Dear Jesse,
Thanks so much for sending me your
CD and the flattering note that accompanied it. I know that as an aspiring
young saxophonist, reaching out to older musicians that you’ve never met can be
an intimidating thing to do. Actually, when I think about it, it’s probably
less frightening of an experience, nowadays, than it used to be. Nowadays, you can
just do it over the Internet. When I was your age, the only way we could pick
the brains of older musicians was to call them on the phone, go to their gig,
or show up at their house. Now that’s what I call frightening. God forbid
you should try that with the wrong person. I recall making a few cold calls to
older musicians, only to be greeted with 15 seconds of dead silence, which felt
like an hour. One of the reasons I try to be welcoming and encouraging to up
and coming players like you is because I do remember so vividly what it was
like to be on the other side.
And I do appreciate your kind words
about my music. I’ve made many artistic decisions through the years that have made
me wonder if anyone would ever like what I do. As an artist, I do want to
connect with people on the most basic of levels. But I don’t want to pander to
them. I want to play what I hear, not what I think others want to hear. To do
this would under-mind the very quality that drew them to my music in the
beginning.
When I first switch to the soprano
saxophone almost 19 years, I did so not knowing what the future would hold for
me. I’ve often likened the process to being like jumping off a cliff and having
to grow wings on the way down. Thank goodness I stuck with my guns and didn’t
give in to the naysayers. And trust me, there were plenty. All in all it’s a
decision that I've never regretted. It has been a life-changing journey that
has restored my curiosity and excitement about music. And without a doubt, has strengthened
me as a saxophonist, artist and person.
But I do want to honor your
request, and give you some constructive feedback on your music—specifically on
your soprano playing. And I must say, one of the advantages of seeing yourself as
an aspiring jazz musician versus an established one, is that you are open to
constructive feedback. Unfortunately, once you graduate from college and start
working as a professional, other musicians are usually hesitant to offer
feedback--unless you’ve already established a teacher-student dynamic.
Otherwise, if they like what you do, they’ll call you back. If they don’t, you
won’t hear from them again. That’s the harsh reality of New York. No one is
going to say, “Hey, work on these things for six months and give me a call.”
They’ll just say, “he plays out of tune,” or “he can’t play changes, or “he
doesn’t know any tunes,” or ”he can’t keep good time.” And that will become your label, at least
until they hear you again and you’re able to remove all doubt through your
progress.
Now keep in mind that I’m just
hearing you on three tunes from a recording, which is lot different from
hearing someone live. The first thing
that struck me was that your approach had very little to do with the soprano. It
sounded like you were just playing all of the things you'd probably play on tenor, up an
octave—which is common. Saxophonists rarely deal with the soprano as though
it’s deserving of special treatment different than what’s given to the other saxophones. The soprano lends itself to a more sound-centered
approach to improvisation, versus the idea-centered approach favored by most.
Let me clarify how these things differ.
First, let’s start with idea-centered playing. This is when you first
realize the idea, and the sound produced is a by-product of implementing the
idea. In other words, you think of something to play, and your sound is what’s
heard as a result of trying to play it. There are a few advantages this
approach. One, you are playing something that’s well rehearsed, so the
execution of the idea is often precise and accurate. Two, you have the comfort
of knowing that the idea will serve a particular function melodically,
harmonically, and rhythmically.
One of the cons, however, is that the idea might sound forced. It might
work melodically, harmonically, and rhythmically, but not musically. While I was a student at the Berklee of College of Music, I attended
numerous jam-sessions, knowing what lick I was going to play, on which tune and
chord. Like many developing players, I figured why practice it if you’re not
going to play it--even if the situation doesn’t call for it.
Frankly, approaching music this way can sound uncommunicative, isolated,
and technical. And by technical I mean playing ideas that sound calculated and
premeditated rather than inspired. Technique in this instance is not a means to
an end. It is the means. Just as a side note: If you notice someone’s technique
apart from their music, it means they haven’t figured out how to integrate with
their music. This is one of the inspiring things about Thelonious Monk. Even
though he had a great command of the piano, he never used technique to play a
lot of notes. Instead, he used it to play each note with great depth and beauty.
Let me explain sound-centered playing: This is when the primary focus is
on sound production, and the ideas heard are mere by-products of the various
ways in which you manipulate the sound. One advantage to this approach is that
now that you are maximizing each note, which, on the soprano, fully allows you
exploring its timbre and textural possibilities before moving on to the next
note. Your ideas now take on a more vocal-like quality, which plays to the
inherent expressive nature of the instrument. Not to mention, with your sound
at the forefront, listeners can now tune into its subtleties—which, by the way,
is how listeners will ultimately come to recognize you.
Jesse, keep in mind that many of these things that I’m mentioning
regarding sound should be applied to any instrument that you play. But I am
speaking to the soprano, specifically, because this is what I do.
But on a more positive note, I do find your intonation to be pretty
accurate. Which is no small feat, especially for someone who hasn’t been playing
it that long. I remember when I had just graduated from college, I could barely
two consecutive notes in tune. So you’re much further along than I was. But if
you’re really serious about getting your soprano chops together, you can’t be
satisfied with just being able to play in tune. Maybe 30 – 40 years ago when
all sopranos were horrible, maybe you could rest your hat on just being able to
play in tune. But nowadays you need to bring much more than that to the table. Nowadays, you need think about developing a voice. And the only way to do that is by
thoroughly investigating into the way sound is produced on the instrument and
all of its nuances.
So my advice to you is listen, practice and play. And when finish doing
that, listen, practice and play some more. Thanks again for sharing with me your
music. And I hope that you’ll find some
of the things I’ve said here useful. If not now, hopefully, in the future.
Take care,
Sam Newsome
