“Jazz is freedom. You think about that.” – Thelonious Monk
You can hear them nearly every Monday evening at the Hanger in St. Pete with the Al Downing Jazz Band. Three senior jazz musicians, for whom, as John Lamb succinctly says “There is only music. It’s all air.” And that’s how they sound, as easy as breathing, time standing still as the Hanger fills with the magic of the greats they often played with in the past.
If you want to get a seat, best arrive early, maybe at 6pm October to April when the Snowbirds are back, the price of admission being your purchase of some of the best food on the beach, airplanes in the distance taking off and landing thrown in for free.
They play with the band from 7-9. Anyone can “sign up” and get a spot with the band, the composition of which changes as the night goes on.
Make sure you are early, if you are like us and want a front row table where you can physically almost be part of the music, absorbing it into your pores. And you get a closer look, seeing their instruments, hinting at the stories of where they have been, worn and etched like themselves: catching the subtilis as they communicate through nods, glances and memories.
John Lamb (90) plays the standing bass, and like his instrument is the heartbeat of the group, his fingers dancing across the strings, coaxing out the deep resonant notes that anchor the band. He provides the walking basslines that outline the harmony and provide the foundation for the tunes, while giving it the rhythmic drive we all sense as the swing and the groove.
Born in Vero Beach John started playing the tuba as a child. Like the other musicians we are highlighting, his career started in the forces in a military band. When the band’s usual bass player did not show up he filled in, the tuba giving him the “feel” to pick up the string bass quickly, a perfect match. He went on to tour with Duke Ellington in 1964 for three years, appearing on sixteen discs, one of them with Ella Fitzgerald.
Andy Foertach (80) leans into his trombone, the slide going effortlessly as it has for seventy years, providing harmonic depth to the band, often playing chords and counter melodies that compliment the main theme. Like the others, it’s much more than solos. He travels to his native Chicago yearly and is active in the music scene there. “Music makes me come alive – that feeling – you know.” he says “Lots of new young players have a lot of chops, but no soul. You must play with feeling – deep into your soul.” He still practices hours every day, working continually to improve.
Charlie Robinson (82) joins the group with his vintage guitar, fingers gliding over the fretboard picking out the melody. He too provides the chordal accompaniment, known as “comping”. His musical life has been what most of us imagine a musician to be, on the road constantly, going gig to gig. “Jazz, once you get into it it’s addictive. Follows you through life.” And what a life it’s been crossing America with jazz and R&B groups, playing the Apollo in New York City, Regal in Chicago and Howard Theatre in Washington, DC, and with a major influence, Winton Marsallis in Atlanta.
The Al Downing Tampa Bay Jazz Association sponsors the Monday Night Jazz Jam, hosted by Dwayne White. It is involved in bringing jazz to young people through playing in schools and bursaries. There is a place on their website where you can sign up to play, and another which tells you about Jazz in Our Area. If you go to a Monday night Jam be sure to talk to Downing’s daughter, Alvinette Downing McCleave, who attends every week, especially if you would like to help out.
Al Downing (1916-2000) was very influential in our community. He was a Tuskegee airman, the first African-American Commissioner of the St. Petersburg Housing Authority, taught music at Gibbs High School and the St. Petersburg College Clearwater campus, and was the first African-American to play in the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra.