Experiments mixing jazz and European classical music already had a long, albeit mixed, track record by the time Billy Childs came of age. But the Los Angeles-based pianist and composer has put his own stamp on a field that blends jazz's improvisational imperative with classical music's rigorous forms.
He first made his mark accompanying jazz giants such as trombonist J.J. Johnson and trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, but Childs has established himself over the past decade as an exceptional arranger and composer eager to explore unusual instrumental settings.
"I took that direction because I love composing, but it had the fortuitous effect of opening up another direction for me," says Childs, 50, on the phone from Manhattan during a break in a board meeting of Chamber Music America. "All these commissions have helped me develop another dimension, to carve out a new concept. Actually, there's nothing new about the marriage between jazz and classical music, but I have my own twist."
Childs makes his Boston debut at Scullers on Wednesday with the Jazz Chamber Ensemble sextet, which is featured on "Lyric," his ravishing album nominated for three Grammys in 2006.
Since the mid-1990s Childs has received a series of prominent commissions by major orchestras and ensembles, including a piece ("For Suzanne") for the Los Angeles Philharmonic's opening of the Disney Concert Hall in 2004. While maintaining his status as a leading jazz composer with commissions by Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Monterey Jazz Festival, Childs has produced a steady flow of classically oriented works for the Akron Symphony Orchestra, the New Century Chamber Orchestra, the Dorian Wind Quintet, and the Los Angeles Master Chorale.
But it's with his Jazz Chamber Ensemble that Childs has most fully realized his creative vision. The sextet features harpist Carol Robbins, guitarist Larry Koonse, saxophonist Bob Sheppard, bassist Hamilton Price, and the extraordinary drummer Antonio Sanchez, who has toured and recorded widely with Pat Metheny. Childs takes full advantage of the unusual instrumentation, writing flowing, intricately structured pieces with space for finely calibrated thematic improvisation.
"Billy could fill the role of being another great jazz piano player, but he wanted to do something different," says Sheppard, a well-traveled veteran best known for his work in Chick Corea's sextet Origin and with drummer Peter Erskine's trio. "He has a vision and a voice, and the sextet is a way he's found to bridge the classical and jazz worlds. It's got this really interesting sound because of the way the harp and guitar intertwine with the basic jazz rhythm section. It's a challenge for me because he has me playing a lot of soaring melodies on flute, soprano, and alto, and I have to navigate these passages that are really subtle, open and transparent."
Born and raised in LA, Childs first gained recognition at 19 when pioneering bebop trombonist J.J. Johnson hired him for a tour of Japan. The next year Freddie Hubbard recruited Childs for his bristling new acoustic band. The trumpeter was at the height of his prodigious powers, and Childs held his own on a series of blazing live albums featuring a front line with vibes master Bobby Hutcherson and tenor sax maestro Joe Henderson.
As a leader, Childs released a series of lyrical, fusion-tinged albums for Windham Hill Jazz in the 1980s that cut against the neo-hard-bop movement ushered in by Wynton Marsalis. Unfortunately, those sessions are all out of print, with sealed copies selling for more than $50 on
More recently, he recorded "The Child Within" for Shanachie with trumpeter Terence Blanchard and bassist Dave Holland, and "Bedtime Stories" for 32Jazz, a gorgeous trio session exploring the music of Herbie Hancock, his primary keyboard influence. It's no coincidence that when the seminal jazz/funk band the Headhunters reunited with Hancock to record an album a few years back, it was Childs they hired to handle most of the keyboard duties and for the subsequent tour.
While opportunities to record his own albums have been slim in recent years, Childs hasn't been hurting for work. He has collaborated widely with vocalist Dianne Reeves, a partnership that goes back to their early careers, and he spent several years touring and recording with pop/jazz trumpet star Chris Botti, including a performance last January at the Opera House.
Childs decided to create the Jazz Chamber Ensemble in 2002 at a time when he was immersed in the world of chamber music. The concept really came to fruition after he finished a commission for the Dorian Wind Quintet.
"What struck me is they had questions about every measure and every phrase," Childs says. "What did this mean? How long should they do this or that? So I really had to know why I wrote what I wrote. I started thinking, wouldn't it be cool if I could take that attention to detail and translate it for a jazz ensemble. So I got interested in the possibilities of a group sound, a chamber sensibility. And I noticed that I had never seen an ensemble with harp, piano, and guitar, three instruments that can all play chords, rhythm, and melody. I started thinking about the possibilities of that sound palette, and that's kept me busy for years now."
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