Home » Jazz Articles » Interview » Walt Weiskopf: All About the Sound
Walt Weiskopf: All About the Sound
He's reached a large audience in ten years of touring with
Steely Dan
band / ensemble / orchestrab.1972
Ask him what he tries to evoke with his writing, and he's disarmingly forthright: his focus is on the musical expression itself—the melodic lines, the harmony and the rhythm, interwoven and all framing the improvisations of the group, with his own stellar tenor sax work sharing the spotlight pretty much equally with the other musicians. Going by the titles of some of his compositions, he's clearly dedicated a few to his family and at least one to a musical influence ("Like Mike," for
Michael Brecker
saxophone, tenor1949 - 2007
His recordings have been widely reviewed in the jazz press, where Weiskopf has received a number of accolades for his work. C. Andrew Hovan in All About Jazz called him "easily one of the most mature and fully individualistic saxophonists and composers to come along in the last 10 years." Bill Milkowski in Jazz Times dubbed him "a major talent... a monster tenor saxophonist as well as a prolific composer and accomplished arranger." Zan Stewart in Downbeat echoed those comments, calling him "a consummate saxophonist, composer and arranger." Bret Primack, now best known as YouTube's "Jazz Video Guy," once picked out a Weiskopf album as one of the ten best of the year. Other commentary by Hovan provides some notable observations: "Not to take anything away from other jazz saxophonists, but Weiskopf's musical persona is the complete package. He has an identifiable sound, chops aplenty, great ideas and a strong emotional base that is often absent in other technically gifted players. . . . [He] not only sets a benchmark for jazz that functions within the tradition, but speaks with individuality and emotional attachment."
The Way You Say It
His recorded output includes eleven albums as a leader for Criss Cross, the jazz label based in the Netherlands, and since 2013, he's been recording for Posi-Tone Recordfs. His 2016 release, The Way You Say It, is his third for the label. The saxophonist's last outing on Posi-Tone, Open Road, featured a traditional jazz quartet instrumentation, with
Peter Zak
piano
Mike Karn
bass
Steve Fidyk
drumsb.1968
Weiskopf credits Posi-Tone producer Mark Free with sparking the idea for forming the group featured on The Way You Say It. "We were trying to figure out what to do next," says Weiskopf about his conversation with Free. "This recording, we knew, was going to be not more than five people and probably not less than four. I hadn't done an organ record in a long time. And Mark was aware of that. So, we started with that concept." The last recording Weiskopf led featuring organ dated way back to his second album on Criss Cross, A World Away (1993), featuring
Larry Goldings
organ, Hammond B3b.1968
Peter Bernstein
guitarb.1967
Bill Stewart
drumsb.1966
Brian Charette
organ, Hammond B3b.1972
Weiskopf weighted in on fleshing out the rest of the group. "I love the idea of having two lead voices to work with. And I love the vibes. So, Mark said, 'Well, what about Behn?'"—that is,
Behn Gillece
vibraphoneb.1982
The focus for the compositions on the recording, according to Weiskopf, is "the way things sound—The Way You Say It. Mark had asked me to write an original ballad for this recording, and I got an idea for it from my wife's speaking voice, which I love. That's the title tune, "The Way You Say It," which has a kind of a double meaning on the old adage, 'it's not what you say, it's the way that you say it,' or, in jazz, 'it's not what you play but the way that you play it.'"
The album's opener, "Coffee and Scones," stands out in particular—a bright and highly infectious melody, likely destined for a fair amount of airplay on jazz radio. The title seems fitting, to the point that you might think it was the first line of lyrics, if there were any. But, actually, the title was partly producer Mark Free's idea. Weiskopf's real focus? Again, "I'm just trying to write good music."
Other selections on the album include "Separation," one of very few of Weiskopf's compositions that he's recorded more than once, and "Inntoene," titled after the Austrian jazz festival where he's played several times. All but three of the dozen tunes on the recording are original compositions. Among the non-originals, "Scarlet Woman" is an unusual choice; it's credited to
Alphonso Johnson
bassb.1951
Wayne Shorter
saxophone1933 - 2023
Joe Zawinul
keyboards1932 - 2007
Weather Report
band / ensemble / orchestraTaking the Lead Otherwise & Elsewhere
While much of Weiskopf's output consists of studio recordings, a live date recorded in 2008 and released in 2011 is especially notable, Walt Weiskopf Quartet (Capri), featuring pianist
Renee Rosnes
pianob.1962
Paul Gill
bass, acoustic
Tony Reedus
drums1959 - 2008
Joe Locke
vibraphoneb.1959
A standout studio recording deeper back into Weiskopf's catalog is Man of Many Colors (Criss Cross, 2002), featuring pianist
Brad Mehldau
pianob.1970
John Patitucci
bassb.1959
Clarence Penn
drumsb.1968
Rick Hollander
b.1956
James Genus
bassb.1966
Of his other recordings, Weiskopf is hard pressed to single others out. "I always say it's kind of like your children. It's hard to have a favorite." He is especially grateful to Criss Cross producer Gerry Teekens to give him the opportunity to record leading larger ensembles, including two nonets (Siren [2000], Song for My Mother [1997]), one octet (Day In, Night Out [2008]) and two sextets (Simplicity [1992], Sleepless Nights [1998]). Over the course of conversation, talking about his musical influences, Weiskopf mentions another recording, one that's actually outside of his own output: Renee Rosnes's For the Moment (Blue Note), winner of Canada's Juno Award for Best Jazz Album in 1992. Weiskopft doesn't perform on the recording, but it features his composition "Thinking to Myself," with the lead voice played by the great saxophonist and composer
Joe Henderson
saxophone1937 - 2001
In the Vanguard and Steely Dan
Weiskopf's long association with the iconic pop group Steely Dan and its leaders,
Donald Fagen
piano and vocalsb.1948
Walter Becker
guitar1950 - 2017
Boz Scaggs
guitarb.1944
"I've learned a ton. I can't even tell you. It's nice that at the age of 43 I could start really as a kind of a nascent, blank slate with that kind of thing. I really didn't know much about how to do it, how to play a solo in that context. It's a unique pop band, in that they love jazz. They came up as jazz fans and jazz musicians. And to have four jazz horn players—might be the only band that ever had that. And in soloing with them, they've never said, 'do this, that or the other.' They let everyone find their way. It's like a big band in many ways, but, of course, in a pop setting. I consider it a huge opportunity and a great challenge. I can't say enough about it."
In addition to Everything Must Go, Weiskopf also recorded with Fagen on his 2012 recording, Sunken Condos (Reprise). The saxophonist is struck by the contrast of making these albums and his experience with jazz recordings. "It's entirely different. The way they grew up making records, they have the luxury of a lot of time. When we did the improvised solo on 'Everything Must Go,' I must have done 50 different takes, no exaggeration, over the course of two days. And from that they took what they wanted. Jazz musicians will put an entire album together in six hours. On a rare exception, they might have two days in a studio."
Another ongoing association for Weiskopf is with the
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
band / ensemble / orchestra
Ralph Lalama
saxophoneb.1951
Jim McNeely
composer / conductorb.1949
Rich Experience
Weiskopf's old friend Lalama figures into the story of how he got his start as a professional musician, working with the
Buddy Rich
drums1917 - 1987
At first, Weiskopf felt he was in over his head. "I really had next to no experience, certainly on that level. I had just enough, and I practiced, and I guess they saw enough potential in me. Initially, I didn't have the right mouthpiece to blend with the sax section, and luckily, instead of discounting me out of hand,
Andy Fusco
saxophone, altoThrough his work with Buddy Rich, Weiskopf got an opportunity to work with Frank Sinatra, when the singer teamed up with Rich's band for a festival in the Dominican Republic in 1982 called Concert for the Americas, the opening event for the 5,000-seat Altos de Chavón Amphitheater. The performance by Sinatra and Rich's band was eventually released on DVD (Shout Factory, 2010). A selection from West Side Story, "Prologue/Jet Song," included an extended drum solo by the band leader, along with a strong solo feature by Weiskopf that very much belies his own self-effacing appraisal of his playing with the band.
He remembers the occasion very clearly. "That was a huge experience. If I had known how nervous I should have been—I mean, we were all nervous, we were not experienced in that kind of thing. But it was terrific. It's all over YouTube now. You wouldn't recognize me, but I'm there, and I'll never forget it. It was about 100 degrees and humid, and I think Buddy—he might have almost bought the farm that night. Of course nobody knew, but he had horrible blockages in his heart and had surgery a couple years later."
Weiskopf later toured as a member of Sinatra's band. "I worked for him from 1990 to '94, until he stopped working. And it was absolutely great, every single time. The band had many configurations. We did it with a string section several times, which was terrific. We did his final European tour without strings—a big band, plus guitar, tympani and French horn." The band played all classic arrangements by
Nelson Riddle
arranger1921 - 1985
Billy May
composer / conductor1916 - 2004
Frank Sinatra, Jr.
vocals1944 - 2016
Playing Well with Others
Another important association for Weiskopf early in his career was with the
Toshiko Akiyoshi
pianob.1929
Lew Tabackin
saxophone, tenorb.1940
Woody Herman
band / ensemble / orchestra1913 - 1987
Working with fellow saxophonist Tabackin had a number of benefits for Weiskopf. "He was certainly an influence as far as my professional ethic. Stylistically, I wouldn't say he was much of an influence, but he did teach me a lot about playing the tenor per se. He has just a huge sound. And I learned a lot listening to him blow the horn. He has a unique style."
Other major benefits for Weiskopf from working in the band were the strong bonds he made with fellow the band members who spent long hours on buses together him—including several prominent jazz musicians of his generation, such as
Billy Drummond
drumsb.1959
Conrad Herwig
tromboneb.1959
Joe Magnarelli
trumpetb.1960
Scott Robinson
saxophone, tenorb.1959
Gary Smulyan
saxophone, baritoneb.1956
Jim Snidero
saxophone, altob.1958
Another close collaborator for Weiskopf is his old associate from the Buddy Rich band, Andy Fusco. The two were co-leaders on one album, Tea for Two (Criss Cross, 2005), and they joined together for a tour and two recordings led by
Steve Smith
drumsb.1954
Family Roots
The one individual musician with whom the saxophonist has the closest association is his younger brother, the pianist
Joel Weiskopf
piano
Stan Getz
saxophone, tenor1927 - 1991
Quincy Jones
arranger1933 - 2024
The two have also worked together as composers, writing a four-movement piece in honor of their father for his 80th birthday. "Waltz for Dad," from that collaboration, appears on the saxophonist's 2013 recording, Overdrive. Their father, a full-time physician and part-time pianist, provided a very musical environment for the brothers growing up in DeWitt, in central New York State, outside of Syracuse. (They moved there from Augusta, Georgia, where Walt was born.) "He was always a fairly high-level pianist. We grew up hearing beautiful piano music in the home. He played Chopin, Liszt and Brahms, you name it. He still plays today. Ironically, he never played any jazz at all."
The mother in the family had a role in introducing young Walt to jazz, although very indirectly. "I had the idea from a young age that I wanted to play jazz, but I didn't really know what it was. I asked my mom to bring home some jazz records from the library. She came back with an
Al Hirt
trumpet1922 - 1999
The album was David and Lisa: Original Soundtrack and Jazz Impressions (Mainstream, 1965). "The A side was the original soundtrack, and then the B side was 'Jazz Impressions of David and Lisa' by
Victor Feldman
multi-instrumentalist1934 - 1987
Miles Davis
trumpet1926 - 1991
Another Miles Davis work was a further point of entry to jazz for Weiskopf. "My Funny Valentine was one of the first records that I bought on my own. I was maybe 14 or even younger. I thought that all jazz was big band music. When I bought that record, I assumed that it was a big band recording, too. And when I listened to it, I didn't get it at all, but I kept listening to it. That's obviously a huge influence, and still is. Years before I had any idea what it was I was listening to, I loved that music."
After his early exposure to jazz through recordings, Weiskopf thrived as a musician under the tutelage of an inspiring high school band director, Ron Nuzzo, and he had some early opportunities to play jazz locally at Casa di Lisa in Syracuse.
Getting Schooled/By the Book
Weiskopf didn't venture far from home for college; he attended the Eastman School of Music, in Rochester. He finished his bachelor's degree there in just three years. Not one to boast about himself at all, Weiskopf quickly sets aside the idea that his speedy finish reflects any special ability on his part. "I felt that I had gone as far as I could go, and I looked at the requirements and realized that if I just doubled up on the academic courses in final year, I'd have enough credits to graduate. I had a lot of elective credits in jazz, but I was a legit major; there was no jazz major. And it was kind of a money issue. I was going to have to go into debt if I stayed for the fourth year. I figured, why do that if I can finish? I felt it was time for me to move on if I could. So I kind of did two years in one. Afterwards, they made a rule, of course, that you couldn't do that anymore." Much later, Weiskopf returned to school to earn a master's in clarinet performance at Queens College of the City University of New York, studying with one of the fathers of clarinet pedagogy, Leon Russianoff, and this led to performances on the instrument with the American Ballet Theatre and the American Composers Orchestra, among other ensembles.Weiskopf collaborated with one of his Eastman professors, Ramon Ricker, co-authoring Coltrane: A Player's Guide to His Harmony, the first of several books by Weiskopf published by Jamey Aebersold. Here again, Weiskopf is very modest about his work. "I really didn't have any kind of aspirations to write a book, but when I was practicing those Coltrane chord changes and trying to understand what his process was, I began to write stuff down. Ray Ricker was really generous with his time, and we partnered on another book after that"—The Augmented Scale in Jazz.
Weiskopf's books—which have been hailed by jazz masters such as
James Moody
woodwinds1925 - 2010
"For Around the Horn, again, I heard somebody say something that rang a bell for me. A friend was talking about modulating each mode of the scale, and it made me remember being at a jam session a long time ago, when I first moved to New York, looking at a chart and seeing a major seven—sharp five chord and realizing I really didn't know what that was. And I was embarrassed to ask anybody. Years later, I understood finally, that's the third mode of the melodic minor scale. A lot of times when you teach things, it keeps you honest. You really have to understand them in a way that you hadn't previously understood them, or that you just blew off or glossed over. I began writing things down, taking them to the nth degree. So that, again, is just what I was practicing at the time; I began to organize it and write it down."
On the Jersey Side of the Hudson
Weiskopf has been Coordinator of Jazz Studies at New Jersey City University (NJCU) since 2014, taking over the reins from Ed Joffe, who retired then after directing the program since 1992. Located in Jersey City, N.J., across the Hudson River from New York City, the school offers both bachelor's and master's degrees in jazz performance. Recent graduates include trumpeter
Freddie Hendrix
trumpetb.1976
Christian McBride
bassb.1972
Count Basie
piano1904 - 1984
Nathan Eklund
trumpetb.1978
Phil Woods
saxophone, alto1931 - 2015
Richie Cole
saxophone, alto1948 - 2020
Spyro Gyra
band / ensemble / orchestraVinnie Cutro
trumpetb.1953
Lionel Hampton
vibraphone1908 - 2002
Horace Silver
piano1928 - 2014
Ray Charles
piano and vocals1930 - 2004
Jimmy Heath
saxophone, tenor1926 - 2020
Maynard Ferguson
trumpet1928 - 2006
Roy Hargrove
trumpet1969 - 2018
Marian McPartland
piano1918 - 2013
Claudio Roditi
trumpet1946 - 2020
Nancy Wilson
vocals1937 - 2018
Benny Golson
saxophone, tenor1929 - 2024
Charles McPherson
saxophone, altob.1939
Steve Davis
tromboneb.1967
Bob Mintzer
saxophoneb.1953
Clark Terry
trumpet1920 - 2015
Wynton Marsalis
trumpetb.1961
Before heading up the jazz program at NJCU, Weiskopf taught saxophone and jazz improvisation at the school, from about 1994 to 2000, as he recalls. One especially vivid memory for him is his performance at the school with guest artist Michael Brecker, who is one of his major influences as an improviser. "I've probably told this story a million times," he says. "
Bob Mover
saxophoneb.1952
Weiskopf is enjoying his return to NJCU. "The best thing about it artistically speaking is that I've never had a chance to direct a big band before, and it's really fun. The closest I've come is being a guest soloist with other school big bands over the years. And I did that recently, too, with the Airmen of Note, one of the best bands anywhere, a great opportunity. But I've never worked with student big bands long-term. We do four concerts a year, and it's terrific. I really enjoy working with the students and trying to give back a little bit, giving them the benefit of my experience. It's a lot of fun." A February 2016 concert by the band featured several pieces by one of Weiskopf's European jazz contacts, the German bassist, composer and arranger
Thomas Stabenow
bass, acousticFor Weiskopf, original compositions and arrangements are very important facets of jazz. "I tell students, part of your job as a jazz musician is to write your own material. I honestly believe that, by and large, the success of the musicians we look up to stems from creating their own original material. Even if they didn't focus on original compositions, they certainly arranged what they played in a particular way. Joe Henderson is a perfect example of a guy who wrote great material for himself. He didn't write those tunes for anybody else particularly. He wrote them for himself to play. And they stand the test of time. They work when other people play them because they almost have to see them through his eyes."
Weiskopf describes the jazz program at NJCU as rigorous. "It's very intensive. Basically, you're playing all the time. As an undergraduate there are four semesters of jazz improvisation. There are two semesters of jazz arranging and two semesters of jazz history. As a graduate, it's the same kind of thing—two semesters of jazz history on the graduate level, and you have to write a little more than you do as an undergraduate for the arranging requirements. But it's heavy playing. You have to play a recital as a junior and a senior on the undergraduate level. It's not for anybody who's not interested in doing a lot of playing. Of course, you've got to have a certain kind of mentality to be so captivated and compelled to take it to that degree and really get in there and study and play at that level. But there's something about this music that does that to us. I feel fortunate to be amongst people of like mind who love it as much as I do and really want it. And to the extent that I can, I help them get there. Of course, everyone has to do it on their own. But I know from going through the process myself that talent can only take you so far. You have to be determined. You have to be perseverant and persistent, and organize yourself, and be tenacious. And you can get there."
It never ends, though. "I'm still trying to get there, myself. Still trying to get better and better."
In Weiskopf's drive for improvement and perfection, he draws from the many mentors and influences of his own, always emphasizing preparation and hard work. "I am a firm believer in organizing as much as I can. I've done record dates for other people where they just bring in penciled lead sheets in concert key. I would never think to do that. I want people to be as comfortable as they can possibly be. I write out pretty much everything that I want played, even in a small group setting—-background lines, ensemble choruses, whatever it is. And I'm gratified when I hear it back. If it's fun for me to listen to, then I got to believe other people are getting something out of it too. Because maybe it's just a little bit different. It's not just improvised chorus after chorus after chorus. There are very few people who can sustain that—where their playing is distinctive enough or at such a high level that it keeps the audience interested. It's got to be about the composition and the arranging and the treatment, all together with the improvisation, all part of the same fabric."
In other words, it's all about the music, all about the sound.
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steely dan
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lew tabackin
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benny golson
Charles McPherson
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bob mintzer
Clark Terry
wynton marsalis
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