Home » Jazz Articles » Out and About: The Super Fans » Meet Matt Yaple

Meet Matt Yaple

By Tessa Souter and Andrea Wolper
December 2, 2019
View read count

The radio was my secret passage to a world outside. I would dial in stations strong and faint, advising me of people and places utterly removed from my white-bread home. I heard music that spoke of joy and pain. It moved me. I heard love singing over the air. I heard longing, suffering and redemption�� and I felt it.

Growing up in a small Midwestern town in a "whites only" county may not seem like the obvious path to jazz fandom. But when AM radio is your childhood companion, piping the likes of Mahalia Jackson, Ray Charles,? and Dinah Washington to you under the bedcovers at night, and Dad is a multi-instrumentalist jazz fan who takes you to the state fair to hear Duke and Ella and Louis, well, all bets are off. You just might find that life takes you from that small town to overhearing advice in the kitchen of one of the world's jazz greats (read on to find out who).

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I grew up in a little central Illinois town called Virginia, about 35 miles from the state capital, Springfield. The county was all white. It wasn't until I was in my 20s that my father tearfully confessed to me the unwritten "sunset law" proscribing black folks from spending any time in Cass County. I did not see black folks unless my dad took me to a Cardinals game in St. Louis, or if we took a train trip in a Pullman car. Or if he took me to the annual weeklong State Fair in Springfield, where I got to see and hear great musicians. He had a source for free tickets and we exploited it well. I got to see Duke several times—once with

Billy Strayhorn

piano
1915 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">Billy Strayhorn. We saw

Louis Armstrong

trumpet and vocals
1901 - 1971

" data-original-title="" title="">Louis Armstrong,

Jack Teagarden

trombone
1905 - 1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Jack Teagarden,

Count Basie

piano
1904 - 1984

" data-original-title="" title="">Count Basie,

Jimmy Rushing

vocals
1903 - 1972

" data-original-title="" title="">Jimmy Rushing,

Joe Turner

piano
1907 - 1990

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe Turner,

Joe Williams

vocals
1918 - 1999

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe Williams,

The Mills Brothers

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">The Mills Brothers,

Ella Fitzgerald

vocals
1917 - 1996

" data-original-title="" title="">Ella Fitzgerald, the Dorsey bands, the

Glenn Miller

trombone
1904 - 1944

" data-original-title="" title="">Glenn Miller Orchestra,

Al Hirt

trumpet
1922 - 1999

" data-original-title="" title="">Al Hirt, and

Pete Fountain

clarinet
1930 - 2016

" data-original-title="" title="">Pete Fountain,

Artie Shaw

clarinet
1910 - 2004

" data-original-title="" title="">Artie Shaw,

Buddy DeFranco

clarinet
1923 - 2014

" data-original-title="" title="">Buddy DeFranco, and others.

Guy Lombardo

composer / conductor
1902 - 1977

" data-original-title="" title="">Guy Lombardo a couple of times.

What's your earliest memory of music?

I sang The Lord's Prayer at age three. My dad played bass, guitar, and ocarina, and sang in a barbershop quartet and in the church choir. He whistled while getting dressed for work, and taught me to harmonize with him. The choir director lived next door; her husband sang and whistled when he pushed his reel lawn mower, and one of their daughters played the piano ferociously. Lots of singing. Every day of my childhood was filled with music.

But the radio was my secret passage to a world outside. Atmospheric conditions could sometimes permit AM radio signals to travel vast distances. In bed at night, I would dial in stations strong and faint, advising me of people and places utterly removed from my white-bread home. I heard Spanish for the first time, and black voices. I heard

Mahalia Jackson

vocals
1911 - 1972

" data-original-title="" title="">Mahalia Jackson and

Dinah Washington

vocals
1924 - 1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Dinah Washington, Wilson Pickett and

Ray Charles

piano and vocals
1930 - 2004

" data-original-title="" title="">Ray Charles.

James Brown

vocals
1933 - 2006

" data-original-title="" title="">James Brown. I heard music that spoke of joy and pain. It moved me. I heard love singing over the air. I heard longing, suffering and redemption— and I felt it.

How old were you when you got your first record?

As a child, I had a Howdy Doody record player, and I played children's records. But when I was about 13, I received a Garrard turntable and my folks let me subscribe to the RCA Victor record club, which offered 13 LPs for 99 cents. Of course you were then required to purchase so many more discs at inflated rates. My first LPs were a mix of classical and other music. Eugene Ormandy. Multiple

Henry Mancini

composer / conductor
1924 - 1994

" data-original-title="" title="">Henry Mancini. I remember a Peter Nero. And there was a record I didn't order, but it was the most arresting one of all.

Was there one album or experience that was your doorway to jazz?

My doorway to jazz was one of that first batch of discs from the RCA record club. It had a wild cover, and names I didn't know. It was a mistake, but I decided to listen to it before I sent it back. The album: Lambert, Hendricks and Bavan at Newport 63.

Clark Terry

trumpet
1920 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">Clark Terry and

Coleman Hawkins

saxophone, tenor
1904 - 1969

" data-original-title="" title="">Coleman Hawkins joined the Gildo Mahones Trio here. The energy of this live album cracked through my speaker and spoke to me of a world unknown, but one I immediately envied. The stomping, the laughter, the tempos, the joyful miles-a-minute vocalese. Helpfully, the lyrics were provided on the back of the album: "One O'Clock Jump," "Sack O' Woe," "Cloudburst," "Yeah-Yeah," "Deedle-Lee Deedle-Lum," "Watermelon Man."

Jon Hendricks

vocals
1921 - 2017

" data-original-title="" title="">Jon Hendricks emcees the proceedings so bright and sly. The horn solos are classics.

Yolande Bavan

b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Yolande Bavan sounds like the sexiest woman on earth. I couldn't see what was going on in that world, but I wanted to be there for all of that fun. Lambert, Hendricks & Bavan introduced me to exuberance.

What was the first concert you ever attended?

Duke Ellington

piano
1899 - 1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Duke Ellington. I was blown away. I was probably 11 or 12 years old. I had never seen a more distinguished looking man. Ruffled cuffs forward, his dress and demeanor were flagrantly civilized. His speech so flowery and often indirect as though he was ever-so-discreetly teasing us. And the appearance of that front line of horns!

Johnny Hodges

saxophone, alto
1907 - 1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Johnny Hodges,

Paul Gonsalves

saxophone, tenor
1920 - 1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Paul Gonsalves,

Harry Carney

saxophone, baritone
1910 - 1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Harry Carney,

Jimmy Hamilton

percussion
1917 - 1994

" data-original-title="" title="">Jimmy Hamilton, and

Russell Procope

clarinet
b.1908

" data-original-title="" title="">Russell Procope. To me, they looked like pharaohs—implacably calm, wise, powerful. All this before they played even a note. The orchestrations were wondrous to me. The sections purred, of course. So many great soloists. Hodges was always saved for the kill.

I enjoyed Duke's patter and his amusing standby: "For our next number, we would like to feature our pianist." He used that line for every show I caught. So I was unnerved the time he used it, only to recede and make way for this little guy with big glasses. He sounded like Duke, but "what's the deal?" I thought. It was years later when I grasped that I had experienced Strays.

How long have you been going out to hear live music?

Since I was a kid.

What is it about live music that makes it so special for you?

Music is ephemeral. Recording technology captures much, but not all. There are environmental, social and presentational aspects of live music that escape recording. There are psychological dimensions affecting performers and audiences alike. Sharing these ephemeral moments together can become a life event for those involved, whether in a salon or a stadium. That's jazz. We spend the rest of our lives talking about those crystal moments when we experienced perfection together.

What are the elements of an amazing concert?

Great musicians, great acoustics, a good sound engineer, a program with a compelling internal logic, an attentive audience, and honest, searching, creative magic.

How often do you go out to hear live music?

Rarely, these days. It comes to me.

What makes a great jazz club?

My favorite jazz venue is my own living room, which we open once or twice a month as @exuberance, a crowd- funded listening room for piano jazz in Philadelphia. Acoustics here are ideal. Our audiences are well-behaved: no talking, cell phones, photography, or anything else during sets. In the 3+ years we have been presenting these salons, we have hosted 125 great jazz musicians, solo to septet. We present heterogeneous ensembles with respect to ethnicity and gender. The AAJ venue poll ranks us at #18 in the world. Radio station WRTI did a nice article about us.

Pianists who have played our Steinway B include

Farid Barron

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Farid Barron,

Bruce Barth

piano
b.1958

" data-original-title="" title="">Bruce Barth,

Ran Blake

piano
b.1935

" data-original-title="" title="">Ran Blake, Joseph Block,

Tim Brey

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Tim Brey,

Alex Brown

piano
b.1987

" data-original-title="" title="">Alex Brown,

Lucas Brown

organ, Hammond B3
b.1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Lucas Brown,

Uri Caine

piano
b.1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Uri Caine,

Bob Cohen

" data-original-title="" title="">Bob Cohen,

Emmet Cohen

piano
b.1990

" data-original-title="" title="">Emmet Cohen,

John Colianni

piano
b.1966

" data-original-title="" title="">John Colianni,

Zaccai Curtis

piano
b.1981

" data-original-title="" title="">Zaccai Curtis,

Harold Danko

piano
b.1947

" data-original-title="" title="">Harold Danko,

John di Martino

piano
b.1959

" data-original-title="" title="">John di Martino,

Chano Dominguez

piano
b.1960

" data-original-title="" title="">Chano Dominguez,

Orrin Evans

piano
b.1975

" data-original-title="" title="">Orrin Evans,

Sullivan Fortner

piano
b.1986

" data-original-title="" title="">Sullivan Fortner,

Rick Germanson

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Rick Germanson,

Lafayette Gilchrist

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Lafayette Gilchrist,

Aaron Goldberg

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Aaron Goldberg,

Dayramir Gonzalez

piano
b.1983

" data-original-title="" title="">Dayramir Gonzalez,

Aaron Graves

keyboards

" data-original-title="" title="">Aaron Graves, Patricia Haddad,

Connie Han

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Connie Han,

Tamir Hendelman

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Tamir Hendelman,

Geoffrey Keezer

keyboards
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Geoffrey Keezer,

David Kikoski

piano
b.1961

" data-original-title="" title="">David Kikoski,

Terry Klinefelter

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Terry Klinefelter,

Axel Tosca Laugart

piano
b.1984

" data-original-title="" title="">Axel Tosca Laugart,

Tom Lawton

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Tom Lawton,

Shai Maestro

piano
b.1987

" data-original-title="" title="">Shai Maestro,

Dave Meder

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Meder,

Dan Nimmer

piano
b.1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Dan Nimmer,

Luke Carlos O'Reilly

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Luke Carlos O'Reilly,

Jeb Patton

piano
b.1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Jeb Patton,

Luis Perdomo

piano
b.1971

" data-original-title="" title="">Luis Perdomo,

Roberta Piket

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Roberta Piket,

Ted Rosenthal

piano
b.1959

" data-original-title="" title="">Ted Rosenthal,

Micah Thomas

piano
b.1997

" data-original-title="" title="">Micah Thomas,

Isaiah J. Thompson

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Isaiah J. Thompson,

Sumi Tonooka

piano
b.1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Sumi Tonooka,

Ariacne Trujillo

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Ariacne Trujillo,

Kenny Werner

piano
b.1951

" data-original-title="" title="">Kenny Werner,

Spike Wilner

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Spike Wilner, and

Ben Winkelman

piano
b.1973

" data-original-title="" title="">Ben Winkelman.

I can't believe this is my living room.

Is there a club that's no longer around that you miss the most?

Fr?g piano bar on Locust St., Philadelphia—jazz pianists every night, 1979—87.

If you could go back in time and hear one of the jazz legends perform live, who would it be?

Thelonius Monk.

Do you have a favorite jazz anecdote?

I'm in

Betty Carter

vocals
1929 - 1998

" data-original-title="" title="">Betty Carter's kitchen. One of her sons walks in and opens the refrigerator. He doesn't know what to eat. Betty declaims, "Well, improvise!"

How do you discover new artists?

YouTube. Petitioning emails. Recommendations.

Vinyl, CDs, MP3s?, streaming?

All.

If you were a professional musician, which instrument would you play?

I have played piano and composed from an early age. I played sousaphone as a kid.

What's your desert island disc?

A compilation of Monk,

Art Blakey

drums
1919 - 1990

" data-original-title="" title="">Art Blakey,

Rahsaan Roland Kirk

woodwinds
1935 - 1977

" data-original-title="" title="">Rahsaan Roland Kirk,

Horace Silver

piano
1928 - 2014

" data-original-title="" title="">Horace Silver, and

Herbie Nichols

piano
1919 - 1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Herbie Nichols.

What do you think keeps jazz alive and thriving?

The music that we love sprung from black Americans—north and south. Swing and clave derive from West African rhythms and form the bases for American jazz, Caribbean, Latin and Brazilian music. They speak to a physical and central dimension of what it means to be human—an exuberant, open, loving dimension, suggesting a peaceful and creative world we all might share. This spiritual essence will always keep jazz alive and thriving.

Finish this sentence: Life without music would be...

Empty.

Is there anything else we should know about you?

Get invitations to our piano jazz salons at exuberancemusic.

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Hard Bop Tenor - Harold Land, Teddy ...
< Previous

Enjoy Jazz 2019
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.