John Beaudin - Hi Mark, how are things in Hawaii? Are you transplanted there now?

John - It was nice bumping into you at
Beverley Staunton's show, I must say I was surprised to see you, I have this image of you as this big world traveler whose never in Vancouver!

GMH - You would be hard pressed to find me in Vancouver in the winter! I get there in December, but from October to December, and January to June I am in the warmer climes. As you may know I came from Denver Colorado back in the 70's, and I left there partially due to the weather climate, the political climate, and the musical climate that was prevalent at the time. Here I am, doing it again for the same reasons.
No matter how hard I might wish, the warm, dry weather is not going to settle in Vancouver; the political circus will not abate, and the music climate will be a challenge in flux. I have to admit that you have been a flag bearer for jazz for many years, and with this website and your history on radio, you will actually have made a difference. Jazz is such a diminishing art form, unfortunately. That doesn't keep me from pursuing it with my heart and soul, however.

John - Is Sassabrass Music your company?

GMH - Sassabrass Music and Entertainment is my production company that looks after the day-to-day 'behind the scenes' mechanics of my performance events. Wind Tunnel Multimedia is my in-house record label that produces (and holds copyrights) on all my recordings, and distributes the product that is not on major labels. I have 10 CD's out now, not counting 5 as original member status with Powder Blues, or the other artists I have recorded with, such as Benoit Jazz Works, Armi Grano, Fara Palmer, Long John Baldry, Jim Byrnes, John Denver, VEJI, etc.

John - You play a lot of instruments Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Trombone, Flute, Alto Flute, do you still practice a lot on your craft?

GMH - John, nary a day goes by that I am not blowing into the plumbing, as it were. It may seem daunting to some that I play a wide variety of instruments, but I am fortunate to have a natural and stable embouchure that works without much alteration for trumpet, flute, trombone, flugelhorn, and digital winds. I have never subscribed to the philosophy that bedevils many horn players, that of 'needing' an hour or more of 'warm-up' everyday (without fail!) just to be secure at 'square one'. I need little or no warm-up on any of my instruments, largely because I believe I don't (!?) and largely because I have always done it that way, and have learned to trust that system. This definitely leaves more time for actually playing music and not just mind numbing exercises as a start to each day. An artist who had to practice drawing straight lines for an hour a day before accepting the creative muse would..... get very good at straight lines! As for my embouchure, trumpet and flute both work well with a 'normal face' (as opposed to a pucker, smile, etc) and that 'kissing style' with a forward direction works as a cushion and airflow director in almost all circumstances.

John - I remember when I did a show with you and Vancouver band Euphoria years ago you had a few Electronic wind Instruments, do you still play with those?

GMH - Yes, I have been a fan of digital winds since way back in the days of Tom Scott and his Lyricon. In the mid 80's I helped pioneer an interface from IVL Technologies that allowed a wind instrument (even voice) to trigger and send MIDI data (Musical Instrument Digital Interface), and therefore control any synthesizer type instrument or module. Therefore, a trumpet could now become a (monophonic) piano or violin, or whatever. There were some limitations with this, although still pretty cool. High notes triggered more accurately and low notes had a noticeable delay, due to the shorter/longer waveforms and the time it to determine them.
I have a collection of almost all the digital winds that have been prototyped or produced. I have a fully functional Casio midi sax, which even has a speaker built in. I have used the Yamaha WX 7, WX 11, and the Windjammer on my recordings, all of which have some pretty awesome attributes. However, I have had the most satisfying experiences with the Akai EVI-1000, designed by player (and genius) Nyle Styner. This is the one that looks like bug sprayer or alien mixmaster, and is the one I still use all the time because it triggers so flawlessly, smoothly, and accurately and has a breath dynamic that equals that of a real wind instrument. (There is a sax version EWI-1000 that is best know for its association with Michael Brecker). Needless to say, every single instrument mentioned above is not being made anymore. (P.S. Anyone have an EVI for sale? Let me know!)

John - You've played with a lot of different acts any highlights?

GMH - John, I am fortunate to have a collection of gold and platinum record awards, JUNO Awards. I have toured the world (Montreux Jazz Festival [Switzerland], North Sea Jazz Festival [Holland], National Arts Center [Ottawa], Hollywood Palace [CA], and Japan [various]. I have recorded and/or performed with luminaries such as Heart, The O'Jays, Long John Baldry, The Powder Blues, Mary Wells, Ben E. King, and Little Richard. I have done hundreds of radio and TV jingles as well as a handful of movie scores and soundtracks. I am also an eager producer, having recorded and produced numerous artists. such as Les Is More, Armi Grano, Fara Palmer, VEJI, The Pheromones, The Woodies, etc.

John - Your association with Powder Blues started when?

GMH - Powder Blues was a 'charmed' project waiting to burst on the scene in 1978, based at a little dive in Gastown Vancouver called The Spinning Wheel. Just as the band was poised for success, I joined the group and completed the 'horn section sound' that was such a compliment to the raw guitar and gutsy bass. drums, and keys.... it became so well accepted at the time. Success escalated quickly, as we went and recorded our first album UNCUT in about two weeks, and ended up selling 17,000 units from the stage, from venues such as Rohan's Rockpile, and my favorite venue, The Commodore Ballroom. RCA picked up the album and it soon went double platinum as we toured every nook and cranny in Canada. Our subsequent albums also had similar successes (hit singles such as Doing It Right, Boppin' With The Blues, Thirsty Ears, etc) and soon we were touring Europe and the US and opening for The Who, Z Z Top, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Dave Mason, etc. However, by 1984, after some irreparable band implosions, I had had enough of touring the Prairies in the dead of winter in the back of a van. I had released my first album (Solar Winds) on PolyGram a few years before and was ready to pursue my own vision. I did, and 10 albums later, here I am. No Prairies, no winter, no Econoline van.

John - Are you still associated with them?

GMH - Not really. Different strokes for different folks.

John - You know when I first heard Powder Blues and Downchild Blues Band on commercial radio I really thought that there was a change happening on Radio of course that was the late 70 s and how things have changed since then, do you think things will come around again? After all Blues influences are everywhere.

GMH - Change is constant. I am producing a band right now called the Pheromones who have a 'left field' sound, kind of alternative, tortured vocals with a psuedo sambossa feel and wailing lead guitar. You never know, the public consciousness just might be craving that specific unknown! Blues may come back, but it had a lot to do with the social climate at the time (and just prior). It was a backlash against disco glitter, and Watergate type politics. Just like wide ties... wait 15 years!

John - I know you re not big on being pigeonholed and you have been involved in so many different genres but do you spend most of your time concentrating on Jazz?

GMH- Jazz is my first and last love. What is jazz? You tell me! I personally lump most all-instrumental music (except classical) into the Jazz idiom. Just like dinner at a buffet table, there are many flavors to choose from, and some only warrant a small serving, some only when you are in the mood. Some clean your palate, and some fill you up and satisfy. Some are hot, some are cool, some are fresh and some reheated old favorites. Never a dull moment. I also am skilled at other musical styles, and really enjoy the spirit and challenge of performance most. While on Maui this year I played with the Maui Symphony and in the pit orchestra for the theater production of Chicago (this place is bigger than you might think!) My true essence and calling is in improvised music over cool/hot/inviting musical textures.

John - I heard you on The Wave in Hamilton, how much pf your stuff are they playing?

GMH - They played all my CD's backward to see if Paul was dead, but found out he was only in love again. I liked that they spent so much time on my tracks, but I am sure I am another (reoccurring) fleeting artist of the moment, too. If it helps expose me to the public and I can get tour dates, it is all worth it. Just hearing you say you heard my stuff on the radio makes me all warm and fuzzy. (heavy sigh). You are only as good as your last CD, and as you may have noticed, North Americans have very short memories! Uh, what was I saying.....?

John - (laughing) I hear you, Have you heard the station? It s now streaming online.

GMH - When I was in Vancouver (and on cable ISP) I had a listen and immediately bookmarked it for constant streaming. Here in Maui, although DSL and cable are available most places, my house is not on the grid. I find a 56k modem a challenge......There is also Cafe Jazz, a 3 hour smooth jazz specialty show that is produced out of Winnipeg and airs on UMFM in Winnipeg and JAZZ FM 91 throughout all of Ontario, upstate New York, as well as across Canada on satellite also featured me a few times.You are doing a great job with your show, hats off 2 U. Keep up the energy. Jazz is being encroached wherever you turn. KPLU (Seattle) radio has long been a staple jazz source for all the Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island and even I could get it in my car in Vancouver. Well some small Pop Format station popped up on the same number on the dial, and effectively obliterated all that jazz for thousands. The new station is too small to even be heard that in the same radius, but does make it impossible to get KPLU. I can't believe that with the CRTC offer and subsequent scramble to get a Smooth Jazz station in Vancouver, it ended up not happening at all. Every major US city has a Mainstream Jazz and a Smooth Jazz Station. It educates listeners, builds a base for both elements of the art form, and still provides a platform for ads and sponsors. Any wonder why Canada is not such a desirable place to have a jazz career?

John - I really liked Live On Maui it was a little Smooth Jazz and Traditional Jazz and it really worked well did you consciously go for that blend or did it just turn out that way?

GMH - As Popeye says: "I yam what I yam". I like the place where Smooth and Mainstream meet. In general, Smooth Jazz is too brief and glossy for my own performance tastes, and Mainstream Jazz is too self-indulgent. Although it is hard to make any kind of original statement, jazz standards are always great in my book, a good mix of traditionally good songwriting, interesting chordal forms to make improvising fun, an option for vocals, a palette of styles like swing and Latin, and a well respected format/formula/form that is a language unto itself, and can be expressed anywhere in the world. Since programmers like to pigeonhole artists in general, I guess I put my dime on the Smooth Jazz camp. There I might get a chance to be heard under my own terms (not strictly in comparison to the Jazz Monsters that have hallowed the halls since time immoral). Crossover is not a dirty word unless one is a purist, which I am not, thankfully. Here's a tidbit straight from a long time jazz label producer:
Contemporary Mainstream CD's sell maybe 3,000 to 10,000 units for each release, (up to 40,000 tops for a 'buzz' release). This includes guys like Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano, Chick Corea, and Herbie Hancock. Reissues sell that number in a year, and keep on going... Miles, Coltrane, Billie Holiday, etc sell that every year, sometimes more. Smooth Jazz artists who are really established (Lee Ritenour, Rick Braun, Boney James, Peter White, etc) will sell 10,000 out of the box, 100,000 for a 'buzz' release, and there are the flukes who sell (arguable) jazz in the millions, such as Kenny G. Some guys are cleverly straddling the line, such as Pat Metheny, Medeski, Martin, & Wood, and John Scofield. It shows that reinventing yourself doesn't hurt!

John - Are you working on a new CD yet?

GMH - I have recently released a new CD in the US called From Hawaii With Love. It has some tunes from my Canadian releases on it and some new ones as well. It is a bit of a theme album... I had to express in musical terms the gratitude I feel for being able to walk on the beach every morning and feel the fine mist on your face while watching a double rainbow over the volcano.
I do have a 'big ticket' CD that awaits input from my first major label in a while regarding the final two tracks and such. It is called UberSmooth, and the first single which was just released (Turn On To Summer) was reviewed by a radio programmer Terry Bell: "A Hasselbach Hit! Right up there with Rick Braun's Kisses in the Rain". So you can tell the direction this CD is going stylistically.
I am part of an exciting European Allstar CD, featuring some heavies such as Urban Knights, Sade, Maceo Parker, Lee Ritenour, etc. You can go to : http://www.wavemusic.de/home/home_i_d.asp (click on CD cover)
John - Where can your fans buy your music?

GMH - HMV stores in Canada seem to have many of the releases, and Borders books in the US, but internet is best I think. Try these links: www.sassabrass.com\windtunnel
www.gabrielmarkhasselbach.com

www.jazzpromo.com

John - Feeling a bit optimistic about Smooth Jazz in Canada? First there was Hamilton and in July Calgary will have a Smooth Jazz station.

GMH - Shall I hold my breath? It seems just when a great Jazz flag bearer such as Jazz Lynx (www.jazzlynx.net) gets a good, well oiled niche with their Cafe Jazz programming, along comes a bean counter, a new program director, a new parent company, or a new consultant, and all the good stuff that has been built gets washed to sea like a sand castle. Jazz is an ever-changing landscape and the climate can be harsh. Watch your back John, we need ya!

John - Thanks. I'll keep that in mind. Any more thoughts on the CRTC giving that license last year to the Urban format instead any of the 6 Smooth Jazz Applicants?

GMH - I will add that the Vancouver jazz musicians were like the Hatfield's and McCoy's, a bunch of infighting yahoos that split the vote on any jazz format at all. (Purists vs. realists again) There was so much infighting (mostly from the Purist camp) about how a Smooth Jazz station would be an impure assault on their delicate little jazz ears, that it is no wonder the CRTC said "Fuggedaboudit!' (They failed to notice that a Mainstream station was not being offered). The Realists smartly said "Great! Art meets Commerce!", but the whiners were louder.....

John - Most of the musicians I talked to were fine with it, but there was five percent that were raising hell and yes they were the purists. Tell me about your BET ON JAZZ experience

GMH - If you have Satellite in Canada, or premium cable anywhere in the US, or even regular channels in Europe, you can get The BET Network All Jazz Channel BET ON JAZZ (not in Canada, you say, pity!) They run new shows on rotation all over the world, and I was honored to be filmed at my concert here on Maui, live at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center. (host to such artists as Sting, George Benson, Al Jarreau, etc). I recorded my CD Live On Maui at that event. It is tough to do a live recording, video or audio, when you are not at the end of a tour like most artist do, but we pulled it of nicely! The exposure has helped, as I recently licensed 4 albums to European labels and am looking at some tours as far away as Poland...
You can see segments of the BET video and the CD tracks from Live On Maui at my site www.gabrielmarkhasselbach.com They look and sound great, and there is a lot of content for the aficionado and jazz lover. Contact me through the site as well.

John - Is there alot of Smooth Jazz in Hawaii?

GMH - You betcha. First, there is smooth jazz all through the US, unlike Canada. Secondly, there are great musicians here, and they all love to play smooth jazz, so it shows up at corporate event, nightclubs, Deejay lists, concerts, cafes, and jam sessions.

John - I hope you re not too busy in Hawaii? What do you do for down time?

GMH - I hit the beach every morning for a mile walk, affirmation, and expression of gratitude on a secluded beach, and jog back. I usually get to the beach at sunset to play my flugelhorn like the native Hawaiians play their conch shells at sunset. It is a meditative time and place, and makes me feel grounded. Here I get more time to work out, eat right, read, spiritualize, and be creative. In Vancouver, the phone rings too much! I haven't surfed yet, but snorkeling, boogie boarding, and hiking in the Haleakala volcano crater come to mind. (I can't forget tanning!) I spend a fair bit of time in the recording studio or on gigs. This is not STRICTLY a vacation spot!

John - Mark, thanks a lot, we are happy to have you on the site.

GMH - 'Outta' site!