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DECEMBER 2005

Taking Judy Carmichael In Stride
By Joan Baum, Ph.D.

Count Basie is said to have called her “Stride” because of her command of this incredibly difficult technique of fast left-hand syncopated jumps that beat out rhythms against right-hand melodies. Although the term “stride piano” goes back to the days of the fabled James P. Johnson, “Fats” Waller and Willie “The Lion” Smith, Judy Carmichael gave this distinctive way of playing jazz piano her own signature touch when she was barely out of her teens, which, to judge by appearances, was only yesterday. Vivacious, full of bubbly enthusiasm, especially for Jazz Inspired, her weekly radio show which airs on NPR stations across the country, she surely must still turn heads when she enters concert halls and visits schools to perform and talk about stride piano, the history of jazz, music and the joys of being creative. A slim woman with an infectious smile and a cascade of shoulder-length blonde ringlets, Judy Carmichael is at the top of her form as a pianist and entertainer, but she is particularly proud of being told that she’s also a good ambassador for music and an inspiring teacher.

Indeed, teaching is her love, and though she does give master classes, she especially likes going into grade schools and making contact with youngsters, most of whom have never heard of her or know little or nothing about jazz. No problem. “Know your audience, involve them,” she says, and so when she visits classes, adjusting her presentations according to age, she tries to feel her way by beginning where the students are. And so she might start with references to a popular teenage music video or hip hop celebrity and then move out, demonstrating. She also likes to tell stories that she believes resonate with young audiences—describing, for example, her early years taking piano lessons from a teacher who actually discouraged her and told her she had no ability, or noting that she wanted to be an actress and tried the beauty-pageant route in California, where she was born and went to school, not to mention how she felt as a minority in a school system where the overwhelming population was Latino and Asian. There were also early professional gigs at Disneyland—“five years, seven hours a day” for little money. By the time she got to college, she was thinking of another kind of career—Foreign Service, and so she majored in German, and actually, later on, did get to go abroad playing piano for the State Department, thus proving that you can have it all, even benefits from challenging times. Because music, jazz, was always her main passion, however, she starting playing the clubs in L.A. but had an identity problem. She was seen only as a “cute blonde chick, who had a gimmick, playing piano,” and no, she is not related to Hoagy Carmichael. Some big names nonetheless got to see and hear her and urged her on her musical way. These included Count Basie and Sarah Vaughan, and a host of well known jazz artists who insisted she come to New York.

Judy Carmichael is the sole producer of Jazz Inspired. “The bad news is you have to do it all, the good news, however, is that no one can tell you what to do.” Her take on the show—and website—is a broad one. She focuses on how her guests—not all jazz artists, not all even musicians—have been inspired by jazz and how it has made them happier, feeling more connected to their community. She believes that this kind of emphasis on creativity is often missing in schools and certainly from radio and tv, though it’s what performers and audiences can share—an appreciation for the arts that can make for a better sense of self and for a better world. Mark January 23rd on your calendar for a special appearance on behalf of Jazz Inspired at Steinway Hall and visit the website: www.judycarmichael.com.#

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