John Hasselback III: Shuffling Back From Buffalo
Buffalo-bred, Hartt-trained trumpeter is making the 8495 his home
John Hasselback III was raised in Buffalo and did both his undergraduate and master’s studies right here in the 8495 (Hartt School of Music and SUNY Purchase, respectively). He’s planted roots back at Purchase, where he’s a professor of jazz studies, and playing again with old friends in both the Hartford and New York City jazz scenes (photo courtesy John Hasselback III)
One of the great perks for a music-loving writer who has worked from home for the past 27 years is the freedom to do a lot of my work while listening to tunes – no bosses to have to please with faux solemnity, no colleagues to bother, and oh so pleasant “emotional support noise” to help me through the day. And not for nothing, the practice also provides story ideas quite often.
Back in the day, my options were limited to whatever radio stations I could bring in on the stereo set up next to the desk. But now the entire world is at my disposal, and one of the Internet’s wonderful little musical secrets is a YouTube series called Jazz Scene Buffalo. Shot in black and white, the series highlights the wealth of jazz talent in western New York (hint to CPTV or any of the other local TV outlets – would not a Jazz Scene CT program be boffo?).
One of the show’s episodes featured the Lisa Hasselback Quintet, with Lisa on keys, her husband, John Jr., on trombone and their son, John III, on trumpet. In between stellar takes on some standards and one Lisa original, the family talked a little about their musical journey.
Lo and behold, all three of them studied jazz at the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the University of Hartford’s Hartt School of Music. Lisa and John Jr. went back to the Buffalo area and became music teachers. When the episode aired, John III was a post-doctoral fellow at Oberlin College and Conservatory in Ohio. I jotted down a story idea: “Ping JH3 about how spirit of Hartt is carried to Ohio.”
Well, John did me one better – he brought the spirit of Hartt right back to the 8495; He recently started a tenure-track professorial position in jazz studies at the State University of New York’s Purchase College in Westchester County, where he got his master’s degree. For John, who has settled in Danbury, CT, the job provides the best of both worlds for a jazz musician – financial and career security and a home in a location that allows him to gig in scenes he is very familiar with, New York and Hartford.
And make no mistake, he says there is indeed a very distinctive, and well respected, Hartford sound.
“Totally!” he told 8495Jazz. “I would like to say it really goes back to people like Jackie McLean, (and) Paul Brown of course.
“A lot of the sound of Hartford comes from the sound of the Jackie McLean ensemble in the 1980s and 90s. Steve Davis (who was John Jr.’s roommate at Hartt), Nat Reeves (who mentored both generations of Hasselbacks), Eric McPherson. The way I see it, the Hartford sound is like high energy – it’s playing changes – it’s hittin’. That’s the best way to put it. There’s a certain rawness and prestige about it – ‘I went to Hartt,’ and when you get with those people who play in a similar style it’s like driving a race car.”
John’s innate curiosity and drive and flat-out love of all music has produced a multi-dimensional talent beyond the bandstand, though. At each stage of his educational journey – undergrad at Hartt, master’s at Purchase, and doctorate at Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY – John said he learned complementary and valuable skill sets and a safety net of sorts.
“I remember when I was younger, going out and grinding – going to all the clubs, playing all the sessions, and trying to meet people, and just pay your rent. I lived in New York City like that for a couple years and it is a really tough life. I took a hard look at that and said I can see myself doing this for 50 years and still be in the same place.”
Each step of his scholarly journey added to his innate love of music. At Hartt, he said, he absorbed the traditions of jazz and small group performance; at Purchase, where he studied under master trumpeter Jon Faddis, he delved a little more into big band playing and learning what it meant to be a professional jazz musician.
And at Eastman, he used his doctoral studies to fill in all the holes in his repertoire.
“Technically, I was studying jazz but the reality is a lot of the doctoral level classes are classical,” he said “I wasn’t trying to get how to play ii-V-I progressions, I was trying to learn about Mozart and Beethoven, Brahms string quartets, Duke Ellington’s music. I always thought if you could write for an orchestra, and really understand it, that was the highest level of musicianship. That was what I was pursuing there early on.”
His efforts have been paying off. He mentioned an arrangement of the standard “My One and Only Love” he did for the Eastman Studio Orchestra. And he’s been commissioned to arrange some music for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra’s Memorial Day concert.
And yet, despite his years of scholarship, his goal is to put all those tools to the service of a very simple goal.
“Does it sound good? Does it make you feel the way you want it to make you feel? Good music gives people energy. Does it make you feel good? If the answer is yes, then probably it was successful. Then you can get into this whole thing about craft – you can sit over two measures to change one note, but that one note – does it make you feel better? And if the answer is yes, then it was worth it.”
During his doctoral studies at Eastman School of Music, John branched out into arranging for larger ensembles. This is his arrangement of the standard “My One and Only Love” for the Eastman Studio Orchestra.
Out and About with 8495Jazz
These listings are a curated sampling of shows in the region. As an independent resource for jazz news, 8495Jazz does not receive any consideration, free tickets, or affiliate fees for these listings. Please confirm events are still happening directly with the venue.
8495Jazz Wild Card Gig of the Week
Litchfield Community Center, Litchfield, CT
Litchfield Jazz Camp Talent Search Finals, Saturday, March 7, 2 pm. Free (registration requested).
Not your typical student talent search. The entire 8495Jazz staff went to last year’s finals and were knocked over by the caliber of the musicianship. This year, 15 finalists, who play saxophones, drums, piano, bass, and trumpet, backed by LJC faculty members Zaccai Curtis, Luques Curtis, and Ian Carroll, will vie for scholarships to this summer’s camp. We are constantly amazed by the quality of jazz Vita Muir and her staff bring to Litchfield, whether it’s the camp faculty concerts, the festival itself, or this talent search. If you’re looking for a perfect and slightly different way to spend Saturday afternoon, here ya go.
8495Jazz Spur of the Moment Gig TODAY
Sacred Heart Community Theater, Fairfield, CT
Christian McBride and Ursa Major (bass, combo) w/ Nathan and Noah East opening, 7 pm. GA $56.50 - $66.50 including service fee.
Other Upcoming Shows
The Falcon, Marlboro, NY
A Night of Harmolodic Jazz & Art w/Chris Bowman (drums, combo), tonight, reception 7 pm, music at 7:45 pm. $30 suggested donation.
Hartford Public Library Baby Grand Jazz, Hartford, CT
The Hartford Sound (combo) today, 3 pm. Free.
Scullers, Boston, MA
Peter Bernstein Quartet (guitar, combo), Friday, March 6, 7 pm. GA $48.05 - $64.85 including service fee.
Arrow Street Arts, Cambridge, MA
Miguel Zenon Quartet (sax, combo), Thursday, March 5, 7 and 9 pm. GA $44 - $104 including service fee.
VFW Post 399, Westport, CT
The Soothsayer! A Nod to Wayne Shorter (combo), Thursday, March 5, 7:30 and 8:45 pm. GA $20.76, student/vet $15.76 for 7:30 show, GA $10.76 for 8:45 show.
Jazz Forum Arts, Tarrytown, NY
Anat Cohen and Marcello Goncalves (Brazilian jazz duo), Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7, 7 and 9:30 pm; Sunday, March 1, 4 and 6 pm. GA $37.75, child/students $32.50 including service fee.
The Side Door, Old Lyme, CT
Edu Ribeiro Trio w/Seamus Blake (drums, sax, combo), Saturday, March 7, 8 pm. GA $59.75, students $27.98 including service fee.
Jams
Cafe Nine, New Haven CT
New Haven Jazz Underground jam, usually 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month: free admission
Saturday jazz jam most Saturdays, 4 pm. Free.
Blackeyed Sally’s, Hartford, CT
Jazz Wednesdays, featured set 7 pm, jam session afterward.
Carmine’s, East Hartford, CT
Paisley’s All Star Memorial Jam, various Tuesdays, click link for dates, 7:30 pm. House band set followed by jam. Free.
Mahoney’s, Poughkeepsie, NY
Poughkeepsie Jazz Project, every Tuesday, 7 pm. Free.
Park City Music Hall, Bridgeport, CT
Scott Cushman and Friends followed by jam, first Wednesday of the month.
The Parlour, Providence, RI
First Sunday Jam (first Sunday of the month) with Ben Shaw Quartet followed by jam, music starts at 6. Jammers $5, audience $10.
The Blue Room, Cranston, RI
Newport Jazz Presents Jam Sessions, 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month, 8 pm. House band followed by jam.
Groton Hill Music Center, Groton, MA
Jams every second Tuesday of the month through June, 7 pm. $10 at the door, no advance sales.
Jazz Societies and Organizations (great info on events, festivals, and more)
Jazz Society of Fairfield County
Jazz Fridays at Three Sheets New Haven 1st/3rd Fridays from 6-9pm
Jazz Thursdays at The Cannon New Haven every other Thurs from 7-9pm.
8495Jazz takes its name from the two Interstate highways that cross our region, I-84 and I-95. Within short driving distances from either, you can find incredible entertainment, from local jams to world-famous festivals in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. 8495Jazz: From Newburgh to Newport!
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