Drummer Adam Chase is a student of music. Perhaps best known for his Phish tribute Strange Design, Chase has been a fan of the wonderfully complex compositions of Trey Anastasio since his collegiate days. During the band’s long hiatus between 2004-09, Chase dug deeper into Anastasio and Phish’s catalog, following in the band’s loving legacy. While Chase never expected a member of Phish to attend a Strange Design show, that all changed when he spotted Anastasio in the crowd!

With Chase’s “Jazz Is Phish” band performing a two-night run on December 19-20, at the Brooklyn Bowl in NY (tickets) and Howard Theatre in DC (tickets), respectively, we asked Chase to share his story…

When I was in college, I was a part of a performance with a group of my jazz professors that was a tribute to Charles Mingus.  I remember, before the first performance, having a discussion with my percussion professor about what Charles Mingus would have thought about our interpretations of his music. 

Often when playing tribute to a musical hero, you never have the chance to know what that musician would say to you if he/she heard your interpretations of their music.  Would they approve?  Would they be flattered?  Would they be critical?

Fortunately for me, I had a moment of serendipity that I’m not sure I will experience again, as most of the musicians I have paid tribute to in my life are deceased. 

During the Phish hiatus, my brother and I launched the Phish tribute, Strange Design, which we pursued in between tours and recording with our original bands.  When it seemed possible that Phish would not be returning, we thought it was important to keep the special energy of Phish’s music alive and well.  We decided, if we were going to do it, we had to treat it with respect and take the time to dissect the compositions and the approach to improvisation. 

We found ourselves tackling an array of Phish compositions from “Divided Sky” to “Reba,” “Guyute” to “All Things Reconsidered.” As fate would have it, when we began working on “Fluffhead,” rumors began to swirl that Phish would be returning.  When we mastered “Fluffhead,” we took it to the road on a tour that ended with us attending Phish’s reunion shows at Hampton Coliseum.  With our heads full of polyrhythms and fugues, we found ourselves watching the reunion of Phish, kick off with nothing other than the huge composition that we just tackled. 

Fast-forward nine months. We were finishing our sound check at Mercury Lounge in Manhattan, clearing off the stage for the opening act.  I was walking a stack of Strange Design stickers to the merch table when I looked up and saw Trey Anastasio standing in the back of the room with a small crowd.  Nonchalantly, I walked up to Trey, handed him a Strange Design sticker and made my way back towards the stage.  That’s when I felt a hand on my shoulder.  I turned around to find Trey with a story that answered the question that I wondered so often when paying tribute to musicians that have inspired me. 

While Trey did not set out to see a Phish tribute that night, he was accompanying his daughter (the one for which he wrote the song “Strange Design”) to see our opening act.  Out of curiosity of what he was getting into that night, he went to the venue website and saw that there would be a band called “Strange Design.”  Intrigued, he clicked through to our website and heard our rendition of “Fluffhead” begin to stream. 

I listened to his story unfold of how he discovered our band, his ensuing discussions about us with Jon, Mike and Page and then I fielded a number of questions about our band, how we learned some of the more challenging compositions and what our background was as musicians. I certainly imagined that I would be the one asking the questions when I was discussing Charles Mingus with my jazz professor, just as I imagined I would have a barrage of questions for Mr. Anastasio should the opportunity ever present itself.  At this moment I realized that as a musician, we aim to improve our musical abilities through studying others.  In college we do transcription after transcription of musical masters and learn the theory that was uncovered by brilliant minds of the past.  Paying tribute to a musician is not just flattery; it is the process of which musical ideas evolve and the corner stone of music education. 

I am thankful that I got the opportunity to meet a man that I pay tribute to.  More so, I am thankful that we have such brilliant music to study, inspire us and learn from.

 

JAZZ IS PHISH INFO:

Brooklyn Bowl // Brooklyn, NY
December 19th // Tickets

Howard Theatre // Washington, DC
December 20th // Tickets

Lineup:

Michael Ray (Sun Ra Arkestra) – Trumpet
Jeff Coffin (Dave Matthews Band) – Saxophone
Chris Bullock (Snarky Puppy) – Saxophone
Scott Flynn (Pretty Lights Live Band) – Trombone
Anthony Wellington (Victor Wooten Band) – Bass
Adam Chase (Strange Design) – Drums
Matthew Chase (Strange Design) – Guitar
Josh Thomas (With Lions) – Keys