Black History Month | Jazz | Music | Neighborhood Music School | Yale University | Yale School of Music
Matt Fried Photos. Courtesy of the Yale School of Music.
The trill of the hi-hat sang out above the steady bass groove and funky guitar riff. The alto saxophone came in next, swinging a rhythm that had shoulders bouncing. As the sax solo finished on a high note, a round of applause seamlessly transitioned into a keyboard solo that carried the audience forward.
Suddenly, the saxophone, bass, keys, and guitar all ceded the floor to drummer Jesse Hameen II. As his arms flew between the snare, tom-toms, and cymbals, he slowly built a dynamic and flowing story that had the audience holding their breath. With a crash, he released the crowd and the full band came in, swinging once again.
On Friday, Jesse “Cheese” Hameen II and Elevation kicked off the spring 2023 Yale School of Music Ellington Jazz Series at Morse Recital Hall on College Street. Half a century ago, the series began in 1972 with the performance of Duke Ellington and his band at Woolsey Hall. It marked the beginning of a concert series that has brought storied musicians such as Eubie Blake, Dizzy Gillespie, Charles "Cootie" Williams, and Charles Mingus to New Haven.
At that first concert, former Yale President Kingman Brewster awarded the first Ellington medals to several musical legends present that evening. On Friday, Hameen joined that list of jazz heroes, becoming the 62nd recipient of the Ellington Award.
It is an honor decades—and significant New Haven musical history—in the making. Now 81, Hameen has performed for more than 60 years, including with jazz and R&B icons such as Charles Brown, Etta Jones, Bobby Watson, and Grover Washington Jr. In addition to his personal musical success, Hameen is dedicated to jazz preservation and uplifting the next generation through musical education.
He is on faculty at Neighborhood Music School in New Haven and is one of the founders of the New Haven Jazz Festival, where he implemented a policy mandating the inclusion of youth artists.
Through all of it, he has blazed a trail through music. Hameen founded his music group Elevation in 1976. On Friday, Elevation featured Rodney Jones on guitar, T.K. Blue on the saxophone, Nat Reeves on bass, and Zaccai Curtis on piano.
Even with Morse Hall's grand vaulted ceilings and over 600 cushioned seats, Hameen’s conversational tone and smooth storytelling made the evening feel intimate. Hameen and Elevation chose to play almost exclusively his original compositions rather than jazz standards, allowing listeners a glimpse into his own creative process.
While introducing “Conducive Environment” off of his 2008 album “Sign of the Times,” Hameen said that “the message here is that you are an environment, so try to live your life in a way that will be conducive and beneficial to the world.”
Long chords on the keyboard and a melody sung out by T.K Blue on saxophone spread a message of positivity that is echoed in Hameen’s other works as well.
As the final phrase came to an end, Hameen turned the clock back to 1973 to tell the story of meeting his wife, fellow artist and Juneteenth Coalition of Greater New Haven Events Coordinator Iman Uqdah Hameen. He was living in New York at the time, but had come back to New Haven for a visit. He went to a restaurant and started chatting with Iman, a friend of a friend who worked there.
“I told her, I’m coming back to New Haven again in 13 days and when I do, I’m bringing you an engagement ring,” Hameen recalled as laughter reverberated. “And she said, ‘okay.’”
Matt Fried Photos. Courtesy of the Yale School of Music.
Iman Uqdah Hameen is a filmmaker whose short film “Unspoken Conversations” was recently recognized by the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Hameen said proudly. The next song of the night was off the original soundtrack he composed for the film.
Just as the band was preparing to launch into the jazz again, a voice from the back of the theater rang clear: “Let us see your great wife!”
At the coaxing of the audience, Iman Hameen stood up to a thunderous round of applause.
Iman wasn’t the only family member recognized Friday. The night’s repertoire also included “Hanan’s Groove,” written for his “favorite, and only, daughter” he said with a wink. Hanan Hameen, a dancer and founder of the Artsucation Academy Network and Juneteenth Coalition Co-Founder, said she was happy to see her father getting the recognition he so greatly deserved, both from the Ellington Award and the community.
“It’s really cool to see somebody from New Haven come up like he did,” Moira Healey, a recent jazz aficionado, echoed later in the evening. “I didn’t know what to expect but I truly enjoyed it. And I’m glad he did all original compositions. ”
Ken Torelli, another audience member, has been attending the Ellington Jazz Series for years. He said he appreciated Hameen’s smooth, lush tone and “low key” style, which allowed for all the talents of all the other musicians to shine.
Matt Fried Photos. Courtesy of the Yale School of Music.
Shawn Marshall, a fellow drummer, was in awe of Hameen’s skill.
“That’s the closest thing to Art Blakey that I’ve ever seen,” Marshall said.
After playing all original compositions, an audience shout of “Killer Joe!” brought a jazz staple into the room. Hameen took the moment to recognize all the “great groovers” that had come before him and that he’d had the opportunity to work with.
“It’s about making people feel good with a great groove of music,” Hameen said.
As the saxophone carried the instantly recognizable melody of “Killer Joe,” Nat Reeves' steady walking bass line pushed the song along. The quiet keys and guitar tied the whole band together. Grounding it all was Hameen’s drumming and smile at the center of the stage.
When the final notes of the evening rang out, the crowd immediately jumped to their feet for a standing ovation.
“What better antidote to a freezing night than hot jazz,” said Thomas Duffy, artistic director of the Ellington Jazz Series.
And indeed, the jazz had warmed the crowd.