JAZZ NEWS - UK - January 3 1962

Don Rendell's talked-about young alto player GRAHAM BOND speaks his mind to Jazz News

I was playing piano at the age of nine, and my parents had the idea of me being a concert pianist. At first they had to make me practice, but I soon got to like, for its own sake. While I was at school I was doing about six hours a day.

Funnily enough, the first "jazz" that attracted me was Winifred Atwell and Sid Phillips. Then I went into a music shop one day to buy the latest Atwell sheet music, and it was out of stock, so I bought a James P. Johnson album instead. So I played a lot of that.

By the time I was in the Sixth form I had a Trad band at school. It was rather frowned on by the authorities, but our clarinettist (and darned good, too) was one of the masters. I used to buy sheet copies of Morton's "Naked Dance" and "Frog-i-more Rag" and things like that, and I play them off. I was going to take up the trombone, for dramatic reasons, but someone in the band got there first, so I started on alto. Actually, being 'straight' minded, I rather regarded it as a mongrel instrument. My first influence was Earl Bostic, then Paul Desmond, and then I got on to Charlie Parker. And, of course I tried to copy them all.

Eventually I began to dig blues, and the blues, I feel is the most important thing in jazz, something that every jazz player has in common with all others. On the whole, I would say that more tenor players than alto players have influenced me. I listen to them more often. I have one Parker record in my collection. I feel he's so great, and such a commanding influence, that I might get "taken over" by him if I listened too much.

On alto, I like Eric Dolphy best, after Bird, rather than Ornette Coleman, by whom I'm supposed to be influenced. But I listen to Hawkins, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, Benny Carter; they're all very important. People tend to dismiss so many of the pioneers, but I'm sure everyone who's played jazz has something important to say. I'm a great lover of jazz without dividing lines - I don't like intolerance of any man's music. There are infinely good things in jazz, not tied up in a load of little schools.

I certainly feel a burning conviction that I have to play - and play me. It's essential to my life, otherwise I wouldn't bother to play at all. And basically, I don't really care whether people like it or not.

As a semi-pro, I can find a release in music from my daytime business (which is creative in its own way) and this possibly contributes to the so-called "wildness" in my own playing. People accuse me of insincerity, because I'm not prepared to give up everything to be a full time musician, I would probably be a better player if I did, as I'd get more time to practise, but this way I don't have to conform, and make all those little concessions that professionals have to. I can afford to play as I like. And even if people don't dig it, I can say to hell with them. I couldn't support my family on jazz - and you can't ignore the responsibilities you acquired. There are people who use jazz as an excuse for living like animals. But if playing means that you've got to throw up your responsibilities as a human being, those in music are missing a lot in life. Being a human being is a big part of the music you play. Your life comes out through your horn. I can see both points of view on this problem, of course and, as deep down I'd like to be a musician all the way, I tend to set restrictions on myself, so can't get out of control.

I'm the first to realise my own limitations - particularly technically. I'm not particularly well schooled on alto. My mind is ahead of my fingers and I often go for things I don't make, which seems to upset people. Sometimes, though you surprise yourself, when you play, and that gives you an incentive to go on.

But I'm nowhere near any sort of maturity, emotional or anything else. No one reaches emotional maturity before he's thirty or thirtyfive at least, and the hope that then I might be able to put something down of my own, is what keeps me going. I'm saying very little now, though to say a lot. But my rate of progress will be determinded by the time I have to practice technique and increase my musical knowledge. And that's something you never stop doing.

Musicians are very vulnerable to harsh criticism, as basically, you strip yourself naked in public, when you put yourself wholly into what you play. I tend to go at things like a bull at a gate, so I'm trying to achieve concentration on my playing. In anything in life, you move forwards or backwards, you can't stand still, and it's not something over which you have entire control. But you can make progress by practise, and self-examination. After all, what you play is only an extension of what your mind is thinking.

Anyone with any musical talent can acquire tone, technique and a feeling for form. But something you can't learn, is the basis feeling for ideas of your own, and an instinct for "time" and how to play about with it. You've got to feel jazz.

Though it's essential to really know your horn, I feel that technique, as such, is only useful - but of course, the more you have, the better you can express your mind.

I can hardly describe the tremendous experience which working with Don Rendell has been for me. He continues to amaze me. I'd say that Dick Heckstall-Smith is the most underrated player over here. He has a unique approach of his own to playing, and also something I think is characteristic of all great jazz players, a sense of humour. I also admire Bobby Wellins. He always sounds 'Scots' to me in his playing, and I admire his dedication. He's one of the most original players on the scene. I admire Sandy Brown and Al Fairweather because they've taken an existing method, and done their own things with it. Then there's so much warmth in Danny Moss's playing. Brian Dee, Malcolm Cecil nd Tony Archer have contributed and are contributing a great deal, and John Burch (who's also been influenced by the blues and boogie pianists) is saying something.

I have, in short, no financial reason to play jazz. The only reason is something inside me I want to say. But I've hardley started yet.

Edited by Kitty Grime