The Jazz Composers Collective on Creating and Performing
Reactions to Other People’s Interpretations
FRANK J. OTERI: How do you feel when other people play your music? You talked about writing for your specific groups. Have there been a lot of instances of other groups out there playing your things…
FRANK KIMBROUGH: It’s funny. I’ve had a few instan
ces of that happening, not many. Three or four people that have wanted to record one of my tunes.
FRANK J. OTERI: And what’s that been like?
FRANK KIMBROUGH: It’s very nice. I don’t really think of myself as like a composer’s composer. I think of myself really as an amateur. I think it’s important, in a sense, to have a sense of… not in the sense of amateurish, but in the sense of, you know, what does amateur mean? It means someone who loves to do something, right? That’s the literal translation of the word, that’s what it is. I don’t do it thinking that way, you know? So when somebody comes up and says, “Hey, I like this tune. I’d like to do it on my record,” I’m thrilled.
TED NASH: It’s funny to hear a version of your tune.
FRANK KIMBROUGH: Yeah.
TED NASH: Is that what they’re hearing? [everyone laughs] Ingrid Jensen recorded “Longing,” and it was just so interesting, you know? She left out a big section, and she heard this part of it. She just wanted to interpret certain things. But I was completely thrilled that she wanted to do it, and it sounded beautiful the way she did it.