This month's guest is Albert Alva, a musician from Los Angeles, California. He's been a musician since he was a teenager, and has been a music educator for over 15 years. He's a multi-instrumentalist, a songwriter, a lyricist, and he has also been known to sing!
Albert is best known in the partner dance community for his performances with swing jazz bands for Lindy Hop dancers. His “sideman” saxophone performances can be heard on the recordings of Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five, Josh Collazo’s Candy Jacket Jazz Band, and most recently, Jonathan Ng's latest CD, The Sphynx.
Podcast Instagram HERE
Music License sponsored by voicesculptor.com
Graphic design genius instagram HERE
Theme song artist- Jonathan Stout
Follow this link for a transcript if the platform you're listing on doesn't automatically offer it.
This month's guest is Albert Alva, a musician from Los Angeles, California. He's been a musician since he was a teenager, and has been a music educator for over 15 years. He's a multi-instrumentalist, a songwriter, a lyricist, and he has also been known to sing!
Albert is best known in the partner dance community for his performances with swing jazz bands for Lindy Hop dancers. His “sideman” saxophone performances can be heard on the recordings of Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five, Josh Collazo’s Candy Jacket Jazz Band, and most recently, Jonathan Ng's latest CD, The Sphynx.
Podcast Instagram HERE
Music License sponsored by voicesculptor.com
Graphic design genius instagram HERE
Theme song artist- Jonathan Stout
Follow this link for a transcript if the platform you're listing on doesn't automatically offer it.
I'm Albert Alva, and I was on stage with Ella Fitzgerald. Once that's a true story, I sure hope you enjoy Desert Island Jams with Sarah spoon.
Sarah Spoon:Hi, I'm Sarah. And this is Desert Island Jams, a monthly podcast where I sit down with the DJs musicians and just general music nerds from the dance community. My guest this month is Albert Alva, a lovely musician based in Los Angeles, California. He has been a musician since he was a teenager, and actually never had a plan B. He's been a music educator for over 15 years. And this includes kids of all ages through to the college level. He's a songwriter. He is a multi instrumentalist. He writes lyrics and he has been known to sing. I know Albert through his incredible performances in the swing jazz world with groups such as the Jonathan Stout Orchestra, Jonathan Stout's, Campus Five, Candy Jacket Jazz Band, just to name a couple. He does have his first CD project going on at the moment, but it's been delayed because of you know, everything. And we're looking forward to hearing that when it's ready. And I had the opportunity to catch up in May this year. I think it was May, you know, but what even is time, and he was using a very powerful microphone. So if you hear some interesting background noises, that's why ... Yeah, welcome. Welcome Albert. Thank you so much for agreeing to come on the show. I'm delighted.
Albert Alva:Thank you, Sarah. So happy to be here. Glad you asked.
Sarah Spoon:So how did you get into horn playing?
Albert Alva:Well, I'd say that when I was a, in my late teens, my mom brought home a saxophone. She said play this. So she got it from a relative. Because I had experimented with guitars. I was playing a song The very first day with no lessons. I figured it out on my own. When there's a will, there's a way, I'm one of those kind of people that you can give a new instrument to, put me in a room by myself and come back in a few hours, and I'll be doing something.
Sarah Spoon:Cool. So how many instruments do you play regularly?
Albert Alva:Flute, clarinet, several saxophones, piano and electric bass.
Sarah Spoon:And I understand you even sing from time to time,
Albert Alva:and I sing.
Sarah Spoon:Are there any recordings of your singing around?
Albert Alva:Well, I did a concert with my college Jazz Ensemble. That's kind of fun.
Sarah Spoon:Cool. Let's talk about your first track that you've picked the Ella Fitzgerald and Joe. I want to say 'pass' because I'm English.[English accent with elongated'ahhh' sound pronounciation] But I would imagine you say'pass' [American accent with short 'ah' sound pronounciation]
Albert Alva:Joe Pass. [American style]
Sarah Spoon:'I ain't got nothing but the blues'. Tell us a little bit about why this is your first track.
Albert Alva:Well, Ella is a major influence on me. So even when I was getting started, I remember putting on her record with Duke Ellington. I used to sing along with it. Her scat singing, I can sing her solo on it. And I saw her in person, half a dozen times. And I was on stage once with her.
Sarah Spoon:Wow, you were on stage with her.
Albert Alva:I was playing with a band. And we walked her up stage. Quincy Jones had to help her escort, slowly walk up the steps. I had just did an arrangement for this band leader on the swing version of the Phantom of the Opera. All I ask of you something like [sings and clicks fingers] 'buh-buh buhh, buh-duh-buh, buh-buh buhh buh-DUH buhh', you can feel that right? After she received the award. They got down and we kicked into that song. And Quincy Jones and Ella Fitzgerald started swing dancing together. It was the real deal. He was spinning her, and I try to tell students, they can figure out, and maybe you can help me. She had trouble walking, when she needed to dance. He had no trouble. Can you explain that? So I love that story.
Sarah Spoon:Oh, that's really something to treasure.
Albert Alva:So this series, Ella Fitzgerald Joe Pass. They did at least four albums together. And I love them all. So it's just a wonderful Duke Ellington song that's not often done enough.
Sarah Spoon:that is so yummy.
Albert Alva:I love the entire album. especial she's has a different quality than what we're used to.
Sarah Spoon:Next song on the list, which is, quote unquote, ridiculously funky. And I think this is the song I was most excited to see on your playlist, Tower of Power, Drop it in the Slot. How did you come into loving this song so much?
Albert Alva:Well, I was around when it came out. And I'm an electric bass player. I can play the line. I've done arrangements of the song and have played it with my college band. That song that I told you about I sang recently was a Tower Power song. We did soul stepping choreography. And I was dancing and singing at full volume up an octave and doing it right. So after swing, funk is, is my roots, say when I'm driving to a performance of a swing gig to keep my mind clear from that music so it's fresh. I might listen to Tower Power on the drive or some other you know the carpenters anything differently. So then when I'm ready to hit my swing, it's fresh.
Sarah Spoon:Tower of Power have three sax players. Question. Can you have too many sax players in a band?
Albert Alva:Well, no. It's just about the the arranger, the arrangement. As I recall, I think I have a Benny Carter, the great saxophone player. I have one of his records and he might have had a dozen saxophone players on this recording. So It all has to do with your arranging. So but for funk, Tower of Power added to magic number three,
Sarah Spoon:three is the magic number! relentlessly funky.
Albert Alva:I can share a story. I don't know. You may know this already, but the saxophone player name is Lenny Pickett, the soloist there. He had his own style and several years into the band, he got an offer that he couldn't refuse. So he's been the musical director for Saturday Night Live for a couple of decades. You tune into that show and you hear the funky saxophone player in the high notes. That's Lenny Pickett from Tower of Power.
Sarah Spoon:Ah,
Albert Alva:another interesting tidbit,
Sarah Spoon:I love it. Keep keeping coming. Next up on the list, we have Jascha Heifetz, Ain't Necessarily So, from Porgy and Bess
Albert Alva:Trained one of the greatest classical violinists ever, and I think he was friends with George Gershwin, might have dated his sister or something like that. I remember reading the liner notes. He did an entire record of Gershwin melodies. I was a, in high school, and I would check out music from the library. very inexperienced, I didn't know anything. I didn't know anybody. I put on an LP, Hearing Gershwin melody, with a wonderful violin sound. I had never heard anything about it. I was high for weeks. Just to hear a beautiful violin playing a girl from LA who I didn't know about that.
Sarah Spoon:Well, on your Desert Island, where you have these 10 records, where on the island. Are you listening to this this song?
Albert Alva:Water's edge. Heifetz, Ain't Necessarily So it fits the uh, desert island song. I would never get tired of that.
Sarah Spoon:Just Squeeze Me by Clark Terry and Coleman Hawkins. How did you discover this song?
Albert Alva:Well, I was really on my own a lot when I was young. So I would just experiment. One album, somebody would be a sideman on someone's record, and I'd say well, let me check this out. And I would just, I used to have a few thousand LPs. This is also interesting for the Major Holly playing bass, you're going to hear an unusual sound you may have never heard before. The bass player is singing one of the melody notes. And he's humming it along with his bass in the lower octave. So it's a guy humming with his bass. It's unusual and Clark Terry and Coleman Hawkins are two of my favorites
Sarah Spoon:Clark Terry pops up a couple of times in this list. Are you just a big fan of his work or...?
Albert Alva:Well, I've met him and I've worked with him. I recorded with him, with my association with Louie Bellson, been his arranger and librarian, for a decade or so, Clark Terry's a legend. There's a wonderful movie that they made about him, a documentary called Keep On Keepin On in the last year of his life, and it just showed him. And that last year, mentoring a young pianist who's still at it, I was in the recording studio on the other track that I played for you. I ended up being the conductor for that session.
Sarah Spoon:We're going to play that a little later on in this in the show, and I'm excited to share it with everybody. Is it that you know, Clark Terry, which is why you like this version of Just Squeeze Me or is it also you just love the arrangement and the sound?
Albert Alva:Oh, no, is playing his his solo is off the charts. That means it's especially good. It's the kind of thing with musicians when we like a certain solo, we will learn it. Sometimes we write it down. Sometimes we do it by by ear. So that's it. The biggest compliment you can give to a jazz soloist if you want to learn what they play, and so you can somehow get the same feeling that they were doing when they just created it in the moment. Here's something interesting about the way I play my saxophone. I feel if I can sing something, I can play it. You know, you could sing the melody of a new song I never heard before. It would just take me a few seconds to play it back to you. Because I have a direct connection to my, I guess I have pretty good ears.
Sarah Spoon:Well, I can't see them because they're under headphones, but I, having heard you play. Oh, I'm inclined to agree with you. [laughs] yeah nice clean ending there.
Albert Alva:Yeah. So we don't always hear that Ellington song as well. So
Sarah Spoon:Well, I mean what what a catalogue. You know, speaking of the man himself, the Duke and Rosemary Clooney, I'm Checking Out Goom-bye, from 1956. Is this another one of the checking an LP out the library situations?
Albert Alva:No, this is a little bit later, but I recorded, I believe on two of Rosemary Clooney's last two albums. We played many concerts. I played one night with her, one week, an entire week and Michael Feinstein's club in New York Jazz Club. I'm sitting next to her for a week, every for all the sets. Tony Bennett came in, and I snuck a photo with him. I have that photo. I played one little eight measure clarinet in a song. And she turned to me and said, Yeah, Albert! You realize that those kind of memories can stick with you. I give that to my style of playing where I'm just singing, making up a new melody and singing from the heart. She wouldn't have said that if I would have just played a bunch of notes, trying to show off. You know, she felt it. Yeah, she heard what she heard. And I was trying to say something musical. And with Duke Ellington, that's my favorite Big Band, so I had to have him on the list.
Sarah Spoon:Hmm. Duke and the boys recorded this separately from Rosemary. And this is one of the first albums that was recorded with overdubbing, rather than recording everybody together. Thank you Wikipedia. And this was also her first, this was her debut album because she had had hits previously with like, show tunes and being on compilations, So this was her first album proper. But in doing the digging, I realized here there is a Clark Terry connection with this track as well!
Albert Alva:Carrie was with Duke for many years, I can share another little story with you
Sarah Spoon:Go on then!
Albert Alva:Louie Bellson, the drummer I mentioned that I work with, he invented the double bass drum By the way, Louie Bellson, Willie Smith and Juan Tizol were playing with Harry James' band, and Duke offered them a gig. But that's kind of hard to do. So nervously they went to Harry James dressing room, and laid it out to him. You know, we, Duke wants us. And they were just waiting for him to let them have it. And Harry James response was, 'can you take me with you?!' Nobody turns that down. I actually remember. I read an autobiography by Clark Terry. Actually, he came to Duke from, Duke kind of stolen from Count Basie's band.
Sarah Spoon:[laughs] yoink!
Albert Alva:Clark always worried about that. He said later, and later on they played a gig when they're older, old guys. And he said, Hey, I'm sorry. You know, I went to Duke, Duke stole me and Count said 'I know'. So you know what I when I learned about a story like that is we don't need to hold musicians back, you know they have an opportunity. I don't think that way some, people might do that. But I don't.
Sarah Spoon:I guess we should talk about the next song then.. Robin's Nest. Clark Terry is not on this record.
Albert Alva:right
Sarah Spoon:I checked! Because I was like there's a pattern forming here. But I did discover that two different Albert's that aren't you, play on this track. Albert Lucas on bass and Albert Wichard on drums. So..
Albert Alva:Well, that's very interesting. Yes, he's my my hero. A lot of people might know him by his biggest hit. Do you remember what that one was?
Sarah Spoon:flying home?
Albert Alva:Yeah. So he was with Hampton Band when he did that, and then had many hits on his own.
Sarah Spoon:So why this one and not the big one?
Albert Alva:Because it's mellow and peaceful. And that's what I want to impose on the desert island.
Sarah Spoon:Yeah, you don't want to get too... jazzed up because you've got nowhere to go to I spose.
Albert Alva:But it's also a beautiful improvisation that he does. And just a, uh, yes, I guess I just love the melody that much.
Sarah Spoon:Yeah, well as a sucker for a melody myself, I fully respect that. Alright, well, let's get this one going. It's lovely in groovy. I'm really into groovy things at the moment.
Albert Alva:Good, and he had a hand in composing that along with the pianist there, Sir Charles Thompson. Yeah. So here's an interesting story. So I was a young musician exploring like I told you how to go to the library, and just try it, buy a record and take a chance. I was working at an early age, I was playing clubs with funk bands. Before I was old enough to play in clubs, but I did it anyway, no one said anything, no one told me and I bought these records... and one of the earliest records I discovered on was the Lionel Hampton collection. And that's the first time I heard Flying Home. So I thought it was special right away. I transcribed the solo, I wrote, wrote it out. When I first met the band leader Jonathan Stout think we've been together many years now. 15, 16, 17 years they say, he came to visit me once and he saw a big poster I have of Illinois Jacquet and Sweets Edison hanging on my wall. So he was into Jacquet as well. So we were both into Illinois Jacquet before we even knew each other. So we just said, okay, we're probably supposed to be playing together? [laughs]
Sarah Spoon:You were made for each other.
Albert Alva:Yes. And I've seen Illinois Jacquet played maybe three times. Yes. He was a, he was a great individual, a great showman. I remember. I saw him in Hollywood, California. He's playing his alto sax, which he loved, but he's known for his famous tenor saxophone. Lionel Hampton tells a story that Jacquet was playing alto and he told him, I need a tenor, man, and IIllinois, Illinois said,'No, I'll play my alto', and Lionel Hampton told him that'well if you want the gig, you'll play tenor. And I'll, I'll get you a tenor.' And then he said, Hampton said that he never looked back after that. So when I saw him and in a club in Los Angeles, Hollywood, California, he played On the Sunny Side of the Street, He played an alto solo. He sang it, and then he tapped danced a chorus. Isn't that nice?
Sarah Spoon:If you had to pick between your saxophones? Which one would you choose, like to take on..
Albert Alva:- tenor sax
Sarah Spoon:without a shadow of a doubt?
Albert Alva:without a shadow of a doubt, it's, it's a part of me. It's like just, singing. Here's what I tell fellow musicians or anyone that's interested. It gets deeper. When I'm playing at my best. I'm just scat singing through my saxophone. Makin' up new melodies.
Sarah Spoon:Well, I'd like to think I've heard you at your best. So I, I think, I think that's why so many people connect with your playing. Ohh, we should probably talk about the next song as well! Which is the most modern sounding thing on the whole list. And it is Jonny Lang and Anything's Aossible from 2006. And I was really struck by this, because it is, it stands out because it is so... almost pop-like, by comparison to all of these, what's the, what's the story behind it?
Albert Alva:Well, he came from the blues and the blues is the foundation of jazz. He was a childhood prodigy, sure he jammed with BB King and all those legend when he was just a kid. I remember... going to this Target. We have them here. I don't know if you have them out there. Big chain, retail store and I bought this CD. And I just sat in my car listening to one song after another, was just amazing. And I guess what I like about it is I'm also a songwriter. So I'm interested, and even in the swing music that we listen to a story a meaningful story hits with me as well. So, I love the melody and the music but this message hit home too. So it's, it's about people telling you can't do something, and Jonny Lang is saying anything's possible, that hit with me and I would need that on the desert island too, see I'm keeping this theme alive? That I could be rescued or I'll figure out a way to get out of here. [laughs]
Sarah Spoon:It is a very sunny melody, isn't it? And like very, it, I mean, you can feel the optimism oozing out of it.
Albert Alva:I'm also interested in the lyrics in a song too. So a lot of those old songs. You probably know as well as I do, the songwriters were just as a skill and as important as the music makers.
Sarah Spoon:Yeah, yeah, for sure. Next up, you arranged it!
Albert Alva:Yes. This is from Louie Bellson Clark Terry collaboration. Like of course, they called it the Louis and Clark Expedition. [laughs] Louie handed me from his melody on one sheet. And he said, Can you arrange this? And I said, Yes. And I, put my heart and soul into it, this is my favorite arrangement that I've done. And sometimes I tell people when I play, and when I'm right, I'm not necessarily trying to change the world. I'm trying to make something that makes people react somehow emotionally. Sometimes when people try to, you know, show their chops, you know, with a lot of complex stuff, which I know how to do when needed. But, when I'm at my best, I just wanted to create a swinging arrangement that the band would have fun playing and Clark Terry's on this in his later days. I had made charts very big so he could see because his eyes were going bad too. I can tell you one story about this session that I love. He recorded half of the solos live Clark Terry on the, his flugel horn trumpet. And I decided to record a couple of them later, overdubbing them. So I'm overdubbing in the studio with Clark Terry, me and engineer in the booth. So he recorded a track, and then, they, the engineer came back from the, in the headphones and he said, 'All right, Clark, which one do you like best?' And he said 'the next one!', So that meant he wasn't done. [laughs]
Sarah Spoon:Are you someone who likes to do your part many times? Or are you like one and done, or like maximum two, or do you want to just go over and finesse as much as you can in recording?
Albert Alva:I am the one that goes for the first or second take. I gave it everything I got. And it worked out well again with Jonathan Stout. Because records we would do, there might be two or three takes on one song, and that was it. I said, Okay, I can deal with that. And I've been that way my whole career. I work with another, another guy once. He wasn't happy with his part. So we do like 10 takes in one song, I was ready to check out! I don't want to necessarily repeat myself. That's the school of thought that I've come, it's usually my you know, first, second, I pretty much give it what I got. But, being a professional i can, i can do more if needed.
Sarah Spoon:Would you like to introduce the song like a radio presenter? You could be like, Hi, I'm Albert Alva. And then you do the intro.
Albert Alva:That would have been a first I've never done it.[laughs] Well, part of the desert island jams with Sarah spoon. I had to include this on the list. Louie Bellson and Clark Terry. Playing the Davenport Blues, composed by Louie Bellson, arrange by Albert Alva... such an honour. And I never, uh, get tired of listening to this. And I've put my heart into you, I'll share an interesting story about this recording session, I always have a story, you should know that by now! So Louie Bellson and Clark Terry are very old school musicians, they were older, you know, they could, they're in their 70s, at least by then. We flew up to New York, Louis, myself and maybe one other person, they really didn't have a conductor, or a producer. And I'm playing second alto saxophone and the saxophone section. I've never done anything like that. I ended up having to be the musical director... And I had no experience doing it, and people were checking me out and wondering what I was doing, because I wasn't perfect. But somehow I managed to do it, I had to learn on the spot, how to be a musical conductor for a recording session. Because nobody was there, that song.. every song we rehearse, like 40 minutes, and we go for a take or two, and then go on to the next one. So everybody was hearing the song for the first time, and I would make points and I was doing all the cut offs. And I was thrown into the fire!
Sarah Spoon:huh. I'm all about in the fire, in the deep end when it comes to learning, although I know some people prefer to, like, dip their toes in. What about you?
Albert Alva:I like your approach too. I also teach a lot of young musicians, you know, maybe from the age of 10 through 18, as well as my college work, but, I started hundreds of kids on their very first solo. If you do it correctly, they are hooked for life. If you don't do it, right, they will never want to do it again! So I just tried to get them to have fun at it as opposed to giving them you might be able to relate to this. If you give him someone just starting too much technical stuff, they might say Oh, forget it, you know, and never do it. But my college students are used to me throwing them into the fire. I remember once student, we're going to play a performance. He wanted to know what songs we were going to play for a little combo gig? I say yeah, I'll get to it later. I never had time. So he just had the sight read them on the performance. He, he mastered that by the time he left the college. I have a history of just throwing students into it. Most of the time it's better instead of waiting around until they think they have it perfect.
Sarah Spoon:Yeah, it's never going to be the right time. So just go for it.
Albert Alva:You know, if you're in that position, if you know if they feel that you have them covered and you have their back and you're doing it with love, they'll they'll try it, you know not trying to do mean or push it for no reason, but it usually works out.
Sarah Spoon:Oh, you sound like a good teacher.
Albert Alva:Otherwise we'll wait forever. I don't have time for that. [laughs]
Sarah Spoon:Let's move on to song nine which is definitely very desert island.
Unknown:Well, Celia Cruz and Cucala I remember this song when I I was aware of her music and I'd seen videos I just thought she was she was an interesting person. She's like the Ella Fitzgerald of salsa. She was the queen of it and so I bought a collection. This was the very first song that I heard in my collection. Cucala - as soon as this song starts, I'm hooked , every time, so she's still one of my heroes. Oh, here's another interesting story. You're waiting for this part. There was a famous American movie made called Mambo Kings. I was in the film just as a sideline musician playing in one of the bands, if I got in I was for half a second. Celia Cruz was in the movie. So apparently I was in a movie with Celia Cruz, so I can, it's by, by a sliver. But yeah, I can't wait for this, even though I just hear a few seconds as I'm gonna be off to the races.
Sarah Spoon:Let's have some of that right now.
Albert Alva:Azucar, did you hear her say that?
Sarah Spoon:Yeah, that was a thing that she was known for her, catchphrase, right?
Albert Alva:Yeah, well, she was at a concert once. And the audience was getting on her nerves and she yelled that word out. And the audience liked it stuck with it, so she didn't have to do it in every concert so that she loved it after that. But [laughs]
Sarah Spoon:is this another by the beach? Is it the montage of you like on the desert island getting coconuts down and making cocktails with them? Or , where does it fit in the island narrative?
Albert Alva:That'd be what I would what I was feeling happy, because I'd be dancing around. I would be juggling the coconuts, even though I don't know how to do it! You know, how can you picture that?
Sarah Spoon:[laughs] Yeah! Well y' got time to learn it. Learn how to juggle?
Albert Alva:Yeah, it would be another optimistic song that there's hope something gonna happen.
Sarah Spoon:Yeah, like optimism and maybe a little bit of sunstroke at the same time, delirium is setting in
Albert Alva:And this salsa music. There is some jazz in there. You know, when you get into the phrases in the horn section, sometimes you can hear a fleeting influence on that. Yeah.
Sarah Spoon:Well, we're at the final song, which is... a song that was new to me. And I've got to say, it is gorgeous, and smoky... And ... thank you for bringing it into, well, my life and into the lives of the listeners who don't know what's in store for them. Can you tell us a little bit more about it?
Albert Alva:I checked this one out, I think, for the library or something. And I just said, after I heard the first two measures, I said, I was just a kid. I said, that's what I want to sound like. Finally, because I heard all these fancy stuff. It just didn't compete with me. And I heard somebody playing with feeling and soulful. I later saw him maybe six or seven years ago, and he did this song. So I was in heaven, Wig Blues. And he's a, I'll tell you quickly the story so you can, people won't want to know, but he, apparently he had a, he had a girlfriend, girlfriend cuz he liked very much. And he liked her so much. You bought her a wig. But when they broke up, he wanted the wig back. But his playin', I don't know, other musicians might have a same spot in their career where they can say, THAT'S what I want to sound like. This was that moment.
Sarah Spoon:If it was on my desert island. This is as the sun's going down, but it's still really warm and there's sand between my toes. What about you?
Albert Alva:I like it. Is this a song that they would be like blues, I've heard of blues dancing.
Sarah Spoon:It is a wonderful thing. You should try it sometime. Have you ever had the chance to play this song? live?
Albert Alva:No, but it could happen. I play slow blues. But it doesn't happen very often. But I would, I would have that song in my mind. That's one of my influences.
Sarah Spoon:Would you like to play more slow blues?
Albert Alva:Yes, definitely. I like slow blues. I like ballads,
Sarah Spoon:any organizers who are listening to this, I would encourage them to reach out to Albert, maybe you could ask him to put together, like a small combo for your blues event. And then you could literally just... do the blues to your heart's content. I would probably give a leg... maybe even a kidney to come to that event, I would love to hear it. Are there going to be any blues tracks on your album?
Albert Alva:Well, I had worked on something, I kind of got stalled with everything but no, that's a great, great idea. I love slow blues rarely get a chance to play them live.
Sarah Spoon:I'm gonna make a note of this, and next time we are able to meet in person maybe he'd do a rendition for me because I would love that.
Albert Alva:Yes, you're on[laughs]
Sarah Spoon:[laughs] Got this recorded so I could hold you to that! This is Wig Blues by Lou Donaldson. Just the way it slides on in at the start. So beautiful
Albert Alva:Still has the same impact, if you could imagine I'm just a teenager put on, Okay, another record and I put this on. I had it as soon as that started, I had to do a double take. I said what? This is it! Like just, clouds opened up and the sun came through. And I said YES. So I'm playing in California, place called Long Beach. I'm playing in a club, which had a big front window so that walker, passerby could see and some old guy's walking out looking in the window. There was famous jazz club, a couple of blocks away. And I found out later that Lou Donaldson was playing there. So, Lou Donaldson was checking me out in the window playing the Girl from Ipanema!
Sarah Spoon:Whaaaaat
Albert Alva:And he knows that song too, you know, but he just had a look, some of those, those guys are just larger than life, an aura about them. Lou Donaldson was checking me out!
Sarah Spoon:I love it! Are there any other tidbits or stories or urban legends that you want to share? Like, I want to take advantage of this awesomeness while I've got a microphone in front of you.
Albert Alva:Well, Louie Bellson who I worked for, who invented the double bass drum, one of the greatest jazz drummers of all time, um, he happened to be married to an actress singer named Pearl Bailey, she was very, very big. And I remember one time I was sitting with her, in Disneyland , at a table with Pearl Bailey, famous actress and all this stuff. Watching Louis Bellson's big band playing live. And then, the soloist came out, this old trumpet player big giant trumet player, and it was cat Anderson.
Sarah Spoon:Oh my god!
Albert Alva:I'm with Pearl Bailey, watching Louie Bellson and Cat Anderson comes out. So these kinds of memories stay with you.
Sarah Spoon:Amazing. Any more?! Like, come on. Like don't feel like you need to hold back on my account!
Albert Alva:I'm looking at the poster I have on my wall and it has Louie Bellson band with, Joe Williams, you remember him from he was Count Basie's vocalist, I've, I've backed up Joe Williams once
Sarah Spoon:Oh, my God.
Albert Alva:So I have to look at my resume to remember this stuff.
Sarah Spoon:What a resume, this is amazing.
Albert Alva:On the big picture. I might also tell students or other people. Everybody's the same people are just people. And most of these famous people I've met are very nice people. I tell them if you ever meet people that aren't nice. I generally avoid those people anyway, I don't care what they have to offer. Here's, here's one little tip that I've learned about when you meet famous people. I came up with,
Sarah Spoon:Come on then
Albert Alva:Maybe give like one minute, gushing over their famous hit. But, if you take a moment to ask them what they're currently working on, then you're onto something, then they will tell you . There, they actually love that they had this famous hit. And then it's made them a lot of money or success or something. But they're actually working on something now. People don't think to ask,'Well, what are you working on now?' Then you're on to something you can actually make a friendship with them and start a conversation. My tip for the day
Sarah Spoon:A minute, like time yourself and like, 'Oh my god, I really loved it'. Oh, time's up.'So what are you working on at the moment?'
Albert Alva:You'll be surprised.
Sarah Spoon:Hmm. So other than having English people interview you for podcasts, what are you working on at the minute?
Albert Alva:Um we shut down locked down over here. I was in the middle of college classes. So I've been zoom teaching, three classes. And then I also teach youth jazz bands, as well. So I remember on Tuesdays, it's kind of settled down, but I had 10 zoom classes in one day!
Sarah Spoon:That's intense.
Albert Alva:Yes. It's challenging to to teach a big band on zoom. I had to be creative.
Sarah Spoon:If someone was to come to you and say, 'Albert, I want to be an amazing saxophonist, what are your tips?' ...What are your tips?!
Albert Alva:Learning your basic scales, developing your ear, learning songs just from off the radio or CDs, and having some favorites, people that you can look up to. So you need to listen is the most important thing, to listen to everybody and go back to the beginning. Listening for the history of jazz, and developing your ear.
Sarah Spoon:Awesome. Thank you. And thank you so, so much for your time. This has been wonderful.
Albert Alva:Yes, this is so much fun. [laughs] I have another, I have one question for you. While I'm playing Cucala by Celia Cruz, would you know what to do on the dance floor? Could you handle that rhythm that beat?
Sarah Spoon:Yeah, I mean, I'm not sure it would be quote unquote, what's right,
Albert Alva:you wouldn't fall down?
Sarah Spoon:I would stay on the dance floor if you started playing that. I absolutely promise.
Albert Alva:[laughs] Thank you for such a great time.
Sarah Spoon:And that was our episode. Thank you so much for listening. Please do share the episode. If you've enjoyed it, click subscribe. And also leaving reviews. That's totally a thing. And that is also muchly appreciated. Albert isn't huge into social media, but if you want to find him, you can find him on Facebook. You can find us on Instagram. Guess what the username is? Yeah, that's correct. It's Desert Island Jams. Desert Island Jams is produced by me, Sarah Spoon. This edition had some some additional support by Alletta Cooper. The music license is kindly sponsored by voicesculptor.com. Sara Azmy also known as @sazmy_design on Instagram is the magician who whipped up the graphics. Jonathan Stout produced this original music for our soundtrack, please go to Bandcamp and buy all of his things immediately. Remember, you can find listen along playlists on Spotify and YouTube you just need to type Desert Island Jams into the search bar. If you would like a transcript for this episode, FYI, all of the episodes have transcripts, then you just need to follow the link that is in the show notes. Again, thank you for listening and Desert Island Jams will return next month.