Schaap had three things that a good jazz historian needs: a father who was a jazz historian, a home in Queens that was walking distance to the homes of some of the greatest jazz musicians who ever lived, and an encyclopedic memory. Around the age of six, Schaap also had the curiosity and confidence to go to the musicians’ homes, knock on their doors, and ask them about the music they played.
When Schaap was five, he met Jo Jones, a drummer for Count Basie’s orchestra. Jones asked the little boy if he knew of Prince Robinson and Schaap talked about Robinson playing tenor sax with McKinney’s Cotton Pickers – a jazz group that formed and played decades before Schaap was born. After that, Jones became an occasional baby sitter for Schaap, who eagerly listened to the drummer’s stories about Count Basie, other musicians, and the music they made. About 10 years later, during the subway strike of 1966, Schaap somehow managed to get a ride into the city with Count Basie himself, who was amazed to hear stories he knew – and a few he didn’t – about his own band. Jazz drummer and composer Max Roach told the New York Times “There isn’t anyone in the country who knows more about this music than Schaap does. He knows more about us than we know about ourselves.”
Schaap went to Columbia to study history and he became a disc-jockey, hosting a jazz show for the University’s radio station. He also helped New York’s West End Club book jazz musicians – some of the same people who opened their doors to him when he was little. Many had stopped working as musicians, but resumed playing when asked by Schaap. He said “They were my friends, my teachers. They were geniuses.”
His writing about jazz connected musical styles and musicians in new and unexpected ways. It wasn’t long before Schaap became an in-demand jazz educator and speaker. He taught graduate-level jazz courses at Columbia, Rutgers, and Julliard. He also worked behind the scenes cleaning up old jazz recordings. For his engineering and production work, Schaap was nominated for eleven Grammy Awards. He won seven.
It is the birthday in 1951 of the respected jazz historian Phil Schaap. His story is like no other.
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