The Jazz Training Ground

     Every jazz musician has a list of essential musicians and personal favorites they listen to. For me John Coltrane is both essential, and one of my personal favorites. I remember as a child listening to Coltrane on the radio around the house, and I loved it! I had more joy listening to Coltrane, Miles Davis, and other jazz masters than listening to Motown, soul, R&B, blues, and other genres of black music. Please, don`t misunderstand me, I loved listening to the music I just mentioned, and of course, being from Detroit I listen to quit a bit of Motown. As a child listening to jazz I knew I was listening to something special. Jazz was not entertainment for me as was the other genres of music I listen to during my childhood.  I feel that way today, and honored to be a practitioner of the art of jazz.

    A February 8, 2013, online article from All About Jazz, entitled " John Coltrane: There Was No End To The Music", by Rob Armstrong, of course caught my attention. Armstrong goes on to write about Coltrane`s years living in Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia was Coltrane`s fertile training ground. It is in Philadelphia where John Coltrane seriously learns to saxophone and jazz, while developing his musical friendships with the likes of McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Heath, Philly Joe Jones, and a host of other great musicians on the Philadelphia jazz scene. This article was a joy for me to read because it has played-out the same way in other United States cities. John Coltrane is one of my musical heroes, and the reason the tenor saxophone resonates in my spirit.
Coltrane is also a reminder of how jazz developed as an art form, and was passed from one generation of players to the next.

     New York City, NY is the thriving commercial market place for jazz, and no doubt you will hear the best of the best in New York. Just as Philadelphia was Coltrane`s training ground, other jazz musicians share the same story, and many from other US cities, especially those of us who were learning to play before jazz was accepted into academia. It was the jazz scene of various US cities that was the institution for learning to play jazz. Philadelphia is one of many US cities important to the contribution and development of the jazz language.

     Again, my experience parallels that of other jazz artist of my age. My early exposure listening to jazz around the house in Detroit was my beginning. I have fond memories listening to John Coltrane; Miles Davis and his historic quintet with Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Tony Williams. Also listening to Yusef Lateef, and Cecil Taylor was eye opening. I also remember seeing and hearing Bennie Maupin with Herbie Hancock, and being so inspired seeing Maupin that I save my paper route money and bought my first tenor saxophone. After I heard Joe Henderson and Dewey Redman, well, what can I say; that sealed the deal for me, and that was just listening to jazz. When I started playing jazz I was in high school. I have to give all thinks to Detroit`s jazz community. Ernest Rodgers was my high school band director, and my doorway to playing saxophone and jazz. Through Mr. Rodgers I was introduced to the jazz community the following ways:
1. Student at Northwestern H.S. in the music curriculum.
2. Mr. Rodgers was owner of the RAPA House (Rodgers Academy of Performing Arts) in Detroit, where I studied saxophone privately. After hour, the RAPA House was a coffee house that housed an after hours jam session. The RAPA House is where all the "cats" would come and play their four course solos per tune. Depending upon the number of players playing the head of the tune, at tune could last upwards to 45 minutes ( maybe longer). Saxophonist Kenny Garrett also attended the jam sessions, and he was simply amazing!
3. Mr. Rodgers introduced us to Detroit`s top musicians, such as Marcus Belgraves, and Harold McKinney. We also met Count Basie in our band room at Northwestern H.S. That day I was playing baritone sax with our jazz/stage band backing vocalist Dennis Roland as he was auditioning for the Basie band. (Dennis Roland passed the audition; he made it into the Basie band.).
4. Mr. Rodgers encouraged me to attend Oakland University as a Music Education major. This is where I met Marvin "Doc" Holiday, and my jazz saxophone teacher Sam Sanders.Under Sam Sanders I developed my overall approach, concept, and identity on tenor saxophone.

     The local jazz scene is important to the continued development of jazz. Colleges, music conservatories, and universities with jazz studies programs are important, and I do not diminish there importance; I developed in a jazz studies program. However, jam sessions at the local level gives an authenticity to the artist, and provides a real and true to live training to the jazz musician. I wish the RAPA House was still around today; it gave way to Comerica Park and Ford Field; home of the Detroit Tigers and Lions, respectively. Today other places in Detroit host jam sessions, and are producing great players, but I do miss the RAPA House. If I`m ever in Philadelphia I do plan to visit the John Coltrane House. and I recommend you as a jazz fan do the same. That is truly the house that Trane built.