Bennie Maupin. In the late ’60s and through the ’70s, jazz musicians stepped out of their acoustic tradition and started looking to rock, soul and funk as sources of inspiration. The blend of genres came to be known as fusion, and the movement has been among the most fertile in jazz history.
Beginning with his work with Miles Davis on the legendary trumpeter’s seminal Bitches Brew, A Tribute to Jack Johnson and On the Corner albums, and continuing with Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi and Headhunters ensembles, Bennie Maupin was at the center of this revolutionary sound. In recent years, Maupin’s recent work as a bandleader is much more introspective than this earlier work, and he sees this as part of his natural evolution.
“My main concern is sound, that’s all I’ve got,” said Maupin during a recent interview with DCist. “I’ve been blessed to have a sound from the very beginning and blessed to have teachers who are able to guide me and keep that sound changing.”
Maupin will be leading a quartet this weekend at Bohemian Caverns, and the group will largely focus on material from Maupin’s 2006 release, Penumbra. The album is subtle and often quiet, with a strong focus on melody and mood. The compositions on the recording started as group improvisations from which Maupin culled harmonic, melodic and rhythmic ideas that interested him. The ensemble spent quite a bit of time honing the songs on stage, and only at that point did they go into the studio.
“By the time we actually recorded [Penumbra], what was captured was absolutely not where it started,” said Maupin. “I play with talented gentlemen, so I just reveal to them what the basic shape of the pieces are and we take it from there.”
In addition to the interplay with his band, Maupin also drew on the experience of studying with Lyle “Spud” Murphy, who invented the Equal Interval System of music composition. The horizontal composing style that Murphy developed over decades of work had a profound effect on Maupin, and changed the way he composed and improvised.
“Over years, you accumulate a lot of muscle memory, so as a result you go to the same places,” Maupin explained. “I spent years experimenting with not playing tunes, or scales or set rhythms to expand my own vocabulary.”
The same musicians who recorded Penumbra will accompany the 71-year old veteran this week. The band consists of percussionist Munyungo Jackson, drummer Michael Stephans and bassist Darek Oles. Maupin, a talented multi-instrumentalist, will play bass clarinet, flute, saxophone and piano. The members of the unit have been playing together long enough that they trust each other, and Maupin believes that feeling translates to the listener. Maupin also feels that it is incumbent on the performer to invite the audience into the circle, unlike many jazz musicians who take an ivory tower approach to performance.
“We like each other, and when musicians like each other, something magical happens,” he said. “But I also talk to my audience. Sometimes you have to educate the audience and let them know how much you appreciate the fact they’ve come out to listen to you.”
The Bennie Maupin Quartet will play 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. sets on Friday and Saturday at Bohemian Caverns. $25.
