Keyed Up

En savoir plus

From the direction and tutelage of my earliest mentor , Weldon Irvine, to cutting my teeth playing with "Bird ' s" band members, Al Haig and Walter Bishop, Jr., piano players have been an important part of my musical life . A lthough my recordings with pian ists are few, that is certainly not due to an y misgivings about my being able to fruitfully coexist with them - provided of course, that we each are eager to hear what the other has t o say. One of the highlights of the piano - focused theme of this record is the inclusion of the James Williams composition in the mix of the album's repertoire. James was the reason why I had the opportunity to become one of Art Blakey 's Jazz Messenger s along with Wynton Marsalis in 1980. I met James the previous year as a college freshman when I was asked to perform in a recital alongside my jazz professors and other professionals at Berklee School of M usic. The following year after I 'd decided to retur n to my hometown of N ew Y ork C ity to continue school, I ran into James who wa s playing with Blakey at Mikell's, a jazz club on the Upper West Side that was two blocks from my childhood apartment building. After our greeting , James immediately asked if I ha d "my axe," so I ran home to get it. When I got back and inside, he'd already alerted Blakey about me. Wynton and I both sat in that night and were inducted into the band later that week. Ever since th en , James was one of my ardent champions and supporter s. According to others, h e often sang my praises ( p ianist Donald Brown recently told me of this), and he hired me to play in his ensemble on occasion. "Soulful Bill" was a tune of his that we used to play way back then (in the 1980s and '90s), and one that I played in the very early days of my trio but never recorded. I thought it perfect for this occasion. Thinking of James also makes me recall the love that I've received from of some of the great Chicago pianist s. NEA Jazz Master Ramsey Lewis has been a true supporter of mine for years. I felt the same coming from Jodie Christian. Piano titan Willie Pickens often told me that I was his "favorite guitarist," adding that he didn't really care for jazz guitar, but... This occurrence of high - caliber pianists who saw something in my playing that caused them to want to support and collaborate with me is a recurring theme in my musical life . A long with the many examples in the history of jazz of stellar guitar and piano tandems , my story flies in the face of the misconception that there's some inherent difficulty between guitar and piano working well together. Too many great pianists who didn't need to include my six - string version of what they could already do harmonically and melodically saw fit to include me. Perhaps, among other things, this recording is my