A quick look at the playlist of School of Jazz guest DJ Eddie Hefti tells you a lot about his musical tastes. The Mount Si High School senior and trombone player has parents who exposed him to a diverse world of music, and his ecclectic set made that apparent.
Hefti played everything from a beautiful ballad from the trombone master J.J. Johnson to “Bonheur,” a tune by guitarist Vieux Farka Touré that blends masterful Malian guitar techniques, and the Latin jazz favorite “Sofrito” from the Mambisimo Big Band.
Young jazz musicians at Mount Si High School like Hefti have the benefit of a local jazz club in North Bend called Boxley's. Boxley’s brings top jazz groups from the Northwest and around the country to the town in the Cascade foothills, and the venue also gives the high school musicians opportunities to play on their stage.
In honor of Boxley’s owner Danny Kolke, Hefti also included Kolke's piano trio version of “Don’t Get Around Anymore” in his set. That wasn't the only local jazz addition: Hefti shared a song from trumpeter Jun Iida, who he first met when Iida came to his school as a clinician.
Centrum’s Jazz Port Townsend has also given Hefti opportunities to meet great jazz musicians and make deeper connections with professionals in the Northwest, particularly with pianist Dawn Clement and guitarist Steve Kovalcheck.
The Mount Si High School jazz band, along with a jazz band from Mercer Island High School, will perform with Clement and Kovalcheck at the Triple Door in Seattle May 27. Hefti promised they'd be playing some great tunes.
There'll be plenty more great tunes to catch during DJ Eddie Hefti’s show on April 2.
What instrument do you play and why?
I play the trombone. In elementary school we got to try out two instruments before joining band. Out of the trumpet and trombone, I sounded least like a dying goat on the trombone. Since, I’ve grown to love the trombone's sound and versatility.
What is your all-time favorite jazz piece?
My all-time favorite jazz piece has probably gotta be “There Will Never Be Another You." It’s representative of the American Songbook, where a lot of jazz standards come from, but has a more interesting chord structure than most standards. Also, there have been so many great — and very different — interpretations (Chet Baker, Ella Fitzgerald, Sonny Rollins). Honorable mention goes to Ellington/Strayhorn’s interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite."
Who is your jazz hero?
I’d have to say that my jazz hero is either Danny Kolke or Roy Hargrove. Danny because he taught me how to break down what all the musicians I look up to (him included) play into a more understandable, and therefore replicable, process. Hargrove, because not only is he stylistically one of my favorite improvisers and composers, but he also willingly went outside of the jazz community to collaborate with musicians like D’Angelo, pioneering some dope music.
Why jazz?
I love jazz because it’s one of the few types of music I’ve been around where there’s an unwavering commitment to time, tone, tuning, across the board. I also love its format; the way it honors these incredible compositions from some of music’s best minds in the form of melodies, yet intentionally leaves room for the player’s own creativity through improvisation. Also, it teaches collaboration through music really well.
