Ernie Krivda

By Bob PROTZMAN

If you think critically acclaimed, poll winning Joe Lovano is the one great jazz saxophonist from Cleveland, you're wrong.

If you need convincing that you're misinformed on the matter, please stop by downtown Erie's Breeze Steakhouse & Grille Saturday night to check out tenor saxist Ernie Krivda, the "other" great Cleveland sax player.

Once described by a critic as "a tenor wielding monster stalking the southern shore of Lake Erie," Krivda, 63, has been called by some one of the greatest tenor players in jazz—period.

Now in his fifth decade as a professional jazz musician, Krivda has built an impressive discography of some 30 albums on nationally distributed labels such as Cadence, CIMP, Koch, Timeless and Inner City. His three Inner City albums, recorded in the late 1970s-early '80s while Krivda was living in New York City, are scheduled for reissue on CD this July.

From the beginning, Krivda's playing has been praised by critics and peers alike as dynamic, original and unique.

His distinctiveness may come partly from his dislike of categories—in jazz or anything else. In what could be a self-description, he says, "I want to hear people who transcend categories. I love great be-bop players, but not because they're great be-bop players, but great players. I like players who are larger than the category they come from. Dexter Gordon, for instance. I guess he was a be-bop player, but I don't think about him that way."

His individuality as a musician also stems from the wide variety of influences he's absorbed--from his tenor-playing dad (Joe Lovanos dad, Tony, also played tenor) and other Cleveland musicians, as well as jazz giants he's listened to since childhood, some of whom he eventually worked with.

At 18, Krivda went on the road with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, directed by Lee Castle. Later, he played with Quincy Jones' last touring big band. In the mid 70s when Krivda was in New York City briefly, Miles Davis inquired about hiring him. Krivda's major influence and good friend, however, was alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley with whom Krivda played toward the end of Adderley's career and life. "I learned from him in so many ways. I listen to him now and just laugh, because he was so ridiculously good," says Krivda.

Krivda's sound and style are modeled on many sources, from his love of big bands and hard-blowing trumpet players to a violinist uncle.

"I always liked big bands (he leads one in Cleveland called the Fat Tuesday Big Band), and I loved (trumpeter) Roy Eldridge with the (drummer) Gene Krupa band. They have impact, presence and command, and those are things I try to bring to my playing" he says.

As for the violin, he says, "Leaping octaves is the nature of the instrument, and I try to do that on the saxophone."

Krivda also is a very physical player, bending up and down at the waist, somewhat in the manner of the legendary Sonny Rollins. "That's not something I think about; it's just part of what I do," says Krivda.

Rollins, while in motion, is famous for ripping off uninterrupted chorus after chorus of improvisation.

So does Krivda, who says of those long, flowing lines, "I practice that. I call it the momentum of ideas. To me, that's very important. I work hard on it" he says.

Rather than pedigree from important college/university music programs, Krivda has, as he puts it, education money couldn't buy.

In the 1960s, young Mr. Krivda got a gig in the house band at Leo's Casino, which presented all the great soul, R&B and Motown artists. "I'm sure there's some of that music somewhere in my playing," he says.

In the early '70s, he played in the house band at a Cleveland jazz hot spot called the Smiling Dog Saloon. "We opened for and I sometimes sat in with many of the greatest players. Can you imagine playing opposite people like Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Stan Getz, Art Blakey, McCoy Tyner, Sonny Stitt, Ahmad Jamal, and Ornette Coleman? I was so lucky, it was ridiculous. Six nights a week I'm getting a close-up of how it's done from the greatest players of the time. It had a tremendous impact on me."

Krivda's greatest achievement—so far—has to be his 1998 re-creation—recorded at Cleveland's Severance Hall--of the brilliant Stan Getz 1962 album with strings titled "Focus."

"A desire to record that music was with me for a long time, so it was that much more satisfying. It was a memorable concert," says Krivda.

He adds, however, that jazz is about now. "You like that you did those things, but you don't look back that much. I'm excited about my new group (The Art of the Trio), and after we're finished talking, I'm heading to my basement to practice and that will be the most important thing in my career."

For further information, go to www.erniekrivda.com.

Ernie Krivda, with Frank Singer, guitar/piano; Joe Dorris, drums; Tony Stefanelli, fretless bass; Nick "Tito" Ronzitti, percussion; 8-11 p.m. Saturday; Breeze Steakhouse & Grille, 1325 State St.; 455-7766; $10 admission.

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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