Jazzical Komitas: an interview with pianist Joel A. Martin
I was unaware of Komitas before I had the pleasure of hearing Joel A. Martin’s evocative album Jazzical Komitas: passion of fire. Komitas was an Armenian priest, musicologist, composer, arranger, singer, and choirmaster who is considered the founder of the Armenian national school of music. Because of his commitment to saving Armenian folk music, the melodies and stories of generations of Armenian people survived the Armenian genocide and can still be heard today. These haunting musical gifts from the past form the template for pianist Joel A. Martin’s recording.
Transferring traditional folk music to the piano can be difficult. In the wrong hands, it’s easy for the heart and story of the music to get lost in translation and sound trite and dull. Martin, however, with his signature blend of classical and jazz styles, succeeds in finding and preserving the simple truths and deep emotions of these pieces while simultaneously bringing them to life for modern listeners. I was thrilled when this multi-talented pianist, producer, composer, and arranger agreed to be interviewed for No Dead Guys. It’s an honor to feature his words and music on this site.
It has been noted in earlier interviews that your father plays 36 instruments and your mother, 12 and that you yourself played the tuba as a member of the Greater Boston Youth Symphony when you were 9 years old. With such a multi-instrument background, what convinced you to focus your efforts on the piano?
Interestingly enough, organ was my preferred instrument in the beginning. My mother played organ for a church in Worcester MA and I asked to start organ lessons. However, that was never to be because I could not reach the pedals. Instead my parents started me on piano and I guess it never left me. Yes, I was the youngest person to perform as a tubist with the Greater Boston Youth Symphony, age 9. I got into tuba around the time I got into piano. The reasoning was very different though. My father needed a sousaphone player but could not find one. I volunteered to play it. My father looked at me and said, “You can hardly reach the mouthpiece” but I insisted I could, and my lessons started. I learned a large variety of music and eventually studied with Chester Roberts, who was President of the American Tuba Association.
Making piano practically my full-time “thing” did not occur until my mid-late teens, AFTER I learned to play tuba, trumpet, trombone, percussion, and saxophone, while winning piano competitions and touring the country for concerts. I know, it is kind of a lot, but all these instruments gave me a different set of experiences and perspectives which helped me at the piano. It was a gradual, very gradual, shift from playing everything (many instruments) to playing piano. Even to do this day I have my brass embouchure with me, and if I had to stand up and give a demonstration to a high school student who doubted my abilities to play a brass instrument, I could.
In 1984, at 17, you were the youngest competitor accepted in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, and a year later you appeared as a guest soloist with the New York Philharmonic with Zubin Mehta conducting. With so much success in the classical world, when were you drawn to jazz, and what attracted you?
Jazz has always been a part of my world. Even when I was playing and practicing classical music, I was around all kinds of music - jazz, classical, rap, soul, R&B, rock and roll – in grade school, at my father’s university band program, my mother’s high school choral program, playing musical theater shows. Wall to wall music. Jazz evolved like everything else. The more I heard it, the more I wanted to play it. The pivotal moment for me around 12 when I went to NYC for a recording session. The producer for a rap project pulled me aside and said “Youngblood, you can play piano can’t you?” I said, “Yes I can.” He then asked “Can you improvise?” I said no. He asked again “But you can play, can’t you?” Well, yes I can. “Then I am going to teach you the blues scale and some simple chords and I want you to create a piano solo.” I had a few days indoctrination in the studio with this new form of playing, and I was hooked on two levels. One was playing jazz and blues on the piano, and the other was the unlocking of a whole new world of studio production and recording. It would influence everything I would ever do musically.
As the creator of Jazzical, which you describe as “the marriage of classical and jazz,” you’ve blended your love of both musical forms. When did the idea for this combination occur to you and why?
Moving between classical, jazz, and other musicals genres, was quite natural for me. So well in fact that it created a crisis of faith...many of my classical teachers wanted me to stay in classical, but it never felt like it was “enough“ for me. Also, by the time I was 29 I had already done so many different kinds of projects, writing, arranging, orchestration, performing, touring in multiple genres, producing records. How could I just give it all up to focus on classical music (which I loved, BTW)? I loved everything else too. All this music made me happy. WHY should I give up what I loved? Ultimately it created the crisis wherein I thought “Well, if I have done what there is to do, maybe it is enough and I should leave music altogether.”
The answer to my dilemma was founded at North Baptist Church in Port Chester NY. I was practicing there while a first year student at SUNY Purchase, and my girlfriend heard me moving between classical and jazz to musical theater and more without taking any time to set up between the styles. She suggested that I do something serious with this ability. I did not share her enthusiasm and doubted that there would be an audience for something like this. She disagreed with me and forced me to sit down and create. From that afternoon Jazzical settings of Chopin’s Bb minor and E minor Nocturnes came to me and a Baroque piece I heard on the radio.
Then stepped in Concert Artists Guild of NY who awarded me a Career Development Grant for classical music, my first set of support from an internationally established arts organization. With this money I bought my first Mason and Hamlin grand piano, commissioned Anthony Newman’s “Sonata of the Americas” (he was my teacher at the time too) and recorded some Jazzical demos. I brought it in to them, they listened and then the executive director proceeded to tell me: “This is great but we do not see a future in this new music. You should stay in classical.”
It was an incredible response, and I was flabbergasted by this. I asked “Did you hear what I created? This is the future.” They stuck to their guns on their vision and pathway for my career, I stuck to mine. In the end, I told them to give me the development money and leave me be. And that is what happened. The next week I sold my piano and with the proceeds from that sale (which hurt me to my heart as I loved my Mason and Hamlin) I set about creating and producing the first Jazzical CD, the body of work that would be the cornerstone of the rest of my life.
Best decision I ever made was leaving Concert Artists Guild...next to getting married and having kids! To be brutally honest, CAG is a great arts institution and they have most certainly produced some fine classical artists. They just did not see what I saw, and as such, they were not the right people for me. I had some artist managers back then who did not “get it” either. I am glad things did not work out, because I knew though the road would take longer, I would be happier in the end. And now I KNOW this is true. Because the joy of playing piano never left me for the ubiquitous “career.” Instead that joy is manifested in everything I do, and that is a true blessing.
You know, having the courage to stand up for yourself and your art form in the face of criticism is critically important to making art that reflects your unique sensibilities, something you can truly be proud of.
What do you think is the biggest misconception classical pianists have about jazz, and vice versa?
The notion that if you slap on some jazzy chords you are a jazz pianist. Playing jazz is a language as well as an art form. One must study jazz, practice it and let it become a part of who you are as a person and artist. Of course, if a classical pianist studies and performs Oscar Peterson or Art Tatum transcriptions, this can only help their classical chops. HOWEVER, a jazz musician it does not make. I played jazz right alongside my classical studies, with real musicians, and learned from some of the very best, like Barry Harris, who was an extraordinary teacher and player. I played in Dixieland bands in college and beyond. I was the musical director, pianist and orchestrator arranger for the Cab Calloway Orchestra for 11 years. And this was just a small part of my training as a jazz pianist, and a classical pianist.
Classical music and jazz share a common Western harmonic language but it goes way past that. Classical and jazz is in everything we hear whether we want to admit to it or not. I learned this lesson from the beginning and got into the music. Still am learning to this day, you should see what is in my iTunes music collection!
In addition to your solo career, you’ve collaborated with many illustrious musicians, including the formidable multiple Grammy winning MET opera soprano Kathleen Battle. How has performing with others enhanced your musicianship?
It is EVERYTHING! You know, we could go on and on with this subject. To be a pianist is just the beginning of the journey. As pianists we have to sing out our melodies, be an orchestra when need be, play like a rhythm section, and anything else that is needed/required. But how can you appreciate/do all these things unless you learn to “BE” these things. The only way you can figure that out is by figuring out how these things work with you. I call it the “tai chi of piano playing.”
For example, to release yourself from the technical requirements of playing piano, blindfold yourself. If you cannot see the keys in the mind’s eye you will not see them when you are looking down and playing a million notes at breakneck speed. You have to learn to connect the dots physically, 3D spatially, so your musical lines have shape, contour, subtlety and sonic beauty. That is about training your fingers and mindset to be adaptable as well as dependable.
And how do you get an idea of that? Listen to great singers like Kathleen Battle who put on primer courses on how never to break musical lines, even in silence. Then apply that with your own playing, to sing with your 10 fingers. Even better, play with singers and instrumentalists. This way you are forced not to play like you - you are compelled to play WITH other artists, to understand what they need so you can tailor your playing to working with them without losing your unique sound. Once again, the more music you make with other people, the more you put in your musical toolkit for accessing later. There really is no downside to this kind of thinking. It is the only way I know...
Your most recent project, “Jazzical Komitas: Passion of Fire” features jazz arrangements of pieces by Armenian composer, priest, and musicologist Komitas Vardapet. When did you first encounter his music, and what inspired you to give them a jazz setting?
I first heard the name Komitas at an Armenian/Russian dinner almost 3 years ago in Queens NY. I played some Jazzical pieces and one woman remarked “The way you play this Jazzical music would sound great with Komitas.” That afternoon I learned who he was. A few months later I played a Central Asian music concert in NYC and an Armenian mezzo soprano sang a 90 second song of Komitas. I sat in the back of the room transfixed by the power of this simple song. I heard all kinds of settings dancing in my head. “What was that music?” The singer and I became good friends and proceeded to talk about Komitas, Armenian music and more. 4 months later, I was sitting in my recording studio without anything to do and I decided this would be the moment I would sit down and listen to Armenian folk songs and Komitas. The rest is, as they say, history. I started setting these songs I heard to jazz, classical, music, and word spread throughout the Armenian community.
I found every one of the tracks on your Jazzical Komitas album lovely, but was most drawn to the solo piano arrangements, especially Baleni and Ari Im Sokhag. What are these folk songs about, and why do you feel they speak so powerfully to modern listeners?
Thank you, you are so very kind, and I am honored, this is the best compliment. Ari Im Sokhak is a lullaby, both songs are lullabies. It is the story about a baby who would not stop crying until his mother sang stories about the war. This was the only way to calm the baby down so he could sleep. A powerful image.
I loved this music because it spoke to me, the music told me what to do, what not to do. Only after I set it to Jazzical did I learn the meaning of the song. This in general is how I work...I do not want to be influenced by the meaning of art songs. The music will show me the pathway.
You play Komitas’ music with conviction and poignancy. Do you have a connection to Armenia? If not, what connects you so powerfully to this music?
I have no connection with Armenia outside of the fact that I have always wanted to go there. 3 years ago I did just that. I felt like I needed to be on Armenian soil, to be among the people. Playing and learning Armenian folk songs and Komitas music has touched me in the same way that Bach, Beethoven, and Chopin does. It is music that makes you FEEL something deep and profound, it is not just “in passing.” Simplicity is the way you take in these experiences. The deeper you delve into the music the more luxurious and sublime these feelings become. Life affirming.
OK a true confession. My wife is from Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic, like Armenia. 20+ years ago, I went to Bishkek for love, the woman who would become my wife, and I discovered much more. I felt at home in Central Asia...even not knowing the Russian language. The first time I went to Yerevan, I felt that...familiarity with its people, the culture, and though I knew very little Armenian at the time, it was very comfortable feeling. Like it was meant to be.
All this goodness is reflected in my music, the sum total of 40+ years of living life to the fullest, and more.
Are there liner notes available for Jazzical Komitas? If not, where would you recommend listeners learn more about these pieces and the composer Komitas?
I am creating liner notes for Jazzical Komitas now. For the uninitiated listener of Komitas, do what I did: go to Youtube and search for Komitas and Armenian folk music. There is much music to discover. You will be hooked just like I was. Keep an open mind, it comes at you in unusual ways.
Will you be publishing sheet music for the piano solos on this album? If so, where might it be purchased?
This question I get all the time, for all the recordings of Jazzical. I am working on that, and hope to have a compilation of my greatest hits for pianists in the next year. It takes lots of time, and I never play this music the same twice. It is a challenge notating what I play, it is a lot of music! Soon, my friend, soon.
What advice can you offer to pianists who might wish to blend their interests in both jazz and classical music?
The only reasonable advice I can give is this: you have to put your whole heart and soul into learning and playing classical AND jazz. It is a music thing ultimately but do not lump these two art forms in the same category or your playing will invariably become stiff-sounding. Respect and love all kinds of music. Spend the time, teach your fingers to feel the rhythms of the dance. To play piano in general you have to be a good dancer, where the fingers are trained to do whatever your mind wants them to do. Then you become a singer, then you become a pianist. The muscle memory acquired from years of training are supposed to free you to interpret the music how you hear it.
You can never get rid of the classical technique that we have had instilled in us from the beginning of our musical training, but you can adapt and modify your technique to learn how to play both styles. Listen to the keyboard masters (Oscar Peterson, Art Tatum, Barry Harris, Tommy Flanagan, Horowitz, Josef Lhevinne, Lipatu, Herbie Hancock, etc, to understand what they are doing and how they are doing it. They were free with their technique and stylings. They all understand counterpoint, harmonic and rhythmic textures, layering them to create something inventive. Learn to be free with moving from chord to chord, melody to melody line, and try to understand that there is more than one way to do anything. Do not be afraid to take chances while honing your craft. If you are playing jazz “right” it will have the counterpoint of Bach preludes and fugues, and the swing of bebop, fusion, and Dixieland, that ultimately will make your music come alive. And NEVER EVER forget the melody. It is everything...everything you play is in the service of the song even when you are improvising. The classical pianists of the past understood this as master improvisers. Today’s improvisation giants understand this too.
There is no “quick fix,” only a lifetime of enjoyment, of discovery.
Joel A. Martin is a Norwalk CT-based pianist, producer, composer, and arranger who has collaborated with, and/or written music for, Grammy® Award-winners Alan Menken, Kathleen Battle, Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas, Brooklyn Youth Chorus, cellist Eugene Friesen of the Paul Winter Consort, and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jaimoe of the Allman Brothers, among many luminaries.
At age 17 Joel was the youngest and the first African-American pianist to compete in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (1985). He has appeared as soloist with the NY Philharmonic, El Paso Symphony, Springfield Symphony Orchestra (MA), Philadelphia Orchestra, Cab Calloway Orchestra, New Hampshire Festival Orchestra, and the Hartford Symphony, among many others.
Trained as a classical pianist at the Hartt School of Music and SUNY, Purchase, he created "Jazzical" in 1995 as a celebration of creative fusion: "the explosive union of classical composition and jazz innovation ignited with a fresh spirit all its own." This concept, form and vehicle "captures the dynamic force of multiple cultures and influences, unleashing a kinetic energy that breaks down boundaries and yields whole new worlds of musical expression."
In 2016 he created The Sonicals, a piano duo with George Lopez. And in 2017 he joined with Paul Winter Consort multiple Grammy-winning cellist Eugene Friesen to create the Friesen and Martin Cello/Piano Duo, playing music infused with pop, jazz, rock, and world folk styles.
Joel is currently collaborating, orchestrating and touring the US with multiple Grammy-winning MET opera soprano Kathleen Battle in her production, "The Underground Railroad: A Spiritual Journey." He has been with her as pianist, composer, and arranger for the last 11 years!
On June 29, 2019, Joel debuted a concert reading of his first opera, HIPOPERA at the Darien Arts Center. HIPOPERA will be premiered in Dallas in late 2022 in collaboration with the Dallas Black Dance Theater, the first opera of its kind completing integrating modern dance with opera.
On March 10, 2022 Joel released his 9th CD “Jazzical: Komitas – Passion of Fire” paying homage to Armenia's cultural and artistic icon, Komitas Vartabed, with a world tour being planned in support of this project.
To learn more about him, visit Jazzical.