Art Chowder July | August 2017, Issue 10 | Page 32

CH A R L E S
SWANSON
A MAN WHO NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION
BY JOCELYN WHITFIELD-BABCOCK
College at SFCC was Charles’s first
exposure to “real musicians” – these
included workshops with Frank Fos-
ter, Randy Brecker, Ernie Watts, Eddie
Shaughnessy of the Tonight Show band,
and Steve Smith of Journey. The SFCC
jazz band also toured Europe. Charles
was later accepted at the prestigious
Berklee College of Music in Boston. Incidentally, some of the famous musi-
cians rumored to have dined at Mama
Monica’s were Tony Bennett and Frank
Sinatra. Dressed in a suit, Charles went
to play the gig at that legendary jazz
establishment. Arnie Carruthers took one
look at the sharp dressed saxophonist,
and coined the nickname that would
follow him for his career – “Styles
Bitchin’.” good money, but I had to get off the
tub.” And, he is featured in numerous
commercial jingles. “In the 1980s and
‘90s, Spokane was the hub for produced
commercials used nationally.” He also
holds claim to having been a teacher to
many local and nationally known mu-
sicians, as well as having taught music
at Ferris, West Valley, and Whitworth
University.
The jazz band had a fortunate trip to
Bremerton at the same time as 1940s
jazz musician Dizzy Gillespie was
appearing. Discovering he was in an ad-
jacent hotel room, Charles led a group of
20+ students to Dizzy’s hotel room door.
“Musicians deify their role models,”
and he seized their moment to spend in
idolatry. The apparently crushing defeat,
when Dizzy slammed the door in their
faces, only to open it again and laugh at
his own joke, made for a fun memory.
Inviting them all into his room, he hum-
bly gave the twenty-somethings the thrill
of a lifetime. “He was smoking, and
eating linguine and clam sauce.” Charles
recalls the sights and smells vividly. “He
had a Polaroid camera and took pictures
with each of us,” allowing the students
to take them home. Vision Quest, Spokane’s first box office
film, offered employment opportuni-
ties to local youth. While handing out
costumes, Charles met a young Forest
Whitaker. They cruised around town,
talking about football. “I have watched
Forest for quite some time, initially
because he was a guy I met. My favorite
part he has played was the title role of
Charlie Parker in the biographic picture
Bird, directed by Clint Eastwood.” In
reference to his acquaintance participat-
ing in Rogue One, a movie in Charles’s
favorite sci-fi franchise, he said, “Forest
is such a strong personality that seeing
him as Saw Guerrera in Rogue One, I
never once forgot I was watching Forest
Whitaker, even with the weird voice,
crazy hair, and all the armor.” Charles’s single regret is not practic-
ing and working his music discipline.
Playing catch-up, he has “Don’t Take
the Horn Out of Your Mouth” Fridays;
a twelve-hour day spent “being music”
and working on his technical abilities
and harmonic concepts.
Spokane in the 1980s offered connec-
tions and experience. The opportunity
arose to play with Arnie Carruthers,
famous Spokane pianist, in Addy, Wash-
ington. “Every jazz musician stopped
at Mama Monica’s. I had to dress up.”
32 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE
Charles’s career spans multiple local
bands; however, he is most known for
Mumbo Jumbo, C3P0 (Chuck’s Three
Piece Orchestra), Fourchestra, and most
recently, The Step Brothers. He spent
some years working cruise ships. “It’s
“Musicians use a term for tremendously
talented young players: “young lions.”
It implies that these young fire-breathers
are very near the top of their game and
are hungry to perform and to continu-
ally improve. However, not every good
young player can be referred to as a
“young lion.” Some are good, but don’t
necessarily separate themselves from
the pack as leaders who move the genre
forward. For the most part, I was a
young armadillo who occasionally rose
to the status of young ocelot.”
Young, hungry sax players have a world
ready for them. Saxophone music has
longevity. Crossing into a multitude of
musical genres, there will always be a
need for saxophonists.