Today,
when you see Chaim Roberts cradling his tenor saxophone
on a bandstand, he looks far more like a fullback than
he did during his sophomore year in Toledo, Ohio, as
he took a few tentative steps toward the stage for his
first-ever jam session. The time was 8:30. The club
was Murphy's Place. Cliff Murphy was on bass, Claude
Black sat hammering on the piano, and Andre Wright perched
behind the drums when singer Ramona Collins motioned
him up...and he tried to turn and run. Of course, being
15 years old might have had something to do with it,
but he had his father there and dad just wouldn't let
him back away.
So there he stood, surrounded by professionals, a self-taught
sax player who wanted to play jazz more than do his
homework--and did exactly that every possible Thursday
night for three years, minus the night a 103-degree
fever stopped him from standing.
From that beginning, Chaim Roberts has considered jazz
to be just about the most important thing in the world.
He became a legend among his teachers in Toledo, when
he kept falling asleep in class after playing late nights
at Murphy's. They forgave him for it and even came to
hear him. And he opted out of the marching band routine
in order to concentrate on jazz--continuing to jam at
open-mic nights and perform with the city's high school
jazz band.
All
of this might have led nowhere were it not for a meeting
with David Newman, the legendary sax player, known to
the world as "Fathead." It was a time of trial
for young Roberts. He heard sounds and felt things he
wanted to play, but did not understand why everyone
wanted him to sound like John Coltrane or Charlie Parker.
It was Newman, seated near the bar at Murphy's between
sets, who told Chaim that being true to his feelings
and music would result in success.
Next up for Chaim was a fast few weeks in Michigan as
part of the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp jazz program. It
was another turning point. Roberts was given a scholarship
for the International program, which he used the following
year and toured with the big band through France, Germany,
Sweden and Denmark. The Blue Lake Program also played
a part in his college career, as it provided summer
employment and then tapped him as road manager for a
five-country tour with the International Jazz Band.
But
it was college where everything started to come together.
For a young jazz musician, in a world where you just
can't go on the road with a band in the 21st century,
the choice is paramount. And Chaim's choice was Rutgers,
because of its proximity to the jazz world in New York
City. So, it was just a short train ride to hear the
greats and in some cases jam with them, like the night
he rode up to Harlem for a session and found himself
in a jam session with James Carter.
So, for a young man from Toledo, Ohio, ( ok, let's be
honest, he was born in Israel ) Chaim Roberts has done
ok until now.
Just remember, though, the future has yet to be written....
