Tierney Malone has always been about that life – that arts life – whether as a visual artist, radio producer, host of KPFT’s “Houston Jazz Spotlight,” member of the Houston Jazz Collective (the group who birthed the annual Jazz Festival at Miller Outdoor Theater), creator of The Jazz Church of Houston museum/exhibit/experience, or as a two-time Project Row Houses featured artist.
But to let Malone tell it, he’s simply a storyteller, a modern-day djeli (griot) passing on the rich art traditions and cultural stories of our people.
The Defender secured an exclusive interview with Malone, who spoke about his passion for the art of jazz.
Defender: To where do you trace your storyteller roots?
Malone: I grew up at the feet of my grandmother, who was the griot of my family. She was the one who kept the stories of her family. And everyone around the country came to her house [in Shipman, Mississippi] when they were traveling across the country. So, when you had cats traveling from the East Coast to the West Coast, she was the stopover. And the same thing happened from the West Coast to the East Coast. So, I witnessed her telling the stories of our family history to those relatives. And she, of course, supported me. And I was just fascinated by those stories. That’s how I think I got the interest.
Defender: When did you fall in love with jazz?
Malone: I grew up in a house with my mother and her four sisters, and they were all music lovers. And as varied as their personalities were, their musical interests were varied. So, I grew up listening to all kinds of music. I actually referred to my mother and her four sisters as the Mississippi Muses. So, when I left Mobile to go to TSU, I was greatly interested in music. But it wasn’t until I got to TSU and had the opportunity to hear cats like one of my most important musical gurus, Steve Crain, that I fell in love with jazz. He had a radio show from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on KTSU (90.9 FM). And during the middle of the day, he would have a section of his show called “The Bunch for Lunch,” and he would play one artist for two hours. That was the first time I had a chance to hear Horace Silver, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Miles Davis; albums of those cats. And I just fell in love with it. That’s how it began.
Defender: How was the Jazz Church of Houston born?
Malone: When I was asked the second time to be a Project Row Houses artist, I was trying to decide what I wanted to do. All the musicians I’ve interviewed on the radio show would talk about two things. One: “We don’t have a museum that celebrates our amazing jazz history in this city. Actually, we don’t have any major music museums in the city of Houston. But also, Jason Moran back in 2015 on NPR lamented that when he comes home, there’s not a serious venue that he can just roll into and hear cats or to jam with. So, I decided that I would create this action project called “The Jazz Church of Houston.” I modeled it after the Church of John Coltrane in San Francisco; a real church in San Francisco that uses John Coltrane’s music as a part of their worship liturgy. I created a space that was a jazz museum during the daytime, and then in the evening time, I had these module walls that would pull away and it would become an intimate listening space for 40 people. I only intended to do five performances and focus on the museum aspect. But we ended up doing 26 performances over 19 weeks.
Defender: Why is it so important to you to continue to celebrate this art form?
Malone: Like I said, I celebrate the stories of our ancestors. Initially when I started that journey, I was trying to find my place in this “race story,” as you say. But over the years, I’ve begun to see my ancestors in a new light. They were incredible individuals. I grew up loving comic books. And the stories I’ve discovered about my ancestors are just as incredible. Jazz is one of the products that these cats created. If it wasn’t for our struggle on this side of the world, none of the musical art forms, none of the art forms would exist. Celebrating jazz is a part of me celebrating the way our ancestors dealt with and challenged the struggles that they confronted and that we still confront. If you listen to my radio show (Houston Jazz Spotlight), it’s basically a story about our tribe now, and the struggles that we deal with, to a jazz soundtrack.
Defender: How cool is it that you’ve become close friends with so many of your jazz heroes?
Malone: So, there’s a cat that is very near and dear to me. His name is Horace Grigsby. He is, for lack of a better comparison, our Frank Sinatra. He’s our “Chairman of the Board.” He’s been singing, making amazing music for over 66 years. He’s 87-years-old now. But, I can remember walking down Blodgett, and there used to be a club on Blodgett called Club LaVeek. And when the door opened, I heard this cat singing, and I walked into Club LaVeek and met this cat, and he just opened up the whole jazz scene to me. And I used to go to, there used to be a spot on the corner of Blodgett and Almeda called the Ritzy Lounge. It was a total hole in the wall. And upstairs you had these boarding rooms. Actually, blues guitarist Kinney Abair lived up there. But on Sundays, you could hear Arnett Cobb, Kinney Abair, pianist Kenny Andrews, Clayton Dyess, and all the cats from the scene come through there and jam with Arnett Cobb. So, yeah, man, over the years, I have gotten to know many of these cats, and I’m blessed to call them friends.
Defender: Of all the things you’ve done and are doing – radio program, art pieces, institutions that you’ve built – what are you most proud of?
Malone: I’m most proud of the community that I’m a part of. When I came to Texas Southern University a hundred years ago, Houston was not my final destination. I was born on the West Coast, so I definitely had my eye out there. We have a ton of family out there. And then of course, historically, if you are a visual artist, New York is a mecca. So, I had planned to go to one of those two places. But coming here to Houston was the best thing that has ever happened to me, I would dare say. Because I’ve never had to leave Houston to meet people who have been instrumental to me making art, and supporting what I do. Being a part of the Third Ward community is one thing that I’m greatly thankful for.
