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Interview With Jeremy Pelt
october 2012
by Achille Brunazzi
photo by Sergio Cimmino
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Jeremy Pelt is one of the brightest expressions of the
jazz trumpet talent at an international level. Born in
1976 in California, Pelt arrived in New York in
1998 after completing the famous Berklee College of Music in Boston.
In the Big Apple Pelt has quickly gained an overlap in the Mingus Big Band,
where he showed his great instrumental virtuosity and stylistic versatility. Nat
Hentoff in The Wall Street Journal - one of the most influential and appreciated
music critics - and Down Beat Magazine have devoted their artistic value, the latter
naming him "Rising Star" for five consecutive years. Since
2002 Pelt heads a quintet who recorded several recordings for Fresh
Sound through the MaxJazz and finally the High Note Record up album "Soul" in
2012. In the following interview Pelt talks
about the early days of his musical career, his schooling and its role as an educator
and teacher at Jackie Mclean Institute, discussing also on the evolution of his
musical personality since his arrival in New York.
Who or what first induce you
to the music and when you started being familiar with that?
My mother used to play jazz around the house all the time, though the recordings
were all singers. It wasn't until I got to 10th grade, that my music teacher in
Jazz band hipped me to a lot of musicians like Miles Davis, etc.
Anyone in your family was a musician?
I came from an actor's family. That said, my uncle played trumpet in the army.
When and how you did understand that your mission would
it be that of playing?
I knew that playing would be my life when I first heard Miles play "So What"
on "Live at Carnegie
Hall 1961"
Would you quote the greatest teacher and lesson you learnt
at school during your youngness.
One of the greatest lessons learned while I was in school was from my high school
music teacher who said, If you're going to make a mistake, make it loud!"
What was your typical daily practice as a very young trumpet
student?
As a young jazz student my daily routine was transcribing one solo a day.
Which music did you listen in those years? And the first
approach to jazz music?
In my earlier years, I was primarily listening to rap and classical!
How beneficial was the Berklee College of Music and who
was your teacher?
Berklee was beneficial in that it provided a community of like- minded students.
My teachers there were Jeff Stout and Charlie Lewis.
What was your first impression of New York once arrived
there? What did you learn personally and musically from the Big Apple? Did you have
any mentor?
Once I arrived in NY, honestly I was surprised at how unprepared some students and
slightly younger musicians were, and how the scene embraced mediocrity and was incredibly
lenient. My perception was that you couldn't be bullshitting when you got to NY!
What I've since learned from my time in NY thus so far, is to be open to change.
I'm not the exact same person I was musically when I first moved to town, and I'm
grateful for that! My mentor was (and still is) Dr. Eddie Henderson!
What would you recommend to a young jazz musician who arrives
to New York like you did some years ago?
For a young person looking to arrive in NY, I would suggest that they have the essentials
together, in terms of their musicality, and be open to change.
When you started playing in the Mingus Big Band? Tell us
more about that experience.
I started playing in the Mingus band in the fall of '98, and more frequently in
'99. Philip Harper (a great trumpeter) hooked me up with the gig. The experience
was great because it offered a concentrated pool of NY's finest musicians right
in one room! I got connected with so many other gigs because of the Mingus band.
For instance, I met Vincent Herring in the band and that led to me playing
with Louis Hayes!
From your first record as a bandleader to the last one
" Soul " for High Note, what evolution you can perceive in your music?
I would say one of the biggest evolutions realized between my first recording, "Profile"
(Fresh Sound, 2002) and "Soul" (HighNote,
2012), is how to pace myself and tell a story
in such an unnatural environment as a studio. That's important.
You are also an educator: what do you think is the most
important thing your students need to learn?
As an educator, I teach my students to be prepared and learn HOW to listen, and
not be lazy.
What's for you the talent in a jazz musician?
The talented musician possesses all the qualities mentioned above.
Among the greatest giant from the past, who was your favorite?
Could you quote some records you really dig?
It's impossible to list one "favorite" OR their albums! I dug everyone from Pops
to Roy Eldridge to Miles to Booker Little to Freddie Hubbard
to Lee Morgan and Kenny Dorham.
What music do you listen besides jazz?
I like a lot of old R&B, oldies, and electronica, as well as some of today's Hip-Hop.
What do you think about European jazz? Do you like any
European jazz musician?
In general, I like European jazz musicians, however, I hesitate to call it "European
Jazz" since most of what they're playing has it's roots in American music. Truthfully,
I hate the term "European Jazz" because it gives the perception that there's actually
a difference between the two continents in terms of the music. I was just in Italy,
playing with all Italian musicians and they were swinging the same as they do in
the States and we played the same standards as we do in the states! Problem with
"Jazz: in general is that too many people are trying to divide it so that they can
somehow retain a sense of pride as if they started something. It's all improvised
music and it's thoroughly American. I don't hear such an argument when we're talking
about Charles Ives or William Grant Still versus Mozart and
Chopin. It's just all defined as classical music regardless of where the
particular composition was derived from.
What model of trumpet do you use?
I play a Harrelson custom-made trumpet, Summit Model.
What will the future of jazz music be?
I can't tell you what the future of jazz will be. I hope I'm here to see it!
Insert an opinion
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Publishing Date: 31/12/2012
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