By: Becky Firesheets

A night out on the Bedford Avenue strip doesn’t typically involve great jazz.  But on Monday nights at Spike Hill, the scene is alive and thriving.  Tenor saxophonist and composer Brian VanArsdale brings his “trio” to the weekly series on a regular basis, mixing standard elements of jazz with a more experimental, modern style.   His music isn’t self-indulgent nor too out there, yet he does go beyond the boundaries of tradition and openly explores wherever his horn will take him.  For the rockers who like an upbeat melody, catchy rhythms and fun solos, for jazzheads who appreciate complicated riffs and innovative compositions, or for those just looking to see an entertaining live show, Brian VanArsdale will most certainly satisfy.

Check out our Q&A for VanArsdale’s take on improvising and how it requires listening like a listener, his advice and thoughts on jazz in New York, how he put together and manages his trio + 1, and much more.

BF: Who are the core members of the Brian VanArsdale trio?  How did you all form?
BV: The current group features Dan Loomis on bass and Jeremy Noller on drums. This group was formed in 2005 and we recorded a record at that time (Cryptography). From time to time other musicians have been a part of the group - most notably Jared Schonig on drums and Jeff Hanley on bass. I met all of these fine players through various schools. New York has been a great place to reconnect with musicians I played with in school who are still playing.

BF: I hear you often play with more than just the three of you.  Who sits in with you guys?  How do you decide who to ask?
BV: The gigs this group is currently doing often involve a 4th member. We bill it as The Trio +1 because we try to keep the vibe and direction of our trio and simply include a fourth member. The idea originally came from a series of gigs we played with the amazing trumpet player Eddie Henderson. Instead of reading his music or our music, we decided to play music we were all comfortable with and let the musical situation dictate where the music went. He really let us do our thing and added so much on top of it, that we loved the idea of trying it again with him and others. Other guests have included trumpeters Eli Asher and Michael Cottone, and we plan to include a host of others in the future.

BF:  What is your songwriting process like?  How much of a typical performance is composed and how much is improvised?
BV: For me the songwriting process can take on many shapes. I tend to try to write melodies first and use traditional forms as a basis for new pieces. The current group is almost totally improvised. We're playing old songs from the American songbook - with the idea of playing music we are all very familiar with. Thus, we're able to take our combined experience with that literature as a starting point and really try to go interesting places from there. The key becomes listening. When you take your own trappings out of the equation and try to listen as if you were a listener, you find yourself playing MUSIC, not just the song. There is a trust that we have developed with each other that allows us to know that if someone plays something, they did it on purpose, so it is worthy of reply. We may not always go with that person, but it's not as if any of us are playing without regard for and from the other members of the group. That is a special thing that I think is unique about this group.

BF: How long have you been playing the tenor sax?  Do you play other instruments as well?  If so, how did you decide to focus on the sax?
BV: I started on the tenor back in 6th grade. I wasn't really serious about it until college, but I guess I thought I was. Going from being a big fish in high school to a very, very small fish in college really opened my eyes and made me aware of how high the level of artistry was. I play all the saxophones and double very badly on flute and clarinet.

BF:  Do you play with other bands or projects?
BV: I do, but I've tried to limit my participation in other groups to ones that I feel I really believe in. There's a lot of bad music being played right now, and while I'm sure that some of what I produce could be grouped into that category, I'm trying to really only be a part of groups that excite me. Dan and Jeremy are both members of a litany of groups around NYC and beyond.

BF:  The indie rock scene is dominating Brooklyn these days, yet there seems to be a thriving jazz scene.  What are your general thoughts on NY's jazz scene and how does The Brian VanArsdale Trio fit into that?
BV: I think the NYC jazz scene is very peculiar. There is such an influx of amazing musicians here - and while that means that you have an incredible breadth of people to make music with, it also means the supply and demand of clubs to musicians is such that the best musicians are often left without good gigs. Couple this with the unique monetary requirements of owning a club in NYC and you have a lot of places that are really just looking for people who bring in people. I can't really fault anyone for that, but when you are dealing with a music that has such a small audience, with an even smaller audience who are really into the 'cutting edge' of music being produced (which is much of what NYC offers), you end up with a strange paradigm. This paradigm sparks musicians to continue reaching for new music (especially since they won't get paid either way), but can leave the music baseless - as if everyone is trying to be 'unique' instead of just playing good music.

BF: Most of the audience at Knocks tends to be more geared toward rock-and-roll.  What groups and venues would you recommend to newcomers to the jazz scene?
BV: I think there are some amazing places in the city. I tend to categorize jazz venues into different groups - 'jazz club' and 'bar with jazz'. Great music can be heard at both, but they are very different settings, and should be seen as such. My favorite 'jazz clubs' would probably be The Jazz Standard and Smalls, both in Manhattan. As far as 'bars with jazz,' I'd have to say Barbes in Park Slope Brooklyn, Le Poisson Rouge in the city, and Spike Hill in Williamsburg. Check the schedules of these places, since the 'bars' feature music other than jazz often.