"Donald Brown is a genius" - Wynton Marsalis

"For those who look around and ask, 'Where is the next great jazz composer? Who is going to lead the music into the 21st century?' ... Look no further, Donald Brown is here" - Ron Carter

Q. What inspired you to first play music and what were your first attempts like?

A. (Donald Brown) I don't remember exactly when I started, but I started out on drums. My oldest brother Ramone played snare drum in the marching band, and he and his friends would get together and practice their marching cadences. I would sit around and listen to them, and would hear them talk about practicing rudiments and so on. My brother showed me different things, but I just remember feeling the electricity going through my body from playing with another person. In this case it might have been three or four drummers - somebody playing a bass drum part, others playing toms and snare. I don't know if I can put into words what that was like.

Q. Did you take lessons or are you self-taught?

A. (Donald Brown) I had four or five piano lessons as a child, but was mainly self-taught. When I got to high school, I played several instruments: tuba, baritone horn and trumpet and experimented with various woodwind instruments as well. I was introduced to jazz in high school and was completely fascinated by the music. Without anyone telling me to do it, I just started learning people's solos off of records. I learned some on trumpet, but mainly picked them out on piano. I didn't consider myself a pianist at that point, but I figured out enough harmony to write arrangements for my high school band. I knew the basic ranges and what you could get out of the different horns. It was when I got to Memphis State in 1972 that I really fell in love with the piano.

Q. What happened at Memphis State that inspired you to devote yourself entirely at piano?

A. (Donald Brown) I was playing tuba in the marching band and baritone horn in the concert band, and I started having trouble with my neck. It was probably because I was into playing so loud, but I developed some gland problems that made it uncomfortable to play a horn. At the same time, I was stumbling upon more harmony from transcribing. When I got to Memphis State and heard the band director Tommy Ferguson playing piano and James Williams, I don't think I even made a conscious decision to switch. I think I was just drawn to the sound of the instrument and what was available through it.

Q. What is your practice regimen like?

A. (Donald Brown) I practiced many hours a day and worked on a wide variety of things: solos, developing language, learning tunes, swinging and so on. Also, James (Williams) would show me different things that he practiced, so I would work out of the Hannon book, play scales and arpeggios and taught myself some of the Bach inventions. I feel like I had a good idea of what I needed to be working on: both from being around James and from getting to hear Phineas Newborn play live on a regular basis.

Q. How would you define your group style of playing?

A. (Donald Brown) As a jazz pianist, I would say my playing is well rooted in the bebop tradition, but I'm sure you can hear the influence of Herbie, Chick, McCoy and Keith Jarrett as well. Needless to say, I was influenced by boppers like Bud Powell, Monk and the people that came after that like Wynton Kelly and so on. Some of the earlier pianists like Nat King Cole also had a big impact on me, and of course Phineas. I also love a lot of the guys that come more out of the blues thing. I tell people that one of my all-time favorite pianists is still Les McCann. He wasn't a jazzer per se. What he did was real simple, but man, he could really move you. I guess I hope when someone hears me play they hear the history of jazz piano there: from the blues side to the more cerebral side to whatever. I can't say that I have a style, but I would say that I'm a collection of a lot of influences.

Q. Tell us about the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra and how it was formed?

A. (Vance Thompson) I started the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra in 1999 just after moving back home to Tennessee from Chicago. I was in Chicago for four years and became interested in writing for big band while there. When I moved back, I didn't want to stop doing it, and I wanted a professional level band as an outlet. I realized that there were enough players around to form a band, so I asked around and found that everyone was interested. We started rehearsing then booked a gig after a couple of months. It just kind of snowballed from there. We went to Europe for two weeks in 2001 and played a few festivals. That trip and the year leading up to it really solidified the band. It gave everyone a sense of ownership in the group and united everyone toward a common goal. Since that trip we've mainly focused on building an audience in town. We play five or six major concerts each year (attended by 500-1500 people) and smaller clubs from time to time. We used to play smaller venues more regularly, but now that we're doing more big shows, it's hard to do as many club appearances.

Q. What can we expect from the new KJO release Blues Man From Memphis?

A. (Vance Thompson) You can expect a broad spectrum of music for large jazz ensemble: some romantic bossa novas, some down home blues, some modern post-bop sounding stuff, some things that are abstract and some groove-oriented material. Each piece captures a completely different feel and mood. In terms of instrumentation, some of the pieces are scored using traditional big band instrumentation, others utilize additional woodwinds, French horn, tuba, auxiliary percussion, acoustic and electric guitar, Fender Rhodes, etc. In terms of production, the performances and the recording quality are both executed on a very high level.

Q. Lets talk about your creative process. How do you approach writing an original song?

A. (Donald Brown) It really varies. A lot of times, I'll just stumble onto something I like while I'm practicing and develop it into a song. Other times, I'll start with a title and try to paint the music around that.

Nancy and the Children's Playground started with the idea that I wanted to write a song for my sister. I knew I wanted it to be Latin, and also had the idea that the song should have an introduction, kind of like the verse to a standard tune. With Nancy, the verse starts in three. It goes to four when the form starts.

The Thing About George Coleman is a tune that I'd wanted to write for a long time, but I'd never been able to really do it. I wanted to write something that started out wild and abstract, then slowly morphed into a slow, down-home blues. I was envisioning a camera looking at something from several odd angles, then slowly coming into focus. It starts out as one thing, then before you know it, you're into the blues.

Q. What challenges do you face when switching from different styles of music?

A. (Donald Brown) I would say that the only real challenge would be physical. I may not always be able to execute things as relaxed as I would like. But I do feel like I'm well versed in a number of different styles.

Q. What other types of music or artists do you derive inspiration from?

A. (Donald Brown) Coming up in Memphis, I was exposed to a lot of Gospel, Blues and R&B from an early age. As I grew up and started hanging out with some of the older musicians who were working for Stax Records, I realized that many of these guys played several instruments and could play in many different styles. This made me more open-minded in general I think. I've listened to a lot of Classical music and quite a bit of Latin music as well. I was so into Classical music that I considered being a composition major at Memphis State.

Q. What's the most important bit of advice you were given by another musician?

A. (Donald Brown) To be true to yourself and to study the tradition. I tell students that learning music is kind of like reading a book. If one person starts on chapter one and reads the entire book, and another person starts in chapter 10 and reads to the end, who do you think will have a better understanding of the material?

Q. What's been your proudest playing moment as a group?

A. (Donald Brown) I can't think of one particular moment, but having the opportunity to play with Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard, Milt Jackson, Joe Henderson and others stands out.

A. (Vance Thompson) All of the guest artist concerts with the KJO have been highlights for me. Concerts that stand out in particular include the ones with Hank Jones, Monty Alexander, Mulgrew Miller and James Moody. This recording also represents my proudest moment in many ways. The attitude that the band took in working on the music, the guest artists and the opportunity to work so closely with Donald are all things that I'll never forget.

Q. What's the biggest disaster you've ever had onstage and how did you cope with it?

A. (Donald Brown) When I was in Memphis I remember traveling out of town to play a gig with Syl Johnson, a local singer who had a few small hits. At the time, Al Green was just beginning to gain popularity, but most people still didn't know what he looked like. Anyway, we're playing this club, and we're covering a lot of Al Green's tunes a lot more than usual. In between songs, I hear someone in the audience yell out, ÒHey, that's not Al Green!Ó All of the sudden, the whole crowd got very angry and started storming the stage. I didn't really know what was happening, but the whole band ran out the back door and left as fast as we could. It was only later that I realized that the club owner had advertised us as Al Green. I'm not sure if it was the club owner's idea, or if it was Syl's idea, but Syl was obviously in on it, because he was calling all of Al's tunes.

Q. Do you warm up before a concert and if so how?

A. (Vance Thompson) I usually try to warm up earlier in the day, then just loosen up a little before playing. When leading the big band there are always so many distractions just before a gig. Worrying about all the musicians showing up on time, answering questions about the charts we're doing, worrying about ticket sales, etc. From a performance stand-point, I much prefer not being in charge. Not always having time to relax and focus just before a performance is one of the downsides to being a leader.

Q. What's the most important bit of advice you could give to pianists/bassists?

A. (Vance Thompson) My advice would be two-fold. First, make study and practice a way of life. Dedicate yourself to developing your craft to the highest level you can possibly achieve, and realize that this is a life-long commitment.Ê Second, don't expect anyone to give you anything. For most people today, the best playing opportunities they'll ever have are the ones they create themselves. Being a great player doesn't entitle you to an audience, but it does give you something to offer an audience. You're still responsible for finding that audience and developing it yourself.

Q. Thanks for your time and consideration for this article and interview. Any last thoughts for our readers?

A. (Vance Thompson) If you've read this far, you deserve a medal. Thanks for your interest in jazz. I hope your rewards greatly exceed your investment.