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Warren Chiasson
Warren Chiasson
Date Posted: July 25 2010
Written By: chicago jazz
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10 questions
with Warren Chiasson
Over the years, Nova Scotia-born vibraphonist Warren Chiasson has spent a lot of time in Chicago, including his London House gigs with one of his boyhood idols, George Shearing. He has also performed on vibes with the likes of Chet Baker, Tal Farlow, Eric Dolphy and B.B. King.
Chiasson often comes through town, performing with his longtime “local” trio, drummer Rusty Jones, pianist Larry Novak and bassist Nick Tountas, all of whom he’s known since the sixties.
In addition to performing, the Peripole-Bergerault-sponsored Chiasson does Master Classes at selected music education conventions in the U.S., illustrating his original four-mallet system of playing the vibes.
Upcoming gigs include a mid-July weekend at Suzettes’s in Wheaton, where he will be with his aforementioned trio.
Chiasson’s Schedule
• Friday and Saturday, July 16 and 17, 8-11 pm: Suzette’s, Wheaton, Ill.
• August 19: American Express River-to-River Festival, New York City
• Sept. 25: Jazz N’ Caz Festival with clarinetist Ken Peplowski, Cazanovia, NY
1.How did you get started in music?
I took classical violin lessons starting when I was nine, from Professor Marcellin Cormier. Later on, his on Pat taught me for a few years. They were well grounded in the classical violin literature. My dad was a big Jascha Heifetz fan and legendary Scottish fiddlers like Angus Chisholm would play at our house.
I started playing local gigs in Sydney, Nova Scotia when I was thirteen, which included playing Celtic fiddle tunes as well. When I was fifteen, I was inspired by the recordings of George Shearing, Charlie Parker, Lenny Tristano, Thelonius Monk. Everything they did seemed so musically right to me.
When I saw Lionel Hampton play with his big band near my hometown––as well as Ellington, Goodman and Armstrong––I was hooked for life. My total involvement in music, playing jazz on piano, guitar, trombone and a small xylophone made it obvious that I would pursue a music career even though I did try a Pre-Dental course at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia for a few years.
2. Did you have someone that helped you when you were first starting out?
A bandmaster in Sydney by the name of Jack Butterworth secured an audition for me with the Royal Canadian Artillery band in Halifax. I was with them for four and a half years prior to joining Shearing.
I gained a lot of experience with them, playing all my instruments in a variety of settings. As far as jazz is concerned I am basically a self-taught musician––learning on the bandstand, listening to many recordings of all styles, asking a lot of questions, studying tunes and arrangements, plus many hours of practicing.
3. What have been the biggest obstacles you have had to face in music?
The biggest obstacle is the challenge of dealing with new buyers who are not that knowledgeable about the vibraphone. Also, getting the proper credit for what I have done musically, including what I am doing now.
The vibraphone is a visually dynamic instrument, which, in more cases than not, puts you in a special category. This forces you to be a leader and to be involved in the tremendous amount of promotion work that has to be done on a regular basis to insure your musical survival. The lack of basic musical education in the schools has bred a lot of misconceptions about basic musical instruments. For example, people call the instrument a xylophone instead of vibraphone.
4.In what ways has the Chicago music scene changed in the years you have been performing?
I miss the classiness of the London House and Mr. Kelly’s; also, hanging out at the Sutherland Lounge to hear Miles, Horace or Sonny Rollins. I also remember hearing Sonny Stitt solo with the Count Basie Band at the Royal Theater. However, Chicago musicians are terrific and have a deep knowledge of jazz styles and classic American standards. It’s a special treat for me to play Chicago. Even though the scene is more spread out today, the coverage of the Arts in the Chicago area is very extensive. I’m always amazed at the variety.
5.Who are some of the musicians in Chicago you particularly enjoy performing with?
Rusty Jones––one of the best jazz drummers in the country. We played together with George Shearing. Rusty can play any kind of music. Larry Novak––a pianist with great sensitivity, brilliant technique and experience second to none. Larry played opposite us when I played the London House with George Shearing.
Nick Tountas––Nick knows the repertoire, is harmonically gifted and his bass playing is steady as a rock. Tom Tallman has a wonderful big band at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn. I enjoyed immensely being a part of his concert series. The Sarasota Jazz Society teamed violinist Johnny Frigo and myself for a special concert a while back and I also had the pleasure of working with Johnny here in Chicago for the Orchestra Leaders annual event.
I will always treasure playing with this marvelous musician. I have great musical respect for pianist Audrey Morris and singer Frank D’Rone, and try to see them whenever they are appearing in town. They are also both very good friends of mine.
6.What are your favorite jazz styles to perform and listen to?
I like playing “in the moment” with harmonic and rhythmic exploration as well as Counterpoint, so I’m partial to smaller combos. Playing swing music with the great combination of clarinet and vibes is also a lot of fun.
I like the jazz feeling coming out of Detroit exemplified by pianists like Hank Jones, Tommy Flanagan, Roland Hanna, Barry Harris, Dorothy Ashby (Harp), Terry Pollard. The Detroit style is sophisticated, hard swinging, lyrical and romantic. I always return to George Shearing’s piano solos. I love Lucy Reed’s The Singing Reed with Bill Evans’ marvelous piano accompaniment. At the time Bill was into the early Beethoven piano sonatas. Charlie Parker with Strings is a classic. Chet Baker with Strings is a great album.
7.Why is it important (or is it?) for younger musicians to learn jazz standards and to study the careers of legendary jazz musicians?
For the most part jazz standards are better constructed musically than most pop material. They challenge you to know your instrument better, so that you have twelve-key facility. As far as legendary jazz musicians go, what’s important is the music they were playing and the feeling and articulation they gave to the art form.
YouTube is an excellent source for this type of information, where you can see and hear these masters at work. We live in a different era now, so a cursory acquaintance with their lifestyles is sufficient. Musicians today are taking much better care of themselves, and the digital world has altered the marketplace enormously. You need to be in shape in every way to take care of today’s business.
8.What advice would you give up-and-coming musicians about the music business?
When studying American popular song, make sure you study the lyrics properly.
Get the sheet music. Check out the verse. You will then have a foundation on which to forge your own individual interpretation. Try to play or sit in with as many great musicians as you can. Note the important music scenes and try to be there. Work on getting an individual style. Get them talking about you. When you have an opportunity to record, use the best musicians available that will compliment your style and inspire you.
Pay them well. When performing live, speak to the audience engagingly. Use eye contact. Announce your tunes. Conduct your band with authority. Study good microphone technique. Make sure that your instrument is fully functional before playing. Line up the tunes before the set.
9.It’s also said that younger musicians need to be better acquainted with the standards. As a reference for young musicians, how many tunes do you know off the top of your head?
At least 5000 or more.
10.What are some of your most memorable music experiences?
Playing with George Shearing was like a dream come true. I was familiar with most of his repertoire including the solos. He recorded my tune, “My Own,” on the Satin Affair album with Billy May conducting and Nat King Cole in the control booth at Capitol Records at Hollywood and Vine. We traveled extensively, played real nice rooms, met interesting people and the music was top-notch, of course.
I enjoyed soloing on B.B. King’s album Blues N’ Jazz. B.B. gave me a complimentary call the next morning after the rehearsal telling me he told the band that he wanted them to get the feeling I got on “Teardrops From My Eyes.” This album won a Grammy Award. Also, the Atlantic Jazz Festival honored me in 2006 for my contributions to jazz and for being the first Nova Scotian to forge an international career, thereby paving the way for others to follow. I had the pleasure of working with Johnny Mercer and Eddie Sauter in Dawson City, Yukon, for the musical Foxy.
I particularly enjoyed working with two of my musical heroes––Chet Baker and Tal Farlow. The musical chemistry was just right. And perhaps my best music achievement was filling in for Lionel Hampton at Carnegie Hall for the fiftieth anniversary of the Benny Goodman 1938 concert. The Associated Press likened my contribution to Jess Stacy’s 1938 Carnegie Hall performance with Goodman.
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