The late pianist and certified bopologist Walter Bishop Jr. was also an exceptional poet. This is the third in our series of Walter Bishop Jr.’s poetic reflections, courtesy of the ever-gracious Valerie Bishop.

FROM WALTER TO WALTER
(From Walter Bishop Jr. to Walter Davis Jr.)

Walter D.

Dear Walter,
I was very distressed at the news that you were in critical condition in the hospital.
I had come to hear you at Bradley’s, I heard myself instead.
All the while you were lying in NY Hospital, damn near dead.
I remember our beginning.
You came to me a teenage student.
And your work was always prudent.
What a joy working with you.
I taught you much of what I knew, and watched as you grew and grew.
Quickly you became a wiz and then you got a job with Diz!
And as you heard, I was with Bird.
You were with the father and I was with the mother.
That made you a BeBop Brother.
You went to all those exotic places as Dizzy put you through your paces.
I never told you about the time I walked into the store
And through the record albums I would pour.
I ran across your Davis Cup and said: “What the fuck is up?”
I was proud and I was pissed you see because they recorded you instead of me.
Although it amused us, many people confused us.
It was annoying to me – people mistook our identity.
I wish I had a dollar for each time I heard someone holler:
“Hey Bish, I heard you played such and such a place
Or are you going to play such and such a place?”
To which I would reply: “It’s not me it’s the other guy, Walter D., I’m Walter B!
Can’t you see. I’m taller and older. He’s younger and bolder.
And then there was the time in Holland:
Some people at the station greeted me with flowers and a presentation.
After a word or two I realized they thought I was you.
What was I to do?
You once visited me on a busted knee as I lay sick and ailing.
I knew right then I had a friend whose love was never failing.
And then I remember those fierce piano shootouts. We faced each other in the arena.
We were armed with hoards of chords, floods of Bud, chunks of Monk, and tastes of Tatum.
And when all was said and done we had big fun and everybody won.
We danced together those nights, the Dance of the Infidels.
Whether you played Bud, Monk, or Tad, you always gave it all you had.
Their spirits flowed through you.
Sly as a fox. Strong as an ox.
You could sing. You could dance.
You could even make a suit with two pairs of pants.
In Arabic you could sign your autograph, but most of all you could make us laugh!
Yes, yours was a joyous spirit!
Maybe you would have liked to have been thinner
But by and large you were a heavyweight winner.
“Anyone for Chinese Dinner?”
So, Humphrey, if you split the scene at fifty seven… I’ll catch you later in BeBop Heaven.
Love, Bish Bash

Walter B.

This is Pt. 7 in our series of dialogues with musicians where we pose the following burning question:
When you read music journalism and criticism, what qualities are you looking for in the writer and the writing?

This week’s correspondents: Drummer-bandleader ALLISON MILLER, and flutist-bandleader-composer NICOLE MITCHELL.

Allison Miller

“I look for writers who are open to, and take the time to understand the “concept and statement” behind an artists musical presentation. I like writers who attempt to interpret the music beyond just the notes and technical prowess. I like when writers express, through words, their emotional responses to the particular piece of music they are listening to and writing about. I believe creative music, like fine art, should evoke an emotional response when listened to with intent. And, I always appreciate it when writers are willing to humbly reveal their emotional reactions to the music.”

www.allisonmiller.com

Nicole Mitchell

“I’m interested in seeing if the critic has researched my history and output so that they have a context to review the present work. It is usually clear what the writer’s musical aesthetics are and from what angle they view the music based on their own preferences. When they know more about the musicians and the context they usually can write with more detail. It is always obvious if they are writing directly off the one-sheet or the liner notes. I’m more interested to hear their honest assessment of the music than just working off what was already written by someone else. When the writer can use detail to describe the improvisation as well as the compositional approach, that’s most fulfilling.”

www.nicolemitchell.com

I Remember Al Haig, “The White Knight” By Walter Bishop Jr.

Part 1: Inspiration

The first time I saw Al Haig was at the Three Deuces on 52nd Street.
The year: 1948-49 – somewhere in there.
I had just recently been discharged from the Army Air Corps
And was anxious to get back to the pursuit of my own career.
There he sat – in the midst of all that blackness.
How incongruous I thought,
But anyone who could play with Bird and Diz
Had to be a whiz.

I thought about my Yin-Yang medallion,
The little white spot in the black area, I mean.
He was whiter than white,
His touch was light,
His playing out of sight.

He looked more like a Harvard grad
Than a bebop lad.
He sat there in total concentration,
Totally in control of the situation.
I mean the tempo was flyin’
And I’m not lyin’.
During his solo he proceeded to spin out long intricate lines.
He was highly inventive
And gave me incentive.
He was most inspiring
And he did all this without even perspiring.

I had the impression that I was watching living chess pieces.
Dizzy as the King; Bird was the Queen;
Max and Tommy Potter were Castles;
And Al Haig the White Knight shining bright.
And the thought came that at some point,
The Bishop might enter the game.

Part 11: Frustration

The next I saw Al Haig was at The Royal Roost on Broadway.
Early 50″s:

I had been taking my basic training
At the famous Minton’s Playhouse,
Generally considered the home of bebop, the birthplace.
Eddie Lockjaw Davis was the sergeant at arms;
Art Blakey had been my drill instructor.

I felt ready.
I was obsessed with becoming Bird’s pianist.
My mission: to wrest the gig away from Al Haig.

I wasn’t Bud Powell
But I wasn’t about to throw in the towel.
I went down to The Roost to give
The Bird a boost.

He let me sit in.
I huffed and I puffed.
I comped and I stomped.
I burned and I blew and
I even drew a big round of applause.
From all the appearances, I had taken the play
Away from the ofay.
I mean, I did it all.
Nothing to do but wait for Bird’s call.

Well I waited,
And waited, and waited some more,
But my dream was ill fated
And I was sore.

The point that I missed was plain and simple:
Bird loved Al Haig. He wasn’t about to change his family,
Al, Max, Tommy and KD
For the likes of brash young me.
My time would come the following year,
After Al Haig had left that piano chair.

Part 111: Salvation
New York City – between 1976-77

I had relocated in New York after having lived in L.A.
For six years, I was back in town
And really feeling down.

It was really a scuffle,
I got lost in the shuffle.
Not a gig in sight,
I was pondering my plight, and then, one night:

“Hello, this is Al Haig. I heard you were back in town
And I was wondering if you would sub for me tomorrow night?”
“Sure”
With that call he had opened the door;
I’d be gigging in New York once more.

The next few years I would be doing quite a bit of subbing.
Mostly at Gregory’s and No. 1 Fifth Avenue
We entered into a warm friendship born of mutual respect.

I heard him play a number of times during this period.
He hadn’t lost a thing.
His lines were clean as ever,
And still had that swing.
Once again I was moved,
I even thought he’d improved.

He may have appeared meek,
But he was far from weak.
It’s a known fact: Al was ready to fight
Because of a couple of his buddies (Black) weren’t being treated right.

In my opinion he was under-rated. He stood for the right.
That’s why I’ll always think of him as the White Knight!

WALTER BISHOP, JR. – Just coolin’

Responding to the burning question:
WHEN YOU READ MUSIC JOURNALISM/CRITICISM WHAT QUALITIES ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN THE WRITER AND THE WRITING?
This installment: Joe Lovano & Jason Miles

JOE LOVANO:

The qualities I look for are: A Clear response to the music with Wisdom, Knowledge, Love, Passion and Honesty… The same qualities I look for from the musicians playing it…

JASON MILES:

I look for someone who convinces me they are a legitimate writer and know their craft and has a sense of the subject they are writing about. Having a blog doesn’t make one an expert on the subject. I very much pay attention to who is writing as I want to know there is a true sense of legitimacy. I have chosen to do this and can take whatever is dished out but I am confident in what I do and know that not everybody is going to be onboard.

NEA Jazz Masters Program Finds New Support for Federal Funding

The U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Appropriations recently insisted on the continuation of the 29-year-old Jazz Masters fellowship, which was recommended to be cut earlier in the year by the National Endowment of the Arts. The 2012 appropriations bill submitted by the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies (which includes NEA appropriations) was approved by the Committee only under the stipulation that the Jazz Masters program continue.
The Appropriations Committee’s bill still awaits a full floor vote from the House of Representatives, review and approval by the Senate Appropriations Committee and the full Senate, and final enactment by President Barack Obama. This leaves a lot of room for amendment and adaptation.
Find more info at www.nea.gov/national/jazz.

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