Virginia Mayhew Preview (Showcase)

By Bob PROTZMAN

If you believe we are seeing and hearing more (and better) women jazz musicians these days, saxophonist Virginia Mayhew agrees.

"I would say that there are many more competent female jazz musicians than there used to be, even though we still don't get those major breaks that male players get,'' she said in a phone conversation from her New Jersey home.

In her mid-40s, Mayhew is a prime example of the increasing number of successful female jazz musicians, earning extremely high praise from (mostly male) critics for her recordings, composing, arranging, and live performances in just about all the major jazz clubs, as well as concert halls, and festivals around the world.

Some examples: "A fresh, intelligent, polished player,'' Down Beat; "A full tone, poised and soulful,'' Washington Post; "A compelling edge,'' Village Voice; "She might very well be one of the future greats on the tenor,'' Los Angeles Jazz Scene.

Saturday night, Mayhew will bring her tenor sax to the Papermoon Jazz Club & Restaurant as the first woman to perform at the club's monthly series featuring nationally known jazz musicians. Mayhew's appearance will mark the Moon's 10th presentation.

Mayhew is leading a new band and has released a terrific new CD titled "Sandan Shuffle'' (Remma Records), the title in reference to the fact that after 20 years of study, she has earned a 3d degree black belt in Seido Karate. So front table talkers beware!

Looking at the overall status of women in jazz today, Mayhew says that things definitely are improving, albeit equality in the world of recording remains elusive.

Speaking just a bit more emphatically, she says, "There's still not a woman trumpet player with a major label contract. There's not a saxophonist with such a contract. No trombone player, either, or drummer.''

Women pianists have been the exceptions from the earliest days to today with major label players like the grande dame, Marian McPartland, Joanne Brackeen, Chris Williamson, Geri Allen, and in what appears to be a trend, a handful of Japanese women, including Helen Sung and Hiromi Euhara.

Female horn players are a different story, although they, too, are recording more and more-if not for so-called major labels. Saxophonist Tia Fuller has a new one, as does saxophonist/clarinetist Anat Cohen--another graduate, as is Mayhew, of drummer Sherrie Maricle's all-female big band DIVA. On the contemporary or "smooth jazz'' side, there are new releases from saxophonist Mindi Abair and bassist Joyce Cooling.

Have male musician's attitudes toward women players changed? "It varies,'' says Mayhew, "but there are some players-usually older guys-who are pro-active toward women.''

She was the beneficiary of that more positive attitude in a number of cases.

She played and/or recorded with trumpeter/flugelhornist Clark Terry and others in the "Jazz Nativity'' show in New York for a number of years and on ther CD), the late trombonist Al Grey (she's on his CD "Fab'' on Telarc), pianist Kenny Barron (he's on her debut CD, "Nini Green'' on Chiaroscuro), Terry Gibbs and others.

Terry and Grey, who died in 2000, were in their 60s when they hired the 20-something Mayhew.

There is a feeling out there among some that women are tougher on women, as in a woman boss and a female employee. Not so in jazz, according to Mayhew.

"Women often provide the first opportunities for other women; it's absolutely true. When I was in San Francisco, other than one male trumpet player, all my playing chances came from women. I have, in turn, always hired women-if they had the musicianship I was looking for. I've had a lot of women in my bands over the years. I don't think about it so much now, but when I first moved to New York in 1987, I was always aware of it.''

Perhaps Mayhew's favorite playing experience thus far has been with another woman-trumpeter Ingrid Jensen. "She was in my band for about 10 years, and playing with her was always great. She was always listening and brought many ideas to the group.'' (Please check the excellent CD "Phantoms'' (Remma Records) for examples of the simpatico Mayhew-Jensen collaboration.)

Growing up in San Francisco, Mayhew says she knew as a young girl that she wanted to be a jazz saxophonist, although she can't recall why she felt that way.

At 10, she received a clarinet in school. "The band director said girls couldn't play a saxophone,'' she says. By the time she got to high school, however, she was invited to join the band-- on alto sax.

"More importantly,'' Mayhew recalls,"my saxophone teacher turned me on to jazz by telling me about the Keystone Korner (a jazz club in SF) and a bunch of jazz records.''

Fifteen-year-old Virginia, who had been digging soul and funk groups like Earth, Wind & Fire, the Isley Brothers, etc., plus some rock groups such as Pink Floyd, headed off to Keystone Korner to check out jazz, and eventually, make a major life change.

She rattles off the names of the jazz giants she caught at KK, from Dexter Gordon to Archie Shepp, George Coleman, Art Blakey, Zoot Sims (later, in college, Mayhew would win a Zoot Sims Scholarship), Johnny Griffin, et al.

"I heard many of the greatest players of the day; I was so fortunate,'' she says.

Tenor saxophonist Virginia Mayhew, with pianist Basil Ronzitti, bassist Tony Stefanelli, drummer Joe Dorris, and percussionist Nick Ronzitti
8:30-11:30 p.m. Saturday
Papermoon Restaurant & Jazz Club, 1325 State St.; 455-7766
$5 cover charge

JazzErie is sponsoring a free clinic with Ms. Mayhew at 4:15 p.m. Friday in the Ensemble Room downstairs in the D'Angelo Performing Arts Center at Mercyhurst College. For information, check www.jazzerie.com or call (814)-824-2394.

Bob Protzman has written about jazz for five decades and hosts "Everything Jazz," 9 to midnight Sundays on WQLN-FM 91.3. You can reach Bob at protz@verizon.net or jazzhosts@wqln.org.

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