By Phil DiPietro

While Bryan Lopes' name may be "new" on the jazz scene, he has been toiling diligently as a working musician in the Atlanta area for many years. When you hear Bryan for the first time, as I fervently hope that the majority of you who read this article may, and in turn, take the next step of investigating the resume, the obvious question becomes, "Where has this guy been hiding?" An extremely powerful tenor saxophonist of virtuoso technique and broad versatility, his recorded output thus far includes appearances on independently released projects by Dixie Dreg T Lavitz ("Gossip"), bassist Joseph Patrick Moore ("Soulcloud"), pianist Bill Anschell ("Rhythm Changes", http://www.mindspring.com/billanschell/anschellcds.htm) the Phil Smith Consortium, drummer Sonny Emory (E,W and F, Steely Dan)'s solo cd, free funk jazzers Megaphone Man's self-titled live debut recording and Count M'Butu's Terminus release,"See the Sun". He also has a recorded performance in the can on the much-fabled, yet real, unreleased Aquarium Rescue Unit cd. He has played and recorded for Chick Corea, Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Natalie Cole, Aretha Franklin, Stone Temple Pilots, Don Henley, CNN, TBS, TNT, and played on some major TV commercials. He spends a significant amount of time earning a musical living with a wildly successful corporate band called Ruperts Orchestra.

Early on, Bryan's talents were recognized by Downbeat Magazine as a New Bedford, Massachusetts teenager when he won a national award for outstanding high school soloist and subsequently toured in the All-American Jazz Band. Those kudos helped him to a scholarship from the Berklee College of Music, where he studied with saxophone great George Garzone and played in the school's first touring ensemble. One of the most highly regarded players in the ensemble at the time, he swapped choruses with many of the then-"young lions" now at the top of today's mainstream jazz scene. The thing is, while certainly an expert mainstream player, his true musical passion does not comfortably rest in the realm of straight-ahead jazz. What does this mean when you hear Bryan’s lines? It means that along with long improvisatory stretches displaying mastery of the complex harmonic concepts of, say, a Lovano or Brecker, you’re going to get a fair amount of screeching skronking an honking a la Ornette ,some single-man, low-note, section-style hiccupping (which he frequently voices on bass clarinet) reminiscent of Doc Kupka from TOP, and some flat out R and B- style wailing by a guy that stands 6 foot 2 and goes about 240. Powerful, powerful stuff all.

After a stint in New York and then making a big move to Atlanta, all the while allowing his own voice to develop, he now finds himself a core member of an elite cadre of Atlanta/Athens based musicians making adventurous, aggressive, exploratory and largely improvisatory music steeped equally in influences of jazz, bluegrass, southern jamband rock and loose funky grooves. Flowing out of weekly jam sessions conceived and hosted by drummer Jeff Sipe (aka Apartment Q258) the players include a roster of Count M’Butu on percussion, Jimmy Herring and Randy Honea on guitars, Ricky Keller and Neal Fountain on bass, and Bryan on sax.

1998 yielded an east coast tour for the Apartment Projects heaviest incarnation, with a post- ARU but pre-Allman Brother/Friend of Phil Jimmy Herring spearheading Sipe's road show with Lopes on sax and Neal Fountain, fresh off a stint with Colonel Bruce Hampton's Fiji Mariners, on bass. These gigs gave all players equal "court time" if you will, for soloing, and equal hand in "composing" their spur of the moment jams. Fountain and Lopes enjoyed it so much, they were compelled to continue, at first with Sipe's participation and then, with his increasingly full schedule, without it, tapping Jeff Reilly for the drum chair. Renaming the band Megaphone Man, an independently released cd showcasing the band's highly evolved seat-of-the-pants style made its way to consumers in 1999 with a full length follow-up due for release imminently, this time with Fountain on bass and guitar, but that's another story.

The story at the moment, though, is that after much rumination and a bit of "shopping" Bryan finds himself, at this point, ready to "let go" of a truly independent gem, a fortunate documentation of a studio date he did in 1998 with Fountain and Sipe, a cd simply entitled "The Bryan Lopes Trio". The disc has already been selected by JazzSouth, a quarterly project showcasing southern jazz artists deserving greater exposure, for broadcast on 200 affiliates, most of them National Public Radio, earlier this year. With this interview and a series of electronic email announcements , Bryan is hereby rolling the disc out for public consumption in the most “independent”, direct way possible. From his hard disc to his cd burner to snail mail to you directly will come an hour of music worthy of major label reproduction and distribution, sporting nothing short of world class playing by each member. How do you procure this gem? Email Bry at Blopessax@aol.com and get the details. You WILL get a response, a price, a payment address, and a fantastic disc at a nominal cost. Read on for how this came to pass, and more.

AAJ: How old are you and where did you grow up?

BL: I am 35 and I grew up in New Bedford, MA

AAJ: How did you get into music?

BL: My brother, Chris started playing guitar. I got jealous and wanted to play something too…it’s his fault! I started playing at age 11. I grew up listening to rock and R & B, then jazz.

AAJ: Who were your influences as a musician, and more specifically, on sax?

BL: Growing up they would be John Coltrane, Michael Brecker, Wayne Shorter, David Sanborn and Cannonball Adderly in equal parts.

AAJ: Tell us about those periods of what you feel, were of most intense growth as a musician.

BL: My most intense growth has always come at times of adversity, such as transitioning to college, my divorce, medical problems, etc. There's something about that “searching within yourself” during those times that makes it’s way into your playing.

AAJ: Are you quite conversant/knowledgeable in music theory?

BL: No! But yes, I can certainly read and write music quite competently. But I don’t think about harmony when I’m soloing. If you're asking what factors into my playing , the technical stuff or my gut, it's certainly just from my feeling, my musicality. I 'm not thinking about technical things when I play, ever. On the other hand, I can certainly play other people's tunes with a chart in front of me, if that's what you're asking. In fact I do that a lot with session work. But I’m naturally blessed with fast fingers and technique. Sometimes I feel like playing more than I should. If you boil it down I am really an “ear” player so I play more, y’ know, what I think would be appropriate for my happiness.

AAJ: Well, shouldn't we all. You get some extremely high notes out of the tenor sax, so much so and with such control it sounds like an alto at times. Have you always been able to “over blow” so easily?

BL: No, I started working on my altissimo in high school and of course, from then on. That “out” influence really led me to develop it, and now I've gained a lot of control over it. I also play soprano and bass clarinet, but I'm capable of going real high and real low on the tenor when I'm too lazy to bring all my horns to the gig.

AAJ: So, what events precipitated your becoming, sort of, greater Atlanta’s numero uno sax guy? What are some of the projects you were involved in leading up to that time?

BL: In terms of events leading me here, I met a woman from Atlanta when I was at Berklee who influenced me to come down here. Basically, after a period of struggling, I was able to get more work which snowballed and now, voila…busy guy! I started doing big shows that came through town like Aretha, Ray Charles, and Joe Williams.

AAJ: How did Sipe arrive at the place he was? That is, having the best cats in Athens and Atlanta coming to jam on a regular basis. And how did you become a core member of that unit?

BL: Well, I moved to Atlanta not only before anybody knew who I was, but before anybody knew who Jeff was. Jeff was in the first band I played with when I moved to Atlanta in 1988. That's well before the ARU (Aquarium Rescue Unit) took off or any of Jeff's stuff with Jonas Hellborg or his stuff now with ( Leftover) Salmon and Derek (Trucks) and Susan (Tedeschi). We became fast friends…. Jeff is a great musician, so that's like a magnet.. other good musicians to want to play with him.

AAJ: How did the 1998 disc come about?

BL: I wanted to do a recording just as kind of an “audio business card” and talked to Jeff. I asked him who we should get to play bass and he recommended Neal Fountain. I mean, it turned out better than I thought it would going in. It's a bit more than a business card, and people have expressed interest, so I decided to get the word out and make it available.

AAJ: So it's now “officially” being sold on a low-tech basis, by yourself?

BL: Because it was just for my “private use”, I really never took the time to shop it properly. Now it's three years later, and relatively speaking, nobody has heard it. The music business is changing profoundly. Rather than put it on mp3 or something, I've just decided to basically send 'em to folks as requests come in, for a cheap price that would probably exceed whatever profits I'd get from a label deal. So yeah, I'll say it. if you want one, I’ll burn you a copy and send it to you! Simple as that! email me at BLopessax@aol.com to get it.

AAJ: Tell us about the NPR feature on it recently and how that came about with zero label support.

BL: One of the producers of the show got hold of the disc somehow. He played it for a listening panel and surprise, surprise I won a spot along with Jeff Berlin. I think that being paired on a segment with Berlin really speaks volumes about the quality of the bass playing on the disc as well. Neal Fountain is just a fantastic player that more people should know about. The guy can play great in any style, from straight ahead to free to r'n'b, funk to just all out weird, kinda like me! Another thing that's cool is we both get to blow changes on a few tunes without anybody playing harmony underneath. Sometimes Neal stops playing basslines and chords and I'll just be alone with Sipe. And sometimes I drop out an Neal plays by himself over Jeff. This has continued with Megaphone Man, our little combo, but is now changing again, because Neal's starting to focus on his guitar playing a bit more.

AAJ: What kind of recording technology did you use on the date?

We were all digital on that date, but I honestly prefer the sound and warmth of 2-inch analog.

AAJ: How does playing with one of the top drummers in the world, like Sipe, affect your playing? Any technical aspects of the rhythmic approach (do you count or feel time), or is playing and listening the key?

BL: Of course listening is the key, but I’ve worked on being rhythmically interesting myself, not just playing 8th’s and 16th’s like traditional jazz. This is such an important part of all music, not just jazz. To phrase rhythmically as well as with shape and melodic (or unmelodic) contour to the lines. Sipe always brings out the best in me. We make each other play in a more “experimental” manner.

AAJ: What other fantastic musicians, famous or not so famous, do you associate or do recordings/dates with?

BL: Hey, man, I actually did a Sinatra show, so if you want to start dropping names, you can't go beyond that... and I recently did a session with the Stone Temple Pilots. There are a few, but my emphasis right now is recording with Neal Fountain and Jeff Reilly in our our group Megaphone Man.

AAJ: How much of you is wrapped up in the Megaphone Man Project? Explain how that project came about.

BL: Megaphone Man is by far my main enjoyable musical outlet at the moment. The original members were me, Sipe, and Fountain, but Sipe was so busy with Leftover Salmon, that he couldn’t continue. Neal recommended his friend, Jeff Reilly on the kit and that was it. It actually started off as the “Bryan Lopes Trio”, then we changed drummers from Sipe to Reilly and changed the name. If you listen to my cd and then the Megaphone Man disc that came out in 1999, you'll hear the progression. We started off more “traditional jazz”, changed to a more groove oriented with our first Megaphone Man record and our next record is just gonna be a knockout. We added an instrument but not a member. Neal's playing guitar and bass on this one. We've added elements of atmospheric stuff with some Americana type instrumental stuff inspired by some of Frisell's style. It certainly hasn't been financially rewarding, but the tunes are great and the disc is going to be killing.

AAJ: Any wild stories re Megaphone Man or Apt Project gigs you’d care to have out there?

BL: Glad you asked. On one of our “Apartment Projects” gigs in Blacksburg, VA, which thankfully, has been widely circulated by tape traders out there, Neal and I had a bit too much to drink. We slow danced real nicely after the show and then wound up having a bit of a wrestling match, after which I had fun depositing all of his equipment outside in the gravel!

Another time, on a Megaphone Man gig, I was playing a solo with my eyes closed and I hear “BASH! BANG!” No more bass! Neal had thrown his bass into the crowd! Fortunately, only a knob fell off and it didn’t hurt anybody. It was funny to look up from my solo only to see some guy in the crowd pick up Neal’s bass and start playing it. I mean, sometimes it has been that frustrating , playing challenging music for small crowds with busy schedules and families to take care of. It's good to turn that frustration into humor. I only hope that sometimes people can actually hear that in the music and it can help them feel better, too.

AAJ: Do you want to keep doing the Megaphone Man thing, your own project or would you rather play with some other leaders?

BL: I love the “Megaphone Man” thing, but I also love playing in the “Apartment Projects.” I’m sure I’ll do one where I am the leader again, just not right now. I'd love to work with a lot of folks, like Ornette, Peter Erskine or Joe Lovano. And any of the guys from XTC are free to contact me anytime!

AAJ: Please tell us about your recent, not self-imposed, hiatus from the world of music.

BL: Well, I had to go in for heart surgery due to some interesting genetic problems. I had to have a double by-pass. This happened last year, when I was 34.

AAJ: How has this changed your perception of life in general and your sense of urgency with the music in particular?

BL: What it did most was make me realize what an amazingly wonderful wife and incredibly beautiful children I have! With the music, it just made me all in love again and have fun instead of just thinking of it as a business, which had begun to dominate my priorities. That being said, it also made me want to get this disc out there instead of holding onto it, waiting for something to break.

AAJ: What music holds your most extreme interest these days, and what of it may influence your next project or recording?

BL: Really that’s a tough question…I most like listening to the “greats” and the people I listed as influences.

AAJ: Well what are some of most recent things in your cd player?

BL: Let’s see. I have the Stone Temple Pilots thing I worked on, an Ornette Coleman compilation, Vincent Mendoza, the Yellow Jackets with Bobby Mintzer, and a live Megaphone Man recording for “self- critiquing purposes.”

AAJ: Tell us about your compositional approach, with Megaphone Man, your own thing, or with your other projects.

BL: My own tunes are based on a traditional approach, with jazz structure and exact chord changes, melody, and harmony, but in Megaphone Man, it's a collaboration where I’ll come up with a melody and Neal will come up with the changes or vise versa. Other tunes just grow out of spontaneous jams, both in rehearsal and on the date. What am I saying? I can't even remember the last time we had a rehearsal, actually. We haven't rehearsed since '99.

AAJ: Any other things you want people to know about your latest recording and project?

BL: Well, in terms of my own disc, it certainly isn't my latest, but I want people to hear it, so come and get it. The new Megaphone Man is going to be great, with a lot of space, room for the listeners and the players, you know. And it's a studio project as compared to our first release which is a compendium of 2 nights of live music. We really feel it will be something that will stand the test of time, as opposed to the last thing, which was a snapshot of where we were then.

AAJ: Any projects in the pipeline or any stuff we may not have touched on?

BL: There’s going to be a live “Apartment Projects” CD coming out that we’re really excited about. It’ll be out late 2001 or early 2002. I've been told I'm "well-represented " on it. And I'm really looking forward to the Zambiland gig this year. For the folks that don't know it's an annual benefit show put on by Sipe and Ricky Keller every year near Christmas. This year is going to be absolutely off the hook again. The ARU is scheduled to perform a rare gig, with Oteil, Jimmy Herring, Jeff and Colonel Bruce. Project Z's going to play, Blueground Undergrass, and so many others. Everybody jams with each other. My good friend Jeff Coffin, from the Flecktones, is coming again this year, and it's always a pleasure to play with him. This year some of the proceeds will benefit Mark Vann of Leftover Salmon (notes: Vann was diagnosed with Melanoma in September. see: www.variety-playhouse.com for details on the Zambiland show) .

AAJ: Where can people look for info on your appearances/schedule?

BL: At www.jambase.com . Just search on Megaphone Man. That's a great site and they do a great job letting us update it with ease. Or, if you are in Atlanta or Athens , check the local papers.

BL: There's a Megaphone Man site at www.archive-music.com, in need of serious updating and mp3 has us up at http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/37/megaphone_man.html

AAJ: To wrap up, please tell us your plans, both musically and personally for the projectable future.

BL: Musically, I hope to really work on advancing my writing abilities. I also do repair of woodwind instruments part-time, which I would like many more people in the area to know about. On a personal level, I hope to spend as much time as possible with my wife, Carolyn and my two children, Jessica & Eric.