Category : diary

Iowa City – 2014

Iowa City – 2014

This commentary begins one of the most wonderful and amazing concert events that I’ve ever had in my life. So many things have come to confluence here that even “big mouth” Al Jarreau will have a hard time explaining in these next paragraphs the wonder and awe and magic of it all. This is rare.

It’s about HOMECOMING.

I pray you understand the sweetness of that. If you do than you’re with me. Only Milwaukee and Ripon, Wisconsin can compare to this flood of emotions. I studied rehabilitation counseling here at the University of Iowa…ready to work as I eventually would in 1965 in San Francisco (the beginning of the Al and George Duke days at the Half Note). While I was here I buried my head in books and stacks at the library and sang two nights a week at the Tender Trap in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. That is, I was anything but a “man about campus”. In fact, as we moved about town on this trip, I mentioned to our driver that because of this restricted resistance and all of the new building on campus and in town, I almost didn’t recognize anything. I could not find Clinton St! And when we finally passed it, I can still here me saying, “Oh wow, there it is! And that’s where those two brothers had a shoe repair and shoe shine business.”

So rare…we spent two days here and it was crammed full of campus activities all centered about a returning alumnus with some celebrity in his life. Wow! They were proud of me. This is Iowa, not Los Angeles on the campus of UCLA around the corner from Hollywood. This is not NYU or Berklee in New York City just around the corner from Broadway and every record company in the world, or even New Orleans with several universities there that graduated dozens of people with big careers in music. No, this is Iowa, with small towns and sweet and gentle hardworking folk who still wonder about all the world’s eyes being on them and their Iowa Caucus.

On the day before the concert we met with some music students at the University in the education department (my old home) and had a wonderful discussion and Q/A about music. I found my head buzzing and worrying with urgency to do this more often. I was amazed and struck with the positive conclusions they had come to about the existing state of affairs in the world of music. While on the other hand, I am and many like me are constantly bemoaning the loss of this and that aspect of the industry. These young and bright-eyed people are accepting it as it is and celebrating this new technology, including social networking, and use it to begin a new venture and career in music. It made me check myself and say, “Wake up, Al.” As I sit here talking about it, I’m pining for more with that particular group of kids and for more similar situations.

What else? Three weeks ago I did a phone interview with Ben Kieffer of Iowa Public Radio. Now that’s good stuff. We had a great chat about all the particulars you can imagine (especially my career and the George Duke record). While in Iowa City, Ben and I sat with about 100 faculty, students, and local residents and basically did another version of his radio interview and opened the whole business up with questions from the audience for the majority of the time.

There she was. Since the time this date appeared on my calendar, I had been thinking about beautiful Byford Wheeler from Milwaukee with two sisters, Neesha and Joan, who at that time lived one and a half blocks from my house where I spent my childhood. Sister Joan often escorted me to kindergarten and first grade…wow. Beautiful Byford was now faculty alum with tenure. 12 years ago, she proudly welcomed me to my first homecoming and performance on campus at Hancher Auditorium. She said she would be there. My mind is still reeling.

After the lovely discussion we went downstairs for a quick reception with all the guests. I had to leave quickly to do a short interview with an on-campus radio station before finally ending the day. Are you huffin’ and puffin’ yet??? Let’s go sit with Byford Wheeler in the lobby bar and talk about “old times” for a while.

The African American faculty invited me to hang out with them at a quick meet and greet before the concert. It was short but powerful as it always is when people remind you of your important place in their lives. This gets heightened significance for me because of this particular community of people. I love schools and educators and teachers because I am certain they are the right hand of God like doctors and other healers.

So bang, flash, boom…here we are on stage and the first words out of my mouth are, “Yo, Hawkeyes on three. 1…2…3…HAWKEYES!!” As I hope you can imagine, that was an awesome kick off for a concert that was destined to be a great one. We couldn’t lose. There were 5,000 screaming people in one of the best performing circumstances possible. Bellies pressed to the front of the stage laughing and grinning and singing along. I won’t describe again this favorite venue situation that I have so many times before. But the fact that it was happening here in Iowa at a homecoming concert will always be one of those “great incredibles” in my life. And the band was as on fire as the audience.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, everybody.

See you next time!

Al

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Chicago – 2014

Chicago,

I confess I still don’t know what “toddlin’ town” means. People have been singing that song for years, including Frank Sinatra.

100 miles from Milwaukee – I almost think of us as suburbs of each other. Don’t tell Chicagoans I said that. Truth is I really didn’t get to enjoy Chicago until my first record at 35 years of age. I was “getting ready”, so that when I did go I was totin’ my first record, We Got By, and had logged 12 to 14 years standing on stage in front of audiences being a jazz singer in a trio. If I had gone earlier I’d have been an observer of everything that Chicago has…distractions and all. Chicago is, was, and will always be an amazing city. Attractions and distractions to blow your mind. But it does all of this with a lot less flurrying and lose molecules of undirected activity. I love that city more and more each time I go. So it’s been wonderful to have a serious fan base there since We Got By.

This time we redid something quite unusual that we did for the first time 12 years ago with a young jazz lover entrepreneur, Dedry Jones, who developed the idea of ten times a year bringing in some notable musicians to hang out with him and a small audience of people. There’s maybe 400 people in some special setting where they could talk to and rub elbows with the special guest. He always makes time to sit down at a table facing the audience and ask interesting questions about that artist and their career. I wish he could sub divide himself to other franchises in the US.

This time Joe Turano and I did a duet of two songs from the new George Duke Tribute CD (“My Old Friend” and “Brazilian Love Affair”) and “We’re in this Love Together”. And this along with a 90 minute Q/A with the audience and Dedry made for a really fun and unusual event. I can imagine a form of this just being a new and very attractive venue for everybody. No question, this turns out to be great promo for the artist and very valuable for that reason alone. This is a great promo tool, especially in this day where so many artists (even established ones) are losing contact with their audiences because they’re not heard on the radio.

There were people who stood up and asked questions and talked about We Got By and other songs from early album projects. It was so obvious that this format was immensely satisfying. It was like “shaking hands and kissing babies”…really rare and unusual. This makes for a great CD signing opportunity where people line up and meet each other and talk about everything you can imagine, including early listening experiences with Al Jarreau and After All at their wedding.

Thanks you, Dedry. Let’s do it again!

See you in Iowa City…my alma mater.

Love,

Al

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Temecula, CA – 2014

Temecula – 2014

We got in the car and drove from the wonderful Laguna Beach Festival of the Arts to yet another wonderful location and venue, the Thornton Winery.

I’ll summarize what I’ve said any number of times before. Enlightened and smart management in wine makers came to understand 30 years ago that there is an audience of music listeners who like to drink special wines. And they would love to come hear some great music (classical, blues, or jazz) and taste some of their finest products and order some to take home. But for the moment, they come to their special, improvised close-up, warm and friendly, afternoon cheese and wine celebrations and then relax and hear some music. All of these things go together. People who have special taste in wine often have special taste in music, and when you put the two together, you got the winning ticket…and it might be a season ticket.

In one season you might hear David Sanborn, Chris Botti, Diana Krall, BB King, etc. And so close you can see their hearts beat through their jackets and shirts. As the music has changed, especially here in America, venues of this sort become more and more important and take on the role of “patrons of the arts”. That is their amazing, wonderful music is not getting heard too often. There’s some fantastic music that should not be heard at large venues. And when that’s the only thing offered to the public (except for a karaoke room) and Top 40 bands haunt bars and clubs, we are really missing a lot of great stuff. So here’s a winery along with the occasional performing arts center downtown or the jazz festival still hanging in there that continues to offer some really special music to people beyond the “glitz”.

Well I sure do apologize long and loud if I’ve offended anyone. I’m thrilled that there are people who attract listeners in those numbers. It’s the epitome of gift giving that makes smiles and memories and maybe some healing, too.

It’s afternoon, the sun is shining, and we’re sound checking with a matinee audience already there.

At 5’o clock sharp, the sun still shining, I could hear this horn player just jump on the beat…the dance beat.

It’s Vincent Ingala. Well he is amazingly good and talented! He knows how to make them party.

They listened with wide eyes and attention as the music moved from featuring Joe Turano on sax to Chris Walker down front singing his original beautiful ballad to John Calderon playing a breadth of guitar (acoustic too) to Larry accompanying then soloing on keyboards and flute to Mark’s new killin’ drum solo. All of this within the parameters of one evening. They got it! How reassuring.

We leave it at that with everyone laughing and grinning and we head for the CD signing. This is always fun for me…kissing hands and shaking babies…oops :)…like this is so satisfying. You learn things about your connection with your audience that you can’t learn in any other way. And what a great way to end this summer tour.

Love you all,

Al

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Laguna Beach – Pageant of the Masters – 2014

Festival of the Arts – Pageant of the Masters – Laguna Beach 2014

If you’ve ever been to this Festival of the Arts in Laguna Beach you would never mistake it for anything else that resembles a celebration of the arts. For 82 long years, a singular distinguishing feature, this organization of true arts patrons has eventuated their passions into what is now a small fair grounds of exhibits that includes the entire range of visual arts…paintings, sculptures, wood works, etc. This has been going on for 82 years with a staff that is a mixture of permanent employees and volunteers all of whom have a sense of how important and rare this festival is. It happens all summer and has several ballet and orchestra performances all at a very high level of quality and comprised of local talent and performers. This is a true community of the arts.

The festival is full of artworks that resemble the work of Henry Moore and Picasso and all manner of personal touches of art in between. And all of these are the works of local, living, practicing artists here and now on display. The hands and eyes that created this work could well be standing there chatting with you about the materials that went into this collage. This is the thing that distinguishes this collection of art from another. I’ve been to a few art galleries in my time: the Guggenheim in New York City, the Louvre in Paris, the Sistine chapel in Rome, and the Van Gough in Amsterdam. The difference is obvious…and it’s a striking difference as you walk from one little booth to another. You’re looking at the work of living artists continuing to create. And I for one don’t know of anything similar to this anywhere. To my surprise, I found out that there, in fact, is this big thriving community if artists in Laguna Beach…just a short drive from where I lived and worked and recorded for the last 45 years. How did I miss this?

It’s amazing to arrive at the musical performing venue and see a permanent concrete archway with “Festival of the Arts” and “Pageant of the masters” carved into it. We walked through the gates for sound check, mid afternoon, and pow…there we are…right in the middle of it. A stage with booths all around it in walking distance from each other making a semi circle that’s starts on the end of the stage at either side and comes together around 200 feet straight ahead in the back. It’s amazing!

As you may have guessed by now, I’ve been touched and impressed and excited by this whole situation here of this fabulous beach community, both a travel log picturesque as a vacation site but at the same time residential and homey. That’s a great combination. Great timing! I needed this boost. We rode the wave of the Laguna Beach afternoon sun and sea and arts festival and had a really wonderful first time occasion with lots of promises to return.

Ok. Nuff said. The band was wonderful and on fire and we all looked forward to closing out the spring and summer semesters the next night in Temecula. Man o man where does the time go!

See ya…in Temecula,

Al

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Philadelphia 2014

Hi everybody,

Here’s an amazing little stage perspective visual viewpoint. I’m constantly checking my audience for responses to the music– laughing, dancing, and singing along. At some point, late in the evening, when they have been totally saturated and satiated from a David Sanborn performance…the stage still a smoking rubble 🙂 …I began to see people exiting the venue. Well… IT HAD STARTED TO RAIN AND I DIDN’T KNOW!

So about Philadelphia, in totality, there’s a resounding “yes” – thumbs up – a great day! Driving into town, I can’t help thinking how fantastic it’s been to find myself in several of the great “homecoming” cities for me. Washington DC, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Detroit, and now Philadelphia. This audience was one of the first in America to greet my music with understanding and open arms shouting, “Go ‘head Al, press on!” So when we find little moments to share this idea of “homecoming” and the sustaining of this sort of joyful, peaceful, and uplifting music, there’s a big nodding of heads and lots of “mmhms” and “amens”. And so they get it when I thank them for returning there again tonight…”homecoming”.

We made some changes in songs for this evening as we gradually tried to incorporate more songs from the George Duke tribute album. Speaking of new and exciting, guitarist extraordinaire John Calderon still has his hair standing and on fire continuing to run in one place like a two year old who has just dropped his ice cream. His amp blew out…everything but smoke and fire…seconds before his screaming solo in “Cold Duck”. Well…I’ve never seen that on my stage. Maybe it has happened to John before. So guess what? I looked at Larry; he cranked up his special sound on his keyboard and played that solo like it was his since the beginning. Now here’s the deal…that was so important for a person in the audience to observe. First the glitch and then the improvised repair with a great finish. And finally, if you care to look, a great descriptive moment of some great truths and realities about all of this. This kind of improvised music is one of those great settings that describes its own insides and so much more. The George Duke tribute album additions were lovely and going to be great. By the time we reached our “Roof Garden/Reach for It” medley, these people who had been listening to music since 1pm, including David Sanborn’s “white fire”, were on their feet grooving to the funk and appreciating the connection between me and George and our courageous insistence on revisiting that masterpiece. I think I saw George Clinton smiling out there.

Backstage David Sanborn and I talked about boots strapping and persevering. We both recall one of George Duke’s favorite sayings as we watched the great changes of the industry going on around us…just trying to make a living, man. Anyway, we were glad to see BB Green who’s managed Marcus Miller since she was a baby…a very smart baby. Marcus played in David’s band and produced several of his records so you can imagine the satisfying smiles we grinned.

It’s always a relief when you see your promoter smiling after the concert. Susan almost seemed to be suppressing a giggle and she guided us to a sold out CD signing.

Now that’s a homecoming.

Thank you, Philadelphia!

Love,

Al

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Grammy Museum – New Record Press Event 2014

Sitting here in the car on the way to the airport again with Eric and Sammy and Eric says, “Where the hell did August go?” Well ok, where the hell did the spring go? Oh yea, right. I was in my grocery store last night and school supplies aisle is overloaded with stuff and decorations and candies are announcing the soon to be arriving Halloween. I’m running so fast my ankles are smokin’…oops, did I say that already!

Last night was a fantastic press event at the Grammy Museum in LA for the George Duke Celebration CD, “My Old Friend”. There’s no question that this event announced the beginning of a real serious promo adventure. I’ll be talking to any and every body that’s got a printing press or mimeograph machine about this new record. But we have indeed come to this moment because of some concentrated and intense efforts in the studio everyday except Sunday for four months. Labor of love??? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to sneak away and sheepishly say, “Yo, George, excuse me, I ain’t supposed to be having this much fun with you gone!” Dear dear George, I am rediscovering me through redoing and revisiting those genres and grooves that we both shared and loved.

The Grammy Foundation invited us to make our release party coincide with one of their “Grammy artist meets the people” events. Scott Goldman sat with me and asked questions about the new tribute CD and my career. Then I and the band and Josie James, the original band lead vocalist funkster, sang some George Duke songs from the new album and celebrated this continuing story of heart-healthy happy healing music.

I think we’re all taking a deep breath and exhaling that we’re up the road this far and on the charts already. Hi Alisse! Thank you for coming and for your hard work as part of our promotional publicist group. Congrats! You really found the right work for your personality and spirit. I smile when you walk in.

Yo, John Burke, Mary Hogan (I’m glad I know ya), Chris Dunn, and the entire concord family, I’m loving it!

See y’all in Philadelphia! Hi to Laguna Beach and Temecula. Coming soon!

Love,

Al

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