Jazz flugelhorn player’s quartet to perform
Jazz artist Ron Helman likes to differentiate between the horn he plays and the horn he used to play. Helman was a trumpeter for many years. He’s been playing the flugelhorn since about 2010.
“For me, the trumpet has a sound like a kazoo, buzzy and high. I found myself more connected with a deeper, drier sound,” he said in a phone interview from his home in Tesuque. “One of my teachers, Bobby Shew, guided me to the ideal horn and mouthpiece. It’s a Bobby Shew signature flugelhorn and mouthpiece.”
Helman will lead a quartet in concert Thursday, June 23, as part of the Outpost Performance Space’s Summer Thursday Jazz Nights series.
With him will be pianist Jim Ahrend, drummer John Bartlit and bassist John Blackburn
Helman explained why he chose these musicians for the concert.
“Jim Ahrend,” he said, “is a very talented musician in that he can acclimate himself to a variety of scenarios, either playing what’s prescribed or being spontaneous on stage. John Blackburn is a little like a Rock of Gibraltar. I need someone who holds it down and keeps it clean. … I like John Bartlit because he’s understated. He plays only what he needs to play.”
Helman said he wants all the musicians to evenly connect with their roles so they can elevate the music.
The quartet will be playing selections from Helman’s coming CD, “It Never Entered My Mind.” Besides the title cut, other tunes they’ll do include “You’ve Changed,” “Close Your Eyes” and “Desafinado.”
Once the CD is done, he hopes to plan several small tours nationally and maybe even internationally.
Helman promised the quartet’s interpretations in concert will be different from what is heard on the album. “But I get to do it live,” he said.