Billy Taylor's Jazz | Guest Artist
Photo Credit: Jeffrey Kliman
Cecil Bridgewater
Trumpeter, composer and educator Cecil Bridgewater is one of the hardest working jazz musicians on the scene and, shamefully, one of the least well known. His crisp sound and magnificent compositons have graced the performances and recordings of legends like drummer Max Roach, pianist Horace Silver, and the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Big Band. On this edition of Billy Taylor's Jazz at the Kennedy Center, Dr. Taylor welcomes a superb yet unsung musical talent, Cecil Bridgewater.
After demonstrating his deft technique and big, soulful tone on Dizzy Gillespie's timeless classic, "Night In Tunisia," the horn player pauses to take Dr. Taylor's first question: did you grow up in a musical family? Bridgewater responds in the affirmative and tells a loving anecdote about he and his father playing "hide and seek," with the young Cecil always concealing himself in a closet near his dad's old trumpet. As he continues, Bridgewater reveals that he also played alto saxophone for a time. While growing up in Urbana, Illinois, Bridgewater recalls often listening to the live music coming from an American Veterans Association hall located across the street from his house. According to Bridgewater, some of the shows would feature guests like saxophonists Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt, guitarist Wes Montgomery, and Jack McDuff, who at that time was playing bass. A few of these artists actually became mentors for Bridgewater and other aspiring young musicians in the area. Getting back to his family life, Bridgewater mentions that his uncle, who was a bassist, urged him to sneak out of the house to play with a band in the town's notorious red light district. Bridgewater then speaks fondly about how much his grandmother supported his music, then returns to join the trio for a performance of his tune, "I Love Your Smile," which he wrote as a tribute to her.
During the Q&A portion of the program, an audience member asks Bridgewater about advice for the aspiring young jazz musician. Bridgewater answers by offering the same advice his early mentor, the legendary jazz trumpeter Clark Terry, passed along to him: be dependable and technically proficient, and learn how to listen to every aspect of a musical performance. Dr. Taylor spurs on the Q&A session by asking Bridgewater what it was like to move from the Midwest to New York City. Again, Bridgewater cites the terse counsel of Clark Terry: be prepared for any opportunity, because it may be your only one. Bridgewater continues to talk about his formative years in New York City, offering details about his audition for pianist Horace Silver. Unfortunately, Silver's group at that time was short-lived. Luckily, Bridgewater soon found work with the famous Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Big Band.
Bridgewater has also made major contributions to Max Roach's group as both a trumpeter and composer. One of the many compositions he wrote with Roach, "As I Live and Breathe," appeared on Roach's 1980 album, Chattahoochee Red. Bridgewater explains that the composition is a part of a suite he composed as a tribute to the African American children who were mysteriously killed in Atlanta during the early 1980's. After a rousing performance of "As I Live and Breathe" with the trio, Bridgewater discusses his method of composing and Dr. Taylor follows up by inquiring about Bridgewater's teaching methods.
To end a very educational and entertaining appearance, Bridgewater and Dr. Taylor's trio close with Sonny Rollins' quicksilver classic, "Oleo."
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