By Rodney Jones
I sat at my desk preparing to make some calls. I had to get in touch
with the musicians to see if they might be available to perform with me
on my new CD. Most jazz musicians spend a large amount of time on the
road, so the odds of reaching them at home are slim to none; still I
thought I would try.
Dr. Lonnie Smith was my first call. Sure enough, I got his answering
machine. I always loved his messages. Years ago he used to have a
message that said something like: "Hello this is Dr. Lonnie Smith. I am
not able to speak with you but due to technology please leave a
message." Lonnie is one of the most beautiful and soulful human beings
you will ever meet. He plays the Hammond B3 organ like no one else, but
he's always kept up with the latest technology: midi keyboards, modules
etc.. "Hey Lonnie," I said into the phone, "this is Rodney. Listen, I am
doing another CD for Blue Note in January and you are 'the man.' Give me
a call as soon as you can. Rodney."
I went through a similar drill for each of the other musicians,
except for Maceo Parker. I sent his manager, Natasha Maddison, an email
telling her about the project and asking if Maceo could be a part of it.
I was sure hoping that he could! What he brings to the party is such a
special gift. The idea of him and Lonnie playing together was
intriguing. I felt like a kid in a candy store. Those two guys
together... heaven!
Later in the day I spoke to Brian Bacchus, the director of A&R at
Blue Note Records. A&R (Artists and Repertoire) is the department at a
record company whose primary responsibility is signing new artists to
the label and helping select the material they will record. I first met
Brian when he worked for Island Records, which at that time was
distributing Maceo's comeback CD, Roots Revisited. He would often
come to the gigs and hang out. I always liked him and was glad to work
with him at Blue Note. The phone rang and Brian answered. I gave him the
update on whom I had called and what messages I'd left. Knowing Maceo's
touring schedule, I had a feeling he might not be available for the
recording date. "What about Arthur Blythe?" I asked. Brian jumped at the
mention of Arthur's name. He thought that it was a great idea. I was
excited, too--I love Arthur's playing.
I first met Arthur Blythe when I was 18 years old. A mutual friend of
ours, an alto saxophone player named Gary Gordon, got us together. Gary
mentioned to me one day that "Black Arthur Blythe," as he was known
then, was playing with the great jazz drummer Chico Hamilton. Arthur had
told him that Chico was looking for a new guitarist. I met with Arthur,
auditioned for Chico Hamilton, and got the job. I played with Chico for
over a year. The band consisted of Arthur Blythe on alto sax, Steve
Turre on trombone and bass, Chico on drums, Will Connell on alto, and
Abdullah on congas. I got an opportunity to listen to Arthur night after
night. He is a natural genius on the saxophone. He can play "inside" and
"outside" with equal ease, but always with a deep soulfulness and with
his own unique voice. I was in awe. His command of his instrument and
his modern concept of jazz improvisation was amazing. He was really open
and always willing to show me his ideas: lines he was working on, etc...
The things I learned from Arthur during this formative period in my jazz
career have remained with me to this day. He is to modern and
avant-garde jazz what Maceo Parker is to funk.
So after talking with Brian that day, I hung up the phone and
immediately called Arthur Blythe!
The next week was occupied with messages left and returned. In the
end, the result was even better than I could have hoped. All of my first
choice musicians were available for the session--and I would have both
Arthur and Maceo. I was really happy. Now my attention turned to writing
and selecting tunes for the recording. More about that in my next posting...
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