John Carisi on Stefan Wolpe

[Larry Kart]

http://www.wolpe.org/page10/page10.html#John Carisi

Click "Back to the top" and you'll find lots of other interesting interviews about Wolpe, including ones with George Russell and Bill Finegan.

[AllenLowe]

thanks Larry; somewhere I have a transcript of a long interview I did with Johnny; we definitely touched on Wolpe, but I haven't looked at that interview in 20 years.

[fasstrack]

I took one arranging lesson w/Carisi just before his final illness. He spoke a lot about SW and gave me an assignment I presume was given him: write a piece using one interval (e.g. 6ths). I knew Finegan way better but SW's name never came up for some reason, though Bill spoke a lot about classical composers.

[sgcim]

Pretty fascinating. The Tony Scott interview was very interesting. He was a real music adventurer. I think he wrote an autobiography; after reading that, I've got to find it. The thing that amazed me the most was that all the George Russell music that I love the most was directly influenced by Stefan Wolpe. I knew that from reading the Russell biography, but I forgot it until I just read that interview.

Russell then got involved with his Lydian Chromatic Concept, which didn't speak to me in the same way that his earlier stuff did.

There weren't too many people from the classical world that had that much of an influence on jazz musicians back then.

Hall Overton was probably an even greater influence on jazz musicians of that time, because he not only taught them, in a manner that was very similar to Wolpe's method, but also played jazz piano with many of them; Bird, Raney Woods, Brookmeyer, Teddy Charles and others.

He, of course, also wrote the Monk Big Band arrangements, and seemed to be involved in both the contemporary classical and jazz scenes 24/7 when he lived in the Jazz Loft on 6th Ave with Eugene Smith. It seems like he literally burnt himself out at the age of 52.

[fasstrack]

Interesting that John said he was 'stealing from himself'. He was a great writer, but he continued that practice his whole career. A gospel phrase he used on the Gil Evans recording that Gil wasn't on (can't remember the name now) resurfaced on many other pieces--including Counterpoise #2 for trumpet and guitar.

Hell, I know the feeling.....

http://www.wolpe.org/page10/page10.html#John Carisi

Click "Back to the top" and you'll find lots of other interesting interviews about Wolpe, including ones with George Russell and Bill Finegan.

Teddy Charles went on to be an in-demand teacher himself (when he wasn't sailing). My C.C.N.Y. teacher Ed Summerlin studied with him. I was over Teddy's place and watched him give a vibraphone lesson. Interesting. Sometime I'll tell the story of my day with Teddy. Hilarious character...

Pretty fascinating. The Tony Scott interview was very interesting. He was a real music adventurer. I think he wrote an autobiography; after reading that, I've got to find it. The thing that amazed me the most was that all the George Russell music that I love the most was directly influenced by Stefan Wolpe. I knew that from reading the Russell biography, but I forgot it until I just read that interview.

Russell then got involved with his Lydian Chromatic Concept, which didn't speak to me in the same way that his earlier stuff did.

There weren't too many people from the classical world that had that much of an influence on jazz musicians back then.

Hall Overton was probably an even greater influence on jazz musicians of that time, because he not only taught them, in a manner that was very similar to Wolpe's method, but also played jazz piano with many of them; Bird, Raney Woods, Brookmeyer, Teddy Charles and others.

He, of course, also wrote the Monk Big Band arrangements, and seemed to be involved in both the contemporary classical and jazz scenes 24/7 when he lived in the Jazz Loft on 6th Ave with Eugene Smith. It seems like he literally burnt himself out at the age of 52.