Smalls is my favorite hang in New York because the lines between people and the different roles that they play are always a bit blurry. People in the club come from everywhere—they are part of the audience, but many of them (including the staff!) hope to make it onto the stage during the jam. Even [...]

When I first arrived in Winnipeg it felt like I was in a city that was happy to just be hiding in the middle of nowhere. At a welcoming committee I attended, one of the professors said to me, “Winnipeggers are proud of the many great things that are here. However, we like to keep [...]

My first bass teacher was an old Jewish guy by the name of Henry Loew. He was the principal bassist in the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. He was an amazingly generous soul who cared for me like a son.
In my very first lesson, I brought along a bass that was once owned by a [...]

I live in a beautiful world these days. I can see the tenets of jazz culture in practically everything I do. Whether I’m hanging out, talking with friends, or driving down the street in heavy traffic, it feels like I’m performing in a jazz ensemble. It’s in my DNA now. Learning, teaching, and everyday life [...]

Jazz, in many ways, is like life. You have a birthing period, you have a grooming period, you have a professional period—and then you have the back end.
A hundred years ago, you would have accessed jazz through situations where the most important thing might have been buying liquor, or meeting with people you don’t normally [...]

Award-winning jazz pianist Oliver Jones was here just recently, and he mentioned—not casually, but from the stage at the WAG—how the reputation of our jazz scene has really caught on in Montreal. Every week, I get email or calls from New York, Toronto, St Louis, Boston, or Atlanta, inquiring about what’s going on here. The [...]

Reflecting on my arrival in Canada back in 2003, I’m reminded of the proverbial first meeting of the dog and cat. Upon spying the highly enthusiastic, overly confident yet slightly clumsy dog, the cat finds herself mildly amused and even somewhat charmed so she begins to purr. However, when the dog hears the cat’s purring [...]

I recently went on an early morning jog in pursuit of my health. I had the streets and skies practically to myself. It’s gorgeous here in mid-October—that’s one of the benefits of living in Winnipeg.  At the end of my run, I chanced upon a guy, probably ten years older than me, riding a bike. [...]

I find that good leading starts with good following, just as good teaching starts with good learning. 

Wanting to learn requires motivation. I find I’m most motivated when the subject captures my fantasy. (Conversely, another good motivation is when it’s a matter of grave consequence. In blues music that’s called the hellhound on your trail.)

A friend [...]

The greatest challenge I find in teaching jazz is to get students to understand and accept that they must invent their own pathways towards their personal performance goals.

Most students entering our jazz program feel that they are relatively independent thinkers already, yet they usually come in expecting a clear, stepwise, time-tested, and measurable methodology towards [...]

The current backlash against President Barack Obama feels similar to the backlash against President Dwight D Eisenhower during the mid-1950s. The Supreme Court ordered the integration of schools and Eisenhower started with nine black kids at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. History calls those kids the Little Rock Nine.
Arkansas Governor, Orval Eugene Faubus, [...]

I have a friend who is a master of ceramics. When I’m inspired, I take out the teapot that he designed and serve tea to my friends and family. The teapot is an exquisite work of art reminiscent of ancient China. It doesn’t change the taste of tea in any way but it reminds me [...]

For me, college is roughly analogous to life. During the first year of entering the student body, the stark reality of campus protocol can turn all preconceived notions about the university experience on end with a jolt.

The first thing a student discovers is Newton’s law of motion: for every action, there is an equal [...]

Many people feel excluded, even cheated, when the word talent appears. The talent concept is fascinating to me because it presents ability as a phenomenon that is just there—as though someone just popped out of his or her momma able to play the trumpet, sink a hole in one or paint the Mona Lisa.
In my [...]

These are exciting times in the Jazz Capital of Canada. We’re welcoming two world-class players to our city—saxophonist Jimmy Greene and pianist George Colligan are settling in with their families to live and work in our city. Both are highly sought-after musicians who bring a lot of energy and expertise to the Jazz Studies program [...]

Sometimes jazz musicians will only give you part of a familiar rhythm—they want you to fill in the blanks. They’ll play bits and pieces of a melody. You’ll remember how the rest of it goes and smile at the parody. They’ll lead you to an obvious ending and hand you a surprise exit through a [...]

When I was a little kid, there was magic in almost everything. There was magic in the smell of certain plants in spring, at sunset, when just the right blue covered the horizon, after just the right words from my parents. There was magic in my aunt’s fried chicken—I don’t know why it tasted that [...]

An artist-in-residence who was here last winter talked with me about moving to Winnipeg with his family. For me this was huge. In fact, he’s huge. At about 6’7” and 270 lbs, this guy can hunt bear with a switch. Fortunately he’s not likely to participate in such an action. He’s a warm and friendly [...]

I was recently invited to a Grade 4 classroom at Riverbend School. The encounter was among the most memorable I’ve had since coming to Winnipeg.

On arrival, 9-year-old ambassadors greeted me at the door with cordial speeches, and led me to the main office where they signed me in and introduced me to the principal. I [...]

A friend of mine asked me, “Which is more important, talent or hard work?” I say talent is hard work. I believe talent is the ability to focus and work hard at something. Some people do this at an early age and others never do it. Extraordinary people like Tiger Woods, Venus Williams, Wynton Marsalis, [...]