Alaadeen: The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Memoir of a Life in Jazz
Jazz musician, composer, and educator Ahmad Alaadeen, who is equally skilled and original on tenor and soprano saxophones, has made a major impact on the Kansas City jazz scene ever since he settled back in his native Kansas City in the early 1970s. In an ongoing series of articles, he shares recollections of his life in jazz.
The Father, The Son, The Holy Ghost
My Sound
It takes a long, long time before you can come into your own. You have to have a starting point. I've had several strong influences. First, Charlie Parker. Then here comes Miles Davis. And then here comes John Coltrane. Who I call the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost! The three guys I love most! They are three distinct personalities, but they had an effect on me because they were so real in what they were playing, and they were spontaneous. They were something different I had never heard before, so I began to emulate and imitate that. Put it all together, mix it all up. It's like what Coltrane said – everybody dips out of one big bowl. Everybody is contributing. So, that's the way I learned. Eventually I began to play from within myself, because I had something to say other than what they had influenced me with.
I first met Coltrane here in Kansas City at the Mutual Musicians Foundation. He came in looking for a drummer. Eddie Saunders and the band were practicing "Have You Met Miss Jones." Trane said he didn’t know the tune, but he took Eddie’s horn and started playing. If you listen, the bridge is similar to "Giant Steps" harmonies. Later that night we were hanging out at the Mardi Gras, on the corner of 19th street, and Trane played that tune. Just shows you that Kansas City can teach the big cats something.
Charlie Parker came into my life at a very early age…14 to be exact. On the way to school, I would stop by my friend’s house and we would listen to his older brother’s jazz records…78s. My favorite record was Embraceable You by Charlie Parker. We wore that record out! Bird played it a certain way, and me, not knowing how it’s supposed to sound…it stayed in my mind for years. Then I heard Billy Eckstein do it. I thought, that’s not Embraceable You, Bird didn’t play it that way. In my mind Bird was law. What ever he said, whatever he played, was it. That’s the way it was.
From that moment on, Charlie Parker became my musical guide to the saxophone. Hearing him play, live and up close, is an experience that I will never forget. He had big fat fingers, but they were so fast, I couldn’t even see them move.
Once I asked Miles to show me some changes and he replied, "Don't worry about it; you're from Bird's home town."
©Ahmad Alaadeen
Alaadeen has recorded a number of critically-acclaimed CD including Blues For RC and Josephine Too, Time Through The Ages, New Africa Suite, and his latest recording And The Beauty Of It All. Alaadeen has taken steps to document his ongoing legacy by starting the ASR label. Alaadeen also plays music locally as a central figure in City Light Orchestra.
The Rest Of The Story, Jazz Improvisation and History by Ahmad S. Alaadeen. Available at Fandeen Publishing Company, 6610 West 67th Street, Overland Park, KS 66202, 913.831.4396. If you are a Jazz musician, educator or historian, then you should consider what Kansas City Jazz master Alaadeen has to say in this very unique manual. 54-Page, Spiral Bound. Purchase a hard copy for only $22.50 + S&H or order an e-Manual online for $10. www.Alaadeen.com
"Music" is proudly sponsored by American Jazz Museum.
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