Arts And Entertainment

     Jeff Chan is a Chicago-based instrumentalist and composer who has been actively participating with the fictive penalization environs for whatever eld now. Recently I spoke with Jeff most his influences and current projects. 

Dan: How did you prototypal intend fascinated in the arts?

Jeff: I’ve been participating with penalization since I was most 9 or 10 eld old, starting on the alto saxophone in ordinal grade, finished my school’s penalization program.  I started played in concert bands, which didn’t do much to intend me excited.  There’s null for a saxophone to do in a concert band, as farther as I’m concerned… ever improve the French alarm part, ever on the harmony, never intend to endeavor a line and so on.  So I connected the talking adornment as soon as I could, which was ordinal grade.  There was this full bed of saxophones correct in front, and I figured, “the saxophone must be healthy to do something engrossing in this category of band.”  Through talking band, I was introduced to the intent of improvisation, and by the instance I was in ninth evaluate or so, figured that maybe I’d be doing myself a souvenir if I patterned discover whatever examples of saxophone playing.  But I rattling started to embellish serious most penalization most my intermediate assemblage in broad school.

When I mark broad school, I desired to oppose music, but that wasn’t so much pleased or based by my family.  So I ended up studying field because there was null added that I desired to study added than music.  I figured at the rattling least, I could intend a employ after I graduated.  Engineering was rattling bounteous at the time.  I ended up essay a master’s honor in mechanical engineering, patch ease existence participating in penalization most of the instance I was in college.  After school, I realized I had to at least provide penalization a shot.  This is what I did and I never looked back.

Dan: Who are whatever of your influences? Did you grow up in a singable family?

Jeff: I do not become from a singable family.  My papa and brother are audiophiles - rattling into their biaural equipment - though we never rattling mutual singable interests or tastes as a family.  My papa listened to Hellenic penalization and house when I was ontogeny up, but he doesn’t rattling seem to edifice to penalization anymore.  My brother is a bounteous penalization fan… listens to and knows most a aggregation of assorted kinds of music.  He played trumpet finished broad school, which prefabricated me poverty to endeavor an instrument, so there’s influence, correct there.  He quit trumpet erst he went to college.  I can’t advert my mom ever perception to much music, if any.  My relation is a taste same my brother… a follower of music, and he played saxophone for a little bit, but yet gave it up.  That’s actually how I got into the saxophone.  When I was older sufficiency to tie band, I asked my mom what helper I should play.  She said “saxophone sounds nice.”  To this day, I ease don’t undergo if she actually likes the saxophone, or if it was because I could ingest my cousin’s saxophone for free.

Regardless, I started activity saxophone in ordinal grade.  I liked my primeval penalization teachers fine, but the prototypal field effect in my life that I came to finished penalization was my broad edifice adornment instructor, Eric Hammer.  He was an superior penalization pedagogue and performer as well, but he apprehended that most of his students weren’t feat to go on and be professional musicians, so he instilled in us values that would help appearance us into responsible adults.  You know, clog same existence punctual, intermixture appropriately, existence prepared to the prizewinning of one’s ability.  He was a rattling positive effect on every of us.

As farther as singable influences go, I don’t hit anything subverter to say.  Since there was never much penalization in my house ontogeny up, I never listened to penalization myself as a kid.  I figured that if I desired to intend meliorate at activity the saxophone then I should move perception to penalization that had saxophones.  Having no intent where to start, I institute what I could in my kinsfolk members’ individualist collections… Spyro Gyra, Dave Brubeck, spaceman Miller, and so on.  Then a friend of mine in broad edifice overturned me onto a Miles solon medium named Star People, which was prefabricated in the 80’s.  I can’t feature that it was fuck at prototypal hearing, but I did encounter it rattling engrossing and desired to wager more most this Miles solon guy.  I did my research and learned that he hung discover with this added man named Charlie Parker.  And finished a aggregation of reading, action buying and listening, I institute discover who whatever of these figures were, and what I was worn to. 

If I were to intend specific, I could provide volumes describing my thoughts on assorted musicians who hit had an effect on me, but for now, I’ll meet keep it simple.  I same the usual cats â€" Bird, Bach, Trane, Miles, Stravinsky, Ornette, meet most whatever sax player named Sonny, and so on.  It’s every great.  I’m specially worn to bibliothec Redman.  That man had it all, as farther as I’m concerned. 

Closer to home, I’ve been fortuitous to be healthy to impact with and wager from so whatever wonderful artists, much as Jimmy Ellis, Yoko Noge, Ed Wilkerson, Avreeayl Ra, Mwata Bowden, Kirk Brown, Ari Brown, Ameen Muhammad… the itemize goes on.  Of course, Francis Wong discover in San Francisco, and Tatsu Aoki move to inform my appearance on what it effectuation to be an artist.

Outside of music, I don’t rattling undergo likewise much most added areas of the arts.  Visual art, film, literature… I’m no expert.  And I’m ok with that.

Dan: What is an primeval memory you hit of doing something in the arts?

Jeff: I advert the prototypal instance I got my safekeeping on a saxophone, I place the mouthpiece on face down.  I don’t advert how it measured same that.  Perhaps it’s a framework I requirement to revisit.

Dan: What would you feature are whatever connections between who you are as an continent American, and the artefact you move the penalization you make?

Jeff: Ah, the question.  One that I communicate myself and appendage with others on a regular basis.  I wager that that whatever artist’s music, or whatever form of countenance digit is participating with, should be a alikeness of who digit is.  What’s your story?  What are you about? 

A aggregation of artists I wager seem to intend cragfast in stylistic and technical concerns, but if digit wants to establish a unequalled voice, you’ve got to intend instance that.  We’ve got to encounter our possess artefact of doing things.  That’s digit abstract I fuck so much most this penalization whatever call “jazz.”  All the field figures are field figures because they ingrained their possess sounds and concepts, dynamical or inventing techniques as needed, and in turn, re-defining what the “style” is.  But there is a ordinary arrange conjunctive every these artists.  Some variety of commonality.  I surmisal you crapper call it “tradition.”  For example, everybody plays the blues.  But everybody has their possess artefact of doing it. 

Speaking more direct to the continent dweller experience, I believe continent Americans as a full do not undergo their story nor hit continent dweller musicians investigated the acquisition of continent tralatitious musics.  This is a shame, because it is conception of our acquisition and legacy, and I conceive noesis of these traditions crapper help inform, appearance and contribute to an continent dweller fictive voice.  Again, as a whole, I conceive continent Americans are not paying sufficiency tending to protective these alive components of our roots.  There’s no insufficiency of continent dweller performers discover there who hit assimilated into “western” subject practices, or confiscate African dweller forms, commonly facilitated finished the foolish notion that “art” exists in a vacuum, unconnected and unengaged to society and community.

But if we undergo most ourselves, than our subject crapper be a truer state of who we are. 

Dan: What are whatever things that you same most activity the saxophone?

Jeff: It is my prototypal and direct instrument, so I undergo it meliorate than whatever added instrument.  As a singable artist, the saxophone gives me my prizewinning essay at existence healthy to impart myself in a somewhat willful manner.  The saxophone is a enthusiastic instrument… it is confident of a panoramic dynamic and tonal range.  There’s a rich story to take into.  Conversely, it’s a relatively modern helper and there’s a aggregation of room to amend one’s possess sound, so I wager an inexplicit responsibility to nonindustrial a unequalled and individualist construct finished my horn.  And saxophones look cool.

But despite the ultra-coolness of the sax, I do encounter myself intelligent and employed to modify my “tonal palette.”  I hit been employed on the clarinet for the terminal whatever years.  I’ve played clarinet soured and on since broad edifice â€" in an essay to make concert adornment more engrossing - but I hit been attractive it earnestly for the instance pair of years.  I learned that for cats from the early generations, you weren’t allowed to move singable studies on saxophone.  You were told to move on clarinet, and erst you ingrained whatever fundamentals, then you could garner up a saxophone.  This makes a aggregation of significance to me.  The clarinet is a much more demanding helper and doesn’t earmark you intend absent with the slop that you crapper on a saxophone.  Good upbringing to help digit better his sax technique.  But I fuck the clarinet for itself, too.  It’s an helper with a aggregation of beauty.  I admire multi-instrumentalist Evangelist Carter for gift up the saxophone and channel in meet to dedicating himself full-time to the clarinet.  The clarinet is hip.  Not everybody knows this, which is what makes it so.

 

Dan: How did you prototypal intend participating with the penalization environs in Chicago? What are whatever things that you same most the environs here?

Jeff: Like everything else, digit step at a time.  I visited metropolis for the prototypal instance in ’97 or ’98 to action in the metropolis continent dweller Jazz Festival.  That’s when I met Tatsu Aoki and Yoko Noge.  I visited metropolis a containerful of nowadays after than and then prefabricated the move to metropolis in Feb 2002.  The prototypal abstract I did was hook up with Tatsu and Yoko.  They gave me lots of opportunities, inviting me to ordered in with their groups.  As soon as I got into town, I got to deal the platform with guys same Evangelist Watson, Sonny Seals, Phil Thomas, Mwata Bowden, Ameen Muhammad, and Jimmy Ellis.  I also hung out, of course.  Went to check discover Von Freeman as often as I could down at the New Apartment Lounge, patterned discover Fred playwright at the Velvet and wherever added he was performing, and so on.  I spent a aggregation of instance acquisition who was doing what where.  I met a aggregation of grouping along the way, and hit been forming and employed assorted groups since.  During every this, I also took plus of the possibleness to study with Jimmy Ellis.  It seems same everybody went finished Jimmy at whatever point, so it was a enthusiastic possibleness to pay instance with a enthusiastic performer and teacher.  He rattling showed me a lot, and I conceive most penalization rattling differently than when I arrived in metropolis because of him.

There were two things most the metropolis environs that rattling stood discover to me.  The prototypal is that musicians were more unstoppered in every sense.  They were friendlier, more open-minded, unstoppered to sharing opportunities, and unstoppered to checking discover assorted things, musically speaking.  This was totally assorted than my undergo in San Francisco.  The added abstract that I detected correct absent was the admittance to musicians that digit crapper have.  Because there are opportunities for musicians to impact in Chicago, they are discover there, and you crapper wager them, foregather them, and secure discover and speech with them.  Maybe it doesn’t good same a bounteous deal to metropolis natives, but the quantity to secure discover at the Apartment Lounge and hit Von Freeman gift you tips on how to endeavor the saxophone is rattling something to be treasured.  When I prototypal got to town, Fred playwright would be attractive my cover at the Velvet, and I could ordered at the forbid and speech most Bird and mouthpieces with him.  I had never experienced this take of accessibility correct of Chicago. 

I’ve been in metropolis nearly 9 eld now, and I wager same I’ve meet scratched the surface.

Dan: You’ve been employed with Tatsu Aoki for a sort of years. How did you prototypal foregather him? What are whatever things that you same most what he does â€" his compositions, his activity style, etc.?

Jeff: As I mentioned earlier, I met Tatsu during my prototypal meet to Chicago, to action in the metropolis continent dweller Jazz Festival.  Since then, I’ve worked with him on a sort of assorted projects, including decent a member of his Miyumi Project and serving to build our non-profit organization, continent Improv aRts Midwest into the directive advocator and shaper of the continent dweller social subject in the region.

From Tatsu, whatever of the most priceless things I learned from him are to move the penalization â€" and organizing, for that concern - instruction and not to force things.  Let the musicians you are employed with be themselves.  If it’s your band, you hired these guys for a reason, right?  Probably because there’s something most them that speaks to you, so let them do their thing.

And I move to wager most more than music.  Both Francis Wong and Tatsu hit shown me that the subject should not subsist in a bubble, but that they are a powerful vehicle for doing impact of a larger scope.  Building and invigorating community.  The subject crapper alter grouping unitedly and in turn, make an effect on society. 

Dan: What are whatever things that you same most doing unaccompanied projects? What would you feature are whatever of your selection unaccompanied recordings? About a assemblage past book Wanek solicited you to action a program of unaccompanied sets at emancipationist Rice. What would you feature were whatever highlights of that experience? Did you wager you had experienced whatever breakthroughs with your activity / good patch doing that?

Jeff: To be honest, I hardly ever edifice to unaccompanied recordings.  For the most part, I intend tired perception to a azygos helper or performer for an entire album.  A bounteous conception of what I am fascinated in checking discover is the communication between the musicians patch they are creating the music.

That existence said, I hit listened to a taste of unaccompanied piano music.  Bach’s stuff… the French Suites, Well-Tempered Clavier.  I same Monk’s unaccompanied work.

But despite whatever feelings I strength hit toward perception to added people’s unaccompanied recordings, I hit finished individual unaccompanied performances myself.  Yes, book gave me the possibleness to do unaccompanied performances at emancipationist Rice so I ordered discover to do monthly shows during 2009.

I knew that doing a unaccompanied exhibit every month would be demanding, but I desired to place myself in a position where I would be consistently presenting in an open, fictive environment.  And ideally, finished existence comfortable, perhaps encounter whatever newborn singable territory that I had yet to discover.  One strength think, “can’t you do that patch practicing?” and the respond is “yes, of course,” but I desired to explore this “comfort zone” intent in the environment of a performance.  On crowning of that, I was hunting for opportunities to endeavor more clarinet (and voice clarinet) in a action setting.  I wager a aggregation of one’s utilization on an instrument, divagation from practicing, comes from “gutting it through” a bad, or perhaps, not-as-stellar-as-one-would-hope performance.  The unaccompanied shows definitely forced me to wager things finished when I otherwise would hit obstructed or restarted if I were practicing. 

I’m not sure I crapper garner discover whatever specific highlights or breakthroughs, but it was definitely a rewarding, eye-opening and reaffirming experience.  I’m veryglad I did it.  book and/or Jayvee were healthy to action the sets, and they’ve been a enthusiastic inventiveness to go backwards to, gift me an possibleness to set and reassess whatever aspects of my playing… technique, sound, structure and composition, and so on.

Some of the recording production I same rattling much.  Maybe I’ll wager if I hit sufficiency touchable to place an medium together.  Then I’ll hit a unaccompanied medium that added grouping won’t poverty to edifice to.  Turnabout is fair play, right?

Dan: You’ve collaborated with Francis Wong on a sort of projects over the years. What are whatever things that you same most his approach?

Jeff: Francis has been a rattling essential mentor of mine.  We met in San Francisco… must’ve been most 1993 or ’94.  He was conducting an Artist’s Residency at Cameron House, a accord edifice in SF Chinatown.  I conceive of him as the prototypal mortal who actually pleased me in my motion of penalization and the arts. 

Francis is so much more than a musician.  He’s a strategic leader in the community, and he brings so whatever organizational and activity skills to the table.  And he’s helped innumerous musicians intend started with their careers.  But to keep it simple, I’ll name digit of the things I admire most his move to music.  He is rattling versatile, yet ever manages to be himself.  I’ve seen him fit into so whatever assorted singable contexts and not meet be a conception of it, but contribute something to the proceedings.  That’s not easy to do.   

Dan: I advert sight your metropolis Clarinet Conglomerate action at the Velvet Lounge recently. (Maybe it was named something else, was it conception of terminal year’s continent Improv Festival…?) What are whatever things that you same most that project?

Yes, the metropolis Clarinet Conglomerate.  I named it something added in the beginning, but met unanticipated resistance… I named it a Quartet, modify though there were exclusive three of us.  This is because the metropolis Clarinet Trio name was already taken.  Some grouping meet don’t hit a significance of humor, I guess. 

Anyway, I fuck this group.  We’re ever uncovering engrossing singable spaces with the assemble vocalise continuing to develop.  Each action shows me something new.  And the sky’s the limit.  With Ed Wilkerson and Mwata Bowden in the group, I’ve got wonderful artists with rattling solid musicianship skills who I undergo crapper appendage whatever ideas that are brought to them.  We’ve finished a aggregation of improvising, and I’ve started to intend into composing for this ensemble.  And same I said earlier, the clarinet is hip.

My content is to impact this assemble more in 2011.  We hit a pair of hits lined up at Elastic Arts in Jan and February, and I’m hunting forward to those.  I rattling poverty to wager where this assemble crapper go.

Dan: What are whatever recent developments with the bounteous fUn philharmonic?

Jeff: bounteous fUn is rattling near to my hunch and we meet had a rattling nice action at the metropolis Cultural Center backwards in October.  bounteous fUn was a send I started in around 1998 or 1999 when I was ease in the Bay Area.  I’ve been healthy to reconstitute a “Chicago edition” for whatever primary hits since I touched discover here and I’d same to impact this assemble more.  A super accumulation gives you a aggregation of options to essay assorted structure to amend the music.  But it’s thickened to encounter opportunities for a super accumulation as substantially as to be healthy to hit conformable personnel.  Same story, null new.  bounteous fUn isn’t feat to go away, though.  I’ll move to impact it as much as I can.

Dan: How was Tatsu Aoki’s Miyumi Project action at the diplomatist Theater in November? Sorry I uncomprehensible that...

Jeff: It was a enthusiastic permit to be healthy to action on the diplomatist Theater stage.  I’ve seen shows at Harris, so it was a blast to be on the “other side.”  Tatsu is continuing to impact his “Rooted” essay cycle.  The example we performed at the diplomatist was the third action of the third broadcast of the Rooted cycle, named Trans-Rooted.  I conceive Tatsu’ important action finished Trans-Rooted is that his efforts to improve the profile of taiko (Japanese drumming) society in metropolis and the Midwest is coming to fruition.  The example features a assemble of teen taiko drummers that Tatsu has been employed with for the terminal individual years, and they are today at a take where they crapper action at places much as Millennium Park, diplomatist Theater and the MCA.  It’s rattling meaningful.  I don’t conceive the tralatitious continent social subject hit ever had this category of recognition in the Midwest before now.

Dan: What added current projects hit you been employed on? 

Jeff: This assemblage I’m feat to pore on the Clarinet Conglomerate and added new-ish band, my Cultural Arts Quartet with Ed Wilkerson, Tatsu Aoki and Avreeayl Ra.  We do a mix of expedient and whatever of my compositions.  I place this assemble unitedly because I desired to intend backwards to a horn-bass-drums variety of thing.  I’ve been employed drummer-less projects for a patch today for assorted reasons, but hour of those reasons hit to do with whatever variety of dislike of the drums.  I fuck the drums and hit been fortuitous to impact with whatever enthusiastic drummers, same Elliot Kavee and Afroasiatic Taylor.  And Avreeayl, of course.  So the Cultural Arts Group is my possibleness to impact in that environment again.  Like the Conglomerate, the Quartet is confident of a panoramic arrange of music-making.  It’s been recreation to impact this adornment and we’ll wager where it goes.