Berman Music Foundation opens new home

By Tom Ineck

LINCOLN, Neb.—After 14 years in separate locations, the Berman Music Foundation museum and office have been combined under one roof, raising its visibility and giving the general public greater access to its valuable resources, especially for students, musicians and music scholars. The move furthers the BMF’s longtime commitment to advocate and educate through music.

Housed on the Skylight Gallery level of The Burkholder Project at 719 P St. in Lincoln’s Historic Haymarket District, the combined BMF museum-office will celebrate a grand opening April 3 from 7-9 p.m., in conjunction with the First Friday Gallery Walk. Live music will be provided by saxophonist Bill Wimmer and keyboardist John Carlini, and a new mural done especially for the BMF by Lincoln artist Leora Platte will be unveiled that evening.

Since he founded the BMF in the spring of 1995, Butch Berman maintained his vast collection of recordings, films and music books in the basement of his home in southeast Lincoln. When asked, he would gladly give a personal “tour” of his music archives, an opportunity he truly enjoyed. But since Butch’s death on Jan. 31, 2008, the museum has remained closed to the public.

BMF trustee Tony Rager spent many months seeking a location where the collection could be adequately used by music lovers and scholars, even consulting with educational institutions in other states to find a suitable site. Finally, rather than farm out parts of the collection to different places and abandon the hometown audience that Butch and the BMF had cultivated over the years, Rager began looking for options closer to home.

The BMF office had been located in the Burkholder Project’s lower level since its inception. Wanting to continue the mutually beneficial tenant-landlord relationship, Rager and Anne Burkholder agreed that a vacant loft apartment would make a suitable home for the new, improved BMF facilities.

While appreciating the literal “underground” status of its damp, windowless environs, this editor and webmaster had began to yearn for a room with a view. With the latest developments, his prayers also were answered.

From four large windows along the north wall, the bright and roomy new quarters overlook the corner of Seventh and P streets, a quaint crossroads dominated by historic brick buildings, a brick-paved street and old-fashioned lamp posts. Just across the street to the west is Lincoln Station, a former Burlington Northern railroad depot still operating as a stop for Amtrak while housing offices, an antiques mall, and a restaurant. To the north of the BMF is the popular Lazlo’s restaurant and brewpub and up the street are The Oven, the city’s best Indian restaurant; and The Mill, a popular coffee house and meeting place for downtown workers and shoppers.

Situated in the bustling hub of downtown Lincoln, the Haymarket District is within a few blocks of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus, the daily Lincoln Journal Star newspaper, numerous retail shops and offices, and the city, county and state seats of government. That makes it an ideal location for the BMF and its mission to protect and promote unique forms of American music.

The BMF collection consists of thousands of recordings in a variety of styles and formats, including 45s and LP records, DVDs and VHS videotapes, and a large library of books on the history of jazz, blues, soul, rhythm and blues and rock ‘n’ roll. It was Butch’s wish that the foundation continue to offer access to this vast resource for anyone who was interested, especially a younger audience who may not be aware of America’s musical heritage. He had been a rare, precocious collector, amassing more than 300 rock ‘n’ roll 45s by age 10 and eventually broadening his interests to encompass blues, soul, country, folk and jazz. 

During the last year of his life, Butch worked with computer whiz Paul Kelly to create a digital catalog of the collection, archiving the recordings and videos for easy reference. A separate “listening room” will allow visitors to hear the music and view music videos in comfort, with the kind of high-quality sound reproduction that Butch demanded.

The new museum-office also displays many of the framed, autographed posters of jazz artists that the BMF has sponsored over the years, along with photos of Butch and his many musician friends. There has been an effort throughout to retain something of the relaxed, informal atmosphere of the former, home-based museum.

The new home has the potential to expand the foundation’s educational and philanthropic mission, said Butch’s widow, Grace Sankey-Berman.

“I am excited about the museum-office combination because it has the potential of taking Butch's vision to another level. Butch put together an extensive music collection which he enjoyed sharing with people. This office-museum will give the public a chance to continue to enjoy it. Beyond that, it will be a great resource for music education which is the main focus of the BMF going forward.”

The BMF offices will be open by appointment, with special emphasis on music scholars and musicians. Call the offices at (402) 261-5480 to arrange a visit.

The Berman Music Foundation is a Nebraska non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. Gifts to the foundation are tax deductible in accordance with IRS rules and regulations governing donations to charities.

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By Tom Ineck

LINCOLN, Neb.—Six musicians with diverse Nebraska ties will reunite for a June 23 performance at Jazz in June on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. The only other time they shared a stage was for a two-night engagement that resulted in a live recording called “Project Omaha,” a moniker that describes the band and the vibe, a gathering of Midwesterners bent on making good music and having a good time.

Saxophonist Bill Wimmer had considered the recording for several years before it came to fruition. Over the last decade or so, he has frequented Vail, Colo., to sit in with keyboardist and singer Tony Gulizia, who moved from Omaha to the Rocky Mountains resort many years ago and has since established a reputation as the area’s most popular entertainer.

The two drew up plans for a dream project that would eventually include six musicians with ties to Nebraska. Gulizia and his brother, percussionist Joey Gulizia are Omaha natives. Guitarist Dave Stryker and drummer Victor Lewis, world-class players based in New York City, have deep Omaha roots, as does bassist Mark Luebbe. Wimmer hails from West Point, Neb., but has called Lincoln his home for many years.

Gulizia and Wimmer could have gathered a group of local Vail musicians for the gig, but they wanted to “raise it to the next level,” Wimmer said. “I really wanted to make a good record. We wanted to focus on it being a good record, and something listenable, not necessarily something commercial.” The goal was to fall along the jazz spectrum somewhere between an esoteric jam band and a patronizing lounge act.

A top-notch drummer would be essential to create the drive and rhythmic anchor necessary in a successful jazz recording. A friend of Tony’s since high school, Lewis was the obvious choice. For more than 30 years, he has been the drummer of choice for such jazz luminaries as Woody Shaw, Stan Getz, Bobby Watson, Kenny Barron, J.J. Johnson, Bobby Hutcherson, Carla Bley and many others.

Gulizia also has a long history with Stryker, who has recorded more than 20 CDs under his own name and others with the likes of singer Kevin Mahogany, saxophonist Steve Slagle, and fellow guitarist Royce Campbell. He also had a long stint touring with the legendary tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine.

Project Omaha became a reality when Gulizia and Wimmer secured the ideal venue for a live recording—the Kelly Liken restaurant in Vail—and booked two dates in 2008, May 13-14. Planning began many months in advance. Everyone cleared their calendars for travel, recording, and “hang time” that would allow the bandmates to establish the camaraderie that is essential to good jazz interplay.

Wimmer, Gulizia and Stryker put together a song list that would both bring out the best in all the players and entertain their live audiences, as well. The fact that all six players hail from Nebraska and have ties to Omaha is somewhat coincidental, but Wimmer acknowledges that the city was a “jazz Mecca” for all of them in their formative years.

“In a way, it’s a going-back-home record. But, in another way, it’s a looking forward record and it’s really looking at the possibilities.” Wimmer stops short of identifying the resulting collaboration as a “Nebraska sound.”

“I won’t say that, but I will say this, and Victor would probably agree with me. There is a certain Midwest attitude and there’s an openness, a real down-homeness about being from Nebraska, Kansas, Illinois, Chicago. I do think there’s a certain Midwest esthetic that connects people a little bit.”

Perhaps that comes across most obviously in Tony Gulizia’s vocal performances of the romantic ballads “I Thought About You” and “She Was Too Good to Me” and in the soulful tunes “Rhyne, Rhythm and Song” and “Cherry Red.” Latin selections such as Dexter Gordon’s “Soy Califa,” “Gypsy Blue,” Stryker’s “Carnaval” and the Brazilian medley “Dreamer/Felicidade” also display that easy, “open” quality that Wimmer cites and give the percussionists ample opportunity to mix it up.

It all comes together on Tony Williams’ seldom-covered “Geo Rose.” A hallmark of that drummer’s breezy, hard-charging style, it is well-served by the Midwestern attitude, as exemplified by Stryker’s soaring guitar, Wimmer’s snaking soprano sax, Tony Gulizia's incisive keyboard prowess, Joey Gulizia's steel drum punctuation and, of course, by the formidable percussion duo of Victor Lewis and Joey Gulizia. Finally, Luebbe’s bass provides the anchoring riff that creates the tune’s powerful mood.

The recording venue is intimate, seating about 75 diners. That also contributes to the high-quality acoustics and the sense of excitement that pervade the CD. Over the course of the two-night stand, the musicians had only two opportunities to get each tune down.  

“It was kind of like the old days, where you went in and you only had maybe eight hours, and you’d make two takes and you’d have to move on,” Wimmer said. “There are a lot of great musicians making music now that isn’t connected directly.”

By contrast, the great innovators of the bop tradition were constrained economically and by the limitations of the recording medium, so they were forced to make concise musical statements on the fly. Wimmer wanted to inject that unpredictable element into the music with spur-of-the-moment solos that allowed for individual freedom of expression.

“The biggest compliment that I have on any of it is that the musicians had a good time, and the music was happenin’,” he said. “You can’t fake that.”

In addition to the June 23 appearance at Jazz in June in Lincoln, Project Omaha will perform a club date June 21 at Julio’s in West Omaha and a festival June 19 in Hastings, Neb., during the band’s weeklong “reunion” this summer. To listen to tunes from the Project Object CD, go to http://www.myspace.com/billwimmer. The CD is available for purchase at http://cdbaby.com/cd/billwimmer. 

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By Tom Ineck

LINCOLN, Neb.—The Berman Music Foundation again will play a major role in sponsoring the Jazz in June series, a popular event that annually draws thousands to weekly concerts in the sculpture garden outside Sheldon Museum of Art in downtown Lincoln.

For the 2009 edition of Jazz in June, the lineup has a decidedly local resonance, with three of the five Tuesday evening performances featuring artists with strong ties to Nebraska.

The Nebraska Jazz Orchestra returns to the stage June 2, along with guest vocalist and pianist Christine Hitt, a native of Bellevue, Neb., who studied music at the University of Minnesota and the University of Arizona. She has earned accolades for her strong scat-singing skills and lilting Latin rhythms.

“Her wholesome, energetic singing is characterized by range and refinement and her immense pianistic prowess is carefully tailored to capture the sense and spirit of each selection,” wrote one critic.

Hitt’s 1999 debut release on the MaxJazz label is entitled “You’d Be Nice to Come Home To.” In addition to the familiar title track, the recording showcases such standards as “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” “Thou Swell,” “A Time For Love,” “Moonglow,” “I’ve Got a Crush on You,” “Joy Spring,” “My Foolish Heart,” “What is This Thing Called Love” and “In a Mellotone.”

ZARO, a jazz quartet based in Fort Collins, Colo., will perform their unique blend of progressive R&B, jazz and funk on June 9. Each of the four letters in the band’s name represents the first letter of a player’s first name. They are Zac Rothenbuehler, guitar and vocals; Andrew Vogt, saxophones and woodwinds; Roger Barnhart, basses; and Oscar Dezoto, drums and percussion.

The band plays an eclectic mix of tunes, including the familiar TV theme song of “Sanford and Son,” the movie theme song “Mo’ Betta Blues,” Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke,” and Nat Adderley’s “Jive Samba.” Their influences range from Marvin Gaye and Maceo Parker to Frank Zappa and Charles Mingus.

Though he has lived in the Rocky Mountain State since 2000, Vogt is a Lincoln native with many ties to the local music scene and a lot of loyal friends. He was interviewed for a BMF article in July 2007, and his CD “Action Plan” was reviewed by Butch Berman that same year. Vogt also figured prominently in a Tomfoolery column last year about Jay’s Bistro and Jazz Lounge in Fort Collins, where he frequently performs.  

Singer Kendra Shank will return with her long-time quartet to the Jazz in June stage June 16. Shank’s latest CD is entitled “Mosaic.” Released in late March, it is largely comprised of standards and features her favorite bandmates—pianist Frank Kimbrough, bassist Dean Johnson and drummer Tony Moreno, reed player Billy Drewes and guitarist Ben Monder. The BMF will post a review of Shank’s CD on its website before her June visit to Lincoln.

Shank also is a longtime friend of the Berman Music Foundation, which first brought her to Lincoln as part of an all-star lineup that also included Claude “Fiddler” Williams, pianist Jaki Byard, bassist Earl May and drummer Jackie Williams. She performed at Jazz in June in 2004 and 2007, when she featured a set of tunes from her acclaimed tribute CD, “A Spirit Free: Abbey Lincoln Songbook.” Shank also was interviewed for a BMF feature article in April 2007.

Project Omaha, who will perform June 23, is a sextet of musicians with strong ties to Nebraska. Saxophonist Bill Wimmer and keyboardist-singer Tony Gulizia assembled the outfit for a live recording last year in Colorado. Gulizia and his brother, percussionist Joey Gulizia are Omaha natives. Guitarist Dave Stryker and drummer Victor Lewis, world-class players based in New York City, have deep Omaha roots, as does bassist Mark Luebbe. Wimmer hails from West Point, Neb., but has called Lincoln his home for many years.

The six will reunite for several June performances. In addition to the Jazz in June concert, Project Omaha will perform a club date June 21 at Julio’s in West Omaha and a festival June 19 in Hastings, Neb. Bill Wimmer was interviewed by the BMF for a feature on the band and the live recording.

For the final concert of the series, drummer John Riley will front a trio on June 30. Riley has visited Lincoln a couple of times before, most recently as drummer for the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra when the big band appeared at the Lied Center for Performing Arts in February 2008. In a professional career spanning more than 30 years, he has performed and recorded with Woody Herman, Miles Davis, saxophonist Bob Mintzer, pianist Kenny Werner, trumpeter Randy Sandke, guitarist John Scofield, and many others.

Riley is on the faculty of Manhattan School of Music, and SUNY Purchase, and is an artist in residence at Amsterdam Conservatory in Holland. He also authored of “The Art of Bop Drumming,” “Beyond Bop Drumming,” and “The Jazz Drummer's Workshop.”

Jazz in June concerts begin at 7 p.m. each Tuesday and run until 9 p.m., with two sets and an intermission. The concerts are free, but listeners are asked for contributions to support the annual series.

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By Tom Ineck

LINCOLN, Neb.—The Berman Music Foundation and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have enjoyed a long tradition of collaboration and exploration in the related areas of jazz performance and jazz education.

In October 1996, the BMF brought singer Kevin Mahogany to town to perform and conduct a workshop with the Kenny Barron Trio at Westbrook Recital Hall on the UNL campus. The following February, saxophonist Joe Lovano and bassist Christian McBride performed at UNL’s Lied Center for Performing Arts.

Saxophonist Benny Waters and pianist Jane Jarvis conducted a UNL workshop in March 1997, as did saxophonist Greg Abate in April. The Motion Poets performed at Westbrook Recital Hall in October of that year, and the Mingus Big Band took the Lied Center stage that November, all with support from the BMF.

BMF sponsorship has continued through the years with performances and/or workshops featuring A Band in All Hope (April 1998), saxophonist Ahmad Alaadeen (December 1998), screenings of the Woody Allen film "Sweet and Lowdown" at the Mary Riepma Ross Film Theatre (May 1999), Bobby Watson and Horizon at the Lied Center (October 1999), Norman Hedman's Tropique and Jerry Gonzalez and the Fort Apache Band at the Lied Center (March 2001), singer Karrin Allyson at the Lied Center (November 2001), and singer Sheila Jordan and bassist Cameron Brown at Westbrook (March 2003).

In addition, the BMF has for many years been a major sponsor of the Jazz in June concert series, staged in the sculpture garden of the Sheldon Museum of Art on the UNL campus..

That tradition continues with several new projects-in-progress involving the UNL School of Music. Prof. John Richmond, director of the music school, has been instrumental in working with the BMF on these exciting ventures.

"The UNL School of Music is honored to forge these new partnerships with the Berman Music Foundation, a name synonymous with commitment to jazz performance and education,” Richmond said. “Our school is moving forward with several strategically important initiatives in jazz education, including newly approved master's and doctoral degree programs in jazz studies (pending approval from the National Association of Schools of Music), a new high school jazz camp in the summer, and a Berman Fellowship Program in conjunction with our High School Honor Jazz Weekend to provide an in-service educational opportunity for high school music teachers to expand their understanding of principles in jazz education."

Berman fellowships were awarded earlier this year to several area high school music teachers. They were in residence at UNL during the High School Honor Jazz Weekend in February, allowing them to work with artist-in-residence Stefon Harris, the UNL jazz faculty, UNL jazz students and the many high school students attending the weekend activities.

"An especially exciting facet of our recent partnerships is the launch of our new Berman Fellowship Program in conjunction with the annual High School Honor Jazz Weekend,” Richmond said. “While we have had the chance to engage an outstanding cadre of gifted high school jazz musicians, this new program permits us to reach out to high school music teachers in an effort to enable them to deliver jazz education in their schools to a higher standard.”

Looking ahead, the BMF will partner with the School of Music for its first UNL High School Jazz Camp, June 28 through July 2 on the UNL campus. Artist-in-residence John Riley, drummer with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and professor of jazz percussion at Manhattan School of Music, has worked with UNL students during two previous visits in 2007 and 2008. Riley and his trio also will perform June 30 in the final Jazz in June concert.

"High school jazz students from across the region will convene on the UNL campus for an outstanding experience studying jazz performance, improvisation, composition, and jazz history,” Richmond explained. “It is the quintessential win-win-win partnership among these distinguished collaborators. We couldn't be more proud to be a part of it all."

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By Grace Sankey-Berman

For some 30 years, Butch played Ping Pong with his friends. Brad Krieger and Daniel Nelson have been a part of the core group of men that played with Butch for all those years. Butch loved the game and looked forward to every Saturday when he could play with his friends in his basement, where he had home-court advantage.

So, when Butch died I wondered what to do with the Ping Pong table. I thought it would be fitting for either Daniel or Brad to have it. Neither of them had room, but they came up with a better plan—to find a place for the table where they could continue to play and keep the tradition going.

Bill Brown, who also played Ping Pong with the group, offered his garage. Bill is a collector of all things Porsche, so it is the perfect guy hang-out. The garage contains classic Porsches, full-size and miniatures, spare parts, pictures of different model Porsches, and a whole lot more. Bill even makes steering wheels.

“It is a guys’ Mecca,” said Daniel Nelson.

Daniel, Brad and Bill moved the table to Bill’s garage. They wanted a label for the table and finally settle on the “Butch Berman Still Boppin’ Memorial Table.” It looks great on the side of the table, and I am sure that Butch would approve.

They had a tournament in Butch’s memory on March 21. I was late getting to the tournament, but pleased to see that more people had showed up than expected. The atmosphere was relaxed and there were two guys competitively playing a Ping Pong game. As I stopped to watch and looked around the garage, there were people talking, reminiscing about the past, or just eating Bill’s great homemade chips and guacamole and the other refreshments. Before the competition began, there was a ceremony in memory of Butch. People shared their favorite stories about Butch, and a toast was made to his memory.

Brad and Daniel, like most of the guys in attendance, said they knew Butch from watching him play with the Megatones and other bands at the Zoo Bar and eventually met him at Larry’s Showcase while playing Ping Pong. “It all started at the now-closed Larry’s Showcase bar,” said Brad Krieger.

They met on Tuesday nights to have a beer and play Ping Pong. They would also play with other guys that came from Milford and the University of Nebraska. After the bar closed, the core group would stay and play until 2 p.m., so they had a lot of practice and got really good at the game. Other people that came to play at the bar were not so good, except for a few that were unbeatable. The entry fee was $3 and the more you played and won, the cheaper the beer got. The bartender kept the score. So if you were good, you might break even at the end of the night.

Butch started inviting the guys to play at his house. They got together most Saturdays.

“It was a multi-media experience. You had great music, wine and talk,” Brad said. Butch always had new music he wanted them to hear or a new video he wanted them to watch, slowly building up anticipation and excitement for the game.

They were all very competitive, and Butch was especially so. He always had creative tricks to distract his competitors, Daniel said. “For example, if I was enjoying the music and had momentum in the game, Butch would change it and play something crappy.”

“My ex-wife’s name is Karen Allyson, no relation to the jazz singer, so if Butch wanted to mess with my mind during a game, he would get out all his Karrin Allyson albums and line them up where I could see them,” Brad recalled. They said Butch hated it if anyone missed the scheduled Saturday Ping Pong games and would always give them a hard time, regardless of the reason. 

Butch and his friends bragged that Ping Pong was the only game where they could beat jocks. It was a real surprise to the athletic guys who got beat. “Very satisfying,” said Brad. While talking to the guys, I could see how much they enjoy the game. Brad explained that “it is an endurance game that takes hours, and not too many people can stand that long. You need good reflexes and mental alertness because you have to find the weak side of the other guy and know where to hit the ball. It is momentum and groove.” He said that if you had all these factors you won all the time.

These guys spent many years perfecting their game and individual styles. Above all, they created a bond and cultivated a lifetime of comradeship and friendship, which I am grateful to have witnessed and been a part of. I am glad that the Ping Pong table has a home with friends.

Ruthann Nahorny, Butch’s friend and assistant, and her boyfriend, Bob, came to the tournament a couple hours after her beloved mother’s funeral. I was not expecting her to show up, considering the circumstances, but was pleasantly surprised to see her. I also appreciated Bob Doris, Kirk, Dale, Terry, Jimmy and all the other people that took the time to attend. I want to especially thank Daniel, Brad and Bill for putting this tournament together and remembering Butch in such a meaningful way. It was an enjoyable gathering of friends.

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We spent two nights at the Hotel Phillips, one of Butch’s favorite hotels and just a couple of blocks from the Folly. Situated between Broadway and Main streets on 12th Street, it is a convenient home base to points in the downtown and mid-town areas, including the waterfront, the Power & Light District, Crown Center, Westport, and the Country Club Plaza.

On this visit, we checked out the refurbished Union Station, at 30 West Pershing Road, which sadly sat empty and unused for many years. While still lacking a lot of activities that might make it a popular destination, it is a spectacularly preserved building from the golden age of rail travel. The Beaux-Arts station opened in 1914.

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