Fred Haas: Expression in Music
 Fred Haas (saxophone and jazz piano) is a Senior Lecturer at Dartmouth College. He is the Founder and Director of Interplay Jazz Camp, runs his own CD company (JazzToons), and is an active performer in New England and beyond. Haas was the guest jazz artist at Lexington High School last June and kindly gave the magazine a few moments of his time:
What was your path to music?
Haas says that his father, a saxophone player, was a big inspiration. Haas’ father was a natural player and never read music; instead he focused on the listening aspect of jazz as an art form. Through the influence of his dad, Haas was turned onto Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, and Art Tatum among others.
As a teenager Haas further explored the jazz idiom and discovered new favorite players such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, and Sonny Stitt. These musicians innovated while keeping ties with the original tradition. This fascination with the history and tradition of jazz music would follow Haas through his career.
It was at the age of fifteen that Haas knew he wanted to go professionally into music. “I loved the feeling of playing music when it was right,” he says. It was a feeling he couldn’t get anywhere else. In addition to participating in school ensembles, Haas formed a quintet with his friends and they played on the road one summer.
As a music student at Dartmouth, Haas was the youngest among several players with more experience. Haas says it was always a learning experience to be able to assimilate some of the history of music that they had played. Haas says the same about playing with the greats like Clark Terry and Oscar Peterson, with whom he has played two or three times.
Haas admits that it is always challenging and a little scary to get on stage with Terry or Peterson, but the best thing he can do is relax, focus on the present, and play his best. “Great players help to elevate your own playing,” says Haas. “It’s like going to school” in that you learn new tunes and connect with the rich history that these players have lived through.
What advice do you have for students wanting to get into jazz?
“Jazz has a rich history – about 100 years of recorded music. Go back and listen to all the great players (not just the modern ones) and learn everything you can from them…These recordings have so much information and history to offer. Assimilate the material – listen, study it, practice it. Then, put your own thoughts and feelings into the music.”
What advice do you have for students going professionally into music?
First, “make sure that at the heart of what you are doing is a love for music,” a desire to make sure the music grows and innovates, while still remaining connected with the history.
Second, realize that “the music business and the art of music are very different.” Music business is competitive and potentially challenging or frustrating, Haas asserts. Being a bandleader can be tough: “You get yelled at when the other members show up late or in the wrong clothes.” Haas’ advice is to be clear and honest in all your dealings (with band members, club owners, or anyone else).
Third, “keep yourself clean, free of drug and substance abuse (jazz has an especially bad reputation with that). Some players feel that drugs bring them to an elevated mindset where they can play their best. Meditation and yoga can get those same feelings without any of the negative repercussions. Jazz has lost some great players at a young age to overdose. I would encourage young persons to forget about that approach.”
Tell us more about the Interplay Jazz Camp
Eleven years ago the director of the Vermont Jazz Center, where Haas had spent his summers teaching, died of cancer. Haas was sad about returning to the camp since his friend would not be there. Some people commented that Haas should start his own jazz camp but at first, he did not think much about it. With the support of friends, however, Haas founded the Interplay Jazz Camp and it has been running for five years. Haas says the unique element of the camp is that it’s intergenerational. Twelve-year-olds and seventy-year-olds play in the same groups. “When you play music together, have meals together, meditate together, the perceived barriers disappear,” says Haas.
To learn more about Interplay Jazz Camp, go to http://www.interplayjazz.com/.
Where do you go from here? What are your goals as a teacher and musician?
Haas’ goals as a teacher are “to share information and inspiration.” He believes his role is to take the information he’s gathered and channel it to those who are interested. As a musician, Haas hopes to keep growing and aiming for greater creative expression. “I think the music that comes out is a reflection of your life…I try to live a peaceful life full of friends and love.”
- Lina Colucci |
