{"id":6360,"date":"2017-05-18T07:00:24","date_gmt":"2017-05-18T12:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/?p=6360"},"modified":"2017-05-17T18:37:44","modified_gmt":"2017-05-17T23:37:44","slug":"mr-versatility-jay-ecker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2017\/05\/18\/mr-versatility-jay-ecker\/","title":{"rendered":"Mr. Versatility, Jay Ecker"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Man Of Several\u00a0 Careers, Jay Ecker Finds That Versatility Is The Essence Of His Musical Life<\/em><\/p>\n

Story By Brad Goins<\/em><\/p>\n

Photos By Elizabeth Medwick<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo By Elizabeth Medwick<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Jay Ecker first learned to appreciate jazz music under the influence of his LaGrange High band director, Ed Schutz. When Ecker entered Schutz\u2019s classroom in the 1970s, the teacher was always playing a jazz disc \u2014 perhaps the latest Maynard Ferguson LP or maybe an old big bands standard.<\/p>\n

Ecker decided he wanted to audition for LaGrange\u2019s Jazz Band, then called the Stage Band. To do this, he had to switch from his main instrument \u2014 the tuba \u2014 to the trombone. Once in the band, Ecker learned the bass player would leave upon graduation. Ecker resolved to master the stand-up bass \u2014 the instrument that he has, for the most part, stayed with.<\/p>\n

During those band years, Ecker and a few other budding jazz enthusiasts got in the habit of asking Schutz to recommend three albums at a time for them to listen to at home. Ecker remembers Schutz introducing him to the likes of Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and John Coltrane. \u201cIn high school,\u201d he says, \u201cwe didn\u2019t know what that was.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ecker started making a little money by playing gigs with Ed Fruge \u2014 local keyboardist, musician and music producer \u2014 at the Bontemps Dance Club, the Merry Mates and other dance venues. Jazz tunes were played, but not those of Miles Davis. Cole Porter and George Gershwin standards were on the program then.<\/p>\n

As a 17-year-old, Ecker was impressed that he was playing with musicians with exceptional training and experience and was being given drinks on his breaks. He says he still plays, at times, for members of the old groups. But unfortunately, the passage of time is taking its inevitable toll on the ranks. He recalls having to stop one performance and turn on the lights so one of the dancers could find his teeth.<\/p>\n

Not One Of The Cats<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Ellis Marsalis \u2014 one of the jazz men Ecker has performed with.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In the Lake Area, Jay Ecker\u2019s name is strongly associated with jazz. The name of his ensemble is the Jazz Quartet. Still, you\u2019re not very likely to hear Ecker referring to himself as a \u201cjazz man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ecker says the name Jazz Quartet is \u201cjust descriptive. We\u2019re playing jazz standards. There\u2019s a certain segment of the population (here) who wants that.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t really classify myself as a jazz musician,\u201d he says. \u201c[When I started out], I wanted to play every gig that came along [regardless of the style of music]. I just wanted to play all the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m kind of a half-assed jazz man. But I\u2019m not one of the cats.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo By Elizabeth Medwick<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Ecker notes that those who want to become known as serious jazz players must make jazz a full-time job. Ecker didn\u2019t do that. He was as comfortable with rock or pop or classical as he was with jazz. He took lots of gigs not just to get experience, but also to pay for his college education.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could play any style,\u201d he says, \u201cIt\u2019s not so much about being a great jazz player as knowing a lot of tunes. That\u2019s a lifelong process … The versatility is more important than being a jazz player.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ecker certainly took the versatile approach as his young musical career got underway. He played Carnegie Hall with the Baton Rouge Symphony. He toured England and Scotland with a classical ensemble. He opened for jazz fusion masters Spyro Gyra.<\/p>\n

In spite of his eclectic approach, some circumstances did conspire to keep Ecker close to the world of jazz. One was that there were \u201cso few acoustic bass players in the Gulf South.\u201d Ecker estimates there were and are, perhaps, a dozen good stand-up bass players along the coast from New Orleans to Houston. And he says he gets requests for performances from venues all along this stretch.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s heartily pleased that he\u2019s gotten to play with some great jazz players during his career: players such as Peter Erskine (fusion jazz drummer for Weather Report), Ellis Marsalis (influential N.O. pianist and father of Wynton and Branford) and Bob Mintzer (big band saxophonist who\u2019s played with just about everybody).<\/p>\n

Ecker feels he\u2019s learned a lot from dedicated and formal study, whether with bassist Marc Johnson (a member of Bill Evans\u2019 last trio); with Lynn Seaton (bebopper bassist who\u2019s played on more than 125 albums); or with his master\u2019s bass teacher at LSU, Bill Grimes.<\/p>\n

Listening<\/b><\/p>\n

I know from experience that Ecker doesn\u2019t mind talking about music. He notes that, \u201cSomebody once said talking about music is like dancing about architecture.\u201d (This phrase has been used by many great figures. But it\u2019s generally thought it was first used by comedian Martin Mull, who actually wrote, \u201cwriting about music\u201d rather than \u201ctalking about music.\u201d)<\/p>\n

Ecker believes that what beats talking or writing is listening: listening to lots and lots of recordings is even more important for jazz musicians than it is for garden-variety 14-year-olds.<\/p>\n

\u201cBass players need to know chord changes and melodies,\u201d he says. \u201cListening to the recordings is the best way to learn.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spent every day listening to music …\u201d says Ecker. \u201cI stole every lick I play from somebody else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of the bass players Ecker spent a lot of time listening to early on were Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Clarke and Ron Carter (a double bassist, his performances on well over 2,000 recorded sessions is a record for jazz bassists; in a few days, he\u2019ll turn 80).<\/p>\n

Other Careers<\/b><\/p>\n

Like many who are serious about their learning, Ecker felt the degrees he wound up with weren\u2019t exactly ideal for getting the work he most wanted. A bachelor\u2019s in theory and composition and a master\u2019s in double bass performance aren\u2019t credentials that raise the eyebrows of most club owners or band managers.<\/p>\n

Still, gainful employment came quickly. Almost immediately after his master\u2019s graduation, Ecker got a job as a high school band leader in DeRidder in 1988. Not long thereafter, he took the same post at Westlake High, where he held it for 25 years.<\/p>\n

It took Ecker a few years to get immersed in his teaching. But once he did, it took on great value for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cTeaching has been a huge part of my life. I really learned so much from my kids. Some of my former students I play gigs with. Some are teachers. That\u2019s gratifying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Teaching remained satisfying and rewarding until the day Ecker was diagnosed with Hodgkin\u2019s Disease. He had to take a year off teaching to fight the illness.<\/p>\n

It was during this break in his routine that Ecker first began to think of getting involved in Rikenjaks, which was then a popular brew-house in downtown Lake Charles.<\/p>\n

Ecker had worked a great deal in the restaurant business during his university years to pay for tuition. \u201cI wanted to keep my hand in that,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

He took over Rikenjaks in 2000. After a few years, he was obliged to close and sell the venue.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Rikenjaks owner Jay Ecker discussing blueprints with a contractor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

But recently, Ecker and two partners joined forces to open the new and phenomenally popular Rikenjaks on Ryan Street. The new venue retains the old Rikenjaks\u2019 emphasis on roughhewn wood. Tables and benches are all hand-tooled from wood by partner Buck Maraist, a long-time restaurateur who, Ecker says, \u201cknows how to do everything.\u201d His parents own Dylan\u2019s Bar and Grill in Port Arthur.<\/p>\n

The new venue is also carrying on Rikenjaks\u2019 old tradition as a source of remarkable beers. For months, I\u2019d been unable to try LA 31\u2019s Biere Noire because every place I went to was out of it. But when I interviewed Ecker at Rikenjaks, I finally got a pint.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis I consider my second career,\u201d says Ecker. \u201cIt was a huge investment, money and time-wise.\u201d<\/p>\n

In typical restaurateur fashion, Ecker spent the first two months both opening and closing the new Rikenjaks. He put in 20-hour days. Now, things have smoothed out a bit, and he can get away with working 8 or 9 hours a day.<\/p>\n

The third partner in the new Rikenjaks is Frank Randazzo, known for Madison\u2019s in Beaumont. The new Lake Charles Rikenjaks is already successful to the point of franchising. A new location is expected to open in Vidor, Texas, shortly.<\/p>\n

Build Your Own Jazz Career<\/b><\/p>\n

Even at this late date, there may still be a few local students who think about becoming a serious jazz musician one day. Does Ecker have any advice for them?<\/p>\n

He does; and the advice is simple and straightforward.<\/p>\n

No. 1. Listen to the music on recordings. \u201cMake it part of your vocabulary.\u201d<\/p>\n

No. 2. \u201cFind people more experienced than you\u201d and play with them as often as you can.<\/p>\n

No. 3. \u201cTake every gig, no matter what it pays.\u201d<\/p>\n

That ought to do it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Man Of Several\u00a0 Careers, Jay Ecker Finds That Versatility Is The Essence Of His Musical Life Story By Brad Goins Photos By Elizabeth Medwick Jay Ecker first learned to appreciate jazz music under the influence of his LaGrange High band director, Ed Schutz. 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