LEARNING FROM THE PROS

Travis Braun is still trying to decide what he wants to be. Though concerned about "the money thing," one of the futures the Rolla High School junior is considering is music.

Braun was one of more than 500 musicians between the ages of 10 and 18 who participated Saturday in the first annual Phi Mu Alpha Jazz Festival at Southeast Missouri State University. Bands came from as far away as Clarksville, Tenn., and Mexico, Mo. The Cape Central and Jackson bands did not participate because of scheduling conflicts.

The festival climaxed Saturday night with a concert by the Jefferson City-based Jim Widner Big Band. Besides competing with other bands during the day, the young musicians had an opportunity to work with Widner's musicians in midday clinics.

Braun attended the clinic for rhythm players at the Brandt Building. Guitar players, drummers, pianists and bassists listened as Widner, a bassist himself, and a small combo opened the discussion by playing a silky version of Henry Mancini's "The Days of Wine and Roses."

While his other musicians were elsewhere talking to saxophonists and trumpet players and trombonists, Widner and his rhythm section wanted to talk about a basic: keeping time.

"For any band, without the feel of good time anything else you do is not going to make any difference," he said.

"... It has to happen here (Widner patted his heart) and you've got to have it going on up here," he said, pointing to his head."

The advice also was very specific at times. Widner told the bass players he works off the drummer's "ride" pattern, the rhythm being played on the ride cymbal.

He also favors "laying down a pulse" over playing lots of notes.

Simplicity and clarity were recurring themes.

"Don't ever be ashamed just to play time," said drummer John Von Ohlen, who has his own big band in Cincinnati.

Whether flamboyantly like the late Buddy Rich or more subtly, drummers have to be in charge of the band, he said. "You have to totally control it. They go with you, man."

Kansas City guitarist Brian Harmon provided a perhaps daunting demonstration of the mathematical possibilities inherent in jazz. There are 27 possible 6th and 7th chords and 72 possible 9th chords, he pointed out.

Fortunately, Harmon assured the students, only about 15 of the 6th and 7th chords and perhaps 20 of the 9th chords are used in jazz.

Pianist Steve Schmidt of Cincinnati endorsed the emphasis on rhythm. "Music is like a building," he said. "You've got to start from the bottom up."

Before the workshop, Braun said, "I was confused about getting the guitar and piano to blend together." That was cleared up when Widner and friends demonstrated how not to play. Instead of listening and responding as they had on "Wine and Roses," they intentionally stepped all over each other, and even these pros sounded bad.

"You fill in the holes," Schmidt said. "Sometimes you do not play at all."

Widner, a former bassist with the Stan Kenton, Wood Herman and Glen Miller bands, concluded with an appropriate suggestion perhaps meant for Braun: "Don't be afraid to take chances," he said.

The judges for the festival were Dr. Roger Cody, a retired Truman State music professor; recording artist Mike Metheny, brother of famed guitarist Pat Metheny; Dick Redman, a former Iowa State music professor; Larry Green, a music educator; Carol Moore, director of bands at Mineral Area College and director of the MAC Jazz Festival; and Dr. Bob Meeks, retired Missouri Southern professor of music.

Phi Mu Alpha is the music fraternity at Southeast. Fraternity member Dennis Mayberry, a saxophonist in the Southeast Jazz Band, directed the festival and was aided by 30 Phi Mu Alpha volunteers. He said the intent was to provide the students and audiences in the region a too-rare opportunity to hear "an American art form."

Ratings

The final ratings given the bands were:

Class 1A

Champion: Delta C-7

Class 2A

First: West County

Second: Bismarck

Class 3A

First: North County

Second: Mexico

Third: Ste. Genevieve

Class 4A

First: Marion

Second: Lindbergh

Third: Farmington