Joe Chambers moves to Wilmington

[.:.impossible]

Legendary jazz drummer Joe Chambers sets up shop at UNCW

By John Staton,

Staff Writer

Published: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 9:10 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 6:10 p.m.

When Joe Chambers hears a visitor admit he's not quite as knowledgeable about jazz as he might like to be, the renowned drummer, vibraphonist and composer launches into an insightful and fascinating mini-lecture on the history of the music.

That's the teacher in this talented musician coming out, and it's a skill Chambers is getting to use a lot these days as the newly appointed Thomas S. Kenan Distinguished Professor of Jazz in UNCW's Department of Music.

On Wednesday, Chambers will put his musical skills on public display in Wilmington for the first time when he plays the inaugural UNCW Jazz Speaks concert at the Beckwith Recital Hall with other members of the University of North Carolina Wilmington's jazz faculty. Chambers is known for his propulsive, tricky and highly creative drum rhythms, as well as for his proficiency on the vibes, and any show featuring him promises to be a top-notch event.

A native Philadelphian, Chambers, 66, has spent most of his 45-year career in New York. Notably, he was a session musician for the legendary Blue Note label, playing and recording with some of the biggest names in jazz, including Wayne Shorter, McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea and Charles Mingus.

A child of the ’50s, Chambers participated in track and football and played with a variety of marching, pep and dance bands in high school. He heard all kinds of music, including blues, R&B and rock ’n’ roll, but he was particularly attracted to the high level of musicianship he heard in jazz.

“It grabs you,” Chambers said from his large, sparsely furnished office that’s dominated by a piano. “A lot of it’s very technical – ‘Oh, wow, geez, listen to that’ – you want to play like that. The sounds are different. they’re not your everyday run of the mill. You could hear the skill that was necessary.”

He moved to New York in 1962 and almost immediately entered the "post-bop" jazz world, playing regular gigs, recording and touring with bands at jazz clubs in the Northeast, Midwest, West Coast and Europe.

"I was doing all right," Chambers said. "Then the bottom fell out of that in the early '70s."

But even with jazz losing listeners to popular music, Chambers continued to gig and tour. He played in the orchestra of the Broadway musical “Purlie” in 1970 and ’71 before finding his way into academia, teaching at The New School and City College of New York.

A year or two ago, Chambers heard about the Kenan professorship from a former UNCW student living in New York. "I checked it out, applied and here I am," he said.

It didn’t hurt that Chambers and his wife had been coming to North Carolina every summer for some time. (He has roots in Asheville, and his wife has family in Warren County.)

Asked about his role at UNCW, Chambers chuckled and said, “I’m still tryin’ to find that out.” But he then allowed that he’s “here, obviously, to nurture, or give the jazz program a kick.”

His position at UNCW is on a tenured track, so he could potentially be here for a while, "but we'll have to see how I feel, how it works out."

Used to world-class New York students who come to school “primed (and) ready to impress – they think they might want to become jazz stars,” he’s still adjusting to UNCW and a position that’s more structured than what he’s used to. (“I’ve never gone through so much formalized paperwork,” he said.)

He said he's excited about a number of promising students and is looking forward to establishing an exchange program with the Siena Jazz School in Rome, composing and performing and doing some occasional touring.

And while Wilmington is certainly no New York, Chambers said there are perks to his new home.

"It's nice to be in a place where people are civil," Chambers said. "In New York, you've got 10 million people all cramped up, everybody fighting for their space. Here, I tell you, I haven't had a rude encounter yet."

John Staton: 343-2343

john.staton@starnewsonline.com

[.:.impossible]

Alright, so I having been playing vibraphone for a few years with no formal direction. I am nowhere near worthy of studying under Joe Chambers yet. What the hell am I supposed to do?!

[jazzbo]

Ask?

[7/4]

I say get in touch with him.

.

[papsrus]

If the man likes to teach, it doesn't matter what level you're at. You'll regret if you let the opportunity pass.

[ValerieB]

this is a man who deserves to be appreciated and share his expertise!

[Jim Alfredson]

Dude, go take lessons. An opportunity like this is once in a lifetime!

[bertrand]

Keep us posted on his gigs - I want to come down at some point. An earlier article mentioned that new compositions would be commissioned.

If you live in Wilmington, NC, did you know that that is also where Helen More (the woman who shot Lee Morgan) lived until her death in 1996?

Bertrand.

[JSngry]

Alright, so I having been playing vibraphone for a few years with no formal direction. I am nowhere near worthy of studying under Joe Chambers yet. What the hell am I supposed to do?!

Ask?

I say get in touch with him.

.

If the man likes to teach, it doesn't matter what level you're at. You'll regret if you let the opportunity pass.

this is a man who deserves to be appreciated and share his expertise!

Dude, go take lessons. An opportunity like this is once in a lifetime!

Dammit dude, the guy came to a college in Wilmington, NC to take a teaching gig teaching students in Wilmington, NC. What the fuck do you thinkj is going to happen, that he's going to get bummed out and call NYC to get students shipped down there?

Look - he came to the place where you live to teach people like you. Period. So you're "not ready". BFD - all that means is that you are ready - to be a student. Be one. What the alternative, to not be one? When Joe Chambers is shitting into the same sewer system you are? What kind of sense does that make?

Carpe diem, dawg. Carpe mutherfukkin diem.

[.:.impossible]

Keep us posted on his gigs - I want to come down at some point. An earlier article mentioned that new compositions would be commissioned.

If you live in Wilmington, NC, did you know that that is also where Helen More (the woman who shot Lee Morgan) lived until her death in 1996?

Bertrand.

Yes. I will make sure to stay on top of gigs. I missed one already, though it was more of a University event. I don't think there is anyone in this town that can hang with Joe Chambers. I don't even know where to go for a real jazz gig anymore. Hopefully, that is about to change now that Joe is here.

I did not realize that Helen More lived here in town. Was she originally from here? You know Percy Heath was born here...

Thanks to everyone for stating the obvious. I guess I'm a bit star-struck. Yes, I am now shitting in the same sewer system as Joe Chambers.

[Dan Gould]

Not to be the turd in the punch bowl but is Chambers offering private lessons? He's been hired by the school of music to teach its students. That doesn't mean you can walk in and get lessons.

[Jim Alfredson]

Dude, he's a jazz musician. He'll teach private lessons.

[ejp626]

Not to be the turd in the punch bowl but is Chambers offering private lessons? He's been hired by the school of music to teach its students. That doesn't mean you can walk in and get lessons.

Well, the only way to find out is to contact him. I would be awfully surprised if the university expected Chambers to be exclusive, i.e. no one could arrange for lessons on the side, so long as unversity students had the first bite of the apple, as it were.

[Dan Gould]

Dude, he's a jazz musician. He'll teach private lessons.

Unless he's so bogged down in administrative work, as the article implies.

[7/4]

I see nothing wrong with contacting him for private lessons.

If he doesn't give private lessons, I'd be surprised - but there's one way to find out.

[Free For All]

A lot of universities hire high-profile artists for their faculty, often as an artist-in-residence kind of position. It will be interesting to see how much time he actually spends on campus- I don't know what kind of touring/performance schedule Mr. Chambers maintains, but he may be around on a limited basis. The addition of a big name certainly adds prestige to a program, but I've also seen situations where the artist is on campus on a limited basis with less regular contact with students. That said, I met him when Bobby Watson brought him to UMKC several years ago and he was impressive as a teacher and very approachable, so the potential for a very positive experience certainly exists.

If he does have limited time on campus, his schedule might be packed. Certainly worth a try, though- often these artists will conduct master classes for the students en masse, and often these are open to the public. Frankly I doubt they're going to saddle him with a lot of administrative busywork- I expect the paperwork he was referring to was mostly involving the application process.

Good luck!

Edited November 2, 2008 by Free For All

[.:.impossible]

I wrote him this morning. I'll let y'all know how it goes...

I graduated from UNCW in 1999. I took classes in the "music" building. It wasn't much bigger than many peoples' homes, though those homes would have to be largely unfurnished in order to compare apples to apples. It was the emptiest of all of the buildings that I had classes in. There was nothing going on.

There has been talk over the past few years to shift much of the UNC systems' arts resources to the Wilmington campus. I know they have renovated the concert hall on campus, but the music has remained *of a certain level* that I would not associate with Joe Chambers. I know there are folks that ARE interested in college big band recitals, but I'm not one of them.

Jazz gigs seem to have become extinct around here, unless you consider a jam band playing Watermelon Man into Sissy Strut into groove jam a jazz gig.

Charlie Hunter came through town a couple of years ago and played at a club. Stefon Harris played on campus. Wynton is playing on campus. There's an alto player duetting with a bassist while they watch tv and no one listens at the Holiday Inn Sunspree. That's it.

Even if I don't end up spending time learning with Mr. Chambers, there is now hope that I can give the stereo a rest and go hear decent music at night.

I am really inspired by the prospect of taking lessons with him though. I could use the guidance.

[Joe G]

I hope it works out to your benefit. Keep us posted.

[sal]

I'm sure he'd be happy to give private lessons to someone who seemed interested in learning from him. I'd love to take a few lessons from him. Hes an awesome drummer.

[six string]

I see nothing wrong with contacting him for private lessons.

If he doesn't give private lessons, I'd be surprised - but there's one way to find out.

Absolutely. The WORSE thing he can say is no. Even if he's too busy now, who's to say things won't settle down at some point and make it possible. Even if he could only give you thirty minutes a month it would be time well spent.