Dr. Will Campbell, Director of Jazz Studies and Assistant Professor of Saxophone here at UNC Charlotte, has been exposed to music nearly all of his life. His homage to one of the most predominant jazz musicians of all time, Charlie “Bird” Parker, was performed this past Wednesday with a reputable ensemble of faculty from three universities including our own. Catching up with this talented musician not only sheds light on his personal connection to music, but also explains the sophisticated allure of jazz music to new listeners.
How were you first introduced to music?
Well, both of my parents were musical, not by profession but they both had an interest in music. I was mostly exposed to music by my older brother who’s a professional musician. He’s five years older then me, he always showed a lot of interest in music, and he was very influential on me.
Was [your brother] a jazz musician?
Initially, but now he’s a very established rock guitarist in New York. He toured with Sting’s band for a year, so he’s gone a little bit more of a contemporary route than I have, but he’s very knowledgeable of jazz music; he listened to a lot of jazz music when we were younger.
So, would you consider him your first real exposure to jazz?
Yes, definitely.
What is it about jazz, aside from your brother’s influence, that interests you?
Well, I think that there was something about it when I was young; at the time I couldn’t really explain what struck me. But, as I’ve gotten older, I think what makes it really interesting to me is that, on one hand, it’s a very cerebral, intelligent art form—a complex art form, as is classical music; and on the other hand, it’s also a very visceral art form with the soulfulness of it. I think it’s kind of the best of both worlds of music.
Jazz is an art form that has a lot of expression and improvisation in it. Who are some of your favorite jazz musicians and how would you characterize their personal sound?
Charlie Parker. He was an innovator of jazz music, but also was a very soulful player. He played with just a beautiful sound, and there’s an initial reaction to the sound that he created. Another person that comes to mind is Miles Davis; he’s very much the same way.
What is it about Charlie Parker’s sound that attracts you more than any other artist?
There are some people who might be really good at playing soulfully, some people that might be able to play at really fast tempos, or really slow tempos. Charlie Parker did all of it, better than anyone else. So, whatever you wanted out of the music, he could provide it on a higher level than anyone else.
Jazz was a prevalent music form in America during a time of racial divide and societal adjustments. What role do you think the mainstream African-American jazz musicians played in helping with that adjustment?
There’s no question that a vast majority of the innovators of jazz were African-American. A number of people, whether it was Louis Armstrong who was very traditional, or someone as progressive as John Coltrane, made very strong statements about civil rights issues through their musical and nonmusical statements. They were very involved in putting forward their opinions about the need for racial equality. Their music and the music of the more modern players such as Miles Davis and Joe Henderson, with each of their style’s dissonance and tensions, was a direct result of what was happening in the civil rights movement. They used their music as a vehicle to express their discontent with what was going on, but at the same time to be optimistic.
Finally, what do you think jazz has become today?
It’s definitely not as prevalent in our society as it used to be. But one great thing is, through the Internet, it’s much easier to get access to this music. Whether purchasing music or watching footage online—I remember, when I was in college, watching a Miles Davis documentary and having a dinner party. None of us had ever seen any footage like that, but now anyone can access any documentary they want online. So on one hand jazz has become less popular, but on the other I think it’s much easier to access it than ever before.
49er Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Will Campbell
Published: Monday, September 28, 2009
Updated: Tuesday, September 29, 2009 13:09
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