Lucian Ban: Following Bartók's Trail Through the Transylvanian Villages

AAJ: Before we finish, what was it about Alex Harding that drew you to him for the Dark Blue album and then this new one, Blutopia?

LB: Alex is the first musician that I started working with on the New York scene when I moved here and was still in school. A colleague of mine at school said, let's go to see this killing baritone player. We went to the Lower East Side, and he was playing in a trio. After this gig, I said I would love to play with you if you would be open. What I liked about Alex was the visceral connection that he has to the blues and to a certain way of playing this music that comes on the lineage of Hamiet Bluiett, Sun Ra, players like that. Alex comes from Detroit, and he also worked with Aretha Franklin. His mom was a classmate of hers. Alex taught me about the blues because it's so strong in the way he plays with the intensity that comes out of the '60s. There's a freedom in his playing that I find to be really profound. It's almost like you get access to some knowledge that you will never get in school.

AAJ: It's interesting how you are attracted to musicians that have differences in style and background from yourself. Mat Maneri is more experimental; Alex Harding with blues.

LB: Well, you know what Paul Bley said: always play with better musicians than yourself. I just played with John Hebert and Alex Harding, and for the whole set James Carter sat in. It's changed now how the artists pass on the music. Now it's more formalized in schools. That's why I feel very fortunate to have met and play with Mat and Alex in Blutopia and also Bob Stewart. He was part of a group that was very influential for me. That was Arthur Blythe the alto player. I said to Alex let's do something with no bass, we'll have tuba. Alex introduced me to all these people, Nasheet Waits, Curtis Fowlkes, Eric McPherson, Abraham Burton. We did a concert at a festival In Seattle with Elevation, my band with Burton, McPherson and Hebert, and John and Eric couldn't do it because they were on tour with Fred Hersch, so I did it with Billy Hart and Brad Jones. Where else can you do something like that?

How can I not feel humble? The money was not even good for Billy Hart, but after he left me a message on the phone: "Lucian, thank you for trying me. I hope I get another chance to play your music better." This is a lesson in itself. Who am I to have Billy Hart say that? That's why it's extraordinary to be here in New York, to play with these people. In that respect, I feel blessed.

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