|
|
|
MICHIGAN MUSIC |
February, 2002 "RECORDING" ISSUE |
|
|
|
Ron Brooks
-
Holy Man Of Jazz |
|
INTERVIEW
& PHOTOS BY PT QUINN
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Ron Brooks Playing
Bass |
|
Ann Arbor, Michigan nightclub owner and band leader Ron Brooks
is a holy man of jazz. A high priest of a pure American standard
that he and his ilk vow to never let die. Ron won't mention his age
except to say he is a child of the 60's born and raised in Chicago
before his family moved to Evanston, Illinois, and then on to Ann
Arbor where the rest is history. Having founded the Bird of Paradise
jazz club 18 years ago in downtown Ann Arbor, Brooks has established
himself as an important voice for the preservation of jazz in all
its quiet and intensity. His group aptly called the Ron Brooks Trio,
also showcases the considerable talents of Tad Weed on piano, and
drummer Pete Siers knocking it out on traps. A very intimate sound.
The richness of Brooks' bass fills the room with the deep earthy
dynamics that can only come from a master well experienced in the
subtlety and exuberance of a great musical art form. It's perfect
for a social gathering in his nightclub. When we hooked up with
Brooks for this interview at the Bird, he was very gracious and
accommodating. There's a dignified gentleness and inspiration about
him that's infectious and inviting. A real gentleman of jazz. What
makes Ron tick? We wanted to know.....
|
|
| PT Quinn:
They say you're world famous in Ann Arbor. |
| Ron Brooks:
(laughs) I haven't heard that one. |
| PT:
Okay, I'll start with a simple question... why jazz? |
| Ron:
I think my first awareness of jazz was when my mother sang along
with Ella Fitzgerald records when I was a small child growing up in
Chicago. I saw the inspiration and drive
on her face and I said yeah! Later I would pick up a stringed instrument
and try to duplicate the enthusiasm and honesty that comes out of jazz. |
 |
|
"One of
the challenges of music is to evoke emotion and thoughts... " |
|
| PT:
When was that? |
Ron:
At Pioneer High school I started strumming the guitar. At a party
back in the 60's there was a bass standing in the corner and I picked it
up and started strumming in a effort to play
music. Shortly thereafter I
met up with a guy (jazz pianist and composer) named Bob James who was a
student working on his masters degree here. (U of M) We used to have jam
sessions at frat houses and parties, and that's how I learned to play
jazz. My first gig was here in Ann Arbor
at a frat party on Hill street where a bunch of kids where sittin'
around and talkin'... havin' a good time .... and (some musician friends
and I) played some standard tunes. I
made ten dollars. |
| PT:
How did the ten dollars in your pocket feel? |
| Ron:
Oh, it felt just absolutely marvelous. I didn't really consider myself
to be a professional, just somebody lucky enough to do something I love
to do and be rewarded for it. It wasn't much, and it still isn't much
after all these years. I've never been dollar driven but mission and
artistically driven. |
| PT:
Tell us a story of your early work in Paris in the 60's. |
Ron:
What happened was Duke Ellington was passing through town and
called a session with a lot of the local musicians and said "hey, come
up to this place, ( a club) we're having a jam session tonight." And so
a lot of local musicians went up there and I happened to be one of the
ones in town then, and got to play some. It
was really exciting. After that I
decided to come back to Ann Arbor to work on a graduate
degree at EMU in counseling, and do Masters and Ph.D. work in
educational psychology at Michigan. |
| PT:
Where did you study music? |
| Ron:
O-J-T.... On the Job Training. I did take some basic theory and
listening classes in music, but most of my work has been with
individuals who have helped me.... playin' with the real cats. |
| PT:
What about recording? |
| Ron:
I think the first time I heard myself on record it was a shocking
experience. Everybody that plays should have the opportunity to hear
themselves. It's a very humbling experience on one hand..... and the
other hand might say you have room to improve. My first recording at
Mercury Records was with Quincy Jones who A & R'd the record.... |
| PT:
A & R'd? |
| Ron:
He was the Arranging and Recording person who was in the control
booth there waving his arms saying a "yeah, go guys" kind of thing. It
was with Bob James. I heard some re-releases of that stuff which is kind
of fascinating. |
I
got to perform with guys like Eddie Russ and Sonny Stitt. Jazz masters.
I created a band called Mixed Bag with guys like Danny Spencer and Larry
Nozero on Tribe Records. After that in the 60's I did a couple
of things on Bluenote (Records) with the Contemporary Jazz Quintet.....
C-J-Q. |
|
My latest is called "Threebe in Flight" with Tad Weed and Pete Siers
which is doing extremely well. I never recorded with but have played with people like Tommy Flanagan,
Kenny Burrell, and Sarah Vaughn to mention a few. |
| PT:
How did you get in the nightclub business? |
| Ron:
It was a sort of evolution. I wanted to be involved with
environments that are conducive with artistry and good jazz. This was
one of the ways I could do that. It's been with the effort of several
individuals and the Ann Arbor community who
have been gracious enough to support it for going on 18 years now. |
PT:
With all the various styles in Pop music entertaining the masses,
why
should people pay attention to jazz? |
| Ron:
Basically jazz has a strong history... a strong base. It is a
contribution of America that is now recognized all over the world. It
has withstood the test of time and has a good foundation to it. A young
musician learned to play Satin Doll 50 years ago, and now young
musicians are still learning to play it. It's timeless. It's a music
that encourages rhythm, harmony and melody. Three strong elements. You
get louder you get softer... you get faster you get slower, and that's
really all there is to music. It's also a team sport. It encourages you
to work well with other people. Those are the elements which set jazz
apart. There are people who play other music, but would like to play
jazz as well. I'm very happy when that happens. |
| PT:
The seductiveness of jazz draws the listener in. |
| Ron:
Yeah. One of the challenges of music is to evoke emotion and thoughts...
to take you along with the music. To pull you in. To take you for a
ride. A journey that can be happy and intense but maybe it's sometimes a
sad journey. The Blues form is one of the contributors of what jazz is
now. When jazz was born, people with fundamental skills combined them
with European instruments like saxophones and drums with sticks,
stringed instruments...and created an art form that exists very strongly
in America. |
| PT:
Got any advice for a young musician who
wants to play jazz? |
Ron:
One of the things is to find someone you really
admire and like to listen to, and begin to ask them some questions about
how they got started..... what are their attitudes about the music...
what they like
to play. Where do they get their inspiration? It's important for someone
to find a model. |
| PT:
How would Ron Brooks like to be remembered? |
| Ron:
Wow, nobody's ever asked me that question before.
I guess as somebody who has made a commitment and stuck to his
guns as far as jazz is concerned. |
| PT:
Thanks for your time. It's a real pleasure hearing you play. |
| Ron:
Thanks for coming. |
|
The Ron Brooks Trio can be heard every Tuesday and Thursday night at the
Bird of Paradise jazz club located at 312 S. Main in downtown Ann Arbor,
Michigan. |
|
For more information about them or any other act performing at the Bird,
call 734-662-8310. |
|
Visit the Bird's website at
www.thebirdofparadise.com
|
|
|
|
|
|