Jazz missionary

When one hears the earliest jazz legends, including the greatest saxophonists of the swing and bebop eras like Lester Young and Charlie Parker, the music sounds old. Of course, much of this has to do with the quality of the recordings; John Coltrane's recordings from the 1960s on the same instrument are incomparable in their power and ferocity of sound.  

Decades later, Courtney Pine is among the few who have reached this summit, sound-wise. He is almost alone in his ability to continuously integrate or remake the jazz saxophone sound for our times, with broad appeal.

None of this, however, has been easy for Pine, born in London in 1964 to first-generation Jamaican immigrants. Besides playing cutting-edge jazz since the mid 1980s by integrating drum 'n' bass, UK garage and dub-step as well as modern soul into his sound, Pine has also been a major champion of traditional jazz as a radio moderator for BBC2 and host of countless other radio and TV jazz programs in the United Kingdom.

Pine's latest recording, Transition in Tradition (2009), brings him back to the origins of jazz with a tribute to the legendary New Orleans clarinetist Sidney Bechet. While this may seem a sharp turn from prior recordings like Jazz Warriors - Afropeans (2008) and Resistance (2005), Bechet has been an influence on clarinetists and soprano saxophonists throughout jazz's history; even Coltrane acknowledged Bechet's influence on his style.

Pine is featuring Transition in Tradition on this tour, so expect to hear more tracks that have a traditional foundation. Yet practically all of the songs, including "Haiti" and "Creole Swing," veer off into their own modern orbits, some more frantic and noisy than others. Running through it all is an East European klezmer sound that has replaced the groovy soul, DJ samples, scratching and thumping bass of earlier albums.

The music reflects Pine's evolving role as a jazz missionary in the United Kingdom. Asked about the differences between American jazz players and himself, he tells The Prague Post, "Jazz musicians have a different duty [in the United States]. They feel that they need to uphold the jazz tradition and keep the old spirit alive by playing like the old masters."

Pine feels pressured to modernize his sound. "We cannot afford to be straight-ahead jazz musicians - we have to diversify," he says. "There just aren't enough clubs, festivals, record companies and jazz magazines to secure a long-term career in straight-ahead jazz. Of course, there are warriors who try to defy that, but the majority of us find that we have to incorporate the complete social climate to stay afloat."

Audience tastes are also an important factor for Pine. "People who turn to jazz are looking for something else," he says. "They are fine with having a strong individual view about a song or solo. But politics has always been, and will be, a part of the music. This is the only music that reflects the climate of the times."

Pine has played Prague at least three times in the past six years, including a sweltering performance at Lucerna Music Bar, a jazz blow-out at the United Islands summer festival and a headline slot at the "Concert in the Park" rock festival in 2007, his last appearance here.

"So much good vibes, energy and enthusiasm from the audience - I did not want to stop playing," is how he recalls those shows. And there's a special Czech connection in Resistance.

"Resistance came from a story that I got in the Czech Republic: During World War II, jazz was seen as the music of the resistance," Pine explains. "That made me want to name the CD this way because, yes, I feel that I am fighting for survival in a musical environment."

And he can't resist adding: "Vive la Resistance!"

Tony Ozuna can be reached at
features@praguepost.com