An Interview with Larry Tamanini

Chronicle Let's get right into it Larry. Thanks to the magic of social media, The Chronicle was one of the first to hear you have an addition to the family. So how’s that feel Poppa? Tamanini LOL. Since you're a personal friend and we live in the same community, it's easy to keep tabs on one another! So first let me say thanks for the congrats and for asking about the new addition. The fam is doing well and we are getting into a good ebb and flow with Maggie. It has been a great experience for my wife and me, along with our families. Those first few weeks would have been way tougher had it not been for all my jazz training, where i learned how to stay up all night. Chronicle Now like all of us married musicians, how does this alter or affect the way you approach your career? Tamanini I'm blessed to have a very supportive and understanding wife who really loves music and is very encouraging when it comes to my music career. It has taken on a new dynamic as far as taking care and helping to provide for a child, but it also has given me more depth as playing goes and just being inspired not just to make money but to generally have more conviction and creativity behind my music Chronicle What are your current projects? Tamanini Trying to figure out how to assemble my daughter's stroller, Rock and Play, and swing-set are usually my biggest projects, I do have several irons in the fire, so to speak. I'm putting music together for a group I have with keyboardist/pianist Glenn McClelland, which has been in the works for a little bit. Glenn and I have been playing music on a weekly basis for at least 5 years and the music we are writing together is very fun to play. I'd also like to do another organ trio record with some horns and a singer and vibraphonist on a few cuts ... and I have another quartet that I get together with that's more of a collective. We plan on getting in the studio at some point. Aside from those 3 projects of my own, I have been very fortunate to be getting a decent amount of calls to do various types of gigs all encompassing the jazz spectrum. Chronicle Pat Martino and Dennis Sandole are two of the area’s legends; how was studying with such phenomenal players? Tamanini I think about my time with both Dennis and Pat quite often. I was very lucky to have studied with them; and the information I gained from them is invaluable. Outside of the formal lesson setting, I got the most out of them just talking one on one. I pulled double duty as Pat's roadie, and I'd drive Dennis back home from his studio on 16th and Spruce to his apartment in Roxborough. Being able to watch and observe Pat while he was going through sound-checks and see him get prepped up for a show was just as valuable as anything i saw in the lesson room. Chronicle At the end of the day, what did you walk away with from these two players? Tamanini I elaborated on that a little bit in the last question, but even that doesn't do justice to all I gained from being around those guys. Pat gave me one of his guitars - I mean how cool is that? Dennis used to take me out to Nick's Roast Beef and tell me stories about what it was like teaching classes at UArts (back when it was called Granoffand), He had John Coltrane, Jimmy Heath, and Art Farmer among his students. I’m still working on the lessons they gave me and that was from 1997-2001. They also taught me a lot about the history of the music and Philadelphia's role in developing jazz. Chronicle What’s your schedule like these days? Tamanini I have about 30-35 guitar students on a weekly basis. I really enjoy teaching and it's a big help to me and my chops. Between the teaching and playing 2 or 3 nights a week and the baby stuff, I have plenty to balance. I really like being at home with my wife and daughter. I'm only going to be a new dad once, so I really want to enjoy every moment!

Chronicle I know your taste in music is pretty eclectic, how does what you like to hear, play into your music? Tamanini That is a good question. I think on a sub-conscious level there is a lot going on . We all go through phases musically and artistically, so whatever you are putting in your ears is going to come out of your instrument. I have really been into Latin music lately - specifically percussion - and that has really helped out my feel, rhythm, & phrasing. Chronicle The Chronicle is all about introducing great players to our readers. Tell us about some of the cats you work with, and who you think people need to pay attention to? Tamanini On a jazz tip, being able to work with a drummer like Byron Landham is a dream come true. To me guys like him are the music. Great drummers are like erasers and they will finish a phrase for you or clean up some of the mistakes you make while improvising. I feel the same way about Glenn McClelland on keys and Mike Boone, Steve Varner, and Matthew Parrish on the bass. I am very fortunate to play with all of those guys on a regular basis, and it keeps me on my toes. I also have a gig coming up with Jermaine Paul on November 4th, which is for a great cause, and it's an awesome band. Chronicle In one interview I read recently, you stated that jazz “is jumbled with a tad of Facebook." What exactly did you mean by that? Tamanini You are on Facebook Bernie. Can you believe people used to keep all that stuff in their heads? Chronicle There are those of us who have chosen to look at jazz in a few different ways, some choose to embrace the commercial aspect of the music for revenue and notoriety, some do it for the honest faith that it’s truly what they're supposed to be doing. Where do you stand? Tamanini Ah the age-old question of art vs commerce. Pat Martino used to say that they were one in the same. I agree up to a point, and every situation is slightly different so it's hard to make a broad-based generalization. I guess it comes down to this: If the band is cool, the venue is cool, and the compensation is right, just play the gig man! Chronicle Do you think getting radio play and on jazz charts is important to your endeavors? Tamanini Absolutely, the exposure i received from my last album proved to be an invaluable experience for me in furthering my career. One of the reasons I got into music was to be as documented as possible. Chronicle So where does Larry Tamanini go from here? Tamanini Teaching from 4:00-8:30 and then picking up diapers and formula. Just trying to get through this weekend of gigs, and we'll take it from there!! Chronicle Again Larry congratulations to you and your lovely wife. Continued success in all you do.

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