 Thank you for coming out those of you who came out on your own volition and those of you who didn't It's great to see see all of you here. My name is Adam Braver And this is the the second in the talking the library The second event in the in this fall talking the library series We have one more which will be on November 17th. It will be very interesting Of course many people will will be the same people will be here But for the rest of you who may not weren't planning on it. We'll be having man named Semahine a baby who is an Ethiopian former Ethiopian prosecutor and law professor who was exiled from Ethiopia for Things he said in the for teaching in the classroom a cent for teaching law in the classroom And is now since through through the organization scholars at risk been placed at the University of Connecticut Where he is a fellow in their human rights center? So very interesting very interesting man very interesting story and and very engaging But This evening this afternoon. We have Aaron ex Smithers with us here today Dean Isinger will be Hosting and moderating so I will get off this microphone in just a moment I will only say that I met Aaron this summer when I Was volunteering or volunteered to volunteer at the jazz festival and the Newport Jazz Festival I got volunteered to check credentials of Photographers as they came into the pit, which was a little you know like being a bouncer and and Aaron was front and for Front you know the front row at all times to take pictures and we would get to chatting and I found Aaron's story I found Aaron and the story. She was telling so interesting Parsley from her past growing up in China and coming here And her passion for jazz and how those two intersected which which we'll hear about today So Aaron ex Smithers Dean Rob Isinger And what do we have you up here first I want to thank everybody for coming I too had the pleasure of Chatting with Aaron as well. There's something kind of passionate and intoxicating about a conversation with her where if you don't already know I too have a Passion for jazz, but it didn't take long where we started to talk about jazz and Photography and writing and how they all intersect. So what we're going to do is I'm gonna lead Aaron with a few questions from which Aaron is likely to kind of expand on them and You know answer appropriately and accordingly No doubt will make sure that there's some time for questions and answers from you And I'm also wondering giving the given the photography whether we want to keep the lights Just as they are or if we want somehow to dim them. We can do that later But for now, why don't we get the ball rolling with kind of the first question? And it's the first one that came to mind when there was this topic of jazz and photography and writing and I Say many students don't know what jazz is or when they think of jazz. They think of music. That's noisy or cacophonous I'm not looking for a perfect definition of jazz, but what does jazz mean to you? Mentioned as well that your late father introduced you to jazz. Can you please tell us something about that and his concept of jazz? First I want to say thank you so much for having me here. It's truly an honor To continue that story with Adam It was very interesting actually at the Newport Jazz that I thought this guy looked familiar Of course later. I realized that he was the author that I have read the books that has published but I didn't want to ask and It was at one of the spiritual moment that I always felt that what I call When you're in such a good music in the African-American sense that they say that So jazz to me have many many different meanings my late father used to say that He joke about that jazz is life the concept of jazz is life That there are many rules to good jazz music. What exactly jazz is to me? I Think in so many ways that when I think about that this would be the 19th year that I am here I came from China. I grew up doing the cultural evolution if you're not familiar you can Google that and at the main time that What I found was that I had two tremendous mentors. I grew up with my grandmother who Came from a really wealthy family, but the new China have taken every single of their belongings away To sort of making the equal sense in some ways for the rest of the population. That's what she told me and From her I have learned that there is so much joy in Learning there's a spirit that it carries on Many of her teachings I find that I carry them on today, but what she believed actually Was very interesting was that a parallel from my father's teaching Which was the concept of jazz my grandmother? Leaves that there is a joyfulness Everything that we do and we are Dispect the fact that she was sent to the countryside to be reeducated As the person that who was privileged To many people that they would have find that harsh. She was put on the stage. She was forced to do many literally labors that she's never done before but from that she taught me that There is this tremendous joy in everything to learn how to use your hands to find great beauty Even through decay and sorrow and to be able to make a choice in life That this back the fact that life happens that he The family itself were put in tremendous under tremendous pressure but at the meantime that I Was told and I was taught To find many many of those happiness and the things that she was able to do I remember that she used to tell me that How she has never learned to walk in the rice field to Pick out leeches on her legs You know to be able to sew to knit she taught me all of that the joy of cooking And at the meantime there were no music and there were no books for over ten years Later my father was the one introduced me to jazz that I always knew my father loved jazz, but to me just like Robert said that it sounded like noise to me he asked me My father once told me that it's because you didn't know the story of what exactly jazz was He often said that jazz is about a language language of try and struggle freedom democracy conversations love and trust and Respect so to me jazz is about many many of these things Today I find myself taking pictures behind Newport Jazz Festival Standing next to George Wayne chatting this Fred Taylor who have taped They've brewed back in a two-inch tape recorder that was used later in Columbia record All of these things It's the connection to life. It's my father's concept of jazz is that there is There's the band there's the leader But at the main time when you're supposed to come in when you're supposed to exit what exactly is the timing And how much respect you should have And how much you should know you craft To master what you know and to let what you love to do and become who you are So to me even as a parent a single parent I find that all of these language My father's language of jazz that reflect Reflecting every single thing that I do And I am There are many types of jazz Which types do you prefer and from what era? Which musicians and why and What kinds of jazz do you find unappealing and I realized that I just asked you seven questions Um, so if you want me to repeat them I gladly will but let's what kind of jazz do you you prefer call myself Old-school. I love that name old-school. I always think that um my My father my grandmother taught me that the art things You only live once You have to live this urgency You have to be a service Not just to others first, but to yourself Because of it's not being a service to yourself. You can't be a service So to me I find the so-called old-schoolness Means that you do the right things and be the righteous person so to me I Like old-school jazz. It's 1950s era to the 60s. I listen to all sorts of music and Spoken word artists and all of that. I am the interest about stuff that crossed the John or that something real Something that I have substance Something that I have stories to tell Because I really believe that we're all here to tell stories Who we know what we do Everything and every single day It's this little service that we actually have to contribute to the world As before I get to get to ask one of those questions again I I'm kind of intrigued I want to push you when you say old school and you mentioned 50s and 60s to some jazz musicians Old school is 20s and 30s So tell me a little bit about name a couple of musicians that you were on a desert island You have that opportunity now. We'll call it an mp3 instead of the desert island disc the desert island album You have to have that LP with you Name two or three and we're I'm gonna ask you the same question about photography, too. So that's coming. I'm hinting carry not in my iPod, which I have five and But in real album I carried a love supreme this me Along with the book The story about the love supreme all the time There's something about that album that has the story of becoming enlightenment That inspires me all the time. It's not because it's a famous album. I think going back to the story that My father was the one actually introduced me to jazz and through the music of John Coltrane, Alabama So we're right to move it struggle African-american struggle Years later, I met Stanley Nelson at WGBH He the first question he asked me was that Where do you go to church after he heard about the story of my father and jazz and all of these things that I said He said see everything that you do have something Going back to what Even today when we're connecting all of this I Find myself that connecting dots in my past life that everything made sense They all made perfect sense. I Always say that I have many many different playlists On the rainy days I like to listen to monk because there is this Freeze of drizzling is in his music that make you want to tap your feet and get up and just Or do nothing There's something about him that I always remember. They were some footages from Denmark And people thought that it was crazy And on Sundays, I always like to listen to on Hang Jones and Charlie Hayden And on the days that are very light and breezy. I listen to things that whatever that come to my mind But it's because of that era. I find that they have so much story to tell and if I felt stormy inside and I would listen to something that Normally, it's not typical my choice Then I find something that I didn't know I Didn't hear a long time ago every single time when I hear Calm Sunday, there's something so special about that And Duke Ellington He's good for any single day. I would Suggest for those in the audience if you want to have fun after this talk enjoy and take Aaron up on YouTubing Duke Ellington and type in a Lotus Blossom Duke Ellington Lotus Blossom is a song written by Billy Strayhorn And there's on YouTube a version of Duke Ellington performing it Which was apparently something that Duke liked it like to do to close his show And there's one of those famous clothes like here's something that Billy wrote I hope you like it and it's that elegant Duke Ellington playing the piano like he is Chopin Playing a tune that can make you cry just listening to it and it makes you wonder This should be mandatory viewing at every college and university. So with that what about and again It's a little I'm not trying to put you on the spot And what about what don't you like or what do you find? You just said you you find something that you learn even those in those things that you don't normally appreciate but It kind of like saying jazz I can listen to all of it It's kind of like saying classical music I can listen all of it some of it I find Completely unlistenable. What about yourself? I'm gonna push you. What do you what do you not find all that appealing? Well, and why I Have a standard That time is very limited at least for me. I work full-time. I freelance full-time. I write a jazz blog I'm a single parent. My son is in college. I have many many excuses and my son Normally jokes about that if you have a lot of money, you're gonna have a lot of free time. I Know it would not be me because I like to read five books all at once I Listen to everything coming in front of me and I like to be inspired and I'm curious as a cat I Can't stop Thinking that one day when my children both go into college that I will go back to school as my dream So for that being said Time is something that's very very precious to me and there's a quality of music that it's not just about the music It's not just that you have a strong rhythm section that you know how to riff it off But sometimes I see a lot of young musicians. They believe that they're coming of age I see talents. I don't see stories. I don't see the essence why Why they perform? Why they wrote that piece? What was the connection to them between that between that piece to life? So for that being said sometimes I would test out new music I would make an effort to see something that maybe normally I'm not it's not my choice to go see especially in live gigs But it would not be my second choice if someone doesn't behave in some ways when I see that it's I Can't stand when people are Loves themselves in some ways that during the performance were doing their interviews That they would start to bash about someone else bash about what they're not and For that sometimes I would actually it would turn me off I would try to make an effort later to go back to them again and to see that if there is anything more but to me What's connect to the music in so many ways? It's the stories behind the music and how was that music made and how was that coming from and to me jazz is always about respect and trust And without that There will be no jazz today There are many Photographers who find themselves Intrigued by jazz musicians find themselves drawn to jazz and Nilt Hinton among others one of the more famous jazz musicians who found himself drawn to photography and Recall last summer. I was at the Yale Museum and sure enough. It's a Nilt Hinton exhibition of his photo photographs tell us a little bit about the Connection between your passion for jazz and the visual and Especially the photograph sure When I take pictures, I tell my children the same way actually on that paper that you saw a headshot of me my daughter took that picture and it was a simple picture and There's so much It shows about me. It shows the essence of me That it's real and to me. That's why I take pictures It's not about my skills my after editing that how I can manipulate the image There will be set of pictures that when we hear a piece of sound that Later that I will show you the set. They're actually not edited at all There was something wrong with my PC last night and I couldn't but from that Last weekend my son sent me a picture. He asked me to title it He took he takes pictures of his iPhone and Once in a while he sent me a picture and I would title it last week. He sent me this beautiful picture of a quiet street in Georgetown He asked me what was that I said take five and he goes mob That's what I thought about too. So I think when I think about When I'm in nature I mean total silence. There's no music, but you can't Music from a image like that you will be pictures of my Some ways this is the Omar Tom In the lights of just a little bit. I think we can figure out where and how just a little bit You don't have to go black, but I think they'll be even sharper These picked that's a picture from Go That's this is this is his debut piece in front of His dressed so sharply. I wish I could show more. I was wearing a wooden tie His dignity and his character and the love he has for big band and for jazz And for who he is Shows It's not about me. It's a key story. I just happened to be so fortunate enough to be so close Right there. This was a picture It was an ocean of people I was on the stage and you could feel the love that was so strong That I literally don't want to take pictures, but I was working This is not a very Darling darling This is my son This was doing Nemo One of the biggest storms We want to take a walk in the midst of the storm and there was a group of geese and Swan and ducks that they followed him and they started talking to him and asking for food Thank you And it's that moment for me my daughter always goes back. That's what's called in a sentimental mood Brian blade He came to Columbus to record a new album in Providence the joy that he He doesn't just play jazz music He played this Joni Mitchell Bob Dylan you name it It was just on tour this way in shorter This is one of the images that Wasn't what the parents requested, but I saw the becoming of the little girl in sunset Most of my friends call this the trail of love trail of life to me It's a love supreme at any given day It can certainly become Sunday on that day. It was one of the coldest days. I Snapped two pictures without focus without thinking about anything else. I made him the reef Because he wanted one since his sister had one that I made this roses And I asked him to hold on to this one little thought that what would he want for Christmas? He looked at me Mark Morris The dance company that came to problems a couple years ago My son Henry The day before we dropped him off to Georgetown There's so many things about this picture that I felt that there is a there's my Was my hope for him that he will always be grounded. You know that song Forever young from Bob Dylan the lyrics That's my hope wrong Carter the man of grace You even need to hear the music you can feel my daughter Her name is Leanne. It actually means Lotus Years ago When I was listening to one of Duke Allenton's pieces that she jumped into the room. This was maybe she was five She came in and she says mom. I know that piece. That's Duke. I know that's Duke I said, what do you mean? That's Duke. She said I learned that from school and it's a public school this this piece I took my daughter for a little Photo trip I told her about contradictions It's in darkness that we lying for the light You can't think about the piece of music that maybe it's remind you. I won't tell you mine Most of my photographs actually interesting enough. They're titled after jazz pieces Beaver tail one of the most beautiful places in Rhode Island You can go see the sunset Where to begin so clearly you can take a picture. Where did you develop this? Photographic skill. Why do you name your photographs after jazz pieces? I mean granted You have to search for the song but first let's talk about your Your photographic acumen and where and how it was cultivated tell stories. I Am a storyteller you're interested about the jazz blog that I'm writing this Eric Jackson who is a jazz host WGBH I'm interested about people's story where the music came from And even in nature things that it reminds you that this thing about sunset is a beautiful sunset was guaranteed Gorgeous next day taking pictures about to be in that present moment To let go of everything else and to tell the story for the nature To capture that mood that you were in and who you were with to keep that time Frozen I used to take pictures of this a large format when I was in China I had a dark room and I used to write I think one thing that I was always interested about was once again the old school black and white photographs that on the street kids are playing people coming out of church There's a conflict There's words and stories coming out of the images without being titled Some of the some of the pictures from the grad that great depression Pictures from the nature Parenting we're here to tell stories. I'm certainly sometimes I would go through an interview when people ask me Can you do this? I would say I don't think I'm the one you're looking for I don't if you want me to Make it look like somebody else. I Can't that's not what I do But at the main time There is so much joy in this life No matter Either it's in the great beauty. We're in the great DK. There's so much to learn And for that I take pictures and I listen to music So let's transition about writing because in many ways some people might think that writing is Anti-jazz only in the sense that there's a lot of structure and there's punctuation and there's paragraphs And there's a right and a wrong and there's a yes and a no no We know jazz has rights and wrongs and yeses and noes, but writing in almost any narrative has a kind of Format that it doesn't always lend itself to free writing Talk about blogging and writing and where that's come from and how it also informs your photography And how it informs your listening and how the three intersect the writing the photographs and the music listening When we started the jazz blog Eric and I we had many many conversations and We meet a lot of musicians and we actually attend a lot of things together. We want to be We're the one that who are the music lovers for the jazz Who the African-American in some ways that we are the messengers We're not here to judge. I love to reading reviews about what other people see in Interpretation of somebody else's album, but at the meantime, I want to hear it on my own and when I write about Jazz related things are a lot. It's about the stories about why Some music they came from For example, there was this one story About Kyle and he went to Harvard was about to graduate from Harvard for economics and go into Wall Street And in the midst of that he met Hank Jones group with them after a master workshop and they took master out of the dinner and They decide that they should go on for more jam session after that and Mr. Hank Jones said No, I can't this was He says This is one of the greatest jazz master that had a huge impact on Kyle After he graduated from Harvard He went and got a scholarship to Berkeley and now he looks New York struggling as a jazz musician But he's brand new album. You can't hear all the guts You can't hear all the struggles, but you can also hear this great joy So I think for that I want to tell that story I Written about a Turkish composer He in he was a I think he still is a fellow at Harvard teaches at New England Conservatory He's sort of in some ways in his own words that ditched the traditional Turkish music when he came to America He wanted to he was very very curious about big band music and films and everything else and After many years in America Now he's going back to retrieve his Turkish moves His last album It's as gorgeous as it could be Some of the pieces that reminds me of my favorite films from Wes Anderson And I think because of that I write and at the main time I also take pictures of them So all of that Are there particular photographers that you believe help inform writers and writings or help Listeners to certain types of music in addition to kind of thinking through about the jazz. I'm wondering Any we have advice for future bloggers and writers. What about advice for future photographers? I Don't actually have any suggestions Stay curious for me that I think everyone should go back and look at those old Italian Black and white photographs There was this documentary That she's the old I have hard times names that's one thing coming from the foreigner territory and Something Meyer she was an old babysitter Vivian Meyer Vivian Meyer. I've seen that documentary three times at cable car and She had a hidden camera that she was took selfies of herself and she took many many pictures She's one of my favorite new favorites that I constantly find myself Looking at her pictures and thinking. What was she thinking? What did she see? How did she feel in those two pictures that it tells You know, there's expression calls certain pictures that it explains more than Some Let's I know you want to share a song with us, but before you do that, let's go back to the Intersection of your photography One senses that you might have a passion if not an obsession with Picture-taking and jazz would you describe it as such and if not why not Also as a photographer that there they are times that you are so moved You don't want to be interrupted, but most of the time I have to work We're easier for documenting reason said Definitely find that there is also The concept of jazz that from my father that it reflects of what I do. I Believe that you Must know your boundaries You must know that when you should come in and when you should not you should leave Musicians in a respectful distance if you can't be good at what you do in certain distance Without interrupting the music Let that be If you don't get a good image, let that be Don't interrupt music you respect it. It's not about you Taking pictures it's not about you How the picture look it's not about you It's about all the stories going to be told So to me For example last night I went to a recital at Berkeley Really dear friend then who's about to graduate this year. I Took very very little pictures. I took the pictures for his mom She talks mom is his parents is in India Go to all his recitals, and I took maybe 10 pictures It was a beautiful performance I sat there so moved for all the music choices for all the Musicians that they came together. They were too bad that they came together and for him as a senior Rather than showing off his own music he let everybody else Play I think in some ways there's something about the Asian culture That how John Coltrane was inspired Eastern philosophy It reminded me a lot of that last night, and I I'm so glad that I didn't take Sure, would you like to Almost conclude before we do Q&A with some with a song and perhaps a slideshow or something you have in mind children that they always say that They're not fan of jazz They actually listen. I truly believe that because of the great mentorship that I had from my Grandmother and my father. I was adopted by the way. I was so loved. I believe that there is this urgency in life We need to be mentored We need to mentor others and miss my children and there's everything that we do We need to continue to speak to have the conversation going I talk to my children about jazz all the time this particular day I was talking to my daughter when she asked me why are you listening to that one song in repeat I said because I have to listen to each instrument Five times Then I go to the next one and listen to the second instrument on that piece And I started to ask her what did she think about this piece, which was titled new song Lesbo Gardoni, who is a Boston based jazz musician Came from hungry. I Think a lot of the music that it made so much sense to me that I'm sharing with you today is that It reflects of who I am He too is a foreigner He too love jazz and gospel music the old spirituals and During this this was recorded at Berkeley School of Music During our life performance My daughter heard What she called the ebbs and flows of life in the nutshell There's a chaotic. There's three horns two saxophones and one bass clarinet There's gracefulness There's danger There's boundaries There's conversations and there's so much love and respect That when you hear Sometimes the silence dropped Other instruments come in it talks through their soul and their heart None of this can be explained in so many ways You got to go see the life gigs of jazz because each single time is different I've seen them so many times. I Would not stop saying them By the way, my daughter who said she is not a jazz fan Know that there's the understanding of this piece and I told my daughter and I said listen I can ask Leslo I'm sure that what you interpretation of life of This becoming of life becoming this person that every single one of us is represented in that song That it would parallel this what his interpretation of this composition And indeed he was He talked about that this was in the four-fourth signature a tribute to Western African-American music And at the main time Throughout all the chaos there's harmony We have time for some question one in the front one in the back and then we're gonna mandate students ask questions I can't I Have a comment and a question the comment is that as a writer I find that writing Has its own almost but you can have your own rhythm and so it's almost like music So so that what my question really is is how do how are you exposed to jazz when you were still in China? Did your family have an album collection did you sneak out at night and meet somebody in the corner and exchange tapes and records? So it was a broadcast on a radio. How did you? Get to listen to jazz while you were there My uncle was able to go to Japan first and he brought back a lot of the Minos for my father who everyone knew that played all the words Made recorders and played the sitar and all of this, you know, he he was my father was They were they belong to the north-eastern Northwest of China, so it was border of Russia. So there are a lot of Middle Eastern Influences, but there's also influences from India So there's a big mix of that and this what he did that he's a years that when China was finally opened He would go visit some He was a superintendent of the school system. So he would do worse back schools and he would teach children how to play There's all the jazz albums that my uncle brought back to him. I was never Organized I had no idea what Until one day that he asked me I asked him that, you know, why do you like this? He asked me to listen to a piece and happen to be Alabama and He asked me what I heard He asked me to tell him by the way, I do that with my children. That's what I did That she called that sound becoming without knowing the sound of title So I told him about All of the things that we know about history of that and that opened the door To the jazz music to me and he started telling me a lot of things about struggle But in so many ways that the language of jazz is the universal language Music by itself. They call that in different genres. It's a concept. It's how you make the connections to the music Once they start to make sense to you The music become done So don't give up on things that because you think that you may have no interest If you actually get to know why the music was made start to make sense Jazz is definitely a good way to start Questions from us. Here we go So, do you only listen to jazz or have you ever tried to take out playing an instrument yourself? I used to play the cello when I was very little but because I was growing up It was doing the cultural evolution and that was taken away as well It's a long story So I had to give up My grandmother was secretly teaching me That I had to stop You know music could be heard No sound even when you practice without sound but that There is a great film that called Timbuktu talking about the repression of music and culture And it's beautiful I listen to all sorts of music I actually am a huge fan of indie music So I go to the Newport Jazz Festival every year as well Providence has a huge Population that ended Palantins musicians everywhere What people don't understand is that a lot of things they interconnect We all interconnect with something we know We love Someone else that you love know and so in that For example, I love of monsters A couple weeks ago. I was at the live concert My friend Pat actually took me to that concert Christopher Paul Sterling It was extremely both. He's a very very charged a musician And there were a couple pieces that when he when he was on stage I was in tears I felt the tears being this with tears flowing through me and it was not just It's a mix of things folk. I love blues I love music that it had so much to tell like one of my favorite albums is on right cruder Meeting by the river He met the Indian musician And two of them that one hour before the recording if you hear that So as we wrap up an hour for the students that's John Coltrane Alabama John Coltrane a love supreme Duke Ellington Lotus Blossom You have your listening list now. You know what your homework is Please join me in thanking Aaron X Smith