An Interview With Jeff Campbell

 Jeff Campbell has carved out an impressive career as bass player of extraordinary artistry, fluent in both the jazz and classical idioms. As a jazz bassist, he maintains an active schedule performing with Marian McPartland, Gene Bertoncini, Rich Perry, Trio East, Harold Jones, and the Eastman Jazz Quartet featuring Harold Danko, and has appeared on McPartland's Piano Jazz program on National Public Radio. In high demand across the globe, Jeff has performed at such prestigious European musical events as the Nice, Montreux, North Sea, Riga, and Parnu Jazz Festivals and has also appeared in the former Soviet Union and the Baltic Republics. His first CD, West End Avenue, with John Hollenbeck and John Wojceichowski, features a combination of original compositions and jazz standards. Additionally, Jeff is a member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra bass section. His summers are occupied with the Birch Creek Music Performance Center in Door County, Wisconsin, where he serves as program director, and the Eastman Summer Jazz Studies and Bass Day, of which he is co-director.

In addition to a busy performing schedule, Jeff maintains an active career as a jazz educator with a keen interest in bass playing of the past, present, and future. A full-time professor at Eastman since 1997, his teaching duties include jazz bass, jazz history, jazz theory and aural skills, and small group performance. He is a regular contributor to the Double Bassist magazine, and is the Jazz Editor of Bass World, the official publication of the International Society of Bassists. Jeff's book on the famous Duke Ellington-Jimmy Blanton duets (in preparation for publication) provides bassist with an opportunity to study the bass playing of the great Jimmy Blanton.

Jeff's music education began at an early age under the influence of his professional-musician parents. As a young musician, Jeff received much of his musical training working with local professional musicians in a myriad of musical styles and venues. Through these experiences, Jeff developed a healthy balance between the artistic and practical issues faced by today's professional musician. Jeff holds degrees in double bass performance and music education from Brigham Young University (BM) and the Eastman School of Music (MM, DMA). He has studied bass with John F. Clark, James VanDemark, Jeffrey Turner, and Robert Zimmerman, and jazz composition with Bill Dobbins and Fred Sturm.

Copies of Trio East are available through the Eastman Bookstore. Copies of West End Avenue are available on CDBaby.com.

Reviews of West End Avenue:

"The music is serious without being pretentious - thoughtful and open, yet groovy and swinging. Campbell is a strong player with a classic upright sound, great intonation, and chops to spare "- Bass Player

"Campbell bridges the span between melody and rhythm well when backing, and his moments in the spotlight are inventive and controlled...Tone Poem for the Desert has a sound-painting intro made all the more intriguing by Campbell's clever use of his bow to simulate the berimbau."- Allaboutjazz.com

"[Campbell has] got great tone, fast fingers, and sure articulartion. It takes real chops to play the busy bass parts of Tone Poem for the Desert for over seven minutes; Campbell handles it with no strain"- Cadence Magazine

Rick Holland, JR247: Great for you to join us at JR247. First question, please tell us about how you were exposed music at a young age, and how your family had an impact on you musically?
 
Jeff Campbell: I grew up in a musical family. My parents were my first music teachers.  My mother is a pianist who improvised all sorts of accompanimental parts to songs my brothers and I would sing.  She’s not really a jazz improviser but she has a great sense of harmony and voice leading.  I regret never taking piano lessons from her.  My father is a drummer and percussionist and public school music teacher. Growing up we had full access to his large and eclectic record (LP) collection.  He had records ranging from Miles Davis to Beethoven Symphonies to The Beatles to Rossini Overtures to Credence Clearwater Revival to Count Basie to Steppenwolf.  When I was young he played gigs six nights a week.  Once in a while we would go with him to hear the band.  When I was able to play, my dad would let me sit in.  Eventually, I played professionally with my father.  We always had a drum set in the house and I used to play drums along with Tower of Power, Earth Wind & Fire, and Chicago.  When no one was in the house, I would play along to jazz records.  My brothers were important early musical collaborators.  We would talk about music all the time.  We listened to records together and have late night discussions about different aspects of music.  Once we worked out the horn parts to several tunes to the Chicago II album and played along with the record for hours.
 
JR247: Do you think any of the schools you attended helped to mold you? Or, do you think more the experience of the music business was more influential?
 
JC: Both.  Through my formal education I was exposed to repertoire or concepts that I knew very little about.  There were certain ideas studied in a class or specific pieces performed in an ensemble that had a major impact on me both in terms of the constructive elements AND the emotional impact the music had on me.  Perhaps more important, at school I developed a network of friends and musical colleagues that I still associate with.
Through my experience away from school as a young working professional, I was taught many lessons about how to work with people and how to maintain a professional level of playing regardless of venue or function.  I am grateful for the older musicians who were patient with me when I was coming up.
 
JR247:  Who were some important teachers and mentors in your life?
 
JC: I had a great high music teacher.  His name was Stephen Richins.  In all the best ways he was very demanding.  He taught us that being a member of a group carried great responsibility and that the music was greater than all of us.  He died of cancer about five years ago.  I keep his photo in my office in his honor.  He had a huge impact on my fellow high school students and me. I also had a great bass teacher.  His name is John Clark and at the time was the Principal Bass of the Utah Symphony.  He was very inspiring and I was always motivated to practice and improve my craft.  I keep in touch with him and get to see him from time to time. The other important teachers I had were the professional musicians I worked with when I was a young college student.  I played for weddings, parties, functions, events, concerts, and the like.  I learned many important things on the bandstand that can’t be taught in a classroom.
 
JR247:  Please tell our reading and listening audience what you are doing currently, in a professional sense?
 
JC: I am a full-time member of the jazz faculty at the Eastman School.  I am also a member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.  I play in Trio East with Rich Thompson and Clay Jenkins.  I also have my own trio with John Hollenbeck and John Wojciechowski.  We have a CD out and recorded another one last summer.  It should be released later this year.  I keep busy with many local playing opportunities in Rochester and Upstate New York. I am also the director of two music camps: one is at Eastman, and the other one called Birch Creek Music Center located in Door County, WI.  I spend a month there every summer and we have great musicians on our faculty.  
 
JR247:  Can we speak to your teaching philosophy? What are your goals with your students when they come to the Eastman School?
 
JC: My goal is simple.  I try to teach correct principles so my students can learn to govern themselves.  I want them to be independent, motivated thinkers, with an eye on the past, present, and future.  I feel it is important to find balance between artistic and practical issues.   I work to give my students the tools they will need to function in any musical situation regardless of style or application.
 
JR247: Jeff, are you a believer that Jazz Education is working, and producing players that can make a living?

JC: Yes, the system is producing players that are ready to enter the profession.  The question remains, is the profession ready for them?  In other words, are there enough good opportunities for young (or any) improvising musician to make a respectable living?  I try to stay as positive and realistic as possible with my students to prepare them for their respective musical and professional futures.  Besides being a being a fine musician, if a person is organized, motivated, creative, and has good people skills, they can find ways to make a living in the music business.
 
JR247: Jeff, let’s turn to some of your recordings. I really have enjoyed listening to the new Trio East recording, as well as the one you did with Chicago Saxophonist John Wojciechowski. What are some reasons you feel so comfortable in these Trio settings?

JC:  The main reason I feel comfortable is because the other members of the band are outstanding musicians.  Both in Trio East and in my own trio, I appreciate the opportunity to be the main harmonic instrument.  Also, the absence of a chordal instrument in both trios allows me to explore multi-voiced accompaniment and contrapuntal elements on the bass.  I get a great deal of musical satisfaction in my role as accompanist and the format of both of these groups allows me the textural freedom serve in this capacity.

 
JR247: Do you enjoy playing in a variety of settings? If so, can you tell us some of the projects you participate in?
 
JC: Yes, I enjoy playing in diverse musical settings but I try not to spread my self too thin.  None of us can do everything.  We have to say no to certain projects or situations.  Of late I hear or read that there are those that feel that ‘jazz’ music is dead or dying or is passé or no longer relevant.  And while I am involved with original music, I enjoy playing in 4/4.  Part of what draws me to any style of music is its level of integrity and its effect on the listener.  I don’t care for music SNOBBERY and I don’t like one stylistic champion putting down another.

When our schedules allow, I have a great time playing in a group with pianist Reggie Thomas, guitarist Rick Haydon (both from St. Louis), and drummer Harold Jones (of the late 1960s Count Basie fame).  We do nothing but play happy, swinging music.  The beat is so big in this band and we have a lot of fun on and off the bandstand.  The only trouble is Harold is out with Tony Bennett right now and the other three of us are very busy so we don’t get to work too often.  But we’ll find a way to make more things happen.  

Providing musical contrast to this is my own trio with John Hollenbeck and John Wojciechowski.  But here again, the same situation exists;  John Hollenbeck is very much in demand and John Wojciechoswki lives in Chicago where he teaches full time and is very busy on the local scene there.  We made our first record (West End Avenue) three years ago and we recorded a second album last summer.  I hope to release it in the spring.  For me, this band is very rewarding because the level of musicianship is very high and because we primarily play my compositions, it serves a vehicle to express musical personality.  It’s very gratifying and humbling to hear how both John and John bring life to my musical ideas.

I play with Gene Bertoncini a few times a year.  Gene always sounds great and has a wonderful sense of harmony and melodic development.  On occasion I also play with Marian McPartland.  She’s an amazing musician who, at 80+ years, plays with the energy of a 20 year old.  And the sound she extracts from the piano is beautiful.

Of course, I play in Trio East and we continue to evolve as a group.  As with any working group, there is a certain level of musical trust and comfort.  I know that if any of us makes a mistake, the others will help get things back on track.
My other significant musical outlet is being a member of the bass section of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.  This is a completely different way of thinking about and making music but it’s just as rewarding as any jazz or improvised music I’ve been involved with.  
We have a great quartet at the Eastman School with Harold Danko, Clay Jenkins and Rich Thompson.  And in one format or another this quartet has recorded or performed with Rich Perry, Kim Richmond, Tom Garling, Gary Versace, Bobby McFerrin, and Ali Ryerson.

JR247:  I know you also play in the Rochester Phil.. How important is classical training in today’s musical environment?
 
JC: This is a question I think about all the time.  On the one hand, classical or traditional training exposes a jazz musician to a wider array of repertoire and methodologies.  On the other, it is possible to learn to play an instrument at a very high level without being dependent on European art music.  However, I think it is important to have balance in one’s musical training and outlook.  A frustrating reality for me is that jazz and improvising musicians are much more willing to incorporate classical music into there training than their classical counterparts.  Many classical musicians have the attitude that jazz and improvising musicians can play ‘what ever they want’ and do not realize that this kind of music takes a great deal of commitment and discipline.  I mostly see this attitude reflected in academic settings especially regarding the curricular demands placed on a jazz student.  

So to answer you question - I do think classical/orchestral training can have a positive impact on an improvising musician.  But the question remains, is the purpose of studying classical/orchestral music to learn instrumental technique? Or is the purpose to appreciate the repertoire and history of the European Art Music tradition?

 
JR247: Jeff, please tell us about some of the other educational activities you participate in out of the Eastman setting?
 
JC: I direct a music camp called Birch Creek Music Center located in Door County, WI.  [www.birchcreek.org]  It’s a very unique educational situation because we incorporate professional concerts into our curriculum.  During the day Birch Creek functions as a conventional music camp where the students play in ensembles and take classes.  During the evenings, we transform into a performing art center and present a concert series.  The student big bands play the first 30 minutes of each concert and then our resident professional big band plays two sets for a live, enthusiastic (and paying) audience.  The students play at least ten concerts during the two-week session and the musical growth the experience is quite astonishing.  One very unique aspect of the camp is that it takes place on a converted dairy farm.  The 100-year-old barn has been transformed into a concert hall and we use the other farm buildings for classroom and rehearsal space. 
 
JR247:  Do you have some publishing goals? If so, what are they? Can you expound on some of the things you’re writing about?
 
JC: I am currently working on two books.  The first is titled, “How to Play Bass in a Big Band” and is being published by Advance Music of Germany.  The book came as a result of a recording session organized by Eastman professor Ray Ricker.  For the session we recorded about 25 big band charts to be published by Advance. Ray asked each rhythm section and lead player to write a book based on our approach to large ensemble playing specific to the music from the recording session.  I have been trying to wrap this up for about the last three months and will be glad to see it in its final form.  
I have another book project that focuses on early jazz bass playing and will feature examples and transcriptions of and bassists such as Jimmy Blanton, Oscar Pettiford, Israel Crosby, Milt Hinton, and Slam Stewart, Steve Brown and others.  The book, published by Hal Leonard, is in the works and will be available in the near future.  An important aspect of this book is the inclusion of the famous duets performed by Duke Ellington and Jimmy Blanton complete with accurate transcriptions of Duke Ellington’s accompaniment of Blanton’s improvised melodies.
 
JR247:  What is your position with the International Bass Society? What are some of the things you’re doing with this International Organization?
 
JC: Every instrument has a club or organization that supports its activities and the ISB is a wonderful group of people dedicated to the double bass.  I serve as the jazz editor for the organization’s official publication, “Bass World.”  My main duty is to write articles on jazz bass topics.  A few titles of articles I’ve written of late include:

Developments in Early Jazz Bass Pizzicato
The Relationship between the Jazz Bassist and Drummer
Evolution of the Jazz Bass Sound
Getting Ready for College as a Jazz Bassist
The Jazz Bass Player as an Accompanist
Options for the Modern Double Bassist
Scott LaFaro: The Complete Musician
Israel Crosby: Ahead of his Time

JR247: Jeff, I’ve been asking everybody this question. Is Jazz in a healthy state currently? What are some things you feel we all need to be doing to be spreading the gospel of Jazz?

JC: Yes and NO.  YES, because there are a large number of people playing this music at a high level.  This is mostly due to the large number of music schools offering degree programs in jazz studies.  NO because all of these graduates are looking for work in a field that is over crowded and under nourished.  With the current state of the recording business and the easy access to recorded music, live music is often under-funded and under supported.  There are many factors that affect the current state of the music business that are beyond the scope of our discussion.  Suffice to say, it’s tough business and many of those making critical decisions know little about or appreciate the qualities of the music.  Musicians are learning how to work around some of these issues.  I am grateful to keep as busy as I am and I am optimistic for the future of the music and try to keep the same optimism for the business.