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Posted on: Tuesday, February 20, 2007 HJQ keeps it going Sample song: "Real Old Style" by Honolulu Jazz Quartet   By Derek Paiva Advertiser Entertainment Writer       Meet the band: Dan Del Negro, 52, piano.   Tim Tsukiyama, 47, tenor/soprano saxophone.   John Kolivas, 45, bass, leader.   Adam Baron, 35, drums.   Keola Beemer   Duke Ellington   Miles Davis   Don Gordon   RELATED NEWS FROM THE WEB Latest headlines by topic: � The Ray Brown Trio �  Black Entertainment �  Grady Tate �  John Coltrane �  Herbie Hancock �  Nat Hentoff �  Miles Davis � Jazz   Powered by Topix.net     H-Town jazz saviors the Honolulu Jazz Quartet are back with a second CD, "Tenacity," and some serious critical praise from lauded jazz author Nat Hentoff. Catch the HJQ live tonight. Dig what makes 'em so cool now. CONCERT The Honolulu Jazz Quartet "Tenacity" CD release When: 8 tonight Where: Luke Lecture Hall, Wo International Center, Punahou School How much: $10 general, $7 student/seniors (55+) More information: 923-3909 Also: 9 p.m., Friday, The Hanohano Room, 922-4422 HJQ STATS Formed a band. July 2001 Get the CDs. "Tenacity" (2007), "Sounds of the City" (2004) The sound. Kolivas calls it "post-bop acoustic jazz." Why the title "Tenacity"? "It means to hang on when the going gets tough," says Kolivas. "It also has to do with the group staying together, and playing jazz. We love the music. But it's not an easy thing to stick to. ... You have to be tenacious to stick with what you believe in." HJQ motto. "Keep it going." INFLUENCES INCLUDE Kolivas: Miles Davis, Woody Shaw, Wayne Shorter; Tsukiyama: Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, inset; Del Negro: Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Chick Corea; Baron: Jeff Hamilton, Ray Brown, Ahmad Jamal ABOUT 'TENACITY' All originals, no standards. Reason? To create instead of simply play music. "Duke Ellington said, 'It's all been written already. We're just rearranging,' " said Kolivas. "You have to be creative (and) make something ... to be an artist. It's important to do that." Well, except one. The Keola Beamer composition "Real Old Style," which Kolivas admires for its focus on family life. Beamer, inset, wrote the original about his grandfather and aunties who loved to dance. CRITICAL FANDOM Nat Hentoff digs it. So much so, that Hentoff, inset, writes that the HJQ "exemplifie(s) the very definition of jazz � a conversation of individual voices fully listening to one another and cohering into a unique, continually evolving organism." Don Gordon does, too. The jazz aficionado and host of KIPO-FM 89.3's weeknight "Jazz With Don Gordon" show says, "Hopefully, this CD will gain recognition and grab the attention of respected Mainland jazz programmers. (It) continues the elevation of local jazz both at home and afar." NABBING NAT Kolivas, first turned on to jazz after reading Nat Hentoff's young-adult novel "Jazz Country" at age 12, sent a review copy of "Sounds" to the writer in 2004. Hentoff asked Kolivas to send an advance disc of HJQ's second recording when it was done. "The same day he got it in New York, he called me and said, 'The tracks are fine! ... If you'd like, I'd be willing to write the liner notes.' " In those, Hentoff writes, "I only write liner notes for recordings that make me want to hear them again � and again." MEETING MILES Kolivas met Miles Davis in 1983 in New York while playing in the band of the Broadway musical "The Tap Dance Kid." Renowned session drummer Grady Tate introduced Kolivas to the raspy-voiced trumpet legend. Known for being a dude of few words, Davis leaned in and gave Kolivas the coolest compliment ever: "Bass sounds good." Says Kolivas, "I could've retired after that." Jazz cat they'd all be roadies for. Miles Davis ESSENTIAL JAZZ CD Kolivas: "Kind of Blue," Miles Davis; Tsukiyama: "Afro Blue Impressions," John Coltrane; Del Negro: "Gershwin's World," Herbie Hancock. Baron: "Bam Bam Bam," Ray Brown Trio ESSENTIAL NONJAZZ CD Kolivas: "Songs in the Key of Life," Stevie Wonder; Tsukiyama: "Greatest Hits," Sly & The Family Stone; Del Negro: "Mozart Piano Concertos 17, 19, 21 & 25," Ambache Chamber Orchestra; Baron: "Live at the Acropolis," Yanni Reach Derek Paiva at dpaiva@honoluluadvertiser.com.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070220/LIFE/702200310/1076

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Chillin' at the lounge of the Honolulu Club, the Honolulu Jazz Quartet is, clockwise from top left, drummer Adam Baron, saxophonist Tim Tsukiyama, bassist John Kolivas and pianist Dan Del Negro.

Jazz linguists

The Honolulu Jazz Quartet has grown to influence its own influences by tenaciously telling its own story

"You know, a lot of guys have written books trying to tell what jazz is, but Charlie Parker told the whole story in less than 30 seconds. He said, 'Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn.' ...

-- from the novel "Jazz Country" by Nat Hentoff

John Kolivas was carrying a well-worn paperback copy of the young readers' novel with him when we met last week at the Honolulu Club lounge. It was "Jazz Country" that inspired his own journey into jazz. Imagine his surprise when Hentoff agreed to pen the liner notes to the new album by the Honolulu Jazz Quartet, of which Kolivas is leader and bassist.

The HJQ has become the islands' premier jazz group since its inception in mid-2001. The quartet has certainly "lived enough to feel enough," as Hentoff put it, to play their original music with a certainty and confidence that can come along only with maturity.

"Basically," Kolivas said, " 'Jazz Country' helped me to appreciate that jazz is a language and that you can communicate your feelings through your improvisations and interaction with the band. I also learned that a solo should tell a story. This fascinated me when I read the book years ago."

The quartet's new album, "Tenacity," is an excellent recording that will debut in concert Tuesday at Punahou School's Wo International Center. The CD will be available in local stores starting that day, and going national in stores and online a month later.

"The word 'tenacity,' for us, means sticking together for six years and sticking with jazz, and being true to the art form," Kolivas said. "The album is a real jazz recording."

Recorded late last July at the high-end Avex Hawaii studio in Hawaii Kai with the help of veteran engineer Milan Bertosa, "Tenacity" is the result of an amazingly concentrated two days worth of sessions. With the exception of a fine waltz arrangement of Keola Beamer's "Real Old Style," all the tracks are originals and equally top-notch.

"It's been awhile since the release of the first album, 'Sounds of the City,' " said Del Negro. "We've come a long way with our writing." (His ballad "Chillin' at the Crib" was a welcome last-minute addition to the "Tenacity" lineup.)

"The new album definitely shows some progress in our work," added Kolivas. "The music's a little edgier." With each track recorded live, and getting two run-throughs at most, it was evident that "everyone was clicking on those days in the studio. We've been playing so long together, there was no pressure."

COURTESY JOHN KOLIVAS Kolivas with his inspiration, jazz writer Nat Hentoff.

Back to HJQ's special relationship with Hentoff, a giant among jazz writers and critics: The local-born Kolivas discovered "Jazz Country" "just as I was just getting into jazz, back when I was 12. The book helped inspire my move to New York City when I was 21."

"I remember learning jazz history by reading Hentoff's liner notes on those great Prestige label reissues," Tsukiyama said. "His sense of history has been one of the great influences in my life."

The writer was familiar with HJQ's music when Kolivas approached him at a mainland conference of the International Association for Jazz Education. When Kolivas told him about the new album, Hentoff said he wanted to hear it. When he said later that he was inspired enough to want to do the liner notes, Kolivas was understandably floored.

"Each of these musicians," Hentoff wrote, "has extensively varied experiences with established jazz musicians beyond -- as well as in -- Hawaii. And together they have emerged into the front ranks of jazz combos -- all the more so because ... they can create their own multicolored repertory."

The HJQ has made it this far on its own terms. When asked if the band ever considered doing an album of easier-listening (and probably better-selling) "smooth jazz," Kolivas stated, "We've all played that stuff before. It's important that we stay true to what we believe in. The vision for this band was that it always be an acoustic group."

"That's our musical signature," added Baron. "We believe in what we play, and the music proves we have a distinctive sound."

It's paid off for the Honolulu Jazz Quartet.

http://starbulletin.com/2007/02/16/features/story01.html

Posted on: Tuesday, April 13, 2004

Jazz band puts Islands on chart

By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

Forget "American Idol." Four Hawai'i jazz musicians are attracting
national attention - so much so, that their CD is tied with Norah Jones'
latest on the JazzWeek national chart.

The Honolulu Jazz Quartet's "Sounds of the City," which was recorded
here, has been on the JazzWeek Top 50 chart for the past three weeks.
JazzWeek is the definitive jazz radio airplay chart for stations across
the United States and Canada. The CD was released nationwide in February.
It debuted at No. 44 on JazzWeek three weeks ago.

"We are still hovering in the mid-40 range on the chart," band founder
John Kolivas says. Though he's not counting on climbing the charts much
higher, he says, " ... isn't it something to see the word 'Honolulu' in
the top 50!"

It is particularly impressive since this was an independent project - not
a big-musical label release, but their own project, their first, on their
own label.

Kolivas, who plays bass, grew up in Hawai'i and went on to play on
Broadway and perform with a long list of jazz notables including Larry
Coryell, Herb Ellis, Makoto Ozone, George Benson, Glen Moore, Robin
Eubanks and Richie Cole. He has also performed with the Honolulu Symphony
and toured with Keola Beamer.

Saxophone player Tim Tsukiyama, described as a "local boy" in the liner
notes, studied at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. He
has diverse performance credentials, from Ray Charles to Kalapana.

Dan Del Negro, who plays piano, has extensive musician theater
credentials, having performed with touring companies of "Les Miserables,"
"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," and "Miss Saigon." He
also performs with, and is married to, Keahi Conjugacion of the beloved
Conjugacion musical family.

Drummer Adam Baron is from Kansas City, Mo. He lived in Seattle before
coming to Hawai'i, where he performed Brazilian music, jazz and jump
blues.

The 10 pieces on the CD are all originals. The liner notes give insight
to the inspiration of each; for example, the back story to a piece called
"Heater's On." Apparently, when Kolivas moved to New York City in the
1980s to pursue his music, the noisy heater in his little apartment would
often keep him up on cold winter nights. Many years later, that heater
would inspire his composition. There's also a great little story about
trumpeter Woody Shaw at a traditional Korean barbeque at the Kolivas
family home in Hawai'i.

While so many in Hawai'i are trying to "cross the bridge" to the Mainland
music scene, the Honolulu Jazz Quartet is building their own connection.

You can find out more about the band on their Web site,
www.honolulujazzquartet.com <http://www.honolulujazzquartet.com/> .

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at
535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.
 

Posted on: Friday, February 22, 2002

Island foursome share passion for jazz

Illustration by Jon Orque • The Honolulu Advertiser Honolulu Jazz Quartet with Azure McCall at KIPO Jazz Night 8 p.m. Monday Kapono's at Aloha Tower Marketplace Free 955-8821

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Staff Writer

Bassist John Kolivas formed the Honolulu Jazz Quartet for a single, selfish reason.

"I just wanted to play music that I liked," said Kolivas, laughing. "Where no one could tell me, 'No, you can't play that.'"

Read "that" as jazz, a musical passion for Kolivas since small-kid time with his classical pianist mother and, especially, his jazz sax player father.

"The situation here in Hawai'i is that if you want to make a living in music, you have to play everything," said Kolivas, speaking from experience. In addition to the Honolulu Jazz Quartet — which launches KIPO FM's first monthly Jazz Night with a free performance at Kapono's at Aloha Tower Marketplace on Monday — Kolivas is a member of the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra; plays on recordings by Keola Beamer, Kapono Beamer and Kealii Reichel; and teaches bass and music classes at Kamehameha Schools. And all of this while doing steady restaurant and nightclub gigs around Honolulu.

The jazz quartet was formed by Kolivas last June. Its members — in addition to Kolivas, drummer Richie Pratt, pianist Dan Del Negro and saxophonist Tim Tsukiyama — knew each other from running in the same local music cliques. Kolivas, Pratt and Del Negro had backed vocalist Marianne Mayfield together. Kolivas knew Tsukiyama from gigging around town.

Kolivas was searching for musicians who would be as passionate about the music as he was, and he became convinced Pratt, Del Negro and Tsukiyama fit the bill.

The group held its first rehearsal on a Sunday in July at Kolivas' Diamond Head home, when everyone was finally free of other gigs.

"We ran through a tune called 'I'll Remember April,' and it sounded nice," Kolivas said. "Then we did a couple of standards. Richie had his originals so we did a couple of his things. And that was about it. It just clicked and felt good right away."

The quartet's debut performance the following month attracted a packed house to pianist Rich Crandall's popular weekly Studio 6 jazz night at the Musicians Union building in Kaka'ako. The roomy rehearsal studio has been the quartet's preferred home ever since.

"Right now, we like situations where we play for people who are there to really listen to the music," said Kolivas. "At Studio 6, you can hear every note, because people are just sitting there and listening. It's a lot more fulfilling, as a musician, for creativity."

KIPO's Jazz Night offers the quartet yet another shot at a potentially rapt audience, but more importantly, a place for other Honolulu jazz musicians looking for fervent fans of the genre.

"And that's great, because there just isn't that much happening in jazz in town," Kolivas said. "And there are great musicians here."

The foursome's repertoire includes a mix of its own original work, as well as standards and rarely heard gems by just about every jazz musician that group members have admired. Truth be told, preparing a set list everyone can agree on is typically the quartet's most trying task.

"There's such a big list of tunes that we can do and we like, so it's really hard to narrow it down," Kolivas said. "We mix it up to make it more interesting. I think we'd only feel satisfied if we had an eight-hour concert."

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This article originally appeared in the Honolulu Weekly on September 12, 2001.

MUSIC, by Stephen Fox

"Four Play"

                (photo by Robert Pennybacker )

Newly formed, the Honolulu Jazz Quartet stretches out with singer Azure
McCall for a night of Swinging bebop, scat and progressive jazz.

Bass player John Kolivas performs with the Honolulu Symphony, teaches at
Kamehameha and plays on the pop end, too -- including accompanying a
variety of acts, from Nueva Vida to Keali'i Reichel. But his love since
childhood has been jazz, and that drove him to put together the Honolulu
Jazz Quartet this past June.

"Jazz has always been great tunes from great writers," Kolivas says.
"Playing music like that is challenging. You've got a lot of different
chord changes, different tempos. It's music that sort of gets to our
souls, and we don't get to do it that often."

Before putting together the quartet, Kolivas was jamming with Nueva Vida,
which plays mostly fusion jazz. But he yearned to play music from the
1950s and 1960s, feeling a need to quench his thirst for something more
traditional -- with a careful integration of the cool, bebop style made
famous by Miles Davis. The quartet strives "to play that kind of music
and play it well. Not just try to copy what went on back then, but try to
build on it, develop a sound," says Kolivas.

"Progressive jazz," is how drummer Richie Pratt describes the quartet's
repertoire. "And I started to say traditional jazz, but we kind of
stretch it beyond the traditional."

Kolivas says it was difficult to get a strong regular group together
because so many of the more talented jazz people in town are so busy with
side projects, teaching, recording or something else. But the core of the
group -- Kolivas, Pratt and pianist Dan del Negro -- had backed vocalist
Marianne Mayfield and were receptive to the idea of stretching out
musically together.

The result is a collection of some of the most talented jazz musicians
Honolulu has to offer. Kolivas started on cello at Punahou, and then
switched to bass. He spent eight years in New York City playing jazz and
Broadway shows before returning to O'ahu to raise his family. In 1982,
Kolivas first heard drummer Pratt who was playing the show Sophisticated
Ladies on Broadway.

In the 1960s Pratt was a member of the New York Giants as a lumbering
offensive lineman. Although he had a better offer from a Canadian league
team, Pratt played as a free agent for the Giants to be around the
Manhattan music scene. He retired from the game early and saved his
knees, and went to work as a host at the Village Gate, the Greenwich
Village clubhouse for some legendary jazz performances and live
recordings. There his pro-athlete status actually was a convenient way to
meet folks like Davis and Ahmad Jamal.

"A lot of the heavyweight musicians were as excited to meet me as I was
to meet them," Pratt says. When those musicians on the scene realized
that Pratt was also an accomplished musician, he began getting gigs. He
played Broadway shows and toured with Lionel Hampton.

"That's why I like working with Richie," Kolivas says, "because he's been
there."

Pratt also returns the praise for the quartet's pianist. "Top shelf," is
Pratt's description of del Negro. "No reservations, great facility, good
musicianship."

Del Negro was born in Chicago, where he played until he moved to Los
Angeles in 1995. He came first to Honolulu on tour with the Miss Saigon
company and met Kolivas playing a benefit at Diamond Head Theatre. "I
fell in love with Hawai'i so hard it was almost impossible to leave," del
Negro says, "and I had to come back. What I fell in love with most was
the people."

He's been here since November, playing an increasing number of gigs and
sessions.

The quartet was completed by tenor saxophonist Tim Tsukiyama, a Berklee
College of Music grad who plays with Kalapana and the Royal Hawaiian
Band, and has backed up Ray Charles and the Temptations in their Hawai'i
performances.

The trio needed a lead to round out the group, and Tsukiyama is a
familiar face on the Honolulu jazz scene. "I think Tim was a good
choice," says Kolivas of the reed man. "He's a tenor player. Somehow that
sound, I really like it. It fits the group."

A familiar voice joining the quartet for its gig Sept. 19 at Studio 6 is
stylish chanteuse Azure McCall. "I call her the first lady of jazz in
Honolulu," says Kolivas. "She's got the chops, she's a good scat singer.
She really swings, and that's what you look for in a jazz singer."

"Soon as we hit the first note, we knew it was good. We're gonna go from
Studio 6 to Carnegie Hall," Pratt says with high aspirations.

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