Artist Features
JGT Artist Interview: Jazz Guitarist Bill Boris
JGT contributor Jonathan Ross interviews jazz guitarist, Grammy nominee, and Associate Chair of the Music Department at Columbia College Chicago – Bill Boris.
I’ve known Bill since 2003 when I enrolled as a very green Jazz Studies Major at Columbia College Chicago. He was teaching private lessons then, and leading ensembles. He still does that, but now as the Associate Chair of the Music Department. In a very storied career, he has been across the globe, played professionally in many different groups, and played on Grammy-nominated Jazz recordings with The Mike Frost Project.
I cannot tell you how much I learned from Bill over the years, especially my time at Columbia College, which were challenging years for me. Bill is on a shortlist of teachers I’ve had over the years that made all the difference in my development as a musician and educator. I spoke with him about his career and personal background, why Columbia College is the place to be, and the future of music and Jazz guitar.
Jonathan Ross: What got you into playing the guitar? Who was the first guitarist that steered you in the direction of Jazz?
Bill Boris: I had been playing in Rock bands, and really liked Blues guitarists, and Jimi Hendrix, of course. The first guitarist I heard that moved me in a Jazz direction was George Benson. There was a radio station in Chicago that had all-female DJs, and they played Benson, Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, and all kinds of eclectic music on it. I had a job back then where I’d listen to the radio all day while I was working, and one day they played “White Rabbit” by George Benson. It was on Creed Taylor’s CTI Label. There were string sections in it, and made it more commercial, but it made it appealing to an audience that otherwise may not have ever heard it. The rhythm section was Billy Cobham, Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter! So on top of the string arrangements, they had this incredible band. But I also listened to a lot of different things like Earth, Wind and Fire along with Charlie Parker records from the 1940s. It all sounded good to me.
JR: So you played in Rock bands before playing Jazz?
BB: Yes. But I also played bass, oddly enough, in some big bands in high school, and played upright bass for one year. I also played bass drum in the marching band. The first band I was in we did songs by Cream and Jimi Hendrix. Then in Junior High we did music by Blood, Sweat and Tears and Chicago, and a lot of stuff with horn sections. We would just learn things from records, which really helped my ear.
JR: You grew up in Indiana?
BB: Yes, in Michigan City, Indiana. I lived in Munster before that.
JR: What was the music scene like in Michigan City at that time? How did you get your music other than the radio station?
BB: There was a really good record store in Hegewisch. I don’t remember the name of the record store, but I’d hear something on the radio and would go there to buy the record. The first Jazz record I bought might have been “White Rabbit” by George Benson.
JR: You are based in Chicago now, but you had some interesting detours along the way. How did to come to live and play music in Japan?
BB: When I was in school, they had an exchange program Sophomore year. I chose Japan for several reasons. One was that it was a different place and would be a great experience since I knew nothing about Japan. You could also learn your courses in English. So I didn’t have to learn Japanese to such an extent. They also had a Jazz Club! They had a Jazz Club in the college that you could join, which made me realize there was an interest in Jazz music in Japan. I stayed there for a year and loved it! After I graduated, I moved back there and lived there for about 2 years after that as an active musician.
JR: I’ve heard that Japanese audiences are particularly polite and appreciative.
BB: They are polite and quiet. They only applaud at the end. They’re very attentive.
JR: Do they applaud after solos?
BB: Not so much, but they applaud mostly at the end.
JR: Were there any experiences there that changed you musically or helped shape you as a person?
BB: I played with one of the greatest bass players in Japan, who played for years with Sadao Watanabe, who is one of the best sax players in Japan. And he had done world tours and things like that. I played duos with him and a singer, and I was really just learning how to do that. Firstly, I learned how much of a task that was, and he had confidence in me that I could do it. And I played in a band with Brazilian musicians who were on a visa and living in Japan for 6 months. I was teaching English Conversation as a means of having a visa myself. They played in a restaurant downstairs from where I taught. Playing with them was a powerful experience. I played with them for 4-5 months. One of the musicians in the band knew the Brazilian percussionist, Guilherme Franco, who was in McCoy Tyner’s band. So our group had the opportunity to play with McCoy Tyner’s band when he was Tokyo.
JR: Brazilian music is very rhythmically strong.
BB: The rhythm was very strong in the music, but the thing about Brazilian culture is that all the children learn how to play. They have these huge Samba bands that they get to play in, like 100 people in these bands marching in the streets and playing this music. So rhythm was a huge part of their culture. It was interesting being around musicians who came from a culture where rhythm was such an important aspect of music as well as the culture. I learned a real lot from that.
JR: Could you tell me about your time at Berklee and at Notre Dame?
BB: I graduated from Notre Dame, and I spent some time studying at Berklee. I took a semester of classical guitar lessons from a priest there. I also took lessons in South Bend, and his name was Bill Krump. I went there because a friend I knew from Notre Dame, his brother went to Berklee, and Bill Krump was his teacher. He had really structured lessons and was a wonderful guy. We went over position playing and reading music. He had tons of Xeroxed copies of sheets to study from. I studied a lot out of the Berklee books before going there, to get me ready to study there regularly.
JR: I actually taught myself how to read music on guitar using “A Modern Method for Guitar” by William Leavitt.
BB: Me too!
JR: I thought it was a simple system to understand. That really helped me.
BB: They had a really good system. It helped me when I got there. I’ll tell you a story. When Berklee opened for a little while, it might have started in the 60s. Pat Martino was one of the first people they asked to teach there. They told him he could teach there and learn their system but also talk about what he wanted to talk about. However, he didn’t want to do it.
Continue with the Bill Boris Interview…
JR: After you graduated from Notre Dame, how did you come to work in Chicago?
BB: After I graduated, I was teaching lessons and playing gigs in South Bend. I knew I was going back to Japan in the Fall. I tried to get my visa changed to include playing music, but the Japanese government wouldn’t make an exception. After about two years I returned to South Bend and soon after I was working 4-5 nights a week. I played in a bunch of different bands playing covers and things like that, but soon it was a Jazz trio. We also played with great musicians from Chicago that would come down to play with us. One of the guys, Franz Jackson, was a traditional jazz musician, played with Fletcher Henderson, Earl Hines, Fats Waller, he was the real deal. He lived in Niles, Michigan back then. He told me one time at a jam session he sounded better than Coleman Hawkins, and he left right away so he could leave on a high note! He was into karate, an entertainer, he was really something. Anyway, he was one of many Chicago musicians we played with. Then I joined a Rock n Roll band that backed up 50s and 60s artists that had hit records and we did tours. On one of these tours, I told the guest conductor that I had seen him on TV. He said, “Yes, we’re doing a show called “Beehive” in Chicago.” I had just moved down to Florida with this band, and I didn’t like it. I told him I wanted to do the show. And through talking to him, I got to be musical director of the show. And that’s how I moved to Chicago. The show lasted over a year. After that I was playing in clubs all over the city in many different bands. In 2001, a week after 9/11 in fact, Frank Dawson (Chicago Jazz legend and noted educator) called me on a Friday and asked if I was available to teach. But he said I had to start Monday. And I had to think about it, whether it was the right thing for me to do. I accepted, and that’s how I began teaching at Columbia as a private lessons teacher.
JR: Full time or Part time?
BB: Part time. Then I was offered to sub for teaching an ensemble, which I did, and I think I actually started a jazz organ trio for students on my own, and began teaching jazz combos after that. I became Coordinator of Fretboard Studies after the most unfortunate thing happened, and that was the passing of Frank Dawson.
JR: Which by the way, this year is the tenth anniversary of Frank Dawson’s passing, which is wild to think about. It’s already been ten years.
BB: Yeah. And its one thing to get a new job, but it was difficult to get the job that way.
JR: I understand because we all looked up to Frank so much.
BB: It was sad to get the job. The excitement that one might have for a new position and to create some new things wasn’t quite there. There was a lot of melancholy in that situation. I wanted to do it, but it was something to have to think about that for awhile.
JR: What were some important things you learned from Frank?
BB: Patience, encouragement, clarity, and humor. I noticed how he was with students, and he was very patient and encouraging. I saw his interaction with students, and he really cared for students. He took his job very seriously and provided everything he could for his students. He created all these binders for the students so they could have all the information they could need. He’d spend hours and hours making these sheets explaining harmony, and scales, and string groups and positions on the neck.
JR: He was the best. And now you are Associate Chair of the Music Department. What does Columbia College Chicago offer that no other school does? What can it offer young people who are looking to study what other schools might not offer?
BB: There are several things. Our approach to harmony uses popular music and recognizes the influence of African Music on American Music besides the traditional European model, although you can still study string quartets and learn about that. We use songs they already know to teach them harmony, rhythm and melody. So the way we teach theory now is called “Foundations”. It’s four days a week, and there is a writing/producing, singing and listening component. So they learn everything any other student learns in music theory but it’s presented in a more contemporary approach. In production they are producing music of their own using various DAWS, so they are making music in their first semester. It’s broken down into three different sections and meets four days a week. It’s very thorough. And we have great facilities and a state of the art digital lab. We also have many ensembles focusing on Fusion, Latin, R&B, Jazz, Gospel and other genres; you can really come out of Columbia with a broad understanding of many styles. We’ve probably expanded a lot from when you were there (I graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2008… YES, they have expanded a LOT-JR). The diversity of our students and the spirit of collaboration create a wonderful learning environment. Students come from all over the US and the world, and they are all unique. Everyone is interested in learning about the other students there. They are open to new experiences and there is never a condescending attitude toward one another. There is a collaborative environment at Columbia. They are inspired to work hard because they see other talented people. The curriculum is also very fluid and changes to meet the present but also to meet the needs of the students for the future, and we are very aware of what the students’ interests are, so we can address that versus telling them what they need to know. We are trying to provide them what will help them grow and give them the skills to adjust to an ever-changing world, including adjusting to remote teaching during this trying time during the pandemic.
JR: What adjustments have you and the other faculty made during this time?
BB: Through ZOOM we’re doing recording projects, having meetings about how we’re going to do our tracks, we’re doing meetings, remote recordings and video sessions. The online private lessons are as good and maybe better because students now have more time. They are more focused. It’s the nature of our music department to adapt and change with the times. Everybody in the department works very hard and works together. Which is the same as when you went to Columbia, and it’s continued. It’s a really good group of people that works there.
JR: Where do see the music business now, going into the future as we see constant change in music consumption and how musicians are supposed to make a living?
BB: Nothing replaces the ability to play the instrument really well, so that’s first and foremost. They should record themselves and others. Other skill sets should include being able to write and arrange for others, and have business sense to promote. They should have a website which showcases their talent. Having the technology to record yourselves and send files around is important, and to collaborate with others, and be aware of social media and how to use it to promote your music.
JR: And finally, where do you see the future of Jazz guitar?
BB: I think there’s been a resurgence in the last 15 years for straight-ahead Jazz guitar, and by that I mean a straight, rich Jazz guitar tone ala Kenny Burrell or Grant Green. There are a lot of fans for that sound. After the age of Fusion died down, I think there was a greater appreciation for guitar sounds and playing from the 60s. Going forward, modern players like Lage Lund and Mike Moreno have taken Bebop and added to it to use that language on modern tunes. So I think it will continue to evolve, but I think you will always hear the vocabulary or the roots of the vocabulary in the new language that’s being created. And I think the music will change both harmonically and rhythmically reflecting the culture that the young musicians have grown up in.