Silverstein’s illustration for “Ickle Me Pickle Me”, as seen in his collection “Where the Sidewalk Ends”.

By Chris Nafekh, Staff Writer

Published in print Nov.12 ,2014

“That’s an original first pressing mono recording.”

Eby pointed behind me at a copy of Miles Davis’s “Kind of Blue” “She was selling if for five bucks!” he exclaimed. “That’s a $150 to $200 copy depending, and the vinyl sounds good.”

The jazz saxophonist and professor at UNCG welcomed me into his dimly lit office. On his cluttered desk sat unsorted sheet music and jazz magazines, and empty cassette cases lined the windowsill.

Shelves of jazz records and CD’s covered the right-hand wall, and his prized first prints were framed next to one another. I sat on the bench of a brown Baldwin piano and examined all the vinyl.

“With the age of Spotify and iTunes, I probably have half the records I used to.” Eby began playing clarinet, then saxophone, at a young age. His parents, both amateur musicians, surrounded him with music.

Recently, Eby recorded “The Sweet Shel Suite”, an ode to the poetry of Shel Silverstein. A family favorite, Eby and his wife read Silverstein to their children every night before bedtime.

“They love the pictures,” he referred to his kids, one nine and the other 12, “and the silly side of Shel… but if you read his books, you realize there is a lot of adult human depth… bittersweet poems that can bring an adult to tears and make a kid laugh. It’s a great middle ground.”

When did you decide to compose works about Shel’s poetry? I inquired.

“A couple years ago,” he replied. “I sat on the idea for a few years. Then one night I was reading the poem ‘Ickle Me Pickle Me Tickle Me Too’ to my kids…There’s a distinct rhythm to that phrase which spoke a melody to me. When I was done reading, I scribbled the melody down.”

Would you say that this album is more about your family?

“Oh, for sure, absolutely. It would not have happened without them. I’ve always found Silverstein synonymous to ‘Calvin and Hobbes’. You have silly, childish cartoons, but a strong philosophical subtext within the dialogue. Calvin was a mature little guy, hidden in misbehavior that kids love reading about. I think you’re onto something.”

What did you learn about Silverstein from this project?

“Did you know Shel was a songwriter? Have you ever heard Johnny Cash’s song ‘A Boy Name Sue?’ Shel wrote that.

“He actually did a jazz album…” Eby thought hard for a moment. “It was more of him doing the hipster poetry thing, more talking than singing… I’m not sure he could really sing…”

“The Sweet Shel Suite” was recorded with fellow UNCG jazz professors Steve Haines on bass and Brandon Lee on trumpet, along with David Foust on drums. “Steve and Brandon are both very dear friends to me,” said Eby.

In his other most recent album, “New Business”, Chad recorded without Steve Haines on bass. “Steve had just suffered his injury when we were making that album,” Eby reflected on recording the album. “The vibe was different and something about it didn’t feel right.

So why did you decide to come teach at UNCG?

Eby raised his eyebrows and said, “That’s a good question. When I first applied to audition for this job, I had never heard of UNCG, or Greensboro for that matter. I had no idea the school of music was so large and so strong…It often flies under the national radar, and that’s something we’re actively trying to change.”

On November 15th, Eby will perform his “Sweet Shel Suite” with Haines, Lee and Foust at 8:00 p.m. in the School of Music recital hall with free admission for all.

More of his music can be found on Facebook and at http://www.chadeby.bandcamp.com.