Still holding the note after 10 years
Jeff Gauthier, president of the Culver City-based jazz factory Cryptogramophone, has spent the last 10 years releasing the work of avant-garde performers with a passion for both improvisation and melody -- people like percussionist Alex Cline, bassist Mark Dresser and bass clarinet player and saxophonist Bennie Maupin, the last of whom appeared on classic albums like Miles Davis’ 1969 electric landmark “Bitches Brew” and popular ‘70s recordings with Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters.
It was an unlikely turn for the former classical and studio violinist, who admits that his father had suggested he might want to study business at one point -- just in case. But Gauthier felt strongly that these artists deserved wider exposure, and after a friend, bassist Eric von Essen, who played with Gauthier in the seminal ‘80s chamber-jazz group Quartet Music, died from heart failure in 1997, he was determined to take action.
He believed that by setting up a label with an emphasis on high sound quality and compelling packaging and advertising, he could help boost the profile of these great musicians.
The plan seems to be working, within the jazz world in any case. Tonight, Maupin will play at Catalina Bar & Grill, the first in a series of weeklong festivities to commemorate Cryptogramophone’s anniversary. On Tuesday, Gauthier will release a two-CD, one-DVD compilation showcasing some of the label’s best material, and a number of the artists are set to perform next week at New York’s Jazz Standard.
Given the turmoil that continues to roil the music industry, Gauthier is thrilled that the company has managed to thrive while remaining true to his original vision.
The label has become “an extended family of musicians,” says Gauthier, “with the weird aunts and uncles and cousins, and all the dysfunctional elements of a real family.”
“Jeff’s doing it to get the recordings noticed because he believes in them,” offers guitarist Nels Cline, who is probably best known for his work with experimental rockers Wilco but who, along with his twin brother Alex Cline, also was a member of Quartet Music. “That can be problematic when you’re surrounded by a non-altruistic society where music is related to commerce.”
For guideposts, Gauthier looked to Nine Winds, the avant-gardist label run by local multi-instrumentalist Vinny Golia -- “big daddy of the L.A. music scene and inspiration to us all,” says Gauthier. But though the Crypto roster included many of the same artists, he wanted to issue records with “a little bit more commercial appeal.”
Maupin is a perfect example. His new “Early Reflections” slides easily from Latin to ballad to blues, revisiting 1974’s electronically adventurous “The Jewel in the Lotus” along the way. While playing in Poland, Maupin was knocked out by some local musicians (two of whom augment his working ensemble tonight) and conscripted them for the sessions.
Maupin’s work resonates with Gauthier’s aesthetic: music that sails in new directions without jettisoning melody.
“Jeff gives everything he can to the artists, and he is very open to whatever they’re thinking of presenting,” says Maupin. “Jeff was like an oasis in the desert.”
Adds Alex Cline, “I got to do exactly what I wanted in a way that probably would not have been possible otherwise. And Cryptogramophone has done a lot to draw attention to people playing creative music, not only in Los Angeles but other parts of the West Coast.”
And now in other parts of the country as well. Cryptogramophone held a well-received showcase in New York last year, and the acts are heading back next week for the series of anniversary shows.
“They seem to like us,” says Gauthier. “We’re a little bit exotic for them. I think what I’ve always heard is true -- maybe you get a little taken for granted in your own town. But if you step outside your home, you’re perceived as something a little different, and people might be willing to take a look at you, once they get over that initial hump of thinking you’re just ‘those L.A. guys.’ Now we’re ‘those West Coast guys’ who’re doing something different.”
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Freelancer Greg Burk contributed to this report.
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Bennie Maupin Ensemble
Where: Catalina Bar & Grill, 6725 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood
When: 8 and 10 p.m. tonight
Price: $40 (8 p.m.), $35 (10 p.m.)
Contact: (323) 466-2210; www.catalinajazzclub.com
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