Category : diary

‘TWAS SUMMER

Hi everybody! Greetings… God bless us everyone… ‘TIS AUTUMN (a really great song from the 50’s) and I’ll sing about autumn leaves drifting by my window someday soon. But first let’s talk about ‘TWAS SUMMER. And there is indeed a lot to talk about. I haven’t made an entry here since last spring. That’s really being tardy to class. Here’s what happened…

Personal Assistant!!! Check it out. A personal assistant for Al Jarreau is as important as any band member. He turns off the light at bed time, and wakes me up in the morning with a schedule and a kick in the butt… Sometimes some coffee too. An especially key function of a PA has been to keep me informed of new technology and computer related functions.

For all you computer savvy wizards born since 1980, this would be a snap. Well not for me. Google Underwood typewriter and you’ll know what I mean. An Underwood is the Model T of typewriters. You really do have to muscle the keys down, and they strike the dark blue ribbon and paper with hammer-like force… One’s hands tire quickly. Google??? I can hardly spell it. My assistant is extremely helpful with these new communications things. My really well trained replacement, Gustavo, had a serious illness in the family and he left for home the first week of July on our first week of the tour. We were in Parma, Italy. Yikes!

In desperation, we screamed for my son Ryan who had only worked for 2 1/2 weeks on the setup crew. His first job with me… EVER. Talk about a steep learning curve. And if he doesn’t get it, dad is in trouble. Ryan knocked it out of the park. And hit home runs after home runs. Larry Williams put it correctly when he said: “Ryan saved our butt.” He’s right. Ryan went into turbo max learning curve. Ryan performed in a way I’ve never seen him perform. And the both of us have a new reality about who we are. Father and son. Employer and employee.

(It’s weeks later as I write this and Ryan voluntarily moved back to the stage crew). And my new new assistant is working just great. In short, the summer was wonderful, refreshing, and fulfilling. We are hail and hearty.

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Aliante Hotel in Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Nevada

If you’re reading this please go back and read my comments about the Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, where we played the night before.

I mentioned last time, how this new system of in ear monitors is going to be life changing for me. Any performance should be a joyous and delightful romp, dance, through an artist’s chosen list of songs. When its delightful and joyous, the audience gets it, and joins in the chorus, and intently listens on the edge of their seats, and finally claps long and loud, surprised at the “missing time” – almost like being magically abducted.

For some reason, this night, my in ear monitors mutinied the whole performance. They were raucous and roaring loud, swords drawn., and screaming throughout the whole performance. Wow what a struggle. It made me sing hard and loud, to hear myself, and I couldn’t find a way to technically adjust all of that in ear sound down to a level of comfort. I smiled and laughed and grinned, and sang on anyway. I could see the audience rockin with me, and as long as I could see that, I knew that something was working, even though it was weird for me. There was a standing ovation in the middle of the set, for “ We’re in This Love Together”…never before. Something’s working.

In my ears, the acoustic guitar during “This Time”, a very quiet ballad, was like a Stratocaster rock guitar, playing a rock ballad. I could see the audience’s faces smiling, and the very normal look of the rest of the band, as John and I did this song that we’ve done, over and over again. I somehow found a way of remembering how it always sounds and ignored the way too loud Stratocaster clanging of the guitar in my ears. It must have worked. The audience sang a high, sweet, extended “ time with me” to end the song, and knew for certain that something special had just happened. We all ooo’d and aaaa’d.

Still the warzone in my ears persisted, and I could find no way of calming things down. So I pressed on, trusting my senses, most visual and internal, and adjusted my thinking. Enter two little girls, seven or eight years of age, walking across the front row with flowers extended to me right in the middle of a song. I couldn’t stop and talk with them, I was singing! But my mind went Boyens girls?? Boyens girls?? Their late, recently deceased mother was an adamant Al Jarreau fan. Earlier in the day, I learned that the family, Craig and his kids, were coming. As soon as I could I thanked the girls for the flowers. They had come and gone in a flash. It must be working. The audience, everyone savored that special little moment there in Las Vegas.

In these pages I am always writing about those special, palpable moments, those special, savorable, always delicious and delightful moments, that happen when I am in your town. Maybe yesterday. Well, well, put on your armor and gird your loins, this one wasn’t all lollipops and roses for the singer. Me. What a struggle.

BUT SOMETHING IS SURELY WORKING. So I kept on making those adjustments from what I was hearing in my ears, to what it needs to sound like out there. Something must be working. John Calderon and Larry Williams are mind bogglingly brilliant in their solos on “ Easy”. The audience shouts on the snap ending. I kept on singing and adjusting, and grinning and bearing with it all, determined to keep it workin. And I did. I closed the evening with a heartful soulful “Summertime” and “Roof Garden” and they were on their feet. Wow! I was shell shocked. Thank you God for delivering me… hahaha, please laugh… I am. One quick word with Tim, our monitor mixer, gave me the solution that I had needed all night long. Just reach back Al, and turn down the sound on your pocket controller of your in ear set. So simple! So simple!

I’m gonna stop now, but ask you to find Waldo, and the moral to this story. Here’s a hint: a lady came up to Joe Turano, our musical director, after the show, all in tears, and through her sobbing she managed to say that she’d been listening to Al Jarreau all her life, but had never been to a concert. She was thrilled and delighted with what she heard, and it was the best concert that she had ever been to, and for her, it was the delight of her life. Hellooo Craig Boyens and family, yes it was his girls that had brought the flowers, and then after the concert were twirling and dancing on stage.

Thanks to Al’s high school friends who came to visit as well! Wonderful to see you again.

Love,
Al

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Phoenix Show

Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino
5040 Wild Horse Pass Blv
Chandler AZ 85226

( A Hello to my new assistant, Gustavo Nascimento, and almost goodbye to Patrick, whom you’ve come to know through these pages over the past two years. He is helping to train Gustavo as we speak ).

Chandler, Arizona ??? When I saw this on my schedule, my eyes bugged out, my chin dropped, and my mouth said: “ Where the hell have they booked me?! I wanna talk to my manager! I wanna talk to my agent!” Well… it turned out to be, just absolutely perfect, and right in keeping with my philosophy to seek out new places and faces. We flew into Phoenix, obscure itself, and then drove a half an hour to an even more obscure Chandler, AZ, to the Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino! Have you ever heard of that??? Well I never had. WONDERFUL. From the moment I walked in, and up to the front desk, it was obvious that this was a different kind of hotel casino establishment. In 99 percent of hotel casinos, the moment you walk in the front doors, you are thrown right into the flashing lights and chaos and ‘ching changing’ of 500 one arm bandits and slot machines, and its almost as overwhelming as a war zone, with wallets and paychecks definitely under fire. I was surprised. This place was like any normal hotel, and I immediately clasped my hands in prayer-like thanks and complimented the people behind the desk for their lovely oasis.

A guy named Jay Robinson came up to welcome us, and I continued my remarks of thanks and praise with him. It wasn’t until well into the next day of performing that I realized Jay was the entertainment director.

We arrived a day early, for a very important reason: to have a rehearsal, and, more importantly, to get myself as accustomed as I could be to a new system of IN EAR MONITORS. Did I hear you say, “Whaaaaat?” I can not over stretch or over emphasize how big a change for me, that we were and are, embarking on. ( Please bear with me here, and the kindergarten description that I’m about to make ). Throughout history and the existence of music, and up until the time that electricity was discovered, music was played and listened to in an acoustic manner. Things changed when electricity allowed for the amplification of music, so that the whispers of a singer and the high sweet sounds of a flute, could be heard in a stadium with 80,000 people, some of them more than a quarter of a mile away.

If you have never been on stage with a contemporary pop band, and their amplified instruments, including Al Jarreau, then you can not imagine the enormous high decibals of sound being pumped out onto the stage, all this because of the need for the players to hear each other. That big sound comes from speakers ( monitors ) that amplify each players instruments, singer too, all necessary because of the impossibility for the onstage players to work with only the sound of the big stadium coming back to them, which varies tremendously from one venue to the next.

In Ear Monitors, like a hearing aid, instead of speaker monitors on the floor, get rid of that otherwise high outburst of decibals of sound on stage. A significant number of players and groups are thrilled about this new technology, that makes it just like being in the recording studio with headphones on, and with the ability to adjust the volume on any and all instruments being played.

I have never performed live like this. And so, I’m giving it a try. The benefits I have been promised will be life changing, especially in not having to sing so hard and loud in order to hear myself. This will SAVE MY THROAT!!

Phoenix was difficult for me, because of the above adjustings. But, through it all, I could tell that this audience was feeling it good. The band sure was feelin it good and playin it good.

We did a meet and greet with hotel VIPS before the concert, very unusual, and we signed cds and autographs and very old 33 and 1/3 inch album covers… hahaha that was fun. Those people were gushing with happiness. And finally, that’s the real deal, the whole deal, and that’s all.

Thank you everybody from obscure places in Arizona, Colorado, and Texas. You told me that this was our first time being together, live and in concert. I am so happy that your heard about me, and took a chance, and came to the show. I hope to see you again soon. I told Jay Robinson over and over again how much I want to return.

See you soon!

Love,
Al Jarreau

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New York Blue Note Jazz Club with The George Duke Trio

Al rehearses at the Blue Note New York

I’ve been talking to the Blue Note staff for years about doing a run in their internationally famous jazz club. If you could somehow magically mysteriously have all of the people who have played in that room walk in the front door and out the back, the line would nearly be as far as the eye can see, and the array of superstar jazzers would exhaust your jaw-dropping.

We finally worked it out by having me do an atypical performance week. I did two sets a night, 90 minutes each, over four nights, instead of six nights. … Much more vocalist-friendly. And it was a deliciously slammin’ run. The room is 110 feet long, and 20 feet wide, with the stage being in the center of that length … You play across the width of the room. “Jazz Clubs” come in all shapes and sizes. Because of this, we had to do some very interesting maneuverings and finaglings. George and I entered the room from the upstairs dressing rooms, each of us with a mic, doing a call and response with the audience, and drummer and bass player, who were preset on stage, singing an a cappella “Every mornin’ finds me moanin’, Yes, Lawd!” A little ole’ showbiz that delighted everybody. You should’ve seen them squirmin’ and grinnin’.

I would scat solo then George would follow me with a piano solo, just like at The Half Note in San Francisco 1965, then back to the top of the tune, all together, with some soulful “Yes, Lawd” audience participation, and out… “Good evening, y’all! I sure am glad you’re here. Let’s have some fun!” And then it was George’s turn in the spotlight. He took them deep into Brazil after mentioning that it was Cannonball Adderley who strongly advised George to include some Brazilian music in his programs. How interesting that I was seriously exploring Brazilian music with Julio Martinez during that same time period.

Now it’s time for me to go back and do 4 more songs with George, and Mike Manson on bass, and Terri Lyne Carrington on drums. I’m touching people on the shoulder, shaking hands, and doing quick hugs as I go back and forth to the stage. Everyone in the audience is a loud stage whisper away. This closeness is rare, and so we take advantage of it, doing as much intimate stuff as possible. Nobody’s heard me do Come Rain Or Come Shine. Sweet Pumpkin is perky and poppin’, and nobody’s heard me sing an uptempo jazzy ensemble piece like this unless they previewed it on the new CD of me and George Live at The Half Note 1965.

During the breaks between the first and second sets, George and I sold and signed CDs, with some up-close hand-shakin’ and picture takin’. We did this all week long, and toward the end we were huffin’ and puffin’ doing this kind of schedule. Though you can bet it was all smiles.

Susan and Ryan came with me, and Ryan joined our work staff, even though there was not to be as much work as there will be during more normal weeks. Susan brought her speed-shopping shoes.

The weather was beautiful, a kind of continuation of the Toronto Spring that we had just come from. It’s not real easy to do a power-walk on the streets of New York; I almost got run over by other walkers and pedestrians. But we did it, every day, me and Patrick. I got together with Jon Hendricks and Kurt Elling (yippee!) to talk about the North Sea Jazz Festival this summer to take a look at some material that the three of us might do onstage with the Metropole Orchestra from Holland.

Esperanza Spalding, a wonderfully talented and beautiful upright bass player, 26 years old and right from the cover of Vogue magazine, substituted for Mike Manson during three nights, including two with Brenda Russell. (Get Here When You Can.) Esperanza’s play is the spit and image of Stanley Clarke and more. She plays with some delicacies and subtleties of syncopation that are mature beyond the age of 99% of bass players. She and Terri Lyne took George’s music to another level.

I must tell you about Thierry Guedj from Paris, who is a film director and videographer who has taken a profound interest in my work and career. His plan is to do a documentary of my life in depth and detail, including a visual walk through Milwaukee, and lots of live performance footage. I am touched and amazed at this serious interest in me, coming from a guy who is credentialed and experienced, and who is, very importantly, from France! The French are very serious Jazz people. Do you remember ‘Round Midnight? The Thelonius Monk song is the title of the documentary, but the story is about Dexter Gordon, a jazz icon Saxophonist. The setting is France. And if you’re a googler, you’ll find other films about American Jazzers produced and created in France. So this is fabulous stuff to be thinking about and working on with Thierry at this time in my life. It inspires me yet again in a new direction. He spent a week with us at the Blue Note, filming and chatting on camera.

Hugs and kisses to Onaje Allan Gumbs, a brilliant composer who showed up, and together we re-initiated our commitment to a song of his called Collage. I did the lyric, and I’ll record that song soon and how wonderful it would be in fact to be a part of this documentary coming out of France: Collage. And what a weeklong occasion for Randy Chaplin and Bob Zievers to come to say hello and get fired up again about symphony orchestra gigs and bookings in general. Hi Adam, good to see you again—say a special hello to your mom, Dr. Marian Serosi. Oops! All my doctors should come first… my holistic doctor, James Lynch—Mind/Body/Spirit person. Good to talk to you. I love you, Judith. You fixed yourself good, let’s talk.

What a way to revisit New York City. You were there moments after my birth as a performer, and you’re still cheering me on. I love you, see you soon.

Thank you, Blue Note, Thank you George, Thank you everyone!
Love,
Al

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Toronto- Jazz.FM 91 Jazz Lives

We played a round hall with a cupola dome in the middle that was 100 feet high, with 1600 seats sold out. I stood in the back with Linda Nash (WEA records in Burbank 1980) for 10 minutes and listened to a local high school All-Star big band with a cute little girl playing upright bass, and a kid who looked like Marshall Keith, my nephew. Earlier, singer/pianist Karrin Allyson was on, and Randy Brecker just after the high school big band. The joint was packed, and their enthusiasm was touchable over the entire evening.

I went on after Randy, and did 20 minutes, 4 songs—Cold Duck, Midnight Sun, Mornin’, and Take Five—with a brand new ensemble! Well, we did rehearse the day before, and Joe Turano, my music conductor, was with me and led the rehearsal, and we had a burnin’ good time, at rehearsal, and in the performance just last evening.

Veteran Old Timers always say, “Never follow an animal act or a children’s act; There’s just nothing more to do or say.” Now, I must add Randy Brecker to that never-follow list. David Sanborn’s on that list, too. Randy played with the same house band that I did, and those guys played interesting, intricate avant-garde music that was exciting and you would have sworn that they’d been playing together for 15 years.

That same house band played for me, and although the music we did is stuff that I’ve been doing forever, it really sounded fresh and new. These players knew my music, and knew what it needed, but they brought their own sh.. . So the music had a very fresh face. Would you believe we found a new and funkier feel for Mornin’? And Midnight Sun had that spacious airy quality of gossamer wings on the ether.

I mentioned to the audience what a shame it was and how sorry I was for this being only our second time together, and we must do this more often, and I’d like to come every year. Their applause and cheering was an agreement.

Take Five was the encore, and it sailed along beautifully. It was the first time in fact an audience had reacted ensemble to a quirky little change in the lyric that I’ve been doing for years—When the written lyric says: “Start a little conversation now, it’s alright,” I click my thumb and other fingers together like a hand puppet, and substitute “When you keep on talkin’ Happy Talk,” just like Bloody Mary in South Pacific. Nice!

Backstage we all wordlessly smile and look at each other and brilliant, quiet Robi Botos, keyboard player from Hungary, put it perfectly, “I don’t want this dream to end.” I had a fabulous time backstage before the performance, and after the performance, hanging out with those young kids, and people from the radio station, and the other musicians and singers who did not perform last night but who were there and it became a wonderful informal meet-and-greet.

I’m committed to doing it again next year if they are. Thank you JazzFM 91, and Ross Porter, and my beautiful band for the night. Your slogan is right: Jazz LIVES!

Love,
Al

Off to New York to play with George Duke! Happy Springtime!

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Rehearsal Day in Toronto

Hey you guys—What a wonderful pre-concert day in Toronto. Wish you were here. Ross Porter at JAZZ.FM 91 asked me what I like about Toronto and I replied, “You guys are so alive that you hummmmmmm.” Ross and I had a wonderful pre-concert chat about the 10 songs I would like to bring with me on a desert island. I gave him this list:

1. A Remark You Made Weather Report
2. Gymnopedies Erik Satie
3. The Sicillienne Fauré
4. Bitches Brew Miles Davis
5. Le Soir A Paris Double Six of Paris
6. Love’s In Need of Love Today Stevie Wonder
7. New World Symphony Dvořák
8. Cloudburst Jon Hendricks
9. Cactus Tree Joni Mitchell
10. Like A Lover Al Jarreau

When he played a little bit of The Double Six of Paris, a French Vocal group, doing Quincy’s Le Soir A Paris with Mimi Perrin’s lyric and lead vocal, I quietly broke down and cried… Immediately transported back to the library at Ripon College in 1961, missing class and listening to music that changed my life and locked me into this musical direction that we call Al Jarreau… Lyrics to jazzy songs and solos, importantly inspired by Jon Hendricks, and Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross, who was certainly the main influence on Double Six. And yes, incidentally, I have become good friends with Mimi over the past twenty years. She passed away last November.

I enjoyed the sights of the city on the way to and from a rehearsal with an All-Star house band/quintet—First time. I’m hoping for as beautiful a day tomorrow as it was today. We’re on stage at 8 o’clock.

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