ScottHesse.org
07/16/08 | Recent Interview
--This is a recent (6-08) interview I did with Amy Peterson
AN INTERVIEW WITH SCOTT HESSE
Amy Peterson
Staff Writer
I get to do a lot of exciting interviews for Lakes Pride with musicians and other artists either living in or traveling to our region. This week was particularly exciting because I got to interview someone I actually played on stage with. Scott Hesse and I were in high school jazz band together – I do not care to admit how many years it has been – and as I listen to his CD s I hear shades of his roots in his dad`s big band and in the styles of our high school training. I did not do anything with music after high school but several of our contemporaries did. Next week Scott Hesse comes to the Reggie Schive Camp for jazz band musicians at Iowa Lakes Community College as a headliner/instructor. We didn`t do a lot of catching up on the old days this time – this interview was guitarist Scott Hesse up to the moment.
1.What aspect of making music excites you the most right now?
The most exciting aspect of making music for me right now is that I realize I’m at a place of freedom in how I interpret and express music.
I’ll explain. It’s taken me almost 24 years of very diligent musical/life study to realize there are no wrong notes. So the music I’m writing and playing right now is coming out of that realization.
And just to clarify for the devil’s advocates out there, I think you still need to learn scales, arpeggios, chords, etc… They are like road maps for many forms of music; the routes one knows he/she can take to get from point A to point B. But after exploring those routes (exhaustively), the adventuresome start looking at how to make their own routes. The freedom comes in the form of freedom of choice rather than being free from any particular thing. I know I’m free to play the changes or not.
But I also see and hear all music from the relationship between tension and resolution. In musical terms, that would be consonance and dissonance. For me, if there’s no balance between the consonant and dissonant, the music is not as effective. Of course, being free means I’m also free to change my answer about all of this in the future!
2. What aspect of making music gets you the most discouraged?
Musicians that remain close-minded about music. You’d be surprised how closed some can be. It is frustrating for me to be around someone like that.
3. What are you up to right now, music-wise?
I’m very excited about the release of my newest recording, Music Speaks. It is by far the most eclectic recording I’ve released under my own name. For the first time in my musical life, I have a regular group of musicians that I can count on to play the music I want to write.
They’re all fantastic musicians and extremely versatile. I don’t feel I have to limit what I write for these guys because they have such varied interests. And they’ve each, in different ways, pushed me into a new way of thinking about music I hadn’t considered before.
Most of the music I wrote for this cd is music I wrote in the last couple of years. It’s really reflective of the different music I’ve been checking out lately, as well as some melodic and harmonic concepts I’ve been developing on my own. Some of the influences include the music of Bela Bartok, West African music (particularly Fode Seydou Bangoura), Radiohead, late period John Coltrane, and Wayne Shorter among others.
The music also reflects some of the experimental music I’ve been playing since moving to Chicago. For a year-and-a-half I played in an Avant Garde group led by drummer Vincent Davis. He’s the drummer in legendary Avant Garde saxophonist/composer Roscoe Mitchell’s band. I think I learned more about music in that context than I did being in music school. Not that I didn’t learn some great things in school, but I guess this is just a different type of school. With that band, we would improvise for an hour to an hour-and-a-half without stopping. It was a grueling mental and physical experience. But after a while, it became meditative and I felt like I was released from all of my pre-conceived notions about music and my own playing. The experience really left me with the confidence that I could play anything, and it’s ok.
I’ve also been involved in several other projects in Chicago. One is with an extraordinary trumpeter named Corey Wilkes. He’s really beginning to make an international reputation for himself right now. I am in one of his bands (he has several) called Abstrakt Pulse. We’re in the midst of recording something for Pi Recordings out of NYC. I also played on one track of another recording Corey’s got coming out on Delmark this month called Drop It. So I expect when we get done with the Abstrakt Pulse recording, there will be some touring involved.
I also have a trio project I’m working on that’s in the infant stages yet. It takes awhile to get these projects together! I’ve been involved for two years in a sextet led by drummer Isaiah Spencer that plays every Sunday night at the Velvet Lounge in Chicago. I’m also in a group called Quadrangle led by reedman John Goldman. We’re going in the studio later this month. There are other projects too, but I think I’m running out of space to write about them!!
4. What's the most unusual place you've ever played a show or made a
recording?
I remembered a gig I did in NYC once. I got hired to play solo guitar at a hotel down on the Lower East Side. I never have done a lot of hotel gigs and didn’t know what to expect when I got there. When I got there, I found out the hotel was for transients. So there I was playing solo guitar and taking tips from homeless people! That is, until about ten pm when one resident came down stairs and yelled at me to stop playing because he couldn’t sleep.
As for how it affected how I played, well, my answer is the same for that place as it is for any place I play. If the audience (or whomever might be listening) is really into it and responsive, I feel like I play better generally. If they’re not, than the opposite. Now I can’t really tell you if anyone was actually listening on that gig. Though I guess there was the guy that wanted me to stop!
5. In what ways does the place where you live (or places where you have lived), affect the music you create, or your taste in music? Do you feel being in Chicago has influenced you to compose in a different way than if you were still in New York?
I definitely am writing and playing differently right now here in Chicago than I was in New York. But I think that has more to do with me starting to come out of my shell, musically speaking. I guess it started about three years before we moved to Chicago, but I’ve had a nice growth spurt since the move. The pace in New York has a lot to do with how the music sounds there. I’ve noticed that music really reflects the mass consciousness of the area from which it comes. But the technological advances of the internet has brought all the innovations coming from different areas of the world to our fingertips. So there’s a quicker "cross-pollenization” that happens in all areas. We don’t have to wait for a group to go on tour to hear the “new thing” like we did even 15 years ago.
6. Lately what musical periods or styles do you find yourself most drawn
to as a listener? (Old or new music? Music like yours or different from
yours?)
I guess I’m listening to a pretty broad mix of old and new. Of course there’s so much music out there, that I feel there’s not enough time to check it all out. I’m attracted to any kind of music that I can learn from.
7.Name a musician or band, past or present, who you flat-out LOVE and
think more people should be listening to. What's one of your all-time
favorite recordings by this musician/band?
I really love Esperanza Spalding right now. She’s got a great recording out on the Heads Up label called Esperanza. She’s an amazing singer and bassist!
8. What is most exciting to you about coming back to the Lakes to be a
faculty headliner?
I love coming back to work with the kids. I always appreciated having clinicians and performers come through the area when I was growing up. It gave me something to be excited about and helped me grow as a musician. So I hope that I can do the same for the students at the camp. It’s also a great hang with the other faculty headliners!
9. Anything else you want to add?
I’m doing a couple of improvisation workshops aside from the jazz camp. The first is in Sioux City at Ray’s Midbell Music on June 12th from 2-4. There will also be a performance at Midbell at 7pm I’m doing with Bob Gripp on drums and Eddie Dunn on bass. Then on the 14th, I’m doing another workshop in Sioux Falls at a place called Latitude 44. That one takes place from 1-3pm with a performance later that night at A Touch of Europe in Sioux Falls. I’m joining alto saxophonist (and fellow jazz camp headliner) CJ Kocher for that. Then I’m playing in Sioux Falls after the jazz camp on June 19th at Latitude 44 and on the 20th at A Touch of Europe. Should be fun and just wanted to let people know about those events!
10. Anything else you want to add after that?
Check out www.scotthesse.org! How’s that for lots of shameless plugs? Yikes. I’ve gone corporate!
07/11/08 | Some recent media
A recent article about some clinics and performances I did in Sioux Falls, SD.
05/02/08 | Tryin' to keep up!
Been awhile since my last update. Things, as always, are crazy. But it's a good crazy.
I recorded the tracks for my next recording in Feb. and March. Still have some work to do in post-production, but I should have some samples up in a couple of weeks. Be sure to check back! It's an interesting recording and I'm excited for people to hear it.
I've also been involved in several other projects this year. Still working toward getting a trio recording together..maybe sometime this month. In Jan., I recorded music with a great vocalist named Leslie Beukelman. She also appears on one track of my upcoming release. Leslie's one of my favorite vocalists to work with.
I also did an organ trio recording in Feb. with Ed Breazeale on drums and Sean McCluskey on organ. Hopefully we'll be putting some dates together around Chicago soon.
In March I did a recording with Chicago's own trumpeter-extrodinaire, Corey Wilkes. It was with his group Abstrakt Pulse. We still have one more day in the studio at the time of this writing. Look for that recording to be released on Pi Records sometime in September.
Also in March I did another little demo recording with tenor saxophonists Anthony Bruno and Chris Madsen. It was just the 3 of us and it turned out so well that we decided to make the group official. So there...it's official, we're a group. That's all it takes!! We'll be in the studio again in early May. Look for us to be playing around Chicago in the near future.
I went back to NYC for about two minutes (almost literally) last November with alto saxophonist, Greg Ward. We performed a piece of his called "Infatuation with the Flame." The NY performance was the third, and final, such performance of that piece. (The other two were here in Chicago.) Nevertheless, it was great to get back to NYC and see some old friends and get that NYC-stank back on me! :)
Last November I also was the featured guest artist at Iowa Lakes Community College annual Jazz Convocation. I did several master classes and performances at the college there while working with Andy Hall on bass, Joey Gulizia on drums, and Tony Gulizia on keys. We had a great time. This is definitely late in coming, but a special thanks to Carol Ayres for bringing me out there!!
Also worth noting that I just finished up my first year teaching at Eastern Illinois University. It was a really good year and I have some talented students there!
Anyway, that's a little of what's been going on around here. I'm still doing my regular dates around Chicago: Sunday nights at the Velvet Lounge, the 2nd and 4th Tues. at the M Lounge, and every Wed. at Ras Dashen. (You can find the details on my "Shows" page.)
Hope to see you out sometime!
Scott
08/20/07 | Is this my first update of this year??!
Well, then, Happy New Year! People have been telling me I need to update my news page...guess I didn't realize it really needed it!
Lots of exciting things going on. Let's catch up.
Here goes:
I finally finished up my master's degree in composition from DePaul University in June. I learned a lot, but am glad to be out of school.
Over the summer, I did the Iowa Lakes Community College jazz camp. That went really well. The numbers were up this year and I think it will continue to grow.
I also did a clinic in Sioux Falls, SD at Sioux Falls Music that was great to do. I've got to thank Dan Donahoe and everyone else at Sioux Falls music for making it possible for me to do the clinic. I think we're going to set another one up for sometime in November. During this same trip I played at the Sioux Falls Heritage Museum summer concert series and then played a gig at A Touch of Europe. Both were well attended, so look for future appearances at both venues. Thanks go out to my friend Bob Gripp for his help and drumming expertise.
I've been diligantly writing and arranging for my next recording project. The band, as it is now, is, Greg Ward on alto, Patrick Mulcahy on bass, John Smillie on drums, and Justin Thomas on vibes. The music is pretty intricate so I'm going to really take my time with this project...plus getting five very busy musicians together for rehearsals is damn near impossible these days! So...
Other projects I'm involved in right now include Isaiah Spencer's Quintet that plays at the Velvet Lounge every Sun. from 9:30 to 1:30. First set is ours but it opens to a jam session. A lot of musicians and listeners are in every Sun., so hope to see you there.
Vincent Davis' Quartet with Ed Wilkerson on reeds, myself, and Darius Savage on bass is still playing around too. We're trying to get a new regular venue to play like we had when we played the Velvet Lounge every Thursday. I'll keep you posted on our upcoming dates.
Another interesting project I'm doing right now is with pianist Tim Green. He's been studying Middle Eastern music and has put together a band that will be playing a hybrid of Middle Eastern music and jazz. More on that as it develops.
I've joined the jazz faculty at Eastern Illinois University. I'll be teaching down there a couple of times a month and am looking forward to getting things underway there.
I'll be playing the Detroit Jazz Festival this year with reed-men Wendell Harrison and Ernest 'Khabeer' Dawkins. Should be alot of fun as Wendell's music is always challenging! The Detroit Jazz Festival is Labor Day weekend, so if you're in or around Detroit then, come out and see us. We play on Sept. 3rd.
My frequent collaborator and friend Greg Ward has written a piece of music that will feature an interesting line-up. Greg on alto, Katinka Kleijn on cello, myself on guitar and Ernie Adams on percussion. The piece will premiere at the ICE Festival Concert at the Velvet Lounge in September. Then at the end of October the group is featured on the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's fall concert series. I'll put more on that up as well as it nears.
So, that's what's up. I'm sure I've forgotten something, so check back later and I'll try to be more timely with my updates.
Until next time...hopefully in the not-so-distant-future!!
Scott
12/04/06 | What's Up?
It's been a while since I last updated this page. The last several months have been busy ones. Highlights include working with Fred Anderson's group at The Jazz Showcase in November. The Jazz Showcase has been featuring different groups on Monday nights in order to raise money for their upcoming move. So Fred's group was asked to play one Monday. The gig was fantastic even though it was only modestly attended. It also featured some of the best musicians here in Chicago including Greg Ward on alto, Isaiah Spencer on drums, Junius Paul on bass, as well as Karl Siegfried on bass. I also played at the Englewood Jazz Festival in September with Vince Davis on drums, Ed Wilkerson on tenor and Harrison Bankhead on bass. It was a blast. That same group (with Tatsu Aoki on bass instead of Harrison) played a couple of weeks later to a packed house at the Velvet Lounge.
If you're in and/or around Chicago on Sunday nights, stop down at The Velvet Lounge where I'm playing with the Isaiah Spencer Quartet. Isaiah hosts the legendary Velvet Lounge Jazz Jam Session which starts at 9. The session goes until 1am, so bring your instrument and come ready to play!
In the coming weeks, I've got some great gigs around town and around this area. I'll be at Pegasus (downtown Chicago) on Dec. 16th with one of my favorite bassists here, Harrison Bankhead. That will be a trio hit with Leon Joyce on drums. On Dec. 30th I'll be at The Negro League Cafe with drumming great, Charles "Rick" Heath as well as Marlene Rosenberg on bass. I'll be ringing in the New Year again at the MK restaurant in Chicago with Bob Lovecchio on bass and Darren Scorza on drums. That's going to be a fun night too! Next month I'll be a featured performer with the Eastern Illinois University Big Band at the IMEA Convention in Peoria, Il. Also on that gig is trumpet legend Bobby Shew.
I'll be posting specifics on all those gigs and more in the coming weeks.
Hope to see you out!
Until next time,
Scott
08/01/06 | In Memorium--Razmik Mkhitarian
It is with a heavy heart that I report this news. Razmik Mkhitarian, a friend and colleague of mine, died on July 28. Raz owned a restaurant and jazz club called A Touch of Europe in Sioux Falls, SD that I play at whenever I'm back in that area. Everytime I've been there in the past seven years, Raz treated me and everyone I was with like family. He was a fantastic supporter of the arts and was truly passionate about this music.
Raz was born in Tallinn, Estonia in 1967. He moved to Sioux Falls in 1990 and opened his restaurant/club in '91. Since that time, Raz and his equally hard-working wife, Natasha, built the business into one of the most popular places in the area. Several well-known musicians stopped by to play or listen to the musicians they brought in.
Raz will be sorely missed but fondly remembered by the many he touched. And there are a lot us.
My heart and deepest sympathies are with Natasha and their two boys, Gabriel and Oliver.
07/26/06 | The Return of The Velvet Lounge!!
The Velvet Lounge is re-opening this Sunday night! After closing down in early April, The Velvet has re-located to 67 E. Cermak here in Chicago. The famous Velvet Sunday night jam session will be hosted by saxophonist Greg Ward (www.gregward.org). I will also be in the band that consists of Marcus Evans on drums, Patrick Mulcahy on bass, and Victor Garcia on trumpet. The first set starts at 9pm.
Bring your instrument out and help celebrate the re-opening of a true "institution" of the artistic scene in Chicago!
See you there.
Scott
07/14/06 | New Sound Sample (and other items of interest)
I've posted a new sound sample of the Vincent Davis Quartet on the LISTEN page. It's from a gig last October performed at The Velvet Lounge in Chicago. I can only post excerpts of this group since the music is completely improvised and lasts anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour-and-a-half long. You can find more out about this group on Vincents' web site which you will find a link to on my LINKS page.
Last month I made my annual trip back to Iowa to do the Iowa Lakes Community College Reggie Schive Summer Jazz Camp. (that's a mouthful!) The camp was great and it was, as always, a fun hang. You can also see more about that camp on my LINKS page.
Thanks go out to my good friends Bob Gripp and Eddie Dunn who accompanied me for two nights last month at A Touch of Europe in Sioux Falls, SD. The room was packed both nights and a great time was had by all. Thanks too for Razmik and Natasha for having us there again!
So, that's the scoop from the Windy City.
Until next time,
Scott
05/27/06 | What's Been Going On
So in the last month I've been fairly busy. May was a little slower than some of the past several months mainly due to the Velvet Lounge relocation. (The Velvet should be re-opening sometime in the next month or so. You can see updates about the new Velvet Lounge from Fred Anderson on www.velvetlounge.net.) I played at a function where actors Brian Dennehy and Phylicia Rashad were being honored. I've always been a fan of Brian Dennehy's stage work, particularly for his role in "Death of a Salesman." His outspoken speech was great and re-affirmed my admiration of his art.
A couple of weeks ago, the DePaul Big Band played for three nights at The Jazz Showcase here in Chicago. The featured guest artist was Phil Woods. Phil was in good form, as usual, and related some very funny stories..most of which can't be re-told here. Needless to say, if you're ever in Paris and see signs to see "Captain Whammo," make sure you check that show out!!
In June, I'll be back in Iowa for a little more than a week to do the Iowa Lakes Community College Jazz Camp. This is always a fun week and is great to work with the kids that come from all over Iowa to attend. We'll be doing several gigs in conjunction with the camp the week of June 11-16. I'll be posting those on the "Shows" page in a couple of days.
I will also be playing at a great little venue in Sioux Falls, SD on June 16 and 17th called "A Touch of Europe." This is a wonderful restaurant that frequently hosts jazz as well. The owner, Razmik, has been a good friend to the musical community of Sioux Falls and to me for several years now. Every time I get back to that part of the country, I always try to get something booked there because it's such a great vibe.
So if you're around for some of these gigs, stop out and say 'hello.'
Until next time,
Scott
05/01/06 | DePaul University Big Band at The Jazz Showcase with Phil Woods
On the 15th-18th of May, the DePaul University Big Band will be performing at The Jazz Showcase with jazz legend Phil Woods. We're also doing a live recording of the performances. The band has been working hard getting the music together. Should be an interesting week. I'll keep you posted!!
Until next time,
Scott
04/29/06 | Detroit Gigs
Last weekend (4/21-4/23) I went to Detroit for a few gigs. With me from Chicago were bassist Darius Savage and drummer Isaiah Spencer. We worked with Wendell Harrison, a tenor and clarinetist, who is based in Detroit. Each gig was really well received. Friday night at the Detroit Institute of Arts there were around 300 people in attendance I would guess. Saturday night we played at Baker's Keyboard Lounge--the world's oldest jazz club. Again the place was packed up until the last half of the last set and was a lot of fun. On Sunday, we did a live radio broadcast on the Kim Heron Show at WDET which was also recorded. The group had a good time and I even got interviewed. Much thanks to Wendell for bringing us up there, and to Pam Wise and Jovia Armstrong who provided their respective expertise to the music. It was great! I also want to give some props to Cybelle Codish, an amazing photographer, who took some great shots at the radio station (you can check a few out on my GALLERY page). Also thanks have to go out to Isaiah and Darius who had my back during an interesting "game" of hockey Saturday night after the gig!!!
Until next time,
Scott
04/07/06 | Gigging in the Motor City
Just wanted to let all of you in the Detroit area to know that we'll be up there the weekend of April 21st. Jazz master Wendell Harrison put together a weekend of gigs featuring his music, Pamela Wise's music, and my own. It will be a great weekend of music. The band line-up is as follows: Wendell Harrison-clarinet and tenor, myself on guitar, Darius Savage-bass, Isaiah Spencer-drums, Pamela Wise-piano, and Jovia Armstrong-percussion. You can see the gig specs on my SHOWS page.
03/30/06 | Last Gigs at the Velvet Lounge
Well, this is it. This is officially the last week we're playing at the Velvet Lounge in its current location. Last night the Greg Ward Sextet took the stage to a standing room only crowd. It was great to have that many people out. The first set was received well and was followed by a spirited jam session until about 2:15am. James Cammack, my friend and great bassist with Ahmad Jamal, was in town and sat in on a tune. Great to see him as we haven't seen each other or played since I moved to Chicago a little over a year ago. There were also lots of other great players out last night. We were happy to go out on such a high note.
Tonight at the Velvet it will be more of the same. I'll be playing there with Vince Davis and Percussion Plus. I expect that the second set will turn into a jam session free-for-all. Should be a lot of fun. Come out and check out some great music at the Velvet if you're in and around Chicago!!
Until next time,
Scott
03/10/06 | Back at the Velvet on Thursdays
Well, I'm back (after a month-long hiatus) with Vincent Davis and Percussion Plus on Thursday nights at the Velvet Lounge. We played last night and it was a lot of fun to be back with those guys. Before the Velvet Lounge (in its current location) closes down at the end of March, you should check this group out. I don't know how things are going to go down when the new place opens next month. We may or may not be doing the weekly hit there. Same goes for the Greg Ward Sextet on Wednesday nights there too. Hopefully we'll retain those nights because both groups are a blast to work with!!
It has been great to see all the musicians showing up for the Wednesday night gig at the Velvet. The band is hittin' hard in the first set then we open it up for others. So bring your instruments out. This last Wednesday, drummer Marcus Gilmore and bassist Darius Savage joined Greg and I for the first set. It was well-attended and we had a really good first set.
Tuesday night the Greg Ward Sextet played at Spot6 here in Chicago. The band played pretty well though there were not too many people out. Spot6 is a nice space. Hopefully it will continue having live music in the future.
Last Sunday, I also did a gig with vocalist Michele Thomas (you can find a link to her website on my LINKS page), Darren Scorza on drums and Bob Lovecchio on bass. It was a nice gig even if the crowd didn't care whether or not we were there. The four of us still had a good time!
That's it for now. Hope to see you out sometime in the clubs!
Until next time,
Scott
03/04/06 | What's Going On?
Hey again. It's been awhile since I wrote anything here, so I thought I better get to it. The last month or so has been busy. My friend Dave Ruffels, (great bass player that's in the inSpirit Quartet), emailed me the other day that copies of the inSpirit Quartet recording CONTRAST TO THE MADNESS can be found online at www.cdbaby.com/cd/inspiritquartet. There is also some new label interest in this recording from a couple of reputable indy labels. More on that if, and when, it develops. I don't want to sound skeptical, but this business is what it is. You never know until you've got something signed on the dotted line.
Greg Ward's group continues to get better. Come out to the Velvet Lounge on Wednesday nights from 10-1. We'll be there. Bring your instrument as we generally open things up for people to sit in during the second set. BTW, there is a new mp3 of the GWS performing a tune of mine called "Slash" on the LISTEN page. Check it out!
John Smillie, the drummer in the GWS, was gone last Wed., but Isaiah Spencer filled in for the night and we had a lot of fun.
This last week we also had a brilliant young drummer out named Marcus Gilmore. If you haven't checked this guy out yet, you're sleepin'!! I'm pretty sure he's doing the gig with us on Wed. the 8th so make sure you come out. He's just visiting Chicago and will be back to NYC next week. He works in one of my favorite musician's band: pianist Vijay Iyer. Their music is something else! Check it out at www.vijayiyer.com.
I'm no longer doing the Thursday night gig with the Vincent Davis Group. For personal reasons I had to be gone for much of February, so Vince called and said he wanted to develop the trio for now. Don't worry, it was an amicable break-up. Actually it wasn't a break-up at all. I will be back with them sometime in the future. That group is definitely still worth checking out on Thurs. at the Velvet from 10-1. You can get more info about Vincent Davis at his website www.vincentdavisdrum.com.
I played at an exhibition opening at the Chicago Cultural Center in late January that featured sculptures by the unbelievable artist Preston Jackson. The exhibit is going on through March 26, so put that on your to-do list if you're in and around Chicago in the next three weeks.
Last week I traveled to Orlando to play at a fund raiser for DePaul University. I only wish we (Bob Lark on trumpet and Cory Biggerstaff on bass) could've stayed longer. That was my first trip to Orlando and it was a welcome departure from the regular weather in Chicago this time of year!
So that's what's been going on the last few weeks. Keep posted as there are more exciting developments to come in the next few months. I'll be working in Detroit next month with jazz master clarinetist, Wendell Harrison. The dates will be April 21st-23rd. I'll post more in the coming weeks about that one as it should be a blast!!
Until next time,
Scott
01/17/06 | Back at The Jazz Showcase
The re-location benefit concert series for the Velvet Lounge continues all this month at the Jazz Showcase. The first night (Jan. 9th), Fred Anderson brought his quartet in for the first set. His group consists of Jeff Parker-guitar, Junius Paul-bass, and Marcus Evans-drums. It was great to hear Fred at The Showcase. I believe it may be a first. Thanks have to go out to Joe Segal for opening his doors in support of a "rival" club. Thanks also go out to Wayne Segal for his hospitality on the 9th as well. All in all, it was a good night. A good-sized crowd showed up and were given a great series of performances from Fred and his group. The second set featured our group, the Greg Ward Sextet. Our set had its ups and downs. We've certainly played better but we learned a lot and are continuing to grow as a group.
On Monday, January 23rd, I will be back at The Showcase as a part of saxophonist John Goldman's group. This group will feature John, myself, Darren Scorza on drums, and Patrick Mulcahy on bass. We will be playing music from two of John's cd's--FOR ALL THE PEOPLE and IN WALKED PIERRE. You can read more about John at his website jgjazz.com.
I'm also still doing my "regular" gigs at The Velvet Lounge on Wed. and Thurs. nights. So be sure to stop out and say hello!
Until next time,
Scott
01/03/06 | The Nightmare is Over!
Five years ago I bought my first domain name: scotthesse.com. I had it for a year and everything was fine; until I let the subscription lapse. Much to my horror, it was bought by someone else. For a month my site was completely down.
Then, one day I logged on to scotthesse.com to see if anything changed. Imagine my shock and surprise when I found that if you logged onto scotthesse.com, you were automatically re-directed to a midget porn site!! It was absolutely some of the most foul things I've ever seen. You have no idea how many jokes I had to endure from my friends that knew what happened. Scotthesse.com was printed on my business cards that I had been handing out for about a year. It was a nightmare.
I tried in vain to contact the person who hijacked my domain and used it as a re-direct for his site. I kept trying to get this person to take my domain name out as a forward to this other site. Every year I would check to see if I could get the site back, but it was no good.
About a month-and-a-half ago, my friend Greg Ward called and told me that he was at scotthesse.com and saw that it was up for grabs. So I jumped on the opportunity to take my name back.
Well, it is official. I have scotthesse.com back and it is used as a forward to this site. I feel much better about it now.
By the way, any of you who tried to contact me through my old site, that email was out of commission. So I wasn't ignoring anyone. Every now and again, someone would tell me they tried to email me through the site and never received any response from me.
So that's my story. Lesson: stay on top of your business!!
Until next time,
Scott
01/02/06 | The New Year
Happy New Year to everyone! I rang in the new year at the MK Restaurant in Chicago playing with Darren Scorza on drums, Ted Hogarth on bari sax and bass clarinet, and Kurt Schweitz on bass. We had a fun gig. The place was packed all night and everyone had a good time. I was even able to sort of see the fireworks go off at Navy Pier at midnight. It was the first gig I've done in a long time just playing standards and we had a really good time doing it. The band worked very well together.
The Greg Ward Sextet is gearing up for the Jazz Showcase gig we have on Jan. 9th. We'll be playing the second set. The first set will feature Fred Anderson's quartet. I'm not sure who's playing bass on that gig with them but I know Jeff Parker is playing guitar and Marcus Evans will be playing drums. Both sets will be slamming, so don't miss it!! The fun starts at 8pm.
Lots of good things coming up this year, so keep checking back here for updates.
Scott
12/15/05 | What's in a Name?
I read a recent review of the Chicago Jazz Festival that took place here in Chicago last September. In the article, which you can read by launching the link below, my name has been misprinted two different ways. Can't these writers check their facts at least a little before they publish the article?! I guess I shouldn't be surprised. 'Hesse' has been misprinted, mis-understood, mispronounced, or just plain missed my entire life. Evidence of my name being missed can be seen in this article when the writer says I'm "little-known." Maybe I can use that quote in a press kit? I actually prefer the term "profile-challenged." But hey, any press is good press I suppose.
Until next time.
Scott (Hesse, Hassie, Hassis)
12/11/05 | Working Out at The Velvet Lounge
On Dec. 7th the Greg Ward Sextet (minus Norman Palm on trombone) took the stage for our regular Wednesday night at the Velvet Lounge here in Chicago. Having a place where you can regularly work material out is so important. This group keeps getting stronger. Many thanks go out to Fred Anderson for letting us work our music out in a real situation. The Velvet is an oasis in the desert! There aren't many places like this in existence anywhere in this country anymore. This is a place where you can see and hear almost anything you can imagine, and several things you can't. The Velvet is a true bastion for creative music. As you may or may not know, The Velvet is living on borrowed time. The current location at 2128 1/2 S. Indiana is going to be shut down sometime soon. The new venue will be on Cermak, right around the corner from where The Velvet is now. In an effort to get things straightened out for the move, several benefit concerts have taken place in support of Fred Anderson and The Velvet Lounge. If you want to show your support for Fred, The Velvet, and creative music in general you can go to www.velvetlounge.net and contribute to the cause!
Scott (and my two cents)
12/03/05 | Live at The Velvet Lounge and The Charleston
On the 1st of December, I played at The Velvet Lounge with Vincent Davis on drums and Ed Wilkerson on saxophone. This is always an interesting gig because we freely improvise everything. The 1st set is an hour long and the second is an hour and-a-half and we never stop playing. It is an endurance challenge on every level. But last Thursday we had the extra challenge of not having our bass player, Junius Paul. (He's in Africa with trumpeter Corey Wilkes' band.) That translated to more responsibility for everyone. But the good thing is that Vincent and Ed are amazing listeners and very creative on top of that. So the night went really well. I was exhausted after the gig though!
Last night (Dec. 2nd), I played with the Greg Ward Sextet at The Charleston also here in Chicago. We were without our regular drummer, Marcus Evans, but John Smille filled in and did great. This group is getting better and better each time we play together. I'm excited about the potential of this group. Also something to look for next month is this group playing at The Jazz Showcase. We'll be there Monday, January 9th as a feature/benefit night for The Velvet Lounge. I believe Fred Anderson will be playing with his own trio as well, so this will not be a night to miss.
Hope to see you out at some of the gigs!
Scott
11/28/05 | The Hungry Brain
November 27-The Greg Ward Sextet played at the Hungry Brain. We did two sets to a mostly packed house. It was an appreciative crowd, lots of musicians came out. Great to see so many in attendance. The management at the Hungry Brain was very nice to us as well, telling the crowd to keep the noise down to a dull roar since we were doing a live recording of the gig. The band played well for the most part. We're still working out the kinks, but this is going to be a group to watch! Hopefully we'll have some good audio from the gig to post in the next few days. Thanks to Caleb Willitz for all his efforts in recording the band! Check back for more updates and info on gigs.
Scott
11/22/05 | Show at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts
I got called to do a benefit show for survivors of Hurricane's Katrina and Rita. It was a great night. I think there were around 1,000 people in attendance. I played in trumpeter Maurice Brown's quintet which featured Maurice-trumpet, Greg Ward-alto, Patrick Mulcahy-bass, and Isaiah Spencer on drums. Everyone played their butts off and the crowd was very enthusiastic and supportive.
11/20/05 | Re-vamped web site!
Welcome to my new and improved website. I'm excited to get this up and running again. Since moving to Chicago from New York in December 2004, I had not updated this site. I figured since I basically started my life over, I should put together a site that reflects that change.
I'm really enjoying Chicago so far. I've been playing around here quite a bit--as you can see from my Intinerary page.
Some groups I'm working with right now include the Greg Ward Sextet featuring Greg on alto, Norman Palm-trombone, Rob Clearfield-keyboards, Patrick Mulcahy-bass, Marcus Evans-drums, and myself. All these guys are great players and we're doing some very interesting music. Keep checking here for updates on that group.
Another great group I'm working with is the Vincent Davis Group. This group features Vincent Davis-drums, Ed Wilkerson, Jr.-reeds, and Junius Paul-bass. This group plays every Thursday night at the world famous Velvet Lounge here in Chicago. It is a creative and explosive group to play in and I'm having a wonderful time playing with them.
I'm also working on starting a trio. I'll keep you posted on that in the future.
So, once again, welcome to the site and check back soon!
Scott
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