Seattle Times: A late-blooming conga player makes his mark
By Paul de Barros
Seattle Times jazz critic
The animated fans at Grazie’s applauded enthusiastically Saturday night as Jim Coile finished a gorgeous flute solo on the Brazilian ballad, “Manha De Carnaval,” and the conga player launched into a solo of his own.
Wearing rimless glasses, a beret and a smart, loosely fitting black-and-white print shirt, the drummer tapped and slapped his three, tall Giovanni drums with white-taped fingers, extracting a thematic melody from the skins, careful not to overwhelm the dinner crowd, but feeding off the buzz.
Though the Grazie crowd is hip to jazz, few regulars probably knew that the percussionist they were hearing, Billy Poindexter, has an illustrious Seattle jazz lineage.
Way back when I was a kid growing up in Ponca City, Oklahoma, I played alto saxophone. I first learned to play in elementary school, where a couple days a week, we would be excused from our regular class to go to the cafeteria where the aged and beloved Mr. Hartman gently worked with us on embouchure, time signatures, scales, etc. (I have a vague recollection of playing “Ave Maria” again and again and again.) Unfortunately, the only way to continue instrumental music education past elementary school was to be in the middle, then high school marching band, which in Ponca City was basically an accessory to the football team more than a focused music program. On top of learning songs, we were required to also master new choreography for each and every football game. We would drag out to the field for early morning practices or sometimes after school, when the September sun was a scorcher. On games days, we had to wear itchy, blue wool suits, which were hot, uncomfortable and looked about as attractive as a female police officer’s uniform. The band director was mean, plain and simple. I don’t remember his name. I do recall that he was short and would snap, snarl and froth at the mouth. He would scream at us if we didn’t get the requisite moves down correctly. I could never remember the choreography and not being a multi-tasker, I found playing and marching at the same time to be almost impossible. I was often the target of the angry band director’s wrath. Being young and at that point, unconscious of a musical world beyond Oklahoma, I drew the erroneous conclusion that if I was going to play the alto saxophone, then this was the best I could hope for. I was miserable and gave up playing. There was no one around spinning John Coltrane or Charlie Parker records. “Jazz” was not in the musical vocabulary in Ponca City, Oklahoma in those days. (Er, and probably still isn’t.) I was unaware that playing the saxophone could be fun and that music could be hip.
Trumpeter Thomas Marriott, and Drummers John Bishop and Matt Jorgensen have the perfect way to beat the N.W. winter weather…
Friday, December 7
Saturday, December 8
WHAT:
LAST MONDAYS with Geoff Harper, Ryan Burns and Matt Cameron
MICHAEL SHRIEVE’S SPELLBINDER
THE JAZZ HANG with Katy Bourne
For 2008, Baker will be bringing in vocalists from all across the country. For many, this will be their first time to perform in the Seattle area. Bake’s will also continue to present performances from local favorites (Greta Matassa will be there this weekend.) and will also be showcasing some new local talent. Baker is true to his mission. Clearly the gospel is spreading. Bake’s is located at 4135 Providence Point Drive SE, Issaquah, WA 98029. The phone is 425-391-3335. They have a wonderful website. Check it out at www.bakesplace.org.