Transcripts

[JAZZ MUSIC] MARYANN SULLIVAN: Born in Oklahoma but raised in Minneapolis, Anthony Cox began to study the bass when he was 19 years old. After brief stints at Augsburg College, Normandale Junior College, and the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, he did some soul searching and decided he wanted to make a career as a jazz musician.

In 1981, he moved to New York City, where he immersed himself in the jazz scene and suddenly found himself playing with jazz greats, such as Stan Getz, Joe Lovano, Ed Blackwell, and more. He stayed in New York for 10 years before moving back to the Twin Cities. Like John Coltrane and Miles Davis, Cox likes the concept of a musical group where everyone contributes equally. He enjoys a cohesive ensemble sound because he says it produces a stronger musical concept. As a result, Cox's music extends the boundaries of what many purists would call jazz.

ANTHONY COX: I've played in polka bands, played in country western, bluegrass bands. And I find that all of those situations are very valuable to create a dialogue and an understanding of music because my goal always in my life has been to make good music. All my heroes seem to exemplify that. And I've been in contemporary classical ensembles and-- you name it

MARYANN SULLIVAN: Although Cox is widely respected by fellow musicians, he knows he's not the most marketable performer. He doesn't fit easily into the musical niches preferred by record label marketing departments. He thinks musicians who spend their time zeroing in on marketing concepts face the prospect of a very frustrated musical life.

According to Cox, a musician needs to follow his or her own path. Cox plays three different instruments. He brings out the bass as a solo instrument, depending on the format.

ANTHONY COX: I have an upright bass. I have an electric bass, bass guitar. And I have what's called an acoustic bass guitar, which a lot of people mistake for the guitar on. My role, I always-- I mean, primarily, is to establish rhythmic and harmonic foundation and then, from that point on try to establish some kind of individuality by the way you solo, the way you treat time, and to accompany and bring out the best in all the other musicians around you.

MARYANN SULLIVAN: Cox also realizes the problems of the bass as a solo instrument.

ANTHONY COX: I find that kind of-- actually kind of a limiting concept because the bass only has a certain amount of range and can only do so much, which I'm sorry to say. And it can be very boring to the ears if all you hear is bass, melody bass, this bass, that. So it's good to mix it up.

MARYANN SULLIVAN: Last month, after being out on the road off and on for nearly 15 years, Cox decided to travel a different musical avenue. He's developing a musical base in the Twin Cities that will allow him the freedom to teach, compose, and create music he can send all over the world, perhaps on his own recording label. Cox has been in a lot of the bigger cities with bigger musical scenes, but he likes the Twin Cities.

ANTHONY COX: There's a lot of good musicians here but a lack of opportunities to play in venues. And I think, compared to, say, New York, you have a lot of musicians, few venues, but a lot of like-minded people. Minneapolis is a little slower, and I like that. New York is like-- everything in that city just vibrates with energy because there's so much activity.

Minneapolis, in comparison, I think, has-- there's a lot of focus, I know, on the Twin Cities as far as music. A lot of industry people come out here. They like to-- they listen for new things. There's a lot of acts that get signed.

But in terms of jazz, see, it's not really known that well. And most of the groups that are publicized are groups that are nationally known and internationally known. And I think that's going to change in the next 10 years. There's a lot of really great young players coming up. They're going to-- I think they've opted to stay here.

MARYANN SULLIVAN: The Walker concert is being co-presented with the American Composers Forum. The theme for the evening is Strange Bedfellows. The idea is to marry two different musical styles to create a harmonious blend of music that stretches the boundaries of sound in performance.

ANTHONY COX: What I did was I picked the pipa player Gao Hong. And pipa is a Chinese-- it's similar to the lute. It's a stringed instrument. It used to be tuned with silk strings. Now it's nylon strings.

And she will perform solo. And then she'll perform with us. And the idea is to be-- it'll be totally improvised. But we will also perform beforehand with the group. And we're going to do some original compositions and improvisations.

MARYANN SULLIVAN: Anthony Cox will perform with local musicians Dave King, Dean Granros, and Strange Bedfellow Chinese pipa master Gao Hong at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. For Minnesota Public Radio, this is Maryann Sullivan.