Joe Gilman exploded onto the jazz world when he won the 2004 Great American Jazz Piano competition in Sarasota, Florida. The following year he won the Brubeck Scholar Award at the Brubeck Institute’s 2005 Festival. Dr. Gilman is revered by his students at American River College who awarded him Student Association Instructor of The Year in 2001. Since then, Joe has enjoyed an extremely busy schedule of performing and recording with Chris Botti, David “Fathead” Newman, Joe Henderson, and Jeff “Tain” Watts. He is touring with legendary vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson.
Joe, you are working at the Brubeck Institute, founded a few years ago at University of the Pacific by Dave Brubeck. Tell us about the Institute.
The Institute is a 2-year advanced jazz studies program that attracts a small but very select group of talented and dedicated young jazz musicians from all over the country. They go on from our program to other educational programs or directly into performance. Many have relocated to New York. When you have the Institute’s Jazz Quintet perform at Old City Hall in December you will see what we are all about.
I know that many of your recent recordings, such as your “Time Again-Brubeck Revisited” and “A View So Tender-Wonder Revisited” albums feature musicians from the Institute. I listened to your most recent release, on guitarist John Albano’s album “The Road West”. That is a great album, and shows a side of your talent that I have not heard before. Are you doing any other new recording projects?
John is an amazing writer and performer, and it was really fun to be a part of that session. In May we completed a new album, not yet released, of all original material written by me and students from the Institute. The music is jazz interpretations of paintings by American artists. I also recorded a new album in February of John Coltrane’s music with Bobby Hutcherson.
What is it like to tour with a legendary artist like Bobby Hutcherson?
I’m having a great time! We play to large and small crowds at some beautiful venues all over the world. We have toured Japan, Germany and Italy. Bobby is great to work with, and I’m performing with some of the top musicians in the world, recently with Nicholas Payton.
Despite the incredible success that you are having as a performer, I still think of you primarily as an educator. You are an award winning music professor at American River College and on the Brubeck Institute faculty. You also founded the non-profit “Capital Jazz Project” which I know is highly involved in music education. I do some work with young musicians, and I often refer to you when I speak to them of role models for professional music careers. How do you find the time to devote to all of the facets of your career?
Well, it is a balancing act to be sure. My teaching career gives me a solid foundation, and allows me to have a stable family life. I have to arrange my recording and performing time around my teaching responsibilities, which come first. I have to be very organized in that way. My career is working out very well for me, but it isn’t necessarily the only way to success. I spent a lot of time in education and training, but there are many very happy professional musicians who have achieved great success by following other pathways. You have to do what is right for you.
See Joe Gilman and guitarist Steve Homan perform for Dave Short’s Jazz at Old City Hall. Sunday, September 6, 7:00. Old City Hall, 1313 Market Street, Redding. Tickets $10. Call the Shasta County Arts Council – (530) 241-7320.
Dave Short M.D. is a Redding Family Physician. He has been active in the jazz scene since moving back home to Redding in 1980. He loves to play the tenor sax, and has recorded three albums with the band Sax Therapy. His favorite project is “Dave Short’s Jazz at Old City Hall,” a monthly concert series that features the finest north state jazz musicians. to learn more about Dave Short’s Jazz at Old City Hall, visit daveshortjazz.com
