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Sam Newsome

Publicat in: 02.12.2011, 08:10AM
Autor: Richard Constantinidi
Comentarii: 0
Vizualizari: 1683
Etichete: 9-11, Blue Soliloquy, Bucharest Jazz Festival, Cec Artslink, David Berkman, Downbeat Critics Polls, Global Unity, Jazz Journalists Association, Lucian Ban, Monk Abstractions, Motivic Development, Sam Newsome, Sax, Soprano Sax, Straight Horn, Tenor Sax, Terence Blanchard Quintet, The Romanian American Jazz Orchestra

Lucian Ban and Sam Newsome set out on a musical adventure in 2004, releasing The Romanian American Jazz Suite album in 2008 on Jazzaway Records, blending traditional Romanian folk songs with American jazz.

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We wanted to talk to Sam Newsome, considered one of the Top 3 soprano sax players in the World.

Sam Newsome first came into prominence on the New York jazz scene as a member of the Terence Blanchard Quintet in the early 1990s, playing the tenor saxophone.

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In 1996 Sam Newsome traded in the big tenor saxophone for the smaller, more difficult soprano saxophone. Consequently, this lead to Sam Newsome broadening his musical palette as he began studying music from North Africa, Japan, and the Middle East, incorporating non-Western scales into his musical vocabulary. For this, he led and formed Global Unity.
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After a seven-year commitment to Global Unity, Sam Newsome decided to take a break to study and play for solo saxophone projects.

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In 2011, Mr. Newsome was one of the nominees for Soprano Saxophonist of the Year by the 2011 Jazz Journalists Association. In addition, he made very strong showings in the 2011 Downbeat Critics Polls in the Soprano Saxophone category.
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CZB: When and how did you discover jazz music?

Sam Newsome: I discovered jazz while I was in junior high school. I played in our jazz ensemble. I really loved the feeling I got when I took an improvised solo. And it was through my desire to learn how to better improvise that I really began studying jazz.
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CZB: When did you start playing the tenor saxophone and is this the first instrument you learned to play?

Sam Newsome: I started playing the tenor sax when I was 12 years old. Since the tenor sax chair in our junior jazz band got most of the solos, I gravitated towards it for that reason. But after studying John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, and players like that, I eventually started getting into the sound of the instrument.
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CZB: In 1996, what determined you to switch to the straight horn (the soprano saxophone) and why is this considered to be more difficult to play?

Sam Newsome: I got into the soprano because I felt a more personal connection to the sound of the instrument. I felt like it was my own. Consequently, it enabled me to be more original and not worry so much about carrying on the great tenor saxophone legacy. I felt I could just be myself. Regarding the intonation, the soprano is the most difficult to play in tune because of the instrument’s design—having such a small bore for the air to travel through. But instrument makers have made great improvements over years. The soprano is becoming less associated with being an instrument that’s always played out of tune.

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CZB: When and how did you start getting interested in World Music and when did you decide it was time for a new beginning with Motivic Development, consequently Global Unity?

Sam Newsome: I got into world music a few years after I switched from the tenor to the soprano. I often used the exotic, double-reed folk instruments found in Asian and African musical cultures as sources of inspiration for my sound and improvisation. And Global Unity resulted as I tried to create a platform that allowed me to further explore many of the these new and exotic sounds I was discovering.

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CZB: How did you meet Lucian Ban?

Sam Newsome: I meet Lucian through saxophonist Alex Harding. After having played together a few times, I told him about the CEC Artslink grant, which funds collaborations between the US and Eastern European artists. That’s when we came up with the concept of The Romanian American Jazz Suite. We debuted it in 2004 at the Bucharest Jazz Festival, and we’ve been fine tuning the concept through performances and recordings, ever since.
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CZB: Why did you decide to work with Lucian Ban on The Romanian-American Jazz Suite?

Sam Newsome: I decided to work with Lucian because I knew that he, like myself, had eclectic taste that extended far beyond the realms of traditional jazz. So he seemed like the ideal person with whom to collaborate on a project such as this - especially having such a strong, cross-cultural theme.
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CZB: You are a University professor. Getting a college degree in music is not the same thing as jamming with seasoned professionals. From your experience, what is your view on that?
Sam Newsome: Learning jazz in college has its pros and cons. One of the pros is that you have access to a wealth of information and knowledge. The con is that the information is obtained with little life experience and without having to first hand deal with the culture from which the music comes. As a result we produce musicians who are great craftsmen but who have little artistry.
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CZB: What were you doing when you found out about 9-11 and how did you feel about that tragic incident as it was developing?

Sam Newsome: I was at home at my then apartment in Brooklyn when the planes went into the Twin Towers. Like everyone else, I was in a state of shock. And it took a few days to really comprehend what had just happened. I actually recorded a CD with pianist David Berkman on 9-12. So that was a very weird feeling. If anything positive came out of it, I feel it got America thinking about how our international policies are affecting others. Whether or not we change them has yet to be seen.

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www.samnewsome.com

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A CZB Interview, conceived by RiCo

Great chunks of the Introduction were taken from the artist's Official Website biography

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I've been a student of the straight horn for the past 15 years. This decade and a half journey has lead me to many wonderful discoveries, not only about the instrument, but music. My past two CDs, Monk Abstractions and Blue Soliloquy, are both solo saxophone recordings devoted to exploring the inner depths on the instrument's sonic terrain. Many great soprano saxophonists have served as sources of inspiration for me: Sidney Bechet, Steve Lacy, Lucky Thompson, Wayne Shorter, Dave Liebman, Jane Ira Bloom, and many others. I hope that one day, through persistent study and dedication, I can return the favor to other aspiring young straight hornists.

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Lucian Ban and Sam Newsome returned for a World Premiere in Cluj-Napoca, Romania on December 4^th 2011 with a jazz extravaganza for an 11 piece Orchestra featuring special guest stars. Presented by the Hungarian Theater with major support from the CEC Artslink foundation, this unique ensemble features musicians from both sides of the Atlantic.