anthologysd.com

By JIM TRAGESER - jtrageser@nctimes.com | North County Times

Anyone who ever saw the great Cannonball or Nat Adderley in concert, or who heard the late jazz icons’ live recordings with their between-song patter, would immediately recognize the voice of another Adderley —- in this case, that of Nat Adderley Jr.

More than the familiar voice, though (in this case, at the other end of a telephone interview) what should excite jazz fans is that Nat Jr. has returned to the jazz that his father and uncle made their careers and reputations with, and that he’s now performing the family classics with his own combo (including a show Wednesday at Anthology in San Diego).

Not that this is imitation: Nat Jr. plays piano. Dad Nat Sr. was a trumpeter, while Uncle Julian (better known to fans by the popular nickname “Cannonball”) was a saxophonist.

Despite the strong family presence on the international jazz scene, and having his uncle record one of his songs while he was still in junior high, Nat Jr. spent most of his adult life in the world of R&B as the arranger and musical leader for the late Luther Vandross, whom he met in college.

Now in his mid-50s, Nat Jr. said he always planned to come back to the jazz.

“I knew I had it in the back of my mind,” Adderley said during a recent phone interview from his home in New Jersey.

“A big part was I didn’t want to do the R&B anymore —- I did all those records with Luther. And not that there aren’t young artists I like, but I never wanted to be the old guy trying to stay young and current and have hits.”

It’s not as if he was ever that far from jazz. Adderley said that even during his years with Vandross, there were times he’d be gigging on piano.

“I always played, all through my life. As I was leaving college, I decied I most wanted to make hit records and be in the Top 10. But all the way through there were long periods when Luther wasn’t working or in the studio, and I would play the jazz clubs in Manhattan.

“I did want to get going at some point in my 30s. But every time I’d get going, I’d get the call to go in the studio or on the road —- so I’d just cut it short. That was the story of my career until Luther passed” in 2005.

“Then it became a ‘let’s hurry up and get started.’ I figure I gotta do it now!”

Adderley also said that a big part of the delay in returning to music he loves were his struggles with being the son of a famous musician.

“I went to college and told everyone my name was Eddie —- I took my middle name. My last name was Adderley, that was an uncommon name, and my name is Nat, and when I got introduced, everyone knew who I was, and I got sick of that.”

While he is friends with jazz and R&B drummer T.S. Monk, son of legendary jazz pianist Thelonious Monk, Adderley said they’ve never really talked about the experience of growing up in the shadow of a famous parent.

“I needed to have some conversations with children of the famous; that might have helped me. I was a little strange with that; I didn’t know how to deal with it.”

Further, while in college Adderley said he drifted toward pop and R&B because of his own expectations of how a jazz pianist should sound.

“I was practicing jazz and decided I was never going to be good enough —- that was some pressure I put on myself. I should have continued, but I got myself into a mental block because I didn’t feel I was progressing fast enough.”

It was only in September that Adderley began leading his own band, under his own name. But he said the reception has been so positive that he’s already busily planning for a future full of possibility and promise.

“I’ve always preferred to be in the background in jazz —- I always wanted to be a sideman. That’s what I did all through high school and jazz. I did a lot of writing and all the arranging, but there was always somebody else as the leader.

“This is all brand-new to me —- I can’t believe it’s blossomed so quickly. People have been after me for years to do a record —- I’ve been hearing that for 30 years.

“I will get in the studio —- I have some ideas. I have some tunes for Luther that we didn’t take all the way, and they actually work better as instrumentals.”

Nat Adderley Jr.

When: 7:30 p.m. March 17

Where: Anthology, 1337 India St., San Diego

Tickets: $16

Info: 619-595-0300

anthologysd.com

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Via North County Times

“It kind of goes back to the beginning of my career, when you’re trying to figure out what to do and you hear, ‘Jon, you could be the next Johnny Mathis.’ I really love that arrangement.”

By GABRIELA HUSSONG | A-List International

When I heard two-time Grammy winner, Jon Secada, would be performing in San Diego this month, Secada’s “Angel” or even better, the image of Jon walking on the beach, waves crashing on his 20-something body as he sang “Just Another Day” immediately made me reminisce. And though I’m about to date myself (as well as our readers who will shake their heads in agreement), I know exactly where I was, what I was doing, and what was going on in my life when he repeatedly asked us to “give him a reason.” His music is undoubtedly part of the soundtrack of our lives. So the release of his new album “Expressions” that takes on new versions of these hits with an adult, jazzy, sultry feel is like welcoming back an old friend who’s all grown up.

As the anticipation of our interview builds, I can only wish I had him sitting across from me to offer him a thimble-sized ‘cortadito,’ otherwise known as a shot of eye-popping Cuban coffee. This, of course, is the first thing I say to him as he calls from Miami. He laughs and the conversation begins on a good note. I tell him about the lasting presence of his hits of the early 90s and how those songs are permanently attached to our memories. And he chokes a bit and says humbly, “You’re words are very, very sweet.” I think that when you’ve sung your hits for 18 years, you can forget the impact they still have on the listeners and the memories they bring back. So I remind him and he gets it.

To date, Secada maintains a very strong connection to Emilio and Gloria Estefan, and calls Gloria his “mentor”—Secada recently participated in the Estefan’s fundraising project for Haiti called “Somos El Mundo,” the Spanish version of “We Are The World.” Aside from his first break in the business from the Estefan’s—which ultimately drove him to have a successful pop career—being in the right place at the right time led him to be a part of the Latino successes which included Miami Sound Machine, Carlos Santana, and Julio Iglesias.

“In the early 90s I felt very blessed, very lucky to be a part of what ended up being a new wave of crossover artists. And at the end of the day, they represented what was going on with our Latin fluidity across the border, in the United States; how important we are, what we represent and this people that we’ve become in society, in this country. So, I always felt very Latino-proud about that, you know, that I was a part of that crossover success,” Secada says exclusively to A-LIST INTERNATIONAL. “That’s what everyone coming to the United States… that’s what it’s all about.”

After years of toying with the idea of a temporary genre change, Secada fulfills his dream of producing a true jazz album in “Expressions,” with songs he knew if he ever had a chance to record he would, original material, and remixes of his early hits. And I can’t help but wonder if this Cuban-American singer, songwriter and producer draws inspiration from his Caribbean roots. And his answer is, “Not for ‘Expressions.’” And though he might be entering into unfamiliar territory for his fans, jazz just happens to be home to him. You see, this pop sensation holds a bachelors and masters degree in Jazz Performance from the University of Miami.

Conversations with friends from college, discussions with producer and long-time friend, Joel Semeillan, perfect timing, and a memorable minute and a half on stage during a Dave Koz concert propelled Secada to finally produce his jazz CD. “I remember that concert as part of a wave of things that helped me make the decision,” says Secada about the public’s reaction to hearing him perform briefly in that genre and the origin of “Expressions.” It was the budge he needed to take the leap.

When asked about his preferred tracks and inspiration for that once unfulfilled dream, Secada shares that he enjoys listening to the arrangement for “Chances Are,” an old 1950’s song originally recorded by Johnny Mathis. “It kind of goes back to the beginning of my career, when you’re trying to figure out what to do and you hear, ‘Jon, you could be the next Johnny Mathis.’ I really love that arrangement.” Secada also includes original material, drawing inspiration from his personal life. “’Find Me in Your Dreams’ is a song I wrote for my children; a lullaby, jazz-type of a ballad. ‘Letter from a Friend’ is a very poignant, sad story; a true story of someone that I knew,” he shares. His recording of “Expressions” happened in a very intimate setting where piano, bass, drums and voice came together in a very organic way. Secada has described it as “music to make love to, to relax to, to chill with.” Can we have a glass of wine with that? Actually, we can.

On March 11th, Anthology will present Jon Secada in concert. It is impossible to ignore Secada is looking forward to returning to San Diego and playing at Anthology, where the audience will enjoy an “intimate performance, the way it was meant to be heard.” The acoustics and private setting of this 300-seat multi-level venue are ideal to enjoy the concert up-close and personal. “The music is perfect for a cabaret style club, and the show I’m bringing down has that type of feel. It’s very acoustic; very, very organic. Intimacy is important,” explains Secada.

Secada, known for pioneering simultaneous album releases in English and Spanish, says that the jazz CD did not lend itself for a Spanish version. “It is such a statement. It is so rooted in English that I don’t know if it would have translated well.” We bi-cultural types can understand that. He goes on to talk about the many planned concerts particularly through Eastern Europe in May, two new bi-lingual albums, “Classics” and “Clásicos” available in the spring, and the DVD release of a live concert filmed in Rio de Janeiro together with a new pop album towards the end of the year, that will be the conclusion to many projects he has undertaken as of lately. “’Classics’ and ‘Clásicos’ is a collection of fully orchestrated songs, old standards that I grew up with: ‘Spanish Eyes,’ ‘Vaya con Dios,’ ‘Qué será, será,’ ‘My Way’… and eventually I am coming out with a new pop Spanish CD. It will be a high-profile CD with songs that will be on the radio,” he concludes.

Hearing about his plans, I can’t help but to think back to his music and what it has meant for his fans, I included. I think it’s time to update the soundtracks of our adult lives and bring back the playfulness of yesteryear rekindled by new versions of beloved and new Jon Secada songs. I for one can’t wait to reconnect.

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Via A-List International

By Ronaldo Oregano | jazzpolice.comThe John Scofield quartet with Mulgrew Miller on piano, Ben Street on bass, and Kendrick Scott on drums will be hitting the west coast from north to south in a week. Scofield is taking a break from his Piety Street tour to hit the west coast with this fine jazz quartet. They will perform on March 9th and 10th at Jazz Alley in Seattle. Then on Tuesday, March 11th through Sunday, March 14th they are at Yoshi’s in Oakland. For a siingle night each they play the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz on March 15th and at Anthology in San Diego on Tuesday, March 16th.

John Scofield is considered one of the “big three” of current jazz guitarists — along with Pat Metheny and Bill Frisell. His influence began in the late 70’s and is going strong today. Possessor of a very distinctive sound and stylistic diversity, Scofield is a masterful jazz improviser whose music generally falls somewhere between post-bop, funk edged jazz, and R & B.

Born in Ohio and raised in suburban Connecticut, Scofield took up the guitar at age 11, inspired by both rock and blues players. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. After a debut recording with Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker, Scofield was a member of the Billy Cobham-George Duke band for two years. In 1977 he recorded with Charles Mingus, and joined the Gary Burton quartet. He began his international career as a bandleader and recording artist in 1978. From 1982-1985, Scofield toured and recorded with Miles Davis. His Davis stint placed him firmly in the foreground of jazz consciousness as a player and composer.

Since that time Scofield has prominently led his own groups in the international Jazz scene, recorded over 30 albums as a leader (many already classics) including collaborations with contemporary favorites like Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden, Eddie Harris, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Bill Frisell, Brad Mehldau, Mavis Staples, Government Mule, Jack DeJohnette, Joe Lovano and Phil Lesh. He’s played and recorded with Tony Williams, Jim Hall, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, Dave Holland, Terumasa Hino among many jazz legends. Throughout his career Scofield has punctuated his traditional jazz offerings with funk-oriented electric music. All along, the guitarist has kept an open musical mind.

Touring the world approximately 200 days per year with his own groups, Scofield is an Adjunct Professor of Music at New York University, a husband and father of two.

Renowned jazz pianist Mulgrew Miller has recorded with almost every known Jazz artist in the scene, from Joe Lovano to Nicholas Payton. In fact, he remains one of the most recorded pianists in the scene today (second only to Kenny Barron), with over 400 recording sessions to his credit. Miller will appear with his trio at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago on Wednesday, July 15th through Sunday, July 19th.

Mulgrew Miller professional career started, aged twenty, with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, led by the late Mercer Ellington. During his formative years as a sideman, Mulgrew also worked with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Woody Shaw’s Quintet and Betty Carter’s group. He was also one of the founding members of Tony Williams’ Quintet.

In 1995 Mulgrew toured Europe and the US sharing the stage with fellow pianist Kenny Barron. Mulgrew has also been noticed in various all star groups, such as The New York Jazz Giants, One Hundred Golden Fingers or the early editions of Jazz at the Philharmonic Revisited. In 1999 Mulgrew started working with virtuoso bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen. Together they recorded Duets, a wonderful CD for Bang & Olufsen featuring the music of Duke Ellington and Jimmy Blanton.

Mulgrew Miller’s latest releases on MaxJazz include: The Sequel (2003), featuring his sextet Wingspan; Live at Yoshi’s volume 1 and 2 (2004 & 2005), with Derrick Hodge and Karriem Riggins; and Live at Kennedy Center volumes 1 and 2 (2006 & 2007), featuring Derrick Hodge and Rodney Green.

On May 20, 2006, Miller was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Performing Arts at Lafayette College’s 171st Commencement Exercises. As of 2006 he is the Director of Jazz Studies at William Paterson University.

A highly original composer, Mulgrew has moved, as an interpreter, from such influences as McCoy Tyner, Oscar Peterson and Wynton Kelly to become very recognizably his own man, powerful, lyrical, and imaginative.

John Scofield quartet tour schedule

March 9 - 10 Seattle, WA Jazz Alley
March 11 - 14 Oakland, CA Yoshi’s
March 15 Santa Cruz, CA Kuumbwa
March 16 San Diego, CA Anthology

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Via jazzpolice.com

By Lee Schoenbart | Carmel Valley News

Most music aficionados know that an anthology is a collection of their favorite recording artist’s music – not all of them chart-toppers, yet very special to the collector. Aboxed set, however, is the ultimate collection.

For Carmel Valley residents Howard and Marsha Berkson, Anthology – the name of their supper club – was a better fit, although it has boxed-set appeal.

The Berksons cultivated a knack for pairing marvelous menus with amazing talents from across the spectrum of musical genres.

At this paper’s press time, jazz fusion artist Al Di Meola was wrapping up a two-evening set. He’s being followed by rocker Dave Mason for two nights, then Acoustic Alchemy, the smooth jazz quintet. Next month, talents as varied as Anthology’s menu will grace the stage including Diane Schuur, Jon Secada and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

As for dining, guests at Anthology can choose from dinner, lounge and happy hour menus along with wine and bar lists.

Anthology is the vision of San Diego-based real estate developer Howard Berkson who opened the venue during the summer of 2007. Marsha Berkson, philanthropist and volunteer with Jewish Family Services, has handled the day to day operation of Anthology since 2008. In preparation for Anthology, the Berksons, avid travelers, spent 20 years visiting music clubs worldwide.

“I grew up in Chicago where going out for a great meal paired with live music was part of the cultural experience,” said Howard, a string bass player and guitarist in a buddy band with perhaps some closet musical aspirations of this own.

Responding with great laughter after being referred to as “Lady Madam Impresario,” Marsha said, “It was really my husband’s dream to build this venue; I had no idea what I was getting into!”

Then, about her responsibilities, she added, “It’s so big, there are so many moving parts to it – the restaurant, the music, all the different genres we bring in. There was so much to be involved in. It’s not just running a restaurant, it’s not just running a music venue and how you have to work the two together.”

But Marsha’s weathered the last couple of years of a terrible economy and Anthology continues to be one of the brightest nighttime destinations in downtown San Diego’s Little Italy neighborhood.

“There’s so many great perks about it, said Marsha about all the fascinating components to running Anthology. “It’s exciting having this very unique entrepreneurial place where people feel they get such a great experience when they come to it. They sit down, have great food and listen to a terrific artist.

“And I love when people come up to me at the end of the evening saying, ‘Oh my gosh, that was so much fun, we had such a great time, thank you so much, it was such a really special evening.’ There’s something special about being in that realm,” Marsha said.

“Then,” she explained, “when you go back stage, and you thank the artist, ‘Thank you so much, it was a great show,’ and they look at you and say, ‘There’s no place like this, this is the most wonderful place, I hope to come back here and I’m going to tell everybody about it.’ So, it’s a great experience from the front of the house to the back of the stage.” Anthology is at 1337 India St. For reservations and show information, call (619) 595-0300. To learn more, visit www.anthologysd.com.

The Anthology Gift Card - the perfect gift for Birthdays, Celebrations, Thank You’s and Congratulations!

Check out these great gift card ideas:

$25 - Fun for Two
2 Happy Hour Drinks + 2 Appetizers
- or -
Two Fresh Vibe Tix + 2 Glasses of Wine + 2 Appetizers
- or -
2 V-tix + 1 appetizer

$50 - Great Vibes
2 Fresh Vibe Tix + 2 Drinks + 2 Entrées
- or -
2 V-tix + 2 Glasses of Wine + Nosh
- or -
2 Tickets for Main Floor Seating

$100 - Big Night Out
2 Fresh Vibe Tix + 2 Drinks + Two 3-Course Meals
- or -
4 V-tix + 4 Martinis + Appetizers
- or -
Happy Hour With the Gang

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For more information contact our box office at 619-595-0300

Our friend Chris Cantore talks about the latest shows coming to Anthology in March. Listen below or download (right-click and ‘Save As’) this week’s podcast.

By Mikel Toombs, SDNN

Putting on the annual San Diego IndieFest has meant six years of headaches. And worse.

Four years ago, festival co-founder Alicia Champion “has a grand mal seizure on stage,” fellow performer and organizer Danielle LoPresti recalled, “and has no condition whatsoever that contributed to it. The doctors concluded it was an overdose of good old-fashioned indie-induced stress. I got pneumonia and coughed till my back went out, so that I could not move for five days.”

On the bright side, LoPresti added, “Fishbone was awesome and then proceeded to have sex in the green room. I could go on.”

Fortunately, Champion and LoPresti have gone on, and San Diego IndieFest VI will take place in North Park on March 26 and 27. The Saturday festivities will feature 75 acts on seven stages (one is 21-and-up) and will be headlined by Metric, Far and Nappy Roots. (This Friday, Feb. 26, a fundraiser at Anthology previews the event, with a bill that includes Danielle LoPresti & the Masses.)

The Friday portion of IndieFest is devoted to independent films, a format that suggests an inspiration from the granddaddy of all such happenings, Austin’s South by Southwest (SXSW).

“Yes and no,” Champion said. “SXSW is definitely the largest indie-oriented event in the country to date. However, SXSW is a largely a big-scale, major-label industry showcase for indies, which pretty much perpetuates the thinking that in order to be truly extraordinary or successful, one must be in bed with a major entertainment entity.

“San Diego IndieFest is an outright celebration of every artist, band or filmmaker who is making incredible art on their own terms, without any major label backing nor influence. At IndieFest we educate the public on what being ‘indie’ really means on levels that expand far beyond the arts. It’s our endeavor to celebrate and advocate for independent music, film, art, business and thought.”

Not surprising, the sometimes quirky IndieFest (a couple years back, fangirl Champion brought in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” actor-singers James Marsters and Amber Benson) reflects the perspective of the two women who pull it together each year.

“As full-time indie musicians ourselves,” LoPresti said, “we experienced first hand the complex and frustrating set of emotions every time someone would say, ‘Wow, you’re so great, why aren’t you guys famous yet?’”

“There are so many truly remarkable independent musicians and filmmakers out there who deserve to be recognized, who have so much to give, who are so phenomenal at what they do, but simply because they are indie — not represented by a major corporation with serious financial backing and contacts — they are relegated to various levels of obscurity.

“We felt we had two options: become more frustrated and eventually resentful, or pour all our passion into making a larger statement that encompassed the entire issue. So we’ve chosen to do all we can to make something positive out of our experiences.”

What: San Diego IndieFest VI Preview with Nomis, Collective Purpose, Danielle LoPresti & the Masses, Veronica May
When: 9:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26
Where: Anthology, 1337 India, downtown/Little Italy
Tickets: $10.

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Via SDNN

By Chris Maroulakos | NBC San Diego

For music fans young and old, Ray Manzarek needs little introduction. In the late ’60s, Manzarek co-founded the Doors, one of rock & roll’s most influential bands. He has written novels, directed films and, at the age of 71, is still cooler than you are.

Manzarek’s salad days are the subject of the upcoming, award-winning documentary When You’re Strange, and on Feb. 28, he’ll be bringing his roadhouse blues to San Diego for a gig at Anthology.

SoundDiego: From Jim Morrison to Iggy Pop, you seem to enjoy backing up theatrical front men and women. What do you think it is about these bombastic personalities that draw you to them?

Ray Manzarek: Well I’m such a reserved and quiet guy that they cater to my insane side that I try to keep under wraps.

SoundDiego: During the 60s, popular music seemed to serve as a sort of therapy for the nation, helping to exorcise the demons of the time, and of Vietnam in particular. By way of contrast, pop music today seems to have regressed to a more juvenile, anti-confrontational state. Why do you think people’s approach to dealing with national strife has changed so drastically?

In January 1966, The Doors became the house band at a club on the Sunset Strip called The London Fog. Manzarek occasionally sang for The Doors.

Manzarek: Boy, I have no idea what’s happened, other than that the younger generation has all been distracted by their electronic screens. Everybody is communicating with each other over Twitter and YouTube, and people are in a state of constant communication and lack that solitary moment — that Zen moment — in which you can experience a oneness with all things. That’s what we did in the ’60s.

And the constant jibber-jabber of what’s going on today is a total distraction from finding the true oneness within yourself. And I can only hope that the younger people of today — and especially today’s college students — will stop for a second, put down all your communication devices and open the doors of perception, and find the true self within. In fact, find the god within.

SoundDiego: In the Oliver Stone film The Doors, you were played by Kyle McLachlan. If a movie was made about you set in the present day, who would you like to have play you?

Manzarek: In the present? I guess Harrison Ford could play me. He works out, he pumps iron and stays in shape. He’s a pretty organic, natural kind of guy. So I’d say that Harrison Ford plays Ray Manzarek, and vice-versa [laughs]. I could play him in The Harrison Ford Story!

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Via: NBC San Diego

By Dave Good | San Diego Reader

“Suzy Bogguss and I knew each other when we were teens,” says Jessica Baron. “I was a music teacher who gigged a little bit. Suzy was already an early celebrity. She would come through Chicago in her tour bus.… We got to be friends,” she says, “because we were peripherally part of the same music scene. Then, we lost touch for a long time.”

Jessica Baron is founder and executive director of a national outreach called Guitars in the Classroom that is headquartered in Solana Beach. Suzy Bogguss’s country albums reached platinum and gold sales in the ’80s and ’90s; to date, she has had six top-ten singles.

Baron says that when she learned her old friend would be performing at Anthology, she reached out. “I said the people who own that club [Marsha and Howard Berkson] support Guitars in the Classroom. And Suzy said, ‘Well, let’s do something. I don’t know what, but let’s put something in the evening.’ ”

To date, Anthology has donated five pairs of tickets to Bogguss’s February 18 concert with profits to benefit GITC, and a Martin guitar donated by a GITC supporter will be raffled as part of the event.

Guitars in the Classroom has been active for more than a decade. Their website states that they have trained 9000 teachers in 29 states. Unlike other charitable music programs, GITC puts instruments in the hands of teachers.

“We’re a train-the-trainer model,” says Baron. “We train the educators. We loan the teachers the guitar, and when they feel secure on the instrument, they give it back and we pass the guitar along to the next teacher.”

She says that there are currently 100 local teachers enrolled in the program, which is evenly divided between Crown Point Elementary and Oak Park Elementary schools.

Baron says that if an instructor wants to continue on as a classroom troubadour after the loaner guitar has been returned, he or she must purchase their own.

“Then, you become a customer of the music-products business, which is how we get funded by NAMM.” Baron says that NAMM, a trade association for music-product companies, has given them grant money for five years. “When a teacher does purchase a guitar, there is a good chance that they will become a customer of a NAMM member business.

“I started the program as an experiment. It’s just grown from there,” says Baron.

What: Suzy Bogguss
When: Thursday, Feb 18, 2010
Where: Anthology
Tickets: $7 - $38

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Via San Diego Reader

By JIM TRAGESER - jtrageser@nctimes.com

For his hard-core fans, an appearance by self-proclaimed historical folk music singer Al Stewart is a chance to hear him perform a mix of songs from the 20 albums that he’s recorded since the late ’60s.

For the more casual fan of a certain age, for whom “Year of the Cat” and “Time Passages” will forever be associated with their youth —- well, Stewart (who plays Feb. 12 at Anthology in San Diego) thinks you probably don’t really know his music all that well. Not that he doesn’t welcome new fans of his gentle narrative folk songs that explore different chapters of history —- but he wants people to know that “Time Passages” and “Year of the Cat” aren’t really representative of his career.

“It’s a mixed blessing, really,” Stewart said during a phone interview earlier this week from his L.A.-area home. “The hits are a calling card. If someone says my name, there’s some faint recognition.

“I spent 10 years on the English folk scene, and then Alan Parsons took a song which is not really a commercial song, and plastered it with strings and overdubs. If I played you ‘Year of the Cat’ on an acoustic guitar the way it was written, it would never have been a hit in a million years.

“There was a two-year period where we spent lots of money on production and people bought lots of records. But what I did before and after has nothing to do with that period.

“I’m not a pop singer —- I’m a writer of folk-historicial songs.”

Not that he’s bitter about that success. As the Glasgow-born Stewart points out, those two songs opened a lot of doors for him. Not a few people who found themselves humming along to his hits ended up becoming lifelong fans. And the financial security provided by having two hits played on oldies radio is not easily dismissed, either.

Although he laughingly pointed out, “It took me 20 years to recover from being ostracized from the English folk scene, who thought I sold out!”

A discussion of his most recent recording, 2008’s “Sparks of Ancient Lights,” led to a wide-ranging discussion of the roots of World War I —- a topic Stewart has addressed in song. He’s also written about Warren Harding, the Duke of Marlborough, and recently rewrote Don McLean’s lyrics for the classic “American Pie” and moved the story to 18th century Russia.

“I can’t say that I will write about anything that anyone else will write about it —- if it hasn’t been covered by anyone else, then I’m your man,” he said of his own songwriting. (And how many songwriters cite the late historian Barbara Tuchman as an influence?)

“There’s room for one historical folk music singer in the world to make a living, and I happen to be it.”

Stewart said that the venues he plays in determine how the evening’s show will go. Audience expectations are different at a public arts center, for instance, than at a night club.

“What tends to happen in arts center environments is they’ll have a Hungarian choir, then jugglers the next week —- which means that people tend to buy season tickets. It could be 75 percent of them don’t know me —- they don’t know anything about me! ‘Oh, he plays guitar and sings —- that sounds nice, we’ll go out and see him.’

“A completely different dynamic is at work because they judge the songs based on whether they like them or not, not whether they’ve heard them before.

“When I play a club, the more obscure the better —- they definitely don’t want to hear ‘Year of the Cat’!”

Stewart said this will be his third show at Anthology. “Whenever I’m there, it brings out the jazziness with me. The very next night, I’m playing McCabe’s here in Santa Monica, which brings out the folkie in me.

“You pick up the vibes in a room, and it influences the playing.”

But he added that he also works hard to make sure that he doesn’t play the same show for the same crowd —- and that he goes back through his entire catalog to revisit songs that he hasn’t played in a while.

“We try to never play the same songs twice —- we’ll make a strenuous effort to play things we’ve never played there before.”

Even songs that he does bring back in shows, he reworks.

“‘On the Border’ we have to play every show; people demand it. But we change it all the time. It may not look it from the perspective of the audience, but in the middle of a song I’ll wonder how it would work with completely different chords! Sometimes we play different time signatures. I’ve played ‘Time Passages’ in 6/8 time —- I’ve turned it into an Irish jig. It mystified the audience; I think some of them were mad at me for mauling my own song.”

He said he will also regularly throw in new songs that aren’t on any of his records.

“I wrote a song about a javelin salesman the other day,” he said, laughing. “I set myself small tasks, and that was one of them: Can I write a song about a traveling salesman of javelins?”

While he said he stays busy writing, he also said a follow-up to “Sparks of Ancient Light” is unlikely.

“I don’t have any plans to make a record when there aren’t any record shops —- it’s a self-defeating thing. There’s no money in it. If you can’t sell it, why make it?

“If the music industry sorts itself out and there’s some way to make it pay for itself, then sure. But I’ve got 20 records out already —- how many historical folk songs does the world need?”

Al Stewart

When: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 12

Where: Anthology, 1337 India St., San Diego

Tickets: $29

Info: 619-595-0300

anthologysd.com

Web: alstewart.com

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Via nctimes.com

Eclectic artist to play at Anthology on Wednesday

Morgan M. Hurley, SDGLN Copyeditor

Singer, songwriter, bassist and recording artist Meshell Ngedeocello flies into San Diego this week, to promote her latest release, Devil’s Halo. Ndedeocello will be performing an intimate show at Anthology, located in Little Italy, on Wednesday.

The petite, tattooed, bisexual musician with closely cropped hair, thinks media attention focused on her sexuality is boring. She may be right. It certainly isn’t the most interesting thing about her, by a long shot.

She first got interested in performing at 15, when Prince blew her mind with his over the top style and presence. She counts Prince and also Sting, as two of her earliest bass influences and you can still pick those influences out in her music today.

Her categorization on iTunes™ under “R&B/Soul” is rather a misnomer; the fact of the matter is, you never really know what you’re gonna get with Ndegeocello.

“It is really disturbing when the color of your skin affects what genre of music you should be playing,” she said recently.

The most unfortunate aspect of that miscategorization, is that a lot of people will miss out on what a truly amazing, edgy, eclectic and talented musician she really is. Her influences and appreciation for music genres vary far and wide, which could also describe her own musical journey. She seems to pull ingredients from all those genres together, throw them into a blender with a few ideas of her own, and produce a frappe that is all of them, yet none of them. She is not afraid to take chances, and it shows.

Ndegeocello is not hung up on who gets her music, either. “You either get it or you don’t,” she has said. You won’t know if you get it or not unless you give it a listen - and everyone should - because she just might surprise you.

Devil’s Halo, her eighth studio album, is much less personal and less autobiographical than her previous works. She tends to write songs that offer a look into her soul. This time, she steps out of herself and becomes the looker, instead of the one being looked at, and has written songs looking into the souls of others.

Almost every track on Devil’s Halo tells a story that could have easily played out on the rough and tumble streets of a town she’s spent a day walking through, or in a bar that she’s sipped a scotch in from that corner seat. It’s definitive storytelling, combined with tragic lyrics, steady back-beats and the most luxuriously melodic tracks you may ever hear, laid right on top.

She has never cared for her own voice, but that is not easily understood. On tracks such as Tie One On, White Girl, Blood on the Curb, Crying in Your Beer and the title track, she seems to settle in somewhere between Sade and Joan Armatrading, lending it a familiarity that is at the same time, clearly and uniquely hers.

SDGLN got the chance to ask her a few questions recently, in advance of her arrival. Here’s what transpired:

SDGLN Your privacy is obviously important to you. Why was the fact that you identify as bisexual something you decided to let be known?

Meshell Ndegeocello (MN) Someone asked the question and I told the truth. I was naïve not to know it would be a big part of my marketing but I didn’t. I don’t regret it but it has been defining in a way that’s confining.

SDGLN “Ndegeocello” means “free as a bird.” What language is it derived from and how did you come to choose it as your surname?

MN Swahili. Seemed like what I was trying to achieve, feel, be.

SDGLN You’ve said that you are a “bass player above all else,” and you have played your bass alongside the greatest of the great, but you are also a songwriter with 8 albums of songs and a dozen more you wrote for movie soundtracks. What truly fulfills you the most – writing, singing or playing - and why?

MN I like recording. I love making the music, hearing the parts, putting them together, exploring the sounds, and making new sonic environments. I love to play. Singing is definitely not my favorite.

SDGLN You were one of the first artists that Madonna “chose” for Maverick Records. I have to ask..is she really involved in the whole process, and how was it to work with her?

MN That was 20 years ago. I’m sure Madonna is entirely different than she was then, as I am. She was involved in signing me, but not in the records I made with Maverick.

SDGLN You toured with the first Lillith Fair, did you enjoy it and would you do it again?

MN I loved it. Really nice people and really good food. I’d consider it again but it would probably depend on the line up. I don’t know who the Lilith artists might be nowadays or if I’d fit the bill.

SDGLN What is the difference (production-wise) with how you made your current album, “Devil’s Halo” with Mercer Street and say, “Peace Beyond Passion,” with Maverick?

MN This record was played and recorded as a live band. We all played together, rather than parts recorded individually. I also produced this record with Chris Bruce, our guitar player, and it was generally a more intimate production. It was one of the most satisfying record making experiences I’ve had.

SDGLN In 2002, you participated in a benefit for the Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) at Carnegie Hall. Is Carnegie Hall everything that its cracked up to be?

MN Definitely. I’ve played there since then, too and remembered how intimidating it is to look up at those steep balconies. It’s incredible sounding. The acoustics are singular.

SDGLN What musicians inspire you? What inspires you in life?

MN My band inspires me. Chris Bruce makes me work harder. Mark Kelley, our bass player, makes me humble. Deantoni, who plays drums, just blows my mind. Right now, David Bowie and Stevie Wonder are topping the list but I listen to a lot of music, cycle through inspirations on a regular basis. There’s something to find everywhere. In life - my family. My imagination. I live in the country now, so I’ve got the natural world to dazzle me too.

SDGLN You once were a judge for the Independent Music Awards. What advice do you have for up-and-coming independent musicians?

MN Dig deep to determine if you want to play to make music or for fame and fortune. It’s not the same road.

Ndegeocello presents “The Best of Bitter” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Anthology, 1337 India St. in Little Italy. Call (619) 595-0300

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Via SDGLN

Our friend Chris Cantore talks about the latest shows coming to Anthology. Listen below or download (right-click and ‘Save As’) this week’s podcast.