6-18-08
Article and interview
by Bobby Ramirez
Bill O'Connell - Triple Play
If one didn't
know pianist Bill O'Connell (which I personally don't)--by the look
of his facial image on the cover of his new CD "Triple Play"--it
seems that he is a relaxed laid back individual with perhaps
a "geek" type personality.
The funny thing
with Jazz musicians or artists in general is that what you see
is completely different from what you get.
However, don't
let O'Connell's passive image mood fool you. Behind the almost
John Lennon-ish-like look is a master musician and composer of
palatial proportion.
In other word:
there's no doubt this Jazz cat has game; more like fire-breathing
musical passion tempered with immense intellectual dominance
of Jazz and Latin music that may be good enough to rival some
of the great Latin Jazz pianist of the last quarter century:
Chucho Valdes, George Dalto, Gozalo Rubalcaba, and others.
Reared in the
massive majestic musical plains of New York City, O'Connel's
journey as a musician expands over three decades back to the
heady days of the "salsa" movement in the 1970's.
Subsequently,
Bill has worked and performed with legendary giants as Mongo
Santamaria, Chet Baker, Kenny Rankin, Sonny Rollins, Fort Apache
Band, Gato Barbieri, Astrud Gilberto, and others.
But most prevalent
from the vantage-point of Latin Jazz connoisseurs, O'Connell
has made an indelible impression on the minds of Latin Jazz fans
worldwide with his enduring collaboration with one of the giants
in the history of Jazz and Latin music, flautist Dave Valentin.
As a result, this endearing partnership has lead to the production
of some of the most memorable music and performances within the
genre of Latin Jazz.
On his new CD
"Triple Play", O'Connell calls upon his old partner-in-musical-crime
Valentin, and joined by percussionist Richie Flores. As the title
of the CD suggests, O'Connell presents a hybrid musical experience
that stirs a tri-dimensional sense of impromptu curiosity for
the listener.
A truly epic
musical dance, it is fascinating to hear all three musicians
instill their own unique individuality; thereby creating a spontaneous
rendezvous of sounds that instantly become the sum of its parts.
Fans of Latin
Jazz will be very entertained with the great performance of O'Connell,
Valentin and Flores on "Triple Play." Definatly, a
must have CD for your music collection.
INTERVIEW:
How did you
get interested in becoming a musician? I took piano lessons from the age of 6. As a child
sports and music were my 2 main passions. Gradually as I got
into my teens music took over. I started to write music and devoted
most of my time to playing and composition. As I thought
about what I wanted to do with my life the only thing that made
any sense to me was music. Nothing else gave me a much satisfaction
as my total involvement with music. In that sense my career
choice was easy.
Who were some
of your early musical inspirations? In my early teens I was into Frank Zappa, the
rock groups of the day (Grateful Dead, Traffic, Buffalo
Springfield etc.) and in my later teens got into modern classical
music and Miles Davis and John Coltrane.
What was the
concept behind the creation of your latest CD Tripple Play? The concept for "Triple
Play" grew out of a gig we did as a trio.(piano, flute and
congas/perc.) We discovered that by not having a bass player
and drummer the music opened up in different way and gave
each of us a new sense of freedom as well as presenting
new ways to communicate within this unusual type of trio. Although
still in the latin jazz mode it felt like we were finding a "new"
way to play the music. After doing a gig
I knew we had to get into the studio to record this.
Odviously
sharing time in the studio with such high caliber musicians namely
Dave Valentin and Richie Flores, there is going to be an abundance
of creative magic flowing in every direction most of the time.
Was there any one/two special magical moment(s) that stand out
during the creation of the project? I've known Dave Valentin for 30 years
and he is one of my closest friends and musical collaborators.
I've known Richie for 20 years and he is also a great friend
and we've played together often. On this CD I think there were
many wonderful moments that happened spontaneously. Much
of that was due to the familiarity we have with each other and
the musical trust we have developed from playing together.
With Richie it
is hard to pick out one special moment on this recording, but
I would say that the rhythmic interaction between us was something
very special and very exciting throughout the recording date.
With Dave our duo recording of Afro Blue comes
to mind. It was at the end of the session and I suggested
we try a "ballad" version of Afro Blue. We just
started playing without any chart or further discussion.
I believe real "magic" took place between us in creating
a very free and beautiful version of Mongo's classic tune.
Your collaboration
with flutist Dave Valentin goes back more than a few years. When/how
did you and Dave meet?
This was
a long time ago. Dave remembers us meeting when we were both
playing latin gigs in NY. (Dave with "Libre" and myself
with Angel Canales) I remember meeting Dave when I filled in
for Oscar Hernandez the first time I played with the band. I'm
not sure which is correct but the important thing is that we
did connect many years ago.
By the looks
of your body of musical works, there's no doubt that you've had
a extremely fruitful career as a performing artist and composer,
in particular; collaborating with flautist Dave Valentin? I know
from personal experience that trying to recount one or two special
moments as part of a long collaboration can may be a dificult
task. But, please try to describe your unique musical chemestry
with Dave which has essentially lead to the production of some
of the most memorable music within the gerne of Latin Jazz? I am a composer and
player. Dave has always encouraged me to write for the band and
we have always worked together on his many recordings in shaping
the direction of the music. We are both passionate about the
music and committed to exploring the possibilities of extending
the horizons of latin jazz. Dave is a great innate musical talent.
He's a natural.
I have always loved writting music for him because I know he
will play something great and make my music come alive.On a personal
level we get along great and have a lot of fun putting music
together and coming up with ideas for all of our projects together.
Relationships like ours in music and life are rare and it's something
I truly am grateful for.
In no particular
order, name your most favorite top-10 all time greatest Jazz
recordings?
A love Supreme" John Coltrane-"My Funny Valentine"
Miles Davis-"Nefertiti, Miles Davis- "Now he sings,
Now he sobs" Chick Corea- "Here's to Life" Shirley
Horn- "The Latin Side", Clare Fischer-"Live
in Russia", Charles Lloyd-"Unity",Larry Young-
"Rumba para Monk", The Fort Apache Band- "MaidenVoyage"-Herbie
Hancock.
On a typical
day when you are performing a concert, just before you hit the
stage, what is on your mind that is most important to you? I want to be comfortable
with the music and physically connected to the piano so
that I can perform in a free and easy manner.
After you've
finished a performance, what is the most important thing that
you hope the audience takes away from your performance? I would like an audience
to be moved on an emotional and intellectual level.
I want them to "feel" the music as well as "hear"
the effort and sophistication of the music and the musicians
playing it
What is your
best advice to young inspiring musicians that want to pursue
a career as a performing artist? If music is what makes your life make
sense and you believe you have the talent for it, then that's
what you should do. In some ways music chooses you.
I had no other career choice that excited me as much as
playing music. We live in a very competitive world so you've
got to be truly committed to practicing and developing yourself
as a musician to the fullest. Find yourself a great teacher. I
would also say to be opento explore many different kinds of music.
I did not grow
up listening to Latin music. When I came to New York as an aspiring
jazz pianist in my early 20's I was introduced to latin
music and embraced it. When I experienced the swing
and rhythmic complexity of latin music I had to get into
it. There is a lot of music out there. If you believe you've
been put on this earth to play and create music, get out there
and discover what truly interests you and go for it.
©2008
LatinJazzClub.com
All rights reserved
