Rob Blakeslee, pfMENTUM, October 1999

by Jeff Kaiser

"...his is a voice which deserves to be savored more often and at length...his ferocity succeeds in pressuring [his band mates] into increasingly adventurous salvos of expression...In the barrage of new releases that vie for listeners' ears, it's always refreshing to unearth a fresh voice filled with fire and promise."

-Derek Taylor, Reviewing Rob Blakeslee
Cadence Magazine, October 1999

Rob is one of my favorite trumpet players. Besides being a hell of a player, he is also a very pleasant guy to hang out with and a fine cook, who keeps an esthetic eye towards the culinary arts as well as music. (If the last meal I had at his house is any measure of what he can do, oh my...I look forward to a long and well-fed friendship with him.) His most recent CD, Waterloo Ice House (Louie 012) has been a regular in my player since I received my copy in August; I thoroughly recommend it to you. Now, on with the interview.

Please give us some biographical information first.

I was born in 1952 in Portland, Oregon. My first exposure to jazz was in fourth grade when a jazz combo came through town. I was very moved and took up the trumpet at that time; been playing it ever since.

My exposure to the more exploratory forms was a gradual process. Through all the school bands, first professional groups, et cetera, I was always interested in the pieces and performers that were a little left of center. Once you start down that path you search out others with interests that are the same as yours, and you begin the discovery process. Throughout high school I was pretty much into what most high school students were at that time. During the early 60s the Buddy Rich Big Band was very popular. The first thing to open up my mind to the fact that there was something different out there was the Don Ellis Big Band. Through high school I was a big fan. Then came college, and I moved into bop and cool, with Miles Davis being a major hero. In my sophomore year someone turned me on to Bitches Brew by Miles. That was it for me. From that point on, my attitude toward music was completely different. His music from that time told me anything was possible. That period of Miles led me to Schoenberg, Trane's Interstellar Space, Stockhausen, Sam Rivers Trio with Barry Altschul and Dave Holland, and of course, Anthony Braxton.

I see that you played with Anthony Braxton. What was the occasion? What was he like to work with?

I had just moved to Portland from Dallas, and a trombone player in Eugene, Mike Heffley, was organizing a group of musicians to play Anthony's music. He asked me to play in the group. It was a very good group of musicians who worked very hard on the material. We had several rehearsals before Anthony came to Eugene. The group was tight, and I know Anthony was pleased. Black Saint picked it up right away. Working with Anthony for two weeks was great -- I was already a big fan of his -- his enthusiasm and seriousness to the art was contagious. It still affects me a great deal.

Your music has a very jazz feel to me, even though it is very exploratory (and substantial) in its melodic, harmonic and contrapuntal elements. Right now I just put on Waterloo Ice House and am listening to Just What's Written. This may seem like a basic question, but after working with Vinny Golia and his way of precisely notating the relation of instruments, and Michael Vlatkovich with his notated, but free relationship of instruments, I would like to know: How do you compose? Do you do lead sheets with harmonies? Or write out parts? Strict meters? Precise or free counterpoint? Or are they improvised?

I always use a score/lead sheet. The harmonies are all worked out, as are the rhythms and melodies. That's step one for me. Step two is to pick players that improvise and orchestrate well, as well as have strong feelings toward this style of music. For me to say that I am responsible for all the music heard on my CDs would be a false statement. I do write the music, and I do give my vision for each piece to the musicians involved, then I do my best to leave them alone. I try not to get uptight about people playing everything perfectly. In fact, since I have an impressionistic outlook on playing in general, I try to convey those thoughts to the musicians. Lately I have been encouraging them to make mistakes and get lost in the music. With many players that would create chaos, but I found that if you pick the right musicians, they know not to drop the ball and stop playing. They keep playing and orchestrating, utilizing aspects of the music, and together we find the correct path for each piece each time we play it.

In your performances, what is the desired relationship between composition and improvisation?

In my music I expect the musicians to work the composition over in their improvisation, as well as arrange and orchestrate parts of the music behind the solos. I do not tell them how to do it, but it is pretty much expected. I also have been using a technique I picked up from Anthony. My sets usually have 5 tunes, and when appropriate I will use parts from one tune behind the soloist playing another tune. I have a simple numbering technique that I use instead of letters. This allows me to cue anyone who is not soloing to play specific parts from any piece in the set.

Tell me a little bit about the musicians that will be performing.

I first heard of Vinny Golia while I was living in Dallas. He was coming through the Southwest on a tour in 1982. He would only get as close as Austin, so I flew down to hear him play. We talked on the break, and I ended up sitting in on the second set. It was fate, I guess, because I never take my horns if I'm just going to hear someone play. We stayed in contact, became very close friends and have been playing together ever since. I think we are on about ten CDs together. I dream of the day my music will be as hard for him to play as his is for me.

I met Damon Short when I was on a tour with the Michael Vlatkovich group. We were playing the (old) Hot House in Chicago, and Damon was in the audience. On the break Michael came over to me and said, "There is someone you should meet." We have exchanged CDs and stayed in communication since. We played together for the first time about one and a half years ago. I was coming through Chicago, and Damon set up several gigs for us and put me up in his house. It was beautiful.

George Cremaschi and I met when Michael Vlatkovich and I were coming through San Francisco and were looking for a bassist to play. I asked a good friend of mine, drummer Joseph Sabella, to see if he could get anything. He did, and it was George. The rehearsal was the afternoon of the gig. I remember George picking up everything so fast. The gig went very well, and now I try to play with him whenever possible.

Scott Fields called me about five years ago. He was planning a tour through the West, and I was in charge of the Creative Music Guild at the time. He is the person responsible for me now having a computer. He told me time and time again that everyone booked by computer now, and I was the only person in the entire United States that he had to talk to by phone. He of course worked Portland several times, and we went on to play together in the Northwest Creative Orchestra.

Many musicians performing creative improvised music have gigs now when they come through Portland, Oregon thanks to the Creative Music Guild. I understand you are one of the founders of that organization. Tell us about the organization.

After moving to Portland from Texas I was surprised at the lack of places to play creative music. Saxophonist Rich Halley and I started the Guild in 1991. At that time musicians coming through the West Coast would bypass Portland. If I was going to live there I couldn't live with that fact. The point was not only to find a place to play but to educate people in the area to this music. It's a slow process, but it is working. The Guild is now a non-profit organization, and the membership is continuing to grow every year. The list of groups that have performed is well over 500. Some of them include Steve Lacy Trio, Tim Berne, Oliver Lake, ROVA, Vinny Golia Large Ensemble, Joe McPhee, Tina Marsh Large Ensemble, Marty Ehrlich, Dave Douglas, Steve Coleman, Charles Gayle, and The Either Orchestra. Several months ago Rich and I stepped out of the Guild. There is a very knowledgeable and active Board running the Guild now, and I would encourage anyone to contact them for playing opportunities.