Temple jazz students, alumni are taking care of the music

Philly’s jazz scene thrives with the intertwining of Temple’s jazz students and alumni.

2023 jazz studies performance alumnus Oliver Mayman has performed during the 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. slot at Chris' Jazz Café since his senior year. | JACK LARSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS

On a Friday night in Philadelphia, blue lights cut across Sansom Street outside Chris’ Jazz Café as speakers pulsed with an eclectic melody. Inside, a stage was crowded with musicians — a drummer passed their sticks mid-cymbal hit to the next musician and two pianists shared a single piano. All the while, the ensemble locked into the steady pulse of the upright bass.

At center stage stood a vibraphone, its mellow, resonant tones filling the room as Oliver Mayman, the jam session host, played with modest precision and two mallets in each hand. 

Mayman, who received his first vibraphone at a jazz summer camp during his junior year of high school, came to Temple from Michigan to deepen his connection with the instrument and immerse himself in the city’s thriving jazz culture.

“I wanted to come to a city with a music scene,” said Mayman, a 2023 jazz studies performance alumnus.

Philadelphia’s jazz scene thrives in scattered blips and hidden hotspots. Some venues, like Chris’, are longstanding pillars of the city’s music culture, while others exist within historical restaurants or tucked away in basements, growing from grassroots beginnings. But no matter where in the city, audiences are likely to cross paths with a Temple jazz student – former or current – keeping the tradition alive.

Mayman began hosting the final jam session slot on Friday nights at Chris’ during his senior year of college, allowing him to balance his education with a passion for music. Now, every Friday night from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., he hosts jazz instrumentalists from across the city, many of whom are Temple students and alumni.

Jazz is uniquely American, starting in New Orleans with roots in African music and marching band instruments. It emerged as a symbol of freedom and a means for African Americans to express themselves. By the 1920s, jazz became a reckoning force, an outlet for youth to rebel against traditional cultures and a sound that continues to evolve and echo the voices of its time. 

Temple’s jazz program is home to renowned musicians like Terell Stafford and Dick Oatts, both accomplished performers who have released albums and continue to play to this day. With such figures at the forefront of education, students see firsthand that a career in jazz isn’t just a dream — it’s a tangible reality. 

For Ry Miller, an upright bass player who found himself on stage late Friday night, music and his personal life have become inseparable. 

“At this point in my life, it’s a little hard to distinguish jazz and my personal life because it’s kind of all I do and all I think about, but I don’t think that would have happened to me in another place because the tradition of jazz is so strong here,” said Miller, a junior music technology major. “And part of that is because half of the community goes through Temple or teaches at Temple.”

Junior music technology major Ry Miller has made the Philadelphia tradition of jazz a major part of his personal life. | JACK LARSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS

These musicians share a rare perspective that goes deeper than the modern American mindset: music comes first, money second. Regardless of age, experience or financial status, they all seek to express themselves through their instrument.

João Bueno, a classically trained pianist from Brazil, entered Philadelphia’s jazz scene about a year and a half ago. Bueno’s shift from classical to jazz was daunting — the sound was unfamiliar, the spontaneity unpredictable. But, in time, he realized he had something to say in the genre.

“I felt like at first it was kind of terrifying because I didn’t feel I had anything to say, I didn’t even know how to play anything,” said Bueno, a senior jazz studies performance major with a concentration in piano. “So it took me a while to live with a lot of jazz until I understood the language and started to gradually be able to put it out.” 

Bueno frequents Notsolatin, a small South Philly venue founded by Temple alumni, at least twice a week. Built into the living room of a home, its walls are lined with books, CDs and records, giving it a warm and intimate feel. Notsolatin embodies Philadelphia’s house venue spirit with its NPR Tiny Desk-style charm. This space gives jazz musicians a place to take risks and tell stories, giving people opportunities to share their sounds and experiences. 

In Philadelphia, like-minded artists are steeped in the city’s rich musical tradition and continue to invent new ways of expressing what words cannot. By building up community through artistry musicians will continue to take risks, improvise, listen and respond.

“For other people, it’s like, ‘Is there an afterlife? Are we going to die?’” Mayman said. “I don’t know. We’re focused on playing the music. Well, people say, ‘If you take care of the music, the music will take care of you.’” 

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