The deluxe edition of Vince Guaraldi’s soundtrack to the TV special Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown (1975), hit shelves earlier this year, containing a great many variations, alternate takes, and stabs at
classical motifs. Bassist Seward McCain, was good enough to take some email questions.
***
Seattle Star: Please describe your childhood. What are your earliest memories of family life, and life in general?
Seward McCain: Born in San Francisco, I was raised in temporary war housing in Hunter’s Point. A tough neighborhood even back then. A lot of the “temporary” war housing is still there.
Seattle Star: What are your earliest musical memories?
Seward McCain: My parents singing and dancing to 1940’s Swing music are very early memories. Benny Goodman and Harry James particularly.
Seattle Star: What music, growing up, made you want to make music–which performers, bands, albums, concerts, songs, etc.?
Seward McCain: As a child, I often listened to symphonic music sitting on the floor in front of our large RCA radio. My parents introduced me to jazz swing bands like Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, Fletcher Henderson, etc.
Seattle Star: When did you start learning the bass? Did you play any other instruments beforehand?
Seward McCain: I started playing the trumpet in 5th grade and studied orchestral music primarily. But I was always drawn to jazz, and eventually got gigs in dance bands throughout my school years.
Seattle Star: What was your first bass and how did you get ahold of it?
Seward McCain: I enjoyed learning how to play other wind instruments and was able to check out a number of them from the high school. But later I worked one summer job as a music librarian for my high school music department. They had an old, full-sized string bass in their inventory that was that was too large to be used by students. I chose to forego wages, taking the bass as compensation. After that, I was so drawn to the string bass that I really couldn’t stop playing it. I began listening to Jimmy Blanton, Mingus, Scott La Faro, and Ray Brown.
Seattle Star: Who were your most important teachers, and what were their most important lessons?
Seward McCain: I was fortunate to have quite a few very fine music teachers along the way, and they all helped me in various ways. But I have to say that the best lessons I ever learned were from my peers on the gigs I played. I actually learned the most from drummers. If I wasn’t in the groove, drummers would let me know about it while the tunes were still playing!
Early on, George Ballantyne of San Jose, CA (one of the steadiest drummers I’ve played with), would start to grunt in tongues and bash simple quarter notes on his ride cymbal. These days I know that all drummers are armed. It didn’t matter what notes I played on the bass, it was meaningless without good time.
Seattle Star: You’re known for the electric bass; have you ever played the upright? If so, where and when?
Seward McCain: I started on upright bass in high school, and got around to the electric bass as jazz entered its “Fusion” period. I love the electric bass too. It’s fun: Lots of great music to play using it. I enjoyed playing my Haagstrom 8-string electric bass while on tour with The Fourth Way circa 1970. Gibson, Fender, and custom electric basses rounded out my arsenal over the years. But throughout my career, I’ve primarily played the upright bass.
Seattle Star: When, where, and with whom, were your earliest professional gigs? Were your nervous?
Seward McCain: My first paid gig was in 6th grade. I joined two other trumpet players from other schools to play classical trio music at an Easter Sunrise Service in Woodside, CA. I was paid $15! I never looked back, and continued to play all kinds of gigs clear through school and beyond. From the start, I haven’t been very nervous to perform–bit of the ham in me.
Seattle Star: You’re a lifelong resident of the Bay Area. How has Bay Area jazz grown and changed over your career, for better and/or worse?
Seward McCain: I was so lucky to grow up in the Bay Area. There have always been many great musicians there. I’ve been very fortunate to have intersected so many great players in so many areas: classical, jazz, Salsa, folk, shows, commercial gigs, to name a few. Though my main focus through the years was jazz, I have learned an amazing amount from working all of those different styles with those fantastic Bay Area musicians. There may not be as many gigs now, but the Bay Area is still rich with dedicated and accomplished musicians.
Seattle Star: Where and when did you meet Vince Guaraldi and what were your first impressions of him?
Seward McCain: When the bass spot opened up, I was referred to Vince Guaraldi by a couple of great players and friends: Vince Denham and Mike Clark. Vince Guaraldi was very welcoming and easy to play with.
Seattle Star: How did your impressions of Guaraldi grow and change over time?
Seward McCain: From the first, Vince was always very good to me. He always treated me like a friend. Of course, over time, I became more and more appreciative of his unique and amazing talent.
Seattle Star: When did you join up with Guaraldi, and how many years did you stay with him?
Seward McCain: I joined Vince in 1972, and played continuously with him until 1976 when he died.
Seattle Star: How did the Valentine sessions compare and contrast with other Charlie Brown soundtracks you’d done?
Seward McCain: The Valentine sessions departed slightly from other shows in that the material was mostly compromised of new themes. These had definite jazz roots but were often arranged with contemporary Fusion influences as evidenced by more extended use of electronic instruments. A well-rounded drummer, Vince Lateano also brought strong jazz influences.
Seattle Star: The tunes include classical motifs from Beethoven, Bach, and Chopin. How did you work with the classical material? Had you known those motifs before the sessions?
Seward McCain: Vince would introduce us to the music for each Peanuts show in the studio on the day of recording. He was always well prepared. Sometimes he would hand us manuscripts of specific arrangements. He also would just play themes and musical ideas on the piano. We would then spontaneously play along, creating instant trio versions for the various cues. Almost everything was recorded and many first takes made their way into the sound tracks. Because of my classical background, I did recognize the classical themes he brought to that particular session. He liked experimenting with us. He’d be searching for possible jazz interpretations of the classical themes.
Seattle Star: How long did you work with drummer Vince Lateano? How did the two of you react to each other, and Guaraldi?
Seward McCain: I had known Vince Lateano prior to his joining the Guaraldi trio. He was an amazing, experienced drummer and was a very welcome addition. He and I had already played together in various jazz situations in the Bay Area, so we were familiar with each other’s approaches to jazz. He was with us for perhaps a year before he left to join Cal Tjader’s group.
Seattle Star: What was John Scott Trotter’s contribution to the sessions?
Seward McCain: I did not interact with him much, but remember him being in the studio. A smiling, friendly man enjoying the music. He would sit in the booth and cordially discuss various things with Vince. I was impressed with his humility; a welcome trait in a personage of such fame.
Seattle Star: “There’s Been a Change” and “Jennie L.” got recorded in two time signatures each. Do you have a preference for each? If so, which, and why?
Seward McCain: I don’t have a preference for the different time signatures of each song. The musicality of the various interpretations is enjoyable to me. Both versions of each seem to evoke similar moods and are appropriate for the visuals in the show. But, if I had to pick between the two songs, I probably have to say that “There’s Been a Change” does speak to me in a harmonic sense. It’s in a minor key and I do like minor keys. (I wonder what that says about me…)
Seattle Star: Guaraldi branched out from the piano on these sessions, to play electric piano, clavinet, the ARP String Ensemble synthesizer, and even guitar. How did you react and adapt to each of those?
Seward McCain: We were all familiar with the interesting influences of electric keyboards at that time. Vince was as fascinated with those synthesizers as anyone. He also loved to play the guitar. He used his musical taste to incorporate all those sounds into the arrangements.
Seattle Star: What memories from the “Valentine” sessions stand out the most for you?
Seward McCain: The Valentine show music reflected a great cross section of styles from that period. Quite a bit of pure jazz trio sounds mixed in with Latin styles and the electric Fusion sounds from the early ‘70’s.
Seattle Star: Where were you when you heard Guaraldi had died? How did you react?
Seward McCain: Vince died suddenly of an aneurysm in his hotel room at Butterfield’s restaurant in Atherton, CA. We had just played a hot set to a packed house for our first show, and Vince and our drummer Jim Zimmerman had just gone back to his room on the premises to relax before the next set. When Vince apparently blacked out, Jim called emergency services and came and got me. We attempted to revive him in those moments before the ambulance arrived, but to no avail. Of course, I was as shocked and disbelieving as everyone else. I had a recurring dream for years that there had been a mistake and that he was still alive.
Seattle Star: You’ve performed and/or recorded with Cleo Laine, Dick Hindman, Maria Muldaur, and Ritchie Cole. What are your most memorable stories from working with them?
Seward McCain: Ahh. Wonderful artists all! I was with Cleo Laine and John Dankworth for 16 glorious years. Each and every gig was performed to the highest of musical standards. Beautiful music, great musicians, and devoted audiences.
Perhaps my favorite form of jazz is trio playing. Dick Hindman was a master pianist and composer. I was challenged on every gig to contribute to his music in new, unconventional and creative ways.
Ritchie Cole was a wild thing on the stand; playing brilliantly at a thousand miles an hour, yet finding time to goof around for the audience. I’m, however, generally calm and reserved during performances, feeling that I need to concentrate to do well in the demanding world of jazz. But one sold out night at The Garden City in San Jose, CA with the Smith Dobson trio backing him up, Ritchie turned to me during a burning Be-Bop tune and threw me a solo. There was a stool on the stand, so I grabbed it, and swung my upright sideways on top of it. I then reached over the big body of the bass in a guitar-like fashion, and began to play slap funk licks on it in an electric bass style. Ritchie and the audience were quite surprised and it got a pretty good laugh. After that, Ritche always wanted me to do that on our concerts.
The highly talented Maria Muldaur was pure fun to play with. That was in a period where she formed a group to do traditional jazz material. She would perform flawlessly, with a great sense of humor, and with the kind of powerful deep grooves that only her bands could deliver. Very satisfying artist to be on the stand with.
Seattle Star: You’ve taught at the Jazz School in Berkeley, CA, Stanford Jazz Workshop, and Jazz Camp West in La Honda, CA. What’s your approach to teaching, and what are your favorite stories from teaching?
Seward McCain: It was certainly a joy and privilege to be on the faculty of those great institutions. Because the bulk of my music education was derived from live performance, I tend to teach from that perspective. It is important for any student, new or experienced, to play with other musicians as soon as is possible, and concurrent with their musical study. As a class gets going, I’ll always discuss first how to find and play the groove. Later, improvisational skills on any instrument or voice begin with listening and transcribing lines and licks from major jazz artists. I like to continue with having all students learn the melodies of every tune played. Just as in Dixieland music, improvisation is first accomplished by the embellishment of any given melody. As a class progresses, more theory is added as needed for deeper improvisation.
I remember an interesting story from one of my combo classes at The Jazz School. I have always enjoyed admitting any kind of instrument into my class groups. Knowing this, the school placed a young woman in my class who played the saw. She was a trained classical violinist with some jazz knowledge. Much to the chagrin of the employees at her local hardware store, she selected her favorite axe by picking through the various saws in the tool section, loudly banging and bending up their inventory. This delightful student had a great ear, and some experience playing the saw. Her sound and feel were so musical, that, of course, we featured her playing the head and soloing on a rather involved Ralph Towner tune at the final recital. It brought the house down!
Seattle Star: You’re married to a jazz singer, Wendy McCain. How do you go about accompanying her? What lessons has she taught you?
Seward McCain: Wendy is one the most lovely and unaffected singers in the business. When we have been able to perform together, I’ve always felt that it is my job as a bassist, to lay down a clear, strong bassline as a good foundation for her. From collaborating on music composition with her, I have gained more knowledge about melody and lyrics that I had ever learned before. Even in the most complicated compositions, I now attempt to make even the most involved melodies have an element of “singability.”
Seattle Star: What are your plans for the future?
Seward McCain: My current plans are to complete the productions of original compositions previously begun, and to continue to write and record new material.
