Category : diary

Lucerne

Lucerne, Switzerland

And so we began the actual tour with a Lucerne concert at Lake Lucerne… There is a bigger, much more complicated German definition and description of this picturesque locale. Today, it’s sea and fog. We can see an old and a distant boat or two on the lake.

Come with me now. It’s 7:30 in the evening. The hardwood stage is lit with clear but soft light so that the audience can see a sight rarely seen! It’s 20 big band players with the music stands and various horns for each player. And they are just pounding it out to music on a page… these guys have learned to interpret what an arranger or composer has suggested, and amazingly, prior to that moment nothing has been played or heard. Just a man with his horn and the written page of music that he’s looking at. And his imagination. Right or wrong, do what you feel.

My God. Do what you feel. Stay in touch with the source. And be you. Here’s a small view. This run of dates will be real different than the last time I did an NDR tour. It was just me and the band, with them doing the opening half, and me the second half. With Joe Sample opening the first half of the evening, the overall impact is increased 100-fold, maybe 1000. Joe has a new CD called, “Children Of The Sun.” All original music recorded with the NDR orchestra in fact. On a recent visit to St. Croix in the Caribbean, he woke up and looked out and was deeply touched and impressed, as never before, in the inescapability from this island. No underground railroad came here for these slaves. Joe began writing; newly inspired. The audience is getting it. They’ve rarely seen Joe Sample in this big band setting before. And never, ever heard him doing newly inspired thematic music like this program. You can hear Church and Juke Joint, New Orleans Funeral March, and look out there’s some salsa. Jorg and the big band are brilliant. They get Joe’s vision and bring it to life. Joe has done 40 minutes, takes a deep breath and says, “AALLLLL!!!!” From offstage I say, “WWHHAATTT.” I should say, “Dave’s not here man.” Then Joe says, “AALLLL!!! Come on man. I want to go home.” And out struts Al with his 30’s-ish get-up in honor of Porgy and Bess. And we close Joe’s portion of the set with the Marcus Miller arrangement of “Summertime” that we did in 1994 with super band Eric Gail, David Sanborn, Steve Gad… GERSHWIN. PORGY AND BESS. Obviously, “Children Of The Sun.” The connection is obvious. With bows to Jorg Keller and the NDR band, Joe and I exit shoulder over shoulder. Thanks for the memories!

Love, Al

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Hollywood In Vienna

Hollywood In Vienna

The first part of this NDR Euro tour has a wonderful first stopover in gorgeous Vienna. What a lady. I’ve been invited to sing 2 songs to Lalo Schifrin at the Schifrin Tribute for his amazing collection of film music. Mannix, Dirty Harry, Godfather, Mission Impossible, The Fox. I told Lalo with a real sense of quiet pride that I had been singing the theme song from The Fox (That Night), since 1967. I saw the movie, heard the theme, and my eyes rolled back in my forehead and I got transported away and I still get there today. So that singin’ was for Lalo, but for me too. It’s packed with the emotions of those days including a new and important musical section with a guitar player only. Julio and I went exploring. Along the way we found Elton John, James Taylor, but we also found Laura Nero, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and The Beatles coming of age… and lots of Brazilian bossa nova samba. (A new life for me: Music only. Committed. Sunshine mornings for writing and playing music, not going to a classroom or office building. Wow!)

Lalo is a gracious, gentle, warm person born and raised in Brazil. Film music. If you’re not careful, film music can almost elude you; as it should in many instances. It should flow seamlessly adding to the emotions of the scene in most places, but then in other places it should just fire up your fight or flight instincts. Everyone knows “duh, duh, duh” from Jaws. And just like we all know the bloody shower scene from, “Psycho,” with the screeching violins. Anyway, Lalo is part of that wonderfully unheralded roomful of film composers who have been an essential part of modern entertainment, and perhaps America’s biggest export.

The whole thing is a gala production with a red carpet reception lined with photographers and videographers behind a red rope. Real Oscar-like. And an hour and a half performance of Lalo Schifrin’s great music themes. And I got to sing, “The Fox.” And I can tell you, if it wasn’t special for them, it was special for me. The whole day I found myself inside the song and getting into the mood.

I even missed the beautiful opera singer in the wonderful and beautiful young opera singer with who thrilled the audience with her string-like wordless singing tones that Lalo wrote.

Finally how wonderful it is to remember the chance, but not so by chance, meeting at the elevator when Lalo said to me, “Al Jarreau, you’re one of my favorite singers.” I grew several inches taller.

How can there be so much great, “heart stuff,” in such a brief moment at the Schifrin celebration?

The background singers, Andy, Monica, and Maria were rehearsing their parts for, “We’re In This Love Together.” I could hear this through an atrium shaft, though they were 2 floors below me. I peaked out into the shaft, and sang a line, and suddenly there we were together singing, “We’re In This Love Together,” in an atrium shaft… How likely. Can you picture it?

Well, we could and did picture it and savored on camera this outrageous, unusual moment. We ended the night with a chat between Lalo, his wife, and me sitting on an elevated couch with press and cameramen asking us everything you can guess. What a life. Thank you Lalo. Some day you will know how important your little fox was to me, and what I became and who I am. It’s that important. Unashamed, unfrightened, proud tenderness. Thank you Norman Gimbel, lyricist. Thank you Nat King Cole. Thank you Johnny Matthis. These are the guys who sang tenderness as men, unashamed and straightforward. Thank you for everything!

Love, Al

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Vienna

Autumn in Vienna

I’m adding to a wonderful list of treasured memories… all under the Vienna heading. The leaves are starting to turn a little bit red and brown, but there’s still lots of green. Our hotel is right in the heart of classical Vienna… elegant, stately structures that housed museums, government offices, and lots of private businesses. Just outside of the hotel is a broad boulevard around 300 feet across. It’s lined with trees, and features beautiful modern streetcar trains, silently gliding by. It’s sunny and beautiful to make you sing as we head to a suburb called Gerasdorf, where we will play at the opening of an enormous new mall called G3. It’s so new, that you could almost smell the fresh paint and you look for handprints in the cement. We could hear the band in some distant area playing sound check. And we head in their direction. This is one of those dates that you heard me smilingly describe as loose and free and informal. This is not a concert hall, but an open, spacious atrium with a glassed dome ceiling where somebody decided, “Hey let’s do some music right here in the middle of the stores and shops and food bars.” And so here we are 3:30pm in the afternoon with the sun streaming in almost like being outside. Mark and Brian, our sound guys, will use all of their skills and secrets to keep the sound from bouncing around. Somehow they’ve already gotten it under control, and the band is playing and singing like it’s an afternoon party in the park. Lots of shoppers stroll by and stop to listen and even applaud our little sound check.

When Chris sings to a group like this that doesn’t know him and has never heard about him, it is so fun to watch their faces and jaws droppin’ and eyes open real wide. Before we can catch our breath, there I am right alongside Chris, dueting on, “A Random Act Of Love.” What a song. Thank you Siedah.

John played great all day and night. His solos screamed, then he sat down with the acoustic and lullabied on, “Heart’s Horizon.” Nice surprise for this audience in a shopping mall. Real delicate music. Light and bright and airy. You could see everyone the whole time. Not just the first 5 rows. But the rest of the venue being basically in the dark. When I first walked in the room for sound check, I walked up to the stage and said, “I love this place.”

I really think a unique energy surrounded the music. Even at sound check. That lasted the whole day and night. We met the mayor of Gerasdorf who was really thrilled and excited about our coming to play their opening. For them this was big stuff. Well it was for us too. Thank you G3. Call me anytime.

Love, Al

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Nuremburg, Germany

A few months ago when I heard that we were going to Nuremburg, I couldn’t help thinking and hoping that by some small chance we might be playing in that same cozy garden-like place where I sang before, probably 10 years ago.

At that time, the location was made wonderfully special in my mind because my young friend, a German tenor, joined me on stage to sing, “Smile.”

My wish came true. I did not recognize the approach as we arrived for sound check, but “Wow this is it,” I said.

There were red brick walls on either side, and behind there was an enclosed churchish-like setting that might have been a chapel in an old cathedral. It had a tent roof and lots of sunlight poured through. I was pinching myself all afternoon and evening.

Our first date in Germany and we were sold out. The band played with a mastery, technical fire, and expertise that just sparkled and crackled. This new program is really adventurous and daring the audience. Oh to be sure we have our well known hits and crowd-pleasers like, “Were,” “Mornin’,” and interspersed are journeys into other territories like “Jacaranda Bougainvillea”, “Double Face,” “Come Rain, Come Shine”… this music needs to be played and listened to, so ready or not, here it comes. And I bet you’ll dance if you’re backbone is connected to your hipbone. So we played our hearts out. John Calderon came out from behind his setup on “Scootchabooty,” and played, “Fire and Lightning” so captivating for me that I truly wanted it to go on. Suddenly, there were kids standing and dancing in the side aisles; 16-year olds to 20-year olds who could not be denied. Their unheard voices said, “I’m going to dance. You can sit there if you want to but I’m going to dance.” We close with “Boogie Down” with the audience on their feet screaming for more.

We go back and do an acapella version of “Puddit,” and “Spain.” And everyone surely feels full and content. And we do too.

I didn’t know that this is the home of the Nuremburg Symphony Orchestra. Over 100 performances a year! And you’ve been listening to me since a young teenager. I just love it. He still looks like a teenager. I’ll bet he heard me on the radio right after Madonna, and just before Sting and Milli Vanilli.

We say a quick goodbye and thank everyone and hurry home to bed. 6am wakeup. Early morning flight to Barcelona. Tschüss.

Love, Al

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Wolfisheim

Here we are in Wolfisheim, France. Oui, oui mais oui. If it sounds German, rather than French, it’s because it is a border town of Germany and France. But these guys are fiercely French! Probably because they are indeed truly French, but oh so close to a separate nation. And don’t you dare compare Marseille, Nice, and Cannes to the Spanish Riviera or the Italian Riviera. This is a nationalism that is inspirational.

Ok let’s talk about the wolf and it’s relation to this town called Wolfisheim. Ok let’s maybe not talk about it. I’m sure it’s a local thing. I forgot to ask and I won’t guess, but their logo with a man in a business suit with a wolf’s head coming out of the collar in profile is brilliant. Edgy, eccentric, and fun. We arrived early in the morning when the town was just waking up, and our hotel sits on one side of a beautiful little river. I was especially taken with the old Tudor–like structures. I say it so often but I’ll say it again: “This is one of those days when you would just like to go walking and looking.” This style of wooden crossbeams with white stucco walls is very Tudor-ish, and comes from the 15th century. In America the earliest settlers had just arrived, and there were log cabins if you were lucky.

We arrived in the morning at 7am. It’s gray and drizzly. JUST RIGHT! We cross a little bridge and looking back over our shoulders is a really old but very well kept wooden structure that made me say out loud, “What a great place for a restaurant. Wow it is a restaurant!” Just ahead there are two and three strong Tudor structures with stucco-like material that had become a little bit crooked over time. All In the misty rain. Just right, perfect. Romantic as the umbrellas of Cherbourg… Still France. We take a little rest at the hotel and head for sound check in the drizzly rain. I had pictured us being outdoors and was a little nervous about the turnout. We arrive at sound check and thank God it’s a wonderful white tent. The audience will be totally covered and now it’s obvious they’ve done this before. Cozy inside while it’s drizzling outside. If I were at home, this would be a great afternoon to make pea soup from scratch, with ham hocks, and garlic and lots of cold sliced onions, and a little green pepper and be with your baby. We’re actually playing in a fortress. Just walls now. The roof has been gone for centuries. So they’ve erected a beautiful white tent in an old courtyard. And everybody is warm and dry.

Steve Reid. The Consul came with his wife and daughter. They met us backstage before we played and there they were in the first row beaming conspicuous love and well wishes. And the little girl sat on poppas lap with her head on his shoulder from time to time. But wide-awake. I’ll never forget their presence. This is the second year for the festival. I truly hope that you grow and grow and become all that you have dreamed. But I also hope that you will always, always, always keep this cozy, little tented venue with the audience so close that you can smell their perfume. And see the color of their eyes. And what’s especially important for me is that we’ve made another reach to the French Provinces. And we greeted some people who we’ve never ever played for.

New friends?! Merci and à bientôt.

Love, Al

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Amsterdam, Holland

And so it’s on to Amsterdam with the Metropole Orchestra, with Vince Mendoza as the conductor. We’ve been pointing to this date on a calendar for 6 months. I love you Concord Records for your bravery and courage in making my very first record for your label and having it be this wonderful project for the Metropole Orchestra that was released June 19th. This appearance with the Orchestra really marks the premier and debut of this new album. We do it at the internationally known and world-renowned Concertgebouw in the center of Amsterdam. This is classical music’s heaven. It could be a nightmare… concert halls are so fine-tuned for carrying the sound of acoustic orchestral instruments. When you amplify them, as we will tonight… “oh boy!” And Vince’s arrangements really challenge my Lucy Goosey improvisational approach.

Well, it turned out to be a magical night. We did 11 songs with an intermission and encore. Vince and the orchestra preceded me in both halves with an orchestra composition. This ain’t your average orchestra. I promise you it’s the Count Basie or Duke Ellington jazz band with 3 upright basses, 4 cellos, and 8 or 10 violins and violas. They will swing you until your stuff gets tired. Mark Simmons said they play right on the beat with all the jazzy spangalang. And their featured soloist on trombone, tenor, and alto, and guitar could play with anyone. In fact, the rhythm section was great. We didn’t have a real encore so when they demanded more we played the second half of “We’re In This Love Together.” And they still wanted more. This was a really great night in Holland. I thank the orchestra profusely and mention how important they are as an international treasure. Keeping them around is a must for the world. There’s nothing like them. They roared and screamed. I did some acapella improvising stuff as they stood, still not wanting it to end. From somewhere in my brain, out popped the traditional well-worn break song including back to the top and out. Vince and I hugged and grinned. Wheww

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