Tim Hagans & Jukkis Uotila & Jukkis Uotilaim Hagans....

During the summer of 1973, I attended a Stan Kenton summer camp.  I met Stan’s trumpet players as well as another trumpet player from Ohio, John Harner.  John joined the band a few months later and called me to join the band in June of 1974. My professional career was launched. Stan’s band had always been my favorite band.  A powerful sound that pushed the extremes…..so soft the audience leaned forward to make sure the band was playing and so loud, in the next moment, that their ribs would vibrate.

I was not the best player Stan could have hired but he liked the fact that I tried different things and experimented every night.  We played a lot of modal music. Soloing on minor chords for extended periods lead me to chromaticism and establishing emotional relationships with every note…..vertically, horizontally…..there were no wrong notes.   It was a great experience and a great environment in which to develop.
I left the band in January of 1977 to join the  Woody Herman Orchestra.   I was fired after a month and it became obvious to me that I had a lot of work to do with regards to playing over changes and smooth 8th-note lines.
I moved to Malmö, Sweden and began playing all sorts of music from be-bop to totally free music.  I worked with the Swedish Radio Jazz Group, Örjan Falhström and the jazz/funk group White Orange.

I also played in Denmark with the Danish Radio Band with Thad Jones and later the Thad Jones Eclipse.  This was a dream situation for me as Thad was one of my all-time heroes.  I was also a member of the Ernie Wilkins Almost Big Band.  To play with Ernie and Thad was an honor and an important learning experience for me.  I also played in assorted small groups with Sahib Shihab, Kenny Drew, Horace Parlan, Ed Thigpen, Nils- Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Bent Jeadig, Idrees Suileman, Erling Kroner and the Crème Fraiche Big Band.
I returned home to Ohio in 1982 and lived in Cincinnati for a few years.  I taught at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati with Rick Van Matre and had a great time playing with Al Nori, Steve Schmidt, John Von Ohlen, Lynn Seaton and the Blue Wisp Big Band on a regular basis.  In 1984 I took a teaching position at the Berklee College of Music.  Some of the musicians in Boston that I played with and learned from were Steve Rochinski, George Garzone, Bert Seager, Gordon Brisker, Joe Hunt, Dan Greenspan and Ken Cervenka.  I was also able to meet and play with some of my early trumpet heroes from Buddy Rich’s band…Greg Hopkins, Wayne Naus, Jeff Stout and George Zonce.

Through all of these experiences and travels, I knew eventually that I had to move to New York City.  All of my favorite bands and recordings were from that scene.  There is a special energy one feels in New York unlike any other energy in any other place.  I felt it immediately when I stepped off of the bus on a high school trip to New York.  New York is the place where all of the weirdoes, too intense for their own hometown’s local scene, congregate to confirm, comfort and conspire. So I took the plunge in 1987 and knew that I would find an incredible group of people who were like minded.

That group included Bob Belden, Joe Lovano, Vic Juris, Fred Hersch, Scott Lee, Marc Copland, Jim Powell, Maria Schneider, Bob Mintzer, Jay Anderson, Conrad Herwig, Jeff Hirshfield, Kenny Werner, Greg Osby, Kevin Hays, Rich Shemaria, Bill Stewart, Marcus Printup, Drew Gress, Billy Kilson, John Fedchok, Gary Peacock, Rick Margitza, Matt Wilson, Mike Formanek, Gary Smulyan, Jim Snidero, Dennis Irwin, Steve Slagle, John Riley, Judi Silvano, Larry Grenadier, Barry Ries….the list is infinite.
A few words about Bob Belden and Joe Lovano.  Bob and I were separated at birth. When we met in 1989, it was like brothers being reunited.  We have the same favorite records, inspired by the same musicians and are trying to reach the same illusive level of energy.  He’s a true genius…………(a term that is often thrown around loosely and thereby diminishing its weight… not in Bob’s case).  He’s an amazing saxophonist, composer (check out Black Dahlia), producer, historian, film maker and visionary.

Joe Lovano is the consummate jazz musician.  Unlike so many other musicians today, he has developed an individual melodic and harmonic voice that is immediately recognizable.  A true improviser, he uses this voice, in the most swingin’est, hippest way, to make highly emotional statements.  And like Monk, Bird, Thad Jones and Trane, Joe’s compositions are derived from his musical voice as well.  It’s my honor and privilege to work with Bob and Joe.  If it wasn’t for their support and interest, I’d still be doing weddings in Jersey!
Both of them were enormously influential in convincing Blue Note to record me.  Joe produced and played on No Words in 1994 and Bob has been involved in my other recordings as a player or mastermind producer.  I am also extremely grateful to Bruce Lundvall for showing confidence in me and for giving me complete artistic freedom. In a time of formula adherence and accountant interference, Bruce showed a lot of courage and trust when he signed me to Blue Note Records.
http://www.timhagans.com/