The Jan Hammer Interview

When the Cage Came Down
by Jan Hammer
​When I was growing up in Prague, my mother was a jazz singer. She was forbidden to sing songs that were in English. People were quite persecuted, not allowed to perform, not allowed to travel out of the country. The government felt jazz was a capitalist, subversive form of art.
​In the early 1960s, the country started opening up a bit more. People like Louis Armstrong wound up visiting and playing in Prague. That combined with Willis Conover’s jazz hour on Voice of America really had a large role in open-ing up our ears in Eastern Europe. That created the wave of young musicians who eventually grew up and came to the States.
​I first moved to Munich, playing in a coffee house with a band, and playing around town doing all kinds of studio sessions. I got there two or three months before the Russians came to visit Prague, although my parents still lived there when “the cage” came down. We were planning on going to the United States in the fall, but for a while they weren’t sure if they were going to get out at all. One day they somehow caught a train out of Prague and wound up staying with me in Munich.
​I had a scholarship to go to the Berklee College of Music, but I had no idea I would be leaving my home country and not coming back for a long time. Initially, I was on my own, no money, so I had to find any gig available. I would play gigs on a boat going through Boston Harbor. Eventually, through Berklee, which was a hotbed of musical activity at that time, I met lots and lots of musicians, which was the most important thing about the experience-more so than the school itself.
​As a kid, I was playing drums on the side. I was brought up classically trained on piano and all official. But any free chance I’d get, I’d set up my little homemade kit and play along with American jazz records. By the time I got here, I guess I was good enough, because I played drums with Jeremy Steig, Glen Moore, and Paul Bley. I played double drums with Michael Shrieve on Love Devotion Surrender by Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin. Billy Cobham played on some things; some things Don Alias played on.
​I met Gene Perla when he was with Nina Simone, and she was going through one piano player a week. We met at some friends’ house and played. He suggested, “Why don’t you try out and, if it works, come on the tour?” Of course, I tried out and went on the tour.

[@prajnachan333]

Jan Hammer 🔨 the master........
Great to hear you talk about your life and music. This is my second video, and I haven't heard you mention Tommy Bolin yet! The Spectrum album of Billy Cobham is such a classic. It's been great to hear Jeff Beck play the track from that record.

[@jakefeinbergshow]

Moog Master!

[@LOKJazz]

Glad you're presenting all of these great interviews with all of the greats. Word to the wise: 1]let the artists talk without interruption and let them have the time to develop and finish their thoughts 2] you might want to balance the sound where we can here the artist louder than yourself and 3] don't talk as much. Thank you sir

[@charleswinokoor6023]

right

[@davefox7516]

I ❤️ JAN HAMMER!

[@mahavishnuorchestra]

Iconic musician

[@andragg]

A true pioneer of the synth. He created a playing style that was truly innovative on an instrument that was just recently created. Jan didn't play a lot of Modular Moog, but if you want to hear Jan ripping it up on one listen to Horacee Arnold's "Tales of the Exonerated Flea" (1974) an incredible album with a lot of great musicians including John Abercrombie. There's one track, Euroaquilo Silence, with just drums and synth and Jan is creating some otherworldly sounds on the Modular Moog, see link below. The photo for this video was taken from that album cover. I love Jan's expression. Link to Euroaquilo Silence: ua-cam.com/video/ei8-H3XGzl0/v-deo.html

[@owenmcgee8496]

That was interesting to hear. Some of the most interesting early Hammer recordings are like synth/percussion duets. The albums with David Earle Johnson. And a couple of the tracks he did with Elvin Jones. They're a better way to hear him, in my honest opinion, than a lot of his guest appearances where he might be expected to do no more than trade fours with a guitarist soloing

[@sonicplaygsg7820]

This is an amazing and insightful interview with Jan.. thanks so much for posting! 🔥🔥🎶💕Jan Hammer

[@jakefeinbergshow]

Thanks for listening