The Jim Cullum Jazz Band (JCJB) plays jazz in the classic manner, that is, in the style of small, hot ensembles prior to WWII. The band's repertoire covers a lot of ground--from 19th-century cakewalks to the small pre-war Benny Goodman ensembles.
The core of the band's music consists of the sounds of Jelly Roll Morton, Original Dixieland Jazz Band, New Orleans Rhythm Kings, King Oliver Creole Jazz Band, Louis Armstrong, and Sidney Bechet, as well as a heavy emphasis on Bix Beiderbecke and his followers (e.g., Hoagy Carmichael).
In keeping with the band's historical point of view, period instruments and performance practices are often used. The Landing Jazz Club is designed for acoustic musical performance without the use of amplifiers. Each member of the band is a specialist in historically informed jazz styles.
Leader Jim Cullum plays a 1927 Conn Victor model cornet (the same as Bix used). Howard Elkins plays a 20's-vintage Epiphone archtop tenor guitar and a 30's Gibson tenor banjo. Don Mopsick plays an old German double bass set up with gut strings and high action in the manner of the pre-amplified era. Mike Waskiewicz uses drumming techniques and equipment more commonly found in the earlier drumming styles of Zutty Singleton, Ray Bauduc, and Gene Krupa.
John Sheridan plays piano in the "two-handed" tradition. Some of his major influences include Fats Waller, Earl Hines, Joe Sullivan, Teddy Wilson, and Mel Powell. Clarinetist Ron Hockett acknowledges the influence in his playing of Peanuts Hucko and Bob Crosby clarinetist Irving Fazola. Trombonist Kenny Rupp's style is very reminiscent of the great Jack Teagarden.
Improvised ensemble playing is an important component of the JCJB performance. As opposed to the "melody-solos-melody" format common in today's jazz bands, Jim Cullum features the almost lost art of the jazz ensemble. Using all seven instruments or smaller combinations (creating a band-within-a-band effect), this refreshing approach harkens back to the pre-Louis Armstrong days when ensemble playing had a much larger role.
The band members do not approach this music from a merely preservatonist, "repertoire" perspective. They look upon the great classic jazz players as the starting points for developing their own highly personal playing styles. The group sound of the JCJB has its own special musical identity, in the great tradition of Eddie Condon, Muggsy Spanier, and the Bob Crosby Bob Cats, among others.
In 1985-7, the band undertook an adaptation of all of the songs from Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess," arranged mainly by John Sheridan. This work was recorded for CBS Records and on the Riverwalk Public Radio series and, with narration by William Warfield, is one of the band's touring presentations. In 1995, the Kern-Hammerstein musical "Show Boat" was similarly adapted. Other touring programs include tributes to Louis Armstrong; Fats Waller (with pianist Dick Hyman); and "Playing With Fire," a 25-minute, 3-movement concerto for orchestra and jazz band composed by Jim Cullum and Frank Ticheli. These and other concert programs are presented nationally and internationally and comprise an important part of the band's yearly work schedule.
In 1980, Jim and the band began their Jazz Mass presentation in churches of various denominations. The idea crystallized when Jim heard clarinetist Herb Hall playing "Just A Closer Walk With Thee" at the funeral of San Antonio jazzman Don Albert. As the mass evolved, it grew to include other spirituals, psalms, and hymns including "Abide With Me," "Deep River," "Go Down Moses," "Nobody Knows," "I Want Jesus To Walk With Me," "His Eye Is on the Sparrow," and ending with "When The Saints Go Marching In." These last two are sung by Howard Elkins, the band's principal vocalist. By the end of 1999, the band had performed nearly 200 masses. A CD containing most of this material as presented on the Riverwalk Public Radio series was released in October, 1998, "Deep River: The Spirit of Gospel Music in Jazz."
One of the highlights of the band's concerts was a tribute to Turk Murphy at Carnegie Hall in January, 1987. Organized by Jim Cullum, the concert featured the JCJB, the Hot Antic Jazz Band of France, and Turk's San Francisco Jazz Band. Says Jim Cullum:
"The whole jazz community admired Turk for his integrity, his persistence, and his music. The idea of the concert was to honor not only Turk but the whole San Francisco jazz community. It was an absolutely thrilling event. The night before, we had a black-tie affair at the Grand Hyatt with about 1,000 people in attendance. Vinnie Giordano's band played for the dance.
"We honored Turk that night with a new horn, and the American Federation of Jazz Societies honored him as well. The President of the US sent a congratulatory telegram. The concert was held the next night at Carnegie Hall. At the end, we all played Turk's theme song, "Bay City" in a special arrangement by John Sheridan for all three bands. It was a very emotional moment for all of us.
"As it ended up, it was Turk's last gig. He succumbed to cancer 6 months later."
Beginning in 1993, the JCJB has been on the faculty of the Stanford Summer Jazz Workshop, held each year at the beginning of August. Students from ages 12-17 attend from all over the US, many receiving their first exposure to classic jazz. The whole band performs selected examples of jazz masterworks, then the band members give individual private lessons as well as master classes in the history of jazz as applied to each instrument. The students also get a chance to "sit in" and play with the band in a larger group setting.
Hopefully, the students come away from this experience having captured the sense of sheer fun that this music has to offer. For the band members, the fun is encouraging and nourishing the youngsters' enthusiasm for Classic Jazz, thus contributing to its continuity as a living, growing American art form.
Don Mopsick
