OpenAir Presents: The Frank Mc Cullough Quartet

This is Terrill S. Wyche for OpenAir, and tonight I'm reporting live from The Historic West Village at the Harlequin Caf. As usual, I arrived early, sipped some coffee, ultimately too much coffee, but I digress, had some lively banter, and listened to some of the best jazz I would hear in many months.

About 9:00pm, the band arrives and begins to set up. In walks Alex Brooks, the drummer of the quartet, who 20 years ago was one of my jazz tutors in a summer program. I noticed that he still has the habit of setting up each drum in his set, which only includes four drums for tonight's set, individually and tunes each one. I also remember that you never bother him when he is setting up or taking apart his drums, but I did manage to interview him after briefly re-acquainting myself with him, between sets.

TW: This is Terrill Wyche for OpenAir, today we have...

AB: My name is Alex Brooks, and I know all the world's greatest drummers. I studied with all of them. I knew Buddy Rich. I knew Dennis Chambers. I know Harvey Mason (of the Herbie Hancock Group, during the 70s) and all the greatest drummers in the world.
We're all friends, one, big, happy family.

TW: Now you know you and I go back to Northern High School about 20 years ago, you were one of my teachers, so tell us what has happened in the interim between '86 and now. What have you been doing?

AB: There has been a lot going on because we all believe in sharing with each other. I lost a lot of people and that made me real serious about playing music. I just believe that I'm going to play this music the rest of my life, and I'm dedicated to it because people have taught me how to be dedicated to it such as Larry Smith, Sam Sanders, Wendell Harrison, Donald Waldon, especially Donald and that's all I have to say about that.

TW: Have you got any CDs out?

AB: Yes, I do, as a matter of fact. I just didn't bring any with me. I might find one in my trunk. Tupac used to sell his CDs out of his trunk.

TW: It works.

AB: Yeah, it works.

TW: What's it entitled?

AB: Classic Acts.

TW: What do the fans have to forward to on this one?

AB: Real smooth, nice, listening jazz and the audience ought to be educated about this music, and it was good that we could do that.

TW: Are you still doing any educational instruction. You know tutoring, etc.?

AB: Yeah, every once in a while. I place where I had been was Jacksonville, Florida. A friend of mine, Keith Jarvers, a piano player, had me to help his students out, and it worked out. The students liked me, and we're friends right now still.

TW: Well that's a rap. Thanks a lot.


From left to right. Judge Leonard Townsend, piano, Frank McCullough, trumpet, Greg Cook, bass, and Alex Brooks, drums.

However, as the night progressed, the band seemed to grow. Right now, I will introduce one of the quartet's additions: Mr. Charles Holsey.



TW: This is Terrill Wyche for OpenAir, and tonight we have...

CH: Charles Holsey, vocalist. I've been around a long, long time, singing around Detroit when they had Dummie George, Down at Kline's on 12th street, and I'm trying to come back and do a few things, kick it around a little bit. I was down at Bert's the other night singing, and Frank asked me to come down here tonight and do something. I told him I'd come down.

TW: Are you currently working with any groups?

CH: No, not right now, not a permanent group. I was down here with the piano player about a year ago, and then I was down here with another group about a year ago, but I usually go in and sit in. I was down at Baker's. Mainly I'm at Bert's on Wednesday or Thursday night. I did a thing with Rod Hicks. So, I'm still feeling myself, seeing if I want to come back, or doing what I've been doing which is being retired. What I'm doing is feeling the way and seeing what's happening right now.

TW: Well, I'm not going to hold you. I know you want to get your pipes loosened up for the next set. So, I'll cut it short.

The next member of the quartet whom I interviewed was Justice Leonard Townsend. He is an amazing story. He has played the piano for over 60 years and has played with the greatest musician's in jazz. However, he never played professionally. When he arrived, he began warming up by playing Thelonious Monk, whom no one attempts to play, at least seriously. I was sure that this man was some itinerant, jazz legend whom I either had heard of or should have, but to my surprise, he was a recreational piano player. However, he plays better than many jazz pianists who are half his age and who play for a living.

TW: I'd like introduce, Mr...

LT: Leonard Townsend.

TW: Tell us a little bit about your musical journey, when it started and some of the highlights.

LT: I started taking music lessons in 1943. I've been playing since then. My first professional gig was when I was 15, and I've been playing since then for anyone who would call me.

TW: Who are some of the bands and musicians for whom you've played?

LT: Oh man, everybody. Everybody, Marcus Belgrave, Donald Waldon, Donald Byrd, Paul Chambers. You know. You name it: Ray Mc Kinney. Just about everybody.

TW: Have performed on or recorded any albums?

LT: No, no, no, I just do it part-time.

TW: Wow! So if you did this part-time, what was your 'day job', as they say?

LT: Well, I was a lawyer for 18 years, and I was appointed to the circuit court and have been a judge since then, so that's my bread-and-butter job. So, I play part-time.

TW: Wow, from what I'd heard, I just knew that I was listening to some jazz legend whom I was supposed to know, who had played on a dozen or more albums, with a discography that is longer than I am tall. So this is a labor of love?

LT: Yeah, well naturally there are more musicians than there are jobs, so I play whenever I can.You can't really (make a living in music). If I'm not working, I'll sit in with other people, but I don't make a living at it. I do it for the love, and I've been doing it a long time.

TW: From what I heard, I would beg to differ, but every artist has his own opinion about his art. But as I was listening, I said, "Wow!"

LT: Thank you very much. I appreciate the compliment.

TW: What are some future plans that you have musically?

LT: I continue to study and learn from other cats and play whenever I can, so that's what I'm going to do.

TW: This has been Terrill Wyche for OpenAir. Thanks.

Finally, I managed to interview the man of the hour, Mr. Frank Mc Cullough. I met him this past Wednesday, and his experience is vast. His pedigree is impressive, and his playing is dynamic. When you can hear three or four different styles of playing in one man's style, it's safe to say that you're listening to a unique musician. Frank is such a musician. Introducing, Mr. Frank Mc Cullough.

TW: This is Terrill Wyche for OpenAir, and today we have Mr...

FM: Frank Mc Cullough.

TW: Tell us a little bit about your sojourn in music.

FM: Basically, I'm Detroit-born and bred. I come from musical family. My father is one of The Funk Brothers, a Motown trumpeter. Essentially, I've been blessed enough to work with some of the bigger names in show business at a young age.

TW: Such as...

FM: I played for Wild Cherry, that was my first tour...

Writers Note: Wild Cherry is the 70s band that wrote and performed the hit 'Play That Funky Music (White Boy)'.

big-named group back in 1976. Also after that, I played for Michael Henderson. I played for the Four Tops. I played for The Dramatics. I'm the drummer and the trumpeter for Was Not Was's first three albums...

Writer's Note: Was Not Was is the 70s and early-80s band that wrote and performed the dance hit 'Out Come the Freaks.'

It just goes on. I could go on all day on that. Other groups I've played for: Chubby Checker, etc., different things like that.

TW: So when you play, who would you say are your biggest influences?

FM: My favorite and who I would say I try to pattern myself after is Lee Morgan. I'm a Lee Morgan fan. He was my hero, that's who I pattern my style after.

TW: Do you have any CDs that are available?

FM: It's in the works right now. I'm in the studio, right now as we we're talking. I've got a CD coming out. It's on the ground floor right now, but it should be out by June, July, or August.

TW: What is it called?

FM: My single will be called 'Urban Blue.' I have other compositions that I have not named yet, but it will be comprised from anywhere between 4 to 8 tunes on my CD.

TW: All right, we'll be looking forward to it. It looks like the band is beginning to start. I appreciate you. Thanks a lot. This has been Terrill Wyche for OpenAir. Thanks.

FM: Thank you for interviewing me, sir.

The next 'addition' to the group is an interesting man. His name is Bob Wolkowski, a. k. a., 'Banjo Bob.' He started playing the banjo last year after a tragic wrist injury. He was originally a guitarist, but after shattering his wrist, he learned and is still learning the banjo. He, now retired, also works as a glass-blower's apprentice in Ferndale.


Bob Wolkowski, 'Banjo Bob', soloing.

Unlike many non-traditional instrumentalists, Bob plays like a jazz guitarists, using the same accompaniment and soloing techniques as jazz guitarists. He uses them on the banjo. Introducing Bob Wolkowski, a. k. a., 'Banjo Bob.'

TW: This is Terrill Wyche for OpenAir, and tonight we have...

BW: Bob Wolkowski, a. k. a. 'Banjo Bob.'

TW: All right. How long have you been playing?

BW: The honest truth, the banjo just since October.

TW: No.

BW: Yes, what happened was that I used to be a jazz guitarist, and in July I shattered my wrist. I can't play guitar anymore, so I had to pick up banjo. So I started playing just after the first surgery, and I started picking up the banjo a little bit and applying jazz principles from guitar to the banjo. After my second surgery in October, I started to get a little more serious because I could move, just applying jazz theory to banjo, a little classical stuff, jazz stuff to banjo.

TW: How does that work exactly? I know how a guitar is strung? Is the banjo similar?

BW: Not at all.

TW: So you just had to learn this all over again.

BW: Yes, it's starting from scratch. All my chords are from the beginning, basically starting from a complete novice, and I'm still moving up slowly, applying the theory. Starting all over, you have to listen, learn the distinction between listening and hearing.

TW: That's something I heard Delfeayo Marsalis mention to me in a previous interview. Have you done any recording?

BW: I have a lot of recording at home, but unfortunately, none that I am on.

TW: So this is a labor of love.

BW: Yes. One of the roughest things was being out of the doctor's office, looking at these big pieces of metal coming out of my hand and wondering if I would ever play again. And I gave up, but the music didn't give up on me.

TW: Wow.

BW: Thank you.

TW: Thank you.

BW: You're welcome.

Now the bassist is another incredible musician. I think he is actually the best pure musician in the group. I have heard jazz bassists, and except for Stanley Clarke, no one could do anything that this next man could do. His name is Greg Cook and that is exactly what he did all night from 9:30pm until 1:30am.

TW: This is Terrill Wyche for OpenAir, and today we have...

GC: Gregory Cook.

TW: Now, how long have you been playing bass?

GC: Too many years.

TW: Too many years? How could it be too many years? You don't look like you could be more than 27, 28 years old?

GC: Well, I really appreciate that. I count my blessings but that ain't so, and I thank you for that.

TW: Tell us a little about your experiences with the bass and your training.

GC: Well, I've studied with a lot of the local experienced bassists like Ray Mc Kinney, Ollie Jackson. One of the principal bassists for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Bob Gladstone, who passed a few years ago. I studied with Don Mayberry and just by playing.

TW: Who are some of your favorite jazz bassists that you've patterned yourself after?

GC: I'd like to think legends like Ron Carter, Ray Brown, Stanley Clarke, Eddie Gomez, just all the legends, you know, Pattitucci, all of those guys. Gary Peacock.

TW: Do you have any CDs?

GC: I've done a lot of demos, nothing like an album per se. Recently, I did WDET live with Mr. James Tatum and that turned out really well. So that's all I can say right now.

TW: That's amazing, with your chops and facility, I thought you had a discography. You're the third guy tonight that said he didn't have any recording you sound like he really ought to. You sound like you ought to be on somebody's something, somewhere.

GC: I appreciate that. I'd like to think of myself as a late-bloomer.

TW: What are some of things that you plan to do with your music?

GC: Either record and be able to do my own self, or just get myself a 9 to 5 and call it a day.

TW: Well, personally, if I had chops like yours, I don't know if I'd be working a job. I'd be playing, but I'm going to cut this interview short. I know you have to warm back up again for the last set. This has been Terrill Wyche for OpenAir. Thanks.

GC: Thank you.

The Frank Mc Cullough Quartet often plays on Fridays and Saturday nights at the Harlequin Caf, located at 8047 Agnes, two blocks north of E. Jefferson, and one-half block east of Van Dyke in the Parkstone Apartment Building.

OpenAir Presents: Thomas Park

his is Terrill S. Wyche for OpenAir.

On St. Patrick's Day, I went to the Meetery Eatery to listen to a poet whose work I'd heard before, but I learned something about this poet that I'd never known before. You see, many performance poets either don't have or don't reveal their scholarly attributes in either their writing or their performance technique. Mr. Thomas Park is no such man.


Thomas Park in complete focus while performing live at the Meetery Eatery on St. Patrick's Day.

In his work, you hear his southern roots, his northern life, and everything in between. Introducing, Mr. Thomas Park.

TW: This is Terrill Wyche for OpenAir, and today we have...

TP: Thomas Park.

TW: Tonight I heard you read. I've been listening to you read and perform for about 6 months, maybe more, but I never heard you bring it like you brought it tonight. What's the source of all of this?

TP: Well it actually is just about coming out here. I consider the talent that the Meetery Eatery has is consistent with that of some of the best workshops that I've ever sat in. And just being here, week in and week out and listening to the talent and the energy and just being a serious artist, trying to emulate what I hear, I'm appreciative that the results resonate in my performance. I really worked hard because I feel the artist here work very hard. I just appreciate that my performance tonight reflected that hard work.

TW: What was the first thing that led you to write poetry?

TP: Frustration. Frustration at living in the South. The social structure. It was basically early in the 70s, my only way of fighting back. I guess the system was pretty well-entrenched in the South.

TW: What was it like down South? Give us a story of what went down in the South, something that you can remember.

TP: One of the bigger things that I remember are expecting the 'yes sir,' even down to teenagers expecting you to address them as 'yes sir,' 'no sir,' and how they would call grown people by their first names. And the fact that, they always felt like black people didn't deserve good jobs, wanted to give you hand-me-downs, like it was, 'business-as-usual.' I mean, even in that poem that I did, I've known white people to feel offended because colored people protested that we were violating their civil rights, and those are some of the real frustrating things that led me to write.

TW: Tell us a little bit about the life on the farm. I know about the 'Mule Poem.' Tell us a little bit about that farm life.

TP: It was very difficult.

TW: First of all what state were you in?

TP: We were in North Carolina. It was the tobacco belt, and so I was primarily employed in picking the tobacco and getting it to the barn. After tobacco, we'd have...Well there wasn't much cotton. There'd be soybeans and corn and tomatoes. There would always be something to do on the farm. We were a bit more fortunate, but I still had to go out and work for other people, at that time. The white people would ride the tractors, and the black people would use the mules and stuff, so we still got the brunt of the hard work.

TW: Now when did you come up to Detroit, and about how old were you

TP: I came here in 1958 with my parents, but I left in 1972, 1971 actually, and I finished high school and came back and attended Wayne State from 1976 to 1978. And afterwards, I went back to North Carolina hopefully to get married, and I was married, but those kind of things didn't work out well. I still went back to agriculture and the like, and I became ill about three years ago, so I had to give up that type of work. I still had the option to go to school, as opposed to getting some type of disability that just wasn't going to cut it. I came back to Detroit in a permanent invictus mode like, 'I will not be defeated.' I will make the best out of this bad situation. It led me to eventually reap some of the benefits of being here. I've seen some really positive things happen from just working hard and being around good serious artists.

TW: Who are some of your poetic influences?

TP: Well Sterling Brown is one. I really love Sterling Brown's work. I really love Amiri Baraka's work. I really love work by Sonia Sanchez, and there are some experimental people like Clark Coolidge that I've come to appreciate. I'm just such a novice, and I feel that I don't really know anything about all of these poems and styles, so it's like an exciting journey, learning the different ways that I can get my work out.

TW: What have been some of the high points in your writing points thus far? I remember Tom mention that you won some awards. Tell us about some of those.

TP: Well last year at Wayne State, in the English Department competitions, the final judges were from New York, I came in second in the Agnes Burton Competition for a collection of poems. I came in first in the Patch Competition for a collection of poems. I came in first in the Thompkins Award for a collection of poems, and I was entered by the school that by having won, placed me into a larger competition at the University of Virginia where I was really surprised. I wrote the poem 'Country-Fied', about my life from south to north back south again and north again. I submitted that, and there were something like 800 submissions. I made the cut that made me one of the Best Emerging Poets of 2005. I do consider it one of many anthologies, but I was proud to get published.

TW: Wow, that's powerful. What are some of the future plans that you have for your poetry?

TP: Right now, I'm working on an advanced project in class which is a collection of chap books that have different themes in poetry, and I'm assembling them as a text that can be read interchangeably. You can just pull the text out that pertains to social matters, or it might be homoerotic reading, or it might pertain to blackness things like that. It's a collection of poems that is going to comprise two books. Right now, I'm on the 8th chapter, so I've got 2 to go. I'm going to enter one in a competition here in Detroit, and I'm going to enter another in the Cave Canem Competition in New York. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed.

TW: All right. Well, you sound like you've got a lot on your plate. For a guy who says he's a novice, it sounds you've found your stride. You're doing a lot, and it's incredible given all that you've accomplished in that short window of time, since you've gone public with your poetry. We look forward to seeing you here in and in bigger and better things. I'm going to end the interview, and thank you very much.

Poet in the House

This is Terrill Wyche for OpenAir. I'd be remiss if I didn't give credit to The Urban Folk Poet, Mr Wardell Montgomery. He has been teaching me about the world of poetry by inviting me to various venues, events, and introducing me to various poets. Today, he and I went to the Bowen Public Library in southwest Detroit. Broadside Press has just released an anthology entitled Poet in the House. This story is yet another that emphasizes the link between literary poetry and performance poetry.

Today I interviewed Mr. Willie Williams of Broadside Press.

TW: This is Terrill Wyche for OpenAir, and today we have...

WW: Willie Williams of Broadside Press.

TW: We were just talking briefly about the Poets in Residency program and how, because of economic concerns, it has been discontinued. Now what are some other plans for Broadside Press?

WW: For Broadside, we have a third Sunday poetry series. It's at 4731 Grand River. And every third Sunday, we have an open mic. At the end, we have featured readers. Then at the beginning, we have a workshop which anyone is welcomed to come. And the only thing we say is, if you're willing to come to a workshop, then you've got to be willing to work. We have an exercise that we do in class. Then, and we're hoping, that will then allow people to then go home and expand on what they learned. Also we're working on trying to keep the books we have in stock, and then try to republish some of the older ones. And eventually, once we get some more cash, then we'll publish some new books.


Willie Williams, poet and author.

TW: You were mentioning something about poets and poetry workshops and we briefly began to discuss it. What were some of the thoughts that you were elaborating on?

WW: Well one thing that helps all poets is the workshop, where you get into a space where you feel free to stretch, experiment with different styles, not there to be in competition, but you're there to learn how to become a better poet. And that's only really done when you can actually have someone there whose been writing longer than you or who has a different style from and you can learn from them and they can learn from you. But unless you have these type of settings, you never learn this just from open mic. In open mic, all you do is just listen to people talk, but you don't really get the interaction that you need. You don't really get the criticism, the positive criticism where people can make suggestions on how you can make it better. What you get is just some applause. And then you're gone, you don't really know what you did right or what you did wrong. You assume that because you got some applause that you did everything right. Sometimes applause is just automatic. It's just a reaction. They applaud everybody who comes up there. They don't have the ability to say, 'Are all the words in the right place; can I change this little bit around?' First of all, it's just about the applause. Did I just talk a little bit of trash or should I do something different? That's the idea of the workshop, to be able have people there whom you can trust who know about poetry and who can make suggestions on how you can make it better for you.

TW: Have you seen any performance poets that have made that transition, and what has been the key in that transition?


Aurora Harris, author, performance, and page poet.

WW: Well, the key to any of those transitions is just your ability to want to be the best. If you're going to want to be the best, then you're going to want to learn from as many people, from as many different sources as you want. There have been a number of people who have gone through that. For example, one of my favorite folks is Reggie Gibson, who was known as a performace poet but who has evolved to where he's a performace poet and a page poet. You got some other poets like Vivee Francis whose been able to do the balance. Even here today you've got Aurora Harris who can do the balance, but it's the ability for you to be able to understand that a spoken word poem is different from a written poem, and you've got to be able to know what best works for the spoken part of it and what best works for the written part and to learn both of them. And the ideal, the perfect poet is one who can do both and that's hard to do both well.

TW: OK. Thanks. This has been Terrill Wyche for OpenAir.

For further information about Poet In the House and other Broadside Press publications, please visit the on the web at www.BroadsidePress.org.

OpenAir Presents: A Master Class with Mr. Delfeayo Marsalis

This is Terrill S. Wyche, a. k. a., suttwa for OpenAir.

Yesterday, I had one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences that only comes when you are a student. I am currently enrolled as a Ph.D. candidate in Higher Education at the University of Toledo. I was looking at the activities on their website and learned that Mr. Delfeayo Marsalis was giving a Master Class at the University of Toledo.

I drove there as early as I could and fortunately beat the crowd, which to my surprise was far too small. It was composed of some of the music students, a few of the music faculty, but it was memorable.

The first thing which I must declare is that the Marsalis family did a great job raising their children. Delfeayo is one of the most gracious and brilliant people I have ever met in my life. Despite the Grammys, higher degrees, talent, album credits, etc., he was open and hospitable with everyone.

Secondly, the music faculty at the University of Toledo are equally gracious. I felt at home there in that recital hall, as if I were part of the class. Finally, the students who participated are living proof that jazz has a vibrant future.


Mr. Delfayo Marsalis conducting a lecture on how to apprehend the essence of America's classical music form that we call 'jazz.'

Many jazz listeners, critics, etc. believe that the institutionalization of the art form we know as jazz has undermined it. There is a prevailing belief that because of the 'way' in which jazz is taught that all the musicians 'sound alike.' Mr. Marsalis exploded this myth. He noted that Berklee, for example, encouraged its students to tour with jazz legends. This enables the students to learn from the masters intimately. However, he stated that his alma mater the University of Kentucky Louisville demanded that he discontinue touring with the great jazz drummer Elvin Jones or withdraw from the Masters in Fine Arts progam. This obviously stung him because he learned more about the subtleties of jazz ensemble playing from this experience than from anything else, but he did end his tour with Elvin Jones and resume his studies at the University of Kentucky at Louisville.

Mr. Marsalis taught us about the hierarchy of leadership in the jazz orchestra. He stated that the trumpet player is always the leader of the ensemble or orchestra. He even related a true story about how the legendary clarinetist and soprano saxophonist Sidney Bechet, a New Orleans legend, used to have musical battles with Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong and despite the fact that Sidney could play more notes in a measure than Armstrong, because of the fact that the clarinet and soprano saxophone have more keys than a trumpet, did not matter. It was simply the nature of the trumpet and the personality of those who play the instrument.

One of the primary problems that Mr. Marsalis found in the manner in which jazz students are taught is that few of them have sufficient ear training. He stated that music is heard, and if the musician doesn't learn how to play what he/she hears then the audience will be able to discern it. Why? It's because there will be no dynamics (variance in speed, volume, etc.) in the notes that the musician is playing. Now he said this does not mean that musicians should not learn to read and write music, but he did say that ear training builds the essential musical intuition that the jazz legends all have.



Micheal Whitty, a jazz trombonist and student at University of Toledo, exchanging 'licks' with the master, along with two other brave young lions waiting their turn.

There is a story to this photograph. Shortly after I took
this picture, another young tenor saxophonist walked on stage. He proceeded to play some impressive solos, while Mr. Marsalis listened. Mr. Marsalis challenged each student to play a solo that he had learned to play by ear. The tenor saxophonist proceeded to take the challenge, especially after Mr. Marsalis said he would pay $20.00 to each one who could reproduce one by ear. He could tell that the tenor saxophonist was playing a solo that he perhaps had read because he did not reproduce any of the dynamics consistent with the John Coltrane solo that he was playing. The masters always know. and the saxophonist admitted it.

Note: I was wearing my student hat today. So while I am a student at the University of Toledo, I had to pose as a student on assignment. This will explain the content of the question.

TW: I would like to ask you some questions about the role of music in relationship to how it expands the curricular interests of students, psychologically, etc.

DM: When you say curricular activity, you mean exactly what?

TW: What I mean by that is, what we're studying is how outside activity. And when I say outside activity, I mean subjects like 'the arts,' etc. How do they expand not only the intellectual capacity of students but also the ability to faculty and administration to see the worldly value that these subjects have?

DM: OK. Well I'd say that the information that we have about past civilizations, past cultures, generally always boils down to art, their artistic achievements and that's how we're measured against. What kind of art did the Greeks leave behind, what did the Romans leave ? These other type of activities are not the things that...We're in a really athletic age. You know they had the Roman gladiators, and then they had the Samurai warriors of Japan. Now some of these people were important, and some of them had legendary status, but ultimately, it's the art that is used to measure the quality of the civilization.

So as far as expanding the curricular activity, music can have a social significance. For example, folks go to dances, and they want to hear a certain kind of music. And just when you're mingling with your friends, you can have that. Now there's so much music that's available. Like I said, if you listen to Irish music or music from India, classical music. There's so many kinds of music that's available that the more students experiment and learn about those forms of music, the more it expands not only their minds but their consciousness. I would say their way of thinking, and I find sometimes students who just listen to one type of music all of the time, a backbeat-oriented music. Their orientation will be more close-minded than those who say, 'OK when I go to the dance or to the party, I'm going to listen this, but I'm also going to take the time to listen to baroque music or listen to opera. I want to listen to some big band music or to some traditional New Orleans music or to some modern jazz.' Those individuals who can successfully do this...There are individuals who say, 'I listen to all kinds of music.' Generally, this is not the case. Usually it's only the jazz musicians and a handful of classical musicians who really listen to all kinds of music. Usually when they (the masses of people) say 'all kinds of music,' they mean hip hop, R&B, smooth jazz, music that has a backbeat. I encourage students to listen as much as possible, just check it out. You know, you'll learn something.

TW: OK. Thanks a lot.

This has been Terrill S. Wyche for OpenAir.

Mr. Delfayo Marsalis, one of America's cultural champions.

Attention Jazz Listeners

This is Terrill S. Wyche for OpenAir.

I recently downloaded two albums from iTunes by the vocalist Tom Lellis. The albums are entitled 'Double Entendre' and 'Southern Exposure.' The Double Entendre album features his rendition of Herbie Hancock's 'Tell Me a Bedtime Story' which Hancock originally recorded on the 'Fat Albert Rotunda' album.

On the Double Entendre album, Lellis is backed by legendary bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Jack DeJohnette. While Lellis accompanies himself on most of the tracks, Allen Farnham plays piano on some of the pieces. The real reason that Tom Lellis didn't get more exposure is that his talents were overlooked. This is a shame because we, the committed jazz fans, missed out. Lellis was 45 years old when this album was released in 1991, but time didn't seem to negatively affect his voice or his creative vision.
(Source: www.apple.com/itunes).

The second album, 'Southern Exposure,' is aptly named because Lellis demonstrates his ability to recreate the beauty of the music of Brazil, particularly the carioca sound of Rio that produced such music styles as Bossa Nova (Remember 'The Girl from Ipanema?).
This abum was was released in 2003, but Lellis proves to be ageless. To me, he actually sounds as if the years between the releases of 'Double Entendre' and 'Southern Exposure' have actually helped him to refine, not that he really needed to. How do you 'mack out' a Rolls Royce? Why would anyone need to? Anyway, I digress. When I heard his rendition of Bridges by Milton Nascimento, a song near to my heart that I personally have attempted to sing and play at the Meetery Eatery and Beans and Bytes, Lellis moved me to tears.

Now, I'm not sure if Windows PC users can download the album, but here is the link:
www.apple.com/itunes. If you can't access it, contact me at www.openairpresents@yahoo.com.

This has been Terrill S. Wyche for OpenAir. Thanks.

The Urban Organic Phenomenon

This is suttwa (a.k.a. Terrill S. Wyche) for OpenAir.

Two years ago, I attended a Donny concert at the 5th Avenue club downtown. A few months later, I attended another concert at the 5th Avenue club downtown. Matthias opened for Kindred The Family Soul. Both times I enjoyed myself thorougly, and I do not attend concerts very often. I had heard that both concerts were promoted by Urban Organic. I wondered who was the genius behind Urban Organic, and how did he/she/they get these incredible acts so consistently. Finally, I got the chance to meet the mastermind behind the Urban Organic concept. I attended the Amie Larrieux concert at the Charles H. Wright Museum. Oh, yes did I mention that this concert was a free concert. How does Urban Organic do it? Well, I found out, and here is the story.

Ms. Larrieux dazzling the audience at an Urban Organic concert.

The mastermind behind Urban Organic is Mr. Drake Phifer.

TW: How did you get started with this (Urban Organic)?

DP: With Urban Organic? You know. I really have to say. It started way back in the days of WJZZ as a kid, going around listening to Donald Byrd, listening to Gil Scott Heron, Bob James, Rosetta Hines, hearing all that good music back in the day, and really just being...The Electrifying Mojo, just the rich musical introduction I felt I had and many of us had as kids who grew up in the 70s, and I guess a larger musical buffet than we get today and all that stuff that I felt was relevant then is still relevant now. It's just that it's not the main fare of the day, and I just wanted to create
a platform for that kind of stuff to be exposed, the kind of artists that made me feel the way that I felt then, and I was a kid and I knew it was good. I knew it was pure, and even if it was some cursing in it, but I knew it was funky. I knew it was something that was coming from a higher place than a lot of the stuff that you hear nowadays that's just derelict. Man, I just wanted to give haven to that and that's where it really started. So as a company, well as a concept it started while I was living in Atlanta, and I was alongside the founder of The Funk Jazz Caf a guy named Jason Orr, and he started The Funk Jazz Caf in 1994 I think, and I was in Atlanta going to Morehouse. And I knew that if I came back home to Detroit, the only way that I was going to be able to stay here is to really tap into the music community. Because when I came home, it just wasn't really feeling like the way I needed it to feel and that's why I started Urban Organic and that was really the genesis of it.

TW: Who were some of the first acts that you tapped into?

DP: Some of the first acts that I tapped into were...Well the very first show that we did. Well, I can go back to before Urban Organic, some of the first acts that I tapped into when I first got back home, a group called Jade Blue Jays a group like Gil Scott Heron-types, you know. Then the legendary Harold McKinney, who was the jazz dean, the vanguard, the father of Detroit. So I booked him, and then he educated the crowd. And the people were just like, 'Wow!' They were just amazed by his musical knowledge. I knew who he was, but I just didn't know, and his wife and his daughters, and those were the people I brought in initially. And then, my first Urban Organic show I brought in a guy named Paul Hill. I don't know if you're familiar with Paul Hill, but four almost five years ago Paul Hill kind of had a buzz behind his name. Everybody was checking for him, so we did a show with Paul. We also did a show with Black Big Arnold(?) Jessica Care Moore. We had a couple of different jazz trios, and it was cool. And it was a multimedia venue that I hadn't seen here before, and it created the kind of vibe that made me feel encouraged about what I was seeing here in Detroit, and I just wanted to continue that and help it to grow.

TW: What were some of the challenges that you had to overcome in putting together Urban Organic?

DP: The challenges that I've had to overcome were numerous. You know it's a number of them. Artists will always be artists. Not every artist is the same. They all come with their own peculiarities and idiosycracies, but some are more difficult than others. Managers, artists who think that they're worth more than they are. I mean. They may be great artists, but their market value might not be enough for them to warrant what they're asking for. I mean financing these ventures is always a challenge because you don't always know. These aren't always artists who have millions of album sales. So you don't have a measure to go by. You just have to go by what I'm thinking that my peers feeling about a particular artist, and you don't always get it right. You know, so the challenge is always trying to find that balance between what's good on record and what's entertaining live and just be true to that.

TW: Who are some of your favorite artists that you've had a chance to feature?

DP: Some of my favorite artists that I've had a chance to feature...Allison Crockett, an amazing pianist and vocalist, Swai who is from here. She just recently signed with Motown. She plays the guitar as well as the piano. Obviously, Kem is one of my favorites. Neela James is incredible, Kindred, Fertile Ground. I really like those artists, and I think that they really bring something unique to the table, and I could go on and on. But if I had to really to just name the ones that I really enjoy the most, those would be the ones that I would mention.

TW: What are some of the future plans that you've got?

DP: Well the thing that I would really like to do. You know, and I've perservered for a number of years to try and make certain that this continues because I really don't see anyone else doing it. And what I really would like to do is, you know how you see Ford and Comerica

sponsoring this today...I would like to see more of that. I'm getting a lot of calls, and I'm getting more calls from advertising agencies and different entities that are trying to do things with us, but everyone wants to do stuff for free. But there's obviously an untapped market that I'm trying to get these advertising agencies to understand that is existing. I would like to see more advertising, music licensing, more concert tour opportunities. I would like to get the backing of a major recording labels, different sponsorship...

TW: This has been Terrill Wyche for OpenAir. Thanks.


Drake Phifer, the mastermind of Urban Organic.

Bilal Returns

This is Terrill Wyche for OpenAir. I've been away a long while, and I'm glad to be home. I was surfing the depths of the Internet and the waves therein, and I get a call on the cellphone. It's Bilal. Yes, Bilal Mutawassim, author of AstroCanvases and one of our subject from our flagship anthology OpenAir. He told me that he was googling, searched his name and found his interview. This prompted a call and this he told me. Pardon the Joni Mitchell reference. On July 25th, 2008, Bilal, under the alias Detroit Bleu releases his latest album entitled Gypsy Brew.



It's a special blend of reggae, acid jazz, and techno music featuring himself on trumpet, percussion, and keyboards. You can listen to the MP3s of the tracks in care of Amazon.com. While you can listen to the tracks, you cannot download them because the album has not yet been released. Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001C3E7WG/ref=dm_sp_adp?ie=UTF8&qid=1215306229&sr=8-12. On July 25, 2008, pick up a copy.

Note: Photo by Amazon.com

This has been suttwa for OpenAir.