Smitty: Yes. When I got this record, I was just amazed at the construction, even from the liner notes. These are great photos of Clark Terry, Gary Smulyan, Frank Wess, Russell Malone, Abdou Mboup, Alioune Faye, Dion Parson, Kiyoshi Kitagawa, and David Hazeltine. And this is a great record. And when I got home I started to read your comments, and I immediately got so involved that I had to put the record on again. I said “I wanna read this while I’m listening.” And it just brought on a whole new meaning; it just raised the level of what I was reading. It speaks from the heart. I could feel your heart in this one because the music itself, I think, climbs into your heart and just takes over. But to read the comments and really get an understanding of each of the songs, I think, is just a beautiful thing. This is so well constructed, very nice.
JF: Well, thank you. A lot of the production work was left up to me. Koch Records’ David Wilkes was very trusting in me and the choices I made, so I could go into the studio I wanted and get the musicians I wanted and write the music I wanted to write and master where I wanted to master; Koch Records were very hands off overall, very respectful of what I was doing, and let me come up with everything. As far as the photos, my wife Laurelyn, who has a track on the CD named for her, was very instrumental in helping to put a lot of the post-production things together, and the Koch Records staff were really wonderful too.
Smitty: Yes, Dave Wilkes is a great guy and a friend, and Laurelyn did a fantastic job!
JF: It all came together. I went to a great mastering facility up in Maine, Gateway Mastering, and just to try and get the best sound possible …. and Laurelyn and I, we went through photos at the session, and also the photographer, John Abbott, came to the college where I teach, Purchase College, so the cover photos with the green background were done there … it’s all natural lighting, streaming through a skylight above a truly green wall in the Performing Arts Center there; what happened is right when we started to take these photos, the sun came down and reflected off the trumpet, and John Abbott created this series of photos that are just absolutely astounding.
Smitty: Wow, that’s beautiful. Location, location, location.
JF: You know, it was just one of those moments, and he’s great at making the best of whatever the situation is. He took dozens of pictures within about a half an hour, and they were all stunning; he is a superb photographer, and I’m glad he’s also a real friend.
Smitty: This one on the cover … you selected a great one because I see that reflection off the trumpet and then you’re sort of the silhouette in there. And it’s a beautiful photo, great choice. Well, my congratulations to Laurelyn. She did a great job.
JF: Well, thank you. And also Neil Tesser, who did the liner notes, has been a friend for many years. He’s based in Chicago. But one of the things I was going to say about liner notes … you mentioned how you started to read the liner notes and then went back and listened to the music maybe a little bit differently.
Smitty: Yes.
JF: And that’s really one of the things that’s missing these days in the world of music and digital downloads.
Smitty: Yes, I like that. You’re right, you’re absolutely right.
JF: Downloading music from the internet or something like that, you miss the liner notes and the insight they can provide when they are done well. I was in an Apple store because I have Mac computers and I said “Look, you guys ought to have it where you could download the pictures for the album on the CD, so you can see what it looks like, and you ought to have the situation where people can download the liner notes for a dollar or something like that.”
Smitty: Yes.
JF: “… and give some of that money to the writers and then people could learn a little bit more about the music.” The guy said “That’s a good idea. You should write our corporate headquarters.”
Smitty: (Laughs.) But that’s an excellent point. That’s an excellent point because I go back to even the days of the LPs and that was so much a part of getting the record, to sit down and put the record on and read everything on the album sleeve, look at the pictures, and I still do that to this day. I have to pull out the liner notes, put the music on, and I’m identifying and I’m really getting deep into it by listening and reading at the same time. I think you’re “right on” with that. That’s a good point. I hope they do that.
JF: Maybe one day they will. Today, you download something and you might see listeners’ comments. But it’s not the same as somebody who is a writer and really loves the music and they’re putting their passion into the writing like we put our passion into the music.
Smitty: Yes, absolutely.
JF: I think that’s something that Neil Tesser did wonderfully on this CD.
Smitty: Yes he did. My compliments, because it really enhanced my appreciation for the music, that’s for sure. Well, let’s talk about the opening track, “The Hunters and Gatherers.”
JF: (Laughs.)
Smitty: It’s a great tune, but I know there’s some serious meaning because I got to read it in the liner notes, but I wanna share this with all of your fans.
JF: Okay.
Smitty: So just talk a little bit about that meaning of “The Hunters and Gatherers.”
JF: Well, my theory is a little bit sociological and psychological and it’s that, thousands of years ago, the male of the species used to go out and hunt, like the tigers and things like that. And nowadays between the male and the female the roles have changed quite a bit.
Smitty: True.
JF: Men don’t like to shop. (Laughs.) Well, as a generalization, men don’t really like to go out and go shopping like women do, and women not only shop for things for the family, but women also go out and search for different truths, I think, from a softer perspective than the male perspective, which is sometimes a little bit too macho.
Smitty: Mm-hmm. I totally agree.
JF: You know, women go out and really work and contribute on so many levels. Especially single mothers, who have the most difficult job of all. It’s tough being a mother and it’s tough being a mother without a male supporting. So this is dedicated to those single mothers and mothers who go out and bring truth and joy back to their families regardless of the hardships.
Smitty: That’s a very heartfelt thing to recognize and then to put that into music and to dedicate it to these individuals, because it is a very real and true thing that we face today. Very cool. And I really got so deep into the title track, “Teranga.”
JF: Mm-hmm.
Smitty: The length for one, because I love it when a great song just keeps going, and it’s just got that whole positive thing working and it just takes you to so many different levels. For those that may not be familiar with the meaning, talk about “Teranga,” and why you composed the song this way.
JF: Well, I had actually composed the song before I came up with the title. As you know, on the CD, there are two Senegalese drummers, two master percussionists, Abdou Mboup and Alioune Faye. I was talking with Abdou after I had been looking on-line and reading about Senegal, and asking myself, “What can I call this tune?” And then I started to read about Teranga and the whole meaning of what Teranga is. And for the readers that are going to read this, Teranga is a way of life in Senegal; it’s a value that means hospitality and sharing and brotherhood and sisterhood. It was I think created by the mothers in Senegal to ensure that their child would never be left wanting or wandering; so, if their children were ever away from home and in need, there would be a place for them to go. And this goes throughout the country, and the Senegalese are very, very proud of this. The way it works is that if someone comes to your home, you treat them like family. You take them in and you feed them and clothe them if they need it or whatever they need, and “karmically,” it plays out when your child is away from home, so it’s a really a beautiful manifestation of the “Golden Rule.” When I asked Abdou about it, he thought naming that tune, and the album, Teranga, worked well too.
Smitty: Yes, that’s amazingly beautiful. And “Waltz For My Fathers & Brothers” is a beautiful tune with an amazing meaning too.
JF: It’s something very close to my heart; three years ago my father passed away and ten years before that Dizzy passed away. They both passed away in January, but then I had a very good friend who passed away and I had several male figures that were in my life who suddenly passed away, all in the same year. One was my chiropractor, one was my trumpet teacher Bill Catalano, one was my therapist from the days when I was going to therapy, and it just made me think of how … one never knows what’s going to happen. And I’ve been very close to a lot of musicians that have helped me and I wanted to do something and dedicate it to them, because sometimes they get a little bit forgotten. It’s important for people, especially men, to be able to say “thank you” and to acknowledge the love and respect that exists and sustains us, and it’s a lot better to do that when we’re all in the world, and this dance of life continues.
Smitty: Yes, I know what you mean.
JF: Some of the others include Milt Jackson, Sweets Edison, and Milt Hinton. And a friend of mine who was like a brother to me, Danny Moore, who played trumpet with Oliver Nelson and Thad Jones, but isn’t here anymore. James Williams, the pianist who was in my first serious group, passed away suddenly. Michael Brecker, who thankfully is very much still here, but is fighting a life threatening disease. And people like Clark Terry. You know, the list goes on and on; I’m glad of that. I try to remember as many as I can and I dedicated this song to them because they were, and are, truly my fathers and brothers.
Smitty: That’s very nice. And you selected some great musicians to assist you in recognizing and remembering these great musicians and these fathers and brothers. I think your band is incredible, with Russell Malone and Frank Wess, and these musicians are true professionals and they know how to capture the moment and capture the music, and you really went out there and got some great musicians to assist you with this great project.
JF: Well, thank you, and I was honored that Russell, Gary Smulyan, Abdou and Alioune, and especially Frank Wess and Clark Terry, would join me on the CD. Frank and CT are both octogenarians, and they’re people that I have admired since I was a young musician and first really aware of jazz, and it’s good that they’d come and play on my recording with me. When I called Frank and asked him if he’d play an alto flute, all I had to say was, “I need ya.” He said “Okay, where do you need me?” (Both laughing.) And that’s all.
Smitty: How beautiful is that, huh?
