Organ After Hours: Ralph Lalama Trio

A solid fixture of the New York jazz scene and respected world-wide, Ralph Lalama embodies the best of the jazz sound ideal – great time, great swing, expressed through great melodic ideas. Everything he says and plays comes out of his deep connection and appreciation for “the Beat.” Jazz critic Zan Stewart put it succinctly: “Lalama is a grand, modern-minded storyteller…a first-class jazz soloist.” He excels in a chord-less trio format with his amazing command of the harmonic progressions articulated through his horn. But on top of being a great jazz soloist, Lalama is equally a solid veteran of jazz ensembles and orchestras. Over his impressive career starting with Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, and the Mel Lewis Orchestra – now the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra – he has honed the craft of sonic blending. Lalama is a three-time Grammy winner through his work in the Joe Lovano Nonet and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. He has nine CDs out as a leader and is on more than sixty recordings as a sideman. He has received praise from the likes of critics Gary Giddins, Stanley Crouch, Ben Ratliff, Ira Gitler and Stuart Troup, among others. His latest release as a leader is the 2012 “Bop Juice: Ralph Lalama Trio, Live at Smalls.” Ralph Lalama's playing reveals an enormous depth of musical heart and knowledge. With his muscular, free-wheeling sound and masterful ability to tell a story through his horn, one understands why he so thoroughly connects with musicians, students and listeners alike. Weblinks: www.ralphlalama.com Jared Gold, organist and pianist, earned his B.A. in jazz performance from William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey. He received the 1998 Governor's Award for Jazz Performance in New Jersey. In addition to his own trio, Gold has performed with Bill Goodwin, Ralph Bowen, Benny Golson, Benny Powell, John Swana, Ralph Peterson, the Kendrick Oliver Big Band, Bob Mintzer, John Snyder, Mike Karn, Joe Strasser, and John Webber. Venues at which he has appeared include Steinway Hall, Detour, Symphony Space, Cleopatra's Needle, and Kavehaz in New York; Regatta Bar in Boston; Ortlieb's Jazz House and Chris's in Pennsylvania; NJPAC and Trumpets in New Jersey; and The Bird Paradise in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Gold can be heard on Enjoy the Moment (PKO Records) and Going Somewhere (Midlantic Records). My storybecause all of you care to know! I was born in the prairie town of Knoxville, Illinois September 27th 1964. I was lucky to have cool parents who encouraged me in my creative pursuits where it was music, theater, writing or weird art. I became interested in playing the drums in the third grade after seeing Buddy Rich on the Lucy Show. He was judging a local drum contest featuring Ricky Jr. a fine drummer. Inspired, I pooled together some capital and purchased some Ludwig 9a sticks at the local Byerly Music store. With sticks in hand I began exploring a wide range of suitable cookware and five gallon buckets as sound sources. Soon my parents made in investment in a used of brand snare drum drum and cymbal. My middle brother played the saxophone and we immersed in the local PTA and 4H concert circuit at a very young age. It was quite a duo, Mark with his Beuscher tenor and me with my minimalist set up of orange sparkle snare drum and 10 sheet metal cymbal. We had a book that explored all of the hits of the 60's and 70's. (We were serious Herb Alpert afficiandos). We even had some cool schtick: I guess times have not really changed. I played in all of the groups in school and finally learned how to read music.I had a cool high school band director who started hiring me to play drums in his weekend dance band. I t was fun and I made some cash which was nice for an eighth grader. Soon I was playing in local groups of all kinds. A big band, very creative rock band called Common Denominator, country bands, Dixieland bands anything I could play. I was also extremely fortunate to study with a great local drummer who taught me music not just how to play fast. He was very inspirational and was very helpful in my pre paring for college. I went to college at Wichita State University and there was exposed to one of the most influential mentors of my career, Dr. JC Combs. He is not only a fantastic percussionist but he possesses one of the most creatively fertile imaginations on the planet. We played percussion works featuring a wide array of strange components. Pinball machines, cloggers, bowlers and professional wrestlers all were standard fare. He also instilled in me a true entrepreneurial spirit. Combs always knew how to market and get folks to the concerts that were always sold out no matter how bizarre. My colleagues were equally insane and it was a inspirational environment to spend my college years. Wichita also had a lot of great opportunities to work so I kept quite a busy schedule between working and school. Sleeping in one of the huge lecture classes was common. I am grateful for all of the experience I gained from years in Wichita. I am also grateful for Wichita for it is where I met my wife Felicia who was a hot shot violin major from Tulsa, Oklahoma. We met our freshman year in school and married in August of 1987. The fall of 1987 we loaded up the Ryder truck, 1984 Chevy Citation in tow and moved to Boston where she got her masters from New England Conservatory. Boston was hopping and I took full advantage to see and play with everyone I could. I had the wonderful opportunity to play, tour and record with some great bands and musicians including the Either/Orchestra, Charlie Kohlhase Quintet, Bevan Manson, John Medeski, Dominique Eade and countless others. It was a great place to be and the many of my Boston colleagues have gone on to be some of the most influential musicians of their generation. Two words began to echo in my brain New York. I knew it was time and with encouragement from folks like Cecil McBee and Andrew Cyrille we decided to head south to the Big Apple. I loved the energy of the scene immediately and began playing with some amazing musicians. Weblinks: www.mattwilsonjazz.com