New Album From Jason Keiser Honoring Trumpeter Kenny Wheeler

JGT contributor Joe Barth talks to Jason Keiser and John Stowell about the new album, Kind of Kenny.

Canadian trumpeter Kenny Wheeler (1930-2014), who lived in England since the 1950s, loved working with guitarists.  Back in the mid-sixties, he played in the Animals’ Big Band with Eric Burdon (of “House of the Rising Sun” fame).  Through the years, he worked with guitarists Bill Frisell, John Abercrombie to the experimental Derek Bailey.  Bay Area guitarist Jason Keiser has recorded a new album in honor of Wheeler entitled Kind of Kenny.  For the recording, he has brought on fellow guitarist John Stowell as well as other musicians.  I talked with Jason and John about this recording.

JB:  The Canadian trumpeter Kenny Wheeler (1930-2014), who lived in England since the 1950s, was a major force in jazz music, especially the more ethereal approach associated with the ECM record label. What are some general characteristics of Wheeler’s approach and music that drew you to this project?

JK: Kenny’s melodies really drew me to his music as they continue to play over and over in my head. He had a very lyrical voice and melodic sensibility as a composer and horn player. I am a huge fan of blowing over his tunes, his use of non-functional harmony and unique sense of form is very inspiring. His “free” approach to the music also drew me to work on a project exploring his tunes and taking on more of that approach, such as “The Jigsaw,” “W.W.,” “For Jan,” & “Gentle Piece” from the record. 

JB: The album includes seven originals by Kenny Wheeler and two compositions by Jason (one with two versions). Please give me some general concepts on how you selected the songs you recorded here.

JK: As I mentioned in my brief song notes for “Kind of Kenny,” I was heavily inspired by Kenny’s chamber group recordings that featured really odd instrumentation. This was the basic concept for the album. Kenny’s tunes I included are all favorites of mine. They present different challenges musically that I wanted to strive to try and recreate, honor, and expand on while hopefully maintaining Kenny’s compositional intent throughout. 

JB:  Basically, the ensemble is a guitar duet without a rhythm section of a bass and drums.  There are the occasional trumpet, sax, and vocalize.  Tell us about the musical textures you were striving for in this.

 JK: My goal was actually to have the “rhythm section” be the two guitars, covering all the bass, time, and harmonic basis without having a standard rhythm section. John and I both enjoy playing with implied time while also having our time feel be a bit on top. The textures I was striving for were dark, warm, and ethereal yet beautiful while maintaining a less dense instrumentation overall to highlight both guitars and complement the horns and vocals. Having no bass was a conscious decision to maintain lighter and less dense textures. 

JB: Tell about trumpet/flugelhorn player, Erik Jekabson and what he brought to this project.

JS: It was a pleasure for me to record again with Erik. He brings a very lyrical quality to his playing that works beautifully for this project.

 JK: Erik is one of my favorite trumpet/flugelhorn players in the Bay Area. I first began working with him on our last OA2 Records project we did together; Shaw’s Groove honoring Woody Shaw. Erik brings incredible ideas, energy, and a laid-back openness to the music that is highly inspiring to be around. He brought the entire lineage to the table while expanding upon his unique voice on the horn and captured exactly what I wanted for both my and Kenny’s tunes. 

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JB:  Tell the same about saxophonist Michael Zilber and what he brought to this.

 JK: I have been wanting to work with Mike for years and am a big fan of his playing. I was particularly interested in having John and Mike work together here and wanted to see what they would do together as they have a long musical relationship with recordings and bands over the years. Mike’s playing reminds me a lot of myself; he has a burning energy while still being incredibly tasteful and always serving the moment. He brought all of this and was a breath of fresh air to these tunes, as he is also a big Wheeler fan. His enthusiasm for the project and music was really motivating. 

JS:  Mike Zilber and I have been playing and recording together in duo and quartet settings for more than ten years, and I think that Jason knew that my history with Mike could help the overall sound of the ensemble.

JB:  Then vocalist Danielle Wertz sings her vocalize on half of the tracks.

JS:  Danielle was a great choice. She has big ears, perfect time and intonation, and likes to take chances. She came to the studio directly from the airport and nailed her parts and solos.

JK: Danielle blew me away when I first heard her sing. She was recommended to me by Erik and had sung with the band in different configurations and gigs, so I knew the group sound would be cohesive. Her tone and vocal abilities reminded me a lot of Norma Winstone (Kenny’s longtime vocalist). Danielle is as comfortable singing as a horn player and has an ear for avant-garde and non-functional musical forms, which I really liked and looked for. One of my favorite tracks she sings on is “Kind of Kenny.” I wrote the melody specifically to feature her. 

JB:  John, tell us about the baritone-fretless guitar that you sometimes use on this record.

JS:  My baritone fretless was built for me by luthier Bobby Warren. It was originally a fretted instrument tuned to concert pitch. I had it modified and changed to a fretless instrument by the 12th Fret Guitar Shop in Portland, Oregon. I’m tuning C to C, and the guitar can fill the role of a bass on some of the songs Jason selected for this project. The instrument also works well for single-line solos.

JB:  Jason’s piece, “Wheeler’s Waltz,” is done twice.  Other than the obvious, one is a guitar duet, and the other is for a larger ensemble, including trumpet and vocals.  Why is this song done twice?

JS:   I think that Jason wanted to include the more intimate duet reading of “Wheeler’s Waltz” because we have some history and chemistry that we have developed playing and recording some duets.

 JK: I had originally written this tune years ago for my string band; The New Acoustic Collective which featured 5 musicians at the time. The first official recording that was released featured John Stowell on my 2nd record; “The Axe Axis”. I loved the duet so much and it was the first time we had recorded together. I wanted to include it here as there are so many beautiful moments of interplay and conversation on it. At the same time, I have always wanted to hear this tune with a quintet featuring John, vocals, and 1-2 horns at a slower more ECM-type tempo/style. Although they are the same tune, considering the tempi and instrumentation differences, they almost sound like different tunes which I really like and hope other people enjoy as well! 

JB:  You have created a very “ECMish” sounding recording that pays tremendous respect to the music and artistry of Kenny Wheeler as well as label owner Manfred Eicher and the label that Kenny did so many recordings.

JK: Thank you, Joe! We really appreciate your kind words and Jazz Guitar Today’s support! My hope with this record is to continue shining a bright light on Kenny Wheeler’s music and showcasing how his tunes could be reimagined and innovated by featuring this unique chamber jazz quintet. 

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