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Show 'Maybe we're starting a musical renaissance Jr r. ,UiV Rut that's not of it is done von, "Cs BY FRANK RUNNER Chronicle Staff fdfoc's note: Composer-conductor-arranger Pat Williams was on campus last week as a guest instructor for the Department of Jazz. Mr. Williams has written the musical scores for such television shows as "The Name of the Game, " "To Catch a Thief" and The Virginian, "as well as many movies. Williams: You have to know where to find Jazz. It's all over. I have yet to go to any town where there weren't some good jazz players. Chronicle: How many instruments instru-ments do you play? Williams: None. I used to play a trumpet but not any more. I played the trumpet all through college. But once I got out and really started to write for a living, I gave it up. Chronicle: So, when you write, do you test it out on the piano or is it in your head? Willians: Well, both. The piano for me is a reference instrument if anything. And it's not a very good one at that, because I play it poorly. As a matter of fact, I don't play it at all. So, it's used as a reference. Chronicle: You compose for Andy Griffith , Mary Tyler Moore and movies? Williams: Not Andy Griffith any more. I did that show... but it's mostly film, television and movies right now. Chronicle: What movies did vou do? per se, because everything s in flux. It's like a wave. You car it catch it. You ride it. And the musical thinking at a certain time is something that's in flux. There s no doubt that jazz has had a deep effect in, if anything, at least the subconscience of certainly the young people today. Even blue grass, country, folk and, well those three in particular, have jazz-like elements in them. Now we find a lot of groups are using horns, adding jazz soloists. The rhythm isn't even called rock any more. It's called, for lack of something some-thing better, contemporary. And something is either contemporary or it isn't. But even the word "rock" doesn't mean too much any more because there are so many different ways to go. And it's gonna go wherever the people who are writing it are going to take it. Chronicle: Jazz has been accused ac-cused of stealing from other types of music. Do you see it that way? Or do you think the other types of music are just using jazz? Williams: Like what other types of music? Chronicle: Like the original rock and the original jazz. Williams: Well, rock is much newer than jazz. Bill Haley was in the '50's with "Rock Around the Clock." That was, I think, one of the first rock sounds. And, to my way of thinking, it was very unsophisticated. unso-phisticated. It was basically blues with a very heavy back-beat-type of drumming, and that's where it was 101 '""" " where it is now at all. To me there's no similarity between someone like James Taylor and Bill Haley and the Comets. As far as I'm concerned, where we're at now is way in front of where rock started and it only started about 15 years ago. Jazz started in the early part of the century. Jazz is something that a great number of people who have never enjoyed it or delved into it don't understand. Jazz can run the scope from The Firehouse Five to Dixieland, the beebop era. In 1920, for the first time, jazz musicians were going over to Europe Eu-rope and the European composers Ravel, Stravinsky and that circle over there got fascinated with American jazz. And jazz has had much more of an impact on the world community of music and it really is an American art form. I don't know. I just feel that there's been a lot of mis-conceptions from people on the outside looking look-ing in as to what jazz really is. The fact that jazz was maybe saloon-oriented form bothered some people. The saloon played a big part in the development of jazz. Chronicle: Oliver Nelson said that if the Europeans try to play jazz, they're really looked down upon. That they like the black American players over there better. bet-ter. What's the reasoning behind this? Williams: Well, the European jazz that I've heard is, well, some . . J i. Rut imitative! It's Mmn 0' 1 heavy-weight jazz Players tha( ; have here or have had her ' much of what they do they learned from American r c and American players Chronicle: Yeah. WelU was born here, I'd think V about aU they could listen to Williams: That's right 'v know, there's some Wonde players over there. But when " American jazz player goes ftj Europe I ve never met one! tha said he wasn't absolu, 1 fantastically received. There's 1 f great feeling over there few car. jazz players. And in Russill! well. We have kind of a dumb tudt tion in this country of looking,, the artist in general with m cion. And jazz has been in , very forefront of this. Jazz piaytll have been looked at with t cion by a great portion of to r people in this country for may years. And yet, in foreign con-tries, con-tries, they're not that way at I The artist is looked upon as -t revered member of society to k encouraged and nurtured and preciated. If this Renaissance continue;, the handwriting is on the rf Music reflects a time. It aliviji has and it always will. It's a vei) good barometer of the time tk we live in. So if the young peopli want to express themselves musically, music-ally, they're going to find It own ways. PAT WILLIAMS . . jazz composer cident in San Francisco." Chronicle: When did you write your first song? Williams: Well, I don't remember. remem-ber. I really don't. I was....at a tender age. But that's one of the things I feel is important. You know, if I could leave here and one or two students who have writing talent could write a little more as a result of my being here, I'd feel very groovy about it because be-cause writing is something you have to do a lot of. There's no substitute for a lot of it. You know, we have literally a nation of songwriters. There's more music now, I think.than there ever has been in history. Maybe we're at the start of some kind of renaissance, a musical renaissance. I hope so. Williams: Well, jazz is going to be a very integral part of it. Not Williams: My first picture was "How Sweet It is" which was a comedy with James Garner and Debbie Reynolds. Then 1 did a picture called "Don't Drink the Water" with Jackie Gleason, a picture called "Macho Callahan" with David Jansen, a picture called "A Nice Girl Like Me" with Barbara Ferris and one called "In- |