'That clarity, that fire'
Veteran blues guitarist Pete Kanaras gets inspiration from – trumpet players
Welcome to 8495Jazz, the new jazz newsletter for southern New England and southeastern New York - “From Newburgh to Newport, Worcester to Westchester!”
Each issue will include a little bit about one (or more) of the people, places, or organizations behind the region’s thriving jazz scene and some tips on what events are coming up shortly. We will also occasionally offer some pointers to some of the music that has influenced some of the region’s best players.
Why is it called 8495Jazz? Well, it 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; New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, I want to share part of the rich regional jazz tapestry with others in our community.
I’ll be experimenting in the best tradition of the music, improvising on what works in terms of content and design. Feel free to share tips, raves, and rants at 8495Jazz@Gmail.com, and share this newsletter with your friends.
What’s our publishing schedule? For now, let’s just say “most Sundays.” I think a little bit of jazz news on a relaxed Sunday morning might go well with some coffee and your background soundtrack. Let’s go!
Pete Kanaras
Our first profile in 8495Jazz is veteran blues guitarist Pete Kanaras. Pete grew up in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and still makes it up to the 8495 on occasion – in fact, he’ll be appearing with the Chris O’Leary Band at Meadow Blues Coffee in Chester, N.Y., on Sept. 11.
Pete came out of a smoking hot blues scene in Poughkeepsie and spent nine years touring the world with blues exemplars The Nighthawks before settling in Baltimore, where he is a top-flight “guitar doctor” and anchors numerous DC-Baltimore region local gigs in addition to his touring schedule.
He modestly calls himself a “diner rat” – his parents owned a diner not far from the legendary Chance nightclub in Poughkeepsie – but he is also a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef. A fateful trip to Texas in the 1980s convinced him to trade in the Henckels for a Fender and he has never looked back.
“My standard crack was I walked away from a lot of money to be broke all the time and I have no regrets,” Pete said. “You get one shot at this.”
But Pete draws a lot of the inspiration for his style not from other guitarists, but rather from jazz musicians – particularly trumpet players – an inspiration that dawned on him in during an impromptu trip to New York City during his hospitality industry career.
“I was in the diner 70 to 80 hours a week, managing the place with Mondays off. What are you gonna find in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., on a Monday night?”
So Pete took off down the parkways one sultry summer Monday night, and happened to land outside the Village Gate and the epicenter of New York’s salsa scene.
“I saw a sign that said ‘Mongo Santamaria Big Band Tonight’. The place was packed with super hot chicks and ultra macho guys decked out to the nines, not a hair out of place and everybody was rockin’. I got a Coke and sat at corner of bar and took it all in, one of the most remarkable things I ever saw in my life.
“The Gate at the time had a legendary Monday night series called Salsa Meets Jazz where they would take a top Latin band and a top jazz soloist and put them together. Those trumpet players would just murder me. I guess the register is part of it– but it’s the way they phrase, the way they put space in between the notes – because I can hear it translated to the guitar, that kind of articulation.
“I think most guitar players maybe gravitate toward the tenor sax. But the trumpet has that clarity – and especially in Latin music, the fire. It’s a more deliberate way of phrasing. Guitar players tend to be legato anyway, and I have been trying real hard to get away from that for a long time. But whether you like the way I play or not, I want it to be articulate. Trumpet gives me that. Guys like Blue Mitchell. Miles, of course.”
Just as he does not consider his culinary training to be a badge of refined education, he also does not consider himself a “scholar” of jazz or how it relates to the blues he has played for a living for so long.
“I’m not a jazz guy,” he said. “I have a deep appreciation for it and I know how to listen, but you’d have to ask a jazz guy. There are places to put the blues (in jazz) and places to definitely not put them. Especially if you’re playing a standard. You have to stick to that melody.”
But there’s always room to stretch the repertoire, and Pete said he’s particularly intrigued at the moment with getting his longtime bandmate Tam Sullivan to join him on keyboard on “West 22nd Street Theme” by vibes stalwart Bobby Hutcherson, with a who’s who roster of Freddie Hubbard, Ron Carter , Joe Chambers, Herbie Hancock, and James Spaulding.
“I haven’t told him yet. People will never see it coming.”
Out and about in SNE with 8495Jazz
Upcoming club and concert highlights (all information is current at press time, please confirm by contacting the venue):
Uncle Cheef, Brewster NY:
Doug Deming and the Jeweltones (guitar), Thur., Sept. 12, 7:30 and 9 pm. $20 per person cash donation to the band encouraged
Pete Malinverni (piano), Sat., Sept. 14, 7:30 and 9 pm. One ticket is valid for both sets, seating for the 9pm set is based upon availability $15-$25
Alex Kautz (percussion), Sun., Sept. 15 (jazz brunch), 12 and 1 pm. (doors open at 11:15 am), $20 per person cash donation to the band encouraged
Jazz On Main, Mt. Kisco, NY:
Julia Ewing & the Ron Drotos Trio, Sat., Sept. 7, 7 and 9 pm. $30 to $98.
Side Door, Old Lyme CT:
Mike Ledonne (organ), Fri., Sept. 6 and Sat., Sept. 7, 8:30 pm. $20-50 plus fees
Harold Lopez-Nussa (piano), Fri., Sept. 20 and Sat., Sept. 21, 8:30 pm. $20-50 plus fees
La Zingara, Bethel CT:
Steps Behind quartet, Wed., Sept. 11, 7 pm. (Doors at 6, venue requests patrons be seated by 6:30), $15-25
Palace Theater, Waterbury, CT
Yoko Miwa Trio (piano), Fri., Sept. 13, 7 and 9 pm. $37
Eddie Allen Quintet (trumpet), Sun., Sept. 22, 12 pm. (Jazz brunch, service begins at 11), $69
VFW Post 399, Westport, CT
Mike Camacho Trio, Thur., Sept. 5, 7:30 pm. $20.76, $15.76 for students and veterans
Ed Cherry (guitar), Thur., Sept. 12, 7:30 pm. $20.76, $15.76 for students and veterans
First Congregational Church, Madison, CT
Glenn Miller Orchestra, Fri., Sept. 20, 7 pm. $20-95 plus service fees
Scullers, Boston, MA
Arturo Sandoval (trumpet), Fri., Sept. 6 and Sat., Sept. 7, 7 and 9 pm. $50-55
Blue Room, Cranston, RI
Maya Breuer Jazz trio (vocals), Sun., Sept. 8, 2 pm. $10
Yale University School of Music Ellington Series, New Haven, CT
Allen Lowe (saxophone), Sat., Sept. 14, Louis Armstrong’s America (lecture at 2 pm., concert at 4 pm). $26.
Jams
Cafe Nine, New Haven CT
New Haven Jazz Underground jam, usually 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month: Highlights include Ed Cherry (guitar), Tue., Oct. 8 7 pm, session at 8, free admission
Blue Room, Cranston RI
Newport Jazz Jam sessions, Wed., Sept. 11 8 pm. Newport Jazz House Band featuring Leland Baker, followed by jam session, $10 for audience, free plus one drink for players
Jazz Societies (great info on events, festivals, and more)
Jazz Society of Fairfield County
Here’s a sample of what Pete Kanaras saw in New York City:
Salsa Meets Jazz at the Village Gate (Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie, Mario Rivera and Sayyd Abdul Al-Khabyyr) Dig Dizzy Gillespie just hanging in the section!