Felton Jones
I spoke with Felton Jones by phone. Felton (trumpet) and Eddie Chambliss (tenor) used to hit the afterhours sessions at Joe Brazil's basement in Detroit. Even though they were young and not as skilled as many of the musicians there, they were accepted as peers.
Felton says it was dark in the basement with a light only on the piano. About 20 people fit in the room standing shoulder to shoulder.
When you went up to play with the light on you it "felt like being in jail. You had fear if you played. It was CLASSICAL... HARD... BEBOP!"
In the 1950's many of the Detroit musicians formed a club. Joe Brazil was president. They acquired a beer and wine license, rented churches, charged $1 admission and sold hotdogs and chips to audiences during performances.
Felton says it was dark in the basement with a light only on the piano. About 20 people fit in the room standing shoulder to shoulder.
When you went up to play with the light on you it "felt like being in jail. You had fear if you played. It was CLASSICAL... HARD... BEBOP!"
In the 1950's many of the Detroit musicians formed a club. Joe Brazil was president. They acquired a beer and wine license, rented churches, charged $1 admission and sold hotdogs and chips to audiences during performances.
Detroit Neighbor
John Miller was seven years old when he lived two doors down from Joe on Fleming Street. Last weekend at the Detroit Jazz Festival Talk Tent, he mentioned Joe's name to some of the musicians there and saw their faces light up. He went home and Googled "What happened to Joe Brazil?" and found this blog. We spoke by phone and hope to look up more neighbors and visitors to Joe's basement.
Donald Byrd's Workshop at BAM
This is from "Four Measures of the Blues and a Bar to Spare: A BAM Line Review Supplement" by Kelly-Marie Berry.
April 9, 1974
Donald Byrd's Workshop was that of the educator-musician which is what Byrd has evolved into but I perhaps the reverse order: Musician-Educator. For years, a leading trumpet soloist and recording artist, in 1967 he received his doctoral degree in college teaching and administration from Columbia Teachers' College of Columbia University in New York.
Informative and thought provoking, Byrd's workshop was straight up lecture format and the contents of his lecture dealt with some fundamental aspects of educational philosophy. His remarks/direct and pointed:
"When you got to school, the reason why they teach you white Western history is because it is supposed to be part of your heritage. So when they talk about Beethoven they are not just talking about him because he was suppose to be a great musician, but because he was also German. And that is part of the German culture and heritage.
"When you go into a Black situation and you talk about Beethoven and Bach, well the students aren't supposed to relate to it because it is not part of their heritage. So people wonder why Black people are turned off by classical music. They are supposed to get turned off. It's alien. There is nothing absolute about Western history. Whites in this country get you to believe that everything that they teach you is absolute as if it were written by some divine person. So what the mistake is that by training Black people in the white tradition, the presumption is that their grand and great grandparents came from Europe. And that's not true. It's an alien thing."
April 9, 1974
Donald Byrd's Workshop was that of the educator-musician which is what Byrd has evolved into but I perhaps the reverse order: Musician-Educator. For years, a leading trumpet soloist and recording artist, in 1967 he received his doctoral degree in college teaching and administration from Columbia Teachers' College of Columbia University in New York.
Informative and thought provoking, Byrd's workshop was straight up lecture format and the contents of his lecture dealt with some fundamental aspects of educational philosophy. His remarks/direct and pointed:
"When you got to school, the reason why they teach you white Western history is because it is supposed to be part of your heritage. So when they talk about Beethoven they are not just talking about him because he was suppose to be a great musician, but because he was also German. And that is part of the German culture and heritage.
"When you go into a Black situation and you talk about Beethoven and Bach, well the students aren't supposed to relate to it because it is not part of their heritage. So people wonder why Black people are turned off by classical music. They are supposed to get turned off. It's alien. There is nothing absolute about Western history. Whites in this country get you to believe that everything that they teach you is absolute as if it were written by some divine person. So what the mistake is that by training Black people in the white tradition, the presumption is that their grand and great grandparents came from Europe. And that's not true. It's an alien thing."
UW History of Jazz Lecture Notes
These lecture notes were taken by Ken Soapes for Music 331A "History of Jazz" taught by Professor Joe Brazil.
Monday, April 8, 1974
Today in class we were fortunate to have Donald Byrd as a guest lecturer. Mr. Brazil and he grew up together and played together in Detroit. He left for New York when he was 18. Since that time he has played with a number of jazz artists such as Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane (with whom he has done many albums), and Herbie Hancock who he helped introduce to the scene. Dr. Byrd has had a very diverse past - besides being a musician he has also been an airplane pilot, a law student; he studied in Europe for four years, attended law school, is currently head of the Black Music Studies Department for the School of Music at Howard University, and is one of the foremost historians on Black Music and its ramification in society.
Directly before coming to class Dr. Byrd was notified by promoters that the concert he flew out from the East Coast to do had been cancelled.
Dr. Byrd, as noted above, has become highly educated by the standards of Western academia. He stated that he was put on the defensive by the "standards" of the academic society and had to become the "Super-Nigger." He has now grown tired of that game. Henry B. Durham once asked him why he said "Shit" all the time because he should know better with the advantage of so much education. Byrd's reply was that he does it because he does know better. He stated he has been uptight for 40 years and if he makes other people uptight that will be too bad. Academia in his eyes is an extension of Western philosophy.
Monday, April 8, 1974
Today in class we were fortunate to have Donald Byrd as a guest lecturer. Mr. Brazil and he grew up together and played together in Detroit. He left for New York when he was 18. Since that time he has played with a number of jazz artists such as Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane (with whom he has done many albums), and Herbie Hancock who he helped introduce to the scene. Dr. Byrd has had a very diverse past - besides being a musician he has also been an airplane pilot, a law student; he studied in Europe for four years, attended law school, is currently head of the Black Music Studies Department for the School of Music at Howard University, and is one of the foremost historians on Black Music and its ramification in society.
Directly before coming to class Dr. Byrd was notified by promoters that the concert he flew out from the East Coast to do had been cancelled.
Dr. Byrd, as noted above, has become highly educated by the standards of Western academia. He stated that he was put on the defensive by the "standards" of the academic society and had to become the "Super-Nigger." He has now grown tired of that game. Henry B. Durham once asked him why he said "Shit" all the time because he should know better with the advantage of so much education. Byrd's reply was that he does it because he does know better. He stated he has been uptight for 40 years and if he makes other people uptight that will be too bad. Academia in his eyes is an extension of Western philosophy.
Bob Antolin
In an 2000 article in Northwest Asian Weekly, Bob Antolin talks about Joe Brazil.
"At the University of Washington, he studied with Joe Brazil.
'He was a good influence,' says Antolin. He would bring Bill Evans, Joe Henderson, Dexter Gordon, Chico Hamilton... (to class)... (when) they came to town to play in local pubs.... It was quite an occasion to see them and hear them up close and in person.'
Antolin laments about losing contact with Brazil, who was not tenured by the university following a huge controversy.
'Joe had a direct connection with the musicians. In terms of academic environment, what better way to (learn) than by bringing in (those) musicians like he did.'
Fortunately, Antolin took lessons with Brazil while he was still there.
'He was introducing all the jazz bebop vocabulary.... It was a very enriching situation.'"
Ken Kubota
In a 2011 issue of International Examiner, Ken Kubota mentioned Joe Brazil.
"Kubota initially started piano lessons in second grade and began saxophone in fourth grade. He continued to study saxophone with University of Washington Professor Joe Brazil, who was a great influence, he noted.
"I learned so much from him," said Kubota.
Brazil would invite musicians travelling through town to speak in class, like McCoy Tyner.
"I always appreciated that," he said.
"Kubota initially started piano lessons in second grade and began saxophone in fourth grade. He continued to study saxophone with University of Washington Professor Joe Brazil, who was a great influence, he noted.
"I learned so much from him," said Kubota.
Brazil would invite musicians travelling through town to speak in class, like McCoy Tyner.
"I always appreciated that," he said.
Note from Pete Leinonen
Joe was a dear friend and I'm glad you're keeping his name alive. I played with a band of veterans of various Joe Brazil groups at his first memorial, where everyone was rather shocked by his lack coverage in the Seattle press. That was my first reunion with George Griffin after his return from California. Ed Lee organized and led the band.
I met Joe early in 1962. I was working a summer job at Boeing then as a design trainee (a short lived career) when I started hearing about Joe from coworkers who were jazz fans. It seemed like everybody knew him even then. I heard him play in a lot of small clubs in those days, and some early jazz concerts. Eventually I would play myself in some of the same rooms, including the Mardi Gras and The Checkmate.
Joe and the Seattle Musicians Union
When the Seattle Musicians Local was organizing old files, they came across one for Joe Brazil and contacted me because they found this blog. In the file are contracts from the 70s and several disputes over permission for the Black Academy of Music Community Orchestra to perform for free with some union members. I found a letter from the Detroit Local #5 transferring Joe's membership to Seattle in 1962. More to come...
Jack Straw Supports Project
John Handy with Joe Brazil in 1978
Black Academy of Music Workshops
The Black Academy of Music presented many workshops with name musicians:
1972 McCoy Tyner, Eddie Harris, Archie Shepp, Herbie Hancock
04/09/74 Donald
Byrd
06/15/74 Gary
Bartz
06/21/74 Stanley
07/22/74 Stanley
07/27/74 Cannonball
Adderley
08/24/74 Elvin
Jones
10/12/74 Dizzy
Gillespie
1972 McCoy Tyner, Eddie Harris, Archie Shepp, Herbie Hancock
Black Academy of Music Funding
My research turned up a list of grant funding in support of the Black Academy of Music:
Pacific Northwest Bell $500
1973 SMCP $22,000
1974 SMCP $44,000
1975 NEA $12,500
1975Seattle
1976 NEA $17,500 (Instruction), $4,000 (Jazz)
1976 Block Grant $25,000 over 2 years
1977 NEA $17,500
1980 NEA $17,500 (Brazil
Academy
1973 Seattle
1973 1973 SMCP $22,000
1974 SMCP $44,000
1975 NEA $12,500
1975
1976 NEA $17,500 (Instruction), $4,000 (Jazz)
1976 Block Grant $25,000 over 2 years
1977 NEA $17,500
1980 NEA $17,500 (
Black Panther Aaron Dixon on Gary Hammon
"It seemed that everybody who could play an instrument was in a band, and it wasn't long before Elmer [Aaron's brother] had his own group. They were called the Regents, with Biggy Lewis on guitar and Dennis Blackmon on keyboards, Gary Hammon on tenor sax, and Ralph Brooks on drums. These cats were one hell of a band. Most would go on to make names for themselves. As a matter of fact, the Central District was loaded with great musicians. There must have been eight or ten bands in the area, each with its own unique sound. I sometimes traveled with Elmer's band on their gigs and developed a close relationship with the sax player, Gary Hammon. He went out and got a soprano sax and started teaching me how to play. Sometimes we would go to a dusty, funky little jazz club, both of us carrying our saxes. While Gary played a few numbers, I wished for the day that I would get good enough to sit in."
Jack Straw Asked to Help With Oral Histories and Digital Archive
Summary
The Jack Straw Residency would
support oral history recording, preservation of historic recordings through
analog to digital transfer and production of audio excerpts for a blog and
biography about the life and impact of American jazz saxophonist and educator
Joe Brazil.
Background
Joe Brazil (1927-2008) grew up
in Detroit Seattle Garfield High
School University
of Washington
My research to date includes
more than 400 documents and 20 photographs from the University of Washington Brazil CUNY Leon
Levy Center Brazil University
of California Press
I am collecting oral histories
from people who lived, performed, worked, studied or allied with Joe Brazil. My
list of 70 sources continues to grow but key oral histories will come from
Larry Gossett, Gary Hammon and Wadie Ervin in Seattle, Jeffrey Winston and
Mikal Majeed in Los Angeles, Barry Harris, Curtis Fuller, Roy Ayers, Rufus Reid
and Yusef Lateef in New York and Byron Pope in Switzerland. Audio recordings of
these voices would capture the immediately recognizable gratitude and respect
when they speak about Brazil
To find new sources and
information, I post documents, photos, sources and data to
joebrazilproject.blogspot.com. Excerpts from oral histories and audio archives might
attract more material about Brazil Berlin
The Jack Straw Residency would provide
facilities and expertise to record oral histories, or instruction to facilitate
my field recording at source locations. The Artist Support Program would also
help transfer Brazil
Addendum
Some readers misunderstand that this post says I have audio tapes from Joe Brazil. I do not. This was a proposal to further my research. I am trying to facilitate the preservation and distribution of tapes that are owned and possessed by others. When I first wrote this post, I had met with Frances Brazil. She shared photographs and an 8mm home movie, but she did not show me any tapes. I copied the photos and film and returned all the material. At the time I believed that she was Joe's only living beneficiary and envisioned working with her as she wished. She indicated that there were more of Joe's things in a bench under her television, but that she did not want to move it at the time. I left her house with the impression that there were tapes in her possession. About a year later I met Joe's second wife, who was with him for the last years of his life. She showed me a collection of audio tapes that Joe had made. I have been helping her organize the material and seek funding for preservation.
Addendum
Some readers misunderstand that this post says I have audio tapes from Joe Brazil. I do not. This was a proposal to further my research. I am trying to facilitate the preservation and distribution of tapes that are owned and possessed by others. When I first wrote this post, I had met with Frances Brazil. She shared photographs and an 8mm home movie, but she did not show me any tapes. I copied the photos and film and returned all the material. At the time I believed that she was Joe's only living beneficiary and envisioned working with her as she wished. She indicated that there were more of Joe's things in a bench under her television, but that she did not want to move it at the time. I left her house with the impression that there were tapes in her possession. About a year later I met Joe's second wife, who was with him for the last years of his life. She showed me a collection of audio tapes that Joe had made. I have been helping her organize the material and seek funding for preservation.
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