Tom Kennedy: Stories From Behind and Beyond The Bass

AAJ: That said, are there a couple of indoor clubs that best deal with that issue?

TK: Yes, you know in Santa Clara, California there is a small club called Kuumbwa. It's kind of a little mom and pop jazz club where they have a little kitchen and makes pies and cakes in the back. There's a nice intimate feel and the sound in that room is just incredible. Most people will tell you that Yoshi's (In Oakland) is a great place to play as well and I agree wholeheartedly.

AAJ: That's one I hear mention of quite often.

TK: Yes, the sound is very controlled. It's kind of dead on the stage, which is a good thing in that it's not reverberating around the room. I also like the Catalina Jazz Club ( Los Angeles ). The sound quality is always good. I love that bar off to the side and the way the place is sectioned. The Catalina is an institution, it's a very special place. I love the way it's laid out. The staff there is great, as it is at Yoshi's. One other I'll duck in is the Blue Note in Tokyo. I love playing there.

AAJ: Yes, I have seen/heard many great shows at the Catalina, including a few with you playing with Mike's band with Weckl and either Franceschini, Brecker, or Bob Malach. Honoring the space you are in is an interesting subject too. I will go back to Erskine who once told me, and I paraphrase, that if you honor the space it will pay you back tenfold. What are your thoughts on that subject?

TK: Well yes, it is important to do that. I can give you an example of that from many years ago in a similar vein. Having played an upright for so long I would have a tendency to play the strings on an electric harder than I needed to. I was pulling the strings very hard in a studio and the guy behind the glass suggested I find the sweet spot in my bass. He wanted me to find the place where the strings and the body really resonated. He suggested I play a little softer and vary my volume until I found it. He was absolutely right. It was really an incredible lesson for me. I believe the guy was a guitarist, not a bassist.

AAJ: Someone with a good ear at the very least.

TK: Someone with a good ear that led me to this place on the bass that I had never hit before. The change in velocity suddenly made it into a different instrument. It was responding to everything I played and had this big fat and even sound. That goes hand in hand with playing to the room instead of forcing it on the space. Its tricky sometimes. If you turn up your amp to overpower the reverb it is going to be too loud and unpleasant for the listening audience. If you go to far the other direction, then you won't be heard. You have to adjust to the room or play to the room. The room can actually help you if you are paying attention to what it is giving you back in the sound.

AAJ: Its an adjustment every time you play.

TK: Absolutely. But again, finding the sweet spot in your instrument and watching your levels is ninety percent of it.

AAJ: Coming back to the present, another project you worked on this past year was with Mrs. Weckl, also known as Clivia Tanisi. It would be silly for me to ask you how Love's Way Back (Autumn Hill Records. 2020) came about since you and Weckl have been friends since childhood. Instead, I'll ask how you feel about the record and if it was a fun project to work on.

TK: Oh, it was great. Clivia is terrific. She has such a wonderful spirit. Always wonderful to form a rhythm section with Dave, and George Whitty was involved in the project. I love his work.

AAJ: Yeah, Whitty is an excellent keyboard player, but his arranging skills have gathered a lot of attention over the past few years.

TK: Indeed, Jimmie. He and Dave arranged the whole record. George and I hadn't really had a chance to work together before, so any chance I get I am going to grab it. He actually mastered Stories, but we have never had a chance to play together. He is a phenomenal arranger, engineer, and keyboard player. When you truly like and care about the people you are playing with that feeling transcends on to the recording. I, of course, had that threefold with Dave, Clivia, and George.

AAJ: The standout tune, in my opinion, was the reimagine of "Grandma's Hands." That bass/voice duet really worked. Your bass line was buoyant and created quite a bed for Clivia to meld into. Was it your idea to do it as a bass/voice duet?

TK: That was Clivia's idea. She wanted to do it just the two of us. No percussion or anything else. She had that song in her head just the way she wanted it to be. I think that's why her performance came out so great.

AAJ: Many great tunes on the record but the duet really stands out. With your bass line just so thick and rich it gave the Bill Withers tune an entirely different feel. In this pandemic many musicians have turned to teaching and/or livestreaming or perhaps driving a cab. Not that there is anything wrong with driving a cab. Why do I suddenly feel like Jerry Seinfeld? I was going to ask you what has kept you busy over the past several months, but perhaps you have covered that with the revelation that you have written twenty new songs.

TK: Yes, writing has taken over for sure. This method is still kind of a novelty and I am enjoying that process and eager to see where it is going to take me. I also have done some teaching and have played some bass tracks for other artist's recordings. I really enjoy doing that. It's a business but for me it's a lot of fun. It's almost like a hobby to take someone else's music and put a bass line to it. It helps me to keep my chops up a little bit as well. Although I am not exactly tour-ready(laughing).

AAJ: (laughing) Well let's hope that you will need to be tour-ready in the near future.

TK: I believe there will be a lot of energy built up and unleashed on stages around the world.

AAJ: On that upbeat note, and now that I have filled up most of your afternoon, let's call it a wrap. It's always fun to talk with you, Tom. I appreciate your time, but moreover the genuine conversation.

TK: Absolutely, Jimmie. I really enjoy talking with you. I look forward to being able to hang out at a show once we put all this stuff behind us.

AAJ: Happy New Year to you and your family. Fingers crossed that you can still do a Stories tour in the reasonably near future.

TK: Thank you very much. Happy New Year!!

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