An Interview with NZ Jazz great; pianist/composer: Judy Bailey (late 1979)

 Introduction:  I interviewed Judy; in perhaps late 1979.  There is a Part One of this interview but I've yet to locate it.  I was studying Jazz theory with visiting USA Jazz musicians; via the courtesy of Jeanette & Greg Quigley who had organized Jamie Aebersold to teach in Australia.

I've the feeling that it was around this time that I managed to sit down and have a chat with Judy with my trusted tape recorder.  As this interview will show; Judy displays a brilliant; quirky, humorous and insightful take on her idiom along with the generalities of life in the Antipodes. 

I've decided to try to stick to the original transcription with as few edits as possible. Along with that as it's a very long interview which I'm having to retype I'm going to break it up into segments. I know for those who are familiar with Judy's work you'll enjoy hearing her responses to my questions and for those new to her that you'll check out her gorgeous music.   Cheers! Janice 

African Queen club in Double Bay 1979.

                                                        Photo: Jane March. 

Jan:  I'd like to quote the author Anais Nin; from Novel of the Future. She says here 'The Japanese speak of achieving balance between serenity and intensity, it is very essential in their life'.  That again brought me to thinking not only about your playing but all the myriad things that you do. 

Judy:  That's interesting too, because you know, Japan too is over a volcanic belt (like New Zealand) and that need to achieve a balance between serenity and intensity I'm sure it must have something to do with the actual physical surroundings and that awareness of what's going on. 

Jan:  It brings me to the question of the difficulty of combining performing, teaching and being on the Music Board of the Australia Council for the Arts.  Also that you're the first active jazz musician on the music board.

Judy:  As far as I know, yes.

Jan:  The balancing between all those activities, in terms of hours, days. You're able to switch from one thing to the other or do you see it as a continuation? Do you feel that they're all feeding in to the one thing?

Judy: Yes, I can't separate them really into little slots and wear different hats. I have to do it that way, otherwise I don't think I could do any of it. It's really only something I've become aware of, of the process that was going on and allowed it to happen. 

Jan: I remember seeing you at the Tai Chi Master, Al Huang's concert and you were playing for him.  An interesting thing for me was that I hadn't made those connections with you and Tai Chi.  It was pretty exciting for me because I'd been doing Tai Chi for a few years then.

I wonder what you felt about those sort of artforms, the fact that he'd been able to merge Tai Chi with the artform of dance and entertainment.  He is an improvisor.  How did you feel working with him?

Judy:  I felt marvellous. It was great! You've just made me realize something about him being an improvisor. In a sense aren't we all?  Improvisors?

Jan: How many of us give ourselves permission?

Judy:  Our whole life is an improvisation really when you think about it and I've never quite thought about it 'till this very moment, thank you for putting the thought in my head. 

Jan: What was also exciting on that night, was the combination of yourself and there was someone else with you.

Judy:  It was Ron Philpott. 

Jan: You actually got the audience participating, there was that feeling that the musicians, the audience and Al Huang weren't separate and that's a rare situation.

Judy:  That's a magic feeling.  It doesn't happen often and it's magic when it does and in fact, because they were willing that's why that thing happened.  There was such a marvellous feeling of goodwill because everyone was improvising!

Jan:  I know you work with children and you work in all sorts of other fields and it seems to me that you're also trying to break down those barriers, those preconceptions. 

Judy: Yes, that's why I get such a buzz taking the ensemble at the Conservatorium because that's what's going on.  The preconceptions are gradually dissipating and all sorts of exciting things are starting to happen. 

Jan:  Is that a Jazz Ensemble or various ensembles?

Judy:  There are various, but I only take one, a Jazz Ensemble. That way I can keep my energy high and my enthusiasm high and I also, since last year have been taking the Final Year Bachelor of Music Education students and that's really a challenge because here are students who pretty well all of them have had strict classical training and for the first time in their lives they're starting to know something about jazz and boy when you start to get through, you know when the doors start being opened...wow!  

Jan:  Really exciting!

Judy:  It's great!

Jan:  I wanted to ask you...

Judy: Excuse me...Can you imagine thirty-two classically trained students all articulating and singing beautifully in tune 'Anthropology'?

Jan: Great! So you include a lot of singing?

Judy: Oh yes, even with my instrumental students in the Jazz Ensemble. I figure if they can articulate the phrase they're gonna be able to play it so much better on their instrument, they're gonna feel comfortable with it. 

                                                                

Chuck Yates & Judy Bailey: Soup Plus 1989. Photo: Jane March 

https://www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/judy-bailey-an-improvised-career

https://australianjazzrealbook.com/artists/judy-bailey/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judy_Bailey_(pianist)

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/jazz/retro-artist/judy-bailey/10381796