Jazz therapy
Musicians play soothing sounds in lobby of hospital
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
BY ZAN STEWART
Star-Ledger Staff

THE LOBBY OF Englewood Hospital and Medical Center has to be one of the places you'd least expect to find top-drawer jazz.

But last Tuesday, as part of a continuing series at the hospital, there were the estimable guitarist Roni Ben-Hur and bassist Rufus Reid. The two jazz masters played such favorites as "Love Walked In," "Blues in the Night" and "Con Alma" to a variety of early-afternoon listeners in the lobby.

There were those who simply walked through the lobby, heard the music and nodded at the musicians. Others stood and listened for a bit, then moved on. Some sat on nearby couches and chairs and read or talked, the soft music providing an amiable background as it traveled through the natural amplification of the high-ceilinged lobby. And there were those who were there specifically for the jazz.

One of those was Amy Solomon of Paterson, who works in the hospital's marketing department.

"I love the music," she said. "I'm a jazz enthusiast. It gives a nice part to your day when you know the musicians are going to be here."

One who walked past the musicians but took in the sounds was Clinton Stiles of Paramus, who was at the hospital for therapy for Parkinson's disease.

"I love music -- I like all different styles, from old Gene Autry, Johnny Cash, even Elvis, though he was pretty loud," he said. "But I like those guys playing here. It's different than the other music."

Jazz has been an integral part of Englewood Hospital since around 1992, when famed trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie was treated there for pancreatic cancer. He died in January 1993.

Subsequently, Frank Forte, an oncologist, hematologist and jazz guitarist who was Gillespie's physician at the hospital, helped start the hospital's Dizzy Gillespie Cancer Institute and Memorial Fund. In conjunction with the Jazz Foundation of America's Emergency Musicians Fund in New York City, the hospital offers pro bono treatment to uninsured jazz musicians.

Among the musicians who have been treated for free are singers Teri Thornton and Irene Reid, bassists Jamil Nasser and Dennis Irwin, saxophonists Cecil Payne and Howard Johnson, and drummer Rudy Walker.

The jazz program in the lobby, which is funded by the foundation, was started about three years ago, when pianist Harold Mabern, trumpeter Danny Moore and saxophonist Bill Saxton, among others, played there. But the combination of horns and piano proved too loud, and the program was discontinued.

Around that same time, in a serendipitous occurrence, bassist Earl May contacted the Jazz Foundation, looking for ways he might help the foundation.

"He asked me if there was anything he could do," said Wendy Oxenhorn, director of the foundation. "And I thought, how perfect for us to give legends to play at this hospital that had been serving the legends."

In 2005, with May and Ben-Hur on board, the lobby series started again. At first, it was one day a week, but in 2007, it increased to three.

Last Tuesday was an especially poignant day for Ben-Hur and Reid, and for many fans of the lobby series. May, the warm, open and affable South Orange jazz great, had died of a sudden heart ailment Jan. 4. In his usual high spirits, he had performed with Ben-Hur in the lobby on Jan. 2.

A memorial of sorts -- a framed story about May, Ben-Hur and the hospital's cancer program, and a reproduction of May's obituary from The Star-Ledger, both placed on an easel -- announced his death.

Throughout the performance, and during breaks, people stopped to look at the tribute and to talk to Ben-Hur and Reid about May.

"It's hard, man, 'cause everybody's choked up; I get choked up," said Ben-Hur.

Offering his condolences was Haworth resident Bryan Ho, an ear, nose and throat surgeon at the hospital. "We'll miss Earl," he told Ben-Hur. "It was a pleasure hearing you guys play."

He then turned to a visitor. "I'd come by, didn't know how famous they were, give them a little nod, 'Thanks very much for making the day nicer,'" he said.

Solomon also reminisced. "Earl and Roni made it a lot of fun," she said. "Earl used to take requests, and I always asked for the same thing: 'The Very Thought of You.' I heard them play it, and I loved it. You could tell they loved what they do. Earl used to smile when he played."

Despite the difficult circumstances of the day, Ben-Hur and Reid performed with their characteristic élan. "Love Walked In" exhibited Ben-Hur's golden-hued tone, relaxed swing and alluring melodic phrases, and Reid's big, round tone and unshakable beat. "Con Alma," done as a bossa, began with the bassist bowing the theme with Ben-Hur, then segueing into an engaging bass solo, followed by the guitarist's improvisation.

"Blues in the Night," a challenging number on any day, moved through a variety of tempos and moods. At the close, Ben-Hur revealed his poise as he played the final theme and coda all but flawlessly while he chatted to a fan about May.

Ben-Hur feels the essential function of the lobby jazz mirrors a core May value: It is about helping people.

"It is proof of what jazz can do to people's lives and how it is effective in raising people's spirits," he said. "A hospital is a place where people's spirits are low, they're distraught, and people have told me how this music helps them cope. And those who say jazz can't be enjoyed by everybody are proved wrong here. People never exposed to jazz say this is really nice."

Zan Stewart is the Star-Ledger's jazz writer. He is also a musician who occasionally performs at local clubs, and has performed at Englewood Hospital. He may be reached at zstewart@starledger.com or at (973) 324-9930.

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