The Art of the Jam - Buddy and Woody Info

Buddy Graves’ career as a piano player wasn't his idea. "I was a bartender and the piano player didn't show up. The manager told me I was on -- all I knew was a couple tunes but the other musicians helped out and the next night the same thing happened." And the rest, is history.

Buddy originally studied with a classical piano instructor, but when he got out of the service in 1947 he started hearing the sounds of bebop music which compelled him to follow a jazz career. He immediately went on the road with several band combos traveling throughout the Midwest. Buddy moved to Omaha in 1952 and has become a fixture in the local jazz scene ever since. Buddy has played with guitar legend Charlie Genovese, singers such as Edie Gourmet and Rochetta Wilson, and saxophone aficionado Sonny Firmature. "You can name ’em all, I've probably played with ’em."

For many years Buddy Graves made his living playing jazz six nights a week, and as a band leader he could make pretty good money. Although he has also held other various jobs over the years, jazz piano playing was his primary job. Buddy, now 80 years old, plans on continuing to play jazz for as long as he can. "I'm gonna speed it up. Music keeps me going."

Ad libbing has always been Buddy's favorite way to play. As far as Buddy is concerned it's the only way to play. "It's impossible to play a song the same way [twice]. I've never done that. It limits you somewhat. When you play ad lib you try to create right at the time that you are there [playing]. True jazz is not worked out over and over again. Jazz on records today is, but that's not what it used to be. To me, jazz just comes out at the time."

Buddy met another Omaha jazz musician at a gig in the early 50's. His name is Forrest "Woody" Wolford, and he is still playing with Buddy to this day. Woody was compelled into a jazz career in part by listening to his sister's Harry James records. "I liked the trumpet and then I traded a wooden tugboat for a piece of a cornet that a kid had down the street - had everything but the bell. I put a funnel and a rubber garden hose [on in place of the bell and it] played fairly well in tune. Not great tone, but I tied it on with a string so it would bend." After chewing up his mouthpiece and getting brass poisoning, Woody got a "real" trumpet a couple years later that his sister Cleoan bought for him.

Woody spent countless hours teaching himself to play and soon found his way on stage with the likes of folks like Buddy Graves. For the past 50 years Woody been playing professionally with a variety of jazz bands and combos. Woody has played with the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra, the Union Pacific German Band, the Skippy Anderson Orchestra, and the Dundee Street Railway Jazz Band.

These days both Buddy and Woody can be heard every Friday night at Touch of Class lounge in northwest Omaha, making music with their friends. "It's a jam session - an open jam session. Sometimes it's good and [sometimes] not so good. We play for the fun of it. We're not trying to impress somebody - we're not going to Carnegie Hall."

Carnegie Hall or not, it's good to know that there's a place in Nebraska where you can listen to a "once in a lifetime performance" every week of the year.

Buddy Graves center

Forrest "Woody" Wolford second from left