Jazz Monthly: I must tell ya, I’m digging the artwork. You just really did some fantastic artwork with this project. It really sets it off. It’s sort of like you can judge this book by its cover because what you see on the outside, you’re gonna get more on the inside.
AR: Well, I had a great team of a photographer and a stylist, and made just a great team, a makeup artist, that just did a wonderful job of creating different looks for me, so that’s the whole project.
Jazz Monthly: Yes, yes indeed, and now you’re with a new label, the Red Cat Music Group. Talk to me about working with Sam Pink.
AR: Oh, he’s kind of the guy with the vision and I’ve really, really enjoyed, of course, he has one of the top jazz clubs, or probably the top jazz club in the Houston area, and he’s moving in different directions all over the United States with franchising of the Red Cat Jazz Club, so look to see more of them and then adding the label, that’s just another extension of his vision, so I’m just very happy to be a part of it and we’re fortunate to have Bungalow Records and Universal Records as our distributor.
Jazz Monthly: Yes, wow, you have got quite a team. Sam really puts on some really great shows at the Red Cat Jazz Cafe and I know whenever you’re in there the house is packed, and it’s really a great show there, just a great venue with a lot of cool people, some fantastic food, and it’s just a great scene for the Houston area and beyond, really, when you think about it. What I noticed is that it’s becoming this international club because there are always people from all over the world. I was in there, what was it, about a week or two ago there was a guy from Honolulu who just dropped by to kick it and play and left and jumped on a plane back to Hawaii, you know?
AR: Oh yeah, and then we hosted a party for Microsoft Spain about a month ago and they had booked the entire club for a private party so, yeah, we’re doing a lot of different things. I consider The Red Cat my home and also I want to mention that I had the pleasure of working with Kyle Turner and he is just a great, great saxophonist from Houston, and if you’ve ever been to a Luther Vandross show, he’s performed with Luther Vandross and Regina Bell, and he performed on “Island Breeze,” which is one of the songs on the CD, and it’s kind of one of the songs that we actually kind of stretch out on, so it was wonderful to be able to have included him on this project. We’ll be doing a lot of things together in the future.
Jazz Monthly: Yes indeed. I’ve known Kyle for a number of years and he brings it every night and just does a fantastic performance, his projects in the past have been just fantastic, and I look forward to his new one coming out too because he is just a powerful sax player, yeah.
AR: Oh yeah, he had a great part in introducing me to Houston.
Jazz Monthly: Yes. Althea, this record is just fabulous and all the people that are associated with this should be congratulated because it is just one of the top projects of the year, I think, because it has so many elements and is so unscripted and unrestricted, and it just punches the core of creativity, innovation and improvisation on every level.
AR: Thank you, thank you.
Jazz Monthly:Now when does the record drop?
AR: The record drops September 9th
Jazz Monthly: Very cool. You’ve got some other big things happening. You’ve been on the Smooth Music Cruise the Norman Brown cruise, and I know you’ve got that coming up again in January, and you’ve enjoyed this experience on the cruise the past couple of years. Talk to me about this upcoming cruise that is January 31st through February 5th. 2009. Talk to me about what that means for you and how you feel about going back on that cruise.
AR: Well, every year since the very first year that I performed on it has just grown and with each year I look forward to the next and I hate that it ends because at the time I’m having so much fun. I mean, I love all of the artists, we’ve become sort of like a family, and I think we probably all look forward to seeing each other, and with our schedules and everything, we don’t always have a chance to check out each other’s show throughout the year and that kind of thing, but the cruise has just kind of become not only for the artists but for the people that come on the cruise, they kind of become part of our family too. It’s just an incredible following and there’s an incredible energy that we have on stage and with the audience as a result of the cruise it being such a positive experience, and I’m really looking forward to it in 2009.
Jazz Monthly: Yes indeed. Well, it’s always cool when you’re going on the cruise. You’ve got a new record coming out, you’re gonna be doing a tour in support of the new record and that kind of thing. That’s always an exciting time, isn’t it?
AR: Oh yeah, oh yeah, I’m gearing up. The whole year you’re gearing up for the cruise. (Both laugh.) So it’s fantastic.
Jazz Monthly: Absolutely. So now what would you say to fans that were just kind of thinking about going on the cruise and just saying “I’d like to go but I’m not sure” or “Is it really worth it?” What would you say to fans that may be just kind of contemplating things, counting their dollars?
AR: Well, first, you’ve got Norman Brown as the host. I think that if you love music and for the money that you spend and all of the artists that you see and also that all of the artists are accessible, I mean, we’re all on the ship, so you can actually meet—how often do you get to just walk up and just have a conversation with the artists that you’re seeing performing? That almost never happens, but on the cruise, I mean, we’re right there with you. There’s autograph sessions and photo opportunities, there’s the artists panels where you the audience get to ask the artists questions about there music in a very relaxed, intimate setting. There’s so much more, like the ports, Miami, The Bahamas, Coco Cay, and Key West. Oh and the SHIP! I hear it’s gorgeous! So it will be so much fun!
Jazz Monthly: Yes.
AR: So when we’re not performing, we’re just cruisers. (Both laugh.)
Jazz Monthly: Oh, that’s too cool. And how ‘bout those jam sessions with the great Nick Colionne?
AR: Oh man, that’s just my favorite. The jam sessions are so hot and also if you’re a musician that is where you wanna be. You wanna bring your instrument because they have a space where they allow people to come up. You can come up from the audience if you play and you can sit in with us, so how often does that happen? And you never know who will hear you and what happens. Remember the guy last year, he worked on the ship and played, what was it, trombone?
Jazz Monthly: It was trombone, yeah.
AR: Yeah, and he really played. He sounded great.
Jazz Monthly: Yeah, he came up and rocked the house and went back to work. (Both laugh.)
AR: Yeah.
Jazz Monthly: Which was really cool, yeah, so there are just so many elements about the cruise that I just totally love and it’s always just a fun time to really kick it and hang. I still say it’s that time of year when you’ve toured all year and when you make that stop for the Smooth Music Cruise, it’s just time to just really enjoy everything you’ve accomplished during the year and really get to meet the fans and really get to know them and get to know some of your peers and just have a cool time cruising, yeah.
AR: Oh yeah, they already have the schedules up too of the artists performing and the times. Everybody go to the website and check it out.
Jazz Monthly: Yeah, which is so cool.
AR: Mm-hmm.
Jazz Monthly: So it’s just a wonderful time and it’s just one of those things that I highly recommend, and you will not know how cool it is until you actually experience it, and what most people do walking away from the Smooth Music Cruise is say “I can’t wait til next year.” (Both laugh.)
AR: Oh yeah, oh yeah.
