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this week on the Stereo Image, we are joined by the great Alex Frank, bass virtuoso, man
about town, musician wrangler, arranger, composer, works with a lot of younger guys and
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girls singing.
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There's nothing he can't do.
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How are you?
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Thanks for coming on.
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Excellent.
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Well, everything's great.
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Everything's great here.
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I just wanna talk about what's going on right now with you.
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I mean, you've got a lot of projects that are happening.
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Obviously the stuff with the movie star, but also, you know, the stuff with Ryan and
Graham and all that stuff.
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So what's going on right now in your life?
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Yeah, right now I'm getting ready to go.
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Speaking of the movie star with Jeff Goldblum, I'm going next week with him to Australia
for two and a half weeks.
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We're doing a tour going to Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane, kind of all
over.
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Yeah.
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of these in only two weeks.
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Because it's a big uh area.
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It is, and we're flying all over.
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So it'll be fun.
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Yep.
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And so talk a little bit about uh how I, we got a lot of roads to go down, but that's one
of them.
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Talk a little bit about how that all came about, how you met up with Jeff in the first
place and how the band got together and you know, all that kind of stuff.
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Yeah, so Jeff has played piano his whole life.
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He...
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grew up in Pittsburgh and the first record his dad ever brought home to him was Errol
Garner plays Misty and you know, Errol Garner is from Pittsburgh as well.
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A lot of jazz piano players like Sonny Clark and Ahmad Jamal of course.
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And Jeff kind of fell in love with jazz when he was young and just kind of always did it
for fun.
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Actually when he was young, when he was a teenager, he would call restaurants and say,
hey, I heard you're looking for a piano player, even though none of them were.
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Haha
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until he finally got a gig.
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uh
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And so, but then, you know, he moved to New York and got into acting, of course.
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But he, around the early nineties, he, a friend of his was Peter Weller, you know,
Robocop.
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And, and Peter played trumpet and was friends with Miles Davis and Miles, like they
started getting together to play.
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And I guess the story goes like, supposedly Miles Davis said to Peter Weller, you guys,
you and Jeff should go start, just have a gig somewhere around LA.
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So.
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they started a band basically playing around LA in the early 90s.
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Obviously I was, very little back then, but, uh, just, kind of kept it up just kind of
when he wasn't filming and just underground and then things kind of transformed.
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I met him about seven, eight years ago and he had a,
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I thought you, I thought you'd known him longer than that, but yeah, that makes sense.
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I guess now it's nine years.
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Wow.
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I didn't even think about it.
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2017.
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Yeah.
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So it's been nine years.
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And he had a bass player he used forever who then retired to Colorado.
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someone, you know, you know how this is, someone recommended me and we hit it off.
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And just right then is when he started releasing records on, on Decca Records, now Fontana
and Universal.
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And just kind of time goes on and I, you know, I was interested in, and really kind of
taking the band to a different level.
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So fast forward about five, six years later, I became the musical director of the group.
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And, know, for one, one reason or another, now I got, you know, my, my guys in the band,
which is very nice, you know, to play with as you, as you know,
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Ryan Shaw and Graham Dechter and just, you know, just super fun because we, we play, you
know, we play American songbook stuff, but then we were doing like on the setlist right
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now, we're doing a Joe Henderson song.
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We're doing the kicker.
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We're doing, yeah, we're doing Moanin, you know, of course the, Blakey version of that
we're doing.
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mean, there's a lot of just kind of deep cuts in there too.
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We do speaking of Sonny Clark, we do a song, Blue Minor, like so.
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that too, yeah.
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Yeah, and then plus there's this songbook stuff with the singer.
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We don't really have a singer join us and everything like right now in the setlist we have
Let's Face the Music and Dance.
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We have an arrangement I did of uh Misty that's kind of more of a boogaloo version and
stuff.
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it just depends, you know, it's very fun.
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Wow.
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so, so you were just, somebody just said, Hey, Jeff's looking for a bass player and you
just showed up and that's how that, yeah.
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Yeah.
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And then I just happened to show up and then right shortly after that was when he recorded
his first record and it just happened to, to work out timing wise.
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That's the, It's, know, weird shit happens like that.
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um But yeah, I can relate quite a bit.
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but so, but you, I mean, you were, your whole upbringing has been music.
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I mean, you know, usually I talk to people and I say, how did you get into music or what'd
you listen to?
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I still want to know what you listened to as a kid and how, and how you got into it.
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But, but I mean, you're, know, your dad's a big shot.
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and you grew up around music and like a real West Coast story, uh industry story.
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And talk about that a little bit.
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Yeah, so my parents both come from music originally.
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My dad's from Baltimore.
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My mom is from New York, from Long Island.
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And they both moved to Manhattan before they knew each other.
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my mom was singing on Broadway.
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And my dad was a conductor on Broadway originally.
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And that was how they met.
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But then they eventually, were in late 70s in New York.
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Yeah.
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huh, huh, okay.
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and then they both moved, they weren't dating then, but then they both moved separately to
LA and ran into each other out here.
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But my dad came to LA to be a film composer.
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And he was lucky enough, he started working pretty much right away.
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He kind of got into the action genre originally.
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He scored, he scored a lot of the original Steven Seagal films, like Above the Law, Hard
to Kill, Out for Justice.
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Yes, exactly.
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And.
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love those movies when I was, know, I was a huge, huge Steven Seagal fan of those, of the
early stuff before he sort of sold out and,
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were definitely one of a kind films back then.
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basically, I was very lucky.
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He would be doing recording sessions all throughout the late 80s, early 90s, mid 90s.
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And I'd be like six, seven years old just going to these recording sessions with him and
just hanging out.
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He would bring me in.
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He did a TV movie once that was.
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It was the Mia Farrow story.
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Basically it was a TV movie all about Mia Farrow.
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you know, the director wanted to get like a big name in jazz at the time.
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So they flew in, my dad did the music, they flew in Josh Redman to do it.
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And then my dad picked the rhythm section in LA and it was John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton
and stuff.
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I was, you know, I was like a little kid this whole time and kind of, uh yeah, just kind
of be around and all that kind of stuff.
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not gonna wanna hear this, when were you, what year were you born?
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I'm older than you think.
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I was born 88.
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That's no, that's, um, wow.
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So, yeah, I was, I was, yeah, I was out of college and in working.
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But no, no, no, Boston, Boston and New York.
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But after Berklee I stayed in Boston and got, you know, did all the gigs there and, then
started going out in New York doing session work.
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But uh
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But so, so yeah, so you're like, you know, in 98, you were only 10.
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So, but when did you start?
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I mean, did you start playing bass?
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Or did you start playing another instrument?
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Or what happened?
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I originally started on clarinet.
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Oh, that's in demand.
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Yeah, exactly, you know, they were calling me for all the, klezmer weddings and stuff.
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no.
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calling you for all those Benny Goodman tribute bands that are out there.
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Exactly.
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Um, so I, kind of, I kind of was playing classical clarinet and I, you know, I was playing
Mozart and all this stuff that I loved when I was, I was like 11, 12 and, um, I wanted to
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do jazz.
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And I mean, it was around that time in the, uh, when 2000, 2001, it was, I heard, um, a
record that had Ray Brown on it.
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Um,
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And I originally started, cause I was like, I want to play bass, but I was, I didn't, I
didn't have the means to an upright bass.
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I started on electric bass originally.
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but then within a year and a half, I had switched to like a smaller size upright.
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and I kind of knew like from then, like, I, there was just a different functionality of
the bass versus the clarinet that I was like, this yeah, I was like, this is what I want
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to do.
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Well, I mean, you told me the story about your dad instead of taking the job, but we'll
talk about that in a second.
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Obviously your dad was writing commercial and writing to order scores, but a big jazz fan?
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your...
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yeah, he didn't really play much jazz.
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came from like, he went to Peabody and he was a classical, he won a concerto competition
when he was 13 versus like adults and stuff.
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He was a serious classical piano player.
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but he always liked composing more and was really into the Broadway kind of stuff at the
time.
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And got to know a lot of people in the seventies.
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He got to work with Hal David a little bit in the seventies and stuff, and you know, from
Burt Baccarat And he, so he, but he always loved jazz, but it was just nothing.
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It was not really his thing.
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And he was, as he always says, he's like, I just don't have the skillset that you have for
that stuff.
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But, but always appreciated.
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And, you know, he,
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He was lucky enough, speaking of Ray Brown, he told me when he first, he, my dad conducted
three times on the um Merv Griffin show.
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And um of course, Ray was in the house band of that, of that show.
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So he, he had Ray play for him on that kind of stuff.
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so he met him a few times, but yeah, he never really got into playing jazz.
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My dad.
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But he obviously appreciated you having an interest in it and helping.
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Yeah.
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And really my love for the American song book comes from him because he introduced me at a
young age to Cole Porter, Lerner and Lowe, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Rodgers and Hart.
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Jerome Kern and all that stuff comes from my dad, had all that, knew all that, had all the
sheet music, all that stuff.
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Well, yeah, and I mean, I'll tell you, this might be too much information, but one of the
things that I love about playing with you and Graham is you're guys that aren't even 40
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yet, and you like listen to all the albums that I listened to when I was growing up.
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You know what I mean?
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It's like your influences and...
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I mean, you know, being from the East Coast and we're going to Berklee and working with a
lot of New York guys, there's the younger guys there that I played with and the guys that
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even my age were much more influenced by Ron Carter and guys like that.
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And to come across you and know, and Garolla and even Katie,
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you know, that are so heavily influenced by the Ray through John Clayton.
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It was such a breath of fresh air for me because it's like, oh, this is the bass player I
want to play with because this is the bass that I've grew up listening to and want to
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hear, you know, and uh it's really good.
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well, at least for me, it fills a niche that, you know, the...
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The guys that went to Berklee, when I went to Berklee, there were kids that thought that,
you know, Ron Carter invented bass.
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They didn't know who Paul Chambers was.
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They didn't know who Ray was.
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They didn't know who Blanton was, you know.
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The irony of it is I went to college too.
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went to Oberlin Conservatory and at the time, the, the really big bass player at the time
was Larry Grenadier with Brad Mehldau trio.
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And you know, Larry's a great, obviously incredible bass player.
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I've heard him play many times, just brilliant bass player.
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And the thing is like all these people who are, know, that he could play like the most
insane stuff in five four and say like just in crazy stuff, but like
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You talk to Larry, it's like they're coming from the tradition.
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And I think that's the thing with a lot of these young players who just want to dismiss
Ray Brown or something.
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They don't realize that to get to a different thing, you have to come from that place
anyway.
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So it's like you're just kind of skipping over the most important thing.
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was like with piano players that start with Bill Evans.
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I mean, there's nothing wrong with worshiping Bill Evans, but you know, Bill Evans
listened to Fats Waller and Tatum and everybody else.
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Yeah, and Tatum and know, everybody, know, Teddy Wilson and you know, and to...
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still listen to Teddy almost all the I love Teddy so much.
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Yeah, I mean, and it's so, you know, it's just, it's, I think you have, like you say, you
have to absorb the whole history of the instrument to then have your own ideas.
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You know what I mean?
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It's like they take these shortcuts, you know, even, mean, even Bill Evans is getting too
old for some people.
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You know, there are guys that, you know, that,
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their starting point is Brad Mehldau You know what I mean?
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And not understanding that Brad studied the whole history of the instrument in depth and
it's, you know, so it's, but yeah, but I mean, one of the things that's so authentic about
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your playing is it's there, you know what I mean?
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You can, you know, when you're laying down a lick that I would hear Ray play, you know,
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It doesn't sound like you're imitating Ray.
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It's just part of your vocabulary.
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No, you know.
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I'm trying to imitate, I've just listened to it so, so much as you have as well.
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Like, I mean, on that note, like the greatest compliment, not to name drop or anything,
but the greatest compliment I ever received on that note was years ago, I was lucky enough
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to play a gig with the late great Johnny Mandel um and Johnny's band and...
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It was like one of those things we played and the audience just had a crazy people in it.
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Cause Johnny obviously has quite a career and in the audience was Quincy Jones.
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And, you know, here we are.
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Like we were playing all these, like, you know, all these Johnny Mandel classics, like
Shadow Your Smile.
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And of course, the theme from M.A.S.H.
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and these different things.
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And, Johnny wrote some great tunes obviously.
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Actually, we did some of his songs he wrote with Marilyn Allen Bergman and Allen Bergman
sang his own songs, which was pretty deep.
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00:14:59,049 --> 00:15:04,984
uh anyway, after the show, Quincy was there with a whole posse of people.
208
00:15:04,984 --> 00:15:06,655
He had a whole entourage.
209
00:15:06,655 --> 00:15:12,099
after the show, one of his assistants or side guys comes up to me while I'm packing at my
base.
210
00:15:12,099 --> 00:15:14,104
And he goes, excuse me, you're playing bass, right?
211
00:15:14,104 --> 00:15:14,461
I'm like, yeah.
212
00:15:14,461 --> 00:15:15,342
He goes, Mr.
213
00:15:15,342 --> 00:15:17,364
Jones would like to see you in his booth.
214
00:15:17,364 --> 00:15:19,244
I was like, I was like 26 at the time.
215
00:15:19,244 --> 00:15:20,886
And I'm like, okay.
216
00:15:20,886 --> 00:15:23,307
And like, I mean, you know, it's Quincy Jones.
217
00:15:23,307 --> 00:15:29,797
And so I go, yeah, I go over to the booth and I go to, sit down like, Mr.
218
00:15:29,797 --> 00:15:34,250
Jones, like such an honor to meet you And he goes, he goes, man, he's like, I was
listening to that show.
219
00:15:34,250 --> 00:15:35,956
He's like, I got two words for you.
220
00:15:35,956 --> 00:15:37,227
He's like, Ray Brown, man.
221
00:15:37,227 --> 00:15:39,420
I hear him in your playing and
222
00:15:39,420 --> 00:15:40,226
nice.
223
00:15:40,226 --> 00:15:43,558
oh he's like, know, Ray and I were like, thick as thieves.
224
00:15:43,558 --> 00:15:46,410
And he just keeps, and he's like, I hear him coming through you.
225
00:15:46,410 --> 00:15:53,955
And we just then talked for like a half hour about, he was telling me he was the one who
got Ray to learn electric bass for his record, Walking in Space.
226
00:15:53,955 --> 00:16:02,000
um And then I was asking him questions about working with Sinatra and of course with Count
Basie's band.
227
00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:05,702
Yeah, was just sweetest guy, but that was a pretty cool compliment.
228
00:16:05,702 --> 00:16:14,379
Yeah, that's why well, it's well deserved too, because you play the shit out of the base,
you know, I mean, I don't, you know, I've played, you know, I've played with a fair amount
229
00:16:14,379 --> 00:16:16,531
of bass players, I'm much older than you.
230
00:16:16,531 --> 00:16:17,993
uh you know, and I'm lucky.
231
00:16:17,993 --> 00:16:25,681
I mean, I'm super lucky, you know, I mean, I worked a lot with Tony Bennett's bass player,
Marshall Wood for years, and with Grey Sergeant and
232
00:16:25,681 --> 00:16:36,582
And I, and, uh, there was a guy in Boston that's like an under the radar guy, like a heavy
guy named Pete Katrimis and, uh, and Whit Brown uh, you know, all the guys that taught at
233
00:16:36,582 --> 00:16:37,202
Berklee.
234
00:16:37,202 --> 00:16:47,544
And I got to play with Ray sitting in a few times and I got to play with, you know, and,
and Neils and, know, I mean, when the first time we played together was like, we've been
235
00:16:47,544 --> 00:16:49,064
playing together for 20 years.
236
00:16:49,064 --> 00:16:50,984
And it's because.
237
00:16:51,668 --> 00:16:54,370
we both come from the same mindset.
238
00:16:54,370 --> 00:16:55,271
You know what I mean?
239
00:16:55,271 --> 00:16:57,673
The records that we like are the same records.
240
00:16:57,673 --> 00:17:02,317
And, and, and as I say, you know, it's, it's not like you're doing an impersonation.
241
00:17:02,317 --> 00:17:05,459
It's just part of your vocabulary of your instrument.
242
00:17:05,459 --> 00:17:09,012
But also your time is so deep and so heavy.
243
00:17:09,012 --> 00:17:13,186
And it's so, you know, it's, it's, it's just a joy.
244
00:17:13,186 --> 00:17:18,870
And uh so much so that I put up with your horrible personality, because you're a horrible
person.
245
00:17:18,870 --> 00:17:20,100
uh
246
00:17:20,100 --> 00:17:21,840
that's what they tell me every day.
247
00:17:21,840 --> 00:17:26,193
um But no, the feeling is very mutual Jonesy.
248
00:17:26,413 --> 00:17:31,456
what I was gonna say on that note is like people, cause people don't, as you know, we've
done this our whole lives.
249
00:17:31,456 --> 00:17:35,437
People ask like, like how do you guys have, you haven't played together before.
250
00:17:35,437 --> 00:17:37,278
How does it sound so cohesive?
251
00:17:37,278 --> 00:17:38,348
And it's like.
252
00:17:38,506 --> 00:17:48,623
It's hard to explain to someone who doesn't understand like there's the thousands of hours
you and I have spent listening to the same records and listening to the same thing and the
253
00:17:48,623 --> 00:17:54,148
same tunes and the and there's no way there's no substitute to translate that into playing
with someone.
254
00:17:54,148 --> 00:18:01,187
You know, it's a hard thing to grasp for people because it's not like there's not just
some shortcut like, yeah, you do this, you'll be able to play with this music.
255
00:18:01,187 --> 00:18:02,048
Yeah, yeah.
256
00:18:02,048 --> 00:18:15,499
Well, by the way, just on a side, a little off-ramp from what you were talking about uh
with Johnny Mandel, one of the high points of my life was I was on a jazz cruise, this is
257
00:18:15,499 --> 00:18:17,321
back in the 90s, I think.
258
00:18:17,321 --> 00:18:21,245
And there was this group that I believe has something to do with the Jazz Cruise now.
259
00:18:21,245 --> 00:18:26,619
I forget the name of them, but it's a big group, and they used to bring like several
hundred people on the cruise.
260
00:18:26,669 --> 00:18:34,716
And they would bring some of their own special guests on because, you know, Jerry Mulligan
wasn't hip enough for him, right?
261
00:18:34,716 --> 00:18:38,219
So they'd bring on, you know, and they'd have their own little private parties.
262
00:18:38,219 --> 00:18:40,061
And I forget, it was out of St.
263
00:18:40,061 --> 00:18:40,811
Louis or something.
264
00:18:40,811 --> 00:18:43,084
I forget some DJ donned somebody or something.
265
00:18:43,084 --> 00:18:51,993
But anyhow, they brought on Johnny Mandel as a guest and they asked me if I would play a
private party.
266
00:18:52,153 --> 00:18:54,775
for them with Johnny Mandel there.
267
00:18:54,775 --> 00:18:58,739
And I'm like, sure, because it was like an extra 500 bucks or something.
268
00:18:58,739 --> 00:19:02,332
And so I show up, and Johnny Mandel's there.
269
00:19:02,332 --> 00:19:05,364
And I'm, you know, was obviously I'm, you know, stoked to meet him.
270
00:19:05,364 --> 00:19:07,576
And, and I'm playing my little shit.
271
00:19:07,576 --> 00:19:13,231
And then near the end, they took, they said to take a break, and they were going to, and
what's his name?
272
00:19:13,231 --> 00:19:15,492
Milt Hinton was playing bass with me.
273
00:19:15,733 --> 00:19:16,824
I forgot about that.
274
00:19:16,824 --> 00:19:18,305
That's a major part of it.
275
00:19:18,305 --> 00:19:19,296
But I forgot.
276
00:19:19,296 --> 00:19:20,839
Anyways, so then
277
00:19:20,839 --> 00:19:24,674
Yeah, so then Johnny sits down at the piano afterwards.
278
00:19:24,674 --> 00:19:27,395
I'm eating, because it's a cruise ship.
279
00:19:27,395 --> 00:19:31,117
And I'm sitting right next to the bench.
280
00:19:31,117 --> 00:19:38,143
And he sits down and he plays Emily and the Shadow of Your Smile and a couple other
numbers.
281
00:19:38,143 --> 00:19:39,043
And he sings them.
282
00:19:39,043 --> 00:19:41,785
He's just sitting there at the piano singing.
283
00:19:41,785 --> 00:19:45,643
And I'm like, this is one of the most incredible moments.
284
00:19:45,643 --> 00:19:48,789
of my life to hear the composer of this stuff.
285
00:19:48,789 --> 00:19:53,719
I mean, he couldn't sing at all, but it was just so fucking great.
286
00:19:53,719 --> 00:19:57,423
Yeah, but man, what an honor, what a thrill.
287
00:19:57,423 --> 00:20:02,419
Yeah, on that note, I was lucky enough to hear him play Emily two once and-
288
00:20:02,419 --> 00:20:05,139
I gotta tell you, like, cause then he gave me the original sheet music.
289
00:20:05,139 --> 00:20:09,119
The original chords are way more hip than people play on that tune.
290
00:20:09,139 --> 00:20:16,999
Like if you get a chance, I forget what it is, people kind of, the standard changes on
that tune are not right.
291
00:20:16,999 --> 00:20:27,859
And the real chords are really hip, especially when it goes to that key change, kind of up
the major third, you know, whatever, or down to the six major there.
292
00:20:27,899 --> 00:20:28,848
it's a...
293
00:20:28,848 --> 00:20:32,924
The original changes are very different and they're phenomenal.
294
00:20:32,925 --> 00:20:33,443
Yeah.
295
00:20:33,443 --> 00:20:40,983
I mean, he would have what a day I love his arrangement of in the still of the night they
did for Sinatra.
296
00:20:41,323 --> 00:20:43,923
Yeah, yeah, it's just so hip.
297
00:20:43,923 --> 00:20:46,443
But um, well, we could nerd out on this for another hour.
298
00:20:46,443 --> 00:20:49,663
But um, but I want more answers.
299
00:20:50,143 --> 00:20:51,123
So.
300
00:20:51,863 --> 00:20:59,251
So you, you were you decided to start playing bass, like when you heard Ray, and you were
like, 1213, you say?
301
00:20:59,251 --> 00:21:01,540
11, 12, yeah.
302
00:21:01,540 --> 00:21:02,280
yeah.
303
00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:07,600
and then you so like you practice, you had a lesson and then your first gig was like when
you were 13.
304
00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:08,520
No.
305
00:21:10,100 --> 00:21:11,040
That's the joke.
306
00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:12,680
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
307
00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:13,565
Yeah.
308
00:21:13,565 --> 00:21:18,365
But, no, but I mean, obviously, did you?
309
00:21:18,585 --> 00:21:26,769
Oh, now another question was, when you're playing classical clarinet, you you hear you
hear rain you like jazz.
310
00:21:26,769 --> 00:21:28,674
Are you listening to pop music?
311
00:21:28,674 --> 00:21:34,800
Is it around you at like your high school years and stuff or were you playing in bands or
anything?
312
00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:45,240
of, I, I, I did actually, there was, um, when I was 11, my best friend at the time was
this guy, uh, JP John Paul was his name and he played guitar and he was like, Alex, it was
313
00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:48,560
short lived, but he needed a bass player in his rock band.
314
00:21:48,560 --> 00:21:53,200
And I was, and I played electric bass in it for, for about a year or two.
315
00:21:53,220 --> 00:21:57,380
Um, called the scuba kids with a K it was, you know, we're trying to be cool.
316
00:21:57,760 --> 00:21:58,628
Um,
317
00:22:00,183 --> 00:22:01,328
what kind of stuff?
318
00:22:01,328 --> 00:22:02,148
mean,
319
00:22:02,231 --> 00:22:05,430
it was like punk kind of ska.
320
00:22:05,510 --> 00:22:05,982
huh.
321
00:22:05,982 --> 00:22:07,584
That's what I think of when I look at you.
322
00:22:07,584 --> 00:22:11,250
um yeah, yeah.
323
00:22:11,250 --> 00:22:11,973
Well.
324
00:22:11,973 --> 00:22:18,754
I actually found recently, I found a video that someone filmed from when I was like 11 or
12 with the band doing a show.
325
00:22:18,754 --> 00:22:20,335
It's pretty funny to watch.
326
00:22:20,335 --> 00:22:22,435
man, that should go on your website.
327
00:22:23,747 --> 00:22:29,967
well, and so then you went to, where did you go to high school?
328
00:22:29,967 --> 00:22:30,950
I mean, just.
329
00:22:30,950 --> 00:22:42,137
I grew up in the Valley in LA and I went to Calabasas High School, uh which in high
school, I was lucky enough to grow up around in the area because we're very close to Agora
330
00:22:42,137 --> 00:22:43,938
Hills area.
331
00:22:43,998 --> 00:22:47,159
And there was a lot of just phenomenal musicians.
332
00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:54,484
One guy I met who was, at my school, there was nobody really who was on the level of music
that I was trying to do.
333
00:22:54,484 --> 00:22:58,165
But at our neighboring high school in Agora High School, there was a kid my age.
334
00:22:59,022 --> 00:23:02,285
one of my teachers was like, you really should get together with this kid.
335
00:23:02,285 --> 00:23:03,716
He's an amazing piano player.
336
00:23:03,716 --> 00:23:04,848
His name's Jordan Siegel.
337
00:23:04,848 --> 00:23:05,688
Yeah.
338
00:23:05,688 --> 00:23:13,696
And so then Jordan and I in high school, we booked a regular gig in the summer at this
place called The Rack in Los Angeles.
339
00:23:13,696 --> 00:23:15,998
It was like a Asian fusion restaurant.
340
00:23:15,998 --> 00:23:18,680
And I think we made 50 bucks each night.
341
00:23:18,680 --> 00:23:20,902
And we just literally would play standards like...
342
00:23:20,902 --> 00:23:22,443
uh
343
00:23:23,055 --> 00:23:26,335
Same as it's, it's, it's, it's a gone down a little bit today.
344
00:23:26,335 --> 00:23:34,943
um, but, for summer in like high school, you know, and, and yeah.
345
00:23:34,943 --> 00:23:38,450
And at, and at the time, like, you know, Jordan and I, were listening.
346
00:23:38,450 --> 00:23:45,692
I remember at the time we were talking about, there was like a new Benny green record that
came out and we were like, we're trying to learn the arrangements or something, you know,
347
00:23:45,692 --> 00:23:47,323
it was just different things like that.
348
00:23:47,323 --> 00:23:49,151
And this was all in high school.
349
00:23:49,151 --> 00:23:52,004
So I was lucky enough to meet some great musicians.
350
00:23:52,004 --> 00:23:57,196
who in the area who are still doing music to this day and are friends of mine.
351
00:23:57,350 --> 00:23:59,171
that's yeah, yeah.
352
00:23:59,171 --> 00:24:08,474
Well, that's really important because you know, when you're when you're that age to be in
that atmosphere and realize what a gig is.
353
00:24:08,849 --> 00:24:09,985
And you know what I mean?
354
00:24:09,985 --> 00:24:16,349
Did you have to show up play even though there might be people not listening and all that
kind of stuff?
355
00:24:16,349 --> 00:24:20,511
I mean, you know, I it's much better.
356
00:24:20,511 --> 00:24:21,941
It's much better.
357
00:24:21,953 --> 00:24:24,519
than taking a job in a record store.
358
00:24:24,519 --> 00:24:25,262
You know what I mean?
359
00:24:25,262 --> 00:24:26,462
um
360
00:24:26,462 --> 00:24:38,671
then to that note, not to interrupt you, but like around that same time, I decided to take
a couple lessons because I knew he had just kind of started teaching at UCLA, but I was
361
00:24:38,671 --> 00:24:44,457
still young and I took a couple lessons over the summer with Tamir Hendelman, as you know,
Tamir.
362
00:24:44,457 --> 00:24:47,440
And at the time, Tamir said, he's like,
363
00:24:47,532 --> 00:24:56,298
you know, you know who lives, was living still, I was still a kid, I was living at home in
Calabasas and he was like, know who lives in Calabasas right by you is, is Graham Dechter.
364
00:24:56,298 --> 00:24:58,599
And I go, yeah, I love, I didn't know Graham.
365
00:24:58,599 --> 00:25:02,201
And Timmy was like, he's like, let me call him right now and introduce you guys.
366
00:25:02,722 --> 00:25:05,723
And that was how that came about.
367
00:25:06,164 --> 00:25:07,184
God.
368
00:25:12,243 --> 00:25:14,664
I don't know.
369
00:25:15,964 --> 00:25:19,424
almost, uh, over 15, 20, 15, 20 years ago.
370
00:25:19,424 --> 00:25:20,111
Yeah.
371
00:25:20,111 --> 00:25:20,701
all right.
372
00:25:20,701 --> 00:25:26,353
And so, but how did you hear of Tamir to go seek him out for lessons?
373
00:25:27,620 --> 00:25:34,168
I had talked to John Clayton and I obviously had seen Tamir in the Clayton Hamilton
Orchestra at the time.
374
00:25:34,168 --> 00:25:38,331
Yeah, because I was already taking lessons with John Clayton by then.
375
00:25:38,446 --> 00:25:39,952
Oh, okay, you left that out.
376
00:25:39,952 --> 00:25:42,524
uh It's an important step.
377
00:25:42,524 --> 00:25:44,069
uh
378
00:25:44,181 --> 00:25:46,541
you want to talk about the sweetest human being ever.
379
00:25:46,541 --> 00:25:53,101
I mean, there's, there's nothing that compares to the first lesson I ever took with John,
just kind of what kind of human being he is.
380
00:25:53,781 --> 00:25:55,041
Um, yeah.
381
00:25:55,041 --> 00:25:59,697
So I remember I was in, I was, uh, about 12 or 13 and
382
00:25:59,697 --> 00:26:01,897
You know, I emailed him and never, and he was so kind.
383
00:26:01,897 --> 00:26:04,060
He's like, you know, come, come over to his house.
384
00:26:04,060 --> 00:26:06,171
So he had a beautiful house in Alta Dena.
385
00:26:06,171 --> 00:26:11,895
Unfortunately he lost it in the, in the fires last year, but you know, I, I couldn't even
drive at the time.
386
00:26:11,895 --> 00:26:20,882
So my, think my dad dropped me off with my, and like John just like the most warm, caring
person ever, like gives me like, gives me,
387
00:26:21,628 --> 00:26:23,139
Like I'm there for like two hours.
388
00:26:23,139 --> 00:26:31,834
He's showing me everything, talking about clarity on the instrument, talking about
technique, talking about just a plan for life with jazz and music and stuff.
389
00:26:31,895 --> 00:26:34,617
And at the end I brought a check.
390
00:26:34,617 --> 00:26:39,179
I had a checkbook and I had, I didn't know how much it was going to be the lesson, right?
391
00:26:39,319 --> 00:26:40,180
So.
392
00:26:40,209 --> 00:26:43,769
I pull out the cash, I'm like, John, thank you so much.
393
00:26:43,769 --> 00:26:46,297
It was like two hours, I how much do I owe you?
394
00:26:46,297 --> 00:26:56,769
And I swear to God, John takes out his wallet, and John takes out like $60 in cash, and he
hands it to me, and he says, he's like, go buy yourself some records.
395
00:26:58,715 --> 00:26:59,586
Yeah.
396
00:27:00,750 --> 00:27:02,373
And that was a true story.
397
00:27:02,373 --> 00:27:03,234
Yeah.
398
00:27:03,536 --> 00:27:08,786
And it's like, so it's like, it's one of those things that never will always stick with me
forever, you know?
399
00:27:08,997 --> 00:27:22,576
And I mean, you know, he's known as a miserable prick like you, you know, no, I mean, the
sweetest guy in the world, you know, just and so I mean, with his with his playing and his
400
00:27:22,576 --> 00:27:27,115
personality equally like giving, you know, just wide open and
401
00:27:27,115 --> 00:27:35,323
I'm very grateful for my connection with him because he's the one now twice in the last
couple years has brought me out to be part of the Veiled Jazz party.
402
00:27:35,323 --> 00:27:38,646
he always is a big proponent of mine and always says, let's bring out, get Alex.
403
00:27:38,646 --> 00:27:42,849
And all the donors tell me, John insisted you come out and do this.
404
00:27:42,849 --> 00:27:45,471
So I'm really thankful for him.
405
00:27:45,471 --> 00:27:45,993
Yeah.
406
00:27:45,993 --> 00:27:47,836
Yeah, yeah, he's he's a monster.
407
00:27:47,836 --> 00:27:51,302
And, well, so excuse me.
408
00:27:51,302 --> 00:27:53,305
So you went to you went to Oberlin.
409
00:27:53,305 --> 00:27:59,032
um Did you graduate or did you just give up like anyone smart would?
410
00:27:59,793 --> 00:28:00,804
All right.
411
00:28:00,814 --> 00:28:11,022
another circumstance there was you know, obviously a lot of incredible musicians and
faculty I was lucky enough to study with just some incredible people that even for me were
412
00:28:11,022 --> 00:28:18,689
different like, you I was obviously doing the right stuff but then at the time I studied
for a year there with Eddie Gomez, which was a whole other experience.
413
00:28:18,689 --> 00:28:23,037
Yeah, but then I was lucky enough I studied with
414
00:28:23,037 --> 00:28:24,617
Gary Bartz was there.
415
00:28:24,617 --> 00:28:30,747
I studied with Billy Hart was playing with drums there and just all these other just deep
musicians that I learned so much.
416
00:28:30,747 --> 00:28:36,173
But there was another, there was a student a year older than me there, this kid from New
Orleans.
417
00:28:36,173 --> 00:28:37,624
And I remember like...
418
00:28:37,698 --> 00:28:45,249
The first day I met him and played with him and I like, called Jordan or someone back here
in LA.
419
00:28:45,249 --> 00:28:48,413
was like, like I just met the most incredible musician I've ever met.
420
00:28:48,413 --> 00:28:52,018
And I just said, this guy's special and his name's Sullivan Fortner.
421
00:28:52,018 --> 00:28:55,221
And now he kind of is, he's kind of...
422
00:28:55,322 --> 00:28:56,322
Rightfully so.
423
00:28:56,322 --> 00:28:58,322
just, don't know if you just watch, I follow him.
424
00:28:58,322 --> 00:29:07,922
We're still, I still see him when he comes to LA, but Sullivan, you he just won his like
third Grammy this year, but he, he, um, he just, there's a video of him from like a couple
425
00:29:07,922 --> 00:29:08,482
of days ago.
426
00:29:08,482 --> 00:29:15,588
He's basically playing a house concert at this like rich person's house in New York and at
like a loft and.
427
00:29:15,588 --> 00:29:19,280
He's like, you know, your guys party, anything you guys want to hear.
428
00:29:19,280 --> 00:29:20,801
And someone says, Lush Life.
429
00:29:20,801 --> 00:29:21,482
And he goes, OK.
430
00:29:21,482 --> 00:29:22,873
And then they go, in B major.
431
00:29:22,873 --> 00:29:24,224
And he goes, OK.
432
00:29:24,224 --> 00:29:30,469
And then he literally plays one of the most incredible versions of Lush Life I have ever
heard in my life in B major.
433
00:29:30,469 --> 00:29:35,573
even if it was in D flat, it's just the most stunning chord.
434
00:29:35,573 --> 00:29:37,164
It's a different level of musician.
435
00:29:37,164 --> 00:29:39,420
He's as deep as it comes.
436
00:29:39,420 --> 00:29:40,891
Right, yeah, yeah, yeah.
437
00:29:40,891 --> 00:29:49,366
I mean, you hear it in his playing and you know, you know, I mean, it's like, when I was
at Berklee, was like, Makoto Ozoni was there.
438
00:29:49,587 --> 00:29:58,753
And it was just, you know, it's just like, you know, I, as I say, I tell this story a lot,
but it still bears repeating because he's a dear friend of mine and I know he'll get
439
00:29:58,753 --> 00:29:59,193
embarrassed.
440
00:29:59,193 --> 00:30:03,968
But when I went and him the first time I saw him play, he was giving a,
441
00:30:03,968 --> 00:30:05,720
concert at the Berklee Performance Center.
442
00:30:05,720 --> 00:30:07,631
And he was, you know, freshman.
443
00:30:07,631 --> 00:30:15,099
And the entire row that I was sitting in was the faculty, the piano faculty.
444
00:30:15,099 --> 00:30:20,243
was like, Bob Winter and Ray Santisi and Paul Schmeling and all the guys.
445
00:30:20,243 --> 00:30:22,346
And I was already like friendly with them.
446
00:30:22,346 --> 00:30:26,149
So I was sitting with them to see this young whippersnapper, right?
447
00:30:26,149 --> 00:30:28,741
And he came out and he gave...
448
00:30:29,081 --> 00:30:34,734
a master class in the most incredible performance that any of them had seen.
449
00:30:34,734 --> 00:30:38,496
mean, every single one of them were like, I quit.
450
00:30:38,496 --> 00:30:39,837
This is ridiculous.
451
00:30:39,837 --> 00:30:42,398
This 20 year old Japanese kid is playing.
452
00:30:42,398 --> 00:30:49,102
mean, it was, was at that time, there's not much, there's a tape exists of it, but I don't
know how to get it.
453
00:30:49,102 --> 00:30:56,731
But at, and I want to see if over 40 years later, I'm misremembering it as more impressive
than it was, but I don't think I am.
454
00:30:56,731 --> 00:30:58,357
I, yeah you are,
455
00:30:58,596 --> 00:31:03,856
the next incarnation of Oscar.
456
00:31:04,276 --> 00:31:11,956
It was Oscar with more advanced harmonic ideas than Oscar ever played.
457
00:31:11,956 --> 00:31:20,016
And also this insane stride version of Giant Steps at this breakneck tempo.
458
00:31:20,496 --> 00:31:23,816
was jaw-dropping.
459
00:31:23,856 --> 00:31:26,752
it was just a hymn and a bass player named
460
00:31:26,752 --> 00:31:31,695
Keiichi Ishibashi, it was called the duo, the concert, right?
461
00:31:31,695 --> 00:31:33,954
And it was just unbelievable.
462
00:31:33,954 --> 00:31:42,738
And I immediately started palling around with him because we both worked in the ensembles
like Herb Palmer's band and stuff like that.
463
00:31:42,738 --> 00:31:54,200
But I walked into, and I told this story before, I walked in on him writing a score, and
he was writing with both hands, different parts.
464
00:31:54,581 --> 00:31:55,625
And I said,
465
00:31:55,625 --> 00:32:08,786
this guy is is like another level, you know, and I mean, it's so funny, because just last
summer, when we were at Radio City, he moved to New York, from Japan, and we got together
466
00:32:08,786 --> 00:32:12,026
for first the first time in 40 years and had lunch.
467
00:32:12,026 --> 00:32:13,346
And it was so wonderful.
468
00:32:13,346 --> 00:32:16,706
It was just great to, you know, really great to hang with him.
469
00:32:16,706 --> 00:32:21,126
And, and, and yeah, he's he's, he's one of those rare type.
470
00:32:21,126 --> 00:32:23,846
And Sullivan's like that, you know what I mean?
471
00:32:23,887 --> 00:32:24,366
Yeah.
472
00:32:24,366 --> 00:32:29,410
that are just that weird, you know, once in a generation type.
473
00:32:29,410 --> 00:32:38,466
uh But so you, I wanna talk a little bit about us because what the fuck?
474
00:32:38,466 --> 00:32:40,238
You know, might as well do a little self promotion.
475
00:32:40,238 --> 00:32:45,040
So we got this record coming out soon.
476
00:32:45,474 --> 00:32:46,287
Yeah.
477
00:32:46,609 --> 00:32:47,829
as soon as the covers done.
478
00:32:47,829 --> 00:32:55,174
um And I got to tell you, I mean, we, I will say, we did the record.
479
00:32:55,174 --> 00:33:00,737
We, when you guys came over to my house for the first time and said, let's play something.
480
00:33:00,737 --> 00:33:07,359
And then two days later decided we should make a record in my house because it sounded
like we've been playing for years.
481
00:33:08,080 --> 00:33:11,422
And it was comfortable and fun and interesting and exciting.
482
00:33:11,422 --> 00:33:12,342
And then
483
00:33:12,620 --> 00:33:17,754
Tom Burns at Capri Records, sent him that and he said, you gotta make a record for me.
484
00:33:17,754 --> 00:33:28,828
And I won't go into all the details, but Tom is, he's a guy that's, nobody's making a
fortune in making jazz records anymore.
485
00:33:28,828 --> 00:33:31,840
Tom is not making a fortune in the record business.
486
00:33:31,840 --> 00:33:35,501
But he wants to make records that he thinks are important and good.
487
00:33:35,582 --> 00:33:46,127
And we came up with this idea that, you know, nobody is is making records like, you know,
the Nat Cole Trio, the Oscar Peterson Trio, the Art Tatum Trio, all that's trios that were
488
00:33:46,127 --> 00:33:47,850
existed without a drummer.
489
00:33:47,850 --> 00:33:49,921
right after World War II.
490
00:33:49,921 --> 00:33:56,886
And when I heard you guys, it's like, as I said, I'm not exaggerating.
491
00:33:56,886 --> 00:34:02,888
I'd never played with guys like you before that felt so natural.
492
00:34:02,888 --> 00:34:10,051
I mean, like I said, I played for a couple of years with Grey and Marshall, and it was
good, but it was a different thing.
493
00:34:10,051 --> 00:34:14,553
And this is really authentic sounding, you know what I mean, to me.
494
00:34:14,891 --> 00:34:26,108
And I mean, the pressure for me of making two records in one night and not screwing it up
dramatically, you know, I would have enjoyed a little more relaxation time, but it all
495
00:34:26,108 --> 00:34:27,509
worked out great.
496
00:34:30,103 --> 00:34:36,727
I think you'll be more than pleased when you hear some of the other tracks because it's...
497
00:34:37,483 --> 00:34:41,937
It really holds together and the tracks that we did Ryan for the next record.
498
00:34:41,937 --> 00:34:48,102
um You know, I mean, we did that Oscar tune, You Look Good to Me.
499
00:34:48,102 --> 00:34:53,817
And I mean, really, it's like, is that Ray on bass playing his part?
500
00:34:53,817 --> 00:34:55,071
You know what?
501
00:34:55,071 --> 00:34:56,056
swinging the track.
502
00:34:56,056 --> 00:34:59,327
I was like, damn, this came out really well.
503
00:34:59,439 --> 00:35:03,085
so I'm, you know, and I think that Graham will be happy.
504
00:35:03,085 --> 00:35:05,993
I'm afraid to play it for him until, you know.
505
00:35:05,993 --> 00:35:08,157
heard the one track, he he loved it.
506
00:35:09,422 --> 00:35:09,932
Yeah.
507
00:35:09,932 --> 00:35:16,864
afraid, you know, you know, Graham, I don't want to be on anything with my name, you know,
I have complete artistic control.
508
00:35:17,178 --> 00:35:18,078
that track together.
509
00:35:18,078 --> 00:35:19,138
He loved it.
510
00:35:19,340 --> 00:35:20,520
good, well, all right.
511
00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:27,765
Well, he's playing his ass off and the version that he does of Autumn Leaves is just
killing.
512
00:35:27,765 --> 00:35:32,448
mean, you'll be, and as I said, you know, I wanted it to swing.
513
00:35:32,448 --> 00:35:36,869
I mean, I wanted to make a statement of the three of us swinging without a drummer.
514
00:35:37,130 --> 00:35:39,211
And that happened, you know what I mean?
515
00:35:39,211 --> 00:35:41,907
It's all your fault because you're...
516
00:35:41,907 --> 00:35:51,726
on that note is like the reason why that doesn't exist anymore is it's about the hardest
trio you could put together nowadays because to put together a trio that the time is all
517
00:35:51,726 --> 00:35:57,502
reliant on the piano, the bass, and the guitar and no drums, it's just that talk about a
lost art form.
518
00:35:57,864 --> 00:36:01,106
Yeah, and you guys are so heavy into it.
519
00:36:01,106 --> 00:36:12,228
it's so, like I said, you're so solid and you and Graham work together so much that for me
to be an interloper, I can just play whatever the hell I want and lean against it.
520
00:36:12,228 --> 00:36:17,412
And no, it's not, it's a rock, it's rock solid and it's gonna be great, you know?
521
00:36:17,412 --> 00:36:19,673
And so it was so much fun.
522
00:36:19,673 --> 00:36:22,753
did I tell you what we're calling the record?
523
00:36:24,274 --> 00:36:25,194
you ready?
524
00:36:25,470 --> 00:36:26,812
It's genius.
525
00:36:26,914 --> 00:36:30,520
It's not it wasn't my call, but I'm on board.
526
00:36:31,083 --> 00:36:33,056
Mike Jones with strings.
527
00:36:33,970 --> 00:36:35,619
That's a good thing.
528
00:36:35,843 --> 00:36:43,543
wanna have Alex Frank four strings and Graham Dechter six strings.
529
00:36:45,903 --> 00:36:49,344
Yeah, Silverman's doing the cover.
530
00:36:49,664 --> 00:36:50,964
You wanna know how hip it is?
531
00:36:50,964 --> 00:36:52,845
You wanna know how hip this record is?
532
00:36:52,845 --> 00:36:58,481
but I sent him Lady B Good and...
533
00:36:58,743 --> 00:37:03,021
He sends me a note back and he says, do you want me to draw the drummer too?
534
00:37:04,823 --> 00:37:09,337
And I said, yeah, I said, yeah, exactly.
535
00:37:09,337 --> 00:37:14,621
said, I said, for the next one, whether there's a drummer on it, yes.
536
00:37:15,624 --> 00:37:18,326
I'm excited to see what he comes up with, you know?
537
00:37:18,326 --> 00:37:21,879
I mean, he's been, you know, I'm on this razor's edge.
538
00:37:21,879 --> 00:37:27,614
And I mean, this is his personal shit to talk, but you know, he's David Silverman, he's
the Simpsons.
539
00:37:27,614 --> 00:37:33,596
And he says, when I talked to him in January about doing the cover, because he's done my
last four covers,
540
00:37:33,596 --> 00:37:41,390
uh, and I want to maintain that, you know, I want to have an identity, you know, I want to
have all the Capri records with his covers.
541
00:37:41,390 --> 00:37:43,051
So he said, of course I'll do it.
542
00:37:43,051 --> 00:37:47,474
He said, but I can't get to it till the beginning of March, cause I'm doing the Simpsons
Halloween episode.
543
00:37:47,474 --> 00:37:48,834
I'm directing that.
544
00:37:48,834 --> 00:37:50,275
And I'm like, okay.
545
00:37:50,275 --> 00:37:56,599
And so March comes and then I'm like, Hey, did you, did you happen to start on the record
cover yet?
546
00:37:56,599 --> 00:38:00,981
And he says, well, you know, soon, soon I'm still finishing up the Simpsons thing.
547
00:38:00,981 --> 00:38:02,442
And I just don't want to call him.
548
00:38:02,442 --> 00:38:03,508
So anyways,
549
00:38:03,508 --> 00:38:06,440
Last Sunday, he said, gonna start it this week.
550
00:38:06,440 --> 00:38:13,055
So hopefully he will, but yeah, but I mean, I'm scared to death of saying, hey, how about
the record cover?
551
00:38:13,055 --> 00:38:18,949
And he says, I'm too busy, you know, and then the whole idea shot, you know, but he won't,
he'll do it and it'll great.
552
00:38:18,949 --> 00:38:22,672
But anyhow, yeah, so I'm excited about that.
553
00:38:22,672 --> 00:38:23,712
what else?
554
00:38:23,793 --> 00:38:26,776
So anyhow, what is your, you're going to Australia.
555
00:38:26,776 --> 00:38:28,987
Jeff's got a new record coming out.
556
00:38:29,211 --> 00:38:31,401
uh in June right?
557
00:38:31,401 --> 00:38:35,023
We have a new record coming out too with me, Graham, and Ryan as well.
558
00:38:35,023 --> 00:38:41,066
um That's not coming out though till much later in the year, but we're finishing it.
559
00:38:41,066 --> 00:38:44,809
It's stuff we kind of a volume two to one we already released.
560
00:38:44,809 --> 00:38:50,363
It's yeah, so it's just another fun stuff of, huh?
561
00:38:50,363 --> 00:38:52,099
who's doing your artwork?
562
00:38:52,099 --> 00:38:53,577
Because it's really cool.
563
00:38:53,577 --> 00:38:54,758
I like that.
564
00:38:54,758 --> 00:38:56,380
his name is Alan Mosqueda.
565
00:38:56,380 --> 00:38:57,621
He's unbelievable.
566
00:38:57,621 --> 00:39:03,782
The thing with Alan is like, he's his main job is he's a, he's a graphic artist and art
and a designer and stuff.
567
00:39:03,782 --> 00:39:05,620
And he's worked for like Disney and other things.
568
00:39:05,620 --> 00:39:09,634
And, but he's an amazing sax player.
569
00:39:09,634 --> 00:39:13,258
And he like, yeah, he, he, he's from New York.
570
00:39:13,258 --> 00:39:14,462
He not only
571
00:39:14,462 --> 00:39:16,854
like his first record has Mehldau on it and stuff.
572
00:39:16,854 --> 00:39:22,500
uh Yeah, he knows like he's like a bebopper and hardcore bebopper.
573
00:39:22,500 --> 00:39:30,468
he, you know, he probably wouldn't want me telling you this, but he uh was married for
short lived, he was married to Bill Charlap's sister for a while.
574
00:39:30,468 --> 00:39:37,408
uh But anyway, so he's just kind of this like deep cat and...
575
00:39:37,408 --> 00:39:40,672
but he's an incredible artist and understands jazz.
576
00:39:40,672 --> 00:39:49,272
And he actually, I don't have it here right now, but he painted, he made for me this
beautiful thing of Ray Brown that he made that's just stunning.
577
00:39:50,314 --> 00:39:54,258
So if you ever need it commissioned like an artist, you know.
578
00:39:54,378 --> 00:39:55,389
Yeah, yeah.
579
00:39:55,389 --> 00:40:01,802
I well I like his stuff because it's got that it's got that 60s retro feel.
580
00:40:01,862 --> 00:40:03,893
But with a modern edge, you know what I mean?
581
00:40:03,893 --> 00:40:15,371
It's it's um, and uh so you're doing talk to me about this, um, this sessions with Shaw
entrepreneur, the the noon Showtime show.
582
00:40:15,371 --> 00:40:16,892
um
583
00:40:17,508 --> 00:40:28,180
so Ryan basically just, you know, he has this great house out in Glendore outside of LA
and he had this kind of guest house that he just kind of had his drum set up.
584
00:40:28,180 --> 00:40:35,877
was like, man, like, I really want to do this like live stream thing, but you know, I want
it to be pre-filmed and really high quality and video.
585
00:40:35,877 --> 00:40:40,939
you know, Ryan, you know, he has all the equipment and stuff.
586
00:40:41,413 --> 00:40:50,767
really has now spent a full year really trying to just hone in on how to record live the
best way, which is, as you know, it's a beast in itself.
587
00:40:50,767 --> 00:40:56,505
And it just kind of started with like last year and we've now, he's trying to get as many
different guests as we can.
588
00:40:56,505 --> 00:41:01,766
And he's kind of really taking it very seriously and has stuff in the can.
589
00:41:01,766 --> 00:41:03,991
I mean, we got to get you on it, Jonesy.
590
00:41:04,088 --> 00:41:04,848
I'm coming out.
591
00:41:04,848 --> 00:41:05,849
I'll come out and do it.
592
00:41:05,849 --> 00:41:17,235
I mean definitely I just have to you know figure out a cat sitter but uh but I definitely
want to come out and he um, but Ryan's of you know, I I don't I only know Ryan through you
593
00:41:17,235 --> 00:41:26,398
and I and I love his playing and but but He's like a big Tesla guy, huh?
594
00:41:26,646 --> 00:41:27,906
Well, yes.
595
00:41:27,906 --> 00:41:30,707
So it's very, very bizarre, the whole thing.
596
00:41:30,707 --> 00:41:35,458
He, right before the pandemic, he said to me, he was like, Alex, man, it's like, really
want to get a Tesla.
597
00:41:35,458 --> 00:41:36,038
I'm like, okay.
598
00:41:36,038 --> 00:41:37,120
I mean, they're expensive.
599
00:41:37,120 --> 00:41:39,791
This was like, this was 2019.
600
00:41:39,791 --> 00:41:42,762
And right before the pandemic and Ryan's younger than us.
601
00:41:42,762 --> 00:41:45,053
So he's, he's only 31, right?
602
00:41:45,053 --> 00:41:45,973
Yeah.
603
00:41:47,614 --> 00:41:48,404
and,
604
00:41:49,351 --> 00:41:51,751
He goes, he goes, man, you're like, he's like, just can't afford it.
605
00:41:51,751 --> 00:41:52,911
He's like, you know what I'm going to do?
606
00:41:52,911 --> 00:41:56,171
He's like, he's like, you know, I'm kind of like a nerd about the tech stuff.
607
00:41:56,171 --> 00:41:58,571
And he's like, he's like, I'm going to start a YouTube channel.
608
00:41:58,571 --> 00:42:03,051
And my goal is eventually to have the YouTube channel be able to pay for the Tesla.
609
00:42:03,051 --> 00:42:05,211
And I go, I okay.
610
00:42:05,471 --> 00:42:11,022
Ryan starts this like Tesla review YouTube channel, like just like on his own and.
611
00:42:11,022 --> 00:42:13,847
Within six months it blows up.
612
00:42:13,847 --> 00:42:15,029
And I mean like legit.
613
00:42:15,029 --> 00:42:18,835
Now it's one of the biggest YouTube channels for Teslas in the whole world.
614
00:42:18,992 --> 00:42:28,454
And like we know we'll be literally we'll be out on gigs like we were just out and about
like on the road at an airport and it's like There we were literally doing a gig with Jeff
615
00:42:28,454 --> 00:42:32,774
Goldblum and Jeff Goldblum was like somewhere else people like oh my god Like are you Ryan
Shaw?
616
00:42:32,774 --> 00:42:34,194
And he's like, can I get your photo?
617
00:42:34,194 --> 00:42:40,494
Like okay, we're have people come up to him now who like recognize him from YouTube It's
bizarre because because it's like it's either.
618
00:42:40,494 --> 00:42:41,174
What are you doing here?
619
00:42:41,174 --> 00:42:47,888
He's like, I'm about to go play a jazz gig They're like what you play drums It's like the
weirdest thing is I you know, I've known Ryan since he was in
620
00:42:47,888 --> 00:42:48,853
high school, you know?
621
00:42:48,853 --> 00:42:51,806
uh
622
00:42:52,039 --> 00:42:54,439
mean, I had no idea.
623
00:42:54,439 --> 00:43:03,879
did not know after, you know, I saw him pull up after the gig and I'm like, oh, one of
those, that's a big truck.
624
00:43:04,739 --> 00:43:17,641
then I think like Jen found it like a couple, like a week later, she's like, you know,
Ryan does a lot of videos about Teslas and
625
00:43:17,641 --> 00:43:18,701
And I mean, it's great.
626
00:43:18,701 --> 00:43:21,416
mean, I'm going, I'm, but it is, it's nuts.
627
00:43:21,416 --> 00:43:30,627
mean, you can have more, you can have more success with a, with a review thing about cars
than you can.
628
00:43:30,770 --> 00:43:33,057
that channel bought him his house, so...
629
00:43:33,963 --> 00:43:34,864
Yeah.
630
00:43:35,289 --> 00:43:36,119
Yeah.
631
00:43:36,520 --> 00:43:43,520
don't even want to I well wait a little stereo image our podcast here goes, you know,
it's, it's really funny.
632
00:43:43,520 --> 00:43:46,821
mean, So this we went and saw Jeff Hamilton the other night.
633
00:43:46,841 --> 00:43:49,042
He was playing at Smith Center.
634
00:43:49,862 --> 00:43:51,963
And they were doing a big band.
635
00:43:51,963 --> 00:43:59,583
uh Like a retrospective of a chart from Tommy Dorsey a chart from every big band he played
with.
636
00:43:59,583 --> 00:44:01,727
And Jeff was on fire for the whole night.
637
00:44:01,727 --> 00:44:04,069
But, but it was, it was delightful.
638
00:44:04,069 --> 00:44:05,930
But Jeff was just over the top.
639
00:44:05,930 --> 00:44:06,731
Unbelievable.
640
00:44:06,731 --> 00:44:16,809
anyways, we sat down at this 4-top and we, I got two, two seats and the people that were
there, the guy said, uh, he's a fan.
641
00:44:16,809 --> 00:44:21,563
saw Jeff with Diana like 25 years ago in, in, in Paris.
642
00:44:21,563 --> 00:44:23,286
And he seemed like a really nice guy.
643
00:44:23,286 --> 00:44:26,819
He's like a real estate guy in town for some conference.
644
00:44:26,819 --> 00:44:28,240
So he thanked me.
645
00:44:28,240 --> 00:44:31,162
I got him tickets to Penn and Teller because he's a big Penn and Teller fan.
646
00:44:31,162 --> 00:44:33,944
And he sends me a text saying, man, I'm so glad.
647
00:44:33,944 --> 00:44:35,314
I'm so thanks so much.
648
00:44:35,314 --> 00:44:41,709
And I said, well, look, you know, if you ever want to listen to a podcast, I don't know if
you're into podcasts, but I got this little podcast.
649
00:44:41,709 --> 00:44:43,763
And, uh, and he sends me back a thing.
650
00:44:43,763 --> 00:44:45,672
He goes, yeah, I love podcasts.
651
00:44:45,672 --> 00:44:47,293
I have a real estate podcast.
652
00:44:47,293 --> 00:44:50,234
It gets a couple of hundred thousand people a month.
653
00:44:51,156 --> 00:44:52,012
I'm like,
654
00:44:52,012 --> 00:44:54,041
Yeah, I get a couple hundred people a month.
655
00:44:54,041 --> 00:44:55,384
But it was a
656
00:44:55,394 --> 00:44:58,732
on that note, thanks for the kind words with Leonard Slackin.
657
00:44:59,144 --> 00:45:00,608
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
658
00:45:00,608 --> 00:45:04,009
mean, and Leonard, man, what a great guy.
659
00:45:04,009 --> 00:45:05,539
what a legend.
660
00:45:05,539 --> 00:45:10,494
of course, as a Sinatra file, I am everything with his father and stuff.
661
00:45:10,494 --> 00:45:17,290
Yeah, can you imagine the scene at his parents house like in the 60s growing up, know,
50s?
662
00:45:17,290 --> 00:45:21,032
I mean, it's like, look, Tatum stopped by again.
663
00:45:21,173 --> 00:45:22,414
I hope he doesn't play the piano.
664
00:45:22,414 --> 00:45:23,615
He never shuts up.
665
00:45:23,615 --> 00:45:33,774
You know, I, yeah, it's, but he and again, one of these guys that is so generous with his
time and his spirit and just wants to help people and, you know, I mean, we went out to
666
00:45:33,774 --> 00:45:35,992
lunch and he was, you know, he's just he's like,
667
00:45:35,992 --> 00:45:39,985
I gotta slow down, I'm doing this, this, this, and this, and I'm retired.
668
00:45:39,985 --> 00:45:40,746
You know?
669
00:45:40,746 --> 00:45:42,278
It's like, but yeah, of course.
670
00:45:42,278 --> 00:45:45,471
I mean, I'm gonna talk you up anywhere I can, because you're fucking great.
671
00:45:45,471 --> 00:45:48,074
So, you know, if you were an asshole, I wouldn't bother.
672
00:45:48,074 --> 00:45:52,638
And we wanna get Graham on too, just because, you know, he's gonna have stories.
673
00:45:56,201 --> 00:45:57,283
Yeah, yeah.
674
00:45:57,283 --> 00:46:04,403
Well now, I want to ask one other aspect that I was going to ask.
675
00:46:04,403 --> 00:46:12,795
Are you doing any studio work these days or mostly just jazz music?
676
00:46:13,384 --> 00:46:14,334
it's recording stuff.
677
00:46:14,334 --> 00:46:20,148
still, you know, I'm lucky enough to get called to do some recording stuff for guys like
Michael Buble.
678
00:46:20,522 --> 00:46:27,833
I just recorded something last week, a big band thing for a guy who was on The Voice or on
one of those shows.
679
00:46:27,833 --> 00:46:31,516
You know, they always have like one jazz singer on that stuff.
680
00:46:31,516 --> 00:46:33,438
we actually, I recorded...
681
00:46:33,438 --> 00:46:37,920
It's a Bobby Darin cover tune, but it was an obscure one, which is kind of cool.
682
00:46:38,141 --> 00:46:48,997
yeah, mean, you know, there's still recording in the studio stuff and it's not, you know,
I'm not getting called like probably, you know, if you know who Mike Valerio is kind of
683
00:46:48,997 --> 00:46:52,109
the busiest bass player in LA for studio stuff.
684
00:46:52,109 --> 00:46:52,929
Yeah.
685
00:46:53,350 --> 00:46:58,052
But there's, I get a good enough, good amount of calls still.
686
00:46:58,052 --> 00:47:01,345
So it justifies me staying in the union still.
687
00:47:01,345 --> 00:47:03,401
Right, right.
688
00:47:03,401 --> 00:47:06,309
And uh you just had to move, huh?
689
00:47:06,309 --> 00:47:09,070
You said you'd go to a different place?
690
00:47:09,070 --> 00:47:12,609
Yeah, Pasadena, if you know where that is.
691
00:47:12,609 --> 00:47:14,346
Yes, I've heard of it.
692
00:47:14,640 --> 00:47:21,691
Yeah, I've been in LA my whole life, but I've been the last 15 years in uh Studio City.
693
00:47:21,691 --> 00:47:27,319
So just kind of moving about 20, 30 minutes down the road, further east.
694
00:47:27,641 --> 00:47:29,038
Hey, I'll be closer to Vegas.
695
00:47:29,038 --> 00:47:30,078
Sure, sure.
696
00:47:30,078 --> 00:47:31,698
Yeah, get out here.
697
00:47:31,878 --> 00:47:46,081
Well, yeah, speaking of which, you know, I'm shooting for trying to maybe something going
at Vic's in September because, We're off the whole month because Penn's in Europe.
698
00:47:47,641 --> 00:47:48,394
But.
699
00:47:48,394 --> 00:47:49,157
you?
700
00:47:49,179 --> 00:47:49,651
What's that?
701
00:47:49,651 --> 00:47:51,056
No, no, he's doing a,
702
00:47:51,056 --> 00:47:55,296
Piffin Pop's magic shop, which would Piff the Magic Dragon.
703
00:47:55,296 --> 00:47:56,778
Have you seen him?
704
00:47:56,880 --> 00:47:57,973
He's got the, yeah.
705
00:47:57,973 --> 00:48:00,634
but he's at one of those casinos, right, on the strip.
706
00:48:00,634 --> 00:48:06,934
Yeah, he's on the yeah, he well he comes out in a dragon suit and does magic and he's
super funny, really deeply funny.
707
00:48:06,934 --> 00:48:08,317
He has these little chihuahuas.
708
00:48:08,317 --> 00:48:08,968
That's Mr.
709
00:48:08,968 --> 00:48:09,798
Piffles.
710
00:48:09,798 --> 00:48:12,670
And he was on America's Got Talent and he's big star now.
711
00:48:12,670 --> 00:48:16,432
Anyways, they did this act they're doing this act.
712
00:48:16,452 --> 00:48:19,193
And Penn comes out in a dragon suit.
713
00:48:19,253 --> 00:48:24,874
And it's like Penn's his father who abandoned Piff as a young dragon.
714
00:48:24,874 --> 00:48:26,475
So Piff hates him.
715
00:48:26,615 --> 00:48:28,055
And it's really
716
00:48:28,149 --> 00:48:29,520
really funny shit.
717
00:48:29,520 --> 00:48:33,563
So they're doing like this little tour of England without Teller you know.
718
00:48:33,843 --> 00:48:35,144
And so I'm off.
719
00:48:35,144 --> 00:48:40,849
I'm playing Chicago at the Green Mill and you know, but anyway, so let's go let's get back
to a little more content.
720
00:48:40,849 --> 00:48:42,331
And then we'll call it quits.
721
00:48:42,331 --> 00:48:48,995
fast on that note about the pen and stuff is, you know, I just went over to where I got
his bass from.
722
00:48:48,995 --> 00:48:53,458
uh They just got in another tenegas bass, the bass he has.
723
00:48:53,458 --> 00:48:56,179
They come up rare, but this one was crazy.
724
00:48:56,179 --> 00:48:57,590
I played it a couple of days ago.
725
00:48:57,590 --> 00:48:59,341
It's a five string.
726
00:49:00,582 --> 00:49:01,808
Yeah, I mean...
727
00:49:01,808 --> 00:49:07,553
They were saying, yeah, like anyone who's going to buy this is going to get rid of that,
remove that, you know, get rid of that and turn it into a version.
728
00:49:07,553 --> 00:49:09,475
But, there, yeah, they're wanting like, it's another one.
729
00:49:09,475 --> 00:49:11,517
They're wanting like 35,000 for it.
730
00:49:11,517 --> 00:49:17,228
You know, yeah, but it's, they're, pretty, they're pretty hard to find them when those
bases come up.
731
00:49:17,228 --> 00:49:20,840
Yeah, well, yeah, you only made like 30 of them or something, right, or something.
732
00:49:20,840 --> 00:49:21,381
know.
733
00:49:21,381 --> 00:49:28,145
But um yeah, well, you know what Penn would say five string bass is just a banjo.
734
00:49:28,145 --> 00:49:38,965
But well, now, so you've got the record, you're going to Australia, you got the record,
what else is going on in the near future, or the far future this year?
735
00:49:39,205 --> 00:49:40,178
Any big plans?
736
00:49:40,178 --> 00:49:43,278
mean, nothing crazy.
737
00:49:43,358 --> 00:49:49,898
I we're lucky enough, had, you you still have to come play with us when we do this
residency of the baked potato every month.
738
00:49:49,898 --> 00:49:54,438
And we're coming up on, they have a Fender Rhodes.
739
00:49:55,658 --> 00:49:56,558
Yeah.
740
00:49:57,478 --> 00:49:58,995
No, they don't have a Panam.
741
00:49:58,995 --> 00:50:02,078
LA with a real gig with you guys, where there's a piano.
742
00:50:02,078 --> 00:50:03,699
There's this place called Vibrato.
743
00:50:03,699 --> 00:50:05,101
I don't know if it's any good or not.
744
00:50:05,101 --> 00:50:06,374
um
745
00:50:06,374 --> 00:50:07,614
oh yeah, I've probably played there a lot.
746
00:50:07,614 --> 00:50:08,874
I mean, the piano is beautiful.
747
00:50:08,874 --> 00:50:13,934
They have a nine-foot Yamaha that belongs to Herb Alpert.
748
00:50:15,374 --> 00:50:16,997
And it's a beautiful piano.
749
00:50:16,997 --> 00:50:20,124
I don't know if they'd have me play there or not, but that would be fun.
750
00:50:20,124 --> 00:50:21,189
um
751
00:50:21,189 --> 00:50:24,022
be fun actually, I could put you in contact with the guy who books it.
752
00:50:24,022 --> 00:50:24,442
All right.
753
00:50:24,442 --> 00:50:35,931
um Any plans, any forays back into Vegas in the next foreseeable future?
754
00:50:36,131 --> 00:50:49,615
I think, I'm not positive, I think as of now, I might be coming out with Graham in June
for a couple of days um with Benny Benak, know, who kind of, he's always coming out to
755
00:50:49,615 --> 00:50:52,007
Vegas, yeah.
756
00:50:52,228 --> 00:50:55,501
And so we'll see, I have to still talk to Benny.
757
00:50:55,501 --> 00:50:56,903
I'm gonna actually see Benny next week.
758
00:50:56,903 --> 00:50:59,194
We're doing a gig with him in San Diego.
759
00:50:59,271 --> 00:51:00,111
Okay.
760
00:51:00,111 --> 00:51:07,322
Well, if you if you know, I mean, obviously, if I'm in town, we're actually the first week
of I think the or no, that might be July.
761
00:51:07,322 --> 00:51:07,994
No, I don't know.
762
00:51:07,994 --> 00:51:09,794
We're going to Toronto.
763
00:51:10,974 --> 00:51:12,637
Big Penn and Teller, show.
764
00:51:12,637 --> 00:51:14,438
but well, you know, yeah.
765
00:51:14,438 --> 00:51:17,500
And I mean, just just just in case we need a little more information.
766
00:51:17,500 --> 00:51:21,743
We should talk about a little bit about and then I'll you go about
767
00:51:21,984 --> 00:51:29,905
you finding the base for Penn and how, you know, when you came here with Jeff and Graham
and just a little bit, you know, just if we need it.
768
00:51:29,905 --> 00:51:33,645
so, so, and that was actually, cause at that time that was how I met you originally.
769
00:51:33,965 --> 00:51:41,325
Um, was, uh, God, now it must have been, I think that was 2016 or 17.
770
00:51:41,325 --> 00:51:44,485
So I don't know, 10 years ago when I met you.
771
00:51:44,485 --> 00:51:50,625
Um, and Jeff was like, Oh, we're going to go Jeff.
772
00:51:50,625 --> 00:51:52,485
I was with Jeff and Graham.
773
00:51:52,485 --> 00:51:57,881
Cause I was playing, I was playing the Smith center with Jeff and Graham and
774
00:51:57,881 --> 00:52:00,761
And they were like, oh, we're going to go see our friend, Mike Jones.
775
00:52:00,761 --> 00:52:05,201
And I knew who you were, uh, play with Penn and blah, blah, blah.
776
00:52:05,201 --> 00:52:13,341
And, you know, of course we went early the show before the show and, uh, and you know, we
were, it was, it was fun to hear.
777
00:52:13,341 --> 00:52:26,012
I'd never, I didn't know Penn played bass and, uh, but I remember like, cause then he, you
guys came out to the Smith center then the next day.
778
00:52:26,012 --> 00:52:26,808
Right.
779
00:52:27,042 --> 00:52:28,164
and Penn came too.
780
00:52:28,164 --> 00:52:39,050
And so then I got to hang with Penn a little bit and then I started coming out more and
getting to know you better obviously and then Penn through you and I remember thinking
781
00:52:39,050 --> 00:52:47,154
like, you know, he was playing a lot and getting better and he just had this kind of
really kind of mediocre base, you know?
782
00:52:48,195 --> 00:52:54,505
And I was, yeah, yeah, cause we talked about it and I was like, you know, I thought
783
00:52:54,505 --> 00:52:59,133
know, Penn definitely deserved to have a better playing instrument, you know?
784
00:53:00,416 --> 00:53:01,111
And...
785
00:53:01,111 --> 00:53:11,679
when the pandemic came, for the first time in his starting to play the bass up till then,
he'd never really had time to practice.
786
00:53:11,920 --> 00:53:23,219
And he's, you know, I mean, he, so he started, suddenly had an hour a day or an hour and a
half a day to actually sit down and practice the instrument instead of getting 20 minutes
787
00:53:23,219 --> 00:53:28,509
in before the show, before he went on three TV shows and wrote a movie and walked on it,
worked on a book.
788
00:53:28,509 --> 00:53:30,815
um But go ahead.
789
00:53:30,815 --> 00:53:33,296
So this was now we get the pandemic, right?
790
00:53:33,296 --> 00:53:37,157
I'm pretty sure he spent his pandemic learning base in Spanish, right?
791
00:53:37,957 --> 00:53:40,478
Yeah.
792
00:53:40,478 --> 00:53:44,460
So yeah, kind of remember we came out a few times.
793
00:53:44,460 --> 00:53:46,326
I went over to his house for dinner.
794
00:53:46,326 --> 00:53:52,770
um And, you know, he actually I actually have right here I have um
795
00:53:52,770 --> 00:53:57,658
This aluminum base that he gave me is kind of a to hold on to as a thing.
796
00:53:57,658 --> 00:53:58,279
It's amazing.
797
00:53:58,279 --> 00:53:58,685
I got it.
798
00:53:58,685 --> 00:54:02,716
I got it set up and it's one of the most fun bases to play.
799
00:54:03,366 --> 00:54:06,627
Which I know he got years ago, but.
800
00:54:06,627 --> 00:54:19,970
yeah, I remember somebody got it for him as you know, because he also had like one with a
cutout like a rockabilly bass, you know, but um, but so this is probably like 2021 or
801
00:54:19,970 --> 00:54:21,190
2022.
802
00:54:21,250 --> 00:54:23,255
Maybe when he got the base or
803
00:54:23,255 --> 00:54:26,607
summer of 2022.
804
00:54:26,761 --> 00:54:28,376
Okay, yeah, yeah.
805
00:54:28,376 --> 00:54:37,324
And basically, yeah, I remember I went to the best bass shop here in LA, which is called
Los Angeles Bass Works.
806
00:54:37,324 --> 00:54:44,996
It's this woman, Lisa Goss, she's one of the best luthiers in the entire world and
country.
807
00:54:44,996 --> 00:54:49,675
And she's had a bass shop here in LA forever and kind of the one person.
808
00:54:49,675 --> 00:54:52,527
But also just, she has quite a collection of basses.
809
00:54:52,527 --> 00:54:55,109
And I remember...
810
00:54:55,304 --> 00:54:58,704
I sent him and you a bunch of videos of these great basses.
811
00:54:58,704 --> 00:55:01,784
There was a French bass, there was a Czech bass, a couple of them.
812
00:55:01,984 --> 00:55:09,785
And I said, these basses are all, they're all really nice basses and they were anywhere in
the range of 15 to about $20,000.
813
00:55:09,926 --> 00:55:13,666
but then I said, I said, there's this one bass here that's just a different level.
814
00:55:13,666 --> 00:55:19,927
And I said, it's more money than these, but I said, you're not gonna find a bass like this
every so often.
815
00:55:19,927 --> 00:55:21,333
It doesn't come around.
816
00:55:21,333 --> 00:55:26,609
And I was very happy when I played it for him, he could hear the difference right away.
817
00:55:26,748 --> 00:55:30,131
Well, yeah, it's such a beautiful instrument.
818
00:55:30,131 --> 00:55:33,094
mean, you know, it really is.
819
00:55:33,094 --> 00:55:36,740
It's got this warmth and, you know, he loves it.
820
00:55:36,740 --> 00:55:39,743
and it also, he loves the pedigree of it.
821
00:55:39,743 --> 00:55:41,394
He loves the story behind it.
822
00:55:41,394 --> 00:55:43,776
He loves everything about it, you know?
823
00:55:43,776 --> 00:55:48,298
Yeah, it's an unbelievable instrument and I'm happy that he's enjoying it.
824
00:55:48,298 --> 00:55:55,952
So then, yeah, he bought it from here in LA and I drove it out to Vegas for him about a
week later and the rest is history.
825
00:55:55,952 --> 00:55:57,963
And then we kind of changed his setup.
826
00:55:57,963 --> 00:56:03,896
So now he's mainly just using a microphone on stage instead of, and it just, has a big
warm fat sound.
827
00:56:03,896 --> 00:56:06,647
You don't need an amp because it's such a big sound.
828
00:56:06,647 --> 00:56:12,009
And yeah, I mean, you know, huge difference when you hear him play now because of the
bass.
829
00:56:12,009 --> 00:56:12,670
yeah.
830
00:56:12,670 --> 00:56:20,247
People come to the show that saw him 10 years ago, 15 years ago, and they're like, holy
moly, geez, he got better.
831
00:56:20,247 --> 00:56:29,285
I'm like, you know, um well, well, listen, all right, I'm gonna, on that note, I'm gonna
uh call it good.
832
00:56:29,285 --> 00:56:31,547
And thank you so much for coming out.
833
00:56:31,547 --> 00:56:36,700
And thank you for uh making great records with Graham and Ryan and me.
834
00:56:36,700 --> 00:56:40,120
and everybody and it's just a joy to play with you.
835
00:56:40,163 --> 00:56:41,646
It really is.
836
00:56:42,482 --> 00:56:43,082
mine.
837
00:56:43,082 --> 00:56:48,319
like you saying, now I've known you for about a decade and hopefully we make lots of more
music together.
838
00:56:48,319 --> 00:56:49,441
I hope so.
839
00:56:49,441 --> 00:56:51,925
Because I'm just starting to learn how to play right.
840
00:56:51,925 --> 00:56:53,808
then we'll play some more.
841
00:56:53,808 --> 00:56:54,731
Yeah.
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:12,526
this week on the Stereo Image, we are joined by the great Alex Frank, bass virtuoso, man
about town, musician wrangler, arranger, composer, works with a lot of younger guys and
2
00:00:12,526 --> 00:00:14,047
girls singing.
3
00:00:14,047 --> 00:00:15,488
There's nothing he can't do.
4
00:00:15,488 --> 00:00:16,588
How are you?
5
00:00:16,588 --> 00:00:17,968
Thanks for coming on.
6
00:00:18,489 --> 00:00:19,589
Excellent.
7
00:00:20,370 --> 00:00:21,390
Well, everything's great.
8
00:00:21,390 --> 00:00:22,910
Everything's great here.
9
00:00:22,950 --> 00:00:27,912
I just wanna talk about what's going on right now with you.
10
00:00:27,912 --> 00:00:30,365
I mean, you've got a lot of projects that are happening.
11
00:00:30,365 --> 00:00:39,394
Obviously the stuff with the movie star, but also, you know, the stuff with Ryan and
Graham and all that stuff.
12
00:00:39,394 --> 00:00:42,985
So what's going on right now in your life?
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Yeah, right now I'm getting ready to go.
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Speaking of the movie star with Jeff Goldblum, I'm going next week with him to Australia
for two and a half weeks.
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We're doing a tour going to Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane, kind of all
over.
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Yeah.
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of these in only two weeks.
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Because it's a big uh area.
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It is, and we're flying all over.
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So it'll be fun.
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Yep.
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And so talk a little bit about uh how I, we got a lot of roads to go down, but that's one
of them.
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Talk a little bit about how that all came about, how you met up with Jeff in the first
place and how the band got together and you know, all that kind of stuff.
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Yeah, so Jeff has played piano his whole life.
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He...
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grew up in Pittsburgh and the first record his dad ever brought home to him was Errol
Garner plays Misty and you know, Errol Garner is from Pittsburgh as well.
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A lot of jazz piano players like Sonny Clark and Ahmad Jamal of course.
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And Jeff kind of fell in love with jazz when he was young and just kind of always did it
for fun.
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Actually when he was young, when he was a teenager, he would call restaurants and say,
hey, I heard you're looking for a piano player, even though none of them were.
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Haha
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until he finally got a gig.
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uh
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And so, but then, you know, he moved to New York and got into acting, of course.
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But he, around the early nineties, he, a friend of his was Peter Weller, you know,
Robocop.
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And, and Peter played trumpet and was friends with Miles Davis and Miles, like they
started getting together to play.
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And I guess the story goes like, supposedly Miles Davis said to Peter Weller, you guys,
you and Jeff should go start, just have a gig somewhere around LA.
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So.
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they started a band basically playing around LA in the early 90s.
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Obviously I was, very little back then, but, uh, just, kind of kept it up just kind of
when he wasn't filming and just underground and then things kind of transformed.
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I met him about seven, eight years ago and he had a,
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I thought you, I thought you'd known him longer than that, but yeah, that makes sense.
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I guess now it's nine years.
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Wow.
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I didn't even think about it.
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2017.
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Yeah.
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So it's been nine years.
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And he had a bass player he used forever who then retired to Colorado.
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someone, you know, you know how this is, someone recommended me and we hit it off.
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And just right then is when he started releasing records on, on Decca Records, now Fontana
and Universal.
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And just kind of time goes on and I, you know, I was interested in, and really kind of
taking the band to a different level.
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So fast forward about five, six years later, I became the musical director of the group.
53
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And, know, for one, one reason or another, now I got, you know, my, my guys in the band,
which is very nice, you know, to play with as you, as you know,
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Ryan Shaw and Graham Dechter and just, you know, just super fun because we, we play, you
know, we play American songbook stuff, but then we were doing like on the setlist right
55
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now, we're doing a Joe Henderson song.
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We're doing the kicker.
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We're doing, yeah, we're doing Moanin, you know, of course the, Blakey version of that
we're doing.
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mean, there's a lot of just kind of deep cuts in there too.
59
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We do speaking of Sonny Clark, we do a song, Blue Minor, like so.
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that too, yeah.
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Yeah, and then plus there's this songbook stuff with the singer.
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We don't really have a singer join us and everything like right now in the setlist we have
Let's Face the Music and Dance.
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We have an arrangement I did of uh Misty that's kind of more of a boogaloo version and
stuff.
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it just depends, you know, it's very fun.
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Wow.
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so, so you were just, somebody just said, Hey, Jeff's looking for a bass player and you
just showed up and that's how that, yeah.
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Yeah.
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And then I just happened to show up and then right shortly after that was when he recorded
his first record and it just happened to, to work out timing wise.
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That's the, It's, know, weird shit happens like that.
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um But yeah, I can relate quite a bit.
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but so, but you, I mean, you were, your whole upbringing has been music.
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I mean, you know, usually I talk to people and I say, how did you get into music or what'd
you listen to?
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I still want to know what you listened to as a kid and how, and how you got into it.
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But, but I mean, you're, know, your dad's a big shot.
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and you grew up around music and like a real West Coast story, uh industry story.
76
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And talk about that a little bit.
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Yeah, so my parents both come from music originally.
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My dad's from Baltimore.
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My mom is from New York, from Long Island.
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And they both moved to Manhattan before they knew each other.
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my mom was singing on Broadway.
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And my dad was a conductor on Broadway originally.
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And that was how they met.
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But then they eventually, were in late 70s in New York.
85
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Yeah.
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huh, huh, okay.
87
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and then they both moved, they weren't dating then, but then they both moved separately to
LA and ran into each other out here.
88
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But my dad came to LA to be a film composer.
89
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And he was lucky enough, he started working pretty much right away.
90
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He kind of got into the action genre originally.
91
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He scored, he scored a lot of the original Steven Seagal films, like Above the Law, Hard
to Kill, Out for Justice.
92
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Yes, exactly.
93
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And.
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love those movies when I was, know, I was a huge, huge Steven Seagal fan of those, of the
early stuff before he sort of sold out and,
95
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were definitely one of a kind films back then.
96
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basically, I was very lucky.
97
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He would be doing recording sessions all throughout the late 80s, early 90s, mid 90s.
98
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And I'd be like six, seven years old just going to these recording sessions with him and
just hanging out.
99
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He would bring me in.
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He did a TV movie once that was.
101
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It was the Mia Farrow story.
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Basically it was a TV movie all about Mia Farrow.
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you know, the director wanted to get like a big name in jazz at the time.
104
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So they flew in, my dad did the music, they flew in Josh Redman to do it.
105
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And then my dad picked the rhythm section in LA and it was John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton
and stuff.
106
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I was, you know, I was like a little kid this whole time and kind of, uh yeah, just kind
of be around and all that kind of stuff.
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not gonna wanna hear this, when were you, what year were you born?
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I'm older than you think.
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I was born 88.
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That's no, that's, um, wow.
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So, yeah, I was, I was, yeah, I was out of college and in working.
112
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But no, no, no, Boston, Boston and New York.
113
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But after Berklee I stayed in Boston and got, you know, did all the gigs there and, then
started going out in New York doing session work.
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But uh
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But so, so yeah, so you're like, you know, in 98, you were only 10.
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So, but when did you start?
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I mean, did you start playing bass?
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Or did you start playing another instrument?
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Or what happened?
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I originally started on clarinet.
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Oh, that's in demand.
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00:08:01,004 --> 00:08:05,913
Yeah, exactly, you know, they were calling me for all the, klezmer weddings and stuff.
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no.
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calling you for all those Benny Goodman tribute bands that are out there.
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Exactly.
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Um, so I, kind of, I kind of was playing classical clarinet and I, you know, I was playing
Mozart and all this stuff that I loved when I was, I was like 11, 12 and, um, I wanted to
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do jazz.
128
00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:37,780
And I mean, it was around that time in the, uh, when 2000, 2001, it was, I heard, um, a
record that had Ray Brown on it.
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Um,
130
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And I originally started, cause I was like, I want to play bass, but I was, I didn't, I
didn't have the means to an upright bass.
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I started on electric bass originally.
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but then within a year and a half, I had switched to like a smaller size upright.
133
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and I kind of knew like from then, like, I, there was just a different functionality of
the bass versus the clarinet that I was like, this yeah, I was like, this is what I want
134
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to do.
135
00:09:07,624 --> 00:09:16,825
Well, I mean, you told me the story about your dad instead of taking the job, but we'll
talk about that in a second.
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Obviously your dad was writing commercial and writing to order scores, but a big jazz fan?
137
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your...
138
00:09:24,676 --> 00:09:27,819
yeah, he didn't really play much jazz.
139
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came from like, he went to Peabody and he was a classical, he won a concerto competition
when he was 13 versus like adults and stuff.
140
00:09:37,219 --> 00:09:39,786
He was a serious classical piano player.
141
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but he always liked composing more and was really into the Broadway kind of stuff at the
time.
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And got to know a lot of people in the seventies.
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He got to work with Hal David a little bit in the seventies and stuff, and you know, from
Burt Baccarat And he, so he, but he always loved jazz, but it was just nothing.
144
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It was not really his thing.
145
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And he was, as he always says, he's like, I just don't have the skillset that you have for
that stuff.
146
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But, but always appreciated.
147
00:10:07,767 --> 00:10:08,931
And, you know, he,
148
00:10:08,931 --> 00:10:15,873
He was lucky enough, speaking of Ray Brown, he told me when he first, he, my dad conducted
three times on the um Merv Griffin show.
149
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And um of course, Ray was in the house band of that, of that show.
150
00:10:21,325 --> 00:10:24,367
So he, he had Ray play for him on that kind of stuff.
151
00:10:24,367 --> 00:10:27,909
so he met him a few times, but yeah, he never really got into playing jazz.
152
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My dad.
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00:10:29,739 --> 00:10:34,469
But he obviously appreciated you having an interest in it and helping.
154
00:10:35,676 --> 00:10:37,176
Yeah.
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00:10:37,293 --> 00:10:46,982
And really my love for the American song book comes from him because he introduced me at a
young age to Cole Porter, Lerner and Lowe, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Rodgers and Hart.
156
00:10:46,982 --> 00:10:53,326
Jerome Kern and all that stuff comes from my dad, had all that, knew all that, had all the
sheet music, all that stuff.
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00:10:53,646 --> 00:11:07,741
Well, yeah, and I mean, I'll tell you, this might be too much information, but one of the
things that I love about playing with you and Graham is you're guys that aren't even 40
158
00:11:07,741 --> 00:11:12,670
yet, and you like listen to all the albums that I listened to when I was growing up.
159
00:11:12,670 --> 00:11:13,390
You know what I mean?
160
00:11:13,390 --> 00:11:17,632
It's like your influences and...
161
00:11:17,908 --> 00:11:31,437
I mean, you know, being from the East Coast and we're going to Berklee and working with a
lot of New York guys, there's the younger guys there that I played with and the guys that
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even my age were much more influenced by Ron Carter and guys like that.
163
00:11:36,852 --> 00:11:43,374
And to come across you and know, and Garolla and even Katie,
164
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you know, that are so heavily influenced by the Ray through John Clayton.
165
00:11:48,718 --> 00:11:57,482
It was such a breath of fresh air for me because it's like, oh, this is the bass player I
want to play with because this is the bass that I've grew up listening to and want to
166
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hear, you know, and uh it's really good.
167
00:12:01,044 --> 00:12:06,448
well, at least for me, it fills a niche that, you know, the...
168
00:12:06,647 --> 00:12:12,889
The guys that went to Berklee, when I went to Berklee, there were kids that thought that,
you know, Ron Carter invented bass.
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00:12:12,889 --> 00:12:14,492
They didn't know who Paul Chambers was.
170
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They didn't know who Ray was.
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They didn't know who Blanton was, you know.
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The irony of it is I went to college too.
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went to Oberlin Conservatory and at the time, the, the really big bass player at the time
was Larry Grenadier with Brad Mehldau trio.
174
00:12:27,775 --> 00:12:30,927
And you know, Larry's a great, obviously incredible bass player.
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I've heard him play many times, just brilliant bass player.
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00:12:33,009 --> 00:12:40,225
And the thing is like all these people who are, know, that he could play like the most
insane stuff in five four and say like just in crazy stuff, but like
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You talk to Larry, it's like they're coming from the tradition.
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And I think that's the thing with a lot of these young players who just want to dismiss
Ray Brown or something.
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They don't realize that to get to a different thing, you have to come from that place
anyway.
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So it's like you're just kind of skipping over the most important thing.
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was like with piano players that start with Bill Evans.
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00:13:00,212 --> 00:13:08,100
I mean, there's nothing wrong with worshiping Bill Evans, but you know, Bill Evans
listened to Fats Waller and Tatum and everybody else.
183
00:13:08,100 --> 00:13:13,331
Yeah, and Tatum and know, everybody, know, Teddy Wilson and you know, and to...
184
00:13:13,331 --> 00:13:16,350
still listen to Teddy almost all the I love Teddy so much.
185
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Yeah, I mean, and it's so, you know, it's just, it's, I think you have, like you say, you
have to absorb the whole history of the instrument to then have your own ideas.
186
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You know what I mean?
187
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It's like they take these shortcuts, you know, even, mean, even Bill Evans is getting too
old for some people.
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00:13:37,250 --> 00:13:40,761
You know, there are guys that, you know, that,
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their starting point is Brad Mehldau You know what I mean?
190
00:13:45,574 --> 00:13:56,706
And not understanding that Brad studied the whole history of the instrument in depth and
it's, you know, so it's, but yeah, but I mean, one of the things that's so authentic about
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your playing is it's there, you know what I mean?
192
00:13:59,718 --> 00:14:06,471
You can, you know, when you're laying down a lick that I would hear Ray play, you know,
193
00:14:06,471 --> 00:14:08,611
It doesn't sound like you're imitating Ray.
194
00:14:08,611 --> 00:14:10,640
It's just part of your vocabulary.
195
00:14:10,640 --> 00:14:11,865
No, you know.
196
00:14:11,865 --> 00:14:16,109
I'm trying to imitate, I've just listened to it so, so much as you have as well.
197
00:14:16,109 --> 00:14:24,958
Like, I mean, on that note, like the greatest compliment, not to name drop or anything,
but the greatest compliment I ever received on that note was years ago, I was lucky enough
198
00:14:24,958 --> 00:14:31,933
to play a gig with the late great Johnny Mandel um and Johnny's band and...
199
00:14:31,933 --> 00:14:35,865
It was like one of those things we played and the audience just had a crazy people in it.
200
00:14:35,865 --> 00:14:39,759
Cause Johnny obviously has quite a career and in the audience was Quincy Jones.
201
00:14:39,759 --> 00:14:42,681
And, you know, here we are.
202
00:14:42,681 --> 00:14:47,013
Like we were playing all these, like, you know, all these Johnny Mandel classics, like
Shadow Your Smile.
203
00:14:47,013 --> 00:14:48,975
And of course, the theme from M.A.S.H.
204
00:14:48,975 --> 00:14:49,706
and these different things.
205
00:14:49,706 --> 00:14:51,928
And, Johnny wrote some great tunes obviously.
206
00:14:52,354 --> 00:14:59,049
Actually, we did some of his songs he wrote with Marilyn Allen Bergman and Allen Bergman
sang his own songs, which was pretty deep.
207
00:14:59,049 --> 00:15:04,984
uh anyway, after the show, Quincy was there with a whole posse of people.
208
00:15:04,984 --> 00:15:06,655
He had a whole entourage.
209
00:15:06,655 --> 00:15:12,099
after the show, one of his assistants or side guys comes up to me while I'm packing at my
base.
210
00:15:12,099 --> 00:15:14,104
And he goes, excuse me, you're playing bass, right?
211
00:15:14,104 --> 00:15:14,461
I'm like, yeah.
212
00:15:14,461 --> 00:15:15,342
He goes, Mr.
213
00:15:15,342 --> 00:15:17,364
Jones would like to see you in his booth.
214
00:15:17,364 --> 00:15:19,244
I was like, I was like 26 at the time.
215
00:15:19,244 --> 00:15:20,886
And I'm like, okay.
216
00:15:20,886 --> 00:15:23,307
And like, I mean, you know, it's Quincy Jones.
217
00:15:23,307 --> 00:15:29,797
And so I go, yeah, I go over to the booth and I go to, sit down like, Mr.
218
00:15:29,797 --> 00:15:34,250
Jones, like such an honor to meet you And he goes, he goes, man, he's like, I was
listening to that show.
219
00:15:34,250 --> 00:15:35,956
He's like, I got two words for you.
220
00:15:35,956 --> 00:15:37,227
He's like, Ray Brown, man.
221
00:15:37,227 --> 00:15:39,420
I hear him in your playing and
222
00:15:39,420 --> 00:15:40,226
nice.
223
00:15:40,226 --> 00:15:43,558
oh he's like, know, Ray and I were like, thick as thieves.
224
00:15:43,558 --> 00:15:46,410
And he just keeps, and he's like, I hear him coming through you.
225
00:15:46,410 --> 00:15:53,955
And we just then talked for like a half hour about, he was telling me he was the one who
got Ray to learn electric bass for his record, Walking in Space.
226
00:15:53,955 --> 00:16:02,000
um And then I was asking him questions about working with Sinatra and of course with Count
Basie's band.
227
00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:05,702
Yeah, was just sweetest guy, but that was a pretty cool compliment.
228
00:16:05,702 --> 00:16:14,379
Yeah, that's why well, it's well deserved too, because you play the shit out of the base,
you know, I mean, I don't, you know, I've played, you know, I've played with a fair amount
229
00:16:14,379 --> 00:16:16,531
of bass players, I'm much older than you.
230
00:16:16,531 --> 00:16:17,993
uh you know, and I'm lucky.
231
00:16:17,993 --> 00:16:25,681
I mean, I'm super lucky, you know, I mean, I worked a lot with Tony Bennett's bass player,
Marshall Wood for years, and with Grey Sergeant and
232
00:16:25,681 --> 00:16:36,582
And I, and, uh, there was a guy in Boston that's like an under the radar guy, like a heavy
guy named Pete Katrimis and, uh, and Whit Brown uh, you know, all the guys that taught at
233
00:16:36,582 --> 00:16:37,202
Berklee.
234
00:16:37,202 --> 00:16:47,544
And I got to play with Ray sitting in a few times and I got to play with, you know, and,
and Neils and, know, I mean, when the first time we played together was like, we've been
235
00:16:47,544 --> 00:16:49,064
playing together for 20 years.
236
00:16:49,064 --> 00:16:50,984
And it's because.
237
00:16:51,668 --> 00:16:54,370
we both come from the same mindset.
238
00:16:54,370 --> 00:16:55,271
You know what I mean?
239
00:16:55,271 --> 00:16:57,673
The records that we like are the same records.
240
00:16:57,673 --> 00:17:02,317
And, and, and as I say, you know, it's, it's not like you're doing an impersonation.
241
00:17:02,317 --> 00:17:05,459
It's just part of your vocabulary of your instrument.
242
00:17:05,459 --> 00:17:09,012
But also your time is so deep and so heavy.
243
00:17:09,012 --> 00:17:13,186
And it's so, you know, it's, it's, it's just a joy.
244
00:17:13,186 --> 00:17:18,870
And uh so much so that I put up with your horrible personality, because you're a horrible
person.
245
00:17:18,870 --> 00:17:20,100
uh
246
00:17:20,100 --> 00:17:21,840
that's what they tell me every day.
247
00:17:21,840 --> 00:17:26,193
um But no, the feeling is very mutual Jonesy.
248
00:17:26,413 --> 00:17:31,456
what I was gonna say on that note is like people, cause people don't, as you know, we've
done this our whole lives.
249
00:17:31,456 --> 00:17:35,437
People ask like, like how do you guys have, you haven't played together before.
250
00:17:35,437 --> 00:17:37,278
How does it sound so cohesive?
251
00:17:37,278 --> 00:17:38,348
And it's like.
252
00:17:38,506 --> 00:17:48,623
It's hard to explain to someone who doesn't understand like there's the thousands of hours
you and I have spent listening to the same records and listening to the same thing and the
253
00:17:48,623 --> 00:17:54,148
same tunes and the and there's no way there's no substitute to translate that into playing
with someone.
254
00:17:54,148 --> 00:18:01,187
You know, it's a hard thing to grasp for people because it's not like there's not just
some shortcut like, yeah, you do this, you'll be able to play with this music.
255
00:18:01,187 --> 00:18:02,048
Yeah, yeah.
256
00:18:02,048 --> 00:18:15,499
Well, by the way, just on a side, a little off-ramp from what you were talking about uh
with Johnny Mandel, one of the high points of my life was I was on a jazz cruise, this is
257
00:18:15,499 --> 00:18:17,321
back in the 90s, I think.
258
00:18:17,321 --> 00:18:21,245
And there was this group that I believe has something to do with the Jazz Cruise now.
259
00:18:21,245 --> 00:18:26,619
I forget the name of them, but it's a big group, and they used to bring like several
hundred people on the cruise.
260
00:18:26,669 --> 00:18:34,716
And they would bring some of their own special guests on because, you know, Jerry Mulligan
wasn't hip enough for him, right?
261
00:18:34,716 --> 00:18:38,219
So they'd bring on, you know, and they'd have their own little private parties.
262
00:18:38,219 --> 00:18:40,061
And I forget, it was out of St.
263
00:18:40,061 --> 00:18:40,811
Louis or something.
264
00:18:40,811 --> 00:18:43,084
I forget some DJ donned somebody or something.
265
00:18:43,084 --> 00:18:51,993
But anyhow, they brought on Johnny Mandel as a guest and they asked me if I would play a
private party.
266
00:18:52,153 --> 00:18:54,775
for them with Johnny Mandel there.
267
00:18:54,775 --> 00:18:58,739
And I'm like, sure, because it was like an extra 500 bucks or something.
268
00:18:58,739 --> 00:19:02,332
And so I show up, and Johnny Mandel's there.
269
00:19:02,332 --> 00:19:05,364
And I'm, you know, was obviously I'm, you know, stoked to meet him.
270
00:19:05,364 --> 00:19:07,576
And, and I'm playing my little shit.
271
00:19:07,576 --> 00:19:13,231
And then near the end, they took, they said to take a break, and they were going to, and
what's his name?
272
00:19:13,231 --> 00:19:15,492
Milt Hinton was playing bass with me.
273
00:19:15,733 --> 00:19:16,824
I forgot about that.
274
00:19:16,824 --> 00:19:18,305
That's a major part of it.
275
00:19:18,305 --> 00:19:19,296
But I forgot.
276
00:19:19,296 --> 00:19:20,839
Anyways, so then
277
00:19:20,839 --> 00:19:24,674
Yeah, so then Johnny sits down at the piano afterwards.
278
00:19:24,674 --> 00:19:27,395
I'm eating, because it's a cruise ship.
279
00:19:27,395 --> 00:19:31,117
And I'm sitting right next to the bench.
280
00:19:31,117 --> 00:19:38,143
And he sits down and he plays Emily and the Shadow of Your Smile and a couple other
numbers.
281
00:19:38,143 --> 00:19:39,043
And he sings them.
282
00:19:39,043 --> 00:19:41,785
He's just sitting there at the piano singing.
283
00:19:41,785 --> 00:19:45,643
And I'm like, this is one of the most incredible moments.
284
00:19:45,643 --> 00:19:48,789
of my life to hear the composer of this stuff.
285
00:19:48,789 --> 00:19:53,719
I mean, he couldn't sing at all, but it was just so fucking great.
286
00:19:53,719 --> 00:19:57,423
Yeah, but man, what an honor, what a thrill.
287
00:19:57,423 --> 00:20:02,419
Yeah, on that note, I was lucky enough to hear him play Emily two once and-
288
00:20:02,419 --> 00:20:05,139
I gotta tell you, like, cause then he gave me the original sheet music.
289
00:20:05,139 --> 00:20:09,119
The original chords are way more hip than people play on that tune.
290
00:20:09,139 --> 00:20:16,999
Like if you get a chance, I forget what it is, people kind of, the standard changes on
that tune are not right.
291
00:20:16,999 --> 00:20:27,859
And the real chords are really hip, especially when it goes to that key change, kind of up
the major third, you know, whatever, or down to the six major there.
292
00:20:27,899 --> 00:20:28,848
it's a...
293
00:20:28,848 --> 00:20:32,924
The original changes are very different and they're phenomenal.
294
00:20:32,925 --> 00:20:33,443
Yeah.
295
00:20:33,443 --> 00:20:40,983
I mean, he would have what a day I love his arrangement of in the still of the night they
did for Sinatra.
296
00:20:41,323 --> 00:20:43,923
Yeah, yeah, it's just so hip.
297
00:20:43,923 --> 00:20:46,443
But um, well, we could nerd out on this for another hour.
298
00:20:46,443 --> 00:20:49,663
But um, but I want more answers.
299
00:20:50,143 --> 00:20:51,123
So.
300
00:20:51,863 --> 00:20:59,251
So you, you were you decided to start playing bass, like when you heard Ray, and you were
like, 1213, you say?
301
00:20:59,251 --> 00:21:01,540
11, 12, yeah.
302
00:21:01,540 --> 00:21:02,280
yeah.
303
00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:07,600
and then you so like you practice, you had a lesson and then your first gig was like when
you were 13.
304
00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:08,520
No.
305
00:21:10,100 --> 00:21:11,040
That's the joke.
306
00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:12,680
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
307
00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:13,565
Yeah.
308
00:21:13,565 --> 00:21:18,365
But, no, but I mean, obviously, did you?
309
00:21:18,585 --> 00:21:26,769
Oh, now another question was, when you're playing classical clarinet, you you hear you
hear rain you like jazz.
310
00:21:26,769 --> 00:21:28,674
Are you listening to pop music?
311
00:21:28,674 --> 00:21:34,800
Is it around you at like your high school years and stuff or were you playing in bands or
anything?
312
00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:45,240
of, I, I, I did actually, there was, um, when I was 11, my best friend at the time was
this guy, uh, JP John Paul was his name and he played guitar and he was like, Alex, it was
313
00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:48,560
short lived, but he needed a bass player in his rock band.
314
00:21:48,560 --> 00:21:53,200
And I was, and I played electric bass in it for, for about a year or two.
315
00:21:53,220 --> 00:21:57,380
Um, called the scuba kids with a K it was, you know, we're trying to be cool.
316
00:21:57,760 --> 00:21:58,628
Um,
317
00:22:00,183 --> 00:22:01,328
what kind of stuff?
318
00:22:01,328 --> 00:22:02,148
mean,
319
00:22:02,231 --> 00:22:05,430
it was like punk kind of ska.
320
00:22:05,510 --> 00:22:05,982
huh.
321
00:22:05,982 --> 00:22:07,584
That's what I think of when I look at you.
322
00:22:07,584 --> 00:22:11,250
um yeah, yeah.
323
00:22:11,250 --> 00:22:11,973
Well.
324
00:22:11,973 --> 00:22:18,754
I actually found recently, I found a video that someone filmed from when I was like 11 or
12 with the band doing a show.
325
00:22:18,754 --> 00:22:20,335
It's pretty funny to watch.
326
00:22:20,335 --> 00:22:22,435
man, that should go on your website.
327
00:22:23,747 --> 00:22:29,967
well, and so then you went to, where did you go to high school?
328
00:22:29,967 --> 00:22:30,950
I mean, just.
329
00:22:30,950 --> 00:22:42,137
I grew up in the Valley in LA and I went to Calabasas High School, uh which in high
school, I was lucky enough to grow up around in the area because we're very close to Agora
330
00:22:42,137 --> 00:22:43,938
Hills area.
331
00:22:43,998 --> 00:22:47,159
And there was a lot of just phenomenal musicians.
332
00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:54,484
One guy I met who was, at my school, there was nobody really who was on the level of music
that I was trying to do.
333
00:22:54,484 --> 00:22:58,165
But at our neighboring high school in Agora High School, there was a kid my age.
334
00:22:59,022 --> 00:23:02,285
one of my teachers was like, you really should get together with this kid.
335
00:23:02,285 --> 00:23:03,716
He's an amazing piano player.
336
00:23:03,716 --> 00:23:04,848
His name's Jordan Siegel.
337
00:23:04,848 --> 00:23:05,688
Yeah.
338
00:23:05,688 --> 00:23:13,696
And so then Jordan and I in high school, we booked a regular gig in the summer at this
place called The Rack in Los Angeles.
339
00:23:13,696 --> 00:23:15,998
It was like a Asian fusion restaurant.
340
00:23:15,998 --> 00:23:18,680
And I think we made 50 bucks each night.
341
00:23:18,680 --> 00:23:20,902
And we just literally would play standards like...
342
00:23:20,902 --> 00:23:22,443
uh
343
00:23:23,055 --> 00:23:26,335
Same as it's, it's, it's, it's a gone down a little bit today.
344
00:23:26,335 --> 00:23:34,943
um, but, for summer in like high school, you know, and, and yeah.
345
00:23:34,943 --> 00:23:38,450
And at, and at the time, like, you know, Jordan and I, were listening.
346
00:23:38,450 --> 00:23:45,692
I remember at the time we were talking about, there was like a new Benny green record that
came out and we were like, we're trying to learn the arrangements or something, you know,
347
00:23:45,692 --> 00:23:47,323
it was just different things like that.
348
00:23:47,323 --> 00:23:49,151
And this was all in high school.
349
00:23:49,151 --> 00:23:52,004
So I was lucky enough to meet some great musicians.
350
00:23:52,004 --> 00:23:57,196
who in the area who are still doing music to this day and are friends of mine.
351
00:23:57,350 --> 00:23:59,171
that's yeah, yeah.
352
00:23:59,171 --> 00:24:08,474
Well, that's really important because you know, when you're when you're that age to be in
that atmosphere and realize what a gig is.
353
00:24:08,849 --> 00:24:09,985
And you know what I mean?
354
00:24:09,985 --> 00:24:16,349
Did you have to show up play even though there might be people not listening and all that
kind of stuff?
355
00:24:16,349 --> 00:24:20,511
I mean, you know, I it's much better.
356
00:24:20,511 --> 00:24:21,941
It's much better.
357
00:24:21,953 --> 00:24:24,519
than taking a job in a record store.
358
00:24:24,519 --> 00:24:25,262
You know what I mean?
359
00:24:25,262 --> 00:24:26,462
um
360
00:24:26,462 --> 00:24:38,671
then to that note, not to interrupt you, but like around that same time, I decided to take
a couple lessons because I knew he had just kind of started teaching at UCLA, but I was
361
00:24:38,671 --> 00:24:44,457
still young and I took a couple lessons over the summer with Tamir Hendelman, as you know,
Tamir.
362
00:24:44,457 --> 00:24:47,440
And at the time, Tamir said, he's like,
363
00:24:47,532 --> 00:24:56,298
you know, you know who lives, was living still, I was still a kid, I was living at home in
Calabasas and he was like, know who lives in Calabasas right by you is, is Graham Dechter.
364
00:24:56,298 --> 00:24:58,599
And I go, yeah, I love, I didn't know Graham.
365
00:24:58,599 --> 00:25:02,201
And Timmy was like, he's like, let me call him right now and introduce you guys.
366
00:25:02,722 --> 00:25:05,723
And that was how that came about.
367
00:25:06,164 --> 00:25:07,184
God.
368
00:25:12,243 --> 00:25:14,664
I don't know.
369
00:25:15,964 --> 00:25:19,424
almost, uh, over 15, 20, 15, 20 years ago.
370
00:25:19,424 --> 00:25:20,111
Yeah.
371
00:25:20,111 --> 00:25:20,701
all right.
372
00:25:20,701 --> 00:25:26,353
And so, but how did you hear of Tamir to go seek him out for lessons?
373
00:25:27,620 --> 00:25:34,168
I had talked to John Clayton and I obviously had seen Tamir in the Clayton Hamilton
Orchestra at the time.
374
00:25:34,168 --> 00:25:38,331
Yeah, because I was already taking lessons with John Clayton by then.
375
00:25:38,446 --> 00:25:39,952
Oh, okay, you left that out.
376
00:25:39,952 --> 00:25:42,524
uh It's an important step.
377
00:25:42,524 --> 00:25:44,069
uh
378
00:25:44,181 --> 00:25:46,541
you want to talk about the sweetest human being ever.
379
00:25:46,541 --> 00:25:53,101
I mean, there's, there's nothing that compares to the first lesson I ever took with John,
just kind of what kind of human being he is.
380
00:25:53,781 --> 00:25:55,041
Um, yeah.
381
00:25:55,041 --> 00:25:59,697
So I remember I was in, I was, uh, about 12 or 13 and
382
00:25:59,697 --> 00:26:01,897
You know, I emailed him and never, and he was so kind.
383
00:26:01,897 --> 00:26:04,060
He's like, you know, come, come over to his house.
384
00:26:04,060 --> 00:26:06,171
So he had a beautiful house in Alta Dena.
385
00:26:06,171 --> 00:26:11,895
Unfortunately he lost it in the, in the fires last year, but you know, I, I couldn't even
drive at the time.
386
00:26:11,895 --> 00:26:20,882
So my, think my dad dropped me off with my, and like John just like the most warm, caring
person ever, like gives me like, gives me,
387
00:26:21,628 --> 00:26:23,139
Like I'm there for like two hours.
388
00:26:23,139 --> 00:26:31,834
He's showing me everything, talking about clarity on the instrument, talking about
technique, talking about just a plan for life with jazz and music and stuff.
389
00:26:31,895 --> 00:26:34,617
And at the end I brought a check.
390
00:26:34,617 --> 00:26:39,179
I had a checkbook and I had, I didn't know how much it was going to be the lesson, right?
391
00:26:39,319 --> 00:26:40,180
So.
392
00:26:40,209 --> 00:26:43,769
I pull out the cash, I'm like, John, thank you so much.
393
00:26:43,769 --> 00:26:46,297
It was like two hours, I how much do I owe you?
394
00:26:46,297 --> 00:26:56,769
And I swear to God, John takes out his wallet, and John takes out like $60 in cash, and he
hands it to me, and he says, he's like, go buy yourself some records.
395
00:26:58,715 --> 00:26:59,586
Yeah.
396
00:27:00,750 --> 00:27:02,373
And that was a true story.
397
00:27:02,373 --> 00:27:03,234
Yeah.
398
00:27:03,536 --> 00:27:08,786
And it's like, so it's like, it's one of those things that never will always stick with me
forever, you know?
399
00:27:08,997 --> 00:27:22,576
And I mean, you know, he's known as a miserable prick like you, you know, no, I mean, the
sweetest guy in the world, you know, just and so I mean, with his with his playing and his
400
00:27:22,576 --> 00:27:27,115
personality equally like giving, you know, just wide open and
401
00:27:27,115 --> 00:27:35,323
I'm very grateful for my connection with him because he's the one now twice in the last
couple years has brought me out to be part of the Veiled Jazz party.
402
00:27:35,323 --> 00:27:38,646
he always is a big proponent of mine and always says, let's bring out, get Alex.
403
00:27:38,646 --> 00:27:42,849
And all the donors tell me, John insisted you come out and do this.
404
00:27:42,849 --> 00:27:45,471
So I'm really thankful for him.
405
00:27:45,471 --> 00:27:45,993
Yeah.
406
00:27:45,993 --> 00:27:47,836
Yeah, yeah, he's he's a monster.
407
00:27:47,836 --> 00:27:51,302
And, well, so excuse me.
408
00:27:51,302 --> 00:27:53,305
So you went to you went to Oberlin.
409
00:27:53,305 --> 00:27:59,032
um Did you graduate or did you just give up like anyone smart would?
410
00:27:59,793 --> 00:28:00,804
All right.
411
00:28:00,814 --> 00:28:11,022
another circumstance there was you know, obviously a lot of incredible musicians and
faculty I was lucky enough to study with just some incredible people that even for me were
412
00:28:11,022 --> 00:28:18,689
different like, you I was obviously doing the right stuff but then at the time I studied
for a year there with Eddie Gomez, which was a whole other experience.
413
00:28:18,689 --> 00:28:23,037
Yeah, but then I was lucky enough I studied with
414
00:28:23,037 --> 00:28:24,617
Gary Bartz was there.
415
00:28:24,617 --> 00:28:30,747
I studied with Billy Hart was playing with drums there and just all these other just deep
musicians that I learned so much.
416
00:28:30,747 --> 00:28:36,173
But there was another, there was a student a year older than me there, this kid from New
Orleans.
417
00:28:36,173 --> 00:28:37,624
And I remember like...
418
00:28:37,698 --> 00:28:45,249
The first day I met him and played with him and I like, called Jordan or someone back here
in LA.
419
00:28:45,249 --> 00:28:48,413
was like, like I just met the most incredible musician I've ever met.
420
00:28:48,413 --> 00:28:52,018
And I just said, this guy's special and his name's Sullivan Fortner.
421
00:28:52,018 --> 00:28:55,221
And now he kind of is, he's kind of...
422
00:28:55,322 --> 00:28:56,322
Rightfully so.
423
00:28:56,322 --> 00:28:58,322
just, don't know if you just watch, I follow him.
424
00:28:58,322 --> 00:29:07,922
We're still, I still see him when he comes to LA, but Sullivan, you he just won his like
third Grammy this year, but he, he, um, he just, there's a video of him from like a couple
425
00:29:07,922 --> 00:29:08,482
of days ago.
426
00:29:08,482 --> 00:29:15,588
He's basically playing a house concert at this like rich person's house in New York and at
like a loft and.
427
00:29:15,588 --> 00:29:19,280
He's like, you know, your guys party, anything you guys want to hear.
428
00:29:19,280 --> 00:29:20,801
And someone says, Lush Life.
429
00:29:20,801 --> 00:29:21,482
And he goes, OK.
430
00:29:21,482 --> 00:29:22,873
And then they go, in B major.
431
00:29:22,873 --> 00:29:24,224
And he goes, OK.
432
00:29:24,224 --> 00:29:30,469
And then he literally plays one of the most incredible versions of Lush Life I have ever
heard in my life in B major.
433
00:29:30,469 --> 00:29:35,573
even if it was in D flat, it's just the most stunning chord.
434
00:29:35,573 --> 00:29:37,164
It's a different level of musician.
435
00:29:37,164 --> 00:29:39,420
He's as deep as it comes.
436
00:29:39,420 --> 00:29:40,891
Right, yeah, yeah, yeah.
437
00:29:40,891 --> 00:29:49,366
I mean, you hear it in his playing and you know, you know, I mean, it's like, when I was
at Berklee, was like, Makoto Ozoni was there.
438
00:29:49,587 --> 00:29:58,753
And it was just, you know, it's just like, you know, I, as I say, I tell this story a lot,
but it still bears repeating because he's a dear friend of mine and I know he'll get
439
00:29:58,753 --> 00:29:59,193
embarrassed.
440
00:29:59,193 --> 00:30:03,968
But when I went and him the first time I saw him play, he was giving a,
441
00:30:03,968 --> 00:30:05,720
concert at the Berklee Performance Center.
442
00:30:05,720 --> 00:30:07,631
And he was, you know, freshman.
443
00:30:07,631 --> 00:30:15,099
And the entire row that I was sitting in was the faculty, the piano faculty.
444
00:30:15,099 --> 00:30:20,243
was like, Bob Winter and Ray Santisi and Paul Schmeling and all the guys.
445
00:30:20,243 --> 00:30:22,346
And I was already like friendly with them.
446
00:30:22,346 --> 00:30:26,149
So I was sitting with them to see this young whippersnapper, right?
447
00:30:26,149 --> 00:30:28,741
And he came out and he gave...
448
00:30:29,081 --> 00:30:34,734
a master class in the most incredible performance that any of them had seen.
449
00:30:34,734 --> 00:30:38,496
mean, every single one of them were like, I quit.
450
00:30:38,496 --> 00:30:39,837
This is ridiculous.
451
00:30:39,837 --> 00:30:42,398
This 20 year old Japanese kid is playing.
452
00:30:42,398 --> 00:30:49,102
mean, it was, was at that time, there's not much, there's a tape exists of it, but I don't
know how to get it.
453
00:30:49,102 --> 00:30:56,731
But at, and I want to see if over 40 years later, I'm misremembering it as more impressive
than it was, but I don't think I am.
454
00:30:56,731 --> 00:30:58,357
I, yeah you are,
455
00:30:58,596 --> 00:31:03,856
the next incarnation of Oscar.
456
00:31:04,276 --> 00:31:11,956
It was Oscar with more advanced harmonic ideas than Oscar ever played.
457
00:31:11,956 --> 00:31:20,016
And also this insane stride version of Giant Steps at this breakneck tempo.
458
00:31:20,496 --> 00:31:23,816
was jaw-dropping.
459
00:31:23,856 --> 00:31:26,752
it was just a hymn and a bass player named
460
00:31:26,752 --> 00:31:31,695
Keiichi Ishibashi, it was called the duo, the concert, right?
461
00:31:31,695 --> 00:31:33,954
And it was just unbelievable.
462
00:31:33,954 --> 00:31:42,738
And I immediately started palling around with him because we both worked in the ensembles
like Herb Palmer's band and stuff like that.
463
00:31:42,738 --> 00:31:54,200
But I walked into, and I told this story before, I walked in on him writing a score, and
he was writing with both hands, different parts.
464
00:31:54,581 --> 00:31:55,625
And I said,
465
00:31:55,625 --> 00:32:08,786
this guy is is like another level, you know, and I mean, it's so funny, because just last
summer, when we were at Radio City, he moved to New York, from Japan, and we got together
466
00:32:08,786 --> 00:32:12,026
for first the first time in 40 years and had lunch.
467
00:32:12,026 --> 00:32:13,346
And it was so wonderful.
468
00:32:13,346 --> 00:32:16,706
It was just great to, you know, really great to hang with him.
469
00:32:16,706 --> 00:32:21,126
And, and, and yeah, he's he's, he's one of those rare type.
470
00:32:21,126 --> 00:32:23,846
And Sullivan's like that, you know what I mean?
471
00:32:23,887 --> 00:32:24,366
Yeah.
472
00:32:24,366 --> 00:32:29,410
that are just that weird, you know, once in a generation type.
473
00:32:29,410 --> 00:32:38,466
uh But so you, I wanna talk a little bit about us because what the fuck?
474
00:32:38,466 --> 00:32:40,238
You know, might as well do a little self promotion.
475
00:32:40,238 --> 00:32:45,040
So we got this record coming out soon.
476
00:32:45,474 --> 00:32:46,287
Yeah.
477
00:32:46,609 --> 00:32:47,829
as soon as the covers done.
478
00:32:47,829 --> 00:32:55,174
um And I got to tell you, I mean, we, I will say, we did the record.
479
00:32:55,174 --> 00:33:00,737
We, when you guys came over to my house for the first time and said, let's play something.
480
00:33:00,737 --> 00:33:07,359
And then two days later decided we should make a record in my house because it sounded
like we've been playing for years.
481
00:33:08,080 --> 00:33:11,422
And it was comfortable and fun and interesting and exciting.
482
00:33:11,422 --> 00:33:12,342
And then
483
00:33:12,620 --> 00:33:17,754
Tom Burns at Capri Records, sent him that and he said, you gotta make a record for me.
484
00:33:17,754 --> 00:33:28,828
And I won't go into all the details, but Tom is, he's a guy that's, nobody's making a
fortune in making jazz records anymore.
485
00:33:28,828 --> 00:33:31,840
Tom is not making a fortune in the record business.
486
00:33:31,840 --> 00:33:35,501
But he wants to make records that he thinks are important and good.
487
00:33:35,582 --> 00:33:46,127
And we came up with this idea that, you know, nobody is is making records like, you know,
the Nat Cole Trio, the Oscar Peterson Trio, the Art Tatum Trio, all that's trios that were
488
00:33:46,127 --> 00:33:47,850
existed without a drummer.
489
00:33:47,850 --> 00:33:49,921
right after World War II.
490
00:33:49,921 --> 00:33:56,886
And when I heard you guys, it's like, as I said, I'm not exaggerating.
491
00:33:56,886 --> 00:34:02,888
I'd never played with guys like you before that felt so natural.
492
00:34:02,888 --> 00:34:10,051
I mean, like I said, I played for a couple of years with Grey and Marshall, and it was
good, but it was a different thing.
493
00:34:10,051 --> 00:34:14,553
And this is really authentic sounding, you know what I mean, to me.
494
00:34:14,891 --> 00:34:26,108
And I mean, the pressure for me of making two records in one night and not screwing it up
dramatically, you know, I would have enjoyed a little more relaxation time, but it all
495
00:34:26,108 --> 00:34:27,509
worked out great.
496
00:34:30,103 --> 00:34:36,727
I think you'll be more than pleased when you hear some of the other tracks because it's...
497
00:34:37,483 --> 00:34:41,937
It really holds together and the tracks that we did Ryan for the next record.
498
00:34:41,937 --> 00:34:48,102
um You know, I mean, we did that Oscar tune, You Look Good to Me.
499
00:34:48,102 --> 00:34:53,817
And I mean, really, it's like, is that Ray on bass playing his part?
500
00:34:53,817 --> 00:34:55,071
You know what?
501
00:34:55,071 --> 00:34:56,056
swinging the track.
502
00:34:56,056 --> 00:34:59,327
I was like, damn, this came out really well.
503
00:34:59,439 --> 00:35:03,085
so I'm, you know, and I think that Graham will be happy.
504
00:35:03,085 --> 00:35:05,993
I'm afraid to play it for him until, you know.
505
00:35:05,993 --> 00:35:08,157
heard the one track, he he loved it.
506
00:35:09,422 --> 00:35:09,932
Yeah.
507
00:35:09,932 --> 00:35:16,864
afraid, you know, you know, Graham, I don't want to be on anything with my name, you know,
I have complete artistic control.
508
00:35:17,178 --> 00:35:18,078
that track together.
509
00:35:18,078 --> 00:35:19,138
He loved it.
510
00:35:19,340 --> 00:35:20,520
good, well, all right.
511
00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:27,765
Well, he's playing his ass off and the version that he does of Autumn Leaves is just
killing.
512
00:35:27,765 --> 00:35:32,448
mean, you'll be, and as I said, you know, I wanted it to swing.
513
00:35:32,448 --> 00:35:36,869
I mean, I wanted to make a statement of the three of us swinging without a drummer.
514
00:35:37,130 --> 00:35:39,211
And that happened, you know what I mean?
515
00:35:39,211 --> 00:35:41,907
It's all your fault because you're...
516
00:35:41,907 --> 00:35:51,726
on that note is like the reason why that doesn't exist anymore is it's about the hardest
trio you could put together nowadays because to put together a trio that the time is all
517
00:35:51,726 --> 00:35:57,502
reliant on the piano, the bass, and the guitar and no drums, it's just that talk about a
lost art form.
518
00:35:57,864 --> 00:36:01,106
Yeah, and you guys are so heavy into it.
519
00:36:01,106 --> 00:36:12,228
it's so, like I said, you're so solid and you and Graham work together so much that for me
to be an interloper, I can just play whatever the hell I want and lean against it.
520
00:36:12,228 --> 00:36:17,412
And no, it's not, it's a rock, it's rock solid and it's gonna be great, you know?
521
00:36:17,412 --> 00:36:19,673
And so it was so much fun.
522
00:36:19,673 --> 00:36:22,753
did I tell you what we're calling the record?
523
00:36:24,274 --> 00:36:25,194
you ready?
524
00:36:25,470 --> 00:36:26,812
It's genius.
525
00:36:26,914 --> 00:36:30,520
It's not it wasn't my call, but I'm on board.
526
00:36:31,083 --> 00:36:33,056
Mike Jones with strings.
527
00:36:33,970 --> 00:36:35,619
That's a good thing.
528
00:36:35,843 --> 00:36:43,543
wanna have Alex Frank four strings and Graham Dechter six strings.
529
00:36:45,903 --> 00:36:49,344
Yeah, Silverman's doing the cover.
530
00:36:49,664 --> 00:36:50,964
You wanna know how hip it is?
531
00:36:50,964 --> 00:36:52,845
You wanna know how hip this record is?
532
00:36:52,845 --> 00:36:58,481
but I sent him Lady B Good and...
533
00:36:58,743 --> 00:37:03,021
He sends me a note back and he says, do you want me to draw the drummer too?
534
00:37:04,823 --> 00:37:09,337
And I said, yeah, I said, yeah, exactly.
535
00:37:09,337 --> 00:37:14,621
said, I said, for the next one, whether there's a drummer on it, yes.
536
00:37:15,624 --> 00:37:18,326
I'm excited to see what he comes up with, you know?
537
00:37:18,326 --> 00:37:21,879
I mean, he's been, you know, I'm on this razor's edge.
538
00:37:21,879 --> 00:37:27,614
And I mean, this is his personal shit to talk, but you know, he's David Silverman, he's
the Simpsons.
539
00:37:27,614 --> 00:37:33,596
And he says, when I talked to him in January about doing the cover, because he's done my
last four covers,
540
00:37:33,596 --> 00:37:41,390
uh, and I want to maintain that, you know, I want to have an identity, you know, I want to
have all the Capri records with his covers.
541
00:37:41,390 --> 00:37:43,051
So he said, of course I'll do it.
542
00:37:43,051 --> 00:37:47,474
He said, but I can't get to it till the beginning of March, cause I'm doing the Simpsons
Halloween episode.
543
00:37:47,474 --> 00:37:48,834
I'm directing that.
544
00:37:48,834 --> 00:37:50,275
And I'm like, okay.
545
00:37:50,275 --> 00:37:56,599
And so March comes and then I'm like, Hey, did you, did you happen to start on the record
cover yet?
546
00:37:56,599 --> 00:38:00,981
And he says, well, you know, soon, soon I'm still finishing up the Simpsons thing.
547
00:38:00,981 --> 00:38:02,442
And I just don't want to call him.
548
00:38:02,442 --> 00:38:03,508
So anyways,
549
00:38:03,508 --> 00:38:06,440
Last Sunday, he said, gonna start it this week.
550
00:38:06,440 --> 00:38:13,055
So hopefully he will, but yeah, but I mean, I'm scared to death of saying, hey, how about
the record cover?
551
00:38:13,055 --> 00:38:18,949
And he says, I'm too busy, you know, and then the whole idea shot, you know, but he won't,
he'll do it and it'll great.
552
00:38:18,949 --> 00:38:22,672
But anyhow, yeah, so I'm excited about that.
553
00:38:22,672 --> 00:38:23,712
what else?
554
00:38:23,793 --> 00:38:26,776
So anyhow, what is your, you're going to Australia.
555
00:38:26,776 --> 00:38:28,987
Jeff's got a new record coming out.
556
00:38:29,211 --> 00:38:31,401
uh in June right?
557
00:38:31,401 --> 00:38:35,023
We have a new record coming out too with me, Graham, and Ryan as well.
558
00:38:35,023 --> 00:38:41,066
um That's not coming out though till much later in the year, but we're finishing it.
559
00:38:41,066 --> 00:38:44,809
It's stuff we kind of a volume two to one we already released.
560
00:38:44,809 --> 00:38:50,363
It's yeah, so it's just another fun stuff of, huh?
561
00:38:50,363 --> 00:38:52,099
who's doing your artwork?
562
00:38:52,099 --> 00:38:53,577
Because it's really cool.
563
00:38:53,577 --> 00:38:54,758
I like that.
564
00:38:54,758 --> 00:38:56,380
his name is Alan Mosqueda.
565
00:38:56,380 --> 00:38:57,621
He's unbelievable.
566
00:38:57,621 --> 00:39:03,782
The thing with Alan is like, he's his main job is he's a, he's a graphic artist and art
and a designer and stuff.
567
00:39:03,782 --> 00:39:05,620
And he's worked for like Disney and other things.
568
00:39:05,620 --> 00:39:09,634
And, but he's an amazing sax player.
569
00:39:09,634 --> 00:39:13,258
And he like, yeah, he, he, he's from New York.
570
00:39:13,258 --> 00:39:14,462
He not only
571
00:39:14,462 --> 00:39:16,854
like his first record has Mehldau on it and stuff.
572
00:39:16,854 --> 00:39:22,500
uh Yeah, he knows like he's like a bebopper and hardcore bebopper.
573
00:39:22,500 --> 00:39:30,468
he, you know, he probably wouldn't want me telling you this, but he uh was married for
short lived, he was married to Bill Charlap's sister for a while.
574
00:39:30,468 --> 00:39:37,408
uh But anyway, so he's just kind of this like deep cat and...
575
00:39:37,408 --> 00:39:40,672
but he's an incredible artist and understands jazz.
576
00:39:40,672 --> 00:39:49,272
And he actually, I don't have it here right now, but he painted, he made for me this
beautiful thing of Ray Brown that he made that's just stunning.
577
00:39:50,314 --> 00:39:54,258
So if you ever need it commissioned like an artist, you know.
578
00:39:54,378 --> 00:39:55,389
Yeah, yeah.
579
00:39:55,389 --> 00:40:01,802
I well I like his stuff because it's got that it's got that 60s retro feel.
580
00:40:01,862 --> 00:40:03,893
But with a modern edge, you know what I mean?
581
00:40:03,893 --> 00:40:15,371
It's it's um, and uh so you're doing talk to me about this, um, this sessions with Shaw
entrepreneur, the the noon Showtime show.
582
00:40:15,371 --> 00:40:16,892
um
583
00:40:17,508 --> 00:40:28,180
so Ryan basically just, you know, he has this great house out in Glendore outside of LA
and he had this kind of guest house that he just kind of had his drum set up.
584
00:40:28,180 --> 00:40:35,877
was like, man, like, I really want to do this like live stream thing, but you know, I want
it to be pre-filmed and really high quality and video.
585
00:40:35,877 --> 00:40:40,939
you know, Ryan, you know, he has all the equipment and stuff.
586
00:40:41,413 --> 00:40:50,767
really has now spent a full year really trying to just hone in on how to record live the
best way, which is, as you know, it's a beast in itself.
587
00:40:50,767 --> 00:40:56,505
And it just kind of started with like last year and we've now, he's trying to get as many
different guests as we can.
588
00:40:56,505 --> 00:41:01,766
And he's kind of really taking it very seriously and has stuff in the can.
589
00:41:01,766 --> 00:41:03,991
I mean, we got to get you on it, Jonesy.
590
00:41:04,088 --> 00:41:04,848
I'm coming out.
591
00:41:04,848 --> 00:41:05,849
I'll come out and do it.
592
00:41:05,849 --> 00:41:17,235
I mean definitely I just have to you know figure out a cat sitter but uh but I definitely
want to come out and he um, but Ryan's of you know, I I don't I only know Ryan through you
593
00:41:17,235 --> 00:41:26,398
and I and I love his playing and but but He's like a big Tesla guy, huh?
594
00:41:26,646 --> 00:41:27,906
Well, yes.
595
00:41:27,906 --> 00:41:30,707
So it's very, very bizarre, the whole thing.
596
00:41:30,707 --> 00:41:35,458
He, right before the pandemic, he said to me, he was like, Alex, man, it's like, really
want to get a Tesla.
597
00:41:35,458 --> 00:41:36,038
I'm like, okay.
598
00:41:36,038 --> 00:41:37,120
I mean, they're expensive.
599
00:41:37,120 --> 00:41:39,791
This was like, this was 2019.
600
00:41:39,791 --> 00:41:42,762
And right before the pandemic and Ryan's younger than us.
601
00:41:42,762 --> 00:41:45,053
So he's, he's only 31, right?
602
00:41:45,053 --> 00:41:45,973
Yeah.
603
00:41:47,614 --> 00:41:48,404
and,
604
00:41:49,351 --> 00:41:51,751
He goes, he goes, man, you're like, he's like, just can't afford it.
605
00:41:51,751 --> 00:41:52,911
He's like, you know what I'm going to do?
606
00:41:52,911 --> 00:41:56,171
He's like, he's like, you know, I'm kind of like a nerd about the tech stuff.
607
00:41:56,171 --> 00:41:58,571
And he's like, he's like, I'm going to start a YouTube channel.
608
00:41:58,571 --> 00:42:03,051
And my goal is eventually to have the YouTube channel be able to pay for the Tesla.
609
00:42:03,051 --> 00:42:05,211
And I go, I okay.
610
00:42:05,471 --> 00:42:11,022
Ryan starts this like Tesla review YouTube channel, like just like on his own and.
611
00:42:11,022 --> 00:42:13,847
Within six months it blows up.
612
00:42:13,847 --> 00:42:15,029
And I mean like legit.
613
00:42:15,029 --> 00:42:18,835
Now it's one of the biggest YouTube channels for Teslas in the whole world.
614
00:42:18,992 --> 00:42:28,454
And like we know we'll be literally we'll be out on gigs like we were just out and about
like on the road at an airport and it's like There we were literally doing a gig with Jeff
615
00:42:28,454 --> 00:42:32,774
Goldblum and Jeff Goldblum was like somewhere else people like oh my god Like are you Ryan
Shaw?
616
00:42:32,774 --> 00:42:34,194
And he's like, can I get your photo?
617
00:42:34,194 --> 00:42:40,494
Like okay, we're have people come up to him now who like recognize him from YouTube It's
bizarre because because it's like it's either.
618
00:42:40,494 --> 00:42:41,174
What are you doing here?
619
00:42:41,174 --> 00:42:47,888
He's like, I'm about to go play a jazz gig They're like what you play drums It's like the
weirdest thing is I you know, I've known Ryan since he was in
620
00:42:47,888 --> 00:42:48,853
high school, you know?
621
00:42:48,853 --> 00:42:51,806
uh
622
00:42:52,039 --> 00:42:54,439
mean, I had no idea.
623
00:42:54,439 --> 00:43:03,879
did not know after, you know, I saw him pull up after the gig and I'm like, oh, one of
those, that's a big truck.
624
00:43:04,739 --> 00:43:17,641
then I think like Jen found it like a couple, like a week later, she's like, you know,
Ryan does a lot of videos about Teslas and
625
00:43:17,641 --> 00:43:18,701
And I mean, it's great.
626
00:43:18,701 --> 00:43:21,416
mean, I'm going, I'm, but it is, it's nuts.
627
00:43:21,416 --> 00:43:30,627
mean, you can have more, you can have more success with a, with a review thing about cars
than you can.
628
00:43:30,770 --> 00:43:33,057
that channel bought him his house, so...
629
00:43:33,963 --> 00:43:34,864
Yeah.
630
00:43:35,289 --> 00:43:36,119
Yeah.
631
00:43:36,520 --> 00:43:43,520
don't even want to I well wait a little stereo image our podcast here goes, you know,
it's, it's really funny.
632
00:43:43,520 --> 00:43:46,821
mean, So this we went and saw Jeff Hamilton the other night.
633
00:43:46,841 --> 00:43:49,042
He was playing at Smith Center.
634
00:43:49,862 --> 00:43:51,963
And they were doing a big band.
635
00:43:51,963 --> 00:43:59,583
uh Like a retrospective of a chart from Tommy Dorsey a chart from every big band he played
with.
636
00:43:59,583 --> 00:44:01,727
And Jeff was on fire for the whole night.
637
00:44:01,727 --> 00:44:04,069
But, but it was, it was delightful.
638
00:44:04,069 --> 00:44:05,930
But Jeff was just over the top.
639
00:44:05,930 --> 00:44:06,731
Unbelievable.
640
00:44:06,731 --> 00:44:16,809
anyways, we sat down at this 4-top and we, I got two, two seats and the people that were
there, the guy said, uh, he's a fan.
641
00:44:16,809 --> 00:44:21,563
saw Jeff with Diana like 25 years ago in, in, in Paris.
642
00:44:21,563 --> 00:44:23,286
And he seemed like a really nice guy.
643
00:44:23,286 --> 00:44:26,819
He's like a real estate guy in town for some conference.
644
00:44:26,819 --> 00:44:28,240
So he thanked me.
645
00:44:28,240 --> 00:44:31,162
I got him tickets to Penn and Teller because he's a big Penn and Teller fan.
646
00:44:31,162 --> 00:44:33,944
And he sends me a text saying, man, I'm so glad.
647
00:44:33,944 --> 00:44:35,314
I'm so thanks so much.
648
00:44:35,314 --> 00:44:41,709
And I said, well, look, you know, if you ever want to listen to a podcast, I don't know if
you're into podcasts, but I got this little podcast.
649
00:44:41,709 --> 00:44:43,763
And, uh, and he sends me back a thing.
650
00:44:43,763 --> 00:44:45,672
He goes, yeah, I love podcasts.
651
00:44:45,672 --> 00:44:47,293
I have a real estate podcast.
652
00:44:47,293 --> 00:44:50,234
It gets a couple of hundred thousand people a month.
653
00:44:51,156 --> 00:44:52,012
I'm like,
654
00:44:52,012 --> 00:44:54,041
Yeah, I get a couple hundred people a month.
655
00:44:54,041 --> 00:44:55,384
But it was a
656
00:44:55,394 --> 00:44:58,732
on that note, thanks for the kind words with Leonard Slackin.
657
00:44:59,144 --> 00:45:00,608
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
658
00:45:00,608 --> 00:45:04,009
mean, and Leonard, man, what a great guy.
659
00:45:04,009 --> 00:45:05,539
what a legend.
660
00:45:05,539 --> 00:45:10,494
of course, as a Sinatra file, I am everything with his father and stuff.
661
00:45:10,494 --> 00:45:17,290
Yeah, can you imagine the scene at his parents house like in the 60s growing up, know,
50s?
662
00:45:17,290 --> 00:45:21,032
I mean, it's like, look, Tatum stopped by again.
663
00:45:21,173 --> 00:45:22,414
I hope he doesn't play the piano.
664
00:45:22,414 --> 00:45:23,615
He never shuts up.
665
00:45:23,615 --> 00:45:33,774
You know, I, yeah, it's, but he and again, one of these guys that is so generous with his
time and his spirit and just wants to help people and, you know, I mean, we went out to
666
00:45:33,774 --> 00:45:35,992
lunch and he was, you know, he's just he's like,
667
00:45:35,992 --> 00:45:39,985
I gotta slow down, I'm doing this, this, this, and this, and I'm retired.
668
00:45:39,985 --> 00:45:40,746
You know?
669
00:45:40,746 --> 00:45:42,278
It's like, but yeah, of course.
670
00:45:42,278 --> 00:45:45,471
I mean, I'm gonna talk you up anywhere I can, because you're fucking great.
671
00:45:45,471 --> 00:45:48,074
So, you know, if you were an asshole, I wouldn't bother.
672
00:45:48,074 --> 00:45:52,638
And we wanna get Graham on too, just because, you know, he's gonna have stories.
673
00:45:56,201 --> 00:45:57,283
Yeah, yeah.
674
00:45:57,283 --> 00:46:04,403
Well now, I want to ask one other aspect that I was going to ask.
675
00:46:04,403 --> 00:46:12,795
Are you doing any studio work these days or mostly just jazz music?
676
00:46:13,384 --> 00:46:14,334
it's recording stuff.
677
00:46:14,334 --> 00:46:20,148
still, you know, I'm lucky enough to get called to do some recording stuff for guys like
Michael Buble.
678
00:46:20,522 --> 00:46:27,833
I just recorded something last week, a big band thing for a guy who was on The Voice or on
one of those shows.
679
00:46:27,833 --> 00:46:31,516
You know, they always have like one jazz singer on that stuff.
680
00:46:31,516 --> 00:46:33,438
we actually, I recorded...
681
00:46:33,438 --> 00:46:37,920
It's a Bobby Darin cover tune, but it was an obscure one, which is kind of cool.
682
00:46:38,141 --> 00:46:48,997
yeah, mean, you know, there's still recording in the studio stuff and it's not, you know,
I'm not getting called like probably, you know, if you know who Mike Valerio is kind of
683
00:46:48,997 --> 00:46:52,109
the busiest bass player in LA for studio stuff.
684
00:46:52,109 --> 00:46:52,929
Yeah.
685
00:46:53,350 --> 00:46:58,052
But there's, I get a good enough, good amount of calls still.
686
00:46:58,052 --> 00:47:01,345
So it justifies me staying in the union still.
687
00:47:01,345 --> 00:47:03,401
Right, right.
688
00:47:03,401 --> 00:47:06,309
And uh you just had to move, huh?
689
00:47:06,309 --> 00:47:09,070
You said you'd go to a different place?
690
00:47:09,070 --> 00:47:12,609
Yeah, Pasadena, if you know where that is.
691
00:47:12,609 --> 00:47:14,346
Yes, I've heard of it.
692
00:47:14,640 --> 00:47:21,691
Yeah, I've been in LA my whole life, but I've been the last 15 years in uh Studio City.
693
00:47:21,691 --> 00:47:27,319
So just kind of moving about 20, 30 minutes down the road, further east.
694
00:47:27,641 --> 00:47:29,038
Hey, I'll be closer to Vegas.
695
00:47:29,038 --> 00:47:30,078
Sure, sure.
696
00:47:30,078 --> 00:47:31,698
Yeah, get out here.
697
00:47:31,878 --> 00:47:46,081
Well, yeah, speaking of which, you know, I'm shooting for trying to maybe something going
at Vic's in September because, We're off the whole month because Penn's in Europe.
698
00:47:47,641 --> 00:47:48,394
But.
699
00:47:48,394 --> 00:47:49,157
you?
700
00:47:49,179 --> 00:47:49,651
What's that?
701
00:47:49,651 --> 00:47:51,056
No, no, he's doing a,
702
00:47:51,056 --> 00:47:55,296
Piffin Pop's magic shop, which would Piff the Magic Dragon.
703
00:47:55,296 --> 00:47:56,778
Have you seen him?
704
00:47:56,880 --> 00:47:57,973
He's got the, yeah.
705
00:47:57,973 --> 00:48:00,634
but he's at one of those casinos, right, on the strip.
706
00:48:00,634 --> 00:48:06,934
Yeah, he's on the yeah, he well he comes out in a dragon suit and does magic and he's
super funny, really deeply funny.
707
00:48:06,934 --> 00:48:08,317
He has these little chihuahuas.
708
00:48:08,317 --> 00:48:08,968
That's Mr.
709
00:48:08,968 --> 00:48:09,798
Piffles.
710
00:48:09,798 --> 00:48:12,670
And he was on America's Got Talent and he's big star now.
711
00:48:12,670 --> 00:48:16,432
Anyways, they did this act they're doing this act.
712
00:48:16,452 --> 00:48:19,193
And Penn comes out in a dragon suit.
713
00:48:19,253 --> 00:48:24,874
And it's like Penn's his father who abandoned Piff as a young dragon.
714
00:48:24,874 --> 00:48:26,475
So Piff hates him.
715
00:48:26,615 --> 00:48:28,055
And it's really
716
00:48:28,149 --> 00:48:29,520
really funny shit.
717
00:48:29,520 --> 00:48:33,563
So they're doing like this little tour of England without Teller you know.
718
00:48:33,843 --> 00:48:35,144
And so I'm off.
719
00:48:35,144 --> 00:48:40,849
I'm playing Chicago at the Green Mill and you know, but anyway, so let's go let's get back
to a little more content.
720
00:48:40,849 --> 00:48:42,331
And then we'll call it quits.
721
00:48:42,331 --> 00:48:48,995
fast on that note about the pen and stuff is, you know, I just went over to where I got
his bass from.
722
00:48:48,995 --> 00:48:53,458
uh They just got in another tenegas bass, the bass he has.
723
00:48:53,458 --> 00:48:56,179
They come up rare, but this one was crazy.
724
00:48:56,179 --> 00:48:57,590
I played it a couple of days ago.
725
00:48:57,590 --> 00:48:59,341
It's a five string.
726
00:49:00,582 --> 00:49:01,808
Yeah, I mean...
727
00:49:01,808 --> 00:49:07,553
They were saying, yeah, like anyone who's going to buy this is going to get rid of that,
remove that, you know, get rid of that and turn it into a version.
728
00:49:07,553 --> 00:49:09,475
But, there, yeah, they're wanting like, it's another one.
729
00:49:09,475 --> 00:49:11,517
They're wanting like 35,000 for it.
730
00:49:11,517 --> 00:49:17,228
You know, yeah, but it's, they're, pretty, they're pretty hard to find them when those
bases come up.
731
00:49:17,228 --> 00:49:20,840
Yeah, well, yeah, you only made like 30 of them or something, right, or something.
732
00:49:20,840 --> 00:49:21,381
know.
733
00:49:21,381 --> 00:49:28,145
But um yeah, well, you know what Penn would say five string bass is just a banjo.
734
00:49:28,145 --> 00:49:38,965
But well, now, so you've got the record, you're going to Australia, you got the record,
what else is going on in the near future, or the far future this year?
735
00:49:39,205 --> 00:49:40,178
Any big plans?
736
00:49:40,178 --> 00:49:43,278
mean, nothing crazy.
737
00:49:43,358 --> 00:49:49,898
I we're lucky enough, had, you you still have to come play with us when we do this
residency of the baked potato every month.
738
00:49:49,898 --> 00:49:54,438
And we're coming up on, they have a Fender Rhodes.
739
00:49:55,658 --> 00:49:56,558
Yeah.
740
00:49:57,478 --> 00:49:58,995
No, they don't have a Panam.
741
00:49:58,995 --> 00:50:02,078
LA with a real gig with you guys, where there's a piano.
742
00:50:02,078 --> 00:50:03,699
There's this place called Vibrato.
743
00:50:03,699 --> 00:50:05,101
I don't know if it's any good or not.
744
00:50:05,101 --> 00:50:06,374
um
745
00:50:06,374 --> 00:50:07,614
oh yeah, I've probably played there a lot.
746
00:50:07,614 --> 00:50:08,874
I mean, the piano is beautiful.
747
00:50:08,874 --> 00:50:13,934
They have a nine-foot Yamaha that belongs to Herb Alpert.
748
00:50:15,374 --> 00:50:16,997
And it's a beautiful piano.
749
00:50:16,997 --> 00:50:20,124
I don't know if they'd have me play there or not, but that would be fun.
750
00:50:20,124 --> 00:50:21,189
um
751
00:50:21,189 --> 00:50:24,022
be fun actually, I could put you in contact with the guy who books it.
752
00:50:24,022 --> 00:50:24,442
All right.
753
00:50:24,442 --> 00:50:35,931
um Any plans, any forays back into Vegas in the next foreseeable future?
754
00:50:36,131 --> 00:50:49,615
I think, I'm not positive, I think as of now, I might be coming out with Graham in June
for a couple of days um with Benny Benak, know, who kind of, he's always coming out to
755
00:50:49,615 --> 00:50:52,007
Vegas, yeah.
756
00:50:52,228 --> 00:50:55,501
And so we'll see, I have to still talk to Benny.
757
00:50:55,501 --> 00:50:56,903
I'm gonna actually see Benny next week.
758
00:50:56,903 --> 00:50:59,194
We're doing a gig with him in San Diego.
759
00:50:59,271 --> 00:51:00,111
Okay.
760
00:51:00,111 --> 00:51:07,322
Well, if you if you know, I mean, obviously, if I'm in town, we're actually the first week
of I think the or no, that might be July.
761
00:51:07,322 --> 00:51:07,994
No, I don't know.
762
00:51:07,994 --> 00:51:09,794
We're going to Toronto.
763
00:51:10,974 --> 00:51:12,637
Big Penn and Teller, show.
764
00:51:12,637 --> 00:51:14,438
but well, you know, yeah.
765
00:51:14,438 --> 00:51:17,500
And I mean, just just just in case we need a little more information.
766
00:51:17,500 --> 00:51:21,743
We should talk about a little bit about and then I'll you go about
767
00:51:21,984 --> 00:51:29,905
you finding the base for Penn and how, you know, when you came here with Jeff and Graham
and just a little bit, you know, just if we need it.
768
00:51:29,905 --> 00:51:33,645
so, so, and that was actually, cause at that time that was how I met you originally.
769
00:51:33,965 --> 00:51:41,325
Um, was, uh, God, now it must have been, I think that was 2016 or 17.
770
00:51:41,325 --> 00:51:44,485
So I don't know, 10 years ago when I met you.
771
00:51:44,485 --> 00:51:50,625
Um, and Jeff was like, Oh, we're going to go Jeff.
772
00:51:50,625 --> 00:51:52,485
I was with Jeff and Graham.
773
00:51:52,485 --> 00:51:57,881
Cause I was playing, I was playing the Smith center with Jeff and Graham and
774
00:51:57,881 --> 00:52:00,761
And they were like, oh, we're going to go see our friend, Mike Jones.
775
00:52:00,761 --> 00:52:05,201
And I knew who you were, uh, play with Penn and blah, blah, blah.
776
00:52:05,201 --> 00:52:13,341
And, you know, of course we went early the show before the show and, uh, and you know, we
were, it was, it was fun to hear.
777
00:52:13,341 --> 00:52:26,012
I'd never, I didn't know Penn played bass and, uh, but I remember like, cause then he, you
guys came out to the Smith center then the next day.
778
00:52:26,012 --> 00:52:26,808
Right.
779
00:52:27,042 --> 00:52:28,164
and Penn came too.
780
00:52:28,164 --> 00:52:39,050
And so then I got to hang with Penn a little bit and then I started coming out more and
getting to know you better obviously and then Penn through you and I remember thinking
781
00:52:39,050 --> 00:52:47,154
like, you know, he was playing a lot and getting better and he just had this kind of
really kind of mediocre base, you know?
782
00:52:48,195 --> 00:52:54,505
And I was, yeah, yeah, cause we talked about it and I was like, you know, I thought
783
00:52:54,505 --> 00:52:59,133
know, Penn definitely deserved to have a better playing instrument, you know?
784
00:53:00,416 --> 00:53:01,111
And...
785
00:53:01,111 --> 00:53:11,679
when the pandemic came, for the first time in his starting to play the bass up till then,
he'd never really had time to practice.
786
00:53:11,920 --> 00:53:23,219
And he's, you know, I mean, he, so he started, suddenly had an hour a day or an hour and a
half a day to actually sit down and practice the instrument instead of getting 20 minutes
787
00:53:23,219 --> 00:53:28,509
in before the show, before he went on three TV shows and wrote a movie and walked on it,
worked on a book.
788
00:53:28,509 --> 00:53:30,815
um But go ahead.
789
00:53:30,815 --> 00:53:33,296
So this was now we get the pandemic, right?
790
00:53:33,296 --> 00:53:37,157
I'm pretty sure he spent his pandemic learning base in Spanish, right?
791
00:53:37,957 --> 00:53:40,478
Yeah.
792
00:53:40,478 --> 00:53:44,460
So yeah, kind of remember we came out a few times.
793
00:53:44,460 --> 00:53:46,326
I went over to his house for dinner.
794
00:53:46,326 --> 00:53:52,770
um And, you know, he actually I actually have right here I have um
795
00:53:52,770 --> 00:53:57,658
This aluminum base that he gave me is kind of a to hold on to as a thing.
796
00:53:57,658 --> 00:53:58,279
It's amazing.
797
00:53:58,279 --> 00:53:58,685
I got it.
798
00:53:58,685 --> 00:54:02,716
I got it set up and it's one of the most fun bases to play.
799
00:54:03,366 --> 00:54:06,627
Which I know he got years ago, but.
800
00:54:06,627 --> 00:54:19,970
yeah, I remember somebody got it for him as you know, because he also had like one with a
cutout like a rockabilly bass, you know, but um, but so this is probably like 2021 or
801
00:54:19,970 --> 00:54:21,190
2022.
802
00:54:21,250 --> 00:54:23,255
Maybe when he got the base or
803
00:54:23,255 --> 00:54:26,607
summer of 2022.
804
00:54:26,761 --> 00:54:28,376
Okay, yeah, yeah.
805
00:54:28,376 --> 00:54:37,324
And basically, yeah, I remember I went to the best bass shop here in LA, which is called
Los Angeles Bass Works.
806
00:54:37,324 --> 00:54:44,996
It's this woman, Lisa Goss, she's one of the best luthiers in the entire world and
country.
807
00:54:44,996 --> 00:54:49,675
And she's had a bass shop here in LA forever and kind of the one person.
808
00:54:49,675 --> 00:54:52,527
But also just, she has quite a collection of basses.
809
00:54:52,527 --> 00:54:55,109
And I remember...
810
00:54:55,304 --> 00:54:58,704
I sent him and you a bunch of videos of these great basses.
811
00:54:58,704 --> 00:55:01,784
There was a French bass, there was a Czech bass, a couple of them.
812
00:55:01,984 --> 00:55:09,785
And I said, these basses are all, they're all really nice basses and they were anywhere in
the range of 15 to about $20,000.
813
00:55:09,926 --> 00:55:13,666
but then I said, I said, there's this one bass here that's just a different level.
814
00:55:13,666 --> 00:55:19,927
And I said, it's more money than these, but I said, you're not gonna find a bass like this
every so often.
815
00:55:19,927 --> 00:55:21,333
It doesn't come around.
816
00:55:21,333 --> 00:55:26,609
And I was very happy when I played it for him, he could hear the difference right away.
817
00:55:26,748 --> 00:55:30,131
Well, yeah, it's such a beautiful instrument.
818
00:55:30,131 --> 00:55:33,094
mean, you know, it really is.
819
00:55:33,094 --> 00:55:36,740
It's got this warmth and, you know, he loves it.
820
00:55:36,740 --> 00:55:39,743
and it also, he loves the pedigree of it.
821
00:55:39,743 --> 00:55:41,394
He loves the story behind it.
822
00:55:41,394 --> 00:55:43,776
He loves everything about it, you know?
823
00:55:43,776 --> 00:55:48,298
Yeah, it's an unbelievable instrument and I'm happy that he's enjoying it.
824
00:55:48,298 --> 00:55:55,952
So then, yeah, he bought it from here in LA and I drove it out to Vegas for him about a
week later and the rest is history.
825
00:55:55,952 --> 00:55:57,963
And then we kind of changed his setup.
826
00:55:57,963 --> 00:56:03,896
So now he's mainly just using a microphone on stage instead of, and it just, has a big
warm fat sound.
827
00:56:03,896 --> 00:56:06,647
You don't need an amp because it's such a big sound.
828
00:56:06,647 --> 00:56:12,009
And yeah, I mean, you know, huge difference when you hear him play now because of the
bass.
829
00:56:12,009 --> 00:56:12,670
yeah.
830
00:56:12,670 --> 00:56:20,247
People come to the show that saw him 10 years ago, 15 years ago, and they're like, holy
moly, geez, he got better.
831
00:56:20,247 --> 00:56:29,285
I'm like, you know, um well, well, listen, all right, I'm gonna, on that note, I'm gonna
uh call it good.
832
00:56:29,285 --> 00:56:31,547
And thank you so much for coming out.
833
00:56:31,547 --> 00:56:36,700
And thank you for uh making great records with Graham and Ryan and me.
834
00:56:36,700 --> 00:56:40,120
and everybody and it's just a joy to play with you.
835
00:56:40,163 --> 00:56:41,646
It really is.
836
00:56:42,482 --> 00:56:43,082
mine.
837
00:56:43,082 --> 00:56:48,319
like you saying, now I've known you for about a decade and hopefully we make lots of more
music together.
838
00:56:48,319 --> 00:56:49,441
I hope so.
839
00:56:49,441 --> 00:56:51,925
Because I'm just starting to learn how to play right.
840
00:56:51,925 --> 00:56:53,808
then we'll play some more.
841
00:56:53,808 --> 00:56:54,731
Yeah.
