Jazz Monthly.com Interview with Steve Cole

“Jazz Monthly Feature Interview” Steve Cole

Smitty: Joining me at Jazz Monthly.Com is one of the premiere sax players in the business. He’s just released a great new record and let me tell ya, it is saturated with some funky grooves and some very nice rhythms. You’ve got to hear this excellent new record. It is called True. Here to talk about this great record and the upcoming year for his career, please welcome the incredible Mr. Steve Cole. Steve, how ya doin’, man?

Steve Cole (SC): I’m great. How are you doing?

Smitty: I’m wonderful. Man, I agree with you on one thing.

SC: Yeah?

Smitty: This is your best stuff, man. I mean, you got all up in this one. (Both laugh.)

SC: Well, I always try to get up in it.

Smitty: Yeah, man! (Both laugh.) It’s all about that funky groove, you know?

SC: I missed it a little bit, but it’s never left me, you know what I mean?

Smitty: Yeah.

SC: I mean, I grew up in Chicago and came up playing in Chicago, so the funk has always kind of been in my bag of tricks all the time, but with this new record I really kinda wanted to go back to my roots and start to revisit all those great sounds and influences and artists that really inspired me to start getting into this business in the first place. So I’m thrilled with this new record.

Smitty: Yes indeed, man. You’ve got some great players on here. I mean I was asking myself, I said “You know? How did he manage to corner these guys to do this record?” I mean, because you’ve got a nice lineup.

SC: Yeah, the good news is….and the thing that I’ve been really lucky about is….that so many of the finest world class players that are around happen to be friends of mine, and when I make records and when I perform, it’s really kind of first and foremost with me to play music with my friends, with people that I really enjoy being with, because that kind of camaraderie really comes through in the music, so it just so happens that I’m lucky enough to have a bunch of really good friends who happen to be phenomenal musicians. I mean, Ricky Peterson is on this record playing Hammond B3. He’s touring the world with John Mayer right now. And Khari Parker is my Chicago neighbor and he’s just recorded Joss Stone’s new record. And Richard Patterson used to play with Miles Davis and he lives down the street. So Chicago’s a great place and all my friends live around here. Well, Ricky lives in Minneapolis. But it’s great to have these guys around and it’s a privilege to be able to work with them.

Smitty: Yeah, and you’ve got Mr. Dave Hiltebrand, my boy.

SC: Yup, yup, big Dave, yup.

Smitty: Yeah, and is he a great bass player or what?

SC: He’s a great everything player. This guy amazes me. He writes great music, he’s a great bass player, he’s a very accomplished pianist, and he’s a phenomenal guitar player.

Smitty: Yeah.

SC: Yeah, I mean, I don’t even know what else he plays. I mean, you could probably put something in front of him and he’d be like “Oh yeah, I know how to play this.”

Smitty: (Laughs.) And I know….and please elaborate because I’d like to hear a little bit more about capturing the whole Chicago sound….

SC: Yes.

Smitty: But you did it right because, hey, you went right to the root and got some Chicago players.

SC: Right, absolutely, and the whole concept of this record kind of evolved with the record. I didn’t start out and say “You know, I wanna really kinda make a Chicago sound or a Chicago tribute.” But what I really did was kind of dig deep into where I came from and the influences that I had and the artists that really truly inspired me and helped me develop, and coming up as a musician in Chicago, you’re on the bandstand at any given time with an incredible diversity of musicians, both ethnically and demographically, age, so all of these amazing sounds from Chaka Khan and Curtis Mayfield and Eddie Harris and Ramsey Lewis, I mean, I’ve been on the bandstand in Chicago playing clubs with people who played with these people and who recorded with these people. And they were influenced by them and affected by them and then they kinda pass on that influence to other musicians, so as I kinda dug deep into where I came from, what really kinda came out of me was kind of how I’d been affected by so many of these great musicians like Chaka and Eddie Harris and Ramsey and Quincy Jones that came from my hometown.

Smitty: Yeah, man. And it’s a wonderful mix of music too. And I gotta tell you, my favorite is….man, I’m lovin’ “Curtis.”

SC: All right! (Laughs.)

Smitty: Whoo! That’s a hip tune. You know what I like about that tune is it’s old school and it’s cool school. You know, it’s just got that real nice laid back but funky upbeat kind of tempo together. It’s a nice blend. I love that track.

SC: Yeah, that was interesting how that tune evolved. Again, it didn’t start out as a Curtis Mayfield kind of tribute. It just kinda started out as….I kinda just heard that sound. I wanted to get back to that warm blanket of the sound that comes from that groove with the horns and the interesting kind of arrangement with the flute and the trumpet and saxophone, and that nice kind of wall of sound that we heard so much in that time period.

Smitty: True.

SC: And as the tune was evolving, I’m just like “Wow, I know where this is coming from.”

Smitty: Yeah, and I could feel that….I’m visualizing sitting in a Chicago club.

SC: Yeah.

Smitty: And you’ve got these cats just doing their thing. I had that whole feeling, that whole vibe.

SC: Great, yeah, well, mission accomplished, then. (Both laugh.)

Smitty: And, man, I love Jeff Golub’s playing on this one.

SC: Oh, man!

Smitty: Now, did he get up….

SC: Now, that was a score. Okay? That was a major score for me and it happened kinda by accident, okay? I was in New York City and I was going there to record with this other guitar player who happened to play quite a bit on the record. His name is Bernd Schoenhart. I didn’t really know Bernd very well. I’d met him before, he’d played on one of my other records, but he was really kind of a guy that my friend David Mann uses on a lot of his productions, and I had only the highest respect for his playing, so I was like, yeah, I was really looking forward to working with him, but he wasn’t really like my hookup. It was kinda Dave’s guy.

Smitty: Yeah.

SC: So I flew into New York and I got there a day early and I was hanging out with Jeff at his place, and the next morning I’m supposed to go and record with Bernd and Dave, and Jeff was going out to his house in the Hamptons. So what happened was that Dave, his wife all of a sudden decided that she was gonna give birth to twins that day.

Smitty: Yikes!

SC: So Dave’s like “The session’s off. I gotta go and be a daddy.”

Smitty: (Laughs.) And rightly so.

SC: So Jeff, at this point, is already kinda on his way to the Hamptons to hang out with his family ‘cause they’re already out there on Long Island.

Smitty: That’s funny.

SC: So he says to me….‘cause I’m about to head to LaGuardia and head home….he’s like “Man, hang out. I’m gonna turn around, I’m gonna come back to the place.” You know, he has a studio in his place.

Smitty: Yeah.

SC: And he’s going “I got all my good guitars at home. Why don’t we just open up a bottle of wine and hang out and record music all night?”

Smitty: That’s the Jeff I know. (Laughs.)

SC: So it turns out that kinda by accident I’ve got some of the hippest guitar playing to ever be recorded on this kind of record just because Jeff was nice enough and he’s a good enough buddy to do me a solid like that. Man, his playing really….it took the record and elevated it to a completely new level, man. I can’t even describe to you how thrilled I was to have him on it.

Smitty: Oh, man. That’s a great story because that’s vintage Jeff Golub. He’s that kind of guy.

SC: Oh yeah, yeah. Jeff is just….he’s all about….he’s a great guy, he’s a really great friend, and he’s about the music too.

Smitty: Yeah.

SC: I mean, he’s just, you know, he had heard what I was working on and dug it and he was just like “Man, I’m turning around. I’m gonna hook you up. I’m gonna play on this stuff.”

Smitty: That is so cool. Man, wow.

SC: Yeah, it was awesome.

Smitty: Well, I tell ya, man, you’ve got some great stories here with this record because another Chicago cat, my boy Mike Logan….

SC: Oh, God, yeah. Mike’s one of my best friends.

Smitty: Yeah, man, what a great cat and can he lay it down or what? (Both laugh.)

SC: There was a time when Mike Logan wasn’t too hard to get on your gig because he was just kinda like playing in Chicago and everybody knew he was the best player around here, but not a whole lot of people knew him outside of Chicago. And, man, I knew the minute he started hitting nationally that this guy’s phone was not gonna stop ringing for one second, and that’s exactly what happened. (Both laugh.)

Smitty: I’ve gone to shows everywhere and there’s Mike. I’m like “Well, there’s Logan. He’s up there with somebody else.”

SC: I mean, there are certain kinds of players who you like. You know what? I know if this cat’s on my gig, everything is gonna be fine, right?

Smitty: Yeah.

SC: But then there’s players….and those are the safe bets and you just know it….they’re gonna be prepared, they’re gonna play the parts, everything is gonna be cool, right?

Smitty: Yeah.

SC: Then there’s players….and this is the kind of players I like to surround myself with….which are the guys who you know are going to bring something special to the music every single time. Something unique, something different, something creative, something exciting every single time. You could go out on the road and play 30 nights in a row, play the same songs over and over and over, and Mike Logan’s the kind of cat who’s gonna bring something different every single night.

Smitty: Yeah.

SC: And that’s why I love Mike, that’s why I love players like that, because he’s excited about music and he never squanders a chance to create.

Smitty: Yeah, you gotta love those kind of cats, man.

SC: Yup, yup, absolutely.

Smitty: Absolutely. Well, talk to me about the live show a little bit here, just to kinda deviate a little. Now, I’ve seen your live performance many times.

SC: Yes.

Smitty: And, man, I mean, I think you and Euge Groove, you guys blow hard, dude, you know? I mean, it’s that strong, you know, that Richard Elliot kind of thing working, you know? Where you’re giving it everything you got.

SC: Yeah, I mean, I like to trace my kind of style back a little bit further than that and I like to think of it as more grounded in cats like Cannonball Adderley…

Smitty: Grover (Washington, Jr.).

SC: …all the way through kind of Junior Walker, Hank Crawford, through to Grover and (David) Sanborn and that type of school.

Smitty: That’s a lotta blowin’ there, man.

SC: Yeah, you know, I mean, listen, I didn’t get into this business to phone it in. (Both laugh.) When I get up on stage, I mean, first of all, how many people are lucky enough to be able to stand on stage and look out and people actually showed up to see them?

Smitty: Yeah, yeah, that’s true.

SC: So when I look out, I don’t care if it’s five people or five thousand or fifty thousand. I feel very privileged to be in the position that I am and my responsibility is to deliver something powerful and meaningful.

Smitty: Yes.

SC: And when I get there and play, I mean it.

Smitty: Yeah, man, I love that.

SC: (Laughs) I’m gonna dig deep every time out, you know?

Smitty: Yeah.

SC: That’s what I wanna try to do, and not to blow people away or it’s not self-indulgent.

Smitty: Oh, it’s the heart, you know?

SC: It’s just that’s it’s just heart. I think people like artists, people follow artists and enjoy their music when they feel that they know a little bit about what’s behind all of it.

Smitty: Yeah.

SC: And when you’re able to connect what’s in your heart to your instrument and translate that to the audience, I think it’s a very powerful thing, so that’s what I strive to do every single time out, is just to really create that link from heart and soul through the instrument and to the audience, and that’s what I’m about.

Smitty: Well, amen, brother, because each night out you bring it, bro.

SC: (Laughs.)

Smitty: And we love it, you know?

SC: Thanks, man.

Smitty: Talk about after the show, you know, just for the fans and…. After the show, you know, because some players say “Hey, man, I left everything on the stage” and then rightly so.

SC: Yes.

Smitty: And when they come off they say “Man, I’m exhausted” and then you’ve got some players that say “Hey, man, I left it out there, but now I’m charged up because now I wanna talk to the fans and I’m ready to sign autographs,” whatever the case may be.

SC: Yes.

Smitty: Talk about what you go through after that last note and now you’re off the stage and you’re interacting with the fans or whatever it may be or running for the plane. (Both laugh.)

SC: Well, I mean, I think the first thing that I feel after a performance is actually a little bit bittersweet.

Smitty: Yeah.

SC: Because you build up the whole day around this very short period of highly concentrated energy, okay? You know, the performance.

Smitty: Yeah.

SC: I mean, traveling to checking in to sound check to all the events that go on even before you leave town, and you have all this going on and you’re buried in a myriad of details and time constraints, right?

Smitty: Yeah.

SC: And then you get on stage and you play, you finally get to do what you came to do in the first place.

Smitty: Yeah.

SC: And it just sometimes feels like it goes by too fast.

Smitty: We do too when we’re sitting in the audience. (Laughs.)

SC: You know what I’m saying? I mean, I could be up there….now, there’s a certain kind of physical limitation. It’s just like if you’re playing at an intensity level like I like to remain at, after 90 minutes or more, I mean, it’s deep, but when it’s over, kind of the first thing I think about when I get back stage is “Wow, that was quick.” And then it’s kinda like a period of relief where it’s kinda being able to sit down….and normally the guys are back there, the band, and I always end up taking about, I don’t know, 10 to 15 minutes while people are kinda getting out of their seats and going to where they’re gonna go, and if they wanna come and say hi to me or if they want me to sign something for them, it takes them a minute to kinda get situated and everything.

Smitty: Right.

SC: And it’s really just kind of like we finally as a band get to kinda sit down and just take a heavy sigh of relief and just relax for a second and talk about the gig, and there’s always that kinda like “Man, you played blah-blah-blah-blah-blah. Did you hear what he did?” You know, that kind of thing, and there’s a lot of mutual admiration society back there. And then, again, when I sit behind the table and I see that people are lined up and all they require from me is like a smile and a signature and a couple of seconds of my attention, I mean, I feel like wow.

Smitty: Yeah, a photograph, you know.

SC: Yeah, I mean, you know, it still just kind of blows me away that people feel that it’s important enough to them to take the time to come to the shows, to buy a ticket, to pay for the babysitter, to you know what I’m saying.

Smitty: Yeah.

SC: Because that’s with the people making time and money, and I’m in awe of that, so I absolutely love to meet people. I’m never someone who has a time frame for how long I wanna stay out there. If there are people in line, I’m gonna be there and I’m gonna say hi and I’m gonna try and meet everybody because I’m still, even after all these years, so flattered that people think enough of me to show up. (Laughs.)

Smitty: Let me shake your hand, man. You know what? And do me a favor. Never lose that feeling.

SC: (Laughs.) I don’t think I can, man.

Smitty: You know?

SC: I’m like this record….and I’ve been doing this since 1997, you know, making records and going out under my own name, so I don’t think I’m in danger of taking any of that for granted.

Smitty: Yeah, that’s very cool, man. I wish that all musicians would take that same approach and perspective because the fans appreciate that, and like you said, it means a lot to them.

SC: Right, absolutely.

Smitty: And that’s a beautiful thing.

SC: No, and I think that as artists, we have to really understand that in this day and age with the way that the music industry is changing, we can take nothing for granted.

Smitty: That’s true.

SC: And audience development is the most important thing that we can do, and the people that are gonna stick with us are the people who feel as though we’re putting out as much as they’re contributing, you know what I mean?

Smitty: Yes, I do.

SC: And, you know, so…

Smitty: Hey, Steve.

SC: Yeah?

Smitty: Say that again. Say that again. Audience what?

SC: Audience development.

Smitty: I love that, man.

SC: I mean, it’s true. I mean, you wanna take the audience with you, you want people to come with you on a journey through your career, so the one thing that you have to do is communicate with them regularly, you have to be accessible to a certain extent, but you also have an obligation to all of them if they’re going to come with you and they’re gonna follow you through your career. You have to give them something. In the words of En Vogue, give ‘em something they can feel!

Smitty: That’s what I’m talking about! (Laughs.)

SC: I hate to go back to eighties pop, but….

Smitty: No, man. (Laughs.)

SC: That’s actually pretty ridiculous, but, I mean, it’s true. You can’t phone in your records. You have to always, before you undertake to make a new record, you have to make sure that you’re chronicling your absolutely best work and you put your entire heart and soul into it because you have an obligation to the people who are gonna buy it. People aren’t gonna just buy your record because your name’s on it. I mean, they may give you the benefit of the doubt once.

Smitty: Yes.

SC: But if you’re not bringing it every single time, you can’t expect people to be with you for your entire career, and it’s the same thing at the show. You have to bring it every single time.

Smitty: Yes.

SC: People need to come to expect your best.

Smitty: Yes.

SC: And that’s how you get people to come along with you and develop that audience and grow that audience, and that’s what I’m committed to.

Smitty: Well, I tell you what, Steve, I couldn’t have said it any better and my hat’s off to you for what you’re doing and your approach, your perspective on the way a musician should carry himself and how a musician delivers the goods. I think that’s beautiful.

SC: Cool, man.

Smitty: Yeah. As Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell said, ain’t nothing like the real thing. (Laughs.)

SC: Oh, we’re going there, are we? (Both laugh.)

Smitty: Hey, you went back to En Vogue, man. I had to go get one, you know? (Both laugh.)

SC: I don’t know where that came from.

Smitty: Hey, that’s off the cuff and that’s when it’s real, you know?

SC: Oh yeah, that’s what’s scary.

Smitty: (Laughs.) Hey, man, I love this album cover as well. I identify, being a St. Louis native. I used to love to come up to Chicago on my long weekends, so I immediately identified with the skyline, with the Hancock Tower and all that.

SC: Right. You know, it was interesting because at first the album cover….I was a little bit skeptical because, again, kinda the Chicago influence, it’s a subtle thing. It’s definitely there. I mean, that’s who I am, that’s what I’m about, those amazing influences that I’ve had being a musician here playing jazz and blues and R&B and soul music and gospel music in Chicago. But I didn’t want the album to look like a postcard.

Smitty: (Laughs.)

SC: And I think that we really struck a great balance with the kind of imagery on this album cover because Chicago is very much kind of….it’s like a whisper in the visual image.

Smitty: Yeah.

SC: And it’s present, it’s undeniable, but it’s kind of subtle and that’s kinda how I feel about how the music is portrayed in the record, so I was really kinda happy with how we were able to strike that balance between the music and the imagery of the record.

Smitty: Yeah, man, and it follows well with the songs too.

SC: Right.

Smitty: So I’m sure there is a tour in the making.

SC: Yes, absolutely. We’re really starting to put together some exciting dates right now….and at least we were before the entire music industry shut down for the holidays. I mean, I’m talking about the door gets locked on this industry after Thanksgiving pretty much.

Smitty: (Laughs.) Yeah.

SC: But we’ve got a bunch of stuff coming up. We’re gonna be in Washington, D.C. on January 11th, we’ve got a great show in Chicago, actually, on February 14th, and we’re filling up the calendar and covering a lot of the country this year, so I’m really, really looking forward to it.

Smitty: So and all of these dates, as they become solid, will of course be on your Web site.

SC: Yes, absolutely, and if I could also mention that I update my Web site, which is www.stevecole.net. I update it regularly, so if you wanna come by and check out what’s going on, come to the Web site. There’s updated tour info, but the cool thing is I have a blog on my Web site that I really almost update like every other day, sometimes a couple of times a day.

Smitty: Oh, wow, yeah.

SC: And on there there’s like some video clips and audio clips, unreleased songs, things that I’ve been working on, things that I’ve been thinking about, pictures, and just kind of commentary, so it’s a bunch of stuff you’re not gonna be able to find in the record store, and a lot of the music is kinda there for a limited time, but I’m also gonna have kind of a little bit of a New Year’s Eve present for people that stop by, but that’s a secret. You have to stop by before New Year’s Day to get that.

Smitty: Well, that’s cool, man. Yeah, I’ve been to your site and I like the NY/LA video. That’s cool.

SC: Uh-huh, right.

Smitty: Yeah, that’s really cool. And so, yeah, you’ve got a very colorful site and I think it’s important, too, there again, another form of access and interaction with the fans, which is a beautiful tool that we have available now, the Internet.

SC: Right, absolutely.

Smitty: So it’s great.

SC: And believe it or not, even though this site has just been revamped, it’s getting a complete overhaul, so after the first of the year it’s gonna be a completely new site with even more content and even more opportunities for interaction with everybody, so be looking for that as well.

Smitty: Wow, so you’re just a busy cat out there now.

SC: Man, I’m telling you, I’m trying to figure out when I’m gonna have time to go Christmas shopping. Oh, wait a minute.

Smitty: Yeah, we’re a little late.

SC: I’m late. (Both laugh.)

Smitty: Although you will probably find some people out there joining you, that’s for sure. Well, talk about the Sax Pack thing. Now, you’re gonna work this as well in 2007?

SC: Absolutely.

Smitty: Whoo!

SC: I mean, absolutely. The Sax Pack is probably the most fun I’ve had playing music in a long time. I mean, getting up on stage with Kim Waters and Jeff Kashiwa is a blast.

Smitty: Yeah, I can imagine. (Laugh)

SC: I mean, I’m telling you. First of all, they’re great musicians, really, really inspiring players. Second of all, crazy guys!

Smitty: Yeah, I was gonna say after the show is probably pretty cool too. (Laughs.)

SC: Yeah, after, before, during. (Both laugh.) It’s truly….it’s a lot of fun and, again, it all comes out in the music. The really cool thing about the Sax Pack is that we joke around, we have a lot of fun, but when it comes down to the music, we get down to business and it is serious.

Smitty: Yeah.

SC: Kim Waters and Jeff Kashiwa are serious players.

Smitty: Yes. I’m a fan. Great musicians!

SC: And the music is downright profound, so I love it, and any opportunity we have to put Sax Pack dates in our schedules along with our own solo dates, we take the opportunity because it’s just so much fun.

Smitty: That’s very cool, man. And you guys are gonna be at Berks, right?

SC: Yup.

Smitty: All right.

SC: Berks Jazz Festival (March 24, 2007). We’re looking forward to getting back there. It’s a great place and it’s one of those festivals where everybody gets to kinda catch up with their old friends ‘cause you run into a lot of players and different artists there that you don’t get to see very often, so I’m really looking forward to that.

Smitty: Very cool, man. Well, I must tip my cap to you, my friend, because I must say this new record is by far the most positive change that I have seen in your career to date.

SC: Oh, man, that’s a compliment of the highest order. Thank you very much.

Smitty: You’re so welcome. And I highly recommend this record for music lovers, not just jazz or Smooth Jazz. I think this is a beautiful book of music, period, and you’re to be congratulated, my friend.

SC: Well, thank you, thank you. I really appreciate that.

Smitty: All right, and this one is available in stores across the country and across the water and everywhere, right?

SC: Yeah, everywhere you can possibly imagine you can find it.

Smitty: Absolutely.

SC: Open up your mail box. (Both laugh.)

Smitty: It’s there, very cool.

SC: Yeah, yeah, you can get it in all the stores, on Amazon, on iTunes, on MSN, on this and that, whatever, it’s there.

Smitty: Oh, very cool. Well, Steve, I’m looking forward to seeing some of this new music live, I’m looking forward to seeing the Sax Pack again in 2007, and best of everything, man, with this record, and look forward to seeing you at Berks as well.

SC: Yeah, absolutely, thanks so much.

Smitty: All right, we have been talking with the fantastic Mr. Steve Cole. He has a wonderful new record out. It’s called True and it is true through and through. Please check out this record. I highly recommend it. Steve, thanks again, my friend, and all the best to you and yours in 2007.

SC: Same to you. Thanks.

Baldwin “Smitty” Smith

For More Information Visit www.stevecole.net and www.stevecolemusic.com and www.naradajazz.com