Jazz great Marsalis lends his expertise to OCSA students
Kirk Palsma played his stand-up bass vigorously on a recent Friday afternoon, yet the sound possessed a bit of hard-to-hear imperfection.
Each time he strummed Benny Carter’s “Symphony in Riffs” with the Orange County School of the Arts Ambassador Jazz Orchestra, the 16-year-old was commanded to start over.
But it wasn’t his usual OCSA teacher giving the lesson.
“Play softer,” instructed nine-time Grammy winner Wynton Marsalis, adding that the instruments need to play off one another. “Jazz music is democracy among instruments.”
Palsma did as instructed, saying later that he appreciated the lesson.
The legendary trumpet player visited OCSA as part of the Master Artist Series, which kicked off last month with a visit by “Glee” star Matthew Morrison, who graduated from the school in 1997, and continued Wednesday with Grammy-winning violinist Joshua Bell.
During Marsalis’ hour-plus class, which was held in front of an audience, the jazz legend compared music to the Constitution, stating that each instrument and note was included for a reason.
“I want my soul to feel like I keep falling in love,” he told the 20 students, adding that he wanted to hear the soloists improvise.
The Master Artist Series launched this year in celebration of OCSA’s 30th anniversary.
“In the past, we’ve had some master artists just come to OCSA to work with our students,” said series coordinator Melissa Wackerman. “We started to realize that with our 30th anniversary here, this would be a perfect opportunity to make that program something more formalized and something that we are very proactive about promoting. There’s nothing like having someone at that level touch our children in such a personal way, where they can have an impact on their development.”
The Santa Ana school is hosting a variety of guests — from Broadway actress Lindsay Mendez to Emmy award-nominated choreographer Spencer Liff — to teach the lessons.
Marsalis, who serves as the managing and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, said his critiques came from a place of caring and to see the students grow.
“I love the kids,” he said. “It’s deeper than how they play. It’s like how you do with your own kids. You’re not assessing your kid every time they do something. It’s a journey. We never pass out of the stage of learning. I’m here to teach them, and they’re very serious and respectful.”
Marsalis was able to attend because of a convenient break in his tour schedule, Wackerman said.
Dan St. Marseille, director of instrumental music at OCSA, said the jazz great brought an innovative touch to the class.
“I think the commitment that he has, and the energy that he brings, is really refreshing,” he said. “He really knows how to make the concepts become relevant to every situation, especially his use of analogies. Like music, he takes words, and he paints with his words. He really gets to a part of us that we don’t often think about.”
Pianist Susana Schutza, 16, grew up listening to Marsalis’ music and prepared for his visit by looking up YouTube videos of his past lessons.
“Everything he says is so true and so helpful and stuff that we should take to heart and to the practice room,” she said.
Twitter: @BrittanyWoolsey
