Interview by ARTHUR DWELLS
Spalding hope finishes publishing Hope, its first disc for Heads Up International, that presented/displayed the past in direct in Madrid month of September. Hours before the Arthur concert Blackberry it had the opportunity to interview it in his hotel in a relaxed, loose and funny conversation.
ARTHUR DWELLS: You finish publishing Hope, your first disc for Heads Up International. What you can tell us on your relation with your new company?
HOPE SPALDING: Very well, he is fabulous, have much confidence in me, gave me to total creative freedom. They are brilliant, I feel like lucky person to be with them.
ARTHUR DWELLS: When listening your two discs it seems that the piano plays a very important role in your music.
HOPE SPALDING: Yes, that is certain. Of some way I organize my band around the pianist. I am the singing bear and, and the piano goes something in the middle as well as. I must fit with the pianist, and to the pianist it must like what I am doing with the voice, needs to which has sufficient ideas and confidence like touching and finding its site, but that also it contributes many ideas for the low one.
Junjo [the first disc of Spalding Hope] was a more cooperative project with Aruán [Ortiz, pianist] and [the battery Francisco] Mela, was not my music, my group. In Hope is I read [Genovese], the perfect pianist for me.
ARTHUR DWELLS: However in the last subject of your new disc you begin only with contrabass and voice until the guitar of the Josele Boy is gotten up. You have thought about doing something without piano, with guitar, for example?
HOPE SPALDING: Yes, now also there is guitar in my band. For me the idea of an action in direct consists of finding the sound range amplest, color, texture, tension and densidad and, by all means, to use other harmonic instruments helps. Thinking about that I also read touches [Fender] Rhodes and melodic, so between the four (piano, Rhodes, melodic and guitar) we can obtain many different textures.
ARTHUR DWELLS: Now you are touching a low Doolin, that is a guitar under acoustics. When you decided to use it? What offers to you that you do not find in the contrabass?
HOPE SPALDING: Sometimes I have written things that thought that they were stops under electrical, but are not a sound that wants to incorporate to the band, I believe that he would be something rough. I never thought about using it, but then once in Montreal I found this type, Mike Doolin, that constructs instruments. What it really makes are guitars, and had made a low one without frets experience a little, and I saw and I said to him: “déjame to prove it”, and never I thought that it would end up saying this, but really wanted to touch that low. It had never touched low an electrical one until then.
It contributes effects to me by its action, the distance of the cords to the mast and the form to press prudent happiness. There are songs that work more good with low electrical, and I did not want the sound of an electrical one, but this low one has that acoustic sound, more complex, is more depth in the waves of sound, because they leave the vibration of the body, not only of the cords in the tablet, so for me it works like low an electrical one, but without forcing to me to jeopardize the sound of the group. Although yes I conceive the one of the electrical one in other contexts, clearly, and am sure that the day will arrive in which begins to use a Fender in my group.
ARTHUR DWELLS: Of adolescent you touched the violin. You have returned to take that instrument?
HOPE SPALDING: No. I touched the violin during ten years, from the five to the fifteen, and with that already I had enough [laughter].
ARTHUR DWELLS: In recent interviews you counted a history on the advice who gave Pat you Metheny and that animated full-time convertirte in musician. You have had occasion to speak with Pat after that?
HOPE SPALDING: No. For me he was something important, but for him… I believe that he only tried to be an amiable type, I mean, was very amiable that it did that. I had been watching plans to study in New York the months previous to that week, and at the end of that semester, in spring, she had to decide if she left the contrabass player, if she left music and she made another thing, and he was friendly, he she did not know my situation, clearly, and arrived at the study and she said to me: “Hope, I have curiosity exceeds what you want to do with your life”, and said to me: “you know, every day I know many good musicians, but I can say that you have something, if you decide to work hard, if you decide to do it and if you really work hard, you can arrive as far as you can”. And then it said to me: “good, that you spend a good day”, but for me that was like: “good, if it were looking for an answer, I have here it”. And I have returned to see him since then, but only of past. I do not know, you know him, but this interaction meant much for me.
ARTHUR DWELLS: Something as well as a revelation?
HOPE SPALDING: Yes, because people say many things, many good things, so it is difficult to value where he is one, but as student everything seems so far, even for me nowadays, who does not give account you of which you advance. You try to arrive far, but you are not conscious of far that you have arrived already. So you need a experience like this, that somebody comes and it says to you: “it hears you are doing, it well, follows thus”. Then you can follow ahead for always. That was hallucinating.
ARTHUR DWELLS: The majority of the compositions of your new disc is yours. What you look for when you compose? Which is your objective when you face a new subject?
HOPE SPALDING: To finish it [laughter].
ARTHUR DWELLS: Briefly… [laughter].
HOPE SPALDING: Habitually I have five or six subjects by halves, and I must myself put in plan: “Hope, ponte to finish to this subject”, because it seems that each song, each composition has its own character, as if from first notes all outside like a genetic plan, you know: each cell will give information you on the rest of the body. So I have like an idea, a small phrase, or a small harmonic progression, and in that progression it is all the genetic matter that I need to construct the song, so everything is to try to construct the song that would have to exist, the personage who would have to leave there, and not to be putting any thing, you know? So it is like trying to listen what the song tells envelope you what wants to be. Something as well as: you listen to a few compasses, and sometimes the things surprise to you, but everything sounds as if it assumed that it had to be there, as if it had his own character. So that when the finishing a section and beginning with the bridge, I feel that a bridge, as if could hear it of an unconscious form, very passive is necessary, as if the bridge wanted to be there, and then it is necessary to find it. It is almost like: it closes your eyes, it relaxes your mind and you almost can listen what comes now, and that is the challenge: to find it.
ARTHUR DWELLS: So a development is something as well as of down above, nonparts of a global vision of the subject, you develop but it from an outline.
HOPE SPALDING. Yes, when I listen to a fragment small or something thus, I am not conscious, are parts that are clear and to make reach me the rest of the subject, you know?
ARTHUR DWELLS: Everybody knows that you are professor of Berklee. Material what you use to teach to touch the contrabass? Where you concentrate plus your efforts: technique, sound, jazzístico language, of a whole little…?
HOPE SPALDING: It really depends… Generalizing I can say that generally where center is more in teaching to me to my students how to learn, because I believe that long time in class is lost practicing, studying, listening… So what attempt to tell my students is how to remove to the majors possibilities to everything what they make to learn. Also it has to do with how they practice, to be sure that they obtain the maximum, to see how they listen when they are listening… What attempt to do is to teach how to find information to them, so that if comes with a central idea I help to find exercises them that can do. My idea is: I want that, in the future, if they feel that they need something in their form to touch, know how to locate it, where to look for, how to look for and how to incorporate it to its form to touch, because that is what one must do like musician, and one always has mentors, but… And most impressive it is than the students by themselves learn how to find their way and how to assimilate the information.
ARTHUR DWELLS: As far as singing and touching the contrabass simultaneously: it happens this of natural form or you study each interpretation little by little to mix both actions?
HOPE SPALDING: For some specific subjects work slowly so that everything works, and soon also I practice exercises that help to sing, to touch and to have independence me, to be able to listen to a thing and to touch another one and to listen to both. The books of Aebersold enchant to me (1), not necessarily to touch with the band [that touches in the CDs of support], but to be called on each agreed one in the contrabass and soon to sing it simultaneously from another interval, touching the scale in a direction in the contrabass and singing it in another direction with the voice, so that when doing it in real time in the harmony it moves far from you. Of this form you can listen to everything in both voices. When unexpected I only can listen a mind, if I want to improvise singing and touching, what I can make to listen to both? Question of practice.
Or in some subjects in direct… If I want to make a subject of Betty Carter, find out how to touch the adjustment, how to practice this concrete subject slowly at the outset, to go soon increasing the tempo until one becomes natural, and then in the scene itself practicing the song; the necessary abilities I practiced already them before.
ARTHUR DWELLS: Then instead of to sing and to touch simultaneously of natural form, which beams is to work hard so that it sounds natural.
HOPE SPALDING: Yes, and the good thing is that at the outset everybody does this of unconscious form, listening to the songs; I can remember the harmony, the melodies, the form, and of a very natural way, you know. But the part that is not natural comes when you are on the scene and you are responsible for many things beyond the mere fact to sing and to touch. I practice much not to have to think about all this. To sing is almost like acting, has involucrarte in each word, must feel it, it does not have anything to do with singing a song, or remembering the letter. I practice very hard and soon in the scene everything is made easy.
ARTHUR DWELLS: You I already asked the year to it last in Vitoria, but so that our readers know to it: you have absolute ear?
HOPE SPALDING: No.
ARTHUR DWELLS: That is right what you said [laughter to me].
HOPE SPALDING: I am working in that, but he is peculiar, I listen much people with the same history, is like a strange phenomenon, as S.A. to play your you would know what notices you are touching, as S.A. to listen to a note or an agreed one somewhere you would know which is. But I do not have absolute ear.
I know people who have absolute ear and I have seen them become crazy in the concerts when its instrument is pelín desafinado.
ARTHUR DWELLS: We speak a little on your equipment: what contrabass you use, which are your Y amplifiers favorite tablets, and who is your to lutier?
HOPE SPALDING: I have a few contrabasses, but the main one is… I do not know what is, probably of half-full of century XIX, French or German, but with many modifications. He has fir cover and the beater is not of ebony, I do not know of what he is. It is greater than three quarters and smaller than four quarters, but without a defined size. Also I have another contrabass with maple beater that sounds impressive, I do not know it did who it. And also use the Czech-Ease that makes David Gage, that in addition is my to lutier. I began to use it in July and is very well, it enchants to me, and the tablet that use is The Realist, of David Gage. Also use [amplifying] Gallien-Krueger MB150, but I have had problems with him recently, does not sound now like did at the outset, but use amplis GK.
ARTHUR DWELLS: It seems that your musical phantom is very ample. What music listening by simple to please?
HOPE SPALDING: Many things. I am becoming addict to Amazon.com. I listen to the name of an artist in the radio and then I put in Amazon and are five of its discs, and they send them to me by mail in days. I listen A Tribe Called Quest, R&B, the EEC-The… Somebody is difficult to classify to thus, are something as well as the teachers of the production, the Wayne Shorter of the production, you know, the sounds that use are very creative, like Outkast, you know. But really I do not listen to it by pleasing, always I am trying to incorporate something music. That music is so exciting and interesting that attempt to find in her sounds and grooves that can be used in an acoustic band, to secure in an acoustic group the same type of sensation.
But also recently I have been listening to the disc of Ed Blackwell and Don Cherry. My iTunes has something as well as 89 different styles, you know, so many as it can habitually have, and use the random reproduction until encounter the disc that I want to listen.
ARTHUR DWELLS: You consider a jazz musician?
HOPE SPALDING: , Yes clear that yes. And the good thing is that does not mean that also cannot be another type of musician, means, is a chameleon, you know.
SERGIO CABANILLAS: The one that you consider a jazz musician does not keep coherence with which you said the year last in Vitoria over buying a house to him to your mother… [laughter].
ARTHUR DWELLS: Yes, when you touched a subject MGP like twice. We are the police of the jazz! [laughter].
HOPE SPALDING: [laughing] Ah, but that is well! It is like the other day: I was in Israel with Terri Lyne Carrington and Geri Allen, and was a musician of MGP touching before we in the same festival, and the same public filled the audience. He is not stranger who is the name what does to the different things, the commercial mark, instead of the sense that him DAS to music? The same people come to both concerts, is something very strange.
So yes, I consider a jazz musician, and that really does not mean nothing, everything what means is that I can touch good jazz. Practically any artist that we know the world of the R&B or the MGP knows all the rhythm&blues, all the hip-hop, all the soul and all the jazz, and that makes an impression. Somebody as John Mayer knows all the rock, all the folk, all the soul, all the R&B and all the jazz. Chris Botti, that uncle really knows to touch, but it chose to do what does. The jazz musicians need a touch attention, everybody knows our music, but we do not know the one the others, you know what I mean?
ARTHUR DWELLS: Then, you think that the world of the jazz can sometimes be endogámico?
HOPE SPALDING: By all means. It is like very homogenous, it is stupid and sad. Somebody like Robert Glasper, for example, its music is precious, is incredible. But it can touch the world yet, and it does. You go to one of its concerts and can see everybody there, any type of person, that is history!
ARTHUR DWELLS: The jazz has been fed on the mixture of styles from its beginnings.
HOPE SPALDING: Exact, from the beginning, always it has been thus. Like with Motown, those of the rythmical section touched jazz together, and soon they went to the study and they did what they did, you know.
ARTHUR DWELLS: Which are your short term plans and why way you would like that your music was developed in the long term?
HOPE SPALDING: In the short term, I suppose, I have some projects with other musicians, am working in the music of the new disc, so during the next months I will lock in myself and make clear what is going to happen in each song, to whom I need where, what instruments I need in each subject, and that supposes much work, you know, at the level at I want which it to do. Also there is something with Terri Lyne Carrington, we are speaking on the possibility really of making meetings a project. He is incredible, a great composer also. Incredible.
_ and long term… work yet the world, be able touch next to great musician, because thus be as self learn, know. Also including to them in my music. To improve the spectacle, to work hard in that. And to always be prepared to assure to me that before any thing that happens, I can embroider it.
(1) Libros and CDs of practice of Jamey Aebersold with a group touching in them, habitual between jazz students.
http://www.tomajazz.com/
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