This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, July 30, 2012 - It’s the final set of a Saturday evening at Jazz at the Bistro, and Willie Akins sits at a two top stage left, his tenor saxophone resting by his side as he keenly watches his band work with a succession of talented young musicians as the evening winds down.
At the age of 73, Akins is certainly no stranger to the concept of offering players in their teens a chance to showcase their talent with seasoned professionals on the bandstand.
For 22 years at Spriull’s, Akins was a constant feature on late Saturday afternoons into early evening – holding forth on the small performing area with groups populated by a mix of seasoned professionals and young musicians apprenticing under his tutelage.
So it’s no surprise that when Akins returns to the Bistro stage Saturday to close out his final set of a two-night stand in the company of young alto saxophonist Carlos Brown Jr., a teaching moment will inevitably occur.
Supported by guitarist Eric Slaughter, bassist Bob Deboo and drummer Montez Coleman, Akins and Brown trade solos on familiar standard “Killer Joe.” Brown focuses hard on his soloing, casting quick glances over at Akins’ brooding presence for approval.
Willie nods back, smiling slightly when Brown’s playing synchs back into the flowing, supple rhythm laid down by Coleman and Deboo as the tune winds toward its conclusion.
Akins and Brown hit the final bars – playing together on the final phrase before Brown drops out on the final note. As the capacity crowd claps and shouts in approval, Akins leans over and whispers to Brown – offering a quick note of advice about how to work a final unison note with another saxophonist. Brown nods and smiles, enjoying the applause and also filing away Akins‘ comment. Lesson learned.
A history of teaching
Teaching on the bandstand is nothing new to Willie Akins. It’s been part of his life for decades, and it’s something he now carries into the classroom as well, working as an adjunct faculty member at Webster University – Akins’ hometown of Webster Groves.
“They hired me at Webster University to teach,” Akins says during a recent interview following his Jazz at the Bistro performances. “I really like working there, because the student musicians at Webster are really eager to learn. I bring stuff with me for them to learn. At first, after we work through the piece, I make them go back and play it very slowly. I tell them, it’s got a melody, and when you improvise on it, you’re supposed to recreate that melody – and add your own touch. So make sure you know the melody inside out first, then solo!”
It’s a teaching approach Akins has also used at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and in the University City School District. But there’s a special dynamic involved in learning how to play live in front of an audience, rather than in a classroom setting. And it’s in that high-pressure environment that Akin’s talent as a mentor really shines.
“Willie has influenced the musical development and careers of SO many young musicians,” says Richard McDonnell, founder of the nationally known and St. Louis-based recording label, MAXJAZZ. “And many of those young players who have graduated from the ‘Willie Akins Music School’ have gone on to national reputations as jazz musicians.”
“Willie’s willingness to take younger musicians under his wing and mentor them speaks volumes about his character and his desire to make the jazz community stronger,” adds Bob Bennett, artistic director of Jazz St. Louis and director of operations for the Jazz at the Bistro concert series. “Everybody knows that if a musician has come through Willie’s band, they can hang with the best of them.”
Musicians who have passed through the “Willie Akins Music School” include pianist Lawrence Fields. Fields is now working on the national jazz scene, with an appearance set at this year’s famed Newport Jazz Festival working with the Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas Quintet.
“The guys I pick to be in my band are actually up-and-coming stars in their own right,” Akins says. “Lawrence Fields could play just about anything when he was working with me. Montez Coleman was already a talented drummer when he started with me, as was Emmanuel Harrold. And that goes for others like pianist Adam Maness. They were all great at reading charts and soloing. I just try and take some of the rough edges off when they’re working with me and show them my approach. It’s really been wonderful working with these young musicians.”
Akins made sure he included up-and-coming players in his bands and that the bandstand was always open to young talent wanting to sit in. But as Richard Henderson, the unofficial guru of the St. Louis jazz scene and a constant presence at jazz performances throughout the area notes, that openness also comes with a heavy dose of Akins laying down the law about how to be a truly professional musician.
“I remember one time when Montez Coleman first started playing with Willie’s band, and he came in late,” recalls Henderson. “Montez saw that another young drummer, Bernard Hutchinson Jr., was already up there playing with Willie. It was a good lesson for Montez to be on time and always be a professional.”
“When musicians would come up to sit in, Willie always would name the tune that was going to be played. He didn’t want the musicians to pick the tune. He said, if they don’t know it, then they’ll have to learn it. That was his way of getting musicians to make the extra effort and grow as players.”
Starting on a tonette
Akins’ dedication to passing along the concept of pushing musicians to be the best they can possibly be was something he learned in his own career. He began playing music in junior high and discovered a natural affinity for playing saxophone after his first music teacher, Walter Latham, gave him a plastic tonette to try out.
Akins soon graduated to saxophone, and by the time he was in high school, he was playing with famed St. Louis bandleader Eddie Randle, whose 1940 bands included legendary musicians such as Clark Terry and Miles Davis.
Akins aspired to follow the trajectory of those legends in his own career and decided to move to New York in 1957 after he graduated from Douglas High School.
Akins spent the next decade in the Big Apple, working hard to establish himself on the highly competitive music scene, He eventually began sitting in with the likes of Yusef Lateef and many others – eventually working with drummer Roy Haynes.
But Akins’ father was stricken with cancer, and he gave up his pursuit of making a name for himself in New York and returned to St. Louis to help during the family crisis. Akins decided to continue playing music here, working as a house painter during the day and performing on sax at night.
Akins established himself back in St. Louis with regular performances at a club near Saint Louis University called the Barbary Coast, soon developing a loyal following among area musicians and jazz fans alike.
His long tenure at Spruill’s began in 1990, and lasted until the club decided to change its approach to live music – replacing Akins with a DJ several months ago.
“I never really started counting how long I was there,” Akins says about his tenure at Spruill’s. “But I do know that it was the longest running jazz gig in St. Louis. But everything must change. You’ve got to look around for other places.”
For Akins, that “other place” has become Toast Time, a club in Florissant at 12781 New Hall’s Ferry Road. Akins has actually been playing there for about five years, but now that his Spruill’s performances have ended, he’s shifted playing at Toast Time from early afternoons to a 4-7 p.m. time frame on Saturdays.
“You’ve got to make your own employment,” Akins says. “I learned that early on. And then you’ve got to get people to find you and support the music – and help it stay there for a while. Club owners usually don’t care about what kind of music they feature – as long as they make money!”
In addition to his regular appearances at Toast Time as well as performances at Jazz at the Bistro, Akins is also working outside the St. Louis area. Recording sessions for his most recent CD, “I Can See Clearly Now,” took place in St. Paul, Minn., and South Dakota – produced by pianist Simon Rowe. In 1998, Rowe played piano on Akins debut recording, “Alima,” along with Coleman on drums and bassist Willem von Hombracht.
“I Can See Clearly Now” was planned as a reunion of those musicians behind Akins, and the live recording provides a well-rounded document of Akins technique and virtuosity on tenor sax.
The recording project and Rowe’s association with the Brubeck Institute in Stockton, Calif., (started by legendary pianist Dave Brubeck) led to an appearance at the 2012 Brubeck in late March – and a scheduled return to Stockton in early August as part of the Brubeck jazz colony, where high school musicians will have the opportunity to play with musicians such as Stefon Harris – and Willie Akins.
Health issues have been part of Akins’ life since a heart attack a decade ago, and he had a pacemaker installed earlier this year.
“I’m still getting used to it,” Akins says about that. “But I feel better than I did at first, although I’m still trying to get my stamina back.”
No matter where or when you hear Willie Akins play his tenor sax, one thing will always remain the same – despite health issues or whether he’s playing in a small club, Jazz at the Bistro or at a national festival. He’s going to give it everything he has – every time he plays.
“Willie once told me that when he plays his sax,” Henderson says, “he wants to make sure that every time he does it, that he approaches the stage as if it were going to be the very last time he ever had the chance to play.”
“The most important thing I learned when I was in New York,” says Akins, was that “you have to learn your craft. You have to earn it. And that’s what I try to pass on to all the young musicians. And that’s the way I approach playing. You have to earn it. Every time.”