Eric Seddon (BM, 1994),
studied clarinet at Hartt from 1990-1994. He currently lives in Cleveland with
his wife, Elisa (BM in flute, BS in Chemistry 1995) and their seven children.
What have you been up to
since graduating from Hartt?
Twenty years is a long
time, and a great deal has happened. Obviously the biggest things are personal:
Elisa and I have been married for 22 years now, and have been blessed with
seven beautiful children. As any creative artist will tell you, to have that
sort of stability—a spouse and family who care and are supportive of your
work—is irreplaceable.
Musically speaking,
after Hartt I went on to graduate work at Butler University, then played in
regional symphony orchestras, teaching briefly at the Cleveland Music School Settlement
before being forced into an unexpected ‘early retirement.’ Since childhood, I’d
had a severe heart condition that grew increasingly worse. By age 28 it had
progressed to the point that I couldn’t breathe well enough to play, and
doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong. Packing up the clarinet was
excruciating, but something I had to do for my health’s sake. So for several
years I turned my efforts to writing; publishing academic pieces on music
history, performance reviews, CD reviews, and some poetry. I even spent a
couple of years selling clarinets for a prominent German instrument maker. In
short, I tried to stay involved with music in whatever way I could.
Then, around 2010,
everything changed for the better. A cardiologist diagnosed me correctly, and I
had open heart surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. An operation like that can
change your life in many ways. Thankfully, the surgery was a resounding
success, and I spent the next three years rebuilding my technique to a
professional level. I’m grateful my wife and kids understood the type of drive
that can make a 38 year old practice for five or six hours a day—before
sunrise, during meals, and after bedtime, if necessary. I played my first gig
in fourteen years this past January, and have been performing steadily, often
several times a week, ever since.
What are you involved
with right now?
The Cleveland jazz
scene. I’m grateful so many musicians here have given me a chance to play—and
have responded enthusiastically to what I do. George Foley was the first.
Anyone on the scene here knows his work—his piano and band leading skills are
mainstays at venues like Nighttown, Bon Vivant, the Barking Spider,
and the Tavern Co. Through George I met a community of artists, getting
opportunities to play with Gene Epstein’s Jazz Hot, Kevin Richards &
Friends, jazz violinist Reed Simon, and Brad Smedley, who has hired me a couple
of times to play with his gypsy jazz group Hot Djang.
Beyond these
opportunities, I’m in the beginning stages of organizing my own group, Eric
Seddon’s Hot Club, an ensemble featuring my clarinet through the lens of
New Orleans, gypsy jazz, and swing. The idea is to have a creative fusion of
those elements, which are in many ways the most important roots and continued
areas of innovation for jazz clarinet.
What is one of the most
memorable things about your time at Hartt?
There are so many that
I can hardly do the question justice, but one quote will have to suffice, as it
encompasses the importance of the student-teacher relationship so central to
conservatory study. I entered Hartt as a young man who had just gigged in the
French Quarter of New Orleans, and whose primary goal was to play jazz. Back
then clarinetists weren’t really accepted into jazz programs, and because of
this, I was more encouraged to get a degree in classical performance.
At my audition for
Hartt, Charles Russo, who was himself a proficient jazz musician, was
understanding about my jazz concept, and said he would tailor my lessons in
that direction.
Now, to be a jazz
clarinetist, especially the tradition I have always emulated, is a bit beyond
the pale of most music studied academically. The major contributions of Sidney
Bechet, Johnny Dodds, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and the like have tended to
fall outside of the modern jazz canon favored in conservatories. Beyond that
difficulty, the techniques required to master jazz clarinet are often opposed
to classical pedagogy. So, depending on your teacher, you can really run into
conflict. Though I never studied jazz with Mr. Russo (or anyone else, for that
matter), it was important to have a teacher who knew and respected the music I
was ultimately after—which brings me to the ‘important moment’ that stands out
from the rest.
Years after studying
with him, something unexpected happened during a phone call with Mr. Russo. We
were talking about orchestral gigs I was playing at the time, and the economic
realities for musicians trying to pay the rent, when just before hanging up,
his voice dropped.
“Just remember one
thing, Eric,” he said. “Remember that you’re a jazz musician. Not everyone is,
you know. The gigging scene is tougher every year. But even if all else fails
in this business, you’ll always have jazz—it’s a part of you.”
Those were the last
words Charles Russo ever spoke to me—this man who had helped me perform Mozart
with the Emerson String Quartet and learn the classical repertoire. It’s a rare
person who both sees and cares, years later, about the artistic essence of
their student. That he took the time to say that has remained an inspiration.
What did you learn during
your time at Hartt that you might not have appreciated or recognized until
after time had passed and you had time to reflect?
When you’re young and
surrounded by talented people, it’s easy to think that being in such company is
the normal state of affairs; that just around the corner are other crowds of
talented, sincere people waiting for you to join them. In reality, we live in a
society that largely undervalues our art, and often find ourselves as adults,
as parents, as citizens, interacting with a world that, at its best, doesn’t
fully understand why an intelligent person would pursue a career in the arts.
When I was at Hartt, I was usually in a hurry to move on, to try blazing a path
in that outside world. In retrospect, what I miss most are the late nights
working at the music library, or in the practice rooms—surrounded by my fellow
students who pushed me musically, intellectually, and personally. So many of
those talented young men and women have gone on to careers in this important
profession, and have made significant contributions. In retrospect, my
classmates at Hartt form a very high proportion of the best people I’ve known—and
that is something that I appreciate more each passing year.
What is next for you?
Certainly it’s to
continue forging a path for jazz clarinet that is rooted in the deepest
traditions of the horn, with an emphasis on vocal style, melodic invention, and
soul—qualities which I think always guarantee contemporary relevance.
Establishing Eric Seddon’s Hot Club as an ensemble is a part of that
plan, but there are others. Playing in as many jazz circumstances is essential
as well—meeting new musicians, and having the opportunity to demonstrate what
my voice might offer to their projects. If the right teaching opportunity
arises, I would welcome the chance, as jazz clarinet is almost a different
instrument from its classical counterpart—requiring different skills and
training. Clarinet is also of deep cultural importance to jazz and American
music history, so sharing that history would give me great satisfaction on many
levels. Ultimately, though, when I really consider everything else, Sidney
Bechet put it best: “…as long as I’m around and as long as I can get that
instrument up to my mouth that’s what I want to do.” That sums it up nicely.
If you want people to get
in touch, how can they do so?
I always enjoy being in
touch with Hartt alumni—whether it’s to catch up on old times, reminisce, or
discuss a musical project. They can reach me through my email: Eric.Seddon@gmail.com. For
those interested, I’ve written a blog for a couple of years called The Jazz
Clarinet thejazzclarinet.blogspot.com. Since I started
gigging again, I have posted far less, but hope to keep fans updated on my
activities and the future activities of the Hot Club.
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