The Kyle Shepherd Trio: A jazz dance sweetly played

Hardly a fortnight out, the album A Dance More Sweetly Played, by the Kyle Shepherd Trio, has already been garnering massive critical acclaim worldwide. One of South Africa’s foremost jazz pianists, Shepherd recorded the album with Shane Cooper on bass and Jonno Sweetman on drums.  It features 10 of Shepherd’s original compositions, plus two unexpected covers: Massive Attack’s Teardrop and a deconstructed take of Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’. The album’s title is a dedication to celebrated South African artist William Kentridge, with whom Shepherd collaborated on Waiting for Sybil, which has toured worldwide. The trio is on a South African launch tour. The Mail & Guardian spoke to Shepherd earlier this week.

Charles Leonard: Please explain the poetic title, A Dance More Sweetly Played — what does it mean?

Kyle Shepherd: The title of the album is a play on William Kentridge’s More Sweetly Play the Dance. I’ve found that particular work of his very inspiring over the years. 

I have been working with William for the last five years and expressed to him how the title seemed to encapsulate what we’re doing in the trio now, playing into the idea that our music, complex or simple, has a dance to it.

Is it just me or does this album have a lighter touch than the previous records?

It wasn’t my initial intention but it seemed to be how we executed the music in the studio. With my trio, I don’t decide exactly how we will approach the music when we play or record it in any definite way.

I write the music, present it to the band and let it go from there … 

Let it have the space to take on its personality in real time as it’s happening. Whether we attack the piece aggressively or gently is a product of the moment.

With a recording, of course, that moment is frozen in time. So, yes, listening now, I would agree with you.

What was it like to play in this trio again?

It has been a breath of fresh air for me, personally. I have been involved in several film and theatre projects in the last five years, which essentially is music without the component of improvisation, usually.

I do enjoy the challenges and craft of writing music to pictures — it’s a skill I’ve honed by putting many hours into it — but playing jazz and with a trio is something that I have missed for a while. 

The unedited, raw and adventurous world of improvising on stage is what we live for as jazz musicians.

I love the covers! Are you a Massive Attack fan and what made you decide to cover Teardrop? Was it difficult to get permission to use it?

To be honest Teardrop is about the only Massive Attack track I know well. I’ve always loved the tune. 

I think Massive Attack’s original version is one of the most perfectly written, but also performed and produced, tracks out there. And it has a beautiful flow of chord sequences for us to improvise over in our cover.

To be honest, I didn’t intellectualise the decision to play both Teardrop and Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’. Both tunes, I suppose, might be unexpected for me to play. They’re simply just great tunes that I thought would be interesting and, most importantly, enjoyable to play.

Your interpretation of Teardrop is lyrical, beautiful and makes me misty-eyed. What music, or songs, make you emotional?

I wrote a song on the album for my youngest daughter called Amada (Part 1 and 2). It’s the tune on the album that comes from the most heartfelt place for me as the composer.

I see you’re calling Don’t Stop Believin’ a guilty pleasure. What did your fellow musicians say when you told them you’re covering that?

Shane and Jonno are so open to so many types of music. So there was no hesitation on their part to take on the tunes. I think they knew immediately that I wasn’t trying to play covers in a way that’s simply covering a tune in its original form.

I explained that my idea was to perform an interpretation of the tunes and see where it goes. 

As always, they were willing to go with me on the ride.

Jazz has a long tradition of covering hits of the time in a jazz style. What are your three favourite covers, in jazz or beyond?

Brad Mehldau’s Blackbird (The Beatles) and Keith Jarrett’s version of Bye Bye Blackbird … (This 1926 composition has been covered by numerous musicians including Peggy Lee, John Coltrane and Paul McCartney.)

I like how you have done another thing in the jazz tradition — naming a song after a fellow musician. Why the homage to the Malian singer Oumou Sangaré? Have you played with her?

I haven’t played with Oumou. That would be a dream come true. In the last few years, many South African musicians have taken influence from Oumou and West African music in general. I think this is a great thing.

I’ve listened to Oumou a lot and have tried to add a bit of her melodic phrasing into some of the things I do with my right hand. The dedication is my sign of respect to her.

The album’s opening track is titled Liberation Movements. Assuming that can be interpreted as political, can music change the world?

It’s open to any interpretation but it’s actually an extract of a theme I wrote for a documentary on the dance company Liberation Movements. 

The company is made up of disabled dancers and I was inspired by the work they’re doing.

Listening to the track Neo Marabi, is South African pianism still alive and well?

Simple answer — it’s absolutely alive. Perhaps now stronger than ever and also representing key areas of the country very strongly.

What do you give fans in the launch concerts for the new album?

At the launches we play the album repertoire and a bit of my older, more known, songs as well. 

So far, the response has been very positive live and online.

What are your get-ready rituals before a show?

I’m not really a rituals guy anymore. With the trio, we eat dinner, laugh and generally we’re really relaxed. I’d say, my music is coming from a much more relaxed place at the moment.

I realised recently music is enough unto itself. We’re there to add little bits to it. That concept has become quite freeing to me as a pianist.

What’s the most memorable fan encounter during a performance?

Too many good memories to mention all of them. But Jonno Sweetman reminded me of a concert we played in a Buddhist temple in Toyohashi, Japan. The audience was very quiet during the concert, because of the reverie one feels in a spiritual space. While playing we didn’t know what to make of it. 

You immediately think perhaps people don’t like what we’re doing.

After the concert, however, most of the audience were in tears as they gave us their applause. Those moments are what makes this journey as a musician very special.

Who are your fantasy collaborators? Name three — dead or alive.

John Coltrane, Oumou Sangaré and Wayne Shorter.

Do jazz musicians have groupies?

Ha ha. Maybe the last to have groupies was Miles Davis …

What is your favourite Saturday night song?

I generally spend my weekend nights gaming online.

And your favourite Sunday morning song?

In short, I don’t often listen to music for relaxation. It’s my work and my craft, so when I listen it’s to learn something, if that makes sense.  So, I generally only listen to music when I can give it my full attention, which is about 30 to 40 minutes a day — less when I’m scoring a film or series.

At the moment, though, I’m listening to a lot of classical music, jazz pianist Sullivan Fortner, a new album by Lionel Loueke and Dave Holland and the Keith Jarrett Trio’s five-box set Live at the Blue Note.

What made you get up this morning?

I’m scoring a Netflix series at the moment. It’s already been three months on the project, so although a bit drained, I had to reluctantly get myself up. Ha ha. It’s great work and I’m just happy to be a working musician at this point.

The Kyle Shepherd Trio play at The Wits Theatre on 1 December at 3pm.