Jimmy Haslip – Revolutions
By Brent-Anthony Johnson

The Life Cycle in animal biology is a method of understanding evolved behaviors and strategies to optimize reproductive success. As I eagerly opened the latest Yellowjackets recording, “Lifecycle,” I wondered aloud how this 27-year-old legendary World-Jazz band would introduce its latest recorded composition. I noticed the guest appearance of guitarist Mike Stern, and I immediately knew something different was afoot! But more about that in a minute…

At the center of this ridiculously great band is the impossibly great Jimmy Haslip. Jimmy is simply one of the most consistently incredible bassists ever heard, and his discography continues to impress. For instance, most players send a single release, or a compilation of their favorite sessions. Jimmy sent eight discs covering his recent session work in addition to “Lifecycle,” and the long-awaited “Live At The Mint/Mint Jam” DVD. Jimmy has been a veritable force of nature in the world of improvised music for so many years one might easily forget that the humble and friendly voice on the telephone is backed by such a formidable career. In addition to being a bona fide “bad boy”, Jimmy Haslip is one of the nicest human beings I have ever met.

Jimmy Haslip

BAJ: Congratulations on “Lifecycle” and on the release of the “Mint Jam” concert DVD! I don’t know if you have the opportunity to hear it enough, but your playing on everything you sent to me was really impressive. Thank you, and great work! Aren’t you currently touring Europe in support of “Lifecycle”? How has touring changed for you over the years, and what have you done to maintain balance when you’re away from home so often?

JH: Thanks, my friend! I am very proud of both “Lifecycle,” which was a really interesting studio project in collaboration with guitarist Mike Stern, and recorded January ’09 in Ossining, New York – in the Westchester, New York, area. The “Mint Jam” project was done in 2001 and has actually yielded three projects from the one live gig in Los Angeles! We recorded two nights in a small club in South Hollywood called THE MINT in ’01. We initially released a double audio CD plus a Mint Jam Songbook of all the music from the CD. We recently released a DVD of that evening, with several alternate takes, in November 2007.

Touring wise, we had finished a European quartet Yellowjackets tour from October 15th through October 29th – 10 cities in 14 days! I also stayed another four days to do some workshops and a concert in Verona, Italy, for European Bass Day with Michael Manring and Matthew Garrison. We also toured Europe throughout July, with Mike Stern, and then we did another quartet tour for five weeks in February and March. We just finished a nice 13-day run in the Far East with Mike Stern: Hong Kong, China; Sidney, Melbourne and Brisbane, Australia; Seoul, South Korea, and Jakarta, Indonesia, with the quartet. We actually ended-up having a guest Indonesian guitarist there named Tohpati, who played a couple of tunes with him from “Lifecycle,” and then we went into the studio the next day and recorded a song for his project. All in all, an interesting trip!

It’s been a very busy year of touring and recording, and we have been totally enjoying the collaboration with Mike Stern – and touring all around the world as we promote “Lifecycle,” which just got nominated for Best Contemporary Jazz recording, and Russ Ferrante has been nominated for the Best instrumental Composition award! What a nice note to end the year – with our 15th and 16th Grammy nomination to date. When I look at touring over the years to the present day, it’s actually been a very productive 30 years with the Yellowjackets. We’ve toured all around the world and we’ve been able to record in different cities and travel for so many years… We have seen many changes in our touring regimen – especially since the tragedy of 9/11.

Over the past four years, or so, we have really downsized our live production standards quite a lot. To our advantage, we now bring:
a small utility case
a laptop computer
a snare drum and cymbal case
a tenor saxophone and an EWI [Electronic Wind Instrument]
…and my electric 6-string bass. Everything else is back-lined with the help of our endorsers, booking agents, and the local promoters. This is one element that makes travel somewhat simpler for the band. The other elements are sort of out of our hands when we’re talking about airlines and things like weather-related obstacles and tough traveling schedules in planes, trains, and automobiles! (Laughter) Summer tours are tough because of the tourist trade. But at the same time, it’s also a good time to perform at all the larger festivals. So we make the best of all of it and enjoy the performance – which will most certainly outweigh the many long hours spent sitting in a van, or a train, or at an airport departure gate. We still enjoy playing to live audiences… and we make it all work for us.

BAJ: Is it too early to begin talking with me about your forthcoming solo disc, yet? What’s happening in the realm of this eagerly-anticipated project, man? Tell us!

JH: No; it’s not too early, man… But it’s been seriously taking a long time to complete! (Laughter) I am doing this project as a total collaboration with pianist, keyboardist, producer, composer and engineer Joe Vannelli, and we have been working when possible – between and around projects, since 2005. It’s been incredibly difficult to block out any large amount of time to work on this music straight through to completion. I’ve composed a body of music of which we have recorded six pieces so far. We’ve actually arranged and re-arranged all of the pieces together, and Joe brought in five pieces himself – which we collaborated on arrangements and re-writes! It’s been a serious process and for about two years, on and off. We get together and work for a day here and there – molding the music and using virtual synths, samples, loops, piano, organ, and electric basses.

I was thinking that the music may even become a duet recording with no other musicians involved for some time. But, in Spring of ’08, we finally brought in some wonderful musicians to augment most of the eleven pieces. We have: Bob Mintzer (tenor saxophone), Steve Tavaglione (alto and soprano saxophones), Wayne Bergeron (trumpet), Katisse Buckingham (flute), Jimmy Branly (drums/percussion), Jason Hann (hand percussion), Stella Castelucci (harp), Roger Burn (vibraphone), Judd Miller (EWI), Ross Vannelli (acoustic guitar)… and we will be adding vocalists soon!

We’ve mixed seven tunes and we’ll be working on the final three songs over the next couple of months. So we are very close to finishing this project, and I’m very excited and looking forward to having it all done and released. It’s been a project of love for me and it’s dedicated to my daughter, Gabriela. She inspired all the music on this recording!

BAJ: Amongst the discs you sent, I see you are playing again with Michael Franks. How does a session like that one come about, and are you planning to tour with any of the many artists you’ve recorded with this year?

JH: I Have played with Michael Franks quite a bit throughout the years. We actually toured in the late 1980’s in the U.S. and Europe. I’ve also produced music for him on four different projects: “Dragonfly Summer,” “Abandoned Garden,” “Barefoot on the Beach,” and “Rendezvous In Rio.” Plus we worked together on the Yellowjackets’ “Live Wires” when he sang a tune with us. We got in touch when we were in the same management house, Gary Borman Entertainment, and, thanks to Gary, we made a connection and started doing live dates and eventually worked in the studio on all these wonderful recordings! Michael is an amazing singer and lyricist and I totally enjoy every minute of working with him. As far as most of the other artists I have produced over the year… I really haven’t toured with many of them. But I’ve done more producing for Jing Chi – my ongoing project with Robben Ford (guitar) and Vinnie Colaiuta (drums), and we’ve toured together and even recorded a live disc in Oakland, California, at a club called Yoshi’s recently. I am still touring and co-producing the Allan Holdsworth/Alan Pasqua Group – with drummer Chad Wackerman, and we are finally getting ready to go to work on a studio CD – release set for Fall ‘09. We have a live DVD and I here there are plenty of bootleg discs out there as well – though, there’s not much you can do about that… I also co-produced a recording with drummer Terri Lyne Carrington called Structure with guitarist Adam Rogers and alto saxophonist Greg Osby for the ACT label in Germany.

I recently played on a recording by singer named Luba Mason, produced by Prince keyboardist Renato Neto, and we performed at the Panama Jazz Festival in January ’09. I produced two recordings for a group called Shapes led by vibraphonist Roger Burn and a recording for guitarist Matthew von Doran, and I have performed with both of them in various ensembles since the release of those CDs. So there are some occasions when I am producing and playing with artists… But as much as I’d like to, it would be almost impossible to do it all the time! (Laughter)

Jimmy Haslip

BAJ: Do you have a separate roster of instruments and outboard gear for sessions? Or, is it all a matter of “being Jimmy” and taking the gear that you’re digging at the time of the session call? Along with that, which instruments are you favoring at this writing?

JH: Well “being Jimmy” is part of the equation. I am very fortunate to be working with some extremeIy talented bass makers/luthiers; namely: Keith Roscoe and Mike Tobias.
I also have a relationship with YAMAHA and a cool music shop, Truetone Music, where I actually do all my maintenance with Paul Flynn, here in Los Angeles.

I’ve actually have been favoring one instrument for live performances lately: a Roscoe six string fretted bass. But, in the studio, it’s a different story… I have a small bevy of instruments I have been relying on over the years and I sometimes add one or two to that list. At the moment, I use any number of these several old Tobias basses:
1987 Tobias 5 string fretless
1988 Tobias 6 string fretless
1988 Tobias 5 string fretted bubinga-wood bass
Tobias 7 string fretted
MTD 6 string fretted
Tobias 5 string Killer B
Roscoe 6 string fretless
Roscoe 6 string fretted
Roscoe 7 string fretted
Yamaha 4 string Fretted BB1200
Yamaha 6 string fretted TRB
Yamaha 5 string fretless acoustic bass guitar… Plus, a Hirotaka Kiuchi Innerwood 5 string fretted, a Musicman 5 string fretted, a Tyler 5 string fretted, and a Moon 4 string fretted. I usually bring at least four to five instruments with me on a session. You just never know which bass will be the right one for the song! so it’s always a good idea to have several instruments to try out! I have recently been introduced to a couple of very talented bass makers/luthiers here in Los Angeles; Randy Fulmer (Randy@Wynguitars.com) with Wyn basses, Pat Wilkins with Rock Box, and Hirotaka Kiuchi at Innerwood in Japan. I am currently working with them on a couple of special projects.

Jimmy Haslip

BAJ: What is Jing Chi up to these days, and what other projects are you working on?

JH: Jing Chi is on the stovetop again! I am organizing another project for the band and hope to record the fourth CD project sometime in 2009. Robben Ford and Vinnie Colaiuta have been extremely busy and my schedule has been off the hook!! But we are trying to figure out a recording schedule at the moment. As far as some of the other projects on my desk… I am currently co-producing a saxophonist from Norway, Terje Lie, with Jeff Lorber. We are in the writing stage and have been recording some tracks at Jeff’s JHL Sound. I was also able to produce and recorded 4 tracks for guitarist Dave Hill with William Kennedy (drums) and Russell Ferrante (piano and keyboard) and we’ll be mixing early 2009. The new Shapes disc will feature Roger Burn, Mike Stern, Russell Ferrante, and Bela Fleck (banjo). There is also a new Bruce Kulick (guitar) CD with Kenny Aronoff (drums).

BAJ: Are there any particular aspects of your career that you’ve re-architect-ed in the past couple years? Also, have you read (or heard) anything that has personally influenced you recently?

JH: Well as far as re-architect-ing my career… I will turn 57-years-of-age in December and I am seriously working on more production and hopefully less touring in the near future. I have produced over 60 CD projects and several DVD projects to date and I am very comfortable in the studio… and subsequently able to stay home more often. I have a 14-year-old daughter that I want to be with all the time and, of course, my wife Nancy is very supportive of my decision. I actually don’t travel nearly as much as I did when I was a bachelor… but, then, who does?! (Laughter) But I still have a hectic travel schedule every year! I have been touring extensively since 1971 and I feel that it isn’t getting any easier to travel. For me, at this time, spending time creating in the studio is a very inspiring process, and with my well-rounded experiences, I feel like it’s a perfect direction for me now.

As far as reading goes… I’ve been reading a lot about the war in Iraq and I just finished an intriguing book written by a New York Times War Correspondent named Dexter Filkins called The Forever War and it’s definitely not recommended for the squeamish! I am totally against war, but I felt I needed to understand more about what was going on there. This is a documentation written from the personal journals of this very articulate writer , after he spent 9 years covering Iraq and Afghanistan. Wow! I was pulled into his world and as dark as it all is, I got a better understanding of what is happening there – and it’s made me even more confident about my beliefs and thoughts against war. The other book I’m reading is about Alfred Hitchcock called A Life Of Darkness And Light. I am always interested in learning about masterful creative process, and Alfred Hitchcock was certainly a master of film-making.

BAJ: What are 5 of the most important aspects of becoming and being a session bassist in 2008 Los Angeles?

JH: That is a really difficult question! I was never part of the inner circle for studio musicians – which I actually preferred, as I ended-up getting a lot of interesting project calls that were also outside of the norm. I also got to work with a lot interesting and wonderful producers like Tom Dowd, Eddie Offord, Gary Katz, Jimmy Iovine, Andy Johns, Richard Podler, Tommy LiPuma, Al Schmidt, David Hentschel, Niko Bolas, Steve Cropper, Michael J. Jackson, Don Gehman, Elliott Scheiner, Michael Sembello, Stewart Levine, Andre’ Fischer, and Michel Colombier! Important aspects of becoming and actively being a session bassist in L.A. Today… I have recorded on over 250 recordings and here are some suggestions from my experiences.

1. Always be early for the session! You don’t want people waiting on you and you’ll have some down time to look over any charts and prepare your instruments properly for recording. It will also give you time to relax and get comfortable in the space. 2. Be relaxed and ready for anything! You need to have a good understanding of all genres of music – as this will instill confidence in anything you record. 3. Be prepared to read music! Practice reading and have your technique solidly in place. Also, make sure your instruments are clean and clear of any maintenance problems. This will insure that you will not give the engineer, artist or producer any challenges for recording your instrumental voice. 4. Be a team player and know your place in the scheme of the session! As a session musician, you may be asked to do things that you are not comfortable with. Try to accommodate anything that is asked of you, and keep in mind that once the door is opened, you may later try to politely interject any ideas that you have. 5. Make sure you bring more than one instrument! This will insure that if one instrument doesn’t sound good or satisfy the producer, artist or engineer that you are able to produce other options that will eventually compliment the music and bring satisfaction to the powers that be.

BAJ: Man, you’ve seen the scene flux in so many ways… What, if anything, would you have done differently as you review your career from this standpoint?

JH: The only thing I can think of at the moment is this: had I understood things better earlier on, I would have definitely diversified myself more and sooner than I did! I would have gotten into producing earlier, learned to play piano earlier than I did, and learned more about engineering and mixing a lot sooner than I did! I am pretty happy with how things have transpired and I am seriously diversified now in the present – which has allowed me to be involved in more projects and on many different levels. From executive producing, producing, writing, arranging, and even consulting… being creatively involved with things as diverse as artwork and sequencing, programming, and production coordination to contracting and A&R has been a great experience!

BAJ: Are you feeling the need to take a break at this time? What’s next on your roster as you look forward into 2009?

JH: NO BREAK IN SIGHT ACTUALLY! (Laughter) I mentioned all the projects I am currently working on and I also have a variety of live performances filling my calendar through June/July of 2009 at this point, and the calendar will continue to fill up from this point on until who knows when? But I will always keep family trips and vacations in the mix. It’s fine to be busy, and I verge on the edge of being a workaholic… So, I am always concerned with making sure there is quality with my family – in addition to maintaining downtime to rest and recharge my batteries. It’s very important to do that! Even taking a single day off here and there, helps the creative process in a big way.

BAJ: If I can ask… What is the coolest non-musical activity you have been able to participate in, in the past year?

JH: Being an assistant coach for my daughters’ basketball team for a couple of games was a blast! Also, in August, I visited my brother-in law with my wife and daughter for five days, and that was a really great time. I got to seriously chill on a high level!

BAJ: Your soloing has morphed into a sultry, grinding, groove-infested presentation since right around “Time Squared.” Do you view groupings of ‘Jacket discs in a seasonal, or linear, standpoint? That is to say… Do you listen to discs from certain periods and see a similarity? Also, what elements of your currently soloing voice do you find yourself working on?

JH: Man, I still don’t listen to the Yellowjackets’ recordings very often and I never have! It’s a rare occasion that I will put something on to listen to with my playing on it. That may happen when we decide that we want to go back and add an old tune back into the repertoire! But, otherwise, I just don’t get around to it very often. As far as practicing… I work constantly on technique and ideas for soloing, and that has been my technical focus over the last several years. I mainly work on improvisational methods. I currently work on patterns, melodic and rhythmic patterns. The patterns thing came into play over the last year working with Mike Stern – as he has journals filled with exercises and pattern forms of all the various musicians he has worked with over the years. Very interesting stuff! I also transcribe various solos and even portions of solos and melodic information that interests me. In all, it’s a constant quest for knowledge and improvement.

BAJ: Okay, back to “Lifecycle”… The band is known for a constant democratic state – something each new member has commented upon, as they’ve entered the Yellowjackets environment. How did Mike Stern affect the band’s environment, and how were you affected by the addition of Mike?

JH: That was a no-brainer for us… Mike hooked up a gig for us at the Montreal Jazz Festival in June of 2007 – as he was the artist in residency and was asked who he would like to perform with at the festival aside from his own group. He chose Richard Bona, Bad Plus, and The Yellowjackets. We had a great show with Mike and really comfortable hang with him. We’ve know Mike for a long time and this collaboration was easy and simple. Once a recording was in our schedule, we all pitched-in with writing and arranging, and the recording process was a blast! Touring with Mike has been straight ahead as well. We really enjoy each others company and the playing environment is wonderful – fertile and inspired. We have a pile of concerts to fulfill in 2009 and we are looking forward to making it all happen. It has been a terrific collaborative project with Mike and we always knew, once we did that one gig in Montréal, that it would be great experience on all levels.

BAJ: Would you please describe how music brought into the group morphs until it adopts the band’s signature sound? Also, walk our readers through the development of “Lazaro,” and when it became a tune in your heart and head? By the way, I love your solo on that tune!

JH: Well writing for the band comes from all angles – sometimes at once! We each write individually, but we also have no problem collaborating with one another. Even all four band members together in a rehearsal room will trigger a creative spark and – Boom! – we can very easily have the beginnings of a tune, or two. Whatever the music is, once we commit to something – like an idea of only eight bars of groove and some chord changes – we begin to work on it together. I personally always feel confident that something really wonderful will be the result.

The band has written a lot of music individually and collectively and, as we rehearse the music, there’s always a strong sense of music that overcomes the session. We have a chemistry that 9 times out of 10 will always result in something cool! I like to think of us as unique and interesting. We don’t look for the most obvious means of writing music, and we are always interested in experimenting with music in a way that (I think) delivers a sound that is – after 20 official recording projects, what we call the “Yellowjackets’ sound”. It’s also not about ego. We all have an ego to some extent… But when the focus is the music, as it definitely is with us, the ego takes a back seat and we only focus on what we feel is the right way to go with a composition, a groove, a melodic passage, or a production. It’s all about the music and how we can, hopefully, take it somewhere that will touch us in a deeper way.

It’s all about a core spiritual approach to the music and what we can communicate through the music. The tune, “Lazaro”, for example was written when my daughter was in the hospital. It originally was for my solo project and I had invested serious and deep emotion in this piece. But, I eventually wrote several more pieces that had a similar vibe and groove. Once I choose the pieces for my solo recording I had several pieces left over. So, I submitted that composition to the “Lifecycle” project and everyone liked it! I ended up doing a re-write and co-writing the melody with Bob Mintzer, and it became a better song in that instance.

I had this song to a Cuban singer named Lazaro Ros, who is a very soulful singer that sang in an ancient Language called Yoruban. In a nutshell, there’s a process in writing and so it goes with the Yellowjackets or with we as individual writers. To me, writing is a spiritual experience and I try to channel my emotions through the music to express much more than just a pile of notes on a piece of paper. In that sense I feel like the music is more a part of me and I then can more easily express the composition when performing it in a live situation. After all, music is our language; our expression.

BAJ: What do you want most at this stage of your life, and how are you working to obtain that particular desire?

JH: Well I always want to become a better musician! But, I am focused on being a better music producer and that has taken me on a somewhat different path. I am extremely psyched about music production and I’m embracing the opportunities that come my way. With every disc I produce, I learn new things all the time. It certainly keeps life very much in the present and in this given moment. I like that and I find it to be my adrenalin to continue to learn and in turn sharpen my skills. It’s a serious motivating atmosphere, on which I feed constantly, and it keeps me in touch with what’s going on in the world of music and elsewhere.

BAJ: Jimmy, thank you for taking time to chat with us! In closing, please describe how you feel about being able to succeed in music as a vocation, and how can our readers move toward a successful career?

Jimmy Haslip Watercolor

JH: I feel extremely fortunate in having the success that I have in the music business, and especially with the way things have transpired as of late. I’m grateful! I still feel that it’s a complete gift to be a musician and to be able to travel all around the world and bringing good music to our fans, and to the curious new supporters of the music. Music is, after all, called the universal language! I studied Kundalini Yoga for several years and I once heard a master of this sect say to us that music was “the highest form of yoga.” That made me feel wonderful inside and I really connected with that though from that point on, I felt committed to using music, and particularly the live stage, to promote a deep and more spiritual expression.

I try to always bring a positive and uplifting message in the music to the audience. So to be a part of that equation is extremely appealing to me and I feel both honored and extremely blessed to have this as my vocation. I really think that taking music to that level is a goal in the life of a musician, and certainly John Coltrane, who I admire, was on such a path! I aspire to those ideals and that bleeds into all the other aspects of my life In the long run. I think it has a lot to do with making us better people and the bottom line is to always feel compassion toward your fellow man. In performance of music I believe that compassion can be prevalent and that’s really something to aspire to! It definitely means more than just a pile of notes on a piece of paper… That’s really where I’m coming from.

BAJ: I have entirely too much fun chatting with you, Jimmy. Thank you for being such a good friend, and thank you for your ongoing contribution to our world of bass!

JH: I appreciate every moment with you, BAJ! Thanks for your time and energy on this post, and I thank you for the support and inspiration. My very best wishes for you and your music! Peace and Harmony to your readers.

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