Rick Holland, JR247: Andy, thanks for joining us here at 247.

First question, can you speak to those who influenced you early on in your development as a trumpet player. You’ve always been a gifted trumpet artist.

Andy Gravish: First an foremost I’d have to say my private teacher back in Pottsville, PA –Mr. Bob Price. He was an extraordinary person and musician who instilled in me a passion for the trumpet and also a respect for the discipline necessary to go forward as a trumpet player. Also he taught me what it meant to be a professional musician and exposed me to the music of Dizzy, Miles and Charlie Parker. When I later went to Berklee and studying with the great Jazz trumpeter Jeff Stout really put me in the right direction. I also studied with Louis Mucci . Just listening to his manner of phrasing and articulation was nothing short of incredible. It was literally like hearing all those cats with whom he played on Gil Evans’s band on those great Miles sides. And also there was Mike Metheny, who was kind of like a big brother to me. His musicality and positive vibe inspired me tremendously. He wrote the liners for my soon-to-be released cd here in Italy. Being involved in classes and ensembles with the creative genius of Greg Hopkins and Herb Pomeroy was a blast. Of course also being at Berklee in that scene with so many talented players from around the world was electrifying every day. I was lucky to be there with cats like Brandford Marsalis, Wallace Roney, Jeff Watts, Dave Kikoski, Scott Robinson, Greg Osby, Makoto Ozone, Donald Harrison, Marvin Smith, Gene Jackson, Edsel Gomez, Danilo Perez, Klaus Suonsaari, Neils Lan Doky, Diana Krall and so many others. Let’s not forget practicing every day with fellow trumpet students like Barry Danelian and of course Rick Holland. I followed Mr. Price’s advice and just tried to be a sponge and learn from everyone possible.

JR247: Who are those whom you believe have influenced your music in the most significant way?
AG: That’s difficult to say in a concise manner. Of course as a teenager I discovered Miles, Dizzy and Bird along with other greats like Clark Terry. At Berklee I really broadened my horizons thanks to all the other students who were way ahead of me. I latched onto Clifford Brown right away as well as Fats Navaro, Lee Morgan, Kenny Dorham, Freddie Hubbard, Chet Baker and Art Framer. O f course these are just some of the trumpet influences. We can include just about all the great cats at some point or another. After I was out of school and on my own I began to get in certain periods where I’d immerse myself in a particular player like Lee or especially Freddie for example. Then after many years I found myself returning to Chet Baker as my passion for melody became even stronger. But even non trumpet players are important to my overall concept—like Bill Evans and Art Pepper, or Joe Henderson. Let’s not forget Tom Harrell on that trumpet list as well. After I got to NYC I began to be influenced more by the guys I played with or hung out with. Cats like Joe Magnarelli, Jim Rotondi, Bill Mobley, John McNeil, Scott Wendholt, Greg Gisbert, John Eckert, Kerry MacKillop, Richie Vitale, Joe Gransden, Tony Kadlek, Jason Carder, Joe Cohn, James Zollar, Dave Smith and Jay Brandford. That list can go on for days. All those New York guys not only influenced me musically, but also as a person and helped me develop a positive outlook in a scene where there can be many disappointments and obstacles.


JR247: After Berklee, one of your first big breaks was working with Buddy Rich. Can you tell us some of the experiences you had traveling and working with Buddy?

AG: Being on Buddy’s band was an invaluable experience, That kind of experience almost no longer exists. The constant I nighters, always on the bus, gig after gig with Buddy’s incredible and endless energy. I was fortunate to be there to do a record with Buddy’s band and get some solo space. There were many unforgettable moments. One of which was like my 3rd gig with the band at Hofstra University on Long Island. On the bill for the first half of the concert was Louis Bellson and his big band. He and Buddy were long time friends and Buddy was very excited that particular night after hearing Louis play. Anyway when it came time for Buddy’s big drum solo during the last tune, he did one the most incredible solos I think I’ve ever witnessed. It was a study in relaxation, technique, music and even a little humor. As it turned out I later met John Titsworth in Boston who was the Vice President of the Buddy Rich Fan Club. He actually knew someone who was at that gig and who videotaped it from the audience. He quickly procured a copy of that gig for me and it’s something I treasure to this day and never miss an opportunity to show it to musicians here in Italy who didn’t know Buddy’s music and persona up close. Also we did tours accompanying Tony Bennett, Sarah Vaughn and Frank Sinatra! I still get chills when I think of those moments.

JR247: What was it like working with Sinatra, Bennett and Sarah Vaughn?

AG: Absolutely amazing! We never saw Frank except at the concerts, but that was enough to inspire everybody. I was terrified when I had to play a harmon mute solo behind Frank on “I can’t Get Started”. Frank’s rhythm section was the epitome of “swingin’”. There was Irv Cotler on drums, Gene Cherico on bass, Tony Mottola on guitar and Joe Parnello on piano. It was definitely one of the highlights of my career. Tony was a true gentleman and very friendly. I worked with him again later on Artie Shaw’s big band and one night in Pittsburgh , he took the whole band out to a great Italian restaurant before the concert and insisted on paying for everything. We couldn’t even leave the tip. He’s a class act. Tony’s rhythm section was great as well—Jon Burr on bass, Joe LaBarbera on druma and the great Ralph Sharon on piano. Sarah was like an angel. I had to hold back the tears every gig when she sang a duo version of “Send in the clouds” with her pianist Mike Wofford. She really knew how to use the microphone as an instrument too. Not always close up but at the right distance from her mouth for just the right musical effect. Sometimes it was way down near her hips for certain things! I’ve rarely seen that in any other vocalist.

JR247: When arriving in NYC, you spent some time with Toshiko. Please tell us some of your experiences with her?
AG: I was on Toshiko Akiyoshi’s band from 1996 until 2000. That was another wonderful experience. She writes some of the most challenging music to play. Many of her tunes had very elaborate brass solis that were tough, but with such great players in the section it somehow made it “easy”. She’s like a direct link to Bud Powell and listening to her was always fun because you really never knew what to expect during her solos. I was fortunate to do a good bit of traveling with her band as well- twice to Japan and Korea doing 18 concerts in 17 different cities in 21 days – each trip. Very grueling but it was well worth it. There were trips to Europe and South America too. Also she recorded 3 cd’s while I was on the band for Sony BMG. A lot of music was very thought out—such as a whole suite dedicated to a small village in Japan that commissioned her to write the music. Also a recording featuring traditional Japanese instruments with the big band. And as always listening to Lew Tabackin play either tenor or flute was a treat. Toshiko landed the Monday night slot at NYC’s Birdland Jazz club and that lasted quite long. I did that for 3 and a half years. Every so often Lew would be out on his own tours and Frank Wes would come back and play in Lew’s place—another treat. And the band was packed full of great players like John Eckert, Joe Magnarelli, Jim Snidero, Walt Weiskopf, Scott Robinson, Terry Clark, Paul Gill, Scott Whitfield and Pat Hallaran. What really impressed me about Toshiko’s big band is that we hardly ever played loud. I mean that screaming big band loud thing that sometimes comes to mind. The control was amazing to me, and as I said earlier—challenging.

JR247:Tell us about some of the other groups you’ve played with in NYC, that you believe has had profound impact on your music.

AG: Well, right before I got on Toshiko’s band I was subbing quite regularly with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. I was nervous and ecstatic at the same time. Also one guy who really believed in me even before we met was Bill Kirchner, who’s nonette I played in. Bill is a multi-reed player, composer, arranger, writer, educator, Jazz radio dj and is a walking encyclopedia of Jazz. Just an amazing source of information and a great guy who overcame some physical hardships in the last decade and continues to make wonderful music. His group was full of the heaviest players like Ralph Lalama, Mark Cohen, John Reilly, Dick Oatts and Chip Jackson. Another nonette I played in was the Jim Cifelli NY Nonette. Jim’s a wonderful trumpet player, composer and arranger who started a nonette I think as an alternative to his big band. It took off and we did 3 cd’s that got a fair amount of recognition. And another big band that deserves more than just mentioning is Bill Mobley’s Space Time big band. Bill is a great jazz trumpet player and composer originally from Memphis. I first met him in Boston when he taught at Berklee in the late 80’s. He was one of the many musicians who migrated to NYC from Boston at the end of the 80’s. I have to say that Bill is in my humble opinion one of the best jazz composers and arrangers out there. He’s is totally respected by his piers but deserves much wider acclaim. His big band is absolutely “happening”! The music is so fresh and fun to play. We did a double cd –“Live at Small’s” back in 1996 with guest pianists James Williams, Donald Brown, Mulgrew Miller and Harold Mabern. What a blast! Then in 2001 we did a studio date for Space Time records (from France) with guests Jeff Watts, Bob Hurst, and Billy Pierce. That is one serious band and I miss that music. There are so many other groups and playing situations too numerous to go into, but they all added up to a unique experience I think that only exists in New York.


JJR247: You now reside in Italy. How do you like it over there?

AG: Ever since I was a kid and visited my brother in Munich, Germany, I fell in love with Europe. My wife is from Sardinia and we met when I was playing a Jazz fest there back in 1989. Even though we spent the next 15 years in NYC, I was coming over to Italy more and more frequently to play with musicians I’d met way back then and who were newly arrived and on the scene in Rome. I always had an unbelievable time. So we thought we’d give it a try while we’re still able and still relatively young enough. The lifestyle is really something. The vibe is very different from the states and the people seem to have a different outlook on life in general. There is so much culture of all types here, simply because everything is much older here whereas in the states everything is very new comparatively speaking. And the European musicians have embraced Jazz whole heartedly. Of course there are drawbacks anywhere you go. For instance, in Italy, the bureaucracy is a nightmare and a lot of things we take for granted in the states are not as well organized in Italy. Politics play a significant part in the music scene—I mean that literally, not in the way the word is often broadly used in the states. But for now we’re enjoying ourselves and life as much as possible. That sort of thing becomes more important as you age I suppose.

JR247: Whom are you playing with, and are you getting more opportunities to play creative music over there?

AG: Well as an American Jazz musician who comes over to play here, you do have sort of an advantage in the sense that you can work as a special guest with a lot of different groups. I still do that the majority of the time even though I’m kind of here most of the time. The trick is to keep this sort of mystique alive so as not to be taken advantage of by certain factions. It can be tricky in a different culture where you don’t necessarily know the way things operate within the scene.

But I have been fortunate to play with some great Italian musicians such as the great pianist Enrico Pieranuzzi and drummer Roberto Gatto. They have many groups of their own here in Italy and work quite frequently with the well known guys from the states. Enrico has a marvelous trio with bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Joey Barron for example. He’s also well known for having worked and recorded alot with Chet Baker.

I do a lot of playing and recording with different groups from quartets to larger ensembles as well with my own projects around the country, so the opportunities are quite good for me. Not that there isn’t opportunity in NYC—rather quite the opposite. New York will always be New York. For me, being here means that I can be a Jazz musician exclusively, which is important to me at this point in time. In NYC I was lucky to be apart of many great situations creatively speaking. However when we consider that we must survive economically, at least in NYC, the majority of musicians often must turn to doing gigs that aren’t necessarily to their liking—gigs that pay the rent, support the family, etc. After many years “in the trenches” so to speak we decided on this move and to try to make a go of it and follow my dream. It’s entirely possible that we’ll go back some day—maybe sooner than later, or not. Right now it’s too early to make that call. I’m not really sure if many Italian musicians realize how fortunate they are to be in a society that has a stronger support for the arts than say the states have. Even though they claim that the funding is always less, especially for Jazz, there’s an abundance of playing possibilities. Of course that doesn’t mean that anyone is getting rich playing this music. It’s always a struggle. At the moment I feel closer to being happy doing what I love to do, and am thankful to be doing it for a living.


JR247: Tell us about your newest recording project. Who’s on it, compositions, etc.

AG: The latest recording is a joint effort between myself and pianist Luca Mannutza. Luca is from Sardinia and we met in the early 90’s when I played gigs there. He moved to Rome later in the 90’s and has established himself as one of the top pianists in Italy. We had the idea for this 5-tet for some time. About 6 months before we moved to Italy, Luca and saxophonists Max Ionata came to visit us in New York. Since I had been coming to Italy to do 5-tet gigs with them for a while, I invited them over. We did my first cd (“New York- Rome Hook Up”) in Brooklyn along with Matt Keeler on drums and Philly bassist Paul Gehman.

So upon our arrival in Rome we gradually set out to establish a steady 5-tet. The group is called “Sound Advice” and the name of the cd will be “Hangin”, named after one my tunes- “Hangin’ at PDR” included on the cd. The PDR stands for Piazza del Risorgamento, which is a big piazza right next to the Vatican and where you can find one of the best gelaterias in Rome. And that’s where you’re likely to find Luca on any off night indulging in his passion for gelato! Luca is a gifted composer and writes great tunes, and most of the tunes on the date are his, with some contribution from myself. I really dug the way Luca cleverly incorporated the use of polyrhythms into the thematic material of a few of the tunes. The cd is due to be released at any time, as I’m told, and will be on the Italian “Wide Sound” record label. The musicians are myself on trumpet, Max Ionata on tenor and soprano sax, Luca Mannutza on piano, Luca Bulgarelli on bass and Marcello DeLeonardo on drums. A very fine group.

The odd thing about this project was the unexpected responses we got from some record people here. One said it was “too modern” , while another said it had “too much to do with Trane’s modal thing” . It was quite confusing coming from established record people who we thought were more astute listeners. We think it’s a very nice recording and hopefully it’ll be out soon and I can share it with you.


JR247:Are you more centrally located in Rome, or are you traveling? What is a month in a year of the life of Andy Gravish?

AG: Well I live just north of Rome and play in Rome often. However I spend a lot of time on trains traveling to just about every part of Italy to play with different groups mostly as a guest as I mentioned earlier. Also short hops on planes to Sicily and Sardinia. The winter involves a lot of club gigs, where as the summer is packed full of big and little jazz festivals, just about everywhere. July, for example, can be ridiculous with the logistics of all the gigs all over the country.

JR247: Are you teaching? If so, where, and what are the important things you emphasize in your teaching?

AG: Yes. I presently teach a jazz ensemble at the Florence Conservatory. The students are very talented but it amazed me to learn of how much great music they were unaware of. Much of their listening experience dates say from the mid 80’s to now. They’re not from the LP generation like we are. So I try to play a lot of tunes from the periods we listened to mostly. When the students play and hear those tunes, it’s almost like a new worlds opens up to them. I like to mention Kenny Werner’s wonderful book entitled “Effortless Mastery” and his approaches, both mental and physical in respect to improvising. I like to stress the importance of relaxation in every aspect of playing in order to facilitate making music.

JR247:How do you see the State of Jazz presently? Who are the players in Europe and the US, that really grab your attention?

AG: The answer to the first question can draw a lot of contrasting responses depending on who you ask. I’m not sure I have a “black and white” answer myself. The state of Jazz has pretty much always been in “crisis” so to speak, but perhaps that’s what makes it so unique and such a strong art form. One thing for certain is that there will always be an abundance of talented musicians and writers—thankfully. And they’ll keep the music moving forward in all sorts of directions, constantly expanding and absorbing influences from all angles just as it has done since day 1. On the “business” end, I suppose the Jazz market will likely be controlled mostly by those who are not necessarily musicians and do not see things in the same light as players do. But there are sympathetic people out there as well as many musicians taking matters into their own hands, especially now in this day and age with all the digital downloading of music from the internet and the steady decline of cd sales in stores, etc.

To address the 2nd question—you know it’s kind of strange to me that with the formation of the European Union, one would think that doors would open up musically between nations here. But oddly they have remained somewhat isolated from what I’ve observed. The musicians don’t venture much outside of their native countries. Here in Italy a few guys have established connections in France. People like Paolo Fresu, Rosario Giuliani, Flavio Boltro. And the elder Jazzmen like Enrico Pieranunzi and Enrico Rava are obviously known throughout Europe. There are great players in Italy like Dado Maroni, Andrea Pozza, Maurizio Giammarco AND also Americans like Greg Burk, Michael Rosen, Bob Bonisolo, Marc Abrahms, John Arnold and Tom Kirkpatrick.
This isolation of sorts in my opinion has spawned an excess nationalistic vibe in some cases. And that can work against “outsiders’ like myself in some instances. It kind of goes along with the political thing I mentioned earlier. It’s simply not in some peoples’ interest to promote a non-Italian musician in certain situations, which I think is their loss by not having an exchange between artists from different cultures. But good musicians are good no matter where you are, and those guys don’t’ seem affected by that sort of thing.

One player I really admire and whom I actually met in NYC a few years back is the German trumpeter Till Bronner. He’s is an amazing musician and is a star in his home country. He did play in a club here last year and we hooked up again and he graciously asked me to sit in with him a bit. He’s also a talented singer. Really a guy who has it all together.

As for the US guys, the field is so vast. Aside from success stories like Chris Potter, Mark Turner, Chris Botti, Kurt Rosenwinkle, Dave Douglas, Ari Hoenig and many others, I’ve always admired players such as saxophonists Donny McCaslin, Joel Frahm, Jon Gordon, Danny Walsh; trumpeters Alex Sipiagin, Jeremy Pelt, Brian Lynch, Russ Johnson, Joe Magnarelli, Jim Rotondi, John Swanna and Mike Rodriguez; trombonists Scott Whitfield, John Allred, Mike Fahn and Hal Crook; pianists Mark Copland, Gary Versace and Henry Hey; drummers Tim Horner and Tony Reedus; guitarists Pete McCann and Tom Guarna. Man it just goes on forever. It’s tough to single out certain players, because you’re constantly meeting new people who are fantastic players, and the list of inspirational players is ever expanding. It’s mind boggling to ponder how many monster musicians there are no matter where you go.


JR247:How important is Jazz Education to you? What are things you like, and things you feel we need to improve?

AG: I think Jazz education is all important. And there really has been a “boom” in that area since the days when we were in school at Berklee. The way in which many young musicians now learn their craft has changed too since the days when many fixed groups thrived and worked often. Used to be that an inspiring player learned his or her craft on the bandstand—in the hot seat so to speak—pretty much the ultimate type of experience. But with economics putting the squeeze on live music of all types and now that many of the great band leaders have passed, those types of opportunities are all but gone. So thanks to the rise of Jazz education in schools, aspiring musicians can always further themselves. I know in my case that Berklee helped me tremendously just for the fact that I was in an environment where music was always happening, and I was exposed to so much through the great teachers there as well as the students who were way ahead of me musically. I think that exposure is the key. That’s why I dig what Wynton and others like him are doing when they take the music into the schools and expose young audiences to it in a positive way. Because let’s face it, young people are not going to be exposed to jazz by way of the mass media. By taking the responsibility of exposing their music to more than just the informed Jazz audience, Wynton and others cats are doing a wonderful service.

As for the second part of the question, I’m not sure I’m experienced enough to offer a qualified answer as to what to improve. But one thing that has always perplexed me is that with this surge in Jazz education (for example, even Rome is full of private little schools for Jazz and all the conservatories now are expanding into Jazz programs), the aspiring player is often taken by surprise once he or she exits the more comfortable climate of the school and enters reality where the opportunities are not nearly as proportionate. To me there has always seemed to be this paradox. The young talented and optimistic musician is often beaten down by the realities of trying to survive. I’m sure that many are aware of this beforehand, but once you’re immersed in it, things take on a new light.

Hopefully by exposing more people to this music, some things can change around. Obviously it’s doubtful that we’ll ever see the kind of scene that existed 50 and 60 years ago when work was much more plentiful. But based on what I’ve seen here in Italy for example, there can be good things. In Europe in general, many people still go out and hear concerts, etc. Even if they’re not familiar with Jazz , they still go out after dinner in the summer to hear a concert in their town or one nearby. It’s just more a part of their lives. If we could help spread that vibe a little in the states, perhaps more guys, be they local musicians or more full time players could benefit. And perhaps the powers that be in the government would see clearly the benefits of providing more funding for this great art form.

JR247: Do you get back to the US very often?

AG: I try to get back at least twice a year. First for the December holidays to see my folks who are now in their 80’s, and then again usually towards the end of May or early June. These are usually periods when things are a little quiet gig-wise. At the end of May most of the clubs here close for the summer and the activity heads outdoors from like mid –June until early September. Jazz fests and smaller type events all over. The venues are often breathtaking and the weather is favorable.

JR247:What are your goals for the future?

AG: Well, I’ve only been in Italy for a little more than two and a half years, which is a relatively short time compared to all the other American guys living here, and its’ still a short time for practically anywhere really. But I’m slowly making inroads into the scene mostly by playing as a guest with all sorts of groups as I mentioned before. I try to pay much attention as to how the native veteran musicians go about their tasks both musically and economically, and I’m learning as I go. Being in a different culture with a different set of ground rules can be challenging and also frustrating, so I’ve also learned to develop more patience too. That being said, as I go about gigging in various venues, my “name” is gradually getting established among the stable of Italian players and promoters. So for the future I’m hoping to broaden this base so that soon I’ll be able to propose my own things to a lot of these places and then return with my own group/s. That’s already happened in a few instances. So I have to keep on my toes, keep practicing, play my best and hopefully make good impressions so that I’ll make that transition from guest artist to front man.

In the immediate future that scenario has worked out somewhat. In March, New York trumpeter and good friend Jim Rotondi will be passing through between hits in Spain and Tel Aviv. I’ve managed to hook up some nice two trumpet gigs with a quintet here in Rome at a club called “Alexanderplatz”, which is a club I play quite often and which brings in American players on a steady basis. That promises to be alot of fun and I hope it’ll be the beginning of a new phase for me. I’d like to bring over other friends in the future as well. I think it would be a nice alternative to have an American ex-pat presenting these sort of projects with guys from back home. I think I could be a important link in that respect. And of course I’ll keep trying to do what I’ve been trying to do since day one—which is always improve as a musician. I’ve been fortunate to have many role models.

JR247:Thank you for joining us. And Continued success!!

AG: Thanks you so much Rick for this opportunity. I feel honored and glad to be in touch with you after all these years. May I offer you my congratulations on your well deserved success and best wishes on you future endeavors. Or as they say in Italy—“In bocca al Lupo!” Andy Gravish