Swing gigs by Steinway artist Raphael
Swinging jazz pianist Lenore Raphael is regarded as one of the finest exponents of the genre. She’ll be in Cape Town for a series of gigs next month. She talks to KAREN RUTTER about her career and her upcoming shows
PIANIST Lenore Raphael was regarded as something of a classical prodigy when she was growing up in New York City, with a Carnegie Hall performance under her belt (or fingers) while she was still in her teens. But it was in the early 1960s, when she was just in her 20’s that Raphael heard the great jazz pianist Oscar Petersen and made a momentous decision.
“I was always improvising, even on my classical pieces and making changes to the written music,” says Raphael. “But when I heard Oscar Peterson, that was what made me switch to jazz.”
Re-directing the same talent and drive that had distinguished her classical career into jazz, most particularly mainstream swing, Raphael was to establish herself as one of the best exponents of the genre.
She has recorded seven albums, been nominated for a couple of Grammys, has a busy international touring schedule and still has time to host her own jazz radio show.
As one can imagine, there have been many highlights along the way.
“When I first began studying jazz formally under the great pianist Barry Harris, there was a jazz party and (acclaimed vibraphonist) Lionel Hampton was the guest artist. Barry said I should play with Mr. Hampton and I was a little intimidated but Barry said I could do it and I did… and it was great,” recalls Raphael. “Then there was the time I was asked to play to introduce the Count Basie band that was late for a concert. And another time when I was on a jazz cruise as a guest and was practicing in an area away from everything. Someone was listening in the shadows and when I turned around it was (trumpeter) Dizzy Gillespie who simply said: “Far out!” All these things really encouraged me to continue with jazz,” she says.
Raphael has maintained a specific style over the decades, one which she acknowledges has been influenced by several pianists along the way.
“For me, the music has to ‘swing’ and be melodic, and say something that affects you emotionally,” she explains. “Taking each individually, Oscar Petersen’s swing and technique are amazing. Bill Evans emotionally touches me like no other pianist does, and George Shearing had such a lovely sound.”
With so many different jazz styles out there, from funk to fusion to acid, what is it about swing that Raphael finds valuable – for musicians to play, and audiences to listen to?
“My goodness, it is one of the roots of the music today,” she laughs. “To be more specific, I play mainstream and bebop jazz which is where the melody is introduced first and then improvised on. The body of songs that it encompasses is endless and I think it is important for audiences to hear actual melodies that were written by the great composers - Porter, Gershwin, Rodgers and Hart, and also the great standards of the innovators like Charlie Parker, Tadd Dameron, Miles Davis, etc.”
Raphael is also an authorised and accredited Steinway artist (alongside musicians like Abdullah Ibrahim). She explains further:
“Steinway recognises certain artists who choose to play a Steinway piano over others when available. I own two, because for me, Steinway has a warm sound and the touch of a Steinway works best for me,” she says. “It is really an honour to be a Steinway artist and often Steinway will bring in a piano especially for me.”
And then there’s Lenore Raphael’s JazzSpot, her radio show.
“It came about when the Pure Jazz Radio station manager asked me to do an interview and performance show. I had always listened to Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz on public radio here in the USA. In fact I was a guest on her show. So when the opportunity came to do a similar show, I jumped at the opportunity, I have had some wonderful guests … singer Jon Hendricks, trumpeter Warren Vache, the great guitarist Howard Alden and many others.”
Aside from performing and hosting her radio show, Raphael is highly respected as a jazz educationists, including creating a curriculum course on jazz history. She enjoys sharing her knowledge and experiences, she says:
“I have not taught formally at a university or conservatory because of my heavy travel schedule, but somehow I know how to convey what I have done and learned as a professional touring jazz musician to students in universities and conservatories,” explains Raphael. “I do jazz master classes and workshops and because of my Steinway connection, I have done many of them at all-Steinway schools all over the world, including UNISA in Johannesburg. I have also done courses at these schools on the history of jazz as a freelance artist and teacher.”
For her Cape Town performances, Raphael will be joined by local musicians including Maurice Gawronsky (drums), Charles Lazar (bass) and Monique Hellenberg (vocals). So what will local audiences hear?
“Capetonians can expect a lot of swinging jazz standards from the Great American Songbook, some of my original tunes, and a bit of an entertainment aspect because I love to tell audiences why I choose certain tunes and also speak a little bit of my background as a performer,” promises Raphael, Sounds like we’re in for a treat. Raphael’s gigs will be at The Crypt on October 27, The Kaleidoscope on October 28, The Rockwell Theatre, October 29, Winchester Mansions (brunch) and Casa Labia on October 30.
Information: 028 212 2315 or 072 152 1010