Latin Jazz Conversations: Paul Austerlitz (Part 1)
Latin Jazz musicians need an academic edge to their artistic concept, a fact that they can deeply embed in their music or carry into the greater public. The genre’s musical complexities demand a high level of thinking from any performer. Navigating intricate chord changes and improvising within thick compositions requires more than basic musical instinct – an artist needs to be committed to a lifetime of rigorous study. This requires a focused and regular approach to practice and a consistent detailed analysis of music. For most musicians, this is the work that happens behind the scenes; their listening audience hears the end result, but they miss the academic side of the process. A small piece of the musical population takes the art form’s academic side a bit further, producing scholarly work that moves the music forward in a different way. These artists generally dig a bit deeper into the historical aspect of the music, doing extensive research. They might spend more time in the analytical process, pulling details from each study that could be missed in a more casual overview. Most importantly, they dig deeply into the music’s cultural aspect, discovering tradition and finding new ways to communicate the inner workings of the performance practice. The findings broaden our understanding of the genre through books, papers, articles, presentations, and lectures. They put musical and cultural ideas into a tangible form of communication that speaks loudly and clearly. The most intriguing artists will put their scholarly discoveries back into their musical output, completing a thorough connection between academics and art.
Bass clarinetist Paul Austerlitz has balanced his life between performance and academics, giving us some extremely interesting products on both sides of the spectrum. Raised in New York, Austerlitz built his appreciation for the arts in the midst of parents deeply involved in the academic world of Columbia University. He picked up the clarinet as a teenager and later moved to the saxophone, eventually furthering his music studies at Bennington College. Austerlitz found a home in the Black Studies program at Bennington, developing a close relationship with drummer Milford Graves. Under the influence of Graves, Austerlitz stretched his musical concept and started looking into the world of African musics. After graduation, Austerlitz faced the daunting task of creating a professional music career in New York, looking for work in the Latin music world. Dominican merengue was very popular in New York at the time, and there was an increasing need for skilled saxophonists. Austerlitz fit the bill precisely for these gigs, and dug into the music full force. His immersion into the merengue world introduced him to the intricacies of the music and inspired him to dig a little deeper. The scholarly world provided the perfect outlet for Austerlitz’s study, so he enrolled at Wesleyan University, with a focus upon ethnomusicology. His studies enabled him to dive into a deep study of Dominican merengue, resulting in a detailed thesis and an extensive book. Austerlitz never left the performance world though, and his musical output became richly filled with the benefits of his study. As he moved between both worlds, Austerlitz grew into a thoughtful artist that intelligently connected culture, art, and personal expression.
Austerlitz stands as a unique Latin Jazz artist, intelligently exploring the connection between Dominican music and jazz while producing academic work. His musical output has moved this often overlooked side of Latin Jazz into high artistic ground while his academic work has shed new light upon the cultural importance of merengue. In the first piece of a two part interview with Austerlitz, Tomas Peña discusses Austerlitz’s musical development, his connection with Milford Graves, his movement into the Latin music world, and his transition into the academic world.
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“Austerlitz is a leading scholar of merengue. Nevertheless, he wears his erudition lightly. Through all the exposition he remains a buen elemento, able to pick up a sax and play merengue with his peers.” Professor and author, Robert Farris Thompson
TOMAS PEÑA: Welcome to The Latin Jazz Corner. Congratulations on your recent performance at El Taller Latino Americano.
PAUL AUSTERLITZ: Thank you!
TP: Where are you from originally?
PA: I was born in Finland. My mother (Sylvi) is from Finland and my dad (Robert) is from Romania. My mother and I moved to New York when I was 1 years old. My father was a professor at Columbia University and my mother was a scholar who worked towards her PhD while she was raising me. I grew up on the upper West Side, near Columbia University.
TP: Were your parents musically inclined or into the arts?
PA: They were really into music and the arts.
TP: I understand they enjoyed listening to European classical music at home.
PA: My father also had an appreciation for jazz. He was not a jazz buff; however, he fooled around on the piano.
TP: At 18, you attended Bennington College and somehow ended up in the Black Music Division. How did that occur?
PA: That was an interesting phenomenon because trumpet player Bill Dixon was teaching there.
TP: What year was that?
PA: 1975. It was an era when Black Studies were flourishing. Anyway, Dixon asked the question, “If there is a White (European) Studies Department, why isn’t there a Black Studies Department?” Somehow, he was able to convince the school to go along with his ideas. It was a very small department. Later, he brought in Milford Graves.
TP: When did you gravitate towards the saxophone?
PA: Actually, I started playing the clarinet when I was 15. Prior to that, I had taken piano lessons and I played the guitar by ear. Bill Dixon was the person who suggested that I study the bass clarinet.
TP: This happens to be one of my favorite instruments. Moving on, I am going to read a passage that you wrote about the transformational powers of music and you chime in. “By playing and listening to jazz I cultivated a consciousness that helped me negotiate my ambivalence.”
PA: I guess I felt a divide between my European background and the fact that I am an American. I felt Finnish in a way, however in reality I am an American and a New Yorker. My family lived in a white neighborhood right next to Harlem and there was a whole other culture living right next door that we knew nothing about. So I felt torn because I valued my European culture. I liked it and I understood it, but at the same time I was drawn to Black culture and music. The thing that is so cool about Black music is that Ellington and Charlie Parker were very hip to European classical music without ever sacrificing their allegiance to their own culture. As Ellington was known to say, they were “Gut bucket but sophisticated.” In other words, they were complete! They had the funky blues thing going on that you could move your ass to, but at the same time, you could hear strains of Debussy, Stravinsky and Beethoven. Put another way, I admired their ability to be so holistic. I should also mention Eddie Palmieri, the Machito band and Mario Bauza, who created dance music, but appreciated and were influenced by Bartok and McCoy Tyner. They inspired me because they had everything!
TP: Milford Graves has had a tremendous impact on your life. Tell me about him.
PA: Milford is an African-American musician from New York who started out playing in Afro Cuban and Latin Jazz bands and later got into freely improvised music. He taught at Bennington and inspired me to learn about Afro Cuban music and African music. He is also into Chinese philosophy, acupuncture and healing. Moreover, he plays the Tabla and studies Indian Classical music. Milford was kind of an ethnomusicologist without calling himself that.
(Interviewer’s Notes: Born in 1941, Milford Graves became a famous jazz drummer in the sixties. If somehow we forgot about the fact that he helped lead a musical revolution in jazz in the ’60′s (where he led his own ensembles and worked with Albert Ayler, Paul Bley, Don Pullen, and many others), Professor Milford Graves still would be greatly admired for his steady, long-time dedication to the field of music therapy. A tenured teacher at Bennington College for over a quarter of a century, he has also done extenstive work as an acupuncturist, herbalist and leader of the non-profit organization the International Center for Medicinal and Scientific Research.)
TP: And he was obviously ahead of his time. He was listening and playing world music before the category came into existence.
PA: During a time when people were not really talking about it. Therefore, Milford was the one who got me into world music, ethnomusicology and African religions like Voodoo. In many respects, he was an even bigger influence on me than Bill Dixon was. After I left Bennington, I stayed in touch with him and invited him to visit me at Brown University, which he did. He asked me to write something about him.
PA: Yes. Kind of in the form of an interview. His story as it was told to me in his voice. I am still in touch with him; he is sort of like my mentor.
TP: After graduation, you returned to New York and became involved in the Latin music scene; particularly the Dominican music scene. How did that happen?
PA: We had this little Latin Jazz group. I was just learning about Latin music and the guys in the band suggested that I find work in a dance band. At the time, there was a demand for saxophonists in merengue bands. I always liked percussion and drumming and playing the jaleos was like playing the percussion part on my instrument.
TP: Did the Latino community welcome you warmly or put you through the ringer?
PA: If you can play, the music people will always accept you. Think about all of the non-Latino musicians who would only play in Latin bands, but were major figures. People like Marty Sheller, Barry Rogers, and Cal Tjader not only participated, but also were major figures.
TP: OK. Let me rephrase that. How does a “white guy” with little to no experience in the genre go about gaining acceptance from the Latino community?
PA: Actually, I always felt very welcome. I was not playing on the level of say, Barry Rogers, but no one really minded because I was not playing in bands that were on that level. In addition, I liked and respected the culture and I enjoyed the way the people were. I enjoyed the women, the way Latinos are more outgoing. I found the Latino community to be very open.
TP: And obviously, the feeling was mutual.
PA: I was also very devoted to learning how to play merengue on the saxophone and there was a demand for that. There was a need for that and I was able to get the gigs because of that.
TP: I don’t profess to know a lot about merengue; however, to my ear the saxophone parts sound very challenging.
PA: I consider it to be one of the most difficult kinds of music to play on the saxophone. At the time, Wilfrido Vargas was very popular and his sax parts were very intricate. There are certain nuances that have to be played and they are very precise. Even if you get the notes right, the music has to be interpreted in a particular way. When I went to graduate school, I wrote my master’s thesis on the role of the saxophone in merengue.
TP: Sounds like a fascinating thesis.
PA: The information is in my book, Merengue: Dominican Music and Dominican Identity
TP: There is a great photo of Joseito Mateo in your book! Do you keep up with the latest trends in Dominican music?
PA: Not as much as I used to. There is a new style of merengue called mambo merengue, which is sort of like rap; however, I have not kept up with it.
TP: So you come to a point in your life where realize that your life lacks stability. Shortly thereafter, you enroll at Wesleyan University and major in Musicology. What prompted you to take that route?
TP: So you enrolled at a university and embarked on a long-term study of Dominican merengue.
PA: Yes.
TP: It is pretty obvious to me because you were already immersed in the Dominican culture.
PA: It was the logical thing to do. I was actually very interested in African music and African religion and Afro Caribbean religion. However, I decided to do the Dominican merengue because I thought I would be able to do a good job and as you pointed out, I was already immersed in the culture.
TP: And you were still playing in Latin bands and learning about the music.
PA: Yes. At the time, I was playing with a few bands in Connecticut.
TP: Those experiences manifested themselves as your first book, Merengue: Dominican Music and Dominican Identity
PA: I completed my PhD in 1993 and turned my dissertation (on Dominican music) into that book
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Make sure that you check back tomorrow for Part Two of Tomas Peña’s conversation with Latin Jazz bass clarinetist and saxophonist Paul Austerlitz. Peña and Austerlitz discuss his academic books, his exploration of his Finnish roots, and his recent work including the inspiring album Journey. Don’t miss it!
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Check Out These Related Posts:
Latin Jazz Live: Paul Austerlitz Quintet At Taller Latino Americano
Latin Jazz Conversations: Michel Camilo (Part 1)
Spotlight: Mezclansa, Yasser Tejeda & Palotre
Latin Jazz Conversations: Mitch Frohman (Part 1)
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