Live at Porgy & Bess

George Cables: jazz legend without egocentricity

Sometimes complex music that, thanks to his playing, is reminiscent of the lightness of a beach vacation: US jazz pianist George Cables.

(Bild: George Cables)

Just under a month after his 80th birthday, legendary US jazz pianist George Cables returns to Vienna's Porgy & Bess to celebrate with his fans. With the "Krone", the likeable and unpretentious exceptional musician retraced his impressive career once again.

As the years go by, the clock automatically ticks faster and more mercilessly. It has been three years since the jazz master pianist George Cables wowed audiences on two consecutive evenings at Vienna's Porgy & Bess. This will be the case again on December 8. At his birthday concert, he will be celebrating his 80th birthday with a quartet line-up. Now we know from Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan and co. that this number is far from frightening, but it doesn't get any easier or more carefree. To put Cables' career into one article would be doing him an injustice. You could fill an entire encyclopedia with the name-dropping of his studio and live partners alone. However, when he talks about the greatest names in American jazz in an interview, he always does so with respect and humility and without any urge to actively push himself into their glaring light.

Perfection is not possible
"Playing this music is a gift and a reward," he explains in the "Krone" interview, "it's both a serious and a fun thing. You have absolute freedom in jazz, but despite all that you have the responsibility to always give your best. Even if it often seems like you want to be, perfection is not possible. Nobody and nothing is perfect, so music in general is a wonderful metaphor for life. You can develop as freely as possible, but you still have to work in a team and respond to others. Very often instinctively and spontaneously." George Cables is the epitome of a team-oriented musician. That human corpus that is invaluable for the overall construction of a jazz ensemble, because it leaves the spotlight to the talented egocentrics and prefers to shine sepia-toned in the background.

Born in New York, he enjoyed a classical piano education and founded his first band, the Jazz Samaritans, in 1964 at the tender age of 20. What was then a loose collection of motivated musicians for an informal project is something that would make you take a knee today. Greats such as Billy Cobham, Lenny White and Clint Houston were in it. "We all lived in the same area and had the same interests," recalls Cables, "we came together to practice and learn. But the band was never stable. It was a coming and going, some had to join the army or went elsewhere. Most of the time we listened to music, talked about it and tried to recreate it. It was a nice and free time with no pressure at all."

With the world's greatest drummers
When Cables toured the American West Coast with the legendary tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins in 1969, he immediately became a major figure with his stringed piano playing. He first moved to Los Angeles, then a few years later a little further north to the more basic San Francisco. Cables plays with all the greats on the West Coast. The drummers in particular did it for him. "For me, even as a piano player, it was always about the drums. A good drummer shapes jazz. They set the rhythm and their playing determines whether the collective works or not. Cobham, Art Blakey, Philly Joe Jones, Roy Haynes, Joe Chambers, Max Roach or Tony Williams - he plays with them all. "New York was harder and edgier in every respect. San Francisco and Los Angeles were more polished, but there was also a huge scene of top musicians. I played at the legendary jazz club 'Keystone Korner' in San Francisco so often that people thought I was living there, even though I had long since moved to L.A. at the time," laughs the likeable pianist.

From all his musical partners, from every gig and every studio session, the eager-to-learn Cables takes something for himself. He never had any plans to make a career as a solo pianist. "Absolutely not an issue. I always just wanted to be a part of the music, of the whole experience. I also slipped into the world of jazz quite late and often had the feeling that I always had a lot of catching up to do. I was very lucky to be able to play with the best of the best and they all helped me on my own path." The fact that these strong characters were not always the easiest to play with spurred Cables on rather than deterred him. "People like Dexter Gordon didn't play jazz, they were jazz. E played with Louis Armstrong - that's as good as it gets. I just feel honored to have been a part of this world for 60 years now. My only wish has always been to be a musician in jazz bands and projects and, luckily for me, I have succeeded."

Ideas for more are there
For some time now, Cables has also become accustomed to being in the spotlight himself in trio or quartet form. "I'm always nervous before every single performance, but when you have great fellow musicians on stage, that feeling quickly disappears. I've played with the great masters for many decades and have honed my own profile in the process." His current solo album is entitled "Too Close For Comfort", which was released in 2020 during the turmoil of the pandemic and deals with this topic. Ideas for more songs and projects are there, but at 80 and with a still-heavy live schedule, there is not so much time and energy left to constantly record new albums. Sometimes he still feels and sees the magic of music. Like once at a concert with Sonny Rollins. "I looked into the audience and there was such a collective, satisfied smile. It was as if a rainbow was spreading over the people because we were all on the same wave. Only music has this power."

Live in Vienna
In any case, George Cables will radiate a powerful piece of jazz magic on December 8 at Vienna's Porgy & Bess when he celebrates his 80th birthday in the Austrian capital almost a month late. Tickets and further information on the pre-Christmas jazz highlight are still available at www.porgy.at.