By Irene Young–
(Editor’s Note: In this piece, music business photographer Irene Young and saxophonist/flutist/composer Jean Fineberg discuss the release of an exciting new album with Fineberg’s seven-women, one-man, four-horn octet, JAZZphoria. You can catch them live at the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley on Sunday, November 20 at 7 pm.)
Irene Young: Jean, you and I started working together in NYC early in our careers. You and Ellen Seeling were leaders of DEUCE, one of my favorite bands to hear live. As a matter of fact, two early photos of DEUCE are in my upcoming retrospective book, Something About The Women. Take us back to your early days and tell us what inspired you to play tenor saxophone and pursue a career in music.
Jean Fineberg: I started piano lessons when I was 6, recorder at 9, flute at 12, guitar at 14, and played in the orchestra, symphonic band, and marching band. I loved going to music camp every summer. After grad school at Penn State, I wanted to play with rock bands, but they weren’t interested in a flute player! So, someone lent me their old tenor sax, I fell in love, and it became my true voice. I studied post-grad jazz at Indiana University, and by then, a career in music was a no-brainer!
Irene Young: Who are some of the other musicians and groups you’ve played or recorded with?
Jean Fineberg: I’ve been fortunate to record with David Bowie (Young Americans), Laura Nyro (Season of Lights), Luther Vandross and Chic (“Good Times,” “Le Freak”), Sister Sledge (“We Are Family”), and to tour with the iconic trombonist Melba Liston, the Montclair Women’s Big Band, Linda Tillery, Holly Near, Teresa Trull, Ferron, June Millington, Margie Adam, and many others.
Irene Young: Let’s talk about your smokin’ hot octet, JAZZphoria, and how it came to be. It was such a pleasure for Tina (DJ Rockaway) and me to film the band for you last year.
Jean Fineberg: I had been composing for the 18-piece Montclair Women’s Big Band, directed by Ellen Seeling, when I had the idea of trying to capture the powerful sound of the three horn sections (trumpets, trombones, and saxes) in a smaller ensemble. I settled on two trumpets and two saxes, plus a 4-person rhythm section, and formed JAZZphoria.
Irene Young: How would you describe JAZZphoria’s all-original music?
Jean Fineberg: My music is very eclectic, including blues, R&B, funk, salsa, reggae, swing, ballads, and the kitchen sink! I love rhythm and dancing—I also work as a drummer—so I choose a genre, start with the rhythm, and then craft the arrangements as vehicles for exploratory improvisation by the soloists.
Irene Young: Is JAZZphoria seven women and one man by design?
Jean Fineberg: I sought musicians who were accomplished readers, improvisers, team players, and multi-instrumentalists, providing me with a wide combination of timbres for composition. If I found two equally excellent players, one male and one female, I chose the woman, because women are so unfairly underrepresented as jazz instrumentalists. I ended up with seven women and one man!
Irene Young: Who are the JAZZphoria musicians?
Jean Fineberg: Tiffany Carrico plays lead trumpet and flugelhorn; Marina Garza plays solo trumpet and flugelhorn; Carolyn Walter plays baritone sax, doubling on bass clarinet and flute; I play tenor sax and flute; Nancy Wenstrom is on guitar; our bassist Jodi Durst plays both electric and acoustic basses; Erika Oba plays keyboards and flute; and Jeremy Steinkoler plays drums and percussion. Additional musicians on the album are Susanne DiVincenzo (bassist with Alive), pianist Jennifer Jolly, trumpet player Ellen Seeling, percussionist Michaelle Goerlitz, and drummer Lance dresser.
Irene Young: Are all the compositions new? When did you write and arrange the music for JAZZphoria?
Jean Fineberg: For the past few years, I have served as composer-in-residence at nine art centers around the country, which provided the time and space to concentrate on composition. I initially wrote big band tunes at those residencies, and then wrote all the music for the octet. Our guitarist, Nancy Wenstrom, also contributed one beautiful tune for the album.
Irene Young: Where has JAZZphoria performed?
Jean Fineberg: We’ve had a very busy 2022 so far, with concerts at Bird & Beckett in San Francisco, The California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley, San Francisco Music Day, Albany Move ‘n’ Groove, the Livermore Jazz Society Series, The Suisun Jazz Concert Series, and the Solano County Fair.
Irene Young: What intention do you set for your performances?
Jean Fineberg: I view our concerts as serious entertainment, showcasing our soloists on a panoply of deep grooves, from funk to salsa to swing. We pump our energy out from the stage, and the audience completes the circle by throwing it back to us. For me, that is the thrill of performing! I love to include humor, and sometimes incorporate things like reading an appropriate poem from my poetry book, A Mobius Path, having the horns march out into the audience, or featuring special guests.
Irene Young: By the way, I have read much your poetry and I love it. That’s a chat we could have all on its own another time. I see you have had extensive radio play and interviews around this album. Can you tell me a bit about that?
Jean Fineberg: Yes, we’re very fortunate to be in rotation on more than 50 radio stations across the country. I’ve been taping interviews on many of those stations, including one with the great Jesse Chuy Varela on KCSM, the Bay Area’s jazz station, and upcoming interviews on KPFA.
Irene Young: Is the Freight and Salvage show your next Bay Area concert?
Jean Fineberg: Yes, our big fall show is at The Freight in Berkeley coming up on Sunday, November 20, at 7 pm. In these tumultuous times, we’re very excited at the prospect of gathering together with community, having a ball performing, dancing, and just experiencing a great evening out together.
Irene Young: I agree that we need to nourish ourselves with occasional infusions of positive energy! How can readers find out more information? What is your website?
Jean Fineberg: Yes, it’s https://jeanfineberg.com
The JAZZphoria promo video you made is there, listenable album tracks, our upcoming gigs, and contact info. I also have a Facebook page under Jean Fineberg, and I welcome interested friends.
Irene Young: Thanks, Jean. I really look forward to the show on November 20. I assume tickets are now on sale via The Freight and Salvage website.
Jean Fineberg: Tickets and lots of info are here: https://tinyurl.com/y9z6nkma
Or you can just Google “Freight Jean Fineberg” you’ll see the link.
Photographer, videographer, and poet Irene Young has over 600 CD covers and thousands of promo photos to her credit. https://ireneyoungfoto.com/
Published on November 17, 2022
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