"Jazz legend." Does the label apply to Jim Hall? Check the record. Stints with Chico Hamilton, Jimmy Giuffre, and Ella Fitzgerald, all beginning before his 30th birthday. Classic recordings with fellow legends Bill Evans and Sonny Rollins. A late creative surge with solo and ensemble recordings that the Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings refers to as "the purple patch" (the book being British, the color purple signifies royalty). And the guitarist, who will be at Dazzle this Thursday and Friday, October 20th and 21st at 7PM and 9PM, continues to defy time itself by continuing to work regularly at the age of 80. Does that qualify as a "legend" in your book? Good. Join the club.
The jazz giant paused recently for a chat with your Denver Jazz Music Examiner. He exudes a youthful charm with a wry wit and the wisdom of six decades with the cream of jazz eminence. What should we expect at Dazzle this week?
"I have a terrific group of guys with me," he says in a Midwestern accent that manifests his roots in Cleveland, Ohio. "Terry Clarke is on drums [subbing for Hall's usual percussionist Joey Baron], Steve LaSpina is the bassist, and Greg Osby is playing alto sax. Greg is marvelous. He's really added a whole new dimension ... I never know what to expect from him." How did Hall light on this musician three decades his junior? "My wife and I were ... listening to a jazz radio show, and I heard this alto player, and I said, 'Who the heck is that?' They said 'Greg Osby' and I said, 'I gotta get that guy.' It's been a few years."
How about the playlist? Hall laughs heartily. "That's a good question, because I want to plan ahead. I try to keep the sets interesting, so maybe the first piece will be something that'll really get 'em. Then maybe a standard, then a ballad everybody might know. Then a blues. I try to mix up the set so that I don't push the audience away. My wife, Jane, is really good at helping me plan a set." He stops and laughs. "So I am going to work up a list before I arrive [at the club]."
Hall has been known for his emphasis on listening in any ensemble with which he plays. He cites examples among his fellow greats. "I'd play with Art Farmer. He liked me to play a chord, and then he'd play over it. But if I tried to lead Sonny Rollins around, it'd kind of irritate him. So I'd wait to see where he was at, then I'd follow him or lay out, whatever. Ron Carter's great that way. It's fun playing with Ron because we both listen to each other ... I stay out of the bass register of the guitar and just hear where he's going." Can you listen too much, to the point that nothing happens? Hall considers this idea with dry wit: "That's interesting. I've never thought of that. Silence is golden, but it doesn't pay the bills."
How does his stage setup reflect his belief in listening? "As you look from the audience at the stage, I'll be far left. Perhaps politically, too," he chuckles. "Then Terry (drums), then Steve (bass). And Greg kind of wanders around. I like to have eye contact with everybody."
When did Jim Hall first encounter the guitar? "My Uncle Ed played country music on guitar and sang. Me? I think it was Christmas or my birthday. I was 9 or 10 and I started ..." A pause. "Well, the store where they got the guitar had a teacher, and you paid a little at a time and took a lesson." And jazz? "By the time I was 13, I was working in little groups ... There was never a bass fiddle; it was always accordion, guitar, and clarinet. The clarinet player was looking for a Benny Goodman record, and I heard [jazz guitar pioneer] Charlie Christian. 'Grand Slam', I think it was. He played two choruses of blues and that was my 'Spiritual Awakening,'" he laughs at the memory.
Life sounds interesting now for an 80-year-old jazz legend. "I live on a fascinating block [in Greenwich Village]. Remember Ramsey Clark? He was attorney general with [President Lyndon] Johnson. He's a great guy. We've gotten to know each other over the past years just grimacing at each other about the state of politics. And Elliott Carter, the classical composer; he's about 100 years old [actually 102] and he's still writing! Meryl Streep used to live down the block, but she moved away. Two clothes designers, too: Anna Sui and Isaac Mizrahi."
All that remains is for the reader to get reservations at Dazzle for either Thursday or Friday, October 20th or 21st, at 7PM or 9PM (7PM shows are near selling out) by calling (303)839-5100 now. Or, as always, find Jim Hall's recordings at Twist and Shout, still Denver's best independent record store. But find your way to the music of Jim Hall. He is a true legend, genius, and one heck of a nice guy.
Rob Recommends - An extremely short list of essential Jim Hall records: Undercurrent - Bill Evans/Jim Hall (Blue Note, 1962), Hall comments: "'Funny Valentine' at the quick tempo: Bill was like that. If it was a ballad, he'd play it fast and vice-versa."; The Bridge - Sonny Rollins (Bluebird), Hall comments: "It was a real privilege and I thought I'd achieved knighthood."; Jim Hall Live! (A&M/Verve, 1975), a very loose Toronto nightclub set; Grand Slam - Jim Hall, Joe Lovano, George Mraz, Lewis Nash (Telarc, 2000), an all-star set; Magic Meeting - Jim Hall (ArtistShare, 2004), only available online. Hall comments: "That is nice, I must say. I listened to it again recently. Yeah, Lewis Nash [drums] and Scott Colley [bass]." This is a bare minimum from a long and distinguished career.
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