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Jazz Cat by George Massey

Jazz Cat is a name chosen by an old friend, multi reed virtuoso, Lou Caputo.

Lou and I go back over 20 years, I first knew Lou when he played in a combo with my cousin, Tony Risicia. The combo was led by the late Angelo Barbaria. They played a long time at the La Maganette in NY City.

Then Lou and I hooked up in a big band with Nat Morrell, Tony Gray, and Don Michaels. Then as life goes, we got caught up in our own worlds, and too much time went by without staying in touch. But, as I am writing these jazz articles, and other genres, I said to my self - Self, why not an article on Lou? We were back in touch, and here we are!

So this part 0ne of a five part quasi bio, part interview, and hope, an enjoyable article for you to read.

Lou became a member of our musician's union, local 802 in NY, while a senior in High School. He was studying with Eddie Myers, former lead alto sax with Stan Kenton. Lou after HS, joined what was known as cocktail jazz groups, and others.

In 1967, Lou was drafted, and stationed in the Army in Germany. His "day" gig was a baker, but he was to play with some European groups, most pop and R&B, the only horn Lou had with him, was a soprano sax, so Lou said, "For 19 months I was exclusively a soprano player."

When he was discharged, his friends were either on to bigger things in music, or out of the business. “A discouraging time," Lou said.

But he had good fortune to meet bassist, Chris White. Through Chris, Lou started to study with Frank Forster, an ex-Count Basie. As a result, Lou was gigging again and he had some more good fortune; Lou was sitting in and rubbing elbows with top notch artists like Al Haig.

Lou went on the road for about a year. At one stop in New Orleans, Lou says, "My interest in the clarinet was revived." Lou is a master of the tenor, alto, baritone, and soprano sax's, as well as the clarinet and flute.

When Lou got back to NY City he says, "The gigs got better and I had the opportunity to work in groups with Walter Perkins.” They did gigs at Sonny's Place on Long Island, which was at the time THE jazz club on the Island. There was also Gerald's in Cambria Heights, a jazz spot I gigged with Tony Gray. And there were, as Lou says, "Many inner city clubs that no one will remember."

Lou says of this time that, "It afforded me an opportunity to work and learn along side greats like Jackie Byard, Duke Jordan, Jimmy Nottingham, and others."

Now the shoe was on the other foot, and the newer guys on the jazz scene were sitting in with Lou - the Jazz Cat. There was Jerry Weldon, who today is a top notch sax player himself, Mike McGovern, Harold Ousley, and on any given' night you might find Frank Wess, or C.I. Williams sitting in. The one constant thing about "jazz cats" is they are always looking to sit in.

Part 2

In telling his story, Lou said, "Can't leave out Harry. I can't fail to mention a person who had an enormous effect on me as a musician and other wise."

Harvey Estrin is that person, he was lead alto on the Dick Cavett TV show, as well as in the NY studio scene. Harvey was with, Charlie Ventura, Boyd Raeburn, and most with Sauter- Finnegan, whom he recorded some amazing flute work.

Lou says, "Between Harvey working the San-Su-San (a night club on Long Island) and the LaMaganette, I became a professional." Lou gives credit to Harvey for rounding him into the consummate pro.

Lou says, "To give you an example of the high regard Harvey was held in, my lesson was scheduled between Charlie Rouse and Michael Brecker." Lou concludes, "Unfortunately Harvey passed away in 2002. My big regret is he never got a chance to hear my CD. Harvey Estrin rest in Peace."

You know, Lou, something tells me, Harvey is looking down and smiling and we will get into the brand new CD subsequently.

Part 3

Since Lou and I were last in contact, Lou had his own group working various venues. He also worked in a fusion group called Ells Kitchen which opened for Lou Donaldson and Jimmy Heath. Lou worked with the Latin band Orchestra Carnivale with the great conga drummer Candido and drummer Bobby Sanabria. Both drummers are on Lou's CD. Lou also worked with bands backing Jack Jones, Shirley Bassey, Robert Goulet, Lou Rawls and many others in hotels in the Catskills, Atlantic City, etc.

However, in 1988, Lou says, "I had a major set back while on the way to a gig. I suffered a heart attack with 100% blockage in the right artery. I was rushed to the hospital and the next day got an angioplaste at Cornell Medical Center." Lou adds, "As you can imagine this can have a profound effect on you, more so, since at the time I was only 40 years old with three children.

"But it started me thinking, and on that January I enrolled in the local 802 Music Ed program at Kingsbrough College and started working on my BA, while still keeping busy as a player. I managed to complete the program with honors."

Fact: Lou received the Marie Volpe Scholarship Merit Award for the performing arts two years in a row, which up to that time had never happened.

Lou goes on, "I still keep busy at the music business. There is so much of my blood, sweat and tears involved in the struggle, which I know you know about your self (meaning me), that you have to give just to get a toe hold in the business, and then it's impossible to let go."

In my case, I am not playing now but I love my writings which helps keep me in in the business. We all need to be around the business.

Lou says, "I began to teach in the NY city public school system. I have been at it for 11 years and love the energy and enthusiasm of beginners."

Lou had another slight set back in 1993, when he was advised to undergo a double by-pass. He says, "I thank God I didn't have a second heart attack." They did the bypass for precautionary reasons. Lou is into Zen stress and it continues to help him.

Part 4

In this part, I would like to begin to lead into the CD Lou did. After all these years, this is Lou's first CD. This demonstrates a negative part about the music biz: that so many very good players and singers are not household names, yet you see and hear too many with questionable talent who are making millions.

For jazz, Europe is so far ahead of us it s not funny. And jazz is America 's only true art form. Myself, when I had a big band in Scandinavia, I came oh so close to not coming back because of the way jazz musicians were looked upon here and there. Sidney Bechet when in NY was pressing pants, in France he was an icon idol.

Any way back to Lou. Another time in his life, he was with a short lived big band led by another drummer Mousey Alexander, another alumnus from Sauter- Finnegan. They played Atlantic City before Mousey moved to Florida .

Lou was with the Howard Williams Jazz Orch. Playing in Greenwich Village, Lou played baritone sax. By the way, Lou also studied with the great baritone player Danny Bank. Lou says, "As a member of this band, I felt privileged to be a member since the musicianship was so high. I got a chance to be around really great people."

Lou goes on to mention some of those great people, such as Bill Crow, Virginia Mayhew, and Pete Yellin. Lou adds, "Also people just on the scene, Howard Johnson, Clare Dayly, Dave Shoemacker, all baritone players, all sitting at a table right in front of the baritone player - ME!"

He says, "Think about the pressure! But it was here that I began to feel that a lot of the thing I have been trying to accomplish, had in fact been accomplished. People began to mention positive things about my playing, Virginia Mayhew in particular.

Lou recounts, "I was shooting the breeze with Jack Jeffers and I mentioned a couple of tunes I might like to do. Jack says, 'well right down a little sketch of what you have in mind and I'll see if I can flesh it out."

Lou then adds, "About two weeks later, Jack shows up on a gig with two complete scores. In effect, Jack called my bluff. Once word was out, people who's opinion I respect very much began to give me encouragement and even suggestion's like, Lou be sure you do something in soprano or why don't you do a ballad on clarinet. It seemed that people had a more positive opinion about me then I had myself."

It was folks, the beginning of the idea to do a CD. Lou says, "I started thinking about my old friend Chris White, so I gave him a call. I was shocked to hear he was battling cancer and, Thank God, got better health wise. But I could tell Chris's spirits were down. When I got to the recording stage, I asked Chris to came aboard and act as what turned out to be co- producer. You see Chris could say to me things that probably no other person could. And I was lucky I had him in my corner, because he really was a major force in the success of the project."

Part 5

Lou wants to thank some special people who responded to his project, Howard Johnson, Virginia Mathew, Frank Vicari, and John Eckert.

Lou adds, "I have been the recipient of an extraordinary amount of good will and generosity. From Clare Daily, I got an intro to Gary Walker. From Don Sickler, I received invaluable info about the project."

Lou recalls when his kids were younger and they would go for car rides, like most of us, on goes the jazz tapes or CD's. His children would say, "Dad when are you going to make a record?”

Lou would say, "Someday," and he and the kids would daydream about what songs to use. He says, "I guess I was figuring this thing out and, as I said to you before, George, it ran along the lines of what we used to talk about when we were getting "Potpourri" (our co-led band) together almost 30 years ago."

Lou goes on, "So in another daydream kind of conversation this time with Virginia (Mayhew), I said, you know I think I have at least one good CD in me and Virginia began to convince me I could not only do it, but that I should do it if only as a record of what I have been doing all my life."

So the project was born. Lou says with profound wisdom, "All music no matter how advanced or innovative is some kind of personal reflection."

Lou has done much with his personal life. He has a bachelor's and Masters degree. [My cousin and percussionist Tony Risicia comes to mind. Tony went from my first drum student to Vice Principal of a New Jersey HS. Tony and Lou have similar educational backgrounds and were player and teacher all along the way.]

I am so happy to be doing this story about Lou, so you can get to know him, not just the guy on the bandstand but the man, husband, father, the person.

Lou loves NY City which he calls, "Hip City." H e reflects, "You are walking around the streets and you are walking in the footsteps of history."

Now the CD: it is recorded on Lou's own label Jazz Cat 47 Records. The CD is called Urban Still Life. Lou has in the band: Candido, Ed Cherry, John Eckert, Brain Glassman, Jack Jeffers (yesm, the same who co-leads the Duke Ellington band), Virginia Mayhew, Bill Mobley, Roberta Piket, Bobby Sanabria, Gary Valente, Frank Vicari, Debra Weisz, Ben Bierman, Roy Agee, Dale Turk, Howard Williams, Bill Whited (another old friend of mine and Lou's), bassist John Dooley, Rudy Petschauer, Alan Schaefer,J on Owens, and Joe Carbone.

Go to Lou's web site - www.loucaputo.com

Buy this record folks it is terrific and it finally features a terrific guy, ladies and gentleman, Lou Caputo !

and ----a great big thanks to Nancy Hopkins for once again being my venue for my jazz articles, thanks Nancy .

Till next time - be "talking" to you.