Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Hyderabad
All that jazz
|
That jazz music has managed to survive and thrive for so many years without support from the media astounds Pamela Hall
|
PHOTO: MURALI KUMAR K.
LASTING FOREVER Pamela Hall: `Once you listen to jazz music live, you're hooked. And that's the key to its survival'
Imagine being able to get together the music of jazz greats such as Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Bassie and everyone else from the jazz universe together and sending their music out to the world, regardless of geographical and physical barriers. Well, that in essence, sums up the kind of work that Pamela Hall does every day.
As a programme director and on-air personality on Riff, the jazz station on WorldSpace, she is responsible for the distinctive sound and feel that the channel promises its listeners. "Our idea is to give listeners a world of jazz," says the radio jockey, who was in the city recently for a workshop and performance by Indian jazz virtuoso Madhav Chari. "We incorporate all kinds of jazz — contemporary, Latin, Brazilian, folk jazz... — in a way that makes sense to the listener." For Pamela, her work is much like that of any other artiste, with many of the same considerations. "I like to think of myself as a painter. The radio is my canvas and the colours are all the different forms of jazz music. What makes the painting interesting is the blend between old and new music, instrumental pieces and vocal pieces, and so on."
Story of the form
For Pamela, the emphasis in the kind of programming she provides listeners is on truly telling the story of jazz today. The fact that jazz music has managed to survive and thrive for so many years without much support from the media, for instance, always astounds her. "It's a miracle that jazz music survived for so many years without support from either radio or television. Jazz music is not in the forefront because radio and television never really embraced jazz music, and so it has had to grow outside these media."
But, she says, just because most of us don't get to hear about it, that doesn't mean nothing happens in the world of jazz. "So much goes on behind the scenes, and I'm surprised by how much jazz sells. You only have to look at the estates of these artistes to know that. So many family members, so many generations are supported by the estate, by selling records and through royalties," she explains.
The reason, for this popularity of jazz, despite lack of popular media support, is the intimacy of the live scene, says Pamela. "Once you listen to jazz music live, you're hooked. And that's the key to its survival." In fact, it is this love for the intimacy of jazz that brought Pamela to the kind of work she does now.
"My parents used to hang out and go club-hopping on 52nd Street in New York, which was the heart and soul of jazz music and they transferred that to me." Pamela recalls being taken to live concerts right from her childhood, and has pretty much grown up with jazz music around her. What she also finds interesting about jazz is the manner in which musicians themselves contribute to keeping the form alive beyond their own times. The jazz institute started by Thelonius Monk, for instance, conducts a jazz competition each year that encourages younger generations to participate in the world of jazz.
Support from musicians
For Pamela, this competition is an exciting affair because of the support it receives from established musicians. "A lot of experienced musicians usually come together for the event, playing backing music for the younger bands... " At the annual competition, she's run into everyone from Natalie Cole to Herbie Hancock to Diana Krall, all of whom turn up to lend their support to the music. Indeed, says Pamela, it is this kind of interplay and empathy between musicians that helps keep the genre alive. "I once asked Nelly Monk, Thelonius's wife, what she thought made jazz so special. She said that it was the love between the musicians. That's why jazz is so special, so long lasting and so endearing."
A key feature of the kind of programming that Pamela does on her station is the idea of a world of jazz. "Although jazz music originated with the African-American population, it didn't stay there. It has grown and developed so much. For instance, Dizzy Gillespie was one of the first musicians to incorporate Latin jazz into his own writing, and worked with Cuban musicians. Then the same thing happened with Brazilian musicians. Jazz has grown and spread all around the world, and it was only a matter of time before it all got thrown together."
And that is what Pamela does today; bring together various forms of jazz so that listeners receive a truly panoramic perspective of a dynamic music form.
Another major goal for her is to get the word on jazz out to the younger generations. In that, she says, playing a world of jazz makes things easier since a mix filled with contemporary jazz makes older jazz numbers more palatable for listeners.
Moreover, it's a task for her to simply point out to younger listeners that jazz is far more a part of their lives than they think. "Most young people don't realise they listen to jazz every day. They don't know that when they're watching Kill Bill or Austin Powers or Ocean's Eleven, they're listening to Quincy Jones." Give jazz a listen, however, and you could find yourself the perfect soundtrack to your life with a song for every moment, says Pamela.
This column features those who choose to veer off the beaten track.
RAKESH MEHAR
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Hyderabad
|
