What Makes a Jazz Hero? Our Readers Weigh In

In our newsletter last week we asked readers to tell us about their heroes. Here are some of the responses. We’d like to thank everyone who took the time to write to us.

“Please keep up the fantastic work with the newsletter…every one just gets better. As for heroes, I’d have to start with Art Pepper, then Dave Pell, Shorty Rogers, Zoot Sims and who can forget Cal Tjader? All mostly West Coast cats but they had ‘the sound’ and knew what we wanted. Guess I better add my most favorite and versatile sax man: Charlie Ventura. Man, could he wail! Even on the rather unfriendly bass sax, he tamed that beast!! It seems as though there just isn’t anyone around now who could produce an ‘ensemble sound’ like Rogers or Pell. They patterned their sound like Howard Rumsey did with his Lighthouse All Stars, whom I saw hundreds of times in Redondo Beach! Thanks for the informal poll, can’t wait to see who else pops up as a hero!” — Al Babbitt, Kuna Idaho

“If I had to pick a true jazz hero, it would be Clark Terry. Through my association with the University of New Hampshire Music Department, I’ve had the opportunity to spend time with Clark twice a year for 17 years. Clark received his first honorary doctorate from UNH in 1978, had the annual UNH Jazz Festival renamed the Clark Terry/UNH Jazz Festival in 1989, and has been an adjunct faculty member since 1990. Aside from his superb improvisation work and timeless playing style, Clark is one of the finest humanitarians and most committed educators I’ve ever known. His warm sound on the flugelhorn, precise trumpet playing and humorous vocals are wholly original. You can tell Clark’s approach after only hearing a few notes. His impact on jazz education is unparalleled and his continued presence in jazz assures that the music will remain vital and timeless. I’ll always be grateful to C.T. for the lessons, both musical and life-oriented, that he has taught me over the years. His advice and counsel have helped me to be a better musician and a better music journalist. Most importantly, he has taught me the meaning of what it takes to be a true human being. — Alan Chase, free-lance saxophonist and music journalist, the seacoast area ofNew Hampshire and Acting President of the Blues Bank Collective of Portsmouth, NH.

“If Downbeat had asked, I would have immediately thought of the wealth of recordings and the endless list of great jazz musicians from the ‘50s and ‘60s. Having said that, I will take the coward’s way out and select the Benny Goodman organizations from the late ‘30s – arguably the greatest jazz bands ever assembled (with Harry James, Gene Krupa, Lionel Hampton, Ziggy Elman, Vido Musso, Teddy Wilson, etc.), and not so arguably the most important two or three years in the evolution of American music. Goodman’s Fletcher Henderson arrangements put jazz center-stage in an American culture still smarting from the depression years. His music got our young people out of their chairs and onto the dance floor, and put a smile on the face of America when it most needed it. — Ron Phelps, Joplin, Mo.

“So many great jazz artists have been a part of my life through their music, but if I had to narrow the list to one hero, that would be Bill Basie. My father was a huge fan of the Count Basie Orchestra, so my exposure to his incredible brand of big band music was a constant over the years, from stuff on early 78s right through the Atomic era and on into the Pablo period at the end. I was privileged to see the Basie band a half dozen times or so, in concert settings, backing vocalists, even at a dance once. The band’s composition shifted over the years that I watched them, with Sonny Payne on drums at one show, Butch Miles at another … but the swing never varied. I marvel that Basie was able to keep a big band together all those years, through the down times when that formation was about as far from the mainstream or current fashion as possible. They always put on a great show and in the middle of it all sat The Count, a sly grin on his face, the occasional flicker of fingers on the keyboard, eyes watching everything, the calm at the center of this musical storm.As circumstances had it, I was at Count Basie’s final concert, at the Sunrise Musical Theater near Fort Lauderdale, Fla., though none of us knew that would be his last appearance. He took sick between shows, was taken to a hospital in Hollywood and died a short time later. My own father had died a year or two before, and his older brother and jazz mentor a couple of years before that. I talked with my only surviving uncle a few weeks after Count Basie’s death, and he said, “With Woody and Charlie up there, and with the Count there now, just think of the music in heaven! — Mike Young, Carrollton, Tex.

“A Hero – I would choose the New York studio musician Moe Schneider (Trombonist). He took the time to help young players improve their playing and had a soft, impeccable manner. Moe would send recorded lessons in the mail: no charge. He even allowed me to play his “Baby”  – a King 2B Silvertone from Tommy Dorsey. Moe was always kind and pleasant, a recording artist and soloist, always in demand. — Roy Barnes

Thanks again to Al, Alan, Ron, Mike and Roy. These are very interesting and diverse. Tomorrow we’ll share a recollection from our friend Dan Axelrod in the newsletter. See you then. — Al