Marvin Stamm and pianist Bill Mays will demonstrate and speak about their unique approach to improvisation and musical interpretation. Their duo performances have, in the words of pianist Dick Hyman, been designated as Jazz chamber music. They will also open the forum for questions and discussion on any subjects pertaining to their improvisational concepts and performance preparation.

Tom Erdmann, reporter

The Marvin Stamm/Bill Mays master class on Thursday morning spoke directly to the inadequacy of program descriptions. Listed as, “speaking about their unique approach to improvisation and musical interpretation,” did not come close to the shared joy, love, and knowledge of all music (classical, chamber, solo, orchestral, jazz) they shared with the audience for almost two hours.

The duo opened with Marvin doing an extended trumpet solo cadenza displaying his wry sense of musical humor by incorporating deconstructed snippets from Benny Golson’s I Remember Clifford, among other quotes, into an organic, breathing whole that logically led to a shared performance of Detz and Schwartz’s By Myself. Stamm’s ability to shape his tone from smoky and dark to strong and vibrant, depending on the needs of the music and interplay with Mays, encapsulated the concepts each discussed later in the class. These included: the importance of listening and playing off of the ideas presented by the other, how to use dynamics as a way to contour the line to suit the purpose of the music, using trust to establish the mental link necessary for all good art to occur, and playing not only your part but also the part of the other in order for a cohesive whole to be formed from the work of each individual. Mays’ use of, at times, snatches of “Barrel-house,” stride and a number of melodic and harmonic imitations of Stamm’s lines built the piece to one of those great performances that only occur live without tapes rolling.

It’s absolutely impossible to cover all these skilled gentlemen shared, but a few highlights included the following. Mays discussed the manner in which he memorizes new pieces – 1) learn the form first, 2) learn the changes, 3) learn the melody, 4) then learn the piece in all twelve keys which implies you’ve learned the changes relative to each other (for example, ii-V-I, and not, F minor -B-flat 7 – E-flat Major).

Mays and Stamm discussed why Kenny Wheeler’s compositions are in a whole class by themselves. They began by discussing the beauty and inevitability of Wheeler’s works and how those elements are even more important than his harmonic inventiveness and construction, which are phenomenal. They performed Wheeler’s The Widow In The Window to illustrate their earlier observations. Mays then sketched out Wheeler’s unique harmonic progression in the work (The A section starts in B-flat minor, moving to a G7 dominant sequence which cadences on a C7 that then sets up a sequence of temporary tonicizations in F minor followed by A-flat. The 14-bar bridge uses minor 9th chords in parallel thirds before returning to the A section which this time ends on a D minor chord.)

The impression left after their subdued but informative session, and the one point they wished everyone to leave with, was to always stress the love of music in everything you do. Whether one is practicing alone, working in rehearsal, performing, teaching or being together in groups of two or more, the emphasis should always be one conveying the love one feels for all music, not just jazz.