# Mentoring is one of the foundational elements of jazz culture: Video

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2018/03/02/mentoring-is-one-of-the-foundational-elements-of-jazz-culture-video/
- Published: 2018-03-02T10:12:31+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**The elders teaching the young ones until the young ones are ready to establish
their own identities and careers. This mentoring happens in a lot of ways. It happens
by observing how an experienced jazz person dresses, carries him or herself, walks
through a room, talks to an audience or handles him or herself on the bandstand.**

Of course, it happens by listening to the playing. In fact, when jazz people describe
what it was like hearing someone play, they might say “they sounded great,” but 
they will almost certainly say: “I learned a lot.” A more direct communication might
be established if the veteran thinks the young musician has potential and the two
are personally simpatico. Musical information may be exchanged at a table in the
nightclub and introductions proffered to other musicians. Then, the mentor might
invite his protégé over to the house to practice or just to hang. The relationship
bears full fruit when the elder invites the mentee to sit in at a gig, or even takes
him on the road. As Luques Curtis wrote to me in an email:” The lessons I learned
on the road were more life lessons. I learned how to behave respectfully and how
to adapt to almost every musical situation by paying attention to how my mentors
would deal with things.

![Curtis Brothers At Scullers](https://i0.wp.com/s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/
a_large/f54d2f442e94d0f3745ba21cdedb72b0.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)

Although it was billed as The Curtis Brothers at Scullers Jazz Club on Thursday,
February 1, it was actually the Curtis Brothers and Mentors. Drummer Ralph Peterson,
trumpeter Brian Lynch and alto saxophonist Donald Harrison had all taken the brothers
under their wing at one point or another and helped make the next step in their 
careers and artistic growth possible. Zaccai Curtis, the piano-playing brother who
did the talking at the club, made it clear every time he introduced a tune how important
these veteran musicians have been to him and bass-playing brother Lugues Curtis.
Thursday night’s songs all fell under the umbrella of Zaccai’s “Algorithm Suite,”
which was commissioned by Chamber Music America, New Jazz Works. Several of the 
songs played were dedicated to and written for the mentors. “Chief” was for Donald
Harrison-who is Big Chief of the Congo Nation Afro-New Orleans Cultural Group. “
The Professor” was for Brian Lynch-and one could see by the signaling he made throughout
the evening that Lynch was making sure the brothers were doing right by the music.“
Sensei” was for drummer Ralph Peterson who, Zaccai said, taught them how to play
with a trio.

Although the names of some of the tunes evoked physics (“Parametrics,” “Torus,” “
Algorithm”), and although there were some time signatures that were beyond my powers
to decipher, the compositions basically fell in Latin and jazz musical territory.
But, this wasn’t a night of AABA, trade 4’s and back to the head. The compositions
were-through-composed. Each had several sections and when solos were taken, it was
very pleasing to hear that any interesting rhythmic figures set out at the exposition
continued to appear under the soloists. I was also pleased that after solos, they
didn’t simply return to the top and run through the tune, but had a different, composed
ending. In the melodies (and the clave), there were overtones of Eddie Palmieri-
who was cited as an important influence and I also heard the Afro-Cuban influence
of Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo, as well as mainstream jazz composer/arrangers
like Freddie Hubbard and Oliver Nelson. Latin, modal and bop harmonies were intermingled
and flowed easily.

The time-keeping by Peterson was pretty extraordinary. There was a quality to me
of Indian drumming, which is to say, you wonder where he’s going and where the time
is-he dramatically stretches and pulls it-when all of a sudden-boom. There it is:
almost shocking. There was fluidity to the group’s time that one doesn’t often hear.
Peterson also had ample solo time. There were several tunes where the piano and 
bass did ostinatos-repeating figures-and let Peterson romp, which he did. The brothers
were both strong soloists on piano and bass and Donald Harrison built up to some
very intense climaxes in his solos. It was Brian Lynch, however, who was most remarkable
to me. I’d heard him a few times before and, indeed, it was his name that drew me
to this concert and he showed again why he is in the top rank of trumpet players.
There seems to be nothing he can’t do. Lynch has tremendous range, is able to articulate
at very up tempos and is constantly inventive in his lines and the way he breaks
up the rhythm.

Zaccai Curtis draws from a deep musical well to create his music-Latin, bop and 
modal harmonies, diverse beats and claves, ostinatos, stop times, odd meters and
tempo changes. He is forging a distinctive voice and is both generous and wise in
choosing to render his musical vision with the men who have inspired and taught 
him. This is the mentoring system at its best.

![Image result for Mentoring jazz](https://i0.wp.com/www.uixdetroit.com/galleries/
Features/012814-md-community-music-school0113.jpg?w=640)

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