Gillian Golden has been a part of Community’s Jazz program since she was a freshman. Now, as a senior, she joins a hard working group of musicians at 2:30, 9th block, for a Jazz 4 class. A class requirement in elementary school veered into a deal with her mom: if Golden played cello until eighth grade, then she could quit. However, Golden loved it so much that she continued into freshman year at CHS, although she switched to the bass. We joined Golden at one of her classes, and witnessed the unity and talent of the group that goes by Standard Deviation. Talking to Golden afterwards, we found that she was cheerful and down-to-earth, and had nothing but positive things to say about her musical experience.
How long have you been playing the bass?
I’ve played it for about five years now.
Why’d you start playing it, and why did you choose that instrument?
I went to Tappan and they have a jazz band there…I originally played cello, but I wanted to play in jazz band… I switched to bass, and also I just like the bass better.
Does bass work better in a jazz band than cello?
Yeah, because you always need a bass.
What do you think of the jazz program at Community?
I think it’s fantastic.
Did you have any experience before?
Not like at Community, because Community’s kind of different. We do gigs and stuff like that too.
Jack, that’s your teacher right? There used to be another teacher; he’s new isn’t he?
Yeah, when I a freshman, Mike Grace was here…he was the one who started the program…I had one year with him and then he retired.
What do you think of jazz [at Community] versus another band class that you have taken in middle school?
Well I like the jazz program a lot better. They are two different things, because with jazz we are working a lot more with improvisation and rhythm…you work with rhythm in those other band classes, but it’s jazz, you’re learning a lot more about just the notes and chords and things like that.
Do you have a favorite song?
Right now, my favorite one is called Caravan. My band actually played it for you guys, it was a Latin-y one. I don’t remember who it’s by, but we did the Wynton Marsalis arrangement of it, because there’s a version with Ella Fitzgerald singing. We do the non-singing version.
It sounded good, what was the one at the end? That you were just learning?
The one that we were playing as a funk? That was called Donna Lee.
How long have you been playing that one?
We got it last year at the end of the year…so we decided to practice some [songs] over the summer… and Donna Lee was one of those.
So does the jazz program stop at the summer?
Usually it has, but this year Jack wanted us to get a head start.
How often do you have gigs?
At least maybe twice a month, if not more. I’ve already had probably four or five gigs, and I have two gigs coming up this weekend. The one that we’ve been doing right now is a bunch of law school reunion gigs, so they’re over at the League and the Union. We do fancy venues and we also do smaller ones.
Do you want to pursue a musical career, or is it just a hobby?
It’s more of a hobby. I mean I definitely like music, but I don’t think I’d be a very good professional musician. So I definitely want to do stuff in college and play in a music program at whatever college I go to.
Listen below to Gillian Golden practice “Caravan,” arranged by Wynton Marsalis and “Donna Lee,” by Miles Davis with the Community High School Jazz Band:
