Nightflying Lee Tomboulian February 2006 Press Kelly Franklin kellyfranklin.net

--- Lee Tomboulian

As a working musician, I got my training in Arkansas, and am damn proud of it. Why?

Because in Arkansas, there are many dimensions of musical life that are hard to find other places, like:
1). Knowledgeable but forgiving audiences,
2). Venues,
3). Inspiring scenery of all kinds,
4). Other musicians willing to develop a group sound over the long haul, rather than drop it for a private party gig, as happens frequently in bigger markets, like Dallas.

Since there's not the same kind of industry pressure, there's a chance for a musician to experiment, get your bad choices out of your system, develop your own voice, gig-by-gig, song-by-song.

I learned, for instance, that if you're on a jazz gig at George's Majestic Lounge and the place is full, and you put on a gas mask and start swinging the hose around, by the time the song ends and you take it off, the place be empty.
There's less money, but then, less pressure to be commercial. Every time I've come back to Arkansas to play, I've been struck by the way my fellows are growing, their interesting original edges not lopped off by fear of unemployment.

When I tell people in Texas, and now Wisconsin, that I spent a good deal of my musical apprenticeship in Arkansas, sometimes they'll ask why. Usually I say, "Ever heard of Buck Powell?" And they say no. And I say, "Where ya been? He played sax like Wayne Shorter, piano--hell, I hope someday I can play piano like he can. But he also gigs on bass or drums...he lives in Arkansas. Hubert Sumlin, the Cate Bros., Levon Helm, Kelly Franklin...Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell, even Scott Joplin......[insert your own list here]…do any of those people sound like anybody else?"

Peter Read has dedicated the last 25 years of his life (no, really) to chronicling this highly original and accomplished stream of musical life. He didn't create the Arkansas scene, but he's helped it realize itself, with perseverance and humor.
As he is a musician himself, he knows musicians can wither from lack of exposure, as in, "Sorry, we just have a DJ," or conversely, die from exposure, as in "Here, play this reception. Sorry, we can't pay you...excuse me, I gotta pay the ice sculptor."

Peter knows self-respect breeds respect. Bands that read their names in Nightflying know they really exist, and then, perhaps, work harder to be better, create a following and ask for more money for their hard work. Club managers know this, and also know if Peter thinks they're treating musicians fairly, the more likely he is to put in the good word. There's a subtle but pervasive moral code to Nightflying. It's not pretentious, it's just homegrown karma/reaping what you sow.

Peter Read helped me as a musician. He gave me advice on how to handle awkward performance situations, like being double-booked with another player --he said, don't fight over the gig, just ask for the check. Go fishing. This helped me just last weekend.

He helped me and a lot of people fulfill their Walter Mitty fantasies of being writers. He bugged me to write a column for years before I did, I succumbed, and now, each "Ampside Chat" is feverishly combed over line by line by eager young writers. But seriously, Burger may someday be recognized as an anarchic genius. Doug Treadway is a master of understatement. He knows that in writing CD reviews of local artists, you must tread lightly, for you tread on dreams.

The amazing thing is, as well as his philanthropic concerns, Peter finds time for Civil War re-enactments, scrimshaw, and being Christopher Walken's stuntman. He is a friend to the downtrodden and can be found recycling, methodically separating glass from plastic.
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Lee Tomboulian was appointed Instructor of Jazz Piano and Improvisation at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin in 2005.

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