TAKE THE "Z" TRAIN
The Chad Lawson Trio: Off To Hear the Wizard
Contributing Editors
There's a multitude of gifted jazz pianists laboring under the all-too-familiar banner of "Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition." Our vote for that distinction goes to a young, unwavering piano talent from North Carolina named Chad Lawson. Chad and his trio perform in an ultra-melodic style in the tradition of milestone artists Bill Evans, Errol Garner, and Keith Jarrett. Lawson has studied at Berklee College of Music, as well as with pianists Donald Brown and Fred Hersch. We first heard Lawson's magic fingers five years ago when he sent us a six-track homegrown CD he recorded as a gift for his mother. His latest recording, Dear Dorothy: The Oz Session, is available on the Summit label. It features the repertoire from the classic film The Wizard of Oz, written by Harold Arlen, plus two original pieces. We spoke with Lawson about his newest recording, which he fondly refers to as "The Wizard."
In 1998 you released a homegrown piano trio CD with six tracks. That was our first exposure to your playing.
The CD is still available on my web site www.chadlawson.com. When we were on the television show Dawson's Creek a couple of months ago, they used two songs from The Oz Session and something off that first CD.
That CD had a warmth and innocence to it.
It was originally a gift for my mom, so it wasn't even supposed to be released. I had hired a local rhythm section and brought the charts into the studio. We recorded it and mixed it in seven hours. There wasn't even a budget. We just cut six tunes.
Yet it introduced Jazz radio to your personal, lyrical style. How would you describe your style?
Accessible. That's the one word that we keep going back to. I'm trying to be musical, not technical for the sake of technique. I want most anyone to be able to hear my music and appreciate it. I don't want to create art for art's sake. For instance, some reviewers claim we didn't go at The Wizard aggressively. But that's missing the whole picture. We also want to reach an audience who may not even know who John Coltrane is.
The Oz Session on Summit Records?
I like to develop projects that listeners can connect with. That's my biggest focus. After I released the first album, I got more serious about forming a band. I found two great musicians who really enjoy playing as a piano trio. That's when bassist Zack Page and drummer Alfred Sergel joined me. I was patient for the next record. I didn't want to put out something just to put it out. I wanted the trio to be totally together when we were ready to release something.
Yet when we first spoke with you back in 1998, you mentioned something about arranging and recording the music of The Wizard of Oz.
I was over at a friend's house and her daughter was watching The Wizard of Oz on television. That's when it struck me. This would be too cool. How many jazz musicians have recorded music from The Wizard of Oz? I did some research and found out that nobody had really done a legitimate recording from beginning to end.
Yet Harold Arlen's "Over the Rainbow" was voted the ultimate song of the 20th century.
It's amazing when you consider that "Over the Rainbow" was originally not supposed to even be in the movie. The producers determined that the song was not commercial enough. The tune was almost axed from the soundtrack. Yet it is the song that attracts everyone to the movie.
What was it about the movie that attracted you, besides its accessibility? What do the melodies communicate?
I can relate to The Wizard of Oz in terms of my personal quest toward being a musician. I feel I'm on a journey like the one Dorothy was on. Jazz is a life-long study. You can't all of a sudden declare you're going to play Jazz then instantly be good at it. It's something I'm prepared to pursue my whole life. Every Monday, I drive eight hours to take a piano lesson with Donald Brown. I drive from North Carolina to Tennessee every week. I really want to become a great player, and if that's what it takes, then it's worth it. It burns within me. In the movie, the same was true with Dorothy. Dorothy needed people to help open her eyes along the path. I found my rhythm section, Zack and Al, whom I feel are my Tin Man and the Scarecrow on this journey. We're doing this together. We want to be creative. Experience the yellow brick road. Smell the flowers. Have fun doing it. The trio is very happy with this latest recording.
Like your first CD, it's melodic and poignant. Also, in addition to the many Harold Arlen compositions, there are two original pieces.
"Are We There Yet?" and the pretty one, "Dear Dorothy." Being the master that he was, I didn't want to write something in the style of Harold Arlen. I needed to put my own fingerprint on this record; I wanted to leave a little of my own voice. On "Dear Dorothy," even though she was on this mega-journey and had hardships all the way, there was still that little gleam of hope that she was going to make it home. She had her memories of home, and it's true, there's no place like home. That's how I approached the feeling of that composition.
Speaking of home, what's it like being an American jazz pianist in the South?
I can afford a home, while many musicians in New York City can't. There's no question. I would like to be in New York. But I don't need to be there right now. The South has a whole different vibe. It's more laid back. It doesn't have the crazy pace of Manhattan. I'm comfortable here.
You don't wear a white suit and drink mint juleps at the piano?
No, and we don't sit on the back porch of someone's barn and play Jazz, either. Charlotte is a banker's town. It's the third largest banking location in the country. It has culture to it. I would love to be in New York when the time is right. But for now, the trio is working hard to get to that next level.
How did you hook up with Summit Records, an indie jazz label from Arizona?
The trio backed up a violinist named Christian Howes at a Yamaha clinic. He told us to call Joe Hartlaub who hooked us up with Summit Records. The Oz Session had already been recorded and was originally going to be released on Arcadia Records. But Summit loved the record and picked it up instead. Then the Harold Arlen estate heard the record and contacted me. They are the nicest people. They were flattered that we did an entire CD primarily of Harold Arlen's music. They're planning a huge centennial celebration in 2005 and asked if we would be a part of it. They help spread the word, and we're excited about that.
What's the next project for the Chad Lawson trio?
We're working on some new tunes and arrangements, and are looking for a producer to help us. The next record isn't going to be straight up and down bebop. We like to look at our trio as being like the Yellowjackets, only without the saxophonist. 
Copyright ©2003 Keith & Kent Zimmerman
