Jacky Terrasson at Iridium Jazz Club, NYC, June 25, 2009.

BETWEEN SETS WITH JACKY TERRASSON

Just three blocks north of Times Square in Manhattan, you’ll find the world-famous Iridium Jazz Club (51st Street and Broadway). Iridium is a great place to celebrate and support live music. If you’re in the City, unplug your earbuds and check out Iridium’s stellar lineup of upcoming concerts.

Iridium recently hosted the outstanding French pianist, Jacky Terrasson with Ben Williams on bass and Jamire Williams on drums. We thought it was pretty brilliant, and apparently, we were not alone (see New York Times Review)!

Sundancechannel.com: You’re a very international guy – and your playing really reflects that.

Jacky Terrasson: Yeah, well my background is… my mom’s from North Carolina – she grew up in Durham, and my father’s French. My mom’s black American and my father’s French French (laughs). I grew up near Paris, France – and I moved to New York City around 1990.

Sundancechannel.com: What or who prompted you to enter the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition in 1993?

Jacky Terrasson: Actually a friend of mine who was here at the first set. He was one of my first fans and he was at Bradley’s Jazz Club when I used to play there. He used to come to every set and he said, “You know, man, there’s this competition…” And I studied classical music for like eight years, and when that word came out of his mouth, “competition,” I was like “No, man, I’m not going there!” (laughs) You know, to me it was so part of the classical world. And he showed me some press about it and some articles about it and said, “This could really help you…” And I talked to other people and, finally, you know, I submitted a tape and I was accepted.

Sundancechannel.com: Did you realize beforehand what kind of a big deal it would be when you won?

Jacky Terrasson: No, absolutely not. I didn’t have any clue.

Sundancechannel.com: What kind of specific opportunities opened up for you immediately after you won the Monk Competition?

Jacky Terrasson: Well, before the competition, Tom Everett and Bruce Lundvall from Blue Note Records were coming to a lot of gigs. And so, everything kind of happened at the same time. And this guy, Richard Salters, a friend of mine said, “You should do [the competition] before you sign any kind of deal – you never know.” So what it did for me was it put me in a situation where, basically, there was not only Blue Note that was interested in me, but other labels and, you know, I was 25 years old or so and, well, everything helps. It created more buzz, more hype… more in the spotlight and, basically, it was a good position to be in.

Sundancechannel.com: What artists did you listen to growing up in France?

Jacky Terrasson: You know, I was so stuck, I was so limited – in a great way – but I was listening only to classical music and piano trios. I was listening to Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk. I loved, always loved Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, big Miles Davis fan, Bill Evans. And later, when I was 18 or so, I discovered Herbie (Hancock), Wayne Shorter, Keith Jarrett then later, Chick Corea.

But, I mean, during the whole teen age years, I was really not into… and I regret it in one way, because I realize there’s a lot of social – just normal growing up things that I was totally void to. I didn’t know anything about pop music or rock and roll, you know? All my friends, when I was in high school, were listening to AC DC and I was, like, “Arrgghhh” (laughs). It was great, but at the same time, it was funny because I just felt like I was on this little island listening to this other music.

Sundancechannel.com: You are so inventive and creative on the piano and get more mileage out of the instrument than a lot of others do – when did you first start experimenting with plucking the strings and playing the board as a hand drum?

Jacky Terrasson: You know, I just think of the instrument as something that has a lot to offer… and, uh, I’m not the first one who’s done it, you know, I mean, I’ve seen Herbie [Hancock] pluck strings, Keith Jarrett get inside the piano and do all kinds of crazy stuff… Cecil Taylor. I just like discovering sounds, you know – something that nobody’s done. So that’s my next thing – finding a new sound…

You know, a lot of people say the trio format is kind of limited because it’s been done for so many years now. My challenge is to find another expression with the same instruments – it’s wood, it’s metal, it’s skins – well, now it’s plastic (laughs) – but still very noble and primal. I like the idea of primal – primitive? primal? elements and the idea of expanding until that stuff, well, bursts!

Sundancechannel.com: What artists would we see on your iPod?

Jacky Terrasson: I have an iPod in my pocket right now! (laughs) A lot of stuff – a lot of jazz, a lot of classical music – some Beyoncé, some Tracy Chapman, a lot of Sting. Today I was listening a little to Michael Jackson, of course. [This concert and interview occurred on the day Michael Jackson died.] And I love ethnic music… some names that I can’t even pronounce, but, Indian music and African music.

Sundancechannel.com: What’s coming up for you in the next year?

Jacky Terrasson: Well, I just signed with Concord Records and we’re planning on recording this summer.

Sundancechannel.com: With the trio we saw tonight? (Ben Williams on bass and Jamire Williams on drums)

Jacky Terrasson: Yeah, this trio will be part of it, and I’m planning on having a few guests on it… just to do something different from the records I’ve been doing previously with Blue Note Records. So, I’m going to have a few guests and maybe it’s going to be more on the “push” side like tonight.

Sundancechannel.com: Any touring this summer?

Jacky Terrasson: I’m doing a few festivals in Europe in August and then I’m working on the album. The new album will probably be out February or March of 2010.

Learn More:

Jacky Terrasson Official Site

Iridium Jazz Club

Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz

Jeremy Pelt plays the music of Herbie Hancock center stage at Iridium

BETWEEN SETS WITH JEREMY PELT:

Iridium Jazz Club, just north of Times Square in New York City, plays host to some of jazz’s most established legends as well as the hottest newcomers. In our continuing interview series, BACKSTAGE AT IRIDIUM, sundancechannel.com is proud to introduce you to the dynamic young trumpet master, Jeremy Pelt. We sat down with Jeremy during Iridium’s recent series of concerts saluting Herbie Hancock.

Read more of the interview with Jeremy Pelt…

READ MORE >>

A few weeks ago—when Norah Jones, Rosanne Cash, John Mellencamp, and Kris Krisofferson visited SPECTACLE—we looked at Elvis Costello’s relationship to American music. We set aside jazz, though, for this week. And there is perhaps no single figure that better represents the range and possibilities of jazz than Herbie Hancock, this week’s guest. Over the years, Hancock has helped shape the direction of post-bop modern jazz through his work with Miles Davis; played a fundamental role in the development of hip-hop with the groundbreaking hit “Rockit”; and expanded the potential for funk with his band, the Headhunters.

Though he has often received criticism, or at least a good degree of confusion, for his eclectic approach, Hancock has always argued that these styles all fit squarely into the evolving tradition of improvisational music. Though hardly a jazz virtuoso, Elvis has also consistently, if infrequently, explored different aspects of jazz in his own music.

If there is one song that secured Elvis a spot in the jazz tradition, it is “Almost Blue,” from the 1982 album Imperial Bedroom. Though the song shares its title with the album of country covers that Costello recorded the previous year, it actually came directly out of the torch song tradition, and was later recorded by (among many others) one of its actual inspirations, the smoldering “cool jazz” singer and trumpeter Chet Baker.

He would experiment with more jazz-oriented songs over the years, like the version of Mose Allison’s “Everybody’s Crying Mercy” included on the Kojak Variety album. Elvis’s biggest step into improvisational music came after he served as artistic chair for the 1995 Meltdown Festival; jazz guitarist Bill Frisell was part of the event, which led to the two of them collaborating on an EP titled Deep Dead Blue. (The friendship with Frisell continues—the guitarist has turned up on several episodes of SPECTACLE.)

A jazz feel figured prominently in Il Sogno, Elvis’s 2004 orchestral work. His next major project, however, started a year earlier, when he paid a visit to legendary pianist Marian McPartland’s National Public Radio show, Piano Jazz. The two British musicians performed a mix of standards and Costello originals; the results were released on a 2005 CD.

Of course, the most ongoing relationship that Elvis has with the jazz world is his marriage to pianist and singer Diana Krall, one of the world’s most popular jazz musicians. Her 2004 album, The Girl in the Other Room, consisted mostly of songs that the couple co-wrote—though, just to bring things full circle, it also included her version of “Almost Blue.” But if you want to hear more about Elvis and Diana…well, you’ll have to stick with SPECTACLE for a few more weeks.

– Alan Light

Alan Light is the former Editor-in-Chief of Spin and Vibe magazines, and a former Senior Writer for Rolling Stone. A frequent contributor to the New York Times, he is the author of “The Skills to Pay the Bills: The Story of the Beastie Boys” and a two-time winner of the ASCAP-Deems Taylor award for excellence in music writing.

LOS ANGELES, California, February 11, 20087 (ENS) – British pop star Amy Winehouse took five of the music industry’s top honors at the 50th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles Sunday, but for environmentalists what went on behind the scenes was equally important.

Wind energy powered the Grammy Awards show, which featured jazz pianist Herbie Hancock with awards for Best Album of the Year and Best Contemporary Jazz Album.

Hybrid cars and flex fuel GM cars shuttled people to and from the event, the program books were printed on recycled paper, and waste was reduced across the board.

Organic and environmentally friendly food, including seafood, dairy, and produce, was featured at Grammy Celebration after-party and unused food was given to Angel Harvest for donation to soup kitchens and shelters.

Herbie Hancock accepts the Grammy for
Best Album of the Year for his tribute
to Joni Mitchell, River: The Joni Letters.
(Photo courtesy The Recording Academy)

To accomplish its first greening initiative, the Recording Academy partnered with the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and STAPLES Center to reduce the environmental impact of the 50th Grammy Awards telecast and all related events.

“With the help of NRDC and the LADWP, we have integrated environmentally intelligent practices into every aspect of the Grammy Awards and Grammy Week activities,” said Recording Academy President and CEO Neil Portnow.

“Going Green is an extension of our mission to positively impact the lives of musicians, industry members, and society-at-large, and we are committed to doing our part to make our world healthier and help combat the threat of global warming,” Portnow said.

The Academy and NRDC arranged for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to conduct an energy audit of STAPLES Center and advised the production team on changes that could be made to reduce the use of fossil fuels, encourage the use of recycled paper, prevent waste, and offset carbon emissions.

Collectively, these changes enabled the Grammy Awards and Staples Center to reduce its contribution to the accumulation of global warming gases in the atmosphere by more than 1,100 tons, the NRDC estimates.

“The Grammys truly understand the power of a strong voice, and this is a major step for them to meaningfully reduce the environmental impact of this year’s production,” said NRDC President Frances Beinecke.

“The amount that we accomplished during this inaugural effort exceeded our expectations,” said Dr. Allen Hershkowitz, senior scientist at NRDC who managed the greening effort.

“The intelligence and energy that The Recording Academy and John Cossette Productions brought to this noble endeavor sets an example for future productions, as well as for businesses,” he said. “By advocating environmental responsibility from one of the music world’s best known organizations, we hope to promote positive changes in the way businesses and individuals think about our Earth, and, especially, in the way that they act.”

Lee Zeidman, senior vice president and general manager of STAPLES Center, said, “Having partners who share our commitment to energy and waste management, recycling, conservation and proper purchasing practices is something as an organization we strive to bring to STAPLES Center.”

H. David Nahai, chief executive with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, used the department’s participation in the event as an opportunity to publicize its Green Power for a Green LA Program, which is open to all LA residents and businesses

The program was started in 1999 and in the past year it supported the delivery of over 62,000 megawatt-hours of renewable energy to Los Angeles. Said Nahai, “Over 23,000 residential and commercial LADWP customers participate in the voluntary program helping to make LA the greenest big city in America.”

View This Story On Eco-mmunity Map.