Jazz has famously been described as the sound of surprise, but Sumi Tonooka makes a vivid case for the way jazz careers can evolve in astonishing directions. As a veteran improviser, the Philadelphia pianist, composer, and bandleader knows all about navigating unexpected twists and turns on the bandstand. Now she’s in the midst of an unanticipated career swerve that has taken her deep into new territory as a composer. For much of her career, Sumi has thrived in the trio context, performing around the world with a series of consummate ensembles that were often anchored by bass maestro Rufus Reid. But over the past decade she’s been awarded a series of increasingly ambitious commissions involving leading chamber ensembles, symphonies and fellow jazz explorers. A recipient of a prestigious Pew Fellowship, and a Chamber Music America, New Jazz Works Grant and South Arts Jazz Roads grant, Sumi has been commissioned by the Emerging Black Composers Project and had her works premiered by the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Orchestra and the Alchemy Sound Project collective. Sumi’s children are thirty-four and thirty-two years old.
UK Jazz News:What is the best advice you received about balancing/juggling motherhood and career?
Sumi Tonooka: Honestly I don’t think I received advice about that subject in particular, but I have a wide circle of friends, especially women friends and close family who helped me throughout. I realized that it’s hard to do it all at once, that motherhood changes and demands and priorities shift, it’s a dance of balance, energy, love and passion.
UKJN: What information or advice do you wish you’d received but didn’t (and had to learn through trial and error or on the go)?
ST: One on the go lesson, was learned the hard way, after deciding to take a road gig while I was nursing and having to leave my baby daughter at home with her dad. Luckily the band I was working with at the time had two experienced dad’s who volunteered to find a breast pump for me because mine had broken. The bond between mother and child when nursing is visceral and I never did that again. Separation while nursing can be managed but not easily, much better to have your baby with you if at all possible. It was hard for me and I’m sure harder for my baby daughter. It was just too soon.
UKJN: Your top tip(s) for other mothers in jazz:
ST: I think being a mother is such an amazing experience and we do have to live life as artists/mothers otherwise how do we have something to bring to our art? I would tell young mothers it’s ok to take the time required to do what must be done, and also to really enjoy it! The demands of motherhood change and shift as you move through life, and as your children change, even after they become adults, being a parent never stops. The energy required when they are young is different, time really does go by fast and they change so fast. You don’t have to do it all at the same time with the same amount of energy, that is a recipe for burn out. You have to take care to take care, and that means taking good care of yourself too.
UKJN: Baby/child gear tips for travel/touring/gigging:
ST: If nursing without a baby on the road, a good breast pump, in fact take two in case one breaks!! And most mom’s and dad’s learn quickly what is needed for the baby, but it’s also important to have/pack stuff for them to do, depending on what age etc if they come with you. I remember once having the whole family on a gig and one of the band members baby sat for us, so that my ex husband and I could go out for an evening on a night off.
UKJN: Best general travel/gigging/tour-with-child advice:
ST: PLAN! And have good/ hearted smart/generous friends and colleagues and generally good people around you, who get it!! And learn to be that friend for others when it comes back around. Naps are good, Meditation too for quick recharge, good nutrition, and that may mean packing healthy high energy snacks, walks and exercise.
UKJN:What has surprised you about becoming a parent and remaining engaged with your professional activities and ambitions?
ST: Becoming a parent and remaining active as an artist has taught me about commitment, but also about change and flexibility, especially of the mind. Rigidity is your enemy, you have to bend. Music requires a steadfast commitment over time, so does child rearing. It can be done, but not everything all at once, at least not for too long! Knowing what is most important as you move through and adapting to change is key. Also, one can do things in smaller doses but with consistency, a little at a time can go a long way. Guerilla practice! One thing can work sometimes, and not everything works all the time. Pause and take time before making a decision.
UKJN: What boundaries have you set for yourself as a mother in jazz (could be related to travel/touring, riders, personal parameters, child care decisions, etc.)?
Sumi’s next release is a recording of a Chamber Music America New Jazz Works Grant piece called Under the Surface. It is composed for Alchemy Sound Project with Erica Lindsay on tenor sax, Samantha Boshnak on trumpet, Salim Washington on multi reeds, Michael Ventoso on trombone, and features my trio with Johnathan Blake on drums and Greg August on bass.
(*) Mothers in Jazz was started by vocalist Nicky Schrire. The initiative aims to create an online resource for working jazz musicians with children, those contemplating parenthood, and jazz industry figures who work with and hire musicians who are parents. The insight of the musicians interviewed for this series provides valuable emotional, philosophical and logistical information and support that is easily accessible to all. “Mothers In Jazz” shines a light on the very specific role of being both a mother and a performing jazz musician.
