Jazz guitarist, composer and educator Alex Wintz joined Preston Frazier to discuss his just-released trio album, Live to Tape, choosing just the right cover song, what Idris Muhammad’s death meant to him and how the pandemic has impacted his plans.
PRESTON FRAZIER: Tell me how your new project came about?
ALEX WINTZ: This was not my original plan. Yet, I like how it happened. A dear friend from my Berklee Music days, Evan Sutton – who’s a producer and engineer and was working at Red Bull Studios at the time – had talked about doing projects. It so happens that in January of 2019 his studio was using a Studer reel-to-reel tape machine for tracking for about a month. He contacted me and said, “Hey, we have this tape machine here. Let’s make a record.” It was completely unplanned, but I was fortunate to have my trio available – [drummer] Jimmy MacBride and [bassist] Dave Baron. I knew what music for our repertoire we wanted to play. It was really fun and spontaneous and organic. We recorded it all on Jan. 22, 2019.
PRESTON FRAZIER: How does Live to Tape differ from your 2017 debut, LifeCycle?
ALEX WINTZ: The recording process for Live to Tape is different than LifeCycle in that it’s live in studio with no overdubs. We did one or two takes for every tune. I wanted to recreate the vibe of classic jazz recordings like those from Blue Note. It was not in the back of my mind to record my second project after LifeCycle, which was a more modern take on recording a jazz album. It would be something different. I wanted to make a record with a groove to it, something solid with no B.S.
PRESTON FRAZIER: How long have you worked with Jimmy MacBride and Dave Baron?
ALEX WINTZ: I met them when we were students at the Juilliard School. I guess that was August of 2012, but we started playing live as a trio prior to LifeCycle, around 2015. We started gigging in New York.
PRESTON FRAZIER: The original compositions on Live to Tape were gigged prior to the recording?
ALEX WINTZ: Yes, “Idris” was performed live; “Ely, MN” was. The tune “Cadaques” was one I brought in. Maybe we rehearsed it once or twice prior to recording it. Everything else we had done live before.
PRESTON FRAZIER: Did your approach to any of the songs change when you were in the studio?
ALEX WINTZ: Not really. “Cadaques” was the one we put the most work into, because that was the newest to us. We had the added pressure created by less time, because there was a water-main break in the studio the day of the recording. The tapes forced us to be OK with the imperfect, in contrast to modern digital recordings. If you listen back to some Blue Note-era recordings, there are mistakes if you choose to look for them. Some records of that era are considered classics despite their imperfection. We had to be OK with the vibe of the tune being the most important factor.
PRESTON FRAZIER: Were there songs you considered for the album but didn’t use?
ALEX WINTZ: Yes, we considered a Horace Silver song, “Quick Silver,” but it didn’t quite match the motif and mood of the other songs. At the end of the session, I like the statement that the album made without it.
PRESTON FRAZIER: When did you write “Idris”?
ALEX WINTZ: It was written after [drummer] Idris Muhammad passed away in 2014. I always liked to his feel and groove. I grew up listening to his music. He played with both R&B and jazz greats. I always admired him and wanted to write something with him in mind. As we played the song more, we added more of a jam to the end.
PRESTON FRAZIER: How about “On a Summer Day”?
ALEX WINTZ: I think I wrote that in 2018, so we have been playing it for about a year. We incorporated the song in our set for a tour we did of the Midwest in 2018. We were building our repertoire. My approach to compositions is really simple: Find types of tunes you like, and put your own originality into them. I love piano trios, so I like to try to translate the approach of pianist to the guitar. I strive to get blues out of advanced harmonic structures, even though the chords are not quite what you expect.
PRESTON FRAZIER: You include a diverse group of covers, too.
ALEX WINTZ: I have a diverse interest in what I like to listen to. I think I started listening to [Annie Clark, who records as St. Vincent] when I was at Berklee in 2008-09. Of course, she went to Berklee too, and I’ve been fascinated by her music. “What Me Worry” has a sort of jazz influence to it. We’ve played all the covers live, too. “Textures” [by Herbie Hancock] is another one that we played live before recording.
PRESTON FRAZIER: I found this Institute for Creative Music Collective album from earlier this year which features Nick Finzer, Chris Teal, Katie Ernst, Alex Tarantino and you, performing St. Vincent songs including “What Me Worry.” When was that recorded?
ALEX WINTZ: That was recorded the year before. I loved St. Vincent prior to this and Nick contacting me. That recording was the first approach to how I wanted to structure “What Me Worry.” After that, I introduced the song to my trio.
PRESTON FRAZIER: COVID-19 has obviously impacted your touring plans around the album. What are the other impacts?
ALEX WINTZ: Right now, I’m teaching classes virtually. It’s way too complicated to do in person teaching right now. Our last day of mixing was March 13th and that was the last thing I worked in a studio. I talked to Nick Finzer at Outside In Music, and we agreed people need music at a time like this more than ever. It’s a good time to put out new music. We will set up gigs when things come back. We have done a live stream show the week of the album’s release.
PRESTON FRAZIER: What guitar did you play on the Live to Tape sessions?
ALEX WINTZ: I used a Sadowsky, Jim Hall model I purchased in 2011. It’s a hollow-body guitar I’ve been using the last nine years. I didn’t use effects for the album. I’m proud of the sound. Just a delay, pedal and reverb pedal and that’s it. I also used a Swart Atomic Space Tone Amp.
PRESTON FRAZIER: To conclude, can you share your Top 5 favorite albums?
ALEX WINTZ: Ahmad Jamal’s Cross Country Tour; John Scofield’s Hand Jive; Kenny Burrell’s Midnight Blue; the Clash’s London Calling; and Miles Davis’ Plugged Nickel.
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