Jazz Great Billy Hart Imparts His Wisdom to Students

There are few jazz musicians who reach the level of the true greats. Drummer Billy Hart, who came to Oberlin last week to play a concert and give a master class, is one who has. His musical accomplishments are almost unparalleled. He has made over 500 recordings, many of them with the biggest names in jazz including Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and Pharaoh Sanders, among many others. As Jazz Guitar Teacher Bob Ferraza said when introducing Hart at Thursday's concert, "he's played with everybody - not just played with, but contributed so much to the direction of the music we play."

The concert in the Cat was a recital given by Ferraza. Besides Hart, Ferraza's band included Proffesor of Jazz Studies/Double Bass Peter Dominguez and Cleveland pianist Dan Wall. From the first downbeat, the skill of the individual musicians was clear, although they didn't quite gel as a group until the second or third tune.

Throughout the concert, Hart showed how a drummer can drive a jazz group. In his master class the next day, he compared the drummer's function to that of an orchestra conductor, and the analogy certainly held true for Hart's playing. He seemed to control the band's energy as if it was connected to a hidden volume knob. He could play in a wide range of intensities, from subtle brush strokes and shimmering cymbal work to hard artillery-fire solos.

One of the outstanding tunes on the program was Ferraza's "Chief Big Horn," which he dedicated to Wendell Logan, chair of the Jazz Department. Ferraza took the first solo, using nimble double-time lines that brought out the soul in this swinging soul-jazz composition. He was followed by Dominguez, who possesses formidable technique on the bass.

At the end of his solo, the band built up to a shuffle feel for Wall's solo. Wall comes across as having total command of the resources of the keyboard, making his playing seem effortless, stimulating, and fluent. Finally, Hart took a solo, exploring the tonal and even melodic possibilities of the drum set while still impressing listeners with polyrhythms and ever-present swing.

On Friday, at his master class and Jazz Forum, Hart put into words some of the concepts he demonstrated musically the day before. "I think of rhythm traditionally, like a language," he said. "I imagine rhythm as a melody that fits with another melody."

Although Hart has a wide knowledge of music, from African percussion to 20th century European classical, it's not surprising that deep down, his understanding of music is intuitive in this way. Hart was self-taught, and like many jazz players of previous generations, he learned the music by apprenticing in established bands. He spoke of his time in Shirley Horne's big band, for example, as a formative experience.

Later, Hart was exposed to other facets of the music by playing with Pharoah Sanders and meeting John Coltrane. From these masters, he gained a deep respect for the spirituality of music, and the dedication it takes to play it. Hart once saw Coltrane perform late in his career, when many audience members would walk out of the club because they didn't understand his music. After the show, Hart came up to Coltrane and asked him what he was doing. "I don't know," he said, "but I know I can't stop."

Much of Hart's work has been on the progressive edge of jazz. When his name became well-known he began to lead his own groups, which included current stars Branford Marsalis, Steve Coleman, Bill Frisell, Kevin Eubanks and Kenny Kirkland, who were all young and relatively unknown at the time.

Despite being one of the living legends of jazz, Hart is humble and unassuming in person. Still, his message is powerful: that music is a holy act, one that can bring about euphoria and even physical healing, and that musicians are the vehicle for this force, the temple where it resides.