Miroslav Vitouš: Root Rebel

Looming large over his acoustic bass, Miroslav Vitous stands as one of the most fearless innovators on his instrument — an uber-creative virtuoso ever ready to engage in dynamic discourse with his bandmates. The 79-year-old master is the sum of his unique parts, including both classical and jazz training, a penchant for free playing and collective improvisation, and a distaste for structure and repetition, all infused with what he calls “Slavic soul.”

Born in Prague on December 6, 1947, Vitous first played violin at age 6, followed by piano at 9 before happening upon his uncle’s acoustic bass and finding his musical home at 14. He studied classical bass under František Pošta at the Prague Conservatory, which he balanced by playing jazz at home with his father and brother. Along with his brother Alan Vitous on drums he formed the Junior Trio with keyboardist Jan Hammer and earned a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in 1966. A 1967 stint in Chicago with Clark Terry and Bob Brookmeyer, witnessed by Miles Davis, led to a request from Davis to come to New York and fill in for Ron Carter for a week at the Village Gate. From there, Vitous met and joined the first wave of Davis alum, who were leading jazz in new directions: Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, Joe Zawinul, Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, and Jack DeJohnette.

With Corea and Roy Haynes, he recorded the seminal jazz piano side Now He Sings, Now He Sobs [Blue Note, 1968]. He enlisted McLaughlin, Hancock, and DeJohnette for his landmark solo debut Infinite Search [Embryo, 1970]. And with Shorter and Zawinul, he formed Weather Report in 1970, leading to five acclaimed albums through 1974, before falling out with the pair over their desire to have an electric bassist who played R&B and funk grooves — a move he saw as selling out in pursuit of making more accessible music.

Connecting with ECM to resume his solo career, Vitouš recorded Terje Rypdal/Miroslav VitousJack DeJohnette in 1978, followed by his own First Meeting in 1979. Other highlights in his ECM catalog include the solo acoustic bass effort Emergence [1986]; Atmos, with saxophonist Jan Garberek [1993]; Universal Syncopations (with Corea, McLaughlin, and DeJohnette) and Universal Syncopations II [1993 and 2003], and Music of Weather Report in 2016.

Now the plucking provocateur is back with his first ECM record in 10 years. Mountain Call, gathered from Vitous vault of recordings, features DeJohnette, Esperanza Spalding, Bob Mintzer, frequent bandmates Gary Campbell and Gerald Clever, the late French clarinetist Michel Portal, and Vitous’ Miroslav Philharmonik software. All are in conversation with Vitous on his Lehner acoustic bass, whether on exhilarating, spontaneous duets or sumptuous, orchestra-supported suites. We chatted by video with Miroslav to discuss the record and some career touchpoints.

I feel the music and whatever comes inside my head, I play it. I don’t try to play like anything else, a voice or a horn. I just play what comes to me and what my inner voice wants to express.

Who were the bassists that were influencing you as you made your way to the U.S. playing jazz in the late 1960s?

Scott LaFaro was my guy. I also enjoyed Ray Brown and Ron Carter. Everybody who was playing well, I liked.

What was it about LaFaro in particular?

I think his playing just resonated with me, mainly because he was communicating. He was not playing the role of a bass, only; he was also playing the second voice to Bill Evans. I thought that was fantastic, and that was how I wanted to play. I’m all about being a second voice, not just playing support lines. If I had to sum up my style, I would say I tried to develop and further Scott’s way of playing.

When did you first start to compose?

I started to compose with my brother in our trio with Jan Hammer. In fact, I’d already written a few pieces before that. I compose a lot more now. I’m finishing up a symphony at the moment.

 
You came on the scene when there was a tremendous amount of transition in jazz, in the late 1960s and early ’70s. A big part of that movement was the liberation of the bass by players like you and Stanley Clarke, who stepped forward as soloists and equal voices in the ensemble.

I actually came a little before Stanley, and we were good friends. We played duets together. I was tired of playing the bass role, only. I always had a tendency to play more than the foundation, and as time went on, that became my approach. I transitioned away from traditional jazz to where jazz was going, with artists like Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, and John McLaughlin.

You played electric bass on some Herbie Mann records, on your solo record Magical Shepherd, and a little bit with Weather Report. But I know you were less than enthused when the R&B and funk element came into jazz.

I did play electric bass for a while. I think I was trying to prove to myself that I could play that way, the funk feels and all. But then I realized it just wasn’t my bag. I didn’t like the electric sound; I couldn’t feel the root or the overtones like [I could] on an acoustic bass. I think that realization happened after I left Weather Report. So, I came back to acoustic bass and continued my solo and sideman career that way. That said, there were (and are) many excellent electric bass players. Jaco was unbelievable. But the instrument wasn’t for me.

What is your solo concept? And by that, I mean, are you singing to yourself? Are you thinking like a horn? Are you thinking about the fingerboard of the bass?

I feel the music and whatever comes inside my head, I play it. I don’t try to play like anything else, a voice or a horn. I just play what comes to me and what my inner voice wants to express. In most cases, bands play the head and then everyone is off to the races for their solos, playing over the changes. I prefer developing the song’s motifs, like a classical composer would. That was our concept in the early days of Weather Report.

I did play electric bass for a while. I think I was trying to prove to myself that I could play that way, the funk feels and all. But then I realized it just wasn’t my bag. I didn’t like the electric sound; I couldn’t feel the root or the overtones.

As someone who does both well, how do you view the difference between pizzicato and arco playing?

Well, I was lucky to get an education that allowed me to accomplish what I did with both techniques. But arco is a whole other world. You can’t really use arco when you’re playing bass in a band. You can use it to sustain some notes, and you can use it when you’re soloing or playing by yourself, but pizzicato is the way to play in a band, and that’s my preference. By the way, I use a German-style bow, which was actually discovered by the Czechs. But they were in Germany at the time, so they called it a German bow.

Why did you switch to your smaller Kolstein Busetto bass in recent years?
Basically because of traveling. It started to become a big burden to travel with a full-size bass, with airlines changing their rules and some not even accepting a bass anymore. Fortunately, the Kolstein is a beautifully made bass with a great sound and pickup, and I was able to make it my voice.

You lowered your action, as well. What were the advantages and disadvantages of that?
Well, you have to be careful because the strings can start slapping against the fingerboard and you can lose some of the power of the tone if the action is too low. I use Thomastik Spirocore Solo strings set as low as possible so that I can get around quicker while avoiding those issues.

Are there any young upright players you hear now that you feel have your spirit of freedom and adventure?
I live in Prague and I don’t travel much anymore, so I don’t know the new guys who are upcoming. I’m composing symphonies five hours a day, which doesn’t leave me a lot of time to listen to anything else. I’m fortunate to still be full of music that I need to express.

You’ve released over 20 solo albums. Do you have some favorites?

Looking back, my first album Infinite Search was very important at the time. I set my limits sky high, so that was a difficult record to beat, so to speak. The rest were where I was at musically at those points, and I tried to make them the best I could. No real preferences or favorites. Some come to mind, like Atmos, Universal Syncopations and Universal Syncopations II, The Music of Weather Report — I think they’re all good.

Speaking of your excellent 2016 album The Music of Weather Report, it seems like a response to your arguments with Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter about the direction of the band, which led to your departure.

Exactly. I made it because I wanted to show how great the music is, but that it can be done in a much freer away without having to be worried about selling albums and making money. I understand why they thought that way, and those difficulties still exist for musicians today. It’s a shame and a pity that musicians have to sell themselves out to survive because of money. Music — and all art, for that matter — should have nothing to do with money. So, this was my way of presenting the music in its true form, without worrying about trying to be rich or famous.

It was too boring to me to play the same notes, the same part over and over again. Why not have conversations? You say something to me, I say something back to you and we have a fun dialogue.

Let’s talk about the Miroslav Philharmonik software. How did that start?

That goes back to when I got my first computer in the late ’80s, a Mac Plus. I got the first version of Digital Performer, which was a fantastic program in terms of editing and access. The only problem was the sounds were a joke. So, I thought, why don’t I try to create a library of professional-quality sounds? Most of my old classmates were members of the Czech Philharmonic; I contacted my brother in Prague, we set up some recording sessions, and it ultimately grew into a big library of sounds. I did it for the music and for the sound, not to save money. I think that’s one of the reasons it was so successful: It was not a money-oriented product, it’s what was needed. I began using it on my records in the mid ’90s, and I continued to make refinements until I sold the company. I still use it to compose, and it sounds unbelievable. I’ve had classical musicians listen and they can’t tell that it’s not a real orchestra.

How do you use it on your records? Did you study orchestration?

I use it for whatever I need. It can be an orchestra, it can be a splash of harmony, some background sounds to create a mood — it’s a terrific tool. Usually, I’ll compose and arrange with it on the keyboard or even just using the computer mouse. I’ve never had training in orchestration or composition. There was a point recently where I considered going back to take courses at the academy and then I decided against it. They would just teach me time-honored rules of what I can and cannot do, and I don’t want to be limited. Instead, I’ve continued to rely on my ears for what sounds good to me; that has created a new way and new-sounding music. I played a piece for a respected music professor, and he said, “This is amazing. There are elements which are against the rules, but they work!” That confirmed for me that I made the right choice.

Let’s turn to Mountain Call. What was your concept for the record?

The origin was me going back to a two-hour duet recording with [the late clarinetist] Michel Portal that I had in storage. I thought that would be a good starting point, so I began editing that into the nine short pieces that open the album.

How much of your duets with him are written, and how much is improvised?

They’re all completely improvised. Nothing written down, no key given, we just started to play and rolled the tape for two hours. Actually, one piece was written: the title track “Mountain Call,” which ends the record. That’s also the only piece where I play arco. Michel was a great improvisor who was equally adept at classical music and jazz. We communicated musically very well, and he was a close friend.

Jack DeJohnette is also featured on the record. What can you share about his tracks and your relationship with him?

Jack was my favorite drummer from the very beginning. Our connection was instant, and we were so tied together as a rhythm section. I remember us practicing the music for Infinite Search in my New York City apartment — that’s how far back we go. For this record, there were some leftover tracks from the Universal Syncopations sessions that I found, which here are called “Tribal Dance” and “Epilog.” And he also played on an unused take which appears here as part of the “Evolution” suite.

“Epilog” has your first use of Miroslav Philharmonik on the record.

I needed an introduction for “Epilog,” so I wrote it. Originally, I was going to have much more orchestra behind Jack and I, but I decided to keep us mostly unaccompanied, with a few orchestra spots here and there. And then the orchestra restates some of the intro theme at the end.

The “Evolution” suite features Bob Mintzer.

Bob is great; he was a part of the Universal Syncopations II record. The melody he played on that is the same melody he plays here. I revived it for the suite in the pieces titled “Nature Opening” and “Fulfillment.”

Your second suite, “Rhapsody,” features Esperanza Spalding on vocals. How did you connect?

I heard her in a club in Copenhagen; I went to see her and I enjoyed her voice very much. She’s also a very good bass player, just a natural overall talent, so I asked her if she would come to my studio to record voice parts on “Rhapsody,” and she accepted. She told me I was one of her favorite bassists coming up, so she was happy to do it. She overdubbed on the finished track. I forget if I had the melodies and lyrics written out or if I just sung them to her and asked her to improvise at other points.

How do you reflect on your career as a sideman?

I would say I was very fortunate that many top artists hired me for my talent. But I think that because of the way I played, I didn’t get as many gigs as I could have gotten because I was not playing the bass role. However, there are no regrets. I had to play the way I play. It was too boring to me to play the same notes, the same part over and over again. Why not have conversations? You say something to me, I say something back to you and we have a fun dialogue.

What would you say your legacy is on your instrument?

I’d say that I helped free the bass.

 
What’s upcoming for you?

I’m almost finished with my symphony, which I’ve spoken with [ECM President] Manfred [Eicher] about releasing for my next record. I’m also writing a collection of 14 pieces. At first, it was going to be a symphony, but it’s too long. Instead, I’m going to call it Symphonic Pictures because each piece has something to say and is a picture in itself. 

I’m no longer playing the bass going on two years now. I have some issues with my back so I cannot travel, and I can’t walk for too long, so I had to stop playing. It’s just not feasible. So now the orchestra is my instrument. I went from playing bass to playing 50 instruments.

For more: Click Here