Music, maestro:
Hayes Greenfield

Kids Stuff
By William Feldman

Welcome to Kids Stuff. Today’s column includes an interview with Hayes Greenfield, a producer, composer, saxophonist, filmmaker, bandleader and educator. Plus, I have an earthly cryptogram.
On April 22, Earth Day, Hayes, who is considered a humanist who cares about our world, released his newest kids’ CD, Music for a Green Planet.
"I produced Music for a Green Planet to increase awareness of our current global emergency. The songs concern solar power, wind energy, hydroelectric, geothermal, bio fuels, hybrid cars and buying organic produce. The songs give kids ideas about what can be done," he explained.
Some of the educational songs on his new album include We’ll Be a Part of the Solution; Fiddle Dee Green; The Things We Throw Away; This Green Man; Rock-a-Bye Rainforest; The Sun; Turbines; Hush Little Planet; Alouette in Green; The Same Sun, The Same Wind; Little Bo Peep Goes Green; This Little World of Ours; and Brahms Green Lullaby.
Hayes believes this CD can have an impact on future generations because it could spur conversation about renewable energy and creating a better place to live.
"The Things We Throw Away is the song that can really make people think about our environment. It really changes your whole perspective when you go into a store and you see all of the things they throw away, things we just take for granted. It is imperative that we not take these things for granted," Hayes said.
More importantly, he feels jazz can have an important impact on society and more people just need to be exposed to it. People of all ages can have different conversations about the same music, but from a different perspective, he said, adding that jazz music is not one-dimensional, but rather, it has many forms.
How did Hayes know kids would take to his jazz program?
"I grew up listening to quality music. I think that young people are smart and are able to respond to quality music regardless of the genre played," he said. "Jazz, to me, is a very refreshing, upbeat and soulful type of music that is engrossing and inviting. I feel that it is important to expose young people to it because they don’t get a chance to hear it."
A major factor in his decision to become involved with children was his observance during visits to jazz clubs that the people were becoming older and older. He felt that the music was losing its audience.
In 1997, Hayes founded Jazz-A-Ma-Tazz, a live, interactive show for young people that introduces jazz in a fun way. Also, 10 years ago when he made Jazz-A-Ma-Tazz, he modified or jazzed up the music and kept the same lyrics. For Music for a Green Planet, he kept the music the same and jazzed up the lyrics.
As a child, Hayes’ greatest influence was his parents.
"They were always about growing, taking risks and trying new things. Always about pursuing your dreams," Hayes recalled.
He became interested in music when he was very young but was not able to make a commitment to music until he was 15. He began trying to play guitar between ages 4 and 5 but really didn’t understand it. He feels the guitar is the most complicated instrument. He also played piano and the drums, but it wasn’t until age 15 that he had access to a saxophone. Hayes presently uses a Yamaha Custom Z alto saxophone and Vandoren mouthpieces and reeds on all of his horns.
"I always knew I loved music," he said. "What really turned me on to becoming a jazz musician was an assembly program at school, where there was an improvisational theater group. They asked the audience for ideas and then they improvised a story based on the ideas. I was about ten years old and I said that is what I want to do. I want to improvise."
He wanted others to know sometimes practice may be drudgery, but there are lots of ways to practice and make it fun.
"The other wonderful thing about music is that it does not lie to you," he said. "Whatever you put in you get out."
I thought his statement was so classic and true.
Hayes attended Berkeley College of Music for a couple of years. He also studied musically privately and has studied with some major jazz masters like Jaki Byard.
What exactly is jazz? I thought the best person to answer this would be an expert, so I asked Hayes.
"Jazz is about communication. Jazz is a very pliable, personal expression of music," he explained. "Part of the fundamental aspect of jazz is you are supposed to be able to put your own spin on the music. It is about expressing yourself; having a conversation with words."
Hayes doesn’t like to rank different genres of music regarding which are his favorites. What he looks for is not necessarily the type of music, but instead, "Music that tells a story and that is honest. A lot of music out there is not honest. It is out there for an economic purpose."
Which field of his endeavors does he feel has changed his life the most? Hayes believes his work as a producer, composer, saxophonist, filmmaker, bandleader and educator have affected his life. He has received many awards. He composed a score for a film on Gen. George Marshall entitled George Marshall and the American Century, which received an Emmy. Some companies for whom he wrote music for commercials are Cover Girl, Foot Locker, BMW, Uncle Ben’s Rice and many more.
From 1993 to 2000, Hayes volunteered and then ran the music department at The Door, an enrichment center for inner-city youth in New York City, where he developed a music studio and recorded and produced a CD of his students’ music.
As a filmmaker, Hayes produced two award-winning short films: For the Children, which is a film/music video, and Friends of the Children. Both films deal with problems facing today’s youth. They investigate ways that caring adults and community programs have helped shape young people’s lives in positive ways.
In 2002, Hayes scored the feature documentary America Rebuilds: A Year at Ground Zero, which aired on PBS as part of its 9/11 memorial programming. Berlin Metamorphoses, another feature documentary, premiered in Berlin at the 2002 World Congress of History Producers.
Five or 10 years from now, Hayes hopes to still be doing what he is presently doing: playing, writing music and performing kids shows.
"I have very little money, but I feel I am a very rich man. I do not need to make a big carbon footprint to know that I am successful," he said.
For more information, go to http://hayesgreenfield.com/
CRYPTOGRAM
YAMAT ZAKK BLOD ZSODAT YCOWTA
Hints: K is S; T is R; S is O; C is A
Columnist William Feldman can be contacted by e-mail at wmkidscolumn@aol.com