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Always On An Up Note‰ÛÓNolan Shaheed

Whether with his feet or trumpet, Nolan Shaheed keeps a beat few can match. After NER’s photo faux pas with fellow competitor Harry Nolan last issue, we ran into both principals at the US Indoor Masters Championship at the Reggie Lewis facility in Boston. Although based in California, both had already seen the issue and were grinning broadly at its mention. “That was funny. Believe me, I’ve seen the photo,” chuckled Shaheed shortly after the setting the US M60 3000m record of 9:55.33. In January, Shaheed had run a mile in 4:57.06 to add the M60 world record to his previous M50 and M55 world records. Off the track, he’s played with many of the musical greats of our time.

Sitting in the upper reaches of the stands at ‰Û¢The Reggie,’ we got to kibitz with one of the most talented, humorous and versatile practitioners of our sport.

‰ÛÓBob Fitzgerald

NER: Anyone in your family come from a musical or athletic background

It wasn’t until I got into high school that I could actually beat him running, and it was very close then, so my dad was the athlete of the family.

My sister is a fantastic piano player. She plays gospel and was raised on European classical piano. Now she basically does gospel and stuff. She’s a very talented musician. I have a brother that used to play the flute. I think he only played it to get the chicks, though (laughing).

NER: (laughing) The flute, how’d that work, not guitar or drums‰Û¢

NER: It sounds like there was a lot of music in the family but it didn’t come from your parents per se

NS: No, but one thing about my parents, they never discouraged me. I used to practice eight hours a day in high school and they never once said, “That’s enough,’ or ‰Û¢You’re getting on my nerves,’ or ‰Û¢You’re playing too loud.’ They always encouraged me to practice and play and that was very good. It made me what I am today.

NER: You ran for Muir High School (CA) which, looking at the names on the team, was a real powerhouse

NS: It was considered one of the best high school track teams of all time

NER: So it had to be disappointing when your parents grounded you from the track team (grades), but your trumpet coach is something of a hero in all this, isn’t he

NS: Bob Rithauler, my trumpet teacher, is one of the greatest men I ever met, outside of my dad. He’s the most influential person I’ve ever met in my life. He really knew how to guide me on the right path. It was his revelation that the better I ran, the better my trumpet playing was.

NER: Do you think that had to do with focus, or your respiratory system, working your lungs and your breathing

NS: It was more physical than anything else. One thing I’ve had more than anything else in my life has been a proficiency for discipline. I can go out and practice for eight hours a day while most people would get bored after practicing three or four. I can go out and run 12 miles a day, where most people might be bored after three or four

NER: Can you do your workouts by yourself or do you need teammates

NS: Always by myself

NER: Where’d you head after Muir

NS: After Muir I went into the army, then to City College and I finished up at University of Texas

NER: You didn’t run at the University of Texas, did you

NS: No I didn’t

NER: So then right after college did you get right into your musical career

NS: Yah, yah, yah

NER: Do you remember what your first gig was, or let me put it this way, do you remember what your first paying gig was

NS: My first paying gig was with a woman named Phoebe Snow

NER: Phoebe Snow, yah, she’s great

NS: Right, remember Phoebe Snow. Actually, my first paying gig was a gig I did with Aretha Franklin. After that it was Phoebe Snow, then a few other people. Then my first real big gig was with Marvin Gaye. I did that for a few years. After that it was another big gig with Count Basie. That was another genre, jazz.

After that it just started snowballing. After Count Basie, I went back with Marvin for awhile, then I went with Natalie Cole for a year or two, and then Stevie Wonder for about four years, then Diana Ross for about four years. After Diana Ross I wanted to commit suicide, she’s a terrible person

NER: (Guffawing) Ha! Finally someone tells the truth

NS: (Laughing) I know. Then I went with a woman named Anita Baker who was worse than Diana Ross. So after that I basically retired from all that road stuff

NER: With Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, what age were you when you were touring with them

NS: In my 20s

NER: Do you think you would have toured longer if there were anti-smoking laws back then (laughing). I mean I’m looking at a healthy guy who runs, watches his diet, and you know that wherever you played there was a blue cloud of nicotine

NS: That was the worst, particularly in Europe. I remember playing with a guy named Eddie Harris on a European tour, and man, these clubs were kinda small and the bandstand was way in the back of the club. There was no window or door back there and the smoke would just billow up. My eyes would water so much and I couldn’t breathe. It was very difficult to play the trumpet.

I was very fortunate to play with a lot of big name people, so we did stadiums and we did jazz festivals, and not a lot of clubs. That was my saving grace.

Go Mark! Go Mark Cleary! {The M50 3000 is taking place on the track below us}

NER: SoCal

NS: Yah, yah, SoCal! So fortunately, I got to play a lot of big venues

NER: Do you find the camaraderie between musicians and runners somewhat the same, kind of like an insular club

NS: Yah, yah, it’s funny‰ÛÓthe people that know me as a runner usually don’t know I play music, and vice versa; the musicians I play with usually don’t know I run. Each runner is a club in themselves so it makes it really cool.

NER: Meet directors know you play, though. I mean, how many times do you get hit up to play the national anthem. That can get tiring, can’t it

NS: Yah, yah. I try not to do it. Before you run you don’t want to be thinking about playing music. It’s like being a comedian and someone invites you over to dinner and then says, ‰Û¢Could you tell a few jokes and entertain us’

NER: I read somewhere that you used to challenge your band mates to a mile run. Maybe they didn’t know you ran, either

NS: Right

NER: So you’d get four of them to run 400 meters, you’d run the mile, take their money, sounds good

NS: It’s a sucker’s bet. A lot of them were like, ‰Û¢Hey, in high school, man, I ran a 48 second quarter.’ Yah, but that was like 10 years ago. Now they’re lucky to run an 80 second quarter. At that time I could run, easily, four consecutive 70-second quarters. So it was a sucker’s bet. I always tried to win by just a little so they’d think if they really tried, the next time they could get me.

NER: The outdoor (M60) world records, the 1500 (4:27.65), mile (4:54.07), 3000 (9:29.47), they’re all stiff but is your best shot at the mile

NS: You know, I think the mile is very easy

NER: You did 4:57 indoors. These records have all stood for awhile. There’s a reason for that

NS: You always have to respect a world record, even if you think you can change it. My ankle has been bothering me now for about a year and a half. It’s very, very painful, so I’m not nearly as fast as I should be. That’s why you have to respect a world record, because who’s to say the fellow who set the world record didn’t have the same problem, or another problem

NER: Right, right, good way to think about it

NS: So you’ve got to respect the world record, and I do

NER: I have to ask one last question that our nutritional columnist will be very interested in‰ÛÓyour diet, how long have you been on the one meal after five o’clock routine

NS: Oh wow, at least 30 years.

NER: Will you do a big meal or does it depend

NS: I’ll do an above average size meal. I follow good nutrition. I get my carbohydrates, my protein, my good fats, I eat some grains and, you know, it’s a good meal

NER: And so it works for you. What do you weigh in at

NS: I’m 5’9 and weigh 123, the same as high school

Feature-Shaheed.jpg: Nolan Shaheed lapping a runner en route to the US M60 3000m record at Reggie Lewis.

Photo by FitzFoto

Feature-NolanTrumpet.jpg: Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.