Jeff Gauthier’s unique perspective

by Tom Chandler

Violinist Jeff Gauthier has long established himself as an active member of the West Coast improvising music scene, but he truly came into his own when he decided to start his own record label. Wanting an outlet to release his music and that of his friends, Gauthier has built Cryptogramophone into a kind of ideal jazz record label: beautiful packaging, warmly recorded, a string of incredibly strong releases, including discs by Nels Cline, Jenny Scheinman, Bennie Maupin, Scott Amendola, Ben Goldberg, and Myra Melford as well as his own Jeff Gauthier Goatette. Despite his day job running the label and producing as well as playing orchestral sessions in Los Angeles (he claims to have played on most of the Star Trek soundtracks), when you listen to Gauthier play, it’s clear where his heart really lies.

House of Return, the newest disc by the Goatette, features the talents of longtime collaborators Nels Cline on guitar and Alex Cline on drums, David Witham on keys and Joel Hamilton on bass. Gauthier and the Cline brothers contribute tunes, and the set is bookended by two pieces from the Eric von Essen songbook. Mood-wise, the disc covers an amazing amount of ground, from swinging territory to Mahavishnu-esque fusion-funk, to some pretty freeform improvising and soundscaping, sometimes within the same tune. It’s all seductive and thoroughly engaging and tuneful, virtuosic and soulful. The group empathy has been built up over almost thirty years (specifically with the Cline-Gauthier axis), and it shows.

Tom Chandler: What was the genesis of House of Return? Describe the creative process…

Jeff Gauthier : That’s a big question. The best answer I can give about my creative process is that it is reflective of whatever is happening in my life and the lives of my band members at the moment we get together. There was a lot going on when we made this recording so a lot seeped in…especially Joe Zawinul…he was all over that session. Because I always have a lot of different projects happening I have to set aside time to do creative things, so my process is also a product of putting myself in the same room as the violin and keyboard and coming up with ideas.

In "House of Return," I wanted to acknowledge the musicians of the Goatette, Nels, Alex, David, and Joel, who have been returning to play music with me for a very long time. Tied to this idea is the back room of Nels and Alex Cline’s childhood home in Los Angeles where we often rehearsed, and where many great musicians have played. Some of these musicians include Julius Hemphill, Jamil Shabaka, John Carter, Bobby Bradford, Vinny Golia, Tim Berne, and many others.

"House of Return" is also the name of a second-hand store in our neighborhood. Its Hebrew name, Beit Teshuva also means house of renewal. Teshuva can be translated as a spiritual renewal realized through forgiveness.

TC: Why only two Jeff Gauthier compositions on the record?

JG: There were more in various stages of being written for the album, but other band members came up with better tunes. It’s very much a band, and contributing material is encouraged.

TC: The new disc includes a couple of Eric Von Essen’s tunes. You’ve said before that his compositional and improvisational approach was a major influence on you. Can you describe what that influence is, maybe some key words?

JG: Eric loved melody, harmony, and form. His deep understanding of these things and his own personal style still inspire me. Musically, everything he did was at the highest level.

TC: Can you get the rights to the Quartet Music recordings, and release them? Or do something to make it happen?

JG: Yes, we own the rights to most of the Quartet Music Recordings (the Delos CD being the exception). I keep planning to put it out, but there’s always so much new stuff that needs to be released, that it gets pushed to the back of the list. It’s as much work and cost to put out the old stuff as the new stuff, and I’m not so sure there’s that much interest in it. We might release some Quartet Music as download only next year. Or maybe vinyl. Who knows?

TC: Does the Goatette exist outside the studio? Is your live group as consistent as the recording ensemble?

JG: The Goatette started as The Jeff Gauthier Quartet 13 years ago (with David, Alex, and Eric von Essen). And 3 of the 5 members have been playing in bands together since 1979. So while we don’t tour very often, we have played together a lot over the years. We play in LA fairly frequently as a Quartet when Nels is out of town, and a quintet when he’s here. Since the Club Tropical in LA closed, appropriate venues are harder to come by, but we’re working on that.

TC: Is the violin still a ghettoized instrument in the jazz world?

JG: I guess so. And jazz is still ghettoized in the music world. Anyone who plays this music has an uphill battle. I’m less concerned about what people think about the violin than I am about jazz and improvised music disappearing as a popular art form. However, that being said, I probably get more gigs than I lose because I’m a violinist, and not a saxophone player. There’s a great tradition of jazz violinists, and I don’t really sound anything like any of them. I have no idea what any of this means.

TC: Are there any artists you’d like to record or work with that you haven’t yet?

JG: Yes. Too many. And there are many artists I’ve already recorded whom I’d like to work with again. It wouldn’t be right to make a list ’cause it would be too long, and I’d invariably leave someone out.

TC: Are you pretty hands on as a producer, or do you let the musicians take their course? Can you summarize your recording philosophy in a nutshell?

JG: In a nutshell I’m interested in helping the person I’m working with realize their recording as best as possible. I try to be present as a helpful force, and when it’s required to step forward I can do that. If the most important thing is to get food or beer, I’ll do that. I also think of myself as an interface between the artist and the technology. Because I’ve been involved in a lot of recordings, I can help make decisions about the best ways to utilize technology and time, since time is usually at a premium. I can also listen as a musician, and point out things that artists and engineers can’t hear while they are in the middle of it.

TC: What’s the creative music/jazz scene like in LA these days?

JG: It’s changing. LA goes through more ebbs and flows than most places. Because we’re so spread out, we require a focus; one or two venues that can really support the scene on a regular basis. Right now we don’t have that, but we do have some places like Cafe Metropol and Open Gate Theater that have been presenting new music for a long time.

TC: How has the changing record industry affected your label?

JG: Don’t get me started. In every way that the change in the record industry affects Rasputin, it affects in those and different ways. Our challenge is to develop new means of putting the music out into the world, and new ways to generate revenue streams, ’cause selling CDs isn’t going to do it very much longer.

TC: As an orchestral violinist, do you ever rebel against the standard repertory (“oh no, not Beethoven again!”)

JG: Yes. But I’m most rebellious about music that requires more time and energy to learn than is worth the I enjoyment I receive by playing it. My rebelliousness wasn’t limited to the standard repertoire. There’s a lot of the standard repertoire that I love.

TC: Are you a trekkie?

JG: Nope. Although I did sit next to Patrick Stewart at the Salt Lake City airport once.

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