for Outstanding Soloist. JAM: Congratulations! That's great news for the UMKC Jazz department. Who were the outstanding soloists? WATSON: Zack Albetta - drums, Clint Ashlock - trumpet, Kevin Cerovich - trombone, Mark Lowrey - piano, Nate McLeod - alto sax, and John Thieben - alto sax. JAM: I have seen a couple of those guys hanging out at Mike's Tavern on Thursday nights for the weekly UMKC-sponsored jam sessions. (The weekly jam sessions began last Fall and have been well attended as word has gotten around KC.) Would you like to talk about that and tell me how it all got started? WATSON: Sure. Glenda Bushnell spoke with Mike Devine, owner of Mike's Tavern, and that started the ball rolling. Glenda works at the Conservatory assisting the ensemble directors in recruiting, scholarships, and helping the students get performances around town. I have wanted to get a regular place for a while that was close to campus so the students could perform on a weekly basis. The last few years the students have played out at various clubs throughout KC, like Jardine's, the Phoenix, and the New Point Bar & Grill, but it was never ongoing like the Thursday night jam session that we've established at Mike's Tavern. I feel it is an extremely important arm of the Jazz Studies program at UMKC. It gives the players a chance to gain valuable experience playing in front of a live audience, which is so crucial to their development as jazz musicians. Mike's is a friendly place where the students are free to experiment musically and can further hone their improvisational skills. It also helps me to better teach them. I get the opportunity to do a lot of teaching over there. Because it allows me to hear them play in a more relaxed environment and I can grab them as they come off stage and give them specific comments about their playing. I think the Thursday night Jam session at Mike's Tavern is probably one of the most effective components of the jazz studies program at UMKC. JAM: I noticed the guys who were playing last Thursday were totally into jamming with you and were enjoying the chance to just hang out with you between sets. They have a chance to interact with a world renowned jazz musician on a personal level. That is a great opportunity for their professional development. You used to tell me to pick two or three tunes to function as a personal “laboratory” and use those tunes to experiment with new patterns, voicings, and ideas. It seems to me that Mike's Tavern has become an actual “jazz laboratory” for your students to experiment and develop their own ideas. WATSON: Yes, that's right. That's exactly what it is…a jazz laboratory. JAM: That brings up another point about Thursday nights. It is open to everybody, not just UMKC students. Is that right? WATSON: Definitely! Everyone is welcome to stop by and sit in. I really want to get the word out to the cats in town to feel free to come out and play on Thursdays. We have a couple of our adjuncts that have already played at Mike's, like Stan Kessler and Paul McKee. Everyone is welcome! On April 14th we will be having a celebration and showcase featuring all of our outstanding soloists. I am asking all of our students from the UMKC jazz program to be there and inviting jazz fans from all over the Kansas City area to come out to Mike's Tavern and support our talented young musicians (Mike's is at 54th and Troost). The students have worked very hard this year and we wanted to have an evening to honor them for all they have accomplished. They have all made a lot of progress this year and I am extremely proud of each and every one of them. — John G. Blair II, aka “The Shadow” John Blair is busy finishing his doctoral studies in music composition at the Conservatory at UMKC. He originally hails from D.C. and moved to Kansas City two years ago to complete his doctorate. John has performed at many Jazz Festivals, including the Lionel Hampton Jazz Fest in Idaho. He has composed music in several styles and genres, including “Parallax,” a piece for solo piano that will be released on Capstone records this fall. RETURN TO APRIL/MAY 2005 MAIN INDEX © Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2005. All rights reserved.