Playing jazz for fun - interview of tenor saxophonist John Nugent - Interview

Tenor saxophonist John Nugent was born in St. John's, Newfoundland. At age 16 he left to pursue a career in music. He has worked with the Woody Herman Orchestra, toured with his own band, recorded and now spends much of his time as a booking agent for jazz groups. This interview took place during his visit to the Du Maurier Downtown Jazz Festival in Toronto in June 1997.

John: Besides my playing I have a booking agency in New York ,and apart from the group I brought to Toronto to play with me, I also brought the Jackie McLean Sextet and Japanese pianist Junko Onishi for the Festival. After our tour I have Renee Rosnes booked all across Europe (Netherlands, Denmark, The North Sea Jazz Festival, Copenhagen, Pori Jazz Festival and Stuttgart). There is also a three week tour booked for the Woody Herman Orchestra and the Frank Foster Orchestra, so that in essence is what my day job is all about.

Hal: How long have you been in New York?

John: This is the fifth year for us, me and my wife Dawn Thomson who is a fine guitarist.

Hal: You must see another Canadian musician, drummer Terry Clarke in your time in New York City.

John: Yes, quite often, you know he is in the Toshiko Akiyoshi Big Band and other groups as well.

Hal: Where does this tour take you and your group?

John: This is the second day of a ten day tour, we go to Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, back to Edmonton, then to Montreal, then I fly back to New York and on to Switzerland, Portugal, The Netherlands, The Hague, Dieppe France and then to Manchester England, Pori Finland, Stuttgart, and then home. That's my touring for this year; it takes a lot of planning, setting up the dates and other items of importance. Some of these things have to be done at least a year in advance, but that's what I do for a living, so playing jazz is fun. I do play some gigs in New York, with the Monday Night Big Band at the Village Vanguard, Maria Schneider's Orchestra and other groups.

Hal: Your tone on the tenor is harder now, and I feel you have found your own voice, that distinctive sound.

John: Well, thank you. I appreciate that. As a matter of fact this tenor I acquired just a few days ago is an old 1952 super balanced Selmer. I have several tenors, but this one in particular I felt I had to try out on this tour. I had previously a Yamaha, as a matter of fact I had done quite lot of work for Yamaha, but this one does have a little brighter sound, almost brittle compared to the others I have. I do use the same mouth piece,the one that I have had for twenty years, with a medium hard reed by LaVoz. [Hal's note: same reed that Sonny Rollins uses] You know, Miles and Dizzy changed horns many times, but they used the same mouth piece..The mouth piece is really important, the mouth piece and the player, especially wind players; your body's always changing, your insides are changing, the air stream, the way it goes through your wind pipe and lungs, all of this is a vehicle for the air, thus your air is changing and of course your sound too. Listen to Miles Davis playing on Bitches Brew and those other fusion things, then go back to the Kind of Blue session, it sounds quite different ... and going back earlier such as the Tadd Dameron date in Paris (1949)--a different sound again. John Coltrane is another case in point, with a couple of different horns, his sound was always changing.

Hal: Do you miss being home?

John: I miss a lot of things about Canada, sure. The music scene in New York is one of the best in the world, after all it is the jazz capital, but I do miss a lot of things in Canada: the environment, the people, the socialism aspects of the country, medicare, and the government has always been good to me with the Canada Council for studies along with the National Council for the Arts has been great. The standard of living in Canada is a little higher and the quality of life too. Although I must admit, even with the pollution we have in New York, the crime is much, much lower than it used to be, thanks in part to the Mayor and his plans coming to fruition. Our neighbourhood in Brooklyn, well right away you think: Brooklyn, tough guys, problems. Well, where I live is very safe, we have a beautiful park, Prospect Park. Our new recording is called West of Flatbush, which is where we live, in Park Slope. The area received its name from being situated next to Prospect Park because it sits on an elevated area that slopes gently down towards New York Harbour. And there are hundreds of jazz artists and creative professionals in this area. As for our recording, it is not on a major label, I wanted to have complete control, thus it is on my own label, and is available in Canada and the United States.

Hal: Did you find it very difficult, moving into the United States?

John: No not really, I knew a lot of musicians in New York. I studied at North Texas State earlier for four years and was in the One O'Clock Band there. Then I was with the Woody Herman Band for two years, then I taught at McGill University, in Montreal, met my wife, and then on to New York City, and I'm quite busy there, I love it. It is a difficult city to make a good living, and there are so many great players that I felt I had to find another avenue of survival, and the booking agency does that very well for me. It allows me to make enough money to live and not have to worry about: can I make it playing?

Hal: Advice for young musicians coming up now?

John: Sure, I think, always be persistent, love what you do, have pride in your heritage. You can get anything you want in life if you put your heart and soul into it, and spend the time necessary, ask questions, take advice, and never think you know it all. After all, if you know it all, it's time to quit, what else is there to do.

Recommended Recordings: Did I tell You-Unity 119 West of Flatbush-NY JAM 1195CD

Hal Hill is a Toronto broadcaster and host of the Jazz Canadiana Website. You can E-mail him at: Bebop@istar.ca or visit the website at: http://www.idbt.com/jazzcdn

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