Caption:
Profound statements, profound moves: Gray Mayfield comes of age.
Gray
Mayfield will never forget the day Wynton Marsalis showed up at his dorm room.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “A friend of mine used to study with
Wynton. He was always saying, ‘I’m going to contact Wynton and have him come
and hear you.’ So, one day, when Wynton was doing something at one of the
colleges at Greensboro, he just came down to Winston-Salem. Next thing I know
someone’s knocking on my door. It’s Wynton and the three other guys in his
band.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Mayfield, who recently released his
first album, discovered jazz at the North Carolina School of the Arts, but he’d
been playing in fusion groups, emulating Grover Washington Jr. — a long way
from Marsalis’ purist vision.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “I had my soprano sax and he said
‘Play a note for me.’ So I played one note and he outlined everybody that I
checked out fusion-wise. He said, ‘Man, that’s cool, but let’s go play some
basketball and let’s go to the library and I’ll show you some music to check
out.’ So he gave me all these books and recordings by people like Sidney Bechet
and Louis Armstrong.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Marsalis may be perceptive, but one
note?
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “It’s easy to detect, when you hear
a soprano player play a note, if he’s influenced by fusion or straight-ahead
because at that time soprano was not that dominant in the straight-ahead field.
It was more dominant in the fusion field. If I’d been checkin’ out ‘My Favorite
Things,’ he would have known in an instant, ‘yeah — you’re into Trane.’ If
you ask a guy to play a note and he really plays a note with a meaning behind
it, as opposed to just playing the note, you can tell.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The significance of the day he met
Marsalis becomes apparent before you even listen to Mayfield’s new self-titled
album. Other than Roland Guerin on bass, Mayfield’s band consists of Ellis
Marsalis (piano), Delfeayo Marsalis (trombone), and Jason Marsalis (drums).
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Once you listen, it’s easy to see
why Mayfield’s in such good company. He can play with the best alto players of
his generation and he’s no slouch at writing. In fact, his compositions sound
like follow-ups to John Coltrane’s Giant
Steps.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย But back in the dorm that day,
Mayfield’s musical experience was limited. Growing up in Huntsville, Alabama,
it was tough getting his parents to take music seriously.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย He and his three brothers had always
loved music. They would lip-sync to the Ohio Players or Elton John at talent
shows and make instruments and pretend to perform.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “All of my brothers asked to play
the drums and my parents weren’t really with it, so I had to ask for an
instrument that I knew would catch them off guard. I figured if I said
‘saxophone,’ that would make them think.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย It worked. Mayfield started playing
saxophone in church when he was 17. He didn’t take formal lessons. He would
just play along with recordings.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “Ever since I got the saxophone,
that was it. I played whatever I could play regardless of the idiom. I just
wanted to play the horn.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย But he was good enough to be noticed
by James Houlik, a top classical saxophone player who taught at NCSA. Mayfield
won a scholarship to study classical sax with Houlik.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “When I got to college I had no idea
what an F7 was,” Mayfield says. “A friend introduced me to Trane, Johnny
Hodges, Sonny Stitt. Then he introduced me to Grover Washington Jr. and David
Sanborn. Automatically I was more attracted to the backbeat music. So I was
cloning that, the fusion. I started jazz late — real late.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย But with a mentor like Marsalis, he
learned fast.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “We exchanged numbers and he would
call me up at weird times and he’d be at the piano and play a chord and ask me
what kind of chord it was. He’d ask me what I’m checking out.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Didn’t he think it was strange for a
star to be calling him?
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “It startled me at first, but that’s
just his nature. After I got to know him and a lot of the guys from New
Orleans, that’s just how they are.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Marsalis recommended that Mayfield
study with his father, piano great Ellis Marsalis, in the jazz program he’d
just started at the University of New Orleans. That same year Mayfield won a
competition to play in Europe. He was on the road when he heard he’d won a
scholarship to study in New Orleans.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The University of New Orleans was
the place to be in the early 1990s. Among the young musicians enrolled in
Marsalis’ program were bassist Chris Thomas, drummer Brian Blade, and pianist
Peter Martin. All have gone on to become top players.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Mayfield had a trio in New Orleans
with Blade and Thomas, both of whom moved to New York. He was thinking about
joining them until Garth Fagan Dance came to New Orleans to perform, bringing
along a dancer who would become Mayfield’s wife.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “I had two friends who I went to
school with in the company so they were calling me up and we would hang out.
Sharon — my wife — invited me to come up and check out Rochester because
Eastman was here. So that’s what I did. I hooked up with Garth and that was it.
Next thing you know two years go by, three years go by…”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Mayfield first performed with
Fagan’s company in the mid-1990s. He also took on a variety of freelance gigs,
playing on cruises and touring with Buckwheat Zydeco.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Despite the experience, he’d have
preferred to work as a sideman with an experienced musician for several years
before making a CD.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “It was really against my will to do
a CD as a leader because to me that’s not really going through the ropes of
really playing this music,” he says. “But if I didn’t do that nobody would know
of me.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย His main reason for making the album
was “to start documenting where I am.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “I want to communicate to musicians.
And I wanted to do it for my family. I lost my brother a couple of years ago. I
was on the road when he died. It really messed me up. He was my favorite
brother; he taught me all the ropes. He was the type of person who liked to
party all the time and it kind of caught up with him. After that this whole
music thing started coming into another perspective, like ‘What are you doing
with your life?’ You need to start making some profound statements and some
profound moves as far as being a musician.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย He recorded in New Orleans because,
“after being away from Ellis for eight or 10 years, I wanted to play for him,
record with him, and show him the things that I’ve learned on my own in a
secluded way.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย He only expected the veteran pianist
to play on one tune. But Marsalis showed up early and asked “How many tunes you
want me to play on?”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “I said, ‘That’s up to you. As long
as you feel like staying and playing music.’ He just played on so many tunes.
I’m like, ‘Great!'”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย One thing’s for sure: The next time
Wynton Marsalis stops by to see Mayfield, he’s going to hear a considerably
different note.
Gray
Mayfield is available at the Bop Shop and both Record Archive locations.
This article appears in Sep 11-17, 2002.
