More News

Nearly 30 years after kick-starting his career with the Charlie Byrd Trio, Takoma Park's Chuck Redd is still in high demand as both a drummer and vibraphone player. On Saturday, he will roll out the vibes for an evening of George Gershwin, Cole Porter and Duke Ellington at the Olney Theatre Center.

Jordan Edwards: Why did you pick these three composers?

Chuck Redd: I think they're all three giants of American popular music, George Gershwin and Duke Ellington were born the same year or within a year of each other. [Gershwin was born in 1898, Ellington in 1899.] There are elements of blues and jazz is in the music of George Gershwin and of course, Duke Ellington is pure jazz always laced with some blues. And I think to offset that, the elegant music of Cole Porter will be a nice mix to throw in. I never get tired of playing the songs of these composers.

JE: Do you have a favorite song that you play on the vibes?

CR: No, I really don't have a favorite song. I have a lot of favorite songs, and all for various reasons. And there are so many songs out there that I have yet to learn and want to embrace. I will say this: Once a musician begins to learn a song, especially a jazz musician, your relationship with that song grows through the years.

JE: You started out playing drums. Was transitioning to a more melodic instrument like the vibraphone difficult?

CR: Not really. I've always had a good ear melodically and harmonically, and wanted to find a way to express myself that way. It wasn't even a conscious decision; it just kind of evolved. Now, learning the instrument was difficult.

JE: That's what I'm talking about.

CR: Well, learning any instrument is difficult. But learning the vibes was no more difficult than learning the drums. Both present their individual challenges. I guess maybe I'm contradicting myself, but it's a way to develop a technique and express yourself melodically, as opposed to just rhythmically.

JE: You travel to New York at least once a month. Do you ever get tired of making the trip?

CR: Oh, yeah. Absolutely. I did it twice this week. I actually did New Jersey twice his week. It's very tedious at times. I look at the same rest stops over and over and over. I'm intimately familiar with the James Fenimore Cooper rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike. It's not easy, but whenever possible, I take the train when I don't have equipment to carry, or if I'm just going to listen or work on post-production.

JE: One of your first exposures to the vibes was listening to a Milt Jackson record in high school. So how did it feel to come full circle and play with the Milt Jackson Tribute Band?

CR: It was a thrill beyond belief for me. The drummer is one of my heroes, Micky Roker. I heard that band play all this music with Milt Jackson so many times, it was a little surreal to be doing it. And it proposed a certain type of challenge to be true to the arrangement, but when it came to the improvisations, to be myself [instead of] trying to channel Milt Jackson.

JE: If you weren't a musician, what would you be?

CR: (pauses) Let's see ... either a comedian or a scuba diver.

JE: OK.

CR: (laughs) Let's just keep it at that. No explanation.

Chuck Redd performs at the Olney Theatre Center's Mulitz-Gudeslsky Theatre Lab at 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $26. Call 301-924-3400 or visit olneytheatre.org. Check out the full story in Wednesday's Scene, section C of The Gazette.