Pam Howell loves jazz more than she loves shoes and wine, combined - which is to say, a LOT. An administrative professional and aspiring author, she is not a musician (listeners can breathe a sigh of relief); rather, she discovered her passion for jazz by sneaking into her father's LP collection as a child. Pam is committed to jazz outreach and when she is not editing news content for LAjazz.com, she can typically be found in one of many local jazz clubs tapping her foot and furiously scribbling notes. Read her posts at: www.lajazz.com/blog14.cfm
Well, dear readers, it's been at least three months since my last blog entry, and I am quite ashamed. I will spare the excuses and instead announce that I have accepted the post of news editor for LAjazz.com. Former editor Elizabeth Brion has moved to a new position, and fortunately for me we are now simply friends, instead of friends-slash-editor-slash-wannabe-writer-who-overhyphenates-and-uses-questionable-grammar. I want to thank Elizabeth for her wonderful guidance over the past two years, and I also want to thank my new friend Rosalind Johnson for her kind encouragement to keep on writing. This one's for you, ladies!
Last night my sister Kesha and I joined friends Christy and Ted Kane for my first jazzy night out in ages. We convened at Catalina Bar & Grill for the vocal stylings of Kurt Elling. Although we enjoyed the show, I felt creatively stifled and hoped for my writing muse to reappear. Kurt was singing, I was tapping my foot, Ernie Watts was playing his horn, and all of a sudden it occurred to me: I should interview Kurt Elling after the show and then write a blog entry about it. How smart!
As soon as I congratulated myself on my brilliant idea, I realized that a) I had no interview questions prepared; b) I've never met Mr. Elling and had no assurance that he'd be willing to consent to an interview by an unprepared stranger; and c) complications from recent dental work have cursed me with a temporary case of hideous halitosis. Not one to be easily defeated, I found the solution: I should simply mentally interview Kurt Elling, and share what my imaginary interview was like. So, without further ado, following is my pretend interview with Kurt Elling.
PAM HOWELL: Mr. Elling, what a phenomenal show tonight! Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me.
KURT ELLING: Please, call me Kurt.
PH: Wow, thanks, Kurty Kurt Kurt!
KE: Um, just Kurt is good. (sniffs) Do you smell that? What on earth is that odor?
PH: (covers mouth) Uh, they must be taking out the garbage. So, tonight I was really inspired when you talked about how much you missed your daughter given your demanding tour schedule, and honored when you said that audiences like us make you realize that despite the personal sacrifices, you're doing what you were put on earth to do.
KE: Thanks, Pam. Being away from my family can be really difficult, but in a strange way helps me to relate to the audience better because I think everyone has to make sacrifices sometimes in order to let the creative process do what it needs to do.
PH: I totally agree, Kurt Kurty Kurt. Sometimes when I have a hard time writing, I actually have to turn off the television to get some peace and quiet. And I might miss a really good episode of "Judge Judy", like when she gets mad and yells at the litigants. But I just have to do it.
KE: (furrows brow) It's Kurt. Who did you say you write for, again?
PH: I didn't say. I apologize for the Judge Judy reference; they must not air her show in your native Australia.
KE: I'm not Australian.
PH: Really? I could've sworn I heard a tinge of an Australian accent. Anyway, I wanted to let you know that I'm a huge fan. I only heard you live for the first time a few years ago at the Hollywood Bowl. You sang with the Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, whom I adore.
KE: I remember that show. We had a great time, and it was an honor to share the stage with Annie Ross, a pioneer of the vocalese style that I love so much.
PH: You sang "Nature Boy" that night and I was hooked. In fact, to this day whenever it comes up on my iPod shuffle, I always have to play it a second time. Once is never enough.
KE: (laughs) It's fun to perform that tune but I must say I'm glad I don't have to sing it back to back because it can be demanding.
PH: Really? Because when I sing along, I can do it twice with no problem. And I can hit the high note at the end both times.
KE: (glancing around nervously) That's great. Look, I'd love to talk longer, but I've got a flight to catch.
PH: I'm so sorry! I know it takes almost 15 hours to fly to Australia plus you have to cross the date line so I think you even lose a day. Just one more question, if I may, Kurtsky?
KE: Well, OK. But it's Kurt, and I'm not Australian.
PH: Are you sure? I could've sworn... Oh, it doesn't matter. I wanted to ask you about your suit. You're always so stylish, and I think you might be wearing Brioni tonight, but my sister Kesha noticed that you were trading 8's with the drummer and at one point rubbed the microphone against your suit to make some interesting sounds. Very cool from a performance standpoint, but it made me think maybe you wouldn't do that to a Brioni suit.
KE: Was that your sister sitting next to you? She looks familiar to me.
PH: You may recognize her because she was at your show last weekend at Yoshi's in San Francisco, which is where she lives. Remember that show? The fire alarm went off in the middle of one of your sets and you ad-libbed right through it.
KE: I do remember that. It was a great crowd. So let me get this straight: she saw me at home last week, then flew down here and saw me again? Is that normal?
PH: Actually, it's pretty humdrum for her. One year she went to 14 different Rufus Wainwright concerts across the U.S. But you know, Kurt Kurt Bo Burt, you've gotta start somewhere.
KE: I'm at once flattered and marginally alarmed. Pam, it's been great, but I really do need to head out.
PH: I understand - you might need to exchange your U.S. dollars for Australian ones at the airport so you should get there a little early. Thank you so much for taking the time, and before you go, I just wanted to make sure you knew that your encore of "Embraceable You" was so rich and lush, passionate and elegant, that it will stick with me for a long time. I'm looking forward to playing the new CD over and over again and trying to out-sing you. I doubt I can, though.
KE: Thanks, Pam.
Bebop was about change, about evolution. It wasn't about standing still and becoming safe. If anybody wants to keep creating they have to be about change.
– Miles Davis
Concerto grosso: a really BAD performance.
