Music Over Math

Praised as one of the top 20 up-and-coming jazz musicians in New Jersey, B.D. Lenz and his quintet will play Triumph Brewing Co. in Princeton June 28.

By: Susan Van Dongen

B.D. Lenz

   It’s a long way from West Milford, N.J., to Hollywood, Calif., but contemporary jazz guitarist B.D. Lenz made the move at the tender age of 18. He graduated from West Milford High School and went directly to the famed Musician’s Institute in the so-called Tinseltown — actually a district of Los Angeles.
   "It was just amazing," Mr. Lenz says. "I grew up in the woods of Northwest Jersey, then here I was in Hollywood with some of the best musicians in the world, all around school every day. I give my parents credit for their trust, letting me go to L.A. I came out of high school pretty (cocky) and thought I was ready for the city. Once I got there, I grew up fast. I had to."
   The lessons in the big city — musical as well as life lessons — paid off well. Mr. Lenz has been featured in The New York Times and praised by The Star-Ledger as one of the top 20 up-and-coming jazz musicians in New Jersey. His quintet, the B.D. Lenz Group, was recently signed to Apria Records, a New York-based jazz label. Their third CD, Simple Life (Apria,
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), will be released at the end of June and, in celebration, the B.D. Lenz Group will play Triumph Brewing Co. in Princeton June 28.
   Simple Life features 10 original compositions drawing from the band’s assorted tastes in jazz, funk, Latin, blues and progressive rock. There’s even a classical lullaby written for Mr. Lenz’s daughter.
   "This recording is really a continuation of the music we’ve been making for the past 10 years," Mr. Lenz says. "This one, however, is so much more refined in its composition, production and performance."
   After returning from California, Mr. Lenz furthered his studies at The College of New Jersey in Ewing — a pleasant experience but one that paled in comparison to the Musician’s Institute as far as really learning music performance.
   Instead of concentrating on the music education courses there, Mr. Lenz says he preferred to lock himself in his room, listen to music and play his guitar constantly. He must have absorbed some substantial influences in his sanctuary.
   For example, you can hear tinges of superstar guitarist Pat Metheny in "Famous Last Words," the first cut of Simple Life.
   "There are a lot of great players out there, but Metheny is definitely one of my favorites," Mr. Lenz says.
   There is much more of Metheny’s influence on this album, right down to the wordless vocal musings.
   Guest artist Dave Edwards’ bass work on the easy-going triple meter "Juxtaposition" sounds very much like the Pat Metheny Group’s Steve Rodby. Keyboardist Daniel Mintseris has obviously listened to the PMG’s Lyle Mays, particularly early Metheny-Mays collaborations such as "April Wind/April Joy." Tom Cottone and guest artist Greg Federico deliver adroit, subtle drumming with a nod to ’70s fusion master Billy Cobham.

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   On Simple Life, Mr. Lenz’s sophisticated playing belies his high-school-kid looks, balancing the smooth jazz sensibilities of Larry Carlton with harder-edged jazz-rock fusion axemen such as Mike Stern, probably Mr. Lenz’s biggest influence. He first came under Mr. Stern’s spell at the Musician’s Institute.
   "Mike Stern came to L.A. and played there frequently," Mr. Lenz says.
   He had always appreciated virtuoso guitar players but was more steeped in the work of progressive rocker Alex Lifeson of Rush, bluesman Stevie Ray Vaughan and virtuoso soloist/session man Joe Satriani. Mr. Stern opened up a whole new world of jazz to the young man from West Milford.
   "I didn’t realize how great it was because I was still new to the genre," Mr. Lenz says. "As time went by, I bought more of (Stern’s) records. When I got back (east), I went to New York and saw him on a regular basis. He still plays the 55 Bar twice a week. I was able to take lessons from him, as well."
   He also studied with Vic Juris and the New England Conservatory’s Charlie Banacos.
   Mr. Lenz has been playing guitar since age 14, and his tastes had been leaning toward guitarists Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and, of course, Rush.
   Some purists in the two genres sniffed at the way Mr. Lenz and his band straddled both kinds of music.
   "(The band) and myself were never part of the jazz clique," he says. "We were always somewhere in between. At jazz open jams I’d bring my Stratocaster and get some funny looks. We — and I mean myself and the band — made our own inroads, we did our own thing."
   Mr. Lenz took his group on the road, touring rigorously at all kinds of venues — coffeehouses, bookstores, festivals and clubs. Some of the more notable gigs included several Panasonic Village Jazz Festivals and the 55 Bar in New York, NJPAC (New Jersey Performing Arts Center) Summer concert series, as well as the Stanhope House and Conduit in Trenton. This is all in addition to Mr. Lenz’s regular job as a math teacher at Lenape High School in Stanhope, not far from his home in Hackettstown.
   You can almost imagine his mother saying to herself, "thank goodness B.D. is a math teacher, he’ll have something to fall back on when he gets over this music thing." Mr. Lenz’s priority, however, will always be music over math.
   "The music business can be frustrating, and there have been times when I thought about quitting," he says. "The bottom line is I just want to play music, whether it’s for 10 people or 1,000. For as long as I can, I’ll do it. It’s what I want to do. In fact, I have to do it."
The B.D. Lenz Group hosts a CD release party at Triumph Brewing Co., 138 Nassau St., Princeton, June 28, 10 p.m. $5 cover. For information, call (609) 924-7855. B.D. Lenz on the Web: www.bdlenz.com. Apria Records on the Web: www.apriarecords.com