Edwardsville’s Jazz Man
Editor | Aug 10, 2009 | Comments 0
David Wiatrolik (center with guitar) at a jazz rehearsal.
by Jesse Gernigin
This isn’t my first time meeting guitarist David Wiatrolik.
We have seen each other in passing, either at gigs with his jazz band, The David Wiatrolik Trio, playing guitar for Kentucky Knife Fight, or just sippin’ coffee at Sacred Grounds. Although it is early on a Monday we have been talking for a while now. David stops suddenly, goes quiet, and looks off into the distance. I wonder what he is thinking, because up until now he has been talking at full tilt, smiling, and keeping an iron grip on our eye contact. But now he is alone for a second, suspended between two thoughts, one he was sharing and one he considers. Then he’s talking again, continuing on from where he stopped and saying nothing to acknowledge what it was that froze him mid-story.
Maybe David’s a robot. It sounds crazy, but consider the schedule he keeps. If he isn’t giving lessons or spending time with his girlfriend, he is either practicing or playing gigs with one of his bands, both of which have seen some measure of success.
Kentucky Knife Fight, an alt-country band with a healthy dose of punk, has received wide acclaim, and was awarded best self released album this year by the River Front Times.
David started his jazz trio as an undergraduate at SIUE, where he culled his friends and classmates to play in his band. The trio has played a lot of different venues from art shows at SIUE to Mangia in St. Louis, or Erato in downtown Edwardsville. The jazz trio produces a smooth sound with sultry bass lines and witty guitar riffs while avoiding the expected slowness made popular by Louis Armstong. The music is wonderful and adaptable; you can let it completely absorb you, eyes closed as you tap your foot to the rhythm, or subconsciously inspire you as the theme music to a great bar conversation.
“I just want to play,” he replies when I ask him about why he doesn’t focus on just one band. “Although jazz is what I go to school for, Kentucky Knife Fight is a lot of fun.”
David’s own sound is conscious of his technical talent but also moves comfortably with a secret inner rhythm, pulling together heady bass lines with the velvet smooth crooning of his guitar. David’s talent decries the histrionics of lesser talented technicians, choosing instead to allocate sound precisely when and where it is needed. I imagine that this is a large part of what originally attracted him to jazz is his natural storytelling ability. I say this because to me jazz and storytelling share a common trait. They both have a definite beginning and end and what happens in the middle depends on the audience’s perception, the artist’s technical talent, and the artist’s interpretation of it.
When asked about the future of what he hopes to do with jazz, he talks in terms of size.
“There just isn’t the money for big bands right now, so I’m playing shows with two guys instead of five,” he says.
Regardless of the current economy David has a positive out-look.
“I am lucky to play weddings and cover the local venues pretty regularly.”
David’s comments really opened my eyes to the constraints a bad economy can put on musicians.
When I pressed David on solutions he explained, “It would help if local musician’s banded together. I’m not saying we need picketing and to form Unions, but we must show a little tact and self control because it hurts all of us. We all play music cause we love it. For some it might be more of a hobby. But those of us who want to make a living out of it, we got to eat! It’s the same as any other profession that requires a skill. Lawyers, plumber’s, mechanics are all well organized professions and have set a ball park rate for performing their services in order to make a decent living, so should musicians.”
David’s myspace has further detail on his performance dates along with some mp3’s of his work. You can check out his next gig here.
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