The Musical Journey of James Finn

- a biographical essay

by Susan Goldsmith

Tenor saxophonist, James Finn, is a native of New York City and the eldest of eleven children. His father, Thomas James Finn, is the son of Irish immigrants and his mother, Elizabeth Anne Benedetto Finn, is of Italian and Scottish heritage and a descendant of President George Washington. When James was eight years old, he began playing the violin and at age ten switched to the alto sax. His Uncle Charlie Benedetto played tenor sax in the U.S. Air Force Band and was always encouraging. By the time James graduated from Chaminade High School, he had also played the tenor and the baritone saxophones in the high school band. His father, being a son of immigrants, felt that music was for a child and was not a man’s vocation. Obeying his father’s wishes, he went to Albany State University and majored in business. Studying business was a passionless chore for James. After a serious automobile accident that kept James hospitalized for an entire summer, he decided that he would follow his passion. Much to his father’s dismay, James dropped out of school and began playing in a few local Albany area jazz and R&B bands. His father refused to talk to him after that. This was heart-breaking and difficult for James, but he was resolved to follow his passion to play music. James said,“My time in the Albany Medical Center made me realize just how fleeting life is. I knew that my Dad had my best interests in mind, but I had to follow my heart. I decided that I had to live my life by my decisions - whether they were good ones or not.”

James was a self taught improviser who learned by playing along with the radio and jamming with friends. His first musical experiences were playing with local blues and R&B bands. After hearing local legend tenor saxophonist JR Monterose play one night in Albany, he decided to begin studying saxophone pedagogy with him. James said of first hearing JR, “ JR played with a soulful sound that could never be captured with a recording. He almost never performed with a microphone. His approach reminded me of the old Italian artisan who takes pride in his aesthetic. JR would often make magic. I was truly blessed to have sat at the feet of this master.”

After studying with JR for a year, James was feeling a need to experience music school. Despite both JR Monterose’s and Nick Brignola’s advisement against the idea, James decided to attend North Texas State University. Upon arrival, he realized that his sight-reading skills needed much improvement. He enjoyed the opportunity to study classical flute and clarinet. For money, he worked with the top Dallas R&B bands such as Al 'TNT' Braggs and the Possessions and Kenny Wayne’s Rhythm and Blues Revue where he was often required to 'walk the bar' - an old Texas blues tradition where the sax player build his solo to a climax and then get up and walk across the top of the bar while customers would throw money into the bell of the horn. Needless to say, James didn't care for this tradition.

After two years, James left Texas and moved back to NYC for a steady gig at the Hilton. On just the first night, the lead singer showed up drunk and got the band fired. Now he was stuck in NYC with no work and sleeping on a friend’s couch. He remembers getting a phone call from Kenny Wayne in Texas. Kenny was a gruff Vietnam vet who looked like a member of ZZ Top and Hell’s Angels. Kenny growled into the phone, 'boy, we need ya...get your Yankee arse down here!' James told him that NYC was his home and that he needed to move forward. He worked a bunch of Latino gigs in the South Bronx. Band members would escort him from the car. They claimed that 'the hood was too dangerous for a white boy to be walking around with an instrument case.'

After a few months of this, he decided to visit pianist John Esposito in New Paltz, New York. James liked the area and soon after moved upstate. James thought that this could be a good place to develop his writing. He would frequently play a local bar and then clean the bar the next morning for additional pay. Other jobs that he took on were bartending, waiting breakfast tables at The Rocking Horse Ranch and moving furniture for Global Moving Co. in Kingston.

The late multi-instrumentalist Arthur Rhames was a neighbor in New Paltz and proved to be a major influence on James’ technique. James and Arthur occasionally practiced and performed together. One memorable performance was when they performed a sax duet concert on the Fourth of July which included a forty five minute version of 'The Star Spangled Banner'. Unfortunately, there is no known recording of this concert. James said about Arthur, “Arthur stressed playing standards in all keys through interval cycles. He was the most talented musician I had ever met - playing the saxophone, piano, and guitar on high technical levels. He was a tireless force who did nothing in moderation. Arthur was so kind and encouraging and always made me feel that I had something to contribute. I miss him. Life was not kind to Arthur.”

At the time, James was living in a house that was later condemned by the housing department. There was no heating system and often no hot water or electricity. In order to improve his financial situation, he accepted a job in a busy well-established swing band based in Albany. This facilitated a move to Woodstock, New York which is closer to Albany. After gigs in town, he would hustle to his old friend JR Monterose’s gig and sit in. Often he would relieve JR from playing the last set. JR would drink his pint of scotch and water, listen, and make comments afterwards. A highlight for James was playing with the late Teddy Kotick (one of Charlie Parker’s favorite bassists). During his time in Woodstock, James studied with Lakota medicine man Izzy Heartman and participated in rigorous sweat lodge ceremonies. 'Izzy taught me the path of the warrior, the language of nature, how to pray again, and the power of prayer.' At this time, James also began study of A Course in Miracles with Bella Salerno. During these years, he added intensive studies and readings of the teachings of Tibetan and Zen Buddhism, Paramahansa Yogananda, Krishnamurti, Meher Baba, and Lao Tsu.

In 1990, James received a B.A. in Music Composition through Empire State College graduating summa cum laude. James had designed his own curriculum which was approved by the college. He studied the art of the drum and sax duet and the 'harmolodic approach' with Andrew Cyrille. He also studied the music of Bartok, Webern, Coltrane and Cecil Taylor and composed prolifically. At this time, James received an official government invitation to perform in Russia. James says of this experience,' I felt a warm affinity for most of the people that I met. Their hospitality, passion, and spirit surprised me. Then, I thought of all that passionate music written by the Russian composers. I remembered being moved by the thought that I was raised with air raid drills in grammar school and that this was the enemy! These people were no enemy of mine.'

Also at this time, James led a band called Talking with Angels which was made up of Woodstock and New York City musicians. This band featured James’ original compositions and was a regionally acclaimed band. Talking With Angels opened for Chick Corea and Allan Holdsworth and was an upstate favorite with a large following. 'Among other things, this band was an experiment in trying to write complex sonorities and rhythms for electric instruments. It was a shame that this band was never signed. It was beyond classification.' That same year a sleeping truck driver drove into James’ car in a head-on collision. His old Volvo was totaled like an accordian and he sustained injuries serious enough to keep him from playing for nearly a year. After recuperating, he decided to give up his band and attend Queens College to get a master’s degree with Jimmy Heath. 'This second accident made me realize that if I couldn’t play anymore, due to physical reasons, then I would not be able to earn a living. Getting a master’s degree seemed to be a good insurance move.'

In 1991, James moved back to Brooklyn and attended the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. He received an academic scholarship sponsored by Jimmy Heath. While there he studied arranging with Mr. Heath and jazz history, Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite and piano-saxophone duet playing with the late Sir Roland Hanna. He graduated in 1992, summa cum laude, and did a brief stint with Roland Hanna’s Quintet during which Roland would often feature Finn’s compositions. During this time, he was making a name for himself playing at the Dean Street Cafe jam session and local gigs with bassist, John Ore, as well as Buster and Marvin Smith (Sun Ra’s drummers).

During the Summer and Fall of 1992, James experienced the death of all of the adult male figures in his life - of his father; his teacher, JR Monterose; his childhood inspiration, Uncle Charlie; and his only living grandfather. He regretfully never reconciled with his father - although he tried many times. In the winter of the same year, one evening on his way back from the Dean Street Cafe, James was jumped, robbed by a local gang and left for dead in a ditch down the street from the police precinct. He suffered lacerations and a few broken bones. “I remember waking up in a ditch and being surprised that I was still alive. The last thing that I remembered was being dragged into the darkness and choked until I became unconscious. I had no idea how much time had gone by. They even took my shoes! I couldn’t walk anyway. I crawled to the police station a few blocks away.” James says, “This was a period of complete shipwreck for me. I couldn’t leave the apartment at night. I stopped taking gigs and had no money. I was so bad off, I didn’t even tell my family.”

James’ old friend Bella Salerno, suggested that he come to Woodstock to recuperate and heal. This time in Woodstock would prove to be very powerful for James. He claims, ‘I was pretty beat-up in every sense of the word and needed a lot of healing. Bella is ahead of her time. We worked almost every day for a year. After this work I felt like a new person. She later taught me these arts and gave me the encouragement and support to go out and help heal others.' At Bella’s request, James taught A Course in Miracles in her home. He was becoming an in demand counselor for couples and individuals. James moved into one of his student’s old Airstream out in the woods. He began getting back to music again. At this time, James began the development of a methodology for learning to improvise from a unique twelve tone approach. Twelve years later James claims, 'This method was inspired by revelations from spiritual practice and expanded upon through years of exhaustive efforts and explorations in the woodshed. Eventually, a unified twelve tone system was developed for myself that would grant me an unlimited facility fostering the creation a personal musical language.'

For sustenance, James worked for the Kingston Prison substance abuse rehabilitation program. While there, he was helping the kind of troubled kids who mugged him. James also studied Tai Chi, Qigong, and Wu Bu meditation with Chinese Master T.K. Shih at this time. 'T.K. showed me how to cultivate chi energy and control it for healing purposes.’

After almost three years of being back in Woodstock, James was eager to get back into music more fully. He did a sabbatical replacement for Chris Parker (head of the jazz program at Orange Community College in Middletown, NY) and taught two music courses at Duchess Community College. 'Thanks to a recommendation from Jimmy Heath, I got this job. I thoroughly loved working with the students and staff headed by Rich Hepner at O.C.C.C and Dave Winograd at D.C.C.C. ' After hearing the student concert, Chris Parker called James 'a miracle worker.' James began to occasionally tour with Virgin Record’s Ben Harper. He played on Quincy Jones’ TV show 'Vibe', played Royal Albert Hall in London, Le Zenith in Paris and the Hollywood Palace.

Now, James felt ready to return to New York City. He supported himself by teaching woodwinds and directing the student orchestra at Chaminade and Holy Cross High Schools. He also did occasional studio work and various dates through the Musicians Local 802. During this time, James had saved his money to build a private home recording studio. 'I wanted to have an intimate hands-on knowledge of the entire recording process in order to more effectively produce my music.' Also during this time, in December of 2001, James met his wife, Jennifer Carnahan, an up and coming world-class opera singer and talented violinist, in a local Spanish restaurant on 101st Street and Broadway. On June 29, 2003, they were married by his old friend - interfaith minister Bella Salerno.

Months after their wedding, he recorded his debut CD entitled, Opening the Gates for Cadence Records featuring bassist Dominic Duval and drummer Whit Dickey. His third album, entitled Plaza de Toros for Clean Feed/Trem Azul Records, features Dominic Duval again and drummer Warren Smith. This album was recorded in December, 2003 and is scheduled to be released sometime this April. James produced, engineered, mixed and mastered these recordings in his apartment. Last summer his second CD, entitled Faith in a Seed, was released on CIMP Records.
For the past three years, James has been sustained financially in NYC with a successful roster of piano students. He says, 'Even though I have a full studio of students, this frees me up psychically to focus on my own musical ideas.’ There are more recordings being negotiated and more planned for this year.

'This path has led me to feel and experience the depths of emotion...from pain, loneliness, and despair to joy and love. Looking back, I can see that everything that has ever happened has afforded me an opportunity to heal and grow in wisdom and in peace. God willing, NOW IS MY TIME... to live my hopes and dreams for a fulfilling career and family life.' - James Finn

James and Jennifer are looking forward to the birth of their first child in October of this year.

James Finn Music (Performance History)