{"id":289,"date":"2019-01-13T06:00:46","date_gmt":"2019-01-13T14:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/?p=999933644"},"modified":"2020-05-23T14:31:44","modified_gmt":"2020-05-23T21:31:44","slug":"i-can-play-alvin-hayes-overcomes-a-stroke-to-produce-his-latest-album-the-lbc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/music\/i-can-play-alvin-hayes-overcomes-a-stroke-to-produce-his-latest-album-the-lbc","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;I Can Play&#8217;: Saxophonist Alvin Hayes overcomes a stroke to produce his latest album, &#8216;The LBC&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As saxophonist Alvin Hayes Jr. and vocalist Rev. Bobbie Lee Anderson practice in the backroom of Gilmore Music Store, they playfully challenge each other with impromptu call and response musical runs.<\/p>\n<p>As the two fire off the feathery scales, it helps tell Hayes that he\u2019s back. Back from a long trip.\u00a0Twenty years ago, he was beginning the slow, painstaking return from a massive stroke; it was unclear what he could claim of his former life. Maybe not much.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_999933825\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-999933825\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-999933825 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/1226-Jazz-6-970x674.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"417\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-999933825\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alvin Hayes Jr. plays with Arthur Brown Jr. and Bobbie Lee Anderson while at a practice studio at Gilmore Music Store in Long Beach January 3, 2018. \u00a0Photo by Thomas R Cordova<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He was just learning to walk and speak again. The teaching that was his livelihood and the music that was his soul, seemed very far away.<\/p>\n<p>Hope? Future? Those were vague concepts with murkier endings.<\/p>\n<p>One thing Hayes remembers clearly was lying in his hospital bed and hearing two doctors discuss him as if he was no longer there.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey didn\u2019t feel I\u2019d get better,\u201d Hayes said.<\/p>\n<p>The dialogue did two things: terrified him and gave him resolve to prove them wrong.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI remember thinking, \u2018This is not the way I\u2019m going to end up.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And so it began, Hayes\u2019 journey back; one step, one syllable at a time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A musical homecoming<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Hayes has just put a bow on a new album, \u201cThe LBC,\u201d which will officially be released Friday, January 11.<\/p>\n<p>The smooth jazz album of original music and a few cover tunes is Hayes\u2019 homage to his hometown; a thank you to the friends and family who stuck by him and helped pull him through darker days.\u00a0Although it&#8217;s his second release since recovering from the stroke, he said it is on an entirely different level than \u201cFestiva,\u201d released in 2016; this is a much more personal statement.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Saxophonist Alvin Hayes overcomes a stroke to produce his latest album, &#039;The LBC&#039;\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/AU3Xv9OOfBs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>As Hayes sat in Gilmore Music Store, where in junior high he bought the trusty Selmer saxophone that sits in his lap, he reflected on his hometown.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was born in Long Beach. I wanted to do a record about Long Beach,\u201d Hayes said.<\/p>\n<p>The local feel of the album is underscored by the musicians who helped bring the project together, including fellow Poly High graduates Arthur Brown Jr., and Bill \u201cSwoop\u201d Pittman.\u00a0Brown played piano\/synthesizer, sang and helped write, arrange and produce the album. Pittman provided bass, percussion and engineering.<\/p>\n<p>A late addition to the project, but one who helped bring it together was Anderson. A former Broadway singer whose credits include singing at Carnegie Hall, Anderson is a minister, singer and bandleader at Bethel CME Church in Central Long Beach.<\/p>\n<p>Anderson came to the project like a tidal wave. Although originally recruited for backup vocals, her role quickly grew. She wrote the melody and lyrics and sang lead on \u201cLady M (Time to Fall in Love)\u201d as well as Bill Withers\u2019 \u201cLovely Day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I (first) heard Bobbie, man, it was great,\u201d Hayes said. \u201cThat was one of my happiest things, just to hear her sing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>An unexpected addition was Hayes&#8217; decision to add a rap song.\u00a0Maurice Morgan wrote the lyrics and rapped \u201cThe LBC\u201d title track.\u00a0The pairing didn\u2019t immediately click. Hayes wanted a song with a positive message and says the first set of lyrics were a little salty.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can\u2019t do this,\u201d Hayes said of his reaction. \u201cI go to church. I have people who know me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But once Morgan PG\u2019d the song, Hayes had what he&#8217;d envisioned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt talks about the streets, the Pike, the Queen Mary,\u201d Hayes said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of positive things about Long Beach.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a tale Hayes almost didn\u2019t get to tell.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The seeds of a stroke<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Hayes\u2019 life was a bustle as he careened into mid-life. He had already earned praise for his play, charting several solo and collaborative albums. He also taught math at Mary Butler School and attended Cal State Dominguez Hills in pursuit of a masters degree in education. Raising a family, he squeezed in rehearsals in the evening, played for his church and gigged on weekends. He did all this while he weighed 300 pounds. He was a stroke waiting to happen. It did.<\/p>\n<p>Returning home from a church meeting in September of 1997, Hayes noticed that his mouth suddenly stopped working.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was like my talking became garbled. No matter what I said, it didn\u2019t come out right.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_999933827\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-999933827\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-999933827 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/1226-Jazz-3-970x628.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"388\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-999933827\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alvin Hayes Jr. sits in a practice studio at Gilmore Music Store in Long Beach January 3, 2018. Photo by Thomas R Cordova<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When he arrived at Memorial Hospital, Hayes learned that the stroke he had been warned about had struck. And massively. His voice had gone from garble to mute, the right side of his body was immobile.<\/p>\n<p>It would take every ounce of resolve that Hayes had to climb out of bed and back into his life.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Call of the horns<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Hayes mother, Ruth Hayes, remembers the day she brought her son home from the hospital, escorting him to his favorite chair.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe first thing he asked was bring him a horn,\u201d\u00a0 Ruth said. \u201cHe couldn\u2019t even hold it. That was the thing that really pushed him. He really wanted to get to them horns.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy horns were a part of my life,\u201d Hayes said. \u201cI couldn\u2019t see myself sitting in that chair, not playing that horn.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_999933826\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-999933826\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-999933826 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/1226-Jazz-5-970x609.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"377\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-999933826\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The hands of Alvin Hayes Jr. while at Gilmore Music Store in Long Beach January 3, 2018. Photo by Thomas R Cordova<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Hayes underwent a rigorous program of physical, occupational and speech therapy. Eventually, his movement and speech returned and he was able to return to teaching.<\/p>\n<p>Hayes, who recently retired from the Long Beach School District, walks three miles every morning in his Bixby Knolls neighborhood, something that has helped him shed a good deal of the 300 pounds.<\/p>\n<p>But for Hayes to get to a place where he could play anywhere near his old standards took longer than just getting back on his feet. It involved getting a new attitude, a new belief, a whole new life. &#8220;The LBC,\u201d represents that new vision; a hopeful future.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhenever I play, I will tell people, \u2018Yes, back in \u201897 I had a major stroke, but God had something else for me to do.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Which doesn&#8217;t mean anything was handed to him. Whether retraining himself musically or physically\u2014one of the most difficult parts of recovery has been getting his right arm to cooperate\u2014Hayes has kept at it, each and every day.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s still not easy, he says, but it has paid off.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t throw a ball,&#8221; he said. &#8220;But I can play.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Information about Hayes\u2019 music is available on his <a href=\"http:\/\/alvinhayesjr.com\/about_Alvin_Hayes.html\">website<\/a> (http:\/\/alvinhayesjr.com)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Saxophonist Alvin Hayes latest album, &#8220;The LBC&#8221;, was released Friday. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":249,"featured_media":65816,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[3,117],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[2369],"class_list":["post-289","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-instagram","tag-jazz","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/249"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=289"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=289"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=289"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=289"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}