The following is an interview between jazz journalist Morgan Enos and drummer and composer Jonathan Barber. His new album with Vision Ahead, In Motion, released 2 August, features tenor saxophonist Matt Knoegel, guitarist Andrew Renfroe, pianist Taber Gable, and bassist Matt Dwonszyk. Links to purchase the album, and to Barber’s website, can be found at the end of this article.
A successful jazz musician is, by definition, in motion. The next gig, the next session, the next tour. But Jonathan Barber understands how to zoom out from there.
“I always tell my friends, ‘No matter what, stay in motion,’” he says. “You may not have the big picture – but if you have something, it can be used.”
Perhaps this connects to Barber’s beginnings in the church: it provided the fuel for him to get going. His mother, pregnant with him, started having contractions while literally at church. His father, as a drummer, gave his creative arc the necessary propulsion.
In Motion is Barber’s fourth leader album, with his band Vision Ahead. Read on for how it came to be.
UK Jazz News: Take us through Vision Ahead’s origins.
Jonathan Barber: I’m from Hartford, Connecticut, and Matt [Dwonszyk] lives in Rocky Hill.
So, out of all the musicians on the scene, I’ve known Matt the longest. We go back since high school at the Arts Collective, which was an after school program founded by the late, great Jackie McLean. [Matt] is probably my oldest friend.
The whole Vision Ahead band – us four – went to school together, practised together, did some gigs together. And we kind of moved to New York together. At one point, me, Andrew [Renfroe], and Taber [Gable] lived with each other in Harlem.
Matt and I have been playing for years together, and bass and drums have a strong relationship – one of the strongest, I think, in a band. That translated off and on the bandstand.
Then, once I started getting gigs in New York, I was like, OK, I think we need a name. We need to not just take it seriously, but legitimise ourselves as a band. I named it Vision Ahead, and the rest is history.
UKJN: Can you drill into the themes of In Motion?
JB: The title track, “In Motion,” is kind of the theme of that album.
Long story short, there are different processes with which I write. And with this one, I was writing these chords, and it was based on seven bars, which is kind of uneven, if you will. I had these melodies and sketches, and I was like: Man, I don’t know which one I should use, or which direction I should go in. And then, I just realised: Man, use it all.
I really like how we formulated each theme. “In Motion” trades the sax, guitar and piano. With that interplay, I felt like it was a team effort. We don’t necessarily play the melody and then one solo after the next, like in a regular jazz context. That’s the idea of my band: I want us to showcase how we sound together.
We’ve been playing together for over 10 years, maybe 15. We have that synergy, but every time you’re in the studio, each day is different. You’ve got to be focused, you have to be mentally prepared. You have to be patient, you have to listen.
It’s almost like sports. You can have a really good team, but one day, it may not click, and the next day it might be great. It’s all about knowing that. I’m really appreciative that they took my compositions seriously, and had an open mind.
UKJN: How would you forecast Vision Ahead’s future?
JB: I want Vision Ahead to be one of the top bands in today’s jazz scene. I definitely want to tour more, and tour longer. I definitely see us making more music. I can even see the band expanding; I don’t necessarily know what that means yet, but I definitely see growth in it.
On top of that, when it comes to recording and the presentation of music, I’m open to the possibilities of incorporating, partnering, integrating other things too.
I think of Weather Report, and the Jazz Messengers, and [Bob James and Harvey Mason’s] Fourplay. I definitely want Vision Ahead to be among those – to have that kind of status.
