Take Five With Frank Macchia

AAJ Staff

Contributor since 1995

Various staff members.

Recent articles (1,149 total)

Published: February 13, 2011

Influences: Duke Ellington, Gil Evans, Stravinsky, Bartok, Ravel, Pat Metheny, Carl Stallings, Lygeti, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Cannonball Adderley, Michael Brecker, Clare Fisher.

I knew I wanted to be a musician when...
I played my first elementary school concert on the clarinet.

Your sound and approach to music:
Humor and surprise is what I like, along with rich harmony and polyrhythmic and mixed meters. Angular chromaticism is my love! But also just give me the blues!!

Your teaching approach:
Approach learning with joy and enthusiasm and you can't go wrong.

Your dream band:
The band I have for my CD Folk Songs for Jazzers, which includes Wayne Bergeron, Peter Erskine, Ray Frisby, Grant Geissman, Trey Henry, Alex Iles, Valarie King, Sal Lozano, Jay Mason, Kevin Porter, Tom Ranier, Bill Reichenbach, Bob Sheppard and vocalists Ellis Hall and Tierney Sutton.

Road story: Your best or worst experience:
After a great gig in San Francisco years ago, I got the band's pay from the club owner. As I passed out the cash I stepped off the band stand and put my foot down on the neck of my bass players acoustic bass, which he had set on the floor below the stage. I broke the neck in half and had to come up with half the money to repair it. I now stay far away from acoustic basses!!

Favorite venue:
Vitello's, in Studio City, CA. April Williams is the sweetest, nicest person in the world.

Your favorite recording in your discography and why?
Folk Songs for Jazzers. I feel I created some special arrangements and I had an incredible band that really "got" what I was writing; they delivered spectacular performances. All done in one day of recording, all live together in the studio. Yeah!

The first Jazz album I bought was:
Don Ellis—Live at Fillmore

What do you think is the most important thing you are contributing musically?
Hopefully I'm bringing some fun back into large ensemble jazz.

Did you know...
As well as composing, arranging and playing woodwinds, I also love the studio and generally record and mix a lot of my music.

How would you describe the state of jazz today?
Needs help- schools need to do more to educate children about music.

What are some of the essential requirements to keep jazz alive and growing?
Live performance and education.

What is in the near future?
Working on my follow up CD, Son of Folk Songs for Jazzers.

If I weren't a jazz musician, I would be a:
Historian.

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