In his first appearance at the 2013 jazz festival of his namesake, Marshall native Bob James offered a lecture to a group of approximately 20 people Saturday morning, May 18, at the Eckilson-Mabee Theater of Missouri Valley College.

James arrived at MVC at around 9 a.m. sporting a Hawaiian shirt, jeans, a black sports coat and his signature sunglasses. His outfit, much like his music, are a testimony to James’ air of easy-going cheerfulness that he transmitted to the attendees Saturday morning as he talked about his career.

Although the event was labeled as a master class, organizer Eric Crump, who introduced James, was quick to point out the event was not meant to have the degree of formality connoted by its name.

“Those who attended last year’s master class know that this session will be a little less formal than master classes sometimes are,” Crump said. “Last year, Mr. James talked about his career, about performing, about composing, and he performed one of his favorite compositions, ‘Restoration.'”

And, in much the same way as last year, the audience participated in asking him about favorite composers, his performance and journey throughout the music world. James also played a few pieces of both his own music and other compositions.

At the start of the master class, James expressed how humbled he felt of the honors Marshall has bestowed upon him.

“It’s a very funny, warm, great — maybe even a little embarrassing — feeling to be honored in this way from my hometown,” James said. “Part of me wants to say I’m not worthy of this. But you did it, and I am very proud. We are in the third year (of the festival), and if I happen to be the symbolic spokesperson for music appreciation in this town, I feel very, very fortunate.”

He said he owed much of his inspiration throughout his career to his mother, to Marshall and to Harold L. Lickey, the Marshall music instructor who founded the Marshall Philharmonic Orchestra.

“(Lickey) brought so much musical culture to this town during his span as a conductor and leader of high school music education,” James said. “For me, here I am, 73 years old. I’ve spent my life in music, no regrets.”

He said the music business can be tough, but it is important to society.

“I talk to a lot of young people who try to decide whether or not to go into music as a profession and I have to usually discourage them because music is a lousy profession in many ways,” James said. “(The music business) is unpredictable; not that many people can earn a predictable, good living from it. Nevertheless, the arts are so vital in the overall picture of civilization and certainly America.”

Much of James’ lecture focused on the beauty of improvising, which he said is the backbone of jazz.

“For me, it (jazz) is the most special (form of music) because of the fact it was improvised and that it is a spontaneous music,” James said. “I believe there is something about having to perform something you have no idea you are going to do until that instant moment on the stage when you have to start improvising. That situation almost forces music to come from the heart, from whatever is uniquely in you that nobody else has.”

James’ master class was followed by a jazz clinic led by Clarence Smith, a Marshall High School graduate who is a music instructor and the director of the Kansas City Youth Jazz group.

James returned to the stage for the main concert of the festival at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Harold L. Lickey Memorial Auditorium of Bueker Middle School.

~ Source Article