Peter Fraize celebrates the release of his new album tonight at Blues Alley.
My first experiences with D.C.’s jazz clubs occurred in the mid-’90s, and two spots stood out: State of the Union and the One Step Down. The former, located at 1357 U Street NW has been dormant for over 15 years and is now being turned into condos, while the latter is now a Subway sandwich shop.
The jazz musician I most associate with both the State and the One Step is saxophonist Peter Fraize, who ran jam sessions at these clubs through the ’90s where many of the area’s musicians, including yours truly, cut their teeth.
“I miss the ‘neighborhood jazz bar’ feel that the One Step Down had and would love to see more guerilla-style jazz nights in alternative venues like we had at State of the Union back in the ’90s,” Fraize recalls of those days. “Venues come and go, and it seems to me that although we may be at a low point in the flux, it stays roughly the same through the years.”
It’s an important reminder after the recent loss of jazz landmarks like HR-57 and Bohemian Caverns.
Fraize, an area native, settled back in Washington in 1989 after studies at the New England Conservatory of Music and the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. He has served on the faculty at The George Washington University since 1994, where he is Director of Jazz Studies.
He explores many aspects of this personal history on facts + figures, his sixth release as a bandleader. The album launch takes place tonight at Blues Alley.
“The tunes on this record were composed over an 18-year span, from ’98 to 2016,” Fraize says. “The title, facts + figures, came about when I realized that the tunes I was gravitating to for this project were for the most part inspired by specific people, events and places in my life over the past few decades. So those are the facts and figures.”
A case in point is the song “Freezer Full of Math”, which was created as a compositional game Fraize wrote in honor of his father’s 75th birthday.
“The melody is the first 75 digits of Pi expressed as intervals over a pedal F note,” Fraize explains. “Since there is no interval “0,” zeroes trigger a change of scale mode. This was just a silly notion that I got into my head and decided to see if I could make something of it.”
Fraize is quick to say that this is not a recording of “Math Jazz,” and that groove, swing, and emotion remain central goals. For example, “While He Sleeps” was composed in the waiting room of Children’s Hospital while his then very young son underwent some tests (don’t worry—he’s fine!).
Joining Fraize on the album and tonight’s release show are a number of other veteran musicians who have made important contributions to D.C. jazz. The band includes guitarist Paul Pieper, pianist Jon Ozment, bassist Nathan Kawaller, and drummer Leland Nakamura.
Nakamura, in particular, has had a partnership with Fraize stretching back to 1989. “I can’t say enough about him. There is probably no other musician I am more comfortable playing with,” Fraize said of his colleague.
As Fraize looks at decades of experience in D.C. jazz scene he cites the growth in talent and the rise of well-run festivals as a positive development. But he still believes improving prospects for musicians lies largely in the hands of the artists themselves.
“There is no magic club that is going to open up and suddenly we’ll all have gigs,” Fraize says. “We have to work to connect with our audiences, whether niche-y or broad. It’s important to realize that a gig is not an entitlement, and we jazz musicians are not a special interest group. Those attitudes build a wall between us and the listeners and when people come out and pay only to feel alienated by Artist X, they are less likely to take a chance on Artist Y.”
Peter Fraize and his group play 8 and 10 p.m. sets tonight at Blues Alley. Tickets $20 plus minimum and surcharge.
