My latest article in Keyboard Magazine,etc...

Go ahead, TRY to sound like ME!

I think one of the most difficult things to deal with as a jazz player is this: how do you study the greats and then NOT sound like they do? Why should we transcribe solos never to play them? Well, my advice is to listen to a lot of different players and steal bits and pieces from all of them. Then hopefully all that information will jumble around in your brain and become your own language.

With that in mind, I bring you my latest article for Keyboard Magazine. It's the third in a series of articles with the theme of " Five ways to play like....", well in this case Herbie Hancock. I admit that no one can sound exactly like anyone else. But it's fun to try, and it is part of the learning process. Hancock was one of my early influences;in fact, his playing on the V.S.O.P Live recording was what made me want to switch from trumpet to piano.

Horace Silver

The next article will be about Horace Silver. Silver is an important Hard Bop piano pioneer, and one of the most prolific composers in jazz. You probably know Song For My Father. Anyway, that will probably be out in a few months.

Speaking of Hancock, a few years back I was asked to to a recording for Chesky Records featuring the music of Hancock. Luckily, I was able to get Buster Williams on bass, Lenny White on drums, and Steve Wilson on alto and soprano saxophones. (The CD is perhaps the only available documentation of that band, which was the configuration of Buster Williams' band for many years.)Chesky is an audiophile label, which means they record live to two track using special microphones and such. We recorded in this huge church in Manhattan; the size of the hall added a pretty majestic natural reverb to the music. And we only had a few hours to do the whole CD, which is typical in the jazz world of recording. The recording, in my opinion, was not well promoted, but if you are curious, you can take a gander here at the Chesky website. I think it got some play in Europe, but I've barely seen any mention of it anywhere else.

Just a few items of business: my Rockethub project is still in need of funding  if you are so inclined. Even the smallest donation would help. Take a look if you haven't already.

Also, if you are in the Winnipeg area, I'll be performing this Friday with bassist Steve Kirby and vocalist Rayannah Kroeker at Mcnally Robinson Bookstore in the Grant Park Mall. I've been on a lyric-writing jag as of late, and this will be the first time some of these songs have been presented. And on Saturday, my wife Kerry Politzer and I will be performing at Aqua Books. Kerry is an amazingly gifted pianist and singer/songwriter. Karl Kohut, a Winnipeg based talent, is joining us on bass. Should be a fun weekend.

Kerry Politzer