indie lifeThe Oatmeal Jazz ComboBuilt onTrustBy Thomas StaudterLeander YoungSince graduating from New York’s Stony BrookUniversity in 2009 with a degree in economics,drummer-composer Leander Young has workedas an investment banker, been laid off, suffered the death Tristan Eggenerof his mother from a rare neurological disease, workedas coach for several youth soccer teams and made somemoney day-trading. He has also served as the leader andguiding force behind The Oatmeal Jazz Combo—a septetof cohorts from or connected to Stony Brook’s wellregardedmusic program—and released the band’s twoCDs on his own LGY Records label.All the while, he has been fiercely committed tothe idea that The Oatmeal Jazz Combo will find successif given more exposure. With more than $10,000of his own money already invested in the cause, YoungScott Litroffis making plans to record a third album soon, possiblyin the summer, when all his bandmates will be available.Like many musicians who juggle the responsibilitiesof diurnal duties with the mostly nocturnal joys ofgigging and jamming, the Oatmealers have found thatsimply getting the band members together in one roomcan be a challenge. It doesn’t help that the seven musiciansare now spread around the country.Young, 25, resides at home with his father (a retiredorthopedic surgeon) in a tableau that could inspire agood TV sit-com. As he focuses on the band’s future,he also looks back at his Stony Brook years as themost formative in his musical career. That’s when hedeveloped a bandstand rapport with trumpeter HardinButcher, trombonist David Peterson, reedist Scott Andrew McGowanLitroff, pianist Andrew McGowan and bassist TristanEggener. At one time or another during the mid-2000s, nearly all of thecombo mates were associated with the school’s doctoral program or bigband, which is guided by trombonist Ray Anderson. The Oatmeal JazzCombo’s other trombonist, James Hubbard, has been hard to reach becausehe’s been accepted into the prestigious Heritage of America Band stationedat Langley Air Force Base near Hampton, Va., and recently relocated toSan Antonio to complete his basic training.All the group’s members (including Hubbard) will gather for a recordingsession slated for this summer. Like Young, two of the bandmates live in theNew York metropolitan area: Litroff teaches music as an adjunct professorat three colleges and universities on Long Island, and Butcher—at age 38,the oldest band member—lives in Yonkers, N.Y., and subs in Broadway pitbands. McGowan, who is a member of guitarist Cliff Hines’ quartet, plays inNew York City occasionally, but he mostly earns a living in his hometown,New Orleans. Eggener has a tenure-track professorship at SoutheasternOklahoma State University, and Peterson divides his time between two collegeteaching jobs in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, where he grew up.During a phone call from Durant, Okla., Eggener admitted that being ina band with far-flung membership is “not ideal,” but he added that everyonekeeps in touch and relishes the idea of recording another album. AlthoughButcher was brought into the band around the time of the May 2010 recordingsessions for their eponymously titled debut album, a closefraternity was created among all the Oatmealers duringcountless hours spent in the Stony Brook music department’sbasement rehearsal space. (The “oatmeal” in the group’sname refers to the beige-colored soundproofing substancethat covers the rehearsal space’s walls.)The punchy horn and ensemble arrangements found onthe first CD and on the band’s 2012 disc, All Stirred Up, arethe result of “a natural togetherness and a lot of diligent practicingwhile we’re apart,” Litroff explained. “Other groupsmay work hard to get that feeling of closeness, but we have the trust partdown and are able to move through any issues that come up. It also allows [usto have] a streamlined approach in the studio.”When the first album was recorded, Young had booked only five hoursof studio time, so the musicians had one practice run-through for the program,and a maximum of two takes per song, with no overdubs. “It wassight-reading, basically,” the drummer said. The second CD was also cuton a shoestring budget with a modicum of time, but the band definitely hadmade progress, which resulted in a stronger album.Each of Young’s combo mates appreciates his efforts to keep the bandmoving forward, but he feels that his work is merely part of a commonsenseapproach to making a mark in the music world. “In college and afterward,I saw all these musicians who are amazing, and they all struggledand struggled to get heard,” he recalled. “With the guys [in The OatmealJazz Combo], there is this chemistry, and the music is unique because peoplecame from different parts of the country and got different training. Myconfidence in what we’re doing builds each time I listen to one of our CDs.”“Playing in this band is great because we all developed technically andartistically with or around each other,” Peterson said via phone fromMinnesota. “Logistically, I hope it all works out for this summer. I’m definitelyready.” DB56 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2013
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