Jay Thomas: In His Own Words

Well, every time I read my promo on my website, it kind of makes me gag… so much irrelevant stuff as if anybody needs anything but the unvarnished truth. 

OK, let's start from the beginning. My name is right, and yes, I play sax and trumpet, flugel, and flute. I took up flute when I lived in Boston immediately following my one day at the school; I spent one day at Berkeley as a regular student!!! That might be a record or something. My politics were such that when this guy came out with a crew cut and an ugly brown suit. and then, during his indoctrination speech, he started about the Terry Gibbs big band, I made an impulsive decision to bail immediately. It was probably the right thing for me, but I would not recommend that route for anyone else. Actually, I did go to a summer session at Berklee on a Down Beat scholarship and got a lot of work done in spite of all the youthful 60's shenanigans and other fun stuff I was involved in. I met a lot of other scholarship people there that summer. When I went in the fall as a regular student also on a Down Beat scholarship, I was very arrogant, idealistic, and naïve, but also totally immersed in music already. I guess you could say I was absolutely un-teachable from a regimented standpoint. "I think we musicians teach each other anyway… the info was all free, and people were waiting in the wings, just dying to give it away. I started to play flute in the Boston Commons.  Flute and trumpet share a lot of qualities as far as embouchure is concerned. 

Actually, I think a few backward steps would be in order here. When I was in high school, I started to learn about jazz, and I went to the Stan Kenton Stage band clinics held in Reno, Nevada, a couple of times... they had good teachers... Bill Holman, Herb Pomeroy, Charlie Mariano, Toshiko Akioshi and others. I also did some transcribing of solos and made local jam sessions frequently... never brought a fake book to one! Played in R&B bands where we had "head" charts... nothing written down... I feel these things helped me develop as a player.

The " his talent was recognized early on" line from my old promo should really read: my Dad recognized my talent early… he still loves jazz to this day and had many connections into the jazz community in Seattle. I was and am lucky to share this with him. He could have been a player himself, I feel but got into the life of a businessman and father of five children. Actually, behind many sports figures and musicians, there are often loving, caring supporters in the immediate family. I know it's way more glamorous to somehow have learned it in jail, or from a doowop band formed in reform school or, how about your wet nurse humming jazz lullabies into your little pointed head?! Sounds good to me; a bolt of lightning during a late night radio broadcast... hmmmm, these all sound good, but I  took lessons... practiced an hour a day... listened to my Dad's records… kind of pedestrian but the truth so help me God

 After Boston I returned to Seattle and briefly regrouped and soon left for New York with a guy named Steve Haas. Steve was and is a great drummer. Steve got dropped off in this area when he was discharged from the Army at Ft. Lewis. Steve was 10 years older and a New York native and a very positive influence. When I went to NY I took some lessons from a great trumpet teacher… in fact, his name was Carmine Caruso… I hesitate to drop his name because I always feel with that kind of instruction, I should be better! I also used to play in the Harry Shields big band and went to the Lynn Oliver studios, where I played with a rehearsal band. And of course, I was into going to jam sessions whenever possible. Thru all this, I managed to score a summer gig with Machito and joined a jazz-rock band that played behind James Moody on a recording for Perception records.

Hmmmm, see, that sounds OK and I don't have to pad it or exaggerate anything.

I returned to Seattle after a couple of years and started gigging in dance bands and took up tenor sax. That was a good move because I had been so into sax players. The benefits were immediate, i.e. a whole new personal voice, and more work.

Then I left for California and stayed down there for a few years rooming with Chuck Sher of New Real Book fame and played with a lot of good cats down there. I met Jessica Williams and we became friends. I met Burt Wilson, and a whole host of San Francisco characters. I was steadily getting better but was hampered somewhat by a chaotic lifestyle and irregular money and schedule.

I returned to Seattle in ‘78 and started to work with Bill Sheehan alongside the legendary bassist Buddy Catlett and equally legendary tenor sax player Freddy Greenwell. It was about this time that I also became friends with Bill Ramsay and Chuck and Jan Stentz and many people who are influences on my life and music. In late 70s or early 80's, my Dad had a Jazz club called Parnell's for about three years. It was a major jazz venue; we had everybody…Diz and Heath Bros. Cedar Walton with Bob Berg…Zoot and Mingus Daynasty… and I got to take advantage of this and did work with some greats. Did I work with Chet Baker?…hell no!!!! Did I work with Harold Land and Charles McPherson… hell yes… did I meet a lot of cats… Sal Nestico, Chet, Zoot etc… Ira Sullivan and Red Rodney… yes, I did.  

In 1985 I made a big change in my personal life… did I get religion? …hardly… as my friend Red Kelly used to say," the trouble with getting religion and being born again is that you always come back as yourself!" Actually I made a decision to lead a life devoid of chemical help of any sort. At this time I dove into practicing and trying to figure out jazz harmony. I hired the Cedar Walton trio with the help of my father and made a record. That was an important year!

As I reflect 20-some years later…my life has been all about jazz, and my Dad figures prominently in it. As do Bill Ramsay, Dick Thorlakson, Floyd Standifer, Jordan Reuwe , Chuck Metcalf, Bob Nixon, Mike Mandel, Jerry Heldman and a host of others. .And many younger musicians also...John Hansen , Paul Gabrielson, Travis Shook , Phil Sparks, Jon Wikan, Mark Taylor, Rob Davis, Ingrid Jensen, Atsushi Ikeda and Kohama Yasuhiro Steve Tressler, Marriott brothers and many others.

I dig playing and am still trying to improve myself thru music. Lately, the last 15 years or so, I have been traveling and recording some, check out my website for that stuff. I have been going to Japan a lot and feel really lucky to have made that connection….like the rest of my life it just sort of happened!!! I also have been teaching at a couple of jazz camps like Centrum and University of Washington and doing clinics at high schools and Universities.

 It is not the 5 year plan or any of that clear thinking nonsense… it's making the gig… and as Ronnie  Pierce says, actually borrowed from Dick Thorlakson:" Shoulders back- straight ahead- striving for tone… and loving it"…the "and loving it" might have been a tack-on addendum… possibly a Ronnie thing.

 Anyway this is the real biography…

 The phrase from my earlier promo "lyrical without losing touch with the blues,” yeah, I wrote that about myself… hell yes… I play pretty sometimes and am not ashamed to admit it… and do I love the blues feeling? Yes, a thousand times, yes. Do I still have an attitude? The answer would be yes, but I'm working on that also.

 I must have been REALLY good in a previous life because this time around I have been incredibly lucky… so far… knock on wood.

 Cheers

Jay Thomas (2008)