{"id":20183374,"date":"2025-08-06T06:15:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T13:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.metrosiliconvalley.com\/?p=20183374"},"modified":"2025-08-06T05:01:21","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T12:01:21","slug":"hired-jazzhands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metrosiliconvalley.com\/hired-jazzhands\/","title":{"rendered":"Hired Jazzhands"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Potential for chaos is one of the best things about jazz, especially at its festivals. And no one is farther out on a ledge than the musicians who temporarily augment visiting ensembles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s easy to get a vicarious thrill when these musicians from our midst hang with the headline acts, enabling celebrity musicians to do their thing without having to transport an entourage thousands of miles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSide musician is a great skill to have, because you never know who\u2019s coming into town and you pride yourself in being able to fit in any number of situations,\u201d says longtime Bay Area drummer Jason Lewis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At a major event like the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, which takes place this weekend, where there will be fill-ins for about 10 percent of the professional acts, one might assume that some musicians might be so thrilled to match improvisations with the masters that they\u2019d almost work for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it turns out most of them are like Lewis, already part of a successful network of trusted talent in the South Bay and nearby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are eager semi-pros who will offer their services, but I only hire professionals,\u201d says Niel Levonius, a trumpeter-bandleader-contractor who enlists musicians for occasions such as the San Jose festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The festival organizers line up the bands but aren\u2019t involved in how everyone gets paid. It\u2019s always up to the band to hire the local people, Levonius says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One might think lesser-known side musicians could get hired to save money, but instrumentalists develop, at an early age, insistence about getting paid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost professionals won\u2019t hire on for free, because they don\u2019t have to,\u201d Levonius says. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to devalue yourself as a musician.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He says there\u2019s a mantra about the money among instrumentalists: \u201cI can\u2019t pay for rent with exposure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the \u201cgig economy\u201d even the stars hustle for gigs. As superstar bassist Christian McBride put it recently on SiriusXM, \u201cWe\u2019ve ALL got 10 jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Be Flexible\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The work can be challenging for any skill level when the structure is loose and sheet music is non-existent, when melodies are deconstructed and key changes are complex. So, these ad-hoc teammates are indispensable, especially when they cope heroically with hasty preparation and unforeseen circumstances, seemingly without batting an eye. If they make mistakes, rarely are they noticeable to most of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou have to be a great reader and play many different styles,\u201d says Aaron Lington, the head of the jazz department at San Jose State, who has fronted prominent bands several times at the San Jose festival and is a premier baritone saxophonist. He and Levonius both play in the Pacific Mambo Orchestra. \u201cYou have to be flexible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those situations often involve last-minute challenges, such as last year, when Lington had to both provide horn players and arrange their portion of the music for a touring Texas guitarist. And they performed the concert \u201cwith zero rehearsal. This kind of thing is very common.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
HORNING IN <\/strong>Aaron Lington, head of SJSU\u2019s jazz department, has fronted prominent bands several times at the Summer Fest. PHOTO: Contributed<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Whatever the budget, there are plenty of openings. This year\u2019s Summer Fest includes an entire local band, Orquestra Taino, backing Herman Olivera; veteran southern California-based teammates Gary Novak (drums) and Dean Parks (guitar, tenor sax) teaming with All Things Swamp; a rhythm section tandem\u2014bassist Ryan Price and drummer Joe Rayhbuck\u2014sitting in with Kishi Bashi; and guitarist Charles Altura, a Berkeley High School and Stanford alumnus now based in New York, coming west to back Sachal Vasandani, although Altura points out he\u2019s part of a group on tour rather than sitting in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There will be more. Like the arrangements for the music, the arrangements for personnel often arrive at the last minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it doesn\u2019t take a huge festival to create openings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Levonius presents an intriguing example. \u201cAlthough they\u2019re all dead, Glenn Miller, Cab Calloway, Tommy Dorsey\u2014all of these jazz bands are out there touring, and some of these bands hire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey come with core musicians. Most touring jazz orchestras will carry their rhythm section [bass, drummer and often piano] as a general rule. If they don\u2019t have the luxury of first sax, first trombone and first trumpet with them, they [fill those] as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet\u2019s say the Temptations are coming to town. The Temptations always hire 10 horns. There are dozens of people who are capable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First-Call Status<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the top of that list is Mary Fettig. \u201cMary Fettig is a first-call saxophonist for a lot of these traveling bands,\u201d Levonius says \u201cI hire her in my own band. She\u2019s a local Bay Area legend. When the San Francisco Symphony needs a saxophone player, they call her. Johnny Mathis was on a [recent] farewell tour, and she played with him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fettig, 72, is no novice, but she points out that women fare scarcely better than novices. \u201cShe broke the glass ceiling for female players in a big band,\u201d Levonius says, when she toured with the Stan Kenton band in the early 1970s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It must have been tough combating the prejudice against female players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt still is,\u201d Fettig exclaims. \u201cAre you kidding? I\u2019m just playing in a man\u2019s world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The local men dominate the networking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll those guys play together in various bands so much. There might be a pool of 50 of them that have played together in various configurations,\u201d Lewis says. \u201cSame thing with Niel\u2019s groups\u2014these guys have all played together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aside from lofty reputations, Levonius says the tiebreaker is the likelihood of rapport with the band. \u201cIt\u2019s up to the contractor to find the right group of guys. Do they fit in with the culture of the band? Are they people you want to hang out with?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can be difficult to fit in, but thirty-something bassist Price and drummer Rayhbuck have also attained first-call status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They got a head start in their collaboration with Kishi Bashi, whose eclectic style isn\u2019t a match for everyone. \u201cHe gave me some material in advance,\u201d  Price said. \u201cA lot of times I\u2019ll just listen to it and learn it.  I don\u2019t always get charts and stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
RHYTHM SECTION <\/strong>Bassist Ryan Price (pictured) and drummer Joe Rayhbuck will sit in with Kishi Bashi at the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest. PHOTO: Contributed<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Price said they had a rehearsal with Kishi Bashi in late July. \u201cWhat he likes to do, as a lot of artists do these days, is to put spin on his own songs so it\u2019ll be more organic. He does all this looping stuff, too. I like the live stuff more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It helps that he and Rayhbuck are available as a tandem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In smaller combos, the rhythm section\u2014bass, drummer and (usually) pianist\u2014are more likely to be the ones hired on, confirms drummer Lewis, a veteran of 40 years on the Bay Area jazz scene who also has taught at SJSU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lewis and the late bassist John Schifflett, with occasional collaborators, were a matched set for some touring bands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey might hire us as a unit because we already have a vibe and a sound, and we\u2019re used to playing with each other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ultimate example of that benefited Lewis\u2019 group in 2003, when \u201970s pop star Boz Scaggs had branched more fully into jazz vocals and produced his But Beautiful<\/em> album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were playing together as a trio, and [pianist] Paul Nagel was doing some work with Boz and Boz had a studio.\u201d Scaggs let Lewis\u2019 group use his studio. \u201cWe ended up releasing an album.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then Scaggs said, \u201cIt might be kind of fun to get together with all three of you.\u201d So, they and saxophonist Eric Crystal backed Scaggs\u2019 album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That sort of session isn\u2019t likely to be as freewheeling as a festival like San Jose\u2019s, where improvisation comes into play, especially in smaller groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s more or less what I deal in,\u201d Lewis says. \u201cI don\u2019t do a bunch of big-band stuff, which is quite a bit more reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe improvisation is what we\u2019re trained to do. Even playing drums, it\u2019s important to read music and recognize chord changes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Music in the Moment<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Improvisational skills are vital when the band arrives at the last minute. \u201cThey will send the music in PDF form, and a recording. I\u2019ll check it out on my own,\u201d Lewis says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least there is a structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLater,\u201d Lewis continues, \u201cwe\u2019ll get an early sound check and just kind of run through \u2018heads\u2019\u201d (meaning the basic song form\u2014the patterns comprising the melody, verses, bridge sections).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then come the variations that can make jazz so exhilarating, especially when you know the stand-ins are winging it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know the harmonic application of the chords they\u2019re using,\u201d says bassist Price, \u201cand I\u2019ve been playing long enough that I know what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And do it creatively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTrying to make music in the moment,\u201d says Lewis, \u201cyou hope to capture some of the ideas you heard in the recording\u2014\u2018they need a certain thing on this tune\u2019\u2014but also learning how open they are to interpreting the tune in a slightly different way. Or they might be very precise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He illustrates how a trumpet player might use Lewis\u2019 rhythm section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the basic jazz standard, we already know the melody and the arrangement. Then you\u2019ll have solos. … The trumpet player might play a solo over that form, then the piano would take a solo, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut the trumpet player might want to play it by ear. (He might advise) \u2018Be open that if I\u2019m looking at the bass player, I want him to take the first solo. Look at me.\u2019 He might put his fingers back and forth. There are other gang signs, like a fist up would mean, take the coda out or something like that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What could go wrong?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe relationship between bass and drum is such that if they communicate, no one ever knows the soloist was a beat off.\u201d With luck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI will say I\u2019ve been in numerous situations that I can hear the bass player went to the bridge, the piano player didn\u2019t, and the soloist might be confused. As the drummer, there\u2019s only so much I can do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A knack for spotting trouble is one of the reasons Lewis appreciates bassist Dan Feiszli, a frequent collaborator. \u201cHe\u2019s another guy with great big ears.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much communication during performance involves the rotation of solos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBallads can go on a long time,\u201d Lewis says. If one seems over-long, signals might be used to shorten it. \u201cAABA reverts to BA,\u201d he says of altering the agreed-upon form. \u201cFinger on nose might mean \u2018take it to the bridge.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leading and Following<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Fettig cites a harrowing moment while she was part of the orchestra for a Lady Gaga\/Tony Bennett concert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe only got the music when we got there that day…and rehearsed a bit.\u201d During the Lady Gaga segment,  \u201cThere was a blackout for two tunes in a row,\u201d so the musicians couldn\u2019t see the music they had scarcely rehearsed. \u201cWe figured out this is how she rolls, but it would have been nice to be told that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conquering such obstacles becomes a reward in itself, all the ego boosting some of them need. But when solos are part of the bargain, when the audience applauds your individual work, that must help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
FIRST-CALL SAX <\/strong>Local legend Mary Fettig plays with many traveling bands. PHOTO: Bill Grami<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Got to give the drummer some, right? Not necessarily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI never need to solo,\u201d Lewis insists. \u201cIf it serves the music, serves the overall dynamic, the feng shui, let\u2019s do it. Otherwise, if we\u2019ve been playing for seven minutes and it does not need a drum solo, that would be perfectly fine for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of the best side musicians also star in other groups, including Fettig. She is adaptable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, she\u2019s usually the lead alto sax player, but in some elite bands, she\u2019s the No. 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re a second alto player, you\u2019re trying to do whatever the lead player is doing,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s usually with someone really good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut most of my life is being a lead, and then I\u2019m listening to the lead trumpet. It\u2019s an interesting job to fit in and be the lead for the rest of my section.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At a recent gig \u201cwith a lot of prominent L.A. musicians,\u201d she says, she got plenty of solos. \u201cAlmost too many. I felt like kind of a hog.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fettig also gets a kick out of playing other instruments. \u201cIt\u2019s fun getting to play with Chris Potter\u2019s big band at SF Jazz. Interesting orchestra. The front row, instead of being saxes, we played flute and clarinet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The variety is part of the motivation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAny musical situation I put myself in,\u201d Lewis says, \u201cI\u2019m doing it at that moment for those people, with no other agenda. That is how to approach a whole career.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

San Jose Jazz Summer Fest creates opportunities for Bay Area musicians to support touring acts when they\u2019re here<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14789,"featured_media":20183376,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_expiration-date-status":"","_expiration-date":0,"_expiration-date-type":"","_expiration-date-categories":[],"_expiration-date-options":[]},"categories":[1775],"tags":[20324,20322,20323,20325,20326,5295,5717],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n