By Char Ham

Although it has been three years since James Newton has released an album, one would assume this innovative flutist has been quietly sitting on the sidelines, like a veteran ballplayer obediently relegated to second string duty. No way. Besides his duties as a music professor at University of California in Irvine, Newton composed the scores for "Violet," a tri-commissioned work and "String Quartet #2" for the Colorado String Orchestra, traveled with composer and pianist Jon Jang to work on a piece with the Beijing Opera inspired by composer Me Lanfang, conducted workshops and master classes in the U.S.A. and abroad, and most admirably, watch his children, James III and Jeannelle blossom into adulthood.

Newton has not been resting on past laurels and accomplishments, the most visible one being voted top flutist for 16 years straight in Downbeat's Readers' Poll. Yet, Newton faced an uphill battle with his new album,"Above Is Above All." Without any interest from record companies, Newton was forced to self release, something he hadn't done in 20 years. He blamed it on, "The music business right now is unbelievably conservative. Experimentalism has been pushed so far back. It's in all of the arts, if you look at it. Thus, it gives one even a greater desire to make a powerful statement for continual change and be the person who pushes the cart over the cliff." He's observed that conservative attitude pervades societal living, especially those in charge by narrowing diversity and instead as he puts it, "lowering the common denominator further and further from art that has the capability of challenging people." For him, this album "is a statement of artistic freedom and having a belief to make a certain set of choices that are important to you, rather than leaving the choices to people who don't know anything about the music nor take care of business well."

Sad to say, the jazz world has seemingly already forgotten the legacy of those like Miles Davis who as Newton puts it, "kept associating himself with younger musicians. He'd have them incorporate the new rhythmic innovations and even change his mind set as they went along."

The initial spark for the album came from a curiosity with electronic music of the late 60's. Newton observed, "a lot of material was left undeveloped and more could be done with it. I feel it has a certain relevance with the technology that's happening today." But what pushed Newton towards an interest in using computers was composing music for a choreographic work, "Gumbo Ya Ya," for the San Francisco Ballet in 1993. With the help of friends, Pedro Eustache and Thomas Stones III, Newton not only learned about using computers but more importantly, the three discussed conceptionally the function of electronic music. Newton explained, "that electronic music hits and goes through [the listener's] body, and how tones hit certain parts of the body." Newton clearly states this album is not worshiping cyberspace, but "conceived for the glory of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ."

Basically, using computers was a vehicle to express how spirituality and a relationship with God has been a major factor in his life, starting from visiting his grandparents who lived in the rural South. At age four, Newton remembered going to church with them were his earliest memories of music, as he related, "People sung in a very raw matter. Some of the tones were very pure, and others sang like Bessie Smith."

Such technology enabled Newton to play all the instruments, and a reason for this was when he worked in band settings he saw musicians hung up more on an ego trip than stressing the music itself and working towards a group consensus. Newton said, "Sure, jazz is so much about the individual, but it's the group too. The whole star thing is repulsive. When you are in a group environment, it's what the whole sum of the group is about. That is, the kind of level of communication that exists between them and how much they give of themselves to one another for this group effort brings unity. So many times the ego gets in the way of getting to the point of what you are trying to express on stage. I toured less because I got so sick of this."

Don't get the idea he dislikes musicians, though. Via cyberspace, he's been able to connect with musicians who too, want to stress community building over pumping up one's ego like a hot air ballon. These colleagues are African American musicians who dedicate themselves to God and help by doing good, whether it'd be teaching kids music in schools, or mentoring young people with single parents, showing them they have abilities to make it through life and can contribute to society. This is not a new idea but something Newton observed in his grandparents' community. "If someone was having a problem on his or her farm, on Saturday, everyone would be there to help. Or if they needed to put a fence up, or they were late in taking care of the crops and they couldn't get it done, everyone would be there. The next day, most of the people you saw were in church. Church was a central part of the life experience."

The title track was inspired by a dream Newton had in which, "I was looking at a ceiling and each century were plates made not out of concrete, but something strong and sturdy like concrete. Each plate represented a century, and the corners started to evaporate and the different centuries moved into one another. It was like seeing the 2nd century connected with the 20th century, and the 3rd with the 8th." What it illustrated was how events and people can be connected, but in a nonlinear timeline.

Parents needing to be receptive to their children inspired "Jeannelle's Dream," based on Newton's interactions with his daughter. Perhaps the most difficult role to take on but yet can be the most satisfying is that of being a parent. It is not easy understanding your kids or their friends but what Newton has learned is that "they have an agenda and you have to take the time to listen to them. Then you act and respond rather than just saying, 'This is this and that is that.' You have to look at their perspective also. Of course, it doesn't mean they make all of the decisions but it means you have to realize what they're going through is nothing like what you went through. The pressures are much more grave, and that's something that I think about when dealing with them. You notice there's a hip-hop influence on the CD which reflects what is important to them and their outlook towards the way they perceive life."

Although both children contributed to the album, Jeannelle especially did as she was highly knowledgeable with computers, such as arranging beats on some numbers, or made suggestions. Recently, he engineered some work for her rap group and he found it to be quite a learning experience. In turn, the group expanded their knowledge about music from him.

"African Cyborg" was inspired from Newton's travels to South Africa shortly after Mandela was inaugurated president. Newton admitted, "One of the things that amazed me was how much African-American music I heard while I was there and what a huge influence African-American music made on African music. Of course, African music is the foundation of African-American music, and you'd sense the interconnectiveness. I heard Highlife and Funk mixed together as well as other hybrids. Some of the music came out of a feeling that I had after the riots, and I was going to South Central [Los Angeles]. I kept thinking over and over about the places where I either stayed or used to pass by all the time, were burned and destroyed. I understood the anger. I have a lot of anger and frustration about the situation, but there's so many different tragedies going on. Instead of living in real communities, we've become hyper-urban."

It was that sense of community that strengthened the civil rights movement, and his sensitivity made him the perfect candidate to be commissioned by the Virginia Opera to compose "The Songs of Freedom," based on oral histories of civil rights activists collected by him and Nancy Fales Garrett. He admitted this has been the most ambitious project to date. Already other companies have expressed interest in performing it, and will be able to once the exclusive agreement runs out with Virginia Opera in 2001. One of them is an Italian company where already some of the arias have been performed. The pieces are a potpourri of spirituals, ragtime, arias, and more with modern arrangements without losing the music's substance. He emphasized such music gives strength in the difficult times. As he said it, "That spirit transcends the stench of life."

Newton continues to teach, mainly graduate music performance courses at the university. He does not view teaching just as a means of paying bills, but finds it a pleasure to watch students grow in their appreciation for their instrument and music. As he stated, "I enjoy seeing someone grow and blossom. My teaching is not just about music, but it's about life too. That's why I love to teach. I think of what I learned long ago that I'm now just beginning to understand. As John Carter explained, 'It's not just about the notes, but it's a lifestyle and a commitment.'"

Carter, the late clarinetist, was a mentor to Newton. Newton spoke of Carter with great dignity. "His commitment to his instrument achieved a rare level of virtuosity. Some people don t care at all about their words and their commitment to other people. But he was a noble and honorable man. His words carried great weight, which meant a lot."

Long before all this, Newton's start as a musician began as a teenager playing bass in a band which specialized in Jimi Hendrix songs. The destiny that drew him to play flute came from watching a flutist perform as part of a theatrical production of "Death of a Salesman." Newton studied with Buddy Collette and worked with Carter, Stanley Crouch, Arthur Blythe, and Bobby Bradford, then took the plunge to bolster his career by going to New York. Despite the hardships, Newton flourished by working in various band situations and met artists, some of whom he later collaborated with on albums such as David Murray, Frank Wess, and Anthony Davis. Soon after Newton's recording career began, his experiences of working in different settings and in different aspects of jazz helped open doors. Yet at the same time, he never lost his vision of what he wanted to do.

Never losing one's vision spills over into what Newton teaches his students. Reflecting on his experiences of working in New York, Newton said, "It s important to have a flexible plan. Don t try to play only with one group of musicians or in one particular discipline or with one approach to music. I worked in a number of areas and developed relationships with different sets of musicians because not just in New York, but everywhere a set of cliques exist. I would say to a musician that one of the most important things is avoid that. New York can suck you up if your personality is not strong and it can spit you out because there's a lot of fool's gold. I recommend to set your own pace and remember who you are. Sure, take in the great art, but don t lose yourself and your sense of direction you had before you came. Many young artists change when they lose themselves or they get so wrapped up with being a part of the scene that they forget what's important to them. You have a mirror, an image of yourself and keep that as you move through working there building a career, but the main thing is in the end what gives you success is to be as Duke Ellington said, 'Not a number two somebody else but a number one yourself.'"

This philosophy is taken to heart, as evidenced in the output of Newton's albums. His expansiveness of styles is like that of a painter using the spectrum of colors on his or her palette, whether it'd be the majestic, earthlike "Echo Canyon," or an early recording of his, the powerfully driven "Paseo Del Mar," or uniquely reinterpreting the music of Ellington and Billy Strayhorn in "The African Flower," to name a few.

Throughout his career, Newton has had a fascination with world music, long before it became a popular term. In the 70's his interest in Japanese music led him to work with koto players, then he explored African music in 1983 with the album "Axum." Sometimes it wasn't just the music of another culture that drew him to record an album. With "Suite for Frida Kahlo," he was fascinated by the life of a Mexican painter, who despite suffering a lifetime of pain from a tragic accident, went on to achieve greatness. Over the years, he's explored Chinese music, region by region. He's worked with Qi-Chao Liu, a multi-faceted instrumentalist, and Chen Jei Bing, an erhu (a two-stringed musical instrument played with a bow) player. With Bing, they will be releasing a duet album on the Water Lily Acoustics label. Bing and Newton just played with Jon Jang's sextet at the Beijing International Jazz Festival.

Most record labels strictly look at music business in terms of dollars and cents, or if they express an interest in music, limit it to promoting. But with Water Lily Acoustics head, Kavi Alexander, he has the keen insight of bringing together musicians of different styles to complement one other. Such was the case of Kahdri Gopalnath, Puvalur Srinivasar, and Newton brought together for the album, "Southern Brothers," set for release in mid-February. Newton spoke highly of Alexander and the project. "He thought this combination would work and boy, he was right. The music was on such a high level. It's a chromatic universe but at the same time, their cycles are highly developed. I played with as much feeling and with as much festivity as possible, just to literally record the beauty of the different tones. I think when people hear it, they're going to love it."

Even with his busy schedule, Newton finds time to express himself through another medium -- writing poetry. Some of his poems were posed on his website (http://www.arts.uci.edu/jnewton/). Currently, he is in the process of reorganizing the site, so the poems are temporarily pulled. Why write poetry? He said, "It gives another perception about what I'm thinking and who I am. I think artists need to have different outlets. Poetry is a way of documenting emotions and outlooks."

Anyone who meets Newton realizes he or she has truly met a musician's renaissance man, realizing Newton is eager to explore many genres and styles, insightful of their elements to create unified works of art. He is a rare bird who understands life in a holistic sense, especially in terms of people interacting within a community, whether it'd be a city, the world, or cyberspace.

For more information about the music of Africa, please see http://www.ina.fr/CP/AfricArt/100CD/index.html. In addition to CD reviews, there is a glossary of terms.

Copyright (c) 1998 Char Ham.