Monday, April 18, 2011

The Kerry Politzer Interview


Kerry Politzer
Kerry Politzer is one of my favorite musicians, period. (Yeah, she's my wife, you gotta problem wit dat?No, I see the potential conflict of interest, but hey, it's all about who you know, right?)

Seriously, Politzer is one of the most underrated musicians around. She has five amazing CDs to her name. She is a truly gifted jazz pianist and composer; however, a few years back, she whimsically decided to become a singer/songwriter, and within a few months had material(which ended up on her album You Took Me In ) which would take some artists a lifetime to develop. Her most recent album is called Blue and Blue, and features Politzer's brilliant originals, as well as some brilliant saxophone playing from Donny McCaslin. She's been on hiatus a bit since the birth of our son, but she's slowly coming back. She did some performances in Winnipeg earlier this year, and in a week or so, we are performing a Colligan/Politzer double bill at Cornelia St Cafe in New York.

I thought an interview with her might be a good promotion for the gig.

GC: How did you get started in music? Were your parents musical? How did you get into jazz music?
KP: My mother used to play clarinet, accordion, and piano, and my maternal grandfather played violin, saxophone, and clarinet. So, the musical gene was probably passed down that way. I first started piddling around with a toy piano when I was three, and started writing little songs. My parents put me in group music lessons when I was four, and when I was eight I started with classical piano lessons. For high school, I went away to the North Carolina School of the Arts, where I remember hearing some jazz a few times, but it was at the New England Conservatory of Music where I really got hooked on jazz. I just couldn't see myself highlighting each voice of a Bach fugue with a different color marker and practicing passages eight hours a day, which I think you have to do to be a serious classical player. Also, I used to suffer from tendinitis (the Feldenkrais technique fixed this), and I had to stop playing the piano for a few months. During this time I started transcribing jazz solos and doing jazz ear-training in order to be able to hear the alterations.



GC: You studied extensively with Charlie Banacos. Banacos was considered a guru by many renowned musicians. How did his teaching influence your music? What kinds of things did he teach you?
KP: I owe almost all of my jazz musical development to Charlie and miss him terribly. He was deeply spiritual about music and couldn't help but communicate his positivity and enthusiasm for life in every interaction you would have with him. He had a way of making you feel like you could shoot for the moon. I waited to study with him for a year and a half, and I was terrified at my first lesson, because I'd heard a rumor that he would choose to accept me or not. So, I played my Wynton Kelly and Thelonious Monk transcriptions, then soloed a little. He told me that I was playing a lot of licks, which was absolutely true. We started out with a lot of writing exercises. I wrote 12 long lines a week and also started writing compositions. He also had me transcribe different artists every week and play along with the transcriptions. He wanted me to learn the vocabulary of a lot of different musicians so that I wouldn't start just mimicking one. He had really interesting reasons for choosing the artists; for example, he wanted me to learn Lee Morgan's "shout quality."

Honestly, I think about Charlie whenever I sit down at the piano. When I play a hotel gig, I think about how he said that I should be able to solo over anything and make it sound good, even a tune like Killing Me Softly, which he had me work on. Of course, we also worked on jazz tunes like Upper Manhattan Medical Group and Lament. He once had me transcribe both a McCoy Tuner and a Herbie Hancock solo from There Is No Greater Love, so I could see the difference in their thinking.

GC: How did you develop your ears? What would you say to a young student who is frustrated with transcribing solos?
KP: I first developed my ears listening to tapes of different jazz chords at New England Conservatory; the department head at the time, Hankus Netsky, had recorded all the different chords and put them in the library. Then I studied with Bevan Manson and John McNeil, and I started doing transcriptions of people like Sonny Stitt, Hank Jones, Red Garland, Wynton Kelly, and some solo work of Thelonious Monk (I was really proud of transcribing "Round Midnight"). To a young student who is frustrated, I would suggest starting with shorter passages and older, more "inside" jazz solos. Take it one measure at a time. Playing along with transcriptions is really important, to get the feel of the player. This is how I learned to swing, as I had no clue before.


GC: How do you approach composition? Where do you get your ideas?
KP: I either start by hearing chords and a melody together, or just hearing a melody, or just noodling around with some chords that sound good to me. Harmony really excites me, which is why I like listening to compositions by Richie Beirach and Kurt Rosenwinkel, and you, of course. :-) Lately I've been having fun with trying to write multiple parts, because I used to just write lead sheets. Also, although I haven't written any Brazilian tunes in a while, I used to like to play a Brazilian rhythm, find some chords that appealed to me, and write melodies over the rhythms.



GC: What made you interested in becoming a singer/songwriter?
KP: I guess there are many factors. Singer-songwriter music is so immediately accessible to the listener, and there are so many ways to approach the singer-songwriter genre. There's just so much good music out there with lyrics. I took a year of SongHall writing workshops with Lorraine Ferro, and that was a lot of fun.

GC: What do you think your next album will be? What are your long term musical goals?

KP: I'd like to do an album of the newer jazz tunes with multiple parts, and I'd also like to do another singer-songwriter album that is more cohesive than the last one, which was really a mishmash of genres. I'd like to have a more consistent sound and instrumentation. This isn't to say that I don't want to continue making a lot of different kinds of music.



43 comments:

  1. I know one of her compositions, "A Wish" from your album of that name, which I got just the other day. At least I guess it's hers. It's credited to Karry Politzer (with an "a"), but I assume that's just what the Danes made of your accent.

    Love the album, including that song. I may have to get the other album you made with Bodilsen.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love this George...maybe you can teach some of the brothers how to support a good woman,lol

    ReplyDelete
  3. George is very supportive!

    Art, I have around 50 or so compositions recorded besides "A Wish," so hopefully you will like another one of them!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kerry, I'm just downloading Watercolor (2002) from iTunes (UK). Sorry to go for an older album, but I particularly like piano-led trios (and this one has the added bonus of the preceding commenter's husband on drums).

    ReplyDelete
  5. Gracias! Well, that tends to be the album people like the most. You might also like the latest one, Blue in BLue, because it has some of that introspective vibe. Thank you so much for purchasing the album. And yeah, Scott is a great drummer.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I LOVE "I Hope You Find Me". Wonderful song!

    ReplyDelete
  7. He also had me transcribe different artists every week and play along with the transcriptions. He wanted me to learn the vocabulary of a lot of different musicians so that I wouldn't start just mimicking one. He had really interesting reasons for choosing the artists; for example, he wanted me to learn Lee Morgan's "shout quality."
    christian book storestag heuer monaco replica

    ReplyDelete
  8. I went away to the North Carolina School of the Arts, where I remember hearing some jazz a few times, but it was at the New England Conservatory of Music where I really got hooked on jazz stained glass free patternsπλαστικη χειρουργικη

    ReplyDelete
  9. I was at the New England Conservatory of Music where I really got hooked on jazz. I just can not see myself highlighting each voice of a Bach fugue with a different color marker and practicing passages eight hours a day Area codesentrance mats

    ReplyDelete
  10. The various organic functional groups, composed of hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and a host of metals, such as iron, magnesium, and zinc, provide the enormous diversity of chemical reactions necessarily catalyzed by a living organism. Silicon, in contrast, interacts with only a few other atoms, and the large silicon molecules are monotonous compared with the combinatorial universe of organic macromolecules Florida FHA LoansBEST ANDROID TABLET REVIEW

    ReplyDelete
  11. It is possible that some planets, like the gas giant Jupiter in our solar system, may have moons with solid surfaces or liquid oceans that are more hospitable trading the marketrollup banner stands

    ReplyDelete
  12. Moreover, he presented a consistent system of tracing today's Houses for sale in Milton biochemistry back to ancestral reactions that provide alternative pathways to the synthesis of organic building blocks from simple gaseous compounds.Movers in San Francisco

    ReplyDelete
  13. The tail of the magnetosphere extends out to at least 72 times the radius of Neptune, and very likely much farther.
    apronsPowerboat Level 2

    ReplyDelete
  14. A Vietnamese elementary school has won first prize in the Asia-Pacific emerging countries category of an Intel-sponsored award for educational innovation.

    Bottle Opener Instore Radio

    ReplyDelete
  15. “I get nervous speaking in front of an audience. However, I have never had training in public speaking,” Kien said.

    male enlargement pills steroid shop online

    ReplyDelete
  16. The various organic functional groups, composed of hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and a host of metals, such as iron, magnesium, and zinc, provide the enormous diversity of chemical reactions necessarily catalyzed by a living organism. Silicon, in contrast, interacts with only a few other atoms, and the large silicon molecules are monotonous compared with the combinatorial universe of organic macromolecules Florida FHA LoansBEST ANDROID TABLET REVIEWsilver charmsnettbutikk med halskjeder

    ReplyDelete
  17. I was at the New England Conservatory of Music where I really got hooked on jazz. I just can not see myself highlighting each voice of a Bach fugue with a different color marker and practicing passages eight hours a dayliquid mineralsbad

    ReplyDelete
  18. Game mixtapesaccomodation wide bay
    Kerry goes back to her instrumental jazz roots with her ​​fifth album, "Blue in Blue." It features all-original compositions and the Talents of Donny McCaslin, Paul Beaudry and George Colligan, and has been released by Piloo Records.

    Samples of Kerry's music, as well as a couple tracks from Blue in Blue, can be heard at her Myspace page.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Several people are reported to be in a serious condition.



    insurance dispute ny allergist

    ReplyDelete
  20. Place Saint-Lambert is a busy intersection, served by hundreds of buses daily. It hosts an annual Christmas market which attracts some 1.5 million visitors a year.



    charms κατασκευη ιστοσελιδων

    ReplyDelete
  21. It all depends what state the aircraft was in when they recovered it, says Nick Brown, editor-in-chief of Jane's International Defence Review.


    Dentista refrigeration repair

    ReplyDelete
  22. Some parts of the RQ-170 - such as the undercarriage and likely the fly-by-wire avionics and engine - have been taken from existing aircraft, so won't offer much that's new.


    extensions for volume Brazilian Blowout Sydney

    ReplyDelete
  23. With the RQ-170 itself, the challenge is not so much building it but making it airworthy, says Mr Brown.




    trade show displays Apartamentos de férias na Madeira-Funchal

    ReplyDelete
  24. "There are complicated algorithms that control the aircraft. Getting a boomerang-shaped object to fly where you want it to fly is hard and only really possible with advanced flight modelling, powerful computers and software.



    download vga driver Quail West homes for sale

    ReplyDelete
  25. They are past masters at reverse engineering, says Mr Brown, and they have an awful lot of capability, without needing outside help, but sharing the platform with friendly states could offer Tehran substantial political capital.


    duravit bad orange county mortgage

    ReplyDelete
  26. "I don't know the level of scientific expertise available to Iran, but if it's true that Russia and China have sent delegates then they do have the expertise."



    cream rugs candy equipment

    ReplyDelete
  27. Ski Bottle Opener"Hong Kong's ascent to the top of our index marks a major milestone," said Kevin Steinberg, of the World Economic Forum.

    ReplyDelete
  28. banners and stands ponchoMr Steinberg added that it was the first time in the report's history that the United Kingdom or the US were not in first place.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Bottle Openers wholesale toddler shoesFestival Hue 2012 - travel to vietnam - tour to vietnam - tour ghep mien trung - Chum tour tet tham quan va mua sam

    "While Western financial centres are understandably focused on short-term challenges, this report should serve as a wake-up call that their long-term leadership may be in jeopardy," Mr Steinberg said.

    ReplyDelete
  30. importexportopportunities Altbauwohnung Frankfurt Westend kaufenPolice in Belgium are trying to determine what motivated a local man to open fire on a busy marketplace in Liege, killing at least four people.

    ReplyDelete
  31. stamped concrete overlay plano click hereFinding the Higgs would be a huge discovery - on a par, according to some, with the discovery of DNA more than 60 years ago. But others think it would be in a class of its own. It is the cornerstone of the current theory of particle physics - which explains how particles and forces interact.

    ReplyDelete
  32. ebooks retractable banner stands"The window for the Higgs gets smaller and smaller. Yet it is still alive," said Prof Rolf Heuer, director-general of Cern.

    ReplyDelete
  33. small dog breeds Buy NO2The reasons for caution are also scientific. Five sigma is the level of statistical certainty required to claim a discovery. Three sigma can be counted as an observation. But, says Pippa Wells, a senior scientist on Atlas, "we are not even there yet".

    ReplyDelete
  34. "I had a friend who'd been trying to get me to join his escort agency since I was 16. He was telling me stories about how much I could earn, how the hours would fit around me, that I could control who I saw, when I saw them and how often.



    toronto stone veneers MLS Toronto
    Festival Hue 2012 - travel to vietnam - tour to vietnam - tour ghep mien trung - Chum tour tet tham quan va mua sam

    ReplyDelete
  35. But at a certain point, after years of shuttling back and forth, she realised that: "I could stay in my house for the rest of my life but I might not have had a marriage to go with it."


    nj moving color consultation

    ReplyDelete
  36. For reasons of feasibility, she splits the black board into two parts, each including a lesson for a specific group. While one group does exercises, the other uses the board and listens to the teacher.


    Nashville real estate security bekleidung auf rechnung kaufen

    ReplyDelete
  37. Hoi said that students would likely have less of access to proper education in studying subjects such as Art, Music and Physical Education in the same fashion.


    free loan computer bean bags

    ReplyDelete
  38. Ruling party members in one North Korean county were shown by state TV banging tables and crying out loud, the AFP news agency reports.



    Bottle Opener we buy gold
    Festival Hue 2012 - travel to vietnam - tour to vietnam - tour ghep mien trung - Chum tour tet Am Lich tham quan va mua sam

    ReplyDelete
  39. France's borrowing cost rose slightly, from 3.03% to 3.07%. Germany - considered the safest borrower in the eurozone - saw its borrowing cost fall from 1.83% to 1.76%.

    What is Capsiplex?ben10 games
    Festival Hue 2012 - travel to vietnam - tour to vietnam - tour ghep mien trung - tour tet Am Lich tham quan va mua sam - tour festival hue

    ReplyDelete
  40. The Italian environment minister said liquid was leaking from the ship, but it was unclear if it was fuel.



    What is Proactol Plus Ingredients?Leather Lingerie

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.