Those who can’t do, teach. It’s an adage students throw at their teachers in educational institutions throughout the country. But in UCLA’s jazz department, it couldn’t be further from the truth.
Charley Harrison and Bobby Rodriguez are the respective leaders of the Jazz Orchestra and Latin Jazz Ensemble at UCLA, but they’re also professional musicians.
“The jazz department at UCLA is rather unique because just about everybody is working in the business in some way, shape or form,” Harrison said. “When I went to school, the teachers were aware of the music world but weren’t really that active in it.”
Harrison has arranged pieces for film scores such as “The Trumpet of the Swan” and “The Ladies Man” and created music for a diverse collection of clients, including McDonald’s and the Chicago White Sox. In February, he released his first solo album, “Keeping My Composure.”
The Chicago native also leads and performs on guitar with the Chicago Jazz Orchestra when he’s not at UCLA.
While his professional experiences give him knowledge with which to guide his students, teaching keeps Harrison’s jazz chops sharp.
“It keeps creativity from stagnating, being around other musicians,” Harrison said. “The process of teaching forces me to think about the things I do in my own process, and in some ways I question myself. It keeps me from falling into ruts. I’m not saying I don’t, but maybe just less than normal.”
Rodriguez brings his work to class by giving his students pieces to perform that he arranged for his band. By practicing these advanced pieces, the students become better musicians.
“I run the (ensemble) like a professional group. There’s a little bit of banter. There is some laughing. There is some fun, but there’s always a goal of getting the music performed correctly and in the right style,” Rodriguez said. “I always tell them, ‘Keep your mouths closed, your eyes and ears open, and you’ll come out of this a better musician.’ And hopefully one day, I’ll play for them, I’ll be in their band. That’ll be my payback, to see I taught them the right things the right way.”
With seven solo and orchestra albums under his belt, a book titled “ABC’s of LatinJazz” and regular performances solo and with his band The Jazz Experience, Rodriguez has provided a model for his students of the type of work ethic it requires to make headway in the shrinking music world.
“We can transfer this information down to the kids so they’ll become more sensitive to the industry and the business as well. You can’t survive the music industry without understanding the business,” he said.
The Jazz Orchestra and the Latin Jazz Ensembles are open to any students with the passion to play, not just to music majors. Nevertheless, both professors emphasize in their classes the importance of understanding the practical aspects of what is often a cutthroat career to prepare their students for professional musicianship.
“It’s my belief that there aren’t as many jobs for young musicians as there were 20 years ago, so the musician has to learn the most in the classroom,” Rodriguez said. “Kids have to be thinking musicians. They can’t be waiting for the phone to ring. They have to make the phone ring by reaching out to others.”
By incorporating knowledge from their own experiences, these two professors as well as numerous others in the UCLA music department give students a firsthand account of how musicians can shape their own careers and jazz overall.
“Jazz education in the last 10 to 20 years has improved tremendously,” Harrison said. “I know everyone can’t become a jazz musician, but hopefully by being exposed to it and hearing it they’ll be able to better appreciate it later in life. That’s my hope – that it’ll keep audiences alive.”