In a 2013 story, former CL A&E Editor Julie Garisto called Dr. David Manson a godfather of Bay area jazz.
Another Bay area musician, Gina Vivinetto, apparently likened Manson — who has curated the St. Pete Jazz Festival since its inception 10 years ago — to Thurston Moore when it comes to Tampa Bay's free jazz and experimental music scene.
I AM YOUR (GOD) FATHER
CL's 2013 profile on Bay area jazz scene staple David Manson
“He’s everywhere, working with everyone and vigorously trying to develop and showcase new talent,” Vivinetto said.
Before he was a guardian of the Bay area scene, Manson spent his time cutting teeth in various ensembles around the country. Manson even contributed composition and trombone to the late Sam Rivers’s 2002 album, Fluid Motion. Rivers can be heard on Miles Davis’s 1964 album Miles in Tokyo and was a saxophonist, flutist and figurehead in the post-Coltrane “loft jazz” scene that changed New York City’s SOHO district in the 1970s [more on that here].
Manson caught up with CL before the 10th annual St. Petersburg Jazz Festival kicks off at Palladium Theater on February 21. Read our story on the festival in the new issue of CL or online right now. See a Q&A with Manson — and listen Rivers' to Fluid Motion — below.
I like that you mention the absence of food trucks and large stacks of speakers. Whenever I post about certain jazz festivals that book non-jazz acts, I get kickback like “Where’s the jazz?” — do you feel like those “Where’s the jazz” people come out to support St. Petersburg Jazz festival?
Yes, the intimacy of the Side Door venue at the Palladium Theater and the acoustics of the Hough Hall upstairs are attractive to jazz fans who want a quality listening experience. Some concerts are really social events and some are listening experiences.
In the past you've had post festival jazz jams at places like the Manhattan Casino — besides the Palladium, what are your favorite rooms to see jazz at in Tampa Bay?
The Studio@620, the Hangar and the Music Center at SPC are nice environments for jazz, I think. There are many other jazz clubs, but my wife and I rarely have time to visit them.
How challenging is it to get the lineup together every year? Who helps make lineup decisions?
We have so many great jazz artists who either live in Florida and/or have Florida connections. It's fairly easy to find the talent. We try to include modern jazz, Latin jazz and big band music in every jazz festival. The search begins in the early summer and is finished by August typically. I listen to recommendations from board members and all submissions from bands. The final decisions are mine, as artistic director. The nonprofit EMIT is the presenter of the St. Petersburg Jazz Festival and our operating mode has always been “trust us to bring you great music.”
And who else involved in making the St. Pete Jazz festival a reality? In my experiences, festivals usually take an army, so I was curious about how much time it takes to pre-plan and how many people make it happen.
Our board of directors, St. Petersburg College marketing staff, The Zoo Studios, Elizabeth Baker, the staff at the Palladium Theater all contribute time and expertise, mainly toward the time of the festival. The planning process is about 9 months long and that is basically me. My first priority is to get the funding. We never ask artists to donate their services. It’s shameful when presenters or institutions operate this way. If the money is not there, then we don’t proceed. This year, we have some funding from the State of Florida and that is greatly appreciated. Our donor base continues to grow every year.
You founded the St. Pete jazz festival in 2008 — do you remember who helped you get it off the ground back then? Did your revival of the SPC jazz band play into the decision to get the jazz festival going?
I've been director of the EMIT series for 21 years and have presented about 400 concerts and workshops, so the jazz festival was a natural progression… and quite easy compared to building an audience for experimental music or free jazz. The Silverberg family was very helpful in helping fund the first jazz festival and the City of St. Petersburg has been a partner since the start. The creation of the Helios Jazz Orchestra was in 2008. That and my Brazilian group O Som Do Jazz, led me back to jazz from the experimental music that I was doing in the 90s and early 2000s and gave me the confidence to start a jazz festival.
What will Tal be teaching and the workshops, and who are the workshops best suited for?
Tal and his trio will be giving a jazz workshop on Wednesday, February 22 at 12:30 p.m. He's a very creative composer and pianist and his bandmates are amazing musicians. They will talk about the process of improvising and ensemble communication. I think that anyone would enjoy their workshop.
10th season for the jazz festival. You’ve accomplished a lot in your career — where does keeping the festival alive for a decade rank in all of your accomplishments?
It has been very satisfying to see the support develop for the St. Petersburg Jazz Festival over the past few years. It ranks up there with the development of the MIRA program and recording with Sam Rivers. St. Petersburg has developed into a supportive environment for artists. I’m glad to be part of the crew of artists who helped make that happen.
You are musician yourself and worked with many conservatories and orchestras before coming back to Florida in ‘89. What did you learn in places like Cincinnati, Memphis and Indianapolis that you brought back to Florida?
Well… I was very glad to return to Florida after my experiences in the north. When I came back to Florida, I was still chasing the dream of getting an orchestral position. Unfortunately, there are only 2 or 3 positions available per year in the U.S. I transitioned to commercial music and played in pit orchestras playing Broadway shows and backing entertainers. Then, I became interested in the composer/performer thing inspired by the NY Downtown scene. That’s when I formed the nonprofit, EMIT and began presenting adventurous music. When I returned to Florida, I learned that if you take the initiative, you might have some success. Waiting for someone else to discover and appreciate your talents is a waste of time.
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Still married to Andrea? If so, it’ll be 16 years right?
Yes, Andrea and I will be married for 16 years in May.
Besides trombone, what other instruments can you play or are you proficient at?
Trombone and composition are the main things, plus a little hand percussion, flute and piano. If you add in a teaching position, then there aren’t enough hours in the day.
Were you born here? If so, when? Curious about your journey to Tampa Bay and what the area means to you.
I was born in Chicago, but my folks moved the family down to Miami when I was a child. A little later, my parents worked at NASA and when I was 13, we relocated to Dunedin. The Tampa Bay area is rich in history and culture. I’ve always appreciated the great talent that lives here and I try to be an advocate for area artists.
Who taught you how to play trombone — how do end up at that instrument anyway?
I was self-taught, really. At first, I wanted to play the drums or saxophone, but my junior high band director needed more trombones in the band. I had an excellent trombone teacher when I was in high school. His name was Otto Blankle. My high school band director (Jerry Clifford) was an outstanding jazz pianist and a bit of a rebel.
Do you remember your first live jazz experience? What made you a jazz lifer?
I was visiting my grandparents in Chicago when I was about 11 years old and heard an excellent Dixieland band at the Chicago State Fair. I didn't bother to see anything else at the fair. I just stayed there and watched the band play for hours. My grandfather introduced me to the trombonist, who had played with Duke Ellington. Good jazz lifts my spirits.
How do you end up in bands like the Glenn Miller Orchestra and in ensembles backing Bacharach, Mancini and even Bogus Pomp?
When I returned to Florida jobless, I began freelancing as a trombonist. A friend asked me to fill in for him on the Glenn Miller Orchestra for a summer playing bass trombone. That was a great experience. As a pit orchestra performer, we backed many artists touring through the state. Because of the demographics of Florida at that time, that included greats like Henry Mancini, Burt Bacharach, Danny Thomas, Milton Berle, Mickey Rooney, etc. It was like traveling back in time and as a trombonist, that’s a good thing! I played and wrote the horn arrangements for Bogus Pomp for 14 years, played and recorded with the great jazz legend Sam Rivers and then formed Helios and O Som Do Jazz as leader.
You like Elis Regina, Zimbo Trio and Tamba Trio, but what other music, old and new, across all genres, makes you feel like you still have a lot to accomplish?
Brazilian music has a spirit that I connect with, but I am also a fan of adventurous artists like John Lindberg, Dave Douglas, Gerry Hemingway and I love great orchestral and chamber music. I’m having some luck getting my original music placed in television on CW, BBC One and FOX and plan to continue writing and producing music for that. Right now, I’m mixing the third CD for O Som Do Jazz and composing for big band and orchestra.
This article appears in Feb 8-15, 2018.