Bob Seymour With; Mike Markaverich

Every fine carry on conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the performance of the Symphony Number five by Tchaikovsky on WSF eighty nine point seven Your NPR station a mussel Again thanks for listening to the music this evening of Bob Seymour is in next with a great night of jazz including a live performance in our studios with Mike Mike a very rich. We'll be highlighting and talking about his new released CD called solitary gifts. Join Bob Seymour and his special guest coming up next I'll be back with you tomorrow morning right after MORNING EDITION with more classical music. This is your NPR station WUSA to dyne point 7 Tampa-St. Petersburg Sarasota a service of the University of South Florida. Thank you Russell. Look forward to more great music with Russell tomorrow morning and some great music coming up this evening as he just reminded you. A live performance in our studio. It's jazz every night on WUSA nine point seven and a special treat tonight I've looked forward for some time to having a visit with my old friend the pianist Mike market. He's here to chat a little.

And though he has that brand new CD out here live music from our performance studio with Mike tonight forward to this for some time. And Mike thank you for coming in this evening. Well thank you Bob and thank you for inviting me. Found out a week ago that less than a week ago that actually you wanted me to appear on the show and I was able to work out the logistics. It's jazz we do things on short notice around here something or make it up as we go along. And you have been in Sarasota for what since about 88. Late 80s. Yeah I came to Sarasota. November of 1998 so it's almost 16 years. The end of November I came here. Originally my plan was to work Sarasota in the wintertime and go back to Cape Cod and work the Cape in the summer but as things worked out I got a six night a week job at the Gator Club playing with a drummer and a bass player and that lasted for 17 months.

That changed my plans. That's where you and I first crossed paths a long time ago on Main Street in Sarasota when you had a great jazz band in the Gator Club and it was it was a great band for that room you were up on a high kind of a pedestal placed over the bar elevated right. Yes that's right. And I was playing at the time with earning Willeford on bass and various drummers at first and then Louie. Took over as the regular drummer for most of that engagement. We went to coasters and played there for 11 months and then I went to Michaels on east and played there for five years. You had the same engagement for some time now and will get into more detail as we go along with Kara in the summer house. It's nice to know there are some things you can count on and your club schedule has certainly been that you have some concerts coming up will give people all the details in a moment but first we are happy to have you in and the number of

prestigious artists in this past year or so that we've had a new piano. Actually our piano previous to this one was the PSA. Yes it was and it ended up in our studio but we have one that you have just become acquainted with Can we hear some music. Sure. I'd like to start with you in the night in the thick Mike mark of marriage. Beautiful like mark of a rich at the keyboard. You know our live performance

studio tonight here on WSF eighty nine point seven. Nice Mike. Look forward to a lot more music tonight. You hearing you once again I'm reminded that you are really kind of defined by the fact that you use both hands when you play the piano. I say that kind of facetiously. You really have music going on in both the left and right hands I think of my good friend the pianist Herbie Brock who like you is blind from birth but has about twice your age and Herbie always tells me his complaint about some modern pianists is they may have a lot going on on the right hand but the left hand is pretty profound. And you're of the other school aren't you. Yes I very much believe that. If you're playing a piano that has 88 keys you should use all of them at some point as you're playing music. They're there for a reason they are there to be

played. That's well period. So I want to play them one thinks of not that you're derivative in any way but I know you spent years in Cape Cod in your younger years and prominent working in that area and one thinks of the great pianist Dave McKenna you're in somewhat the same style. Yes Dave had a very big influence on me still does. When I listen to his recordings and you know I much personally after he well I spent quite a few nights at the bears house in Hyannis listening to Dave at the time it was interesting that I worked in the afternoons out on the front porch they had an old Ivers and pond upright which was a real nice old piano. And I played in the afternoons and very often after I got done playing my afternoon gig they would play. Wednesday through Saturday during a summertime. And so I stay there and have dinner and listen to Dave and he was always very supportive. He

always invited. Well not always but many times invited me to sit in and I enjoyed listening to him I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him play ballads and medleys of tunes with girls names in them and things like that he was just a just a very complete piano player and a good swing. But he could play pretty he could play ballads he could. He could do the whole thing. And in addition to being the complete piano player as you refer to he also knows more songs than just about anybody. Geez. Unbelievable. The number of songs in the verses not just the not just the the what people would call the main body of the song which usually in a lot of the songs is made up of. Melody and then a bridge melody you know in a ballad like body and soul you have the first melody and then you have the bridge melody. But a lot of times Dave would play the tunes with the

introduction or verse that was written by the composer as well. So it was a thrill to listen to him play and to learn from him by just listening. It was like I think I learned quite a bit. Another influence I know in your life was the music of Oscar Peterson. Most definitely. When I was a freshman at Dartmouth College one of my dorm mates a guy who lived in the room next door who really loved jazz then played Oscar Peterson's Night Train album for me one night and the light switch went on. When I first started at Dartmouth in 1967 I was thinking of being a French major. But when I heard Oscar Peterson I started thinking in a much different direction. You've been playing piano a classically trained and I had four years of classical training at the Perkins School for the blind from 19. 19 59 through 63 but I was more

interested in rock n roll and Ray Charles and a little bit interested in things like take five although I had to struggle to play that that time. But I was more interested in that than I was in classical music. But I learned my pieces so that I could play in my recital every year you know that with other students I didn't play a whole recital by myself. I was days so that's how it worked. We can assume you've got and take five under your fingers by now and once in a while. So ask Petersen. Well you started at the top if it was Oscar who turned you around. Well you turned me on to it and of course went in listening to Oscar. There are times when you hear other people's playing in his playing. I have one fourth CD set at home called exclusively for my friends where he uses a lot of the George Shearing block chords with great fluidity and

great precision. And so you can hear sometimes you can hear George Schering in his playing or you can hear Earl Garner or you can hear the stride pianist's or you can hear the pianists. Certainly Art Tatum certainly most certainly. A number of the pianists were mentioning are uncited as you are. As a matter of fact it just occurs to me that we talk Tatum and sharing and so many of the others have that you actually blind from birth but my understanding is that beyond that you were given a pretty grim prognosis as an infant the doctor didn't give me a snowball's chance to survive let alone live any kind of a productive life. But my mother God bless her soul she just kept saying he's going to make it he's going to make it and I'm still here and enjoying it immensely. Well that's inspirational. What's next. Well I was thinking of something from the solitary gifts CD

you taught my heart to sing that is your own. Yes that's the brand new one third of three great. Yes this is the melody that's right. Beautiful. Mike Markovitch at our piano in the WSF performance studio this evening

live. What a beautiful melody that is. That's McCoy Tyner as you taught my heart to sing. That's an interesting collaboration you know Mike that there's a nice lyric to that too and it was written by Sammy. Isn't that interesting. Yes I was aware of that. And actually I learned a song off a recording vocal recording. I believe that's the one that comes to mind with me. Yes that's where I first heard the song. I don't know. I don't know just how Sammie Kahn and McCoy Tyner got around to collaborate and it's a wonderful collaboration that's for sure the lyric is nice and the music the melody and the chord changes and like I love every I loved it the first time I heard it and I said oh boy I've got to learn this one. Well the answer to this is on your new CD The solitary gifts. That's just the answer to the question. Do you play solo. Tonight is a resoundingly yes but your first CD a few years ago had a play on words that was a different answer to the same question.

Yes when I when I'm working in busy places the genesis of that title came up when I was working in a busy place and somebody came up and asked me Do you play solo piano and my answer was yeah solo they can't hear me. That's where that came from. The first CD a few years back was so low they can't hear me. Then it was a trio with some good players on your second disc a couple of years ago with Billy military and Tony Martin and I remembering right. That's right. And that was called solid and the new one is just out it's a nice light these holiday season CDs yours we can't is one of those that we can't file with the Christmas records and put them up in the attic for 11 months of the year because it has just enough other stuff on it that's not Christmas. That was the whole idea. We wanted to put some holiday things on it but we wanted it to be something people might want to play at least some of the tracks from the rest of the

year. So that was the whole idea behind it. I had a lot of fun with Frosty the Snowman on that one. You've got some. The one we just heard McCoy Tyner and it's a real nice sampling and I'm sure you know the holiday season is going to be here any minute now. And we will be hearing those Christmas songs that you recorded but I guarantee you we won't put the CD away for 11 months because all the other stuff that's there to banks. We mentioned that you studied at Dartmouth. Heard Oscar Peterson got turned around and weren't a French major anymore. You ended up getting your graduate degree ended up being in New Hampshire the University of New Hampshire yes and I got a chance to study. Actually I studied classical piano there for most of the time because my teacher once he heard me play said well you know I know you've been self-taught and your first love is jazz and always will be jazz as far as playing. But for you to become a better

jazz player we're going to we're going to study classical music because we want to try to work on some of your fingering. Techniques to try to make a more efficient player and it certainly helped. All right so I got my graduate degree my master's degree in one thousand seventy eight and then I moved to Cape Cod and played on the Cape for 10 years at various places. So do you maintain any classical. No not at that time. Every once in a while I will insert references to classical pieces or references to classical texture but I really don't play classical music and at all anymore. It takes so long to memorize it. We using Braille music and recordings at just such a time consuming process. Sure I and I fell in love with jazz either a wonderful time. It is truly a lifetime commitment. It really is.

You're playing with a trio in addition to your club dates at the summer house and it is in Sarasota. Let's let the folks know you have a concert next Monday. Manatee community college a lot of Torrey M.. Yes at 8 o'clock I will be playing with guitarist Marc Menino who is. An instructor on the faculty and also bassist Jon Miller who is on the faculty. He plays for the Florida west coast symphony but he enjoys playing jazz. And then I will be. We will also be having Johnny Moore on drums you probably know Johnny or a drummer is a wonderful drummer so we're looking forward to that Monday night at 8 o'clock. So we've already gotten a couple of good rehearsals and and last Monday we played for the music history class. Mark teaches so we've where and I think we're in good shape. And while we're on the subject next Wednesday at United Methodist United Methodist United Methodist on the road in

Sarasota Yes I'll be playing with any Williford on Bass who I played with at the Gator Club the coasters and still work with Whenever things come up and we will have Paul carburetor another wonderful drummer who lives in Sarasota and a surprise guest. That's at seven o'clock next Wednesday we'll get these on our website too so folks can go to the events calendar and track them down let's hear whatever you have up your sleeve next. I was thinking of one of the Thelonious Monk tunes that's on solitary discs solitary gifts boy. It's called ugly beauty right. That's one among many isn't it.

One of his kind of different ones too in that it's a jazz waltz. He didn't write a lot of those that I know of but that's a little unusual and a group and a great monk title ugly beauty. You're listening to Mike Mark a very rich solo piano from the WSF performance studio tonight on your NPR station WUSA f eighty nine point seven. Seymour it's jazz all night every night. Jeff Franklin's And later on this weekend a great pianist is in with Marian McPartland. Nothing new about that. Randy Weston is an interesting man and is always incorporated a lot of Africa where he has lived for years and his music and then at 9:00 o'clock then the great pianist who we lost last week Pete jolly part of the Los Angeles jazz scene is remembered. The call returning for the sound of jazz after a few weeks away and he'll have an hour of the music of people like you we mentioned. Your educational

background and so on you do some teaching these days. Yes an adjunct instructor adjunct instructor in applied jazz piano event at Manatee community college and I've been doing that now I guess this is the fourth year it's hard to believe it but five years ago if anybody had told me I'd be doing this much teaching I wouldn't believe them. I also teach privately and it's very gratifying I'm finding that the teaching really makes you think a lot more about how to communicate the knowledge. And it's one thing to sit down and play. But then if somebody is interested in learning about it it's another thing to try to communicate the concepts and the textures and the theory. It's very challenging work sometimes but it also can be very rewarding. And I think you know I think it's time for me to start sharing some of what I've learned over the years teaching itself as a real learning experience for a lot of people very definitely.

Yeah we're at work and we've talked about your CDs the third is just out what's the easiest way for folks to track them down. Well easiest way would be to either call me at 9 4 1 9 5 1 1 4 8 7. Or there are there are links you can contact me via email at. The jazz cats at comcast dot net. Or there are you know a baby CD Baby is is and is a company that helps independent artists sell their recordings and there are links on CD Baby web page and website for all three of my recordings CD Baby slash mark of Eric Church which is my last name for a solid CD Baby mark of various slash mark of enriched

forest solo they can't hear me and CD Baby slash mark of three for solitary gifts. The years a lot and there's a lot about you and somebody Googles you to use that word is a verb Yes. And I guess I'll you know understand it seemed actually it seemed one of the things I read online about you was that you were using a modern technology that assisted you to make use of the Internet. Yes. Well back in. Late in 2000 I started I took a computer class in what's called Jaws training the Jaws is a talking screen waiting software. It's an acronym. Jaws is an acronym for job aid with speech. So if you can type and you learn how to get around a basic Windows keyboard and you learn the jaws keyboard commands to perform the various functions you can learn to use a computer at least to do everything other than

graphics. They say Oh so I use a computer to chart the progress of my students lessons. I use a computer for email and I use it for other things like that. It's a sort of voice recognition software. No it's not a voice recognition. It's synthetic speech reads what's on the screen so you have to be able to type to use it. And I learned how to type when I went to Perkins So once I learned the extra keys on the Windows keyboard it wasn't really. It didn't take that one. I still make mistakes but that's why you have spell checkers. But for those in front of you you do just fine. What you got that little uptempo little stride in that line don't we do something from my first CD.

This is called If dreams come true all right. That's what I'm talking about playing with both hands. You got

most of the 88 keys in there somewhere I think that's pretty near I think. Mark of WUSA points. And as we've mentioned before it's nice that there are some things you can count on your schedule has been pretty constant as far as club and agents lately hasn't it. And even through you. The slow summer months even through the summer yes. Fortunately the people that run carriage restaurant where I play on Thursday and Friday have been very supportive of music. Ever since I've known them they have guitarists on weekends and I play on Thursday and Friday from 5 until 8. Cocktail Hour is located at 69 South Palm Avenue in Sarasota downtown in the block between Main and Ringling. And Tuesday nights I play at the summer house upstairs from 6 to 10 Siesta Key. Yes and that's been a wonderful venue to there. They're just great to work with and

it's a lot of fun playing over there I really enjoy it. We try to keep a club listing of what's going on and you know it kind of random moments throughout every night of the week. We keep you posted on who's playing where around town. Sometimes something will be in the book for months or a year or two and I'll say Well this certainly can't be still happening especially when it's June and July and things are drying up around town and I got in touch with you some months ago and said Give me an update and he said No nothing's changed it's right now it's been has been a steady venue for me since. August of 1996. And they are just wonderful people to work with and work for and they have wonderful food and I'm not saying that because I work there. I have many meals there and I haven't had a bad one yet. You're rivaling Buster Cooper at the Garden restaurant or in a gig. He's got about an eighth or ninth year there and I can say the same about the summerhouse

in all this the food is excellent. Other younger players we talked about your mentors certainly Oscar Peterson and Dave McKenna. Well sure. I mean I've had people like Cyrus Chestnut Fred Hersch who I really enjoy. Those are a couple of pianists that I really enjoy when I hear them I don't have a lot of their things in my collection yet but when I have heard them I enjoy them very much. Two of the greats. Yeah there was a lot of young talent out there. Fortunately you know. We play jazz and listen to jazz. Love this music and think of it as timeless music and I really think it is. But for it to remain timeless there have to be people to perpetuate it. As the older people get to the point where they can't do it anymore. So it's very important to keep it alive and I certainly want to express my gratitude

to you and everyone here at USF for doing your part in helping keep jazz and good classical music alive in the southwest and central Florida areas it's just great. Thanks for the music you put down and let me extend that thanks to our membership of course who makes it possible here on the public radio station and stations like it. Let's get one more in. You have something in mind. Yes I was thinking since this is Veterans Day. You must be one. Where are you going to go with this. I see a Sousa march coming along. There's a there's an Oscar Peterson tune that I learned off his Night Train album which is called the hymn to freedom. And it's really one of my favorite things that I get and on this piano I think it really should sound quite nice which by the way this is just a wonderful piano. I have thoroughly enjoyed playing it and I

would love to come back and play it again sometime. It was a wonderful stunningly great. What a nice song and a nice choice for Veterans Day. Thank you Oscar Peterson

the name of that again the hymn to freedom. And that goes back to your your roots the very outspoken an album that turned you around. Exactly night train with Ray Brown on bass and the band on drums. Soulful music and a good choice for Veterans Day. Thank you. Well much more coverage it's been a real pleasure. And I'm glad we made it happen after talking about it for a while you were at the concert once again. Manatee community college at Neal auditorium next Monday at 8 with the quartet and the trio concert next Wednesday the 17th at 7:00 a.m. United Methodist Church. You folks can check our website within a day or two and or call us anytime for that information. Mike will keep folks posted on where they can find you and I hope you'll come back and workout on this piano again sometime soon. I'd love to do it Bob. Thanks a lot and please just let me know when we'll see if we can

work out all right. Thanks again Mike Markovitch. And we continue. Let's continue as a matter of fact with more music from right here at home here on WUSA F. eighty nine point seven. It's jazz all night and this is the latest from Dan that million Jazz Orchestra. Trombone and band leader on trumpet. This arrangement just right. Yes. Yes. Yes yes yes yes. Thank.

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you. Don't you see that this fits with me. I don't like it. Where is the honey.

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It. It's. Nice to see that. Jane Monheit from her latest singing a Fats Waller tune and with the right band in tow Jeff keys or Christian McBride and Lewis Nash

with Jane Monheit and before that Dan with millions Jazz Orchestra from their new and the band from here in the Bay Area Dan million and Keith Oh sure oh the soul of a son. Just friend. Another great local band coming up. The Michael Ross quartet in just a moment. And you can catch them tomorrow night at Viva la in Tampa. This is your NPR station WUSA F-18 nine point seven Tampa St. Petersburg and Sarasota service of the University of South Florida with jazz all night every night. Seymour My thanks again to mark a very much for coming in all the way from Sarasota to our north Tampa studios to perform live for us tonight. Boris who helped get him here and Dave last of our staff who helped with the setup and the sound piano sound of Goodman is played by Micah jazz all night. After a quick look at the news. From NPR News in Washington I'm Shane Stevens. The military

says the insurgents remaining in Falluja are cornered into the southern part of the city. U.S. commanders say hundreds of insurgents died in the battle that began on Monday. Eighteen Americans and five Iraqis have been killed and at least 178 Americans have been wounded. NPR's Tom Gjelten has more. The Marine general who's commanding the offensive in Fallujah says that the operation at this point is ahead of schedule it's now in the fourth day. Most of the city of Fallujah is now under U.S. control according to commanders there. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Myers says From our viewpoint this is very very successful. Myers made a point I think that other commanders have also made which is that the operation in Fallujah is not going to extinguish the insurgency. Myers says that was never the objective. The objective was to begin to return Iraq to a point where people can live their normal lives. NPR's Tom Gjelten reporting there is heavy security in Cairo Egypt where a

military funeral service for Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is scheduled to be held in several hours. As NPR's Peter Kenyon says there have worried will be a number of foreign officials in attendance by in large countries and others are sending. Foreign ministers or someone on that level will be representing the European Union has their foreign policy chief. The Americans will be represented by an assistant secretary of state William Burns who has done extensive work in the region. Colin Powell will be attending and Peter Kenyon in Cairo. Arafat will be buried in Ramallah on the grounds of his McConnell headquarters. President Bush attended a traditional Veterans Day activities at Arlington National Cemetery Thursday. Mr. Bush paid tribute to all the men and women who serve the nation and noted those currently involved in the fight for Falluja. NPR's Don Gunday filed this report from the White House.

Speaking at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington the president honored veterans of the U.S. military who fought in wars from the First World War. He noted that there are still some world war one that's alive to Afghanistan and he spoke of the work currently being done in Iraq calling those members of the military quote tomorrow's veterans. Their actions have made our nation safer and it worlds full of new dangers. Their actions have also upheld the ideals of America's founding which defines a still. There are 25 million living veterans in the U.S. a wreath was also laid at the New World War 2 Memorial on the National Mall. Don Gonyea NPR News the White House. On Wall Street the Dow Jones Industrials gained 84 points the Nasdaq composite it next was up 26. This is NPR News. Support for NPR comes from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation sponsoring reclaiming futures community solutions to teenage substance abuse and crime reclaiming futures or it's a few minutes after midnight. This is W.

USAF eighty nine point seven jazz all night. Coming up 5:00 till 9:00 a.m. It's MORNING EDITION. Jeff Franklin's in for the late shift a little later on Seymour and. We heard Mike Parker live in the studios we heard that million van from right here at home. And here's another brand new release by one of the most creative and happening bands from right here. They play all original music is Matter fact will take a look at what's happening where around the weekend you can catch the Michael Ross Quartet tomorrow night outdoors on a nice cool evening at 59 0 1 north Florida at 8 o'clock. And from the brand new CD This is a tune named after one of their old long term engagements. Michael Ross quartet. And.

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