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Donny Thompson talks to local jazz artists and features their music. The Jazz Outreach Initiative is here to help you discover your own personal joy for jazz.
Wesley Knight 0:00
This is a KU NV studios original program. The content of this program does not reflect the views or opinions of 91.5 jazz and more the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, or the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education.
Donny Thompson 0:18
You're listening to 91.5k U, N, V, jazz and more. And this is jazz outreach initiatives, the joy of jazz. I'm your host, Donnie Thompson, and this program is underwritten by d'agostinos Trattoria, a small local, family owned Italian restaurant at the corner of West Flamingo and buffalo, specializing in classic, always scratch Italian favorites, handmade pastas and desserts. For more information, go to d'agostinos lv.com and we're getting ready to go on a little bit of a hiatus for the summer in studio today, actually, on the phone with us. I'm excited to welcome world renowned jazz musician, composer, arranger, educator, member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and co founder of Las Vegas is jazz outreach initiative. Las Vegas native, Kenny Rampton, welcome to the joy of jazz, Kenny, thank you, Donnie. It's great to be here, man. I appreciate you. You asked me to do this. I appreciate you taking time out for this. So Kenny, for those that don't know your background, you know you were born and raised in Las Vegas. You come from a musical family, mom, dad, brother, all musicians and educators. Did you start out on the trumpet or otherwise? How did you become drawn to this instrument? Well,
Kenny Rampton 1:24
you know, I actually started out on the piano. My mother was a great pianist. I learned some percussion from my dad when I when I turned 11, was about to turn 11, that's where kind of the band programs started in the schools in Las Vegas, where I grew up, and I wanted to choose an instrument to play, other than something that my mom or my dad played, as most people might know. You know, in Las Vegas, my dad was a fantastic percussionist and played all the shows on the strip. And I came up learning about percussion from him. So I was going into sixth grade, and my dad took me to a rehearsal. My dad was playing with the Johnny Hague relief orchestra, which is the band that gave all the house bands on the Strip. A night off, I got to try all the different instruments. I tried Carl fontanas trombone, I tried Charlie the planes alto saxophone, and I tried Rick Baptist trumpet. Now Rick Baptist was and is a world renowned trumpet players played on more movie soundtracks than probably any trumpet player alive. Rick told my dad that I was a natural on the trumpet, and so my dad got me a trumpet, although I wanted to play the saxophone, because my brother Dale told me that saxophone players got all the girls.
Donny Thompson 2:27
Well, it was the 80s, and every every rock tune had a saxophone solo,
Kenny Rampton 2:30
right? Yeah, you know, Vinny Cano actually sold my dad one of his spare trumpets, the Martin committee. And that was my first trumpet. And never looked back. I just fell in love with the instrument. Let's
Donny Thompson 2:40
talk a little bit about the first song you selected. Is smile. Now I know that this came out of the very beginning of jazz outreach initiative, launch of its professional big band, then called The Joy Jazz Orchestra. Now the jazz Vegas orchestra. How did this choice come about and what challenges were overcome to record it remotely? Well,
Kenny Rampton 2:56
smile is a tune that I've always loved, and I recorded this during the pandemic, when everybody was quarantined. And during that time, it was a very dark, depressing time for myself and for a lot of people. Man, you know, and I was, I was living in New York at the time, and, you know, a lot of people around me were dying. I lost I lost count of how many friends I had who passed away from COVID. And it was just a horrible time. And I would just, you know, I couldn't leave the apartment. I would just stare out the window and hear melodies. And I kept hearing this funny, little, quirky pizzicato string thing for some reason in my mind, and, you know, and I attribute it to the TV show that I used to watch called Six Feet Under that was on HBO, and it had a funny, quirky pizzicato string thing in it. I felt like I was surrounded by death. But at the same time, you know, through the pandemic, New Yorkers at a certain time of day, I think it was like three o'clock. Every New Yorker would open their windows and make noise. If you played a musical instrument, you play the play your instrument. Some people just banging together pots and pans just to celebrate all the workers that were helping everybody through the pandemic and through the quarantine. It was a very powerful tribute to them. And so every day at that time, that was my gig, I opened the window and I would play my trumpet out, you know, through the window during, during this little window of time, I would alternate between when the saints go marching in and Lift Every Voice and Sing and smile. Those were three of like, four or five songs I'd alternate.
Donny Thompson 4:24
So here is smile arranged by Kenny Rampton for the joy Chamber Orchestra at the time featuring Clint Holmes.
Music 4:42
You Don't smile when your heart is aching.
Music 5:28
Smile even though it's breaking
Music 5:33
when there are clouds in the sky. You'll get
Music 5:36
by if you
Music 5:40
smile through your fear and sorrow, smile and maybe tomorrow
Music 5:50
you'll see the sun come shine for You.
Music 6:17
Light up your face with gladness. Hide every trace of sadness, although a tear
Music 6:28
may be ever
Music 6:30
so new, that's the time you must keep on trying smile. What's the use of crying,
Music 6:43
you'll find that Life is still worthwhile if you just smile.
Music 7:20
Smile, even though it's
Music 7:35
breaking when there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by
Music 7:42
if you You'll see the sun come shining through for You, you
Music 8:19
and light up your face with gladness, hide every trace of sadness, although a tear
Music 8:30
maybe ever so near. That's the time you must keep on trying
Music 8:40
smile. You'll find that life is still worthwhile if you Just smile.
Music 9:15
Bitter keep on smiling. Just keep on smiling.
Music 9:54
Why don't you? Why don't you keep
Donny Thompson 10:04
Welcome back to jazz outreach initiatives, the joy of jazz, underwritten by d'agostinos Trattoria. This is your host, Donnie Thompson, and if you're just joining us, we're visiting with Kenny Rampton. And that was smile, a recording and video released to jazz outreach initiatives YouTube channel. So Kenny touring the world with Jazz at Lincoln Center orchestra. I know that you started out very young with professional touring. In fact, one of your first professional tours, I think you were maybe just a teenager, still in college when you went on the road with the legendary Ray Charles. Now, of course, you've been with Jazz at Lincoln Center orchestra, with Wynton Marsalis for many years. And of course, this all gives you a unique global perspective on the influence of this great American art form as it's performed in other countries. So can you speak, maybe, to how different cultures respond to this music?
Kenny Rampton 10:49
Sure. Thank you, Donna, that's a great question. Actually, there is a very, very deep, deep appreciation for jazz on a global level. In fact, I go so far to say that people outside of the United States actually appreciate jazz music and the art form much more than Americans do. You know, we go over there and people recognize this and on the street, and it's it's really an amazing feeling, and to know that this art form is so deeply appreciated, how dedicated they are to learning to understand the music on a deeper level. It's not just to listen to and enjoy and tap your foot, you know. But we actually, people who really study this music start to understand that it's really about humanity at the highest level.
Donny Thompson 11:27
Here at home, of course, we're working to build a world class jazz community as well, with new clubs and venues opening up all over Las Vegas, dedicated jazz artists adding to Las Vegas to their tours. So where do you see jazz fitting into the Las Vegas scene with your global vision that you have and all of your experience, how does, how does, and how does your nonprofit jazz outreach initiative fit into that vision?
Kenny Rampton 11:49
Well, jazz has always been a part of the Las Vegas local music scene since before I was born. You know, Count Basie, Duke, Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald. They all came through Vegas and played Las Vegas. And then, you know, when they build all the hotels and casinos and had all these gigs for musicians, jazz musicians realized that they could move to Las Vegas and settle down and have a life and have a family and have a home. Because before that, you know, you know, for a lot of musicians, man, you lived on the road all the time, and a lot of people who settled down in Las Vegas, a lot of very famous, wonderful jazz musicians like monk Montgomery, like Carl Fontana, like Tommy turt, back in the day, in more recent years, you know, in the last 30 years or whatever, it hasn't been so much jazz there. It's kind of, it's been more about the shows and about the showgirls and all that kind of stuff. But there's always been a community of jazz musicians there, because they're working musicians there, and they would settle down there and get be able to work and get gigs, and there's always been outlets for people to be able to find somewhere to play, for jazz musicians who are in Vegas. And so a few years back, you know, I was hanging out with Gary Cordell and his kitchen. We're like, man, let's let's do something. Let's create something Las Vegas to really give people an outlet to play and a place for students to learn, you know, to learn about this music, because it's an American art form, and it's a great art form. And so Gary and I started brainstorming, then you came in on it, Donnie and other folks, and we've gotten so much support in what we're doing. And you know, because of the global vision that I have working with Jazz at Lincoln Center, I see how it affects community, how jazz education and the music can affect communities all around the world, you know, so why not bring that to Las Vegas? We made an effort to do that, to bring these programs and this concept to Las Vegas and try and get back to the vibe that was there when I was a kid growing up, because education I got in Las Vegas back in those days, as a young musician, you cannot buy it was phenomenal, and so I wanted to bring that back, but actually through actual education programs.
Donny Thompson 13:46
So let's take a little bit of a break and listen to some of this great music that you've this one you've composed for a Jazz at Lincoln Center orchestra. Passing game. Tell us a little bit about this song. Kenny,
Kenny Rampton 13:55
all right. Well, thank you, Donnie, passing game is part of a larger suite called The Rock Chalk suite dedicated to the basketball greats that came through Kansas. So we wrote a suite as a group with jazz Lincoln Center orchestra where every member of the orchestra wrote a movement. And so passing game is one of the movements of this Rock Chalk suite that I wrote dedicated to Bill Howland from the University of Kansas, legendary
Donny Thompson 14:18
point guard. This is Kenny rampton's composition of passing game for The Jazz at Lincoln Center orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. You
Donny Thompson 17:54
That was passing game Kenny rampton's composition for the Jazz at Lincoln Center
Kenny Rampton 17:54
orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. I'd like to know more about how you your close relationship with Wynton Marsalis informs your musicianship and especially your outreach into the communities where you teach, including here in Las Vegas with jazz outreach initiative. Well, you know, Wynton is not only a boss for me, he's become a close friend and a mentor on a lot of levels. One time I was actually when I first joined the band, we were finishing a tour, and we were walking back behind the stage to the area where the bus was and it was fenced off. And outside the fence were over 100 fans who all wanted a piece of wind, and they all wanted an autograph in a selfie, you know. And you could walk towards them to get to the bus, or you could walk around the back and avoid them to get the bus. So I started going away from them, and Winton, I was walking next to Winton, went and walked towards them. So I said, Well, let me walk with Him. And you know, I was curious, you know, so I asked him, while we're walking, I said, Don't you ever get tired of this? Man, everybody wants a piece of you to the end of a month long tour through Europe, we're all exhausted. And he looked he said, No, man, I don't get tired of this. We're out here because of them, and that taught me a very, very valuable lesson, you know? It's you have to give back to the community, you know? We're out here playing music, working, and we're very blessed to get to do what we love for a living, you know. And that's something that shouldn't be taken for granted, you know. And we're out here playing because of them, because of those fans who come. You know, you're not the only one, by the way, in the orchestra that does this, either you you, of course, yourself a jazz outreach initiative. Vincent Gardner, I think, has jazz Houston, Victor Goines, you know, in there, in the St Louis, yeah, well, I mean, we're following the Winton's lead. It's funny. Vincent Gardner started jazz Houston at the same time that we started jazz outreach initiative in Las Vegas, the exact same time and Vincent and I are very close friends, but neither one of us spoke to each other about our organizations we were setting up. It just happened organically. It was just the time was right. We felt like it was needed. I saw other organizations in Las Vegas that were kind of. That was passing game Kenny rampton's composition for the Jazz at Lincoln. Of trying to do it but not really doing it that well, not really embracing they're treating jazz as if it's an elitist music, and it isn't. Jazz is for the people. Just because you don't understand it doesn't mean you can't enjoy it and listen to it and learn about it. You know it. Jazz Music teaches the listener about these things, like I was talking about earlier, like humanity, democracy, diplomacy, empathy, so many, so many important things about just being a human being, being a good person. You know, jazz teaches us, whether we're a musician playing it or we're a fan listening to it, when you see that interaction, that communication that happens, is
Donny Thompson 20:35
magical. Yeah, couldn't agree more. We're going to get into the final track of the show, but before we introduce it, let's make sure the audience knows where they can find this music and other music that you're a part of if they'd like to explore the catalog more. So of course, there's jazz.org right, which is Jazz at Lincoln Center, and then kennyrampton.com of course, is your website. We have YouTube channels for Jazz at Lincoln Center, and as well as jazz outreach initiative, has their own Amazon Music Spotify. And of course, jazzvegas.org has an online store where a couple of these songs, or at least one of these songs, maybe this last one is on the Joyful Noise album that was recorded by the with the time it was the joy Jazz Orchestra and now the jazz Vegas orchestra, which is a phenomenal album, especially for a first one out of the gate with Wynton Marsalis you and Clint Holmes on the cover, which I think is astonishing for anyone that's done a first album. That's incredible lineup. So Kenny Rampton, I just want to say it's been great having you. And of course, as always, too short of a visit. Thank you to our listeners for tuning in and sharing the show with others. And of course, to our friends here at KU nv 91.5 jazz and more especially our producer, Wesley Knight and the whole team. And again, thank you strongly for d'agostinos Trattoria, for their underwriting of the joy of jazz. And if you'd like to hear more about jazz outreach initiative, the jazz Vegas orchestra and its nearly 30 performances this year. Are many youth music programs and ways you can bring joy to the kids in our community. You can find us easily at jazz vegas.org Okay, Kenny, let's get a quick intro into this last song. This one, of course, sunny side of the street. Now, this is a 1930 Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy field song, right?
Kenny Rampton 22:12
Yes. But there's a nice, beautiful, fresh arrangement of this song that was done by one of the members of the orchestra, if I'm not mistaken. Is that, right? Donny, absolutely. Nathan tanoy, right, yeah, yeah. Nathan, one of the most brilliant young composers and arrangers alive today. Nathan tanoy, who teaches Reddit, you know, at UNLV, he's he's phenomenal. So Nathan did a beautiful arrangement of on the sunny side of the street. Clint Holmes sang it and I play a solo on it. Couple other members of the band played on it
Donny Thompson 22:39
from jazz outreach initiatives, jazz Vegas orchestra with Clint Holmes on a solo by Kenny Rampton, perfect for a warm summer day. Here's sunny side of the street and for jazz outreach initiative, this is Donnie Thompson. Make it a joyful day. You
Music 23:09
grab your coat and get your hair,
Music 23:13
leave your worries on the doorstep,
Music 23:17
come on and just direct
Music 23:20
your feet to the sunny side of the street.
Music 23:25
Don't you hear that Pitt
Music 23:29
let that happy sound be your beat. Just direct your feet to the sunny side of
Music 23:40
the street. I used to walk in
Music 23:44
the shade. I had the blues on
Music 23:54
this rover crossed if I never had a scent. I be rich like Rockefeller, I'd have gold dust at My feet on the sunny side of the stream. You
Music 29:06
I used to walk in the shade. I had the blues on hurry I am not afraid,
Music 29:18
cause there's a rover crossed over. If I never had a sense, I'd be rich like rock
Music 29:29
on the sunny side. Oh. I never had a sin. I'd be rich like rock. Old a stad my feet on the sunny
Transcribed by https://otter.ai