|
“I think playing music helps to
heal the world, little by little, in teeny steps.” –Geoffrey
Keezer (November 19, 2004)
 Photo by Andrea Canter
For his tenth recording as leader,
multi-talented keyboardist Geoffrey Keezer brought his trio to his
“home away from home” stage at the Dakota in Minneapolis for a
live session for Max Jazz last September. The results of that
incredible evening (Wildcrafted: Live at the Dakota) will be
unveiled in celebrations at the Village Vanguard in New York City
(October 18-23) and “back home” at the Dakota (October 24-25).
Geoffrey Keezer’s career has included
serving as the last pianist for Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, as a
very young collaborator with James Williams, Mulgrew Miller, Donald
Brown, and Harold Mabern as the Contemporary Piano Ensemble, and more
than a decade leading his own groups. He’s paid tribute to Hank
Jones (Sublime), joined forces with Hawaiian slack key
guitarist Keola Beamer (Falling Up), and engaged in a series
of performance and recording with guitar legend Jim Hall. Among his
generation of 30-something virtuosos—which includes modern masters
Brad Mehldau, Jason Moran, Eric Reed, Ethan Iverson, and Craig
Taborn—he stands out as a creative composer as well as performer.
The Jazz Police caught up with Keezer via e-mail, during his fall
tour with David Sanborn.
JP. You've been
working with some very diverse musicians lately--Christian McBride,
Jim Hall, and David Sanborn. What's new with your own groups--what
direction(s) are you headed?
GK. Right now
I'm excited to be touring with my own trio, with Mike Pope on bass
and Terreon Gully on drums, whom I've been playing with for 5 years
with the Christian McBride Band. The same trio is backing up David
Sanborn on all his gigs this fall, and Dave has been very generous to
give us plenty of feature space on the shows.
JP. On your ongoing journal
on your website, you discuss the spiritual connection in music,
viewing music as an avenue to bring peace. How do you think the
events of the past few years--9/11, Tsunami, Iraq, Katrina (etc.)
have affected your music--compositions, performance, choices of where
to go and what to do?
 Photo by Andrea Canter
JP. You grew up
in a family where music was a major component of daily life.
[Father Ron Keezer headed the jazz band program at the
University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire.] Looking back now, how did that
environment inform your development as a young musician, and how does
it impact your work today?
GK. I feel so
fortunate and blessed to have had the total support of my parents in
whatever I wanted to do. Of course if my parents hadn't been
musicians I might have turned out differently. But as a kid, I
thought everybody played music - it just seemed so normal to
me!
JP. Any comments about the new Live at
the Dakota recording?
GK. I can say with
confidence and gratitude that this is one of the best records I've
ever made. Maybe the best playing I've captured on record so
far — and I'm glad because for a while I didn't think I'd ever be
able to play as well as I did on the Ray Brown CDs. And that was
totally because of the great support I got from Ray and
Karriem (Riggins), I'm not saying my own playing was anything special
really. But at that time (1997-2000) we were touring 300 days a year
and my chops were really up. So I'm happy that I've been able to
capture some good live playing again, with more life experience
informing my playing. Maybe a little more grown up. Compare the new
version of "Stompin' at the Savoy" to the one I did in 1996
on Turn Up the Quiet — it's way more interesting and much
freer now.
The Geoffrey Keezer Trio will
celebrate the release of Wildcrafted: Live at the Dakota at
the Village Vanguard in New York, October 18-23, sets at 9 and 11 pm.
You can now reserve tickets online at www.villagevanguard.com.
In Minneapolis, the celebration will take place over two nights at
the Dakota, October 24-25, sets at 7 and 9 pm. Reservations are
recommended—call 612-332-1010 or reserve online at
www.dakotacooks.com.
For more information and samples of music, visit
www.geoffkeezer.com.
Wildcrafted is scheduled for public release on October 25th.
Many thanks to Geoffrey Keezer for taking the time to respond to this
interview. Click
here for a review
of Wildcrafted.
|
Home | CD Reviews | Interviews | SF Bay Area | Chicago | Los Angeles | New York | Twin Cities, MN | More Cities | Festivals | FAQ | News | Contact | Video of the Week | 
Tuesday, 02 December 2008
