Member Since: 7/23/2006
Band Members:
John Mcall-Piano
Barney Mcall-Piano
Michael Jordan-Drums
Tony Pay-Bass
Juno Roxas-Vocal
Romy Katindig-Piano
Eddie Katindig Sr -Vibes/Conga
Roque Gonzales -Bass
Dading Papa-Drums/Timbales.
Bobby Enriques-Piano
*Another You recorded and engineered -Doug Saunders.
Introspective:
POINT OF VIEW as related by Vestre Roxas
to Nello Giansiracusa in Melbourne Australia in June, 2005.
During one of our conversations with our friend Vestre Roxas, I asked him if he
could give me his point of view about Jazz, improvisation, technique, feeling
and if he could speak about some of his personal experiences, so here are some
of his thoughts that relate to Jazz music starting with "What is jazz?
What do Sidney Bechet, Count Basic and Thelonious Monk have in common? A lot you
might say, how about this: They all played music that was, at bottom, emotional
even to the point of up-ending technique. In fact, I believe that the essential
reason we hold their music and that of others close to our hearts is because we
revel in their joyous, gutsy, heartfelt expressions.
Indeed, with all the talk about today's crop of bright, educated, technique
out-of-the wazoo players, the words of one former great jazz great (trumpeter,
Booker Little) carry a special significance, before he died in 1960, he said,
"My own feelings about the direction in which jazz should go are that there
should be much less emphasis on technical exhibitionism and much more emphasis
on emotional content on what may be termed [the] humanity in music and freedom
to say all that you want to say". Do these conjure images of let-it-all-hang-out
expressionism? Or that precarious imbalance between head and heart? This is a
very serious question for all of us in the jazz field, as for myself V.R., I
believe that you need to develop enough technique on your particular instrument
as to be able to handle music that is technically challenging but technique
should be only one side of the coin as the otherside, even more important, is of
course to play from the heart with passion and emotion. This is my approach when
I practice at home. I play very technical so that when I play on stage I don't
have to worry about the technical aspect of the music that I'm playing and
therefore can play from my heart with all the passion and emotion that I know
how to express. Back to "what is jazz?"
I don't know what it is, when I recall a past conversation I've had with jazz
trumpeter Roy Eldridge he would express it in this fashion: Jazz is already
inside you from the time that you're born and you just have to develop it, and
then he would say to me, "Jazz, is this: If you got it, you got it. You are
there, and if you don't got it, forget it". I wanted to make sure if he was
talking about me so I replied, "do you mean I don't got it? No man you're there.
I've heard you play and you've got it'.
To be a master, one must not only shed incessantly
but master technique in the service of feeling.
Vestre Roxas
Another thing comes to mind [re.] this matter. Thelonious Monk once said to me
that he was not sure if what he played was jazz or not, that he knew that
whatever came out from his piano playing was true to his being and definitely
came straight from his heart; as to whether it was jazz or not, he didn't really
know or cared about [it].
How incredible to hear how this genius, acclaimed jazz master felt about jazz,
that it's really something that you're born with, a gift of nature. This brought
me back to my youth when I thought in a very similar way. I remember one
instance when playing in a big band that required [me] to play everything as
written including the solos. I certainly didn't subscribe to that as I always
played the music the way I felt it, straight from the heart especially when
improvising a solo. So on this particular night, I played the solos the way I
wanted, and afterwards the bandleader approached me and said that next time I
should play the music as written on my chart especially the solo parts, I
replied, you wont have to worry, there wont be a next time and I started
packing my horn and went home.
The following day rumors spread around town that I had left the band in the
middle of a gig because I refused to play a solo as written, so I couldn't get a
job. Almost every band leader didn't like my attitude, so they boycotted me, but
at the time I couldn't care less, I was young, aggressive and restless, and I
believed in myself; I knew that sooner or later players would be able to
improvise as they felt and surely that was to become the standard.
Lets go back to technique: too much technique fogs things up, and you lose a
certain organic purity in music when you focus on technical things. One needs to
get past that technical phase, which leads to the next level where you learn to
meditate with those around you and with the material you're playing.
What Booker said is really beautiful, powerful and simple. In this day and age
his words address the loss of the human and emotional aspect in the music, the
basic impulse that makes us want to create music, a desire to communicate on a
human level, honestly and integrally. We still need to go back to some of our
musical heros such as "Pops" Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Dizzy Gillespie,
etc. Their excitement, charisma and drawing power always revolved around
expression and emotion. To be a master, one must not only shed incessantly but
master technique in the service of feeling.
Vestre Roxas, Melbourne Australia June 5 2005