Pianist Blurs Line Between Jazz, Classics

Musical categories never seem as rigid to musicians as they doto recording companies. Though a label may not know how to market a jazz player who wants to experiment with classical forms, musicians tend to follow their instincts.

Wynton Marsalis, the jazz trumpeter, has recorded a number of classical albums. Classical conductor and pianist Andre Previn performs and records jazz.

And jazz pianist Bill Mays, who plays the Horton Grand Hotel in downtown San Diego on Friday and Saturday nights, draws freely on both jazz and classical influences--including Earl Hines and Ravel, John Coltrane and Bach.

As part of this weekend’s agenda, for instance, Mays and San Diego flutist Holly Hofmann will revive the classically oriented “Suite for Flute and Piano” that Mays wrote and recorded with flutist Bud Shank in 1980.

“Most of the jazz players I know are very much aware of classical music,” said Mays, 47, who lived in San Diego from 1965 to 1969 but now splits his time between a New York co-op and a log cabin in Pennsylvania. “Many of us have taken classical pieces and tried to unearth the underlying harmonic content and improvise on it.”

Mays is arranging and recording a jazz version of “The Nutcracker Suite” for a Japanese label, for which he also recorded a jazz version of a Bach chorale.

“It’s nutty, but about three or four of the things in the ‘Nutcracker’ are really naturals for improvising. I’ve studied a lot of classical music, and I draw on that in a lot of ways.

“I do an arrangement of ‘Body and Soul’ where I combine it with the compositional idea of a particular Chopin etude, and the harmonic underpinning of that.”

Not that Mays has abandoned straight-ahead jazz. In fact, his career as a jazz solo artist has blossomed since he moved to New York City from Los Angeles in 1984 and kicked a drinking habit.

“It was a career change and a spiritual change,” he said. “I got sober, and that was a big deal. I discontinued studio work--I was mainly a studio musician in L.A., which I don’t regret. I had a wonderful 10-year run, and I played with wonderful people.

“But I wanted to devote my life full-time to playing and writing more creative music, doing my own thing. And I wanted to play with people I had admired for years and had never had a chance to play with.”

So Mays is pursuing his career with a vengeance. Among personal heroes he’s had a chance to work with are Al Cohn, Clark Terry, Mel Lewis, Gerry Mulligan and James Moody (who now lives in San Diego).

And the latest showcases for Mays’ newfound creativity are two fine duo recordings with jazz bassist Ray Drummond: “One to One” and this year’s “One to One 2.”

On their newest collaboration, Mays and Drummond breathe new life into familiar jazz and popular tunes.

George and Ira Gershwin’s “Someone to Watch Over Me,” for example, gets a fresh, syncopated treatment, with Mays embroidering the chord changes with melodic inventions that vaguely echo the familiar melodic theme.

“ ‘Round Midnight” moves at a relaxed, loose pace, with Mays and Drummond sharing the melody line, interrupting it frequently for improvised explorations.

The sound quality of the recording is one of the fringe benefits of Mays’ long-term deal with the Connecticut-based DMP label, which built its reputation on high-quality CDs as the CD market came of age during the mid-1980s.

“It’s one of the best, most honest record companies I’ve ever been involved with,” Mays said. “Royalty statements are on time and honest. I have lots of artistic freedom. DMP had been a fairly boutique label since it started seven or eight years ago. The president of the company (Tom Jung) had been a studio engineer for 20 years, and they made their mark with excellent quality product. Now they’ve hooked up with international distribution.”

Mays’ first two recordings for DMP were his collaborations with Drummond. He also wants to make a solo recording and another with a large ensemble but isn’t sure which will come first.

Besides the ‘Nutcracker’ project, Mays and several other jazz pianists are recording a series of CDs on which they play movie music. Mays has dreamed up his own versions of compositions from “E.T.,” “Gone With The Wind,” “The Cotton Club” and other films.

While living in Los Angeles, Mays worked often for movies and television, playing on sound tracks for “Rocky,” “Superman,” “Kojak” and “Dallas,” among others. But he only does an occasional movie now--the last was last year’s “Penn and Teller Get Killed.”

Mays has always loved playing behind good singers. In the past, he has backed Sarah Vaughan, Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme and Al Jarreau. Since moving to New York, he’s recorded with Dianne Mower, Morgana King and Mark Murphy (he also produced their albums and arranged the music).

Mays’ fascination with music dates back to his childhood in Monrovia, a Los Angeles suburb. His father, an amateur musician and minister, took his son to church, where the younger Mays often accompanied choirs.

“I also got taken to black churches, where I heard real gospel,” Mays said. “Then I was influenced by rock and R&B--Sam; Cooke, Chubby Checker, Little Richard, assorted doo-wop.”

Mays moved to Lafayette in Northern California during his high school years, and, after four years in the Navy, settled in San Diego.

“I lived on Coronado, in North Park, and in San Marcos--I had a 13-acre ranch. It’s now a mobile home park,” Mays laughed. After moving to Los Angeles, Mays maintained strong ties with San Diego. In fact, his last recording before he embarked on a solo career was an album titled “Road Work Ahead,” issued under San Diego bassist Bob Magnusson’s name, also featuring San Diegans Peter Sprague on guitar and Jim Plank on drums.

Next week, Mays will play a night in Tucson with the Tucson Jazz Society, then spend most of the remainder of 1991 in Europe--he’s making three trips before the end of the year.

The demand seems to confirm Mays’ assessment that he’s playing better than ever.

“Getting sober really enabled me to go through the kind of personality growth that helped my music immensely,” he said. “There’s no way to measure it. It brought me full circle as a person.”

Bill Mays and Holly Hofmann will perform at the Horton Grand this Friday and Saturday night. Music starts at 8:30. There’s a $5 “music charge” each night, plus a minimum purchase of two drinks or food of equal value.