Doug Bickel never dreamed he’d hear his composition, “Educate the Natives,” unfold as it did when he first brought it to his trio. The 35-year-old pianist wrote the song, heard on his new album, City of Rhythm, while he was still in college and had been playing it with various groups for over ten years. Yet in the hands of Louisiana natives drummer Adonis Rose and bassist Roland Guerin it took on a fresh life.
“Adonis sat down that first night and played it with that kind of 9/8 African beat and brought in a new perspective,” says Bickel, who moved to New Orleans in 2002 to join the jazz faculty at the University of New Orleans.
Like many of the jazz musicians who arrive in the city from across the country, Bickel appreciates the trading of musical influences that naturally occur on the bandstand and in the classroom. The influx of a host of artists throughout the decades—think of long-time residents such as saxophonist Tony Dagradi or relative newcomers like saxophonists Ed Petersen and Tim Green and pianist Victor Atkins—has in various and sometimes even subtle ways led to a mutual enrichment of individual players as well as the entire jazz scene.
“I’m finding myself thinking a whole different way when I play or when I even listen to music. The rhythmic aspect is a big thing,” says Bickel. “And I definitely feel that the things that I’m bringing to the school atmosphere are things that were not here before I came. Not that they are revolutionary or anything but just a way of thinking from the outside.”
Even though competition for the limited amount of jazz gigs remains tough, Bickel chalks up entering the city through his position at UNO helped to accelerate his entrance into the community. His broad musical background—he toured and recorded with trumpeters Arturo Sandoval and Maynard Ferguson—and his vast knowledge of standard tunes were also greatly appreciated on the diverse local scene.
On the other hand, 23-year-old trumpeter Maurice Brown in part credits his Chicago origins and the Windy City’s musical connection for his easy slide into the mix two years ago. He finds one of the biggest differences between the two cities is their children’s musical upbringing. “You can’t drive around Chicago and see little kids in the street with their horns. I think that’s really cool.
“New Orleans is definitely more soulful,” proclaims Brown, “just the whole culture and environment itself and the people,” says Brown. “It can’t help but rub off on you. I can definitely hear it in my playing; it’s more seasoned. It seems like in a lot of places when you hear people play, they’re playing just to play. The musicians here play more for a purpose—more direction. In Chicago, it’s more a vibe—let it come. And the combination of both is what I can see from being in New Orleans.”
Brown arrived armed with Chicago’s freer, less restrictive jazz attitude that can’t help but touch those with whom he shares the bandstand and especially some of his young contemporaries. The trumpeter says his outlook is instead of being afraid to play, to just play.
Exposure to different jazz styles, outlooks and philosophies aren’t, of course, as easily encountered in New Orleans as larger urban areas especially on the highly populated East Coast. Having folks land in New Orleans fertilizes the already rich music and visits by national artists helps keep jazz music fresh.
“I think it’s important for us to have other people exposed to what’s going on down here and also to be exposed around the world,” says Brown, who is presently working on bringing innovative vibraphonist Stefon Harris in for a date with his group. A lot of people don’t know about New Orleans—in my words a lot of people are sleeping on New Orleans.”
In recent years, venues like Snug Harbor, Sweet Lorraine’s and the Contemporary Arts Center have boosted the number of nationally acclaimed artists heard around town. Local musicians like Adonis Rose are also taking the initiative to seek out musicians from beyond the state’s borders. Late last year he teamed with piano giant Mulgrew Miller and on March 16 and 17 his drums will be behind vocalist Nneena Freelon.
The Jazz at the Sandbar series has long offered aspiring musicians in UNO’s jazz department the opportunity to perform with major jazz performers such as pianist Joanne Brackeen with saxophonist Sonny Fortune slated for an upcoming date. Producer Jason Patterson, who also books Snug Harbor and is the director of the educationally-focused New Orleans Jazz Centennial, has seen first-hand the results of mixing the musical pot.
“The wonderful thing about jazz,” Patterson explains, “is that there are so many people that interpret it and they put their stamp on it. For those folks to come in and our local folks to play with them makes everybody grow. A good example is [guitarist] Carlos Malta. He was so taken by our musicians that he eventually had them [pianist Larry Sieberth, drummer Ricky Sebastian and bassist James Singleton] down to tour Brazil. Someone like [trombonist] Ray Anderson got off on the brass bands here and created his own version of a brass band using some New Orleans musicians like [sousaphonist] Matt Perrine and drummer Johnny Vidacovich.”
“I feel myself being drawn to the music of the New Orleans composers like James Black, Harold Battiste and Ellis [Marsalis],” says Bickel of how being here has seeped into his creative and educational mindset. New Orleans is the ultimate melting pot—no one’s ruling the whole scene.
The Doug Bickel Trio celebrates its record release at Snug Harbor on March 4. The Maurice Brown Quintet, which includes Bickel on piano and Rose on drums, performs every Tuesday night at Snug Harbor.
INJUNS HERE THEY COME
The artwork of the Mardi Gras Indians will be on full display once again as they take to the streets for two Sunday afternoon parades. The Mardi Gras Indian Council hosts its traditional Indian Sunday parade on March 21. The procession begins at noon at A.L. Davis Park at Washington Avenue and LaSalle Streets and takes a circular route. The date for Tambourine & Fans’ annual Super Sunday parade from Bayou St. John at Orleans Avenue to Hunter’s Field at N. Claiborne and St. Bernard avenues has not been announced though it too will be in Mid-March. These daytime events offer an excellent opportunity to examine the creativity and skill it takes to create the magnificent Indian suits. As they have for decades, the Indians will also be out on St. Joseph’s night, March 19. The gangs, however, don’t begin roaming the streets at a scheduled time or take certain routes. The best bet of spying Indians is to head out around sundown in the area of Fourth Street and Dryades and ultimately at A.L. Davis Park.