Vai's Favored Nations Captures Carlton/Lukather Live In Japan

LOS ANGELES-On a joint tour of Japan in 1998, famed guitarists Steve Lukather and Larry Carlton recorded a performance in Osaka, a city that Carlton says has some of the most loyal fans in the world. What they played is what you get on No Substitutions, a live album that Lukather says is “all non-fixed."

The loose, instrumental set, due March 20 from Favored Nations, features five songs, including performances of Carlton's “Room 335" and “(It Was) Only Yesterday." It also includes a 14-minute, set-opening rendition of “The Pump," popularized by Jeff Beck.

“We're both out of each other's normal arenas," Lukather says. “We both came together and created something that we normally wouldn't do by ourselves. You can hear us having fun on the record-you can hear the smiles on our faces."

Carlton says the idea for the tour originated after discussions with Japanese bookers. “They want me to come back every year, but they kept reminding me, “Do something different next year,' “ he says. “Somehow Luke's name came up, and I said, “Now that would be fun.' We had exchanged some tapes of tunes we might want to do and went over with no rehearsal."

Lukather, a longtime member of Toto, says the invitation was flattering. “I jumped at the honor of playing with my favorite guitar player." The monthlong tour featured two shows a night. “After the first week, it was settled into this total groove," Carlton says. “Luke and I started saying, “Man, we oughta record this. Even if it's just for ourselves, we gotta capture this.' “

Favored Nations chief (and star guitarist himself) Steve Vai heard a tape and “just flipped out," Lukather says. Interested in releasing it, Vai then mixed the record with Lukather. “There's no wanking going on," Vai says. “Their approach to expression on an instrument is unique to what they do."

Vai believes the album, which fuses jazz, blues, and rock, fills a “musician-oriented" niche he wants the label to serve. “This kind of music, it's evergreen," he says. “There's an audience that really craves it. It's hard to find sometimes, but branding the label as a place you can hear quality recordings by brilliant musicians is hopefully going to draw traffic to it."

In March, Carlton and Lukather will embark on a world tour in support of No Substitutions, including a stop at the Hollywood Bowl during this summer's JVC Jazz Festival.