"Questions, Questions..."

A series of interviews with the members of The Latin Jazz Discussion List. All the questions were submitted by other members of the group, their peers. Each artist was given a number of questions with the option of answering as many as they wished. Further discussion with the artist in this forum is invited...

Today's Subject:

Jack O'Neil
President - Blue Jackel Entertainment - www.bluejackel.com

Born 1950 in West Haven, Connecticut-USA, Jack O'Neil attended and graduated from the Berklee College of
Music in Boston, Massachusetts after completing his studies at Connecticut's New Haven -Yale University in
Asian History. While playing in various bands and ensembles, Mr. O'Neil returned to Connecticut to teach
woodwinds and Jazz ensembles at the Hartford Conservatory. In 1984 he moved to New York, where he
continued to play with several ensembles until 1986. He formed the group Timepiece with Al MacDowell,
bassist extraordinaire and 20-year veteran with Ornette Coleman and the Prime Time Band. Mr. O'Neil
co-produced with Mr. MacDowell, two records released under the Gramavision label, "Timepiece" (with special
participation by Ornette Coleman) and "Messiah." The band stayed together performing and touring until 1993.

In May of 1995, Mr. O'Neil started the Long Island-based recording label Blue Jackel Entertainment. The first
release on Blue Jackel in October of that year was the world-wide, critically acclaimed compilation "Brasil: A
Century of Song." This 4 compact disc - boxed set covering a wide selection of Brasilian music, graced two
awards in 1996, the German Phono Academy Award for World Music and an Honorable Mention from NAIRD for
packaging. Blue Jackel released the 1997 Grammy® winner for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance "Count
Basie with the New York Voices Live at the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild ". Marlui Miranda's "IHU Todos Os
Sons" (an interpretive work sung in 12 indigenous Amazonian languages with contemporary instrumentation by
Gilberto Gil, Uakti and the instrumental group Pau Brasil). "IHU" won the German Phono Academy Award for
World Music and the NAIRD Award for best Contemporary World recording in 1997. In 1998 Blue Jackel
Entertainment received 3 Grammy® nominations, two for the 4 CD -boxed set compilation of Cuban music,
"Cuba: I Am Time" Best Historical Album and Best Recording Package -Box, and a nomination for Best Latin
Jazz Performance by the Brasilian big band from São Paulo, Banda Mantiqueira, "Aldeia". Again, in 1999, a fifth
Grammy® nomination in three years for Best Latin Jazz Performance was obtained by Blue Jackel
Entertainment for "Paquito D'Rivera & the UN Orchestra Live at the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild" . In 2000
Blue Jackel received 3 Latin Grammy Nominations bringing the total to 8 Grammy nominations. The
nominations were for Joyce "Astronauta" and Gilberto Gil "O Sol de Oslo" in the Best MPB (Musica Popular
Brasil) category and another nomination and won the Latin Grammy award for Best Brazilian Roots Album with
Paulo Moura e os Batutas "Pixinguinha".

Q: "Tell us a little about your childhood - where were you born and raised?"

I was born and raised in West Haven Connecticut. I went to Notre Dame High School and attended Yale
University (Asian history) as well as Berklee College of Music in Boston (BA In Composition).

Q: "Who was the most influential person in your life that affected you, and your decision to become an artist?

I had a marvelous teacher was I was growing up, Paul Hibson. He played all the saxophones and clarinets. In
the New Haven area he was tops for what he did in Jazz and Big Band music. By the time I arrived in Boston to
study at Berklee I had been playing professionally for about 6 years. In Boston I played and performed just about
everything -Classical, Jazz, Big band and Brasilian. There were two great teachers in Boston during my time
there. Charlie Banacos and later on Jerry Bergonzi. For some reason they choose to try and teach me all that
they could. Everyday for a year I would go to Charlie Banacos in the morning and Jerry Bergonzi in the afternoon.

Q: "When did you first fall in love with Latin music - or - when did you first choose latin music as a career path?
Can you remember which band or artist turned you on?"

I 1977 I went to Brasil playing with Victor Assis Brasil. Nothing in America prepared me for the sensuality of
Brasil. I think seeing the samba schools perform for Carnaval changed my whole way of thinking about music.
From the Brasilians in Bahia (Tony Mola and Carlinhos Brown) and folks like Dizzy Gillespie, I became
interested in the other latin rhythms ie. Cuban music.

Q: "What piece or pieces of music made the most impact on you and why?"

Great music is everywhere. Bartok, Stavinsky, Ives, Messian, Coltrane, Miles and Wayne Shorter, Lee Morgan,
Ornette Coleman, Cecil Talyor, Dominic Duval, Milton Nascimento, Clave Y Guaguanco, all have influenced me.

Q: "Who's an artist you think more people should be aware of..."

Don Cherry -Don always had his ears open. He was incorporating African, Indian, and Moroccan music into
jazz. He was playing with the Master Musicians of Morocco before anyone in the west had even heard of them.

Q: "At what hour of the day are you most productive and why?"

During the day I have to deal with the label and artists under us. Night time is mostly reserved for my own
music now.

Q: "Are you a song writer?"

Yes, I do compose.

Q: "What kinds of things do you do to inspire your writing?"

Life inspires me. Lately playing with the likes of Dominic Duval, Joe McFee, and Marc Puricelli playing is more
listening to what is going on at the moment. Tunes are touched on but harmonies move in other directions.

Q: "What things do you practice day to day?"

Rhythms and chord progressions. Trying to understand the way to make harmonies move more interestingly.

Q: "What are your priorities when you go to the stage?"

Try to make the music and the other players sound good.

Q: "How do you see yourself in relation to the 'tradition'?"

I am using the traditions every time I play. Which tradition do I use? I use my tradition in bebop, Brasilian, and
latin music to try and make what I want to play sound fresh and new.

Q: "What music do you listen to when you are relaxing?"

Depends on my mood that day.

Q: "Give us a mental image of your favorite view in the world".

On a beach on a tropical island.

Q: "If you have children what kind of musical education have you given them or do you intend to give them?"

My wife and I have 3 boys 20, 17, 14. They have been exposed to music and musicians from all over the world.
All three play instruments and sing in school groups. We do not give them a structured musical education at the
moment. If they ask a musical question question we will work out the answer with them. They listen to all types
of music from all over the world.

Q: "What does the music you play do for you, emotionally, spiritually, socially, whichever-other-ly?

Hopefully it makes me a better person.

Q: "What changes or landmarks in your life can you attribute to the music you play?"

When I meet Al MacDowell and spent years with Ornette and Don Cherry I learned some very interesting
things. After this period I became more involved including the present with Brasilian and Latin Music. Now I am
playing with Dominic Duval, Joe McFee, Cecil Talyor, Marc Puricelli and everything I have ever learned is now
being applied.

Q: "When the music is at it's best in your opinion, what is it that's happening (to make it the best) and what do
you feel?

When musicians are truly listening to each other there is a rare beauty that transcends music into art.

Q: "What one CD of those you have recorded would you keep if the others were forever lost??!!"

With Al Macdowell we had a CD called Messiah on Grammavision. The tunes and rhythms with this band
were a blast to play. We played tunes in 13&1/4, 9, 11, or 5. One tune we called offset because the rhythm
players played a beat ahead of the melody players.

Q: "What one CD of someone else's would you keep if all others were lost??!!"

Any mid to late period Coltrane.

Q: "Name an all-star band of your favorite musicians (and arrangers) or one band for each genre (charanga,
conjunto, big band, etc.)"

Too numerous to list. Great musicians are everywhere. In every town and village.

Q: "What musicians would you most like to play with, now living on earth or elsewhere?"

Jazz -Cecil Taylor, Hamid Drake,
Brasilian -Monica Salmaso, Milton Nascimento
Cuban-Clave Y Guanguanco, Julio Barreta and Anga
Puerto Rican -Familia Ayala , and Eric Figueora
Nubia-Ali Husain Kuban

Q: "What band or musicians would you have wanted to play with from the past and why?"

Coltrane with McCoy, Elvin, Jimmy Garrison, and Lee Morgan. They pushed the boundaries of what music
was in its day.

Lester Bowie who was an amazing player and had a sense of humor. With William Cepeda. Blue Jackel was
going to record the Art Ensemble of Chicago with Afro Boricua. We had budgets worked out and rental space but
unfortunetly Lester passed away before it could happen.

Q: "Are critics important? Or do you rather see your music reviewed in the vanity press?Are you susceptible to
bad reviews?".

I declare the fifth amendment on this one. Critics help sell Cd's and for this they are important. A bad review is
an opinion, sometimes it is good to hear another side.

Q: "Do you believe in music as art, as opposed to a product for merchandising?"

Music and film are merchandise and big business. It makes people money. Music as art is done from the
heart and soul. You can always tell the difference.

Q: "Would you still be a musician even if that means you´ll die of hunger?"

If music is in your blood you just do it.

Q: "What food would you most liken your music to?"

Fejoda

Q: "One piece of advice for musicians"

Never give up your day job. It is important to eat. The more you listen to music the more you realize you do not
know. Music is a life long adventure.

Q: "One piece of advice for listeners (or dancers)"

Listen to the rhythms.

Q: "One piece of advice for life"

Live it to the fullest.

Credits:
Allan Johnston - format questions
Eliseo Cardona - translations

Lea esta entrevista en Español visite www.anapapaya.com