Additional Information
Marcus Printup, third chair trumpet with the Jazz At the Lincoln Center Orchestra, prolific jazz educator, and veteran of countless studio recordings, will be giving a masterclass and collaborating with the University of Montreal Big Band – on April 15th and 16th respectively. The program will include many arrangements by Printup himself in addition to some of his original compositions. We at PAN M 360 had the chance to correspond with Mr. Printup to ask about his thoughts on pedagogy, repertoire, and even practice routines prior to these two events. Vitta Morales did this interview.
PAN M 360 – I understand you’ll be giving a masterclass on April 15th. Being as sought out as you are in education, what would you say makes for good jazz pedagogy? Are there any lessons or approaches which you believe are paramount in imparting jazz competence?
Marcus Printup: My main thing is listening to the masters and emulating what they’ve done. If I were to start a Jazz program at a University, one of the first classes I would incorporate would be a listening class. Not only would I bring in music, I would also have each student present music for our listening class. There is so much music to learn from. We sometimes get too caught up in studying theory … which is equally important!! Just sitting and listening … shutting off the analytical side of the brain and focusing on the ears is sublime.
PAN M 360 – You’ve stated previously that “Amazing Grace” was one of your favourite tunes and that furthermore your exposure to gospel music taught you from an early age to play with blues inflections. Are there any hymns or tunes from the gospel repertoire you think people should be more familiar with?
Marcus Printup: One of my favorite albums is AMAZING GRACE by Aretha Franklin. Everyone should know of this record! Another hymn I love is WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS. My mother’s favourite was GOD IS REAL. Listen to Mahalia Jackson sing this one!
PAN M 360 – The UdeM Big Band will be interpreting two movements of The Journey Suite; a piece you wrote, in part, about your university experiences. Looking back on that time, is there any advice you would give young players who are just beginning, or currently in, their musical studies?
Marcus Printeup: My motto is to “go beyond what is required.” I was always the last person to leave the practice room—usually around 3am! I am not recommending this, but at some point, I realized that one must go beyond what is standard in order to achieve greatness. Be diligent in your practicing and humility. Have a strong hunger to learn so that you can express all the beauty that God gave you.
PAN M 360: The repertoire for the concert with the UdeM Big Band is quite diverse with arrangements of works by Max Roach, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Ron Carter, Marcus Miller and others. Are you partial to any era in particular when it comes to jazz repertoire?
Marcus Printeup: I love ALL music. Everybody has something unique to express. I am, however, partial to Miles Davis. He moved with the times, constantly changing how he composed and performed. What he played was life. Listen to “So What” on KIND OF BLUE (1959), then listen to it 5 years later in 1964 on the Album FOUR AND MORE. This version of “So What” was a few months after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Our country was in turmoil over this and many other issues. Miles was very aware of the racism that existed and you can hear it in his music. This 1964 recording of “So What” (and FOUR) was faster and at times, angry. He cries, he shouts. Very intense. I also find it pretty cool that three of the four names you mentioned in your question performed with Miles!
PAN M 360: It has been cited many times that the mentorship you received from pianist Marcus Roberts was extremely formative; is mentorship an integral part of the jazz tradition as you see it? How does mentorship and competition coexist within jazz?
Marcus Printup: Most definitely. Marcus Roberts is the one who helped me channel my gospel upbringing into how I play jazz. He taught me how to bend notes, to sing through my trumpet, which is a trademark of my sound. That’s all because of this man. I owe him everything. I have many students that I mentor as well. It is the most rewarding accomplishment one could achieve when helping others find their way.
As for the competitiveness of mentorship, I don’t see that being anything valid. We are musicians. We make music to make the masses feel good. Maybe healthy competition is good. As long as it doesn’t turn into envy. It’s great to be pushed by someone better than you. But at the end of the day, we’re all trying to make music and express our souls.
PAN M 360: Has your practicing routine changed from the early days of your career to now? If so, what has that change looked like?
Marcus Printup: I’m learning new things every day. Basically, the thing I do the most is long tones. Long tones help develop my sound, strengthen my endurance, help me to achieve a solid attack, and also helps my range, which is low, medium, and high.
I have many long tone exercises. I also have many tonguing exercises to keep my tongue strong because it is a muscle that needs to be used and reinforced. The same with the corners of my embouchure. I have exercises I do away from the horn where I strengthen the sides of my mouth. People see me doing this in public and think I’m crazy! As I said earlier, listening is a very strong component in how I practice. I also do a lot of teaching and am a firm believer in playing with my students. It is important for me to show my students that I’m still hungry to learn and progress!
