Chapter 16-BOHP_2007-01-26_GHopkins

Description

FB: NO that's history, that's part of what Berklee is all about.

GH: It certainly is. It's such a joy to be in Boston to work here and practice music. Lately I've been playing with a wonderful trio led by a genius piano player named Tim Re.

FB:Oh yes.

GH: And it's kind the direction I'm going in part of me is going in. Combining different orchestration with classical music, with jazz music . I don't like to pigeon hole things and say oh you have to play blues in Db or you you can't play. That's just wrong.

FB: That's really a very hip very lean chamber sound.

GH: Yeah we've got trumpet, piano and cello. I'm the trumpet and I play trumpet, and piccolo trumpet and fugel horn and cornet and pocket cornet and you know mutes and all different sounds. Re is a genius on the piano and a great composer. And the cellist Eugene Freeson who is a genius on the cello. We all compose so it's an ideal situation.

FB: Yeah it's a really pleasantly refreshing kind of combination.

GH: I've been writing music now not for classical people but for classical combinations of players in jazz.

FB: Like what?

GH: Like a brass quintet, or a woodwind quintet. I wrote a woodwind quintet with jazz trumpet.

FB: Cool.

GH: It's just a great direction to get to go in.

FB: Nice. That's really good.

GH: And I've been writing for symphony orchestra some things like that with a lot of improvisational moments. Some jazz players and some straight players.

FB: Ever tackle string quartet?

GH: Uh huh. Yup. String quartet with trumpet.

FB: Yup. I have to hear those.

GH: String quartet with trumpet and drums.

FB: I'd like to hear that.

GH: Yup. It's shades of Stan Getz focus. (FB: Ok sure sure.) I mean that was such a groundbreaking recording. (FB: Indeed.) And piece of music.

FB: You haven't been afraid to tackle history in the past either. You redid the Miles nonet

GH: Oh right well that was I got to learn about nonet. I was fortunate to have 3 or 4 of the original charts. So I studied those. And then we played those. And then I wrote an hour's worth of music with the same instrumentation, but yet a different sound. I patterned the nonet project after three nonets the miles davis Cool nonet and then the Mccoy Tyner nonet which is differnet more modal, stronger, more Coltrainish, and then Herbie Hancock's nonet from the Prisoner which is very impressionistic and dark. A lot of woodwinds and flutes, clarinet, bass trombone, fugle horn. So those three nonets I patterened my nonets after. Some people say it's cold it's not cool. My nonet is so cold that it's hot. It's hot to the touch. So I actually call it the Cryogenic Renaissance Orchestra. You get it, cryogenic, birth of the frozen, no birth of the cool. Cryogenic Renaissance Orchestra. (FB: Sweet.) And we put that we put a areally good band together with some friends of mine in Alaska and they live in Arizona. Chuck ??? great jazz piano player.

FB: Hot and cold.

GH: Yeah, that's right. Alaska and Arizona. AA. And then great tuba player Sam Pilafian who is actually a Boston icon who moved to Arizona.

FB: He was a classical cat right?

GH: Well he's a jazz guy too. He walks a mean bass line and he can improvise so he's like me. I can play classical too. I can fool them. And I enjoy playing classical. If it's good music it's good music. I love Duke Ellington. There's two kinds of music. Good music and bad music. So, Duke appreciated good music (FB:Absolutely) and he listened to a lot of classical music. He learned from a lot of classical music. Big fan of Delius.

FB: So was Mel Torme

GH: Yup. yeah I learned one of our teachers Arthur Welwood gave a nice lecture on Frederick Delius and his influence on jazz composers in particular Duke Ellington.

FB: And more obviously Ravel. But Delius was sneaky he was beautiful.

GH: Delius had some nice chromatic harmonies. And Delius spent a lot of time in Florida in this country. He actually studied and heard a lot of black music, gospel music and incorporated that into his writing.

FB: Yes. A little more smoothly than Dvorak.

GH: Well Dvorak yeah he just took a couple melodies and harmonized them.

FB: Yeah that Florida suite is a beauty.

GH: Yeah.

Details

Title: Chapter 16-BOHP_2007-01-26_GHopkins
Creator
Subject
Description: FB: NO that's history, that's part of what Berklee is all about. GH: It certainly is. It's such a joy to be in Boston to work here and practice music. Lately I've been playing with a wonderful trio led by a genius piano player named Tim Re. FB:Oh yes. GH: And it's kind the direction I'm going in part of me is going in. Combining different orchestration with classical music, with jazz music . I don't like to pigeon hole things and say oh you have to play blues in Db or you you can't play. That's just wrong. FB: That's really a very hip very lean chamber sound. GH: Yeah we've got trumpet, piano and cello. I'm the trumpet and I play trumpet, and piccolo trumpet and fugel horn and cornet and pocket cornet and you know mutes and all different sounds. Re is a genius on the piano and a great composer. And the cellist Eugene Freeson who is a genius on the cello. We all compose so it's an ideal situation. FB: Yeah it's a really pleasantly refreshing kind of combination. GH: I've been writing music now not for classical people but for classical combinations of players in jazz. FB: Like what? GH: Like a brass quintet, or a woodwind quintet. I wrote a woodwind quintet with jazz trumpet. FB: Cool. GH: It's just a great direction to get to go in. FB: Nice. That's really good. GH: And I've been writing for symphony orchestra some things like that with a lot of improvisational moments. Some jazz players and some straight players. FB: Ever tackle string quartet? GH: Uh huh. Yup. String quartet with trumpet. FB: Yup. I have to hear those. GH: String quartet with trumpet and drums. FB: I'd like to hear that. GH: Yup. It's shades of Stan Getz focus. (FB: Ok sure sure.) I mean that was such a groundbreaking recording. (FB: Indeed.) And piece of music. FB: You haven't been afraid to tackle history in the past either. You redid the Miles nonet GH: Oh right well that was I got to learn about nonet. I was fortunate to have 3 or 4 of the original charts. So I studied those. And then we played those. And then I wrote an hour's worth of music with the same instrumentation, but yet a different sound. I patterned the nonet project after three nonets the miles davis Cool nonet and then the Mccoy Tyner nonet which is differnet more modal, stronger, more Coltrainish, and then Herbie Hancock's nonet from the Prisoner which is very impressionistic and dark. A lot of woodwinds and flutes, clarinet, bass trombone, fugle horn. So those three nonets I patterened my nonets after. Some people say it's cold it's not cool. My nonet is so cold that it's hot. It's hot to the touch. So I actually call it the Cryogenic Renaissance Orchestra. You get it, cryogenic, birth of the frozen, no birth of the cool. Cryogenic Renaissance Orchestra. (FB: Sweet.) And we put that we put a areally good band together with some friends of mine in Alaska and they live in Arizona. Chuck ??? great jazz piano player. FB: Hot and cold. GH: Yeah, that's right. Alaska and Arizona. AA. And then great tuba player Sam Pilafian who is actually a Boston icon who moved to Arizona. FB: He was a classical cat right? GH: Well he's a jazz guy too. He walks a mean bass line and he can improvise so he's like me. I can play classical too. I can fool them. And I enjoy playing classical. If it's good music it's good music. I love Duke Ellington. There's two kinds of music. Good music and bad music. So, Duke appreciated good music (FB:Absolutely) and he listened to a lot of classical music. He learned from a lot of classical music. Big fan of Delius. FB: So was Mel Torme GH: Yup. yeah I learned one of our teachers Arthur Welwood gave a nice lecture on Frederick Delius and his influence on jazz composers in particular Duke Ellington. FB: And more obviously Ravel. But Delius was sneaky he was beautiful. GH: Delius had some nice chromatic harmonies. And Delius spent a lot of time in Florida in this country. He actually studied and heard a lot of black music, gospel music and incorporated that into his writing. FB: Yes. A little more smoothly than Dvorak. GH: Well Dvorak yeah he just took a couple melodies and harmonized them. FB: Yeah that Florida suite is a beauty. GH: Yeah.
Publisher
Contributor
Date
Type: MovingImage
Format: videorecording
Identifier: berklee:19995
Source
Language
Relation
Coverage: North America
Rights